Toy World October 2019 by TOYWORLD MAGAZINE

October 2019 Volume 9 Issue 2

.. . W WO PER

sales@blueskydesigns.co.uk

@blueskystudiosuk

www.blueskydesigns.co.uk

44 (0) 01133 87 9670

The Team...

CONTENTS October 2019 Volume 9 Issue 2

John Baulch

25 Talking Shop

38 Special Feature: Tactic Games

Publisher and Managing Editor john@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 408 07932 651 207

Mark Austin

Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

Anita Baulch

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

News

Opinion

Features

07 From the Publisher 08 News 16 Industry Moves 18 Marketing World 46 Fresh 52 Allegedly

22 NPD column 25 Talking Shop 30 Viewpoint

38 Special Feature: Tactic Games 42 Special Feature: ICTI Ethical Toy Programe

licensing

Flip over the issue to read our special Licensing World section

world

Rachael Simpson-Jones Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

42 Special Feature: ICTI Ethical Toy Programe

46 Fresh

Lisa Currie

Assistant Editor Lisa@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Mark Crowford

Design and Production Manager markc@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Alakat Published by

www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

toyworldmag

Toy World 5

Toy World Magazine

61 Maxted Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DZ

HAPPY

HUNGRY

BABY

HEAVYWEIGHT TV & DIGITAL CAMPAIGN

OVER 50 SOUNDS & PHRASES

MOVES HER MOUTH LIKE A REAL BABY

SWITCH FROM MUMMY TO DADDY MODE

y the time this issue lands on your desk, there will be about five weeks until the prime minister’s self-imposed Brexit deadline. He has promised that we will leave the EU on 31st Oct, come what may. MPs are fighting against this eventuality, but we may not know until the last minute whether a further delay will happen, whether we will leave with a deal of sorts, or whether we leave with No-Deal - arguably the greatest risk of all the potential outcomes to business and the wider economy.

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

What happens next is entirely out of our control, but it could certainly have a significant bearing on the toy market – and indeed all retail channels – over the coming months. Let us not forget that the pound you had in your pocket on the 22nd June 2016 is now worth 73p. If it loses further ground against the dollar (almost inevitable if a No-Deal Brexit takes place), consumer goods in the UK will cost more going forward. Arguably, the last thing anyone needs right now is further pressure on consumer confidence and spending power. Based on UK toy sales so far this year, we have a bit of ground to make up in Q4 and while there are some fantastic new products around to help drive sales, a more positive attitude from consumers would certainly make a big difference. Should the government succeed in pushing through a No-Deal Brexit (by fair means or foul), it was revealed last month that vehicles would be likely to face a two-day delay in Dover, which could potentially lead to a backlog of around 8,000 vehicles clogging up the Kent countryside. Most toy stock of Chinese origin should be in the country by the end of October, but many global toy companies use European distribution hubs, so UK retailers could still be affected. There is another possible consequence of disruption in Dover; if a company is holding stock in Europe, and it can secure better pricing and easier deliveries from the mainland, it may think twice about replenishing stock in the UK. Ultimately, some hot lines may well stay sold out this year if retailers don't commit early – however, with the pound languishing below 1.20, will that affect the number of ‘open to buys’ in Q4? Sterling’s volatility is also making some suppliers reluctant to quote prices for Spring Summer, lest they be caught out by a sudden swing. However, there is plenty of positive news around to counteract the prevailing Brexit uncertainty. Tangible evidence is beginning to emerge which suggests that Amazon may finally be taking greater responsibility for monitoring the safety and compliance of third-party sellers on its site. I was first alerted by a UK toy supplier

Toy World 7

who had suddenly been “inundated” with requests from Amazon third- party retailers for compliance documents. After a bit of digging, I found that he was not alone. Nor was the barrage of requests limited to the UK; factories in China and suppliers as far away as Australia have also confirmed that extra checks are taking place. Of course, Amazon is unlikely to come out publicly and admit that its procedures are being made more rigorous for the simple reason that it has never admitted that it had a problem in the first place. So we can only surmise what action may be taking place, but based on information from numerous sources, there finally seems to be some movement in the right direction. There are also a couple of major deals in the pipeline: Hasbro has bid an eye-watering $4b to acquire eOne, while at the time of going to press, Jakks is in talks with several suitors over a potential acquisition deal. We certainly live in interesting times, and I don’t see this changing any time soon. You can read a few thoughts and observations about the Hasbro eOne acquisition on page 34; the deal will certainly have huge ramifications for the toy and licensing business if it comes to fruition. This month’s packed issue also includes a report from my visit to the home of Tactic Games in Finland, as well as an exclusive interview with ICTI president Carmel Giblin. It is the 15th anniversary of the Ethical Toy Program this year, and there is no denying that it has been an invaluable resource for the global toy community. Many Chinese factories and global toy companies have signed up to the Program, but ICTI would like to extend its scope to include many more organisations. I have spoken to some people in the past who have been a little sceptical: not of the Program’s motives, but as to whether it is practical for small and medium size companies and factories to get involved. So we have put some of those reservations to Carmel and asked her to give ICTI’s side of the story – which she has, unflinchingly. You can read what she has to say on page 44. If you flip this issue over, you will find an extensive preview of BLE, together with a round-up of some of the latest licensed ranges which will be hitting shelves over the coming months. Lest we forget, licensed products still make up around 22% of the toy market, so challenges aside, it remains a crucial area for licensees and retailers to get right. I look forward to seeing you at BLE and we’ll be back next month as our focus starts to switch to 2020, with features on Spring Summer & Outdoor toys, as well as a sneak peek at a selection of the major Q1 range launches.

News Lego global sales up 4%

Hasbro bids to acquire Entertainment One in $4b deal In a move set to further develop Hasbro’s film and TV credentials, which the company has recently developed through franchises such as Transformers, the deal would see top eOne executives join the Hasbro team, and eOne brands such as Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Ricky Zoom will join Hasbro, in an all-cash transaction. Meanwhile, eOne’s Canadian TV and film operations will continue as a distinct Canadian-controlled business within the combined entity. In a conference call with investors, Hasbro CFO Deborah Thomas said the companies have identified about $130m in cost synergies by 2022, achieved by a series of measures including bringing licensing activities in-house. CEO Brian Goldner said the $130m is cost savings only, not revenue opportunities. Under the deal, eOne shareholders would receive $6.86 in cash for each common share of eOne, which is a 31% premium to eOne’s current 30-day volume weighted average price “The acquisition of eOne adds beloved story-led global family brands that deliver strong operating returns to Hasbro’s portfolio and provides a pipeline of new brand creation driven by family-oriented storytelling, which will now include Hasbro’s IP,” said Brian Goldner. “Hasbro will leverage eOne’s immersive entertainment capabilities to bring our portfolio of brands that have appeal to gamers, fans and families to all screens globally and realize full franchise economics across our blueprint strategy for shareholders. We are excited to welcome eOne’s talented employees from around the world into the Hasbro family.” Allan Leighton, director at eOne added: “On behalf of the board of eOne, I am very pleased by this exciting development, which is a testament to eOne management’s vision, leadership and solid execution. This transaction creates significant, immediate value for our shareholders as it recognises the strength of our future-facing business model.” The purchase has been approved by both boards and is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

Consumer sales in established markets such as the UK and the US also showed an increase during the first six months of the year, as the company enjoyed encouraging sales recovery. Niels Christiansen, Lego’s chief executive, said: “We are satisfied with our performance given the transformative shifts which continue to reshape the global toy industry. We continue to grow consumer sales and market share in our largest markets.” Although global sales were up 4% at £1.8b in the first six months of the year, operating profits declined 16%, as the company invested in its web operation and new store openings. Lego expects to have opened more than 70 new stores globally by the end of the year. This includes an extensive store opening programme in emerging markets including China and India; Lego plans to have 140 stores in 35 different Chinese cities and will open an office in India. Niels believes there is huge potential in both markets. “Within 10 years, there will be 100m kids in India, living in middle class families. They are strong into education, and products like Lego are very high on the wish list,” he said, "There are also many Chinese kids that don't know Lego and whose parents don't know Lego, so we see a real opportunity there." The company stated that the sacrifice in operating profits was an “active choice” in order to continue gaining market share and lead change. Lego has also been investing in “digital play experiences”, such as the Hidden Side series. “It’s never just about the physical products,” explained Niels. “It’s about the entire experience. It’s extremely important we stay relevant and cool.” The company is working with UK retailers to avoid stock issues this Christmas in case of a no-deal Brexit, monitoring closely potential risks to its imports from the Czech Republic, Denmark and Hungary. The firm declined to comment on whether its Christmas pricing might be affected. Lego has also invested heavily in e-commerce, updating its online platforms and enhancing its VIP loyalty programme to work across all the company’s websites. “We want to ensure that we stay really relevant even though there will still be changes in the retail landscape. We still need kids to discover Lego,” added Niels. “Being ahead of these trends will allow us to inspire future generations of children.”

MARKETING & DISTRIBUTING BRANDS

11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK • tel. 01604 678780 • email. sales@dkl.co.uk • www.dkltoys.co.uk

Toy World 8

News HTI opens new Hong Kong showroom

Canal Toys unveils new extensions to its So DIY ranges Canal Toys is set to launch a selection of extensions to its popular So DIY ranges. Visitors to Hong Kong in October will be able to see the new products at the Canal Toys Showroom. Slimelicious will be expanding with the addition of the Slimelicious mini collection, which includes four shops and 24 mini collectibles. Developing the scented range beyond just slime and into the collectibles category will allow Canal Toys customers the opportunity to take advantage of till-top purchases and pocket-money buys. These new lines will be supported with extensive PR and marketing activities. Canal Toys has also teased the arrival of a brand new compound for the DIY arts and crafts industry, which will make its debut later this year. With six products in the range, which will be released through the remainder of 2019 and 2020, the new compound and play pattern will be unveiled to the trade in October at the Canal Toys Hong Kong showroom. Anthony Grimaud, CEO of Canal Toys UK commented: ‘Our in-house development team have done it again - the Slimelicious shops and mini collectibles are stunning. We’re also thrilled to be previewing an exciting new compound and play pattern for autumn/winter 2020 - all will be revealed in Hong Kong. Our Winter line is bigger and better than ever before – it’s going to be a fantastic year for our partners.”

Hornby pop-up shop opens at St Pancras station The shop will feature products from Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix and Corgi. Products on offer will include the Coca Cola Christmas train set and the classic famous Flying Scotsman train set, along with the Eurostar train set which is perfect for international travellers passing through the station. Corgi will be offering a range of film and TV die-cast models from British classics, such as the London bus, The Beatles Yellow Submarine and the James Bond Aston Martin DB5. The die-cast Harry Potter Hogwarts Express will also be on display. Scalextric will be offering a range of products from the Looney Tunes, Wacky Races and Justice League ranges, with sets that feature loops and half pipes. There will also by a new My First Looney Tunes set for pre-school racers, with the option of racing as Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck. Airfix Quick Build will also be available; a range of simple, snap together models suitable as an introduction to modelling for kids aged five and up, or as construction fun for the more experienced modeller. The models require no glue or paint, and the ‘flower power’ vehicles include a sticker sheet. The pop-up shop will be open seven days a week until Christmas, from 7am to 9pm, and can be found near Eurostar Departures.

Toy World 10

As part of the company’s ambitious growth plans, HTI has announced the opening of a new showroom in Hong Kong this Autumn, which will move from the current Kwun Tong location to TST East and will house the pocket money and bubbles ranges; categories which have become key focuses to the business and will continue to expand in the near future. Conveniently located opposite HTI’s current TST showroom, the 1,000 square feet of new space will allow the company to create an impactful showcase of its new product designs. Opening on Monday 7th October, the pocket money and bubbles showroom will be ready for the busy October fair. Michael Butterworth, divisional director, said: “This is such an exciting time for HTI, our new showroom is testament to our continued investment into the pocket money category. We are looking forward to welcoming our global customer base into this new showroom and showcasing all the exciting new developments the team has been working so hard on over the past 12 months“. The address for the showroom is: Unit 11 12th Floor Houston Centre 63 Mody Road Tsim Sha Tsui East Hong Kong Please get in touch with sales managers Keiran Peoples keiranp@htigroup.co.uk or John Cassidy johnc@htigroup.co.uk for enquiries or to make an appointment.

o n te n t c r eati o n c ew n s ve ei ec r Pu ll M y Fi n g er s h ip s to d r iv e er tn r pa er c en u + Yo u Tu b e / In fl l m ed ia w it h ia c o s n o h s pu vi d eo vi ew s . B ig r et a il . c a ll to a c ti o n to

th at c o m b in es 2 e m a g EW N s u io ar ey â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s y Fi n g er is th e h il M ll Pu ! w er , pu ll th e M o n k n lo n b pi a s n n a o n a g n s a eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; b h e h en s & Fa r ts ! S pi n th w lo n g c a n h e o ey H k Yo u n ev er k n o w w ? n o et M g , h TT g U u B la is e h l ev er yo n pu ll ! H o w B IG w il h c ea th in g s th at m a k e h it e w h o le fa m ily. w th TE r A fo FL n IN Fu TT . U s B r is ye a hh Fo r 2 o r m o r e pl ! fi n g er , a n d w atc IN W d n a ts r Fa th e h o ld it in ? A vo id

For further details contact: 01344 638900 Email: jakksuk@jakks.net

News Play Creators Awards winners announced The Play Creators Awards celebrates the achievements of the toy and game designer community, including R&D teams, freelance inventors and design agencies. This year’s winners were announced at an event held at London’s Under the Bridge, an evening which saw Spin Master, Fuse London and Moose Toys UK among the winners, while Tomy’s Alpesh Patel scooped the Design Icon accolade. “We’re over the moon with the enthusiasm our inaugural Play Creators Awards has been met with, and our finalist line-up highlights the wealth of design talent working in the industry today,” said Billy Langsworthy, co-founder of Mojo Nation. “A big congratulations to all our nominees and winners – and a special well done to Tomy’s Alpesh Patel, the winner of this year’s Design Icon award and a true creative powerhouse.” The winners are as follows: Toy Designer of the Year – sponsored by Si Digital • Moose Toys UK – Scruff-a-Luvs (Moose Toys UK) Game Designer of the Year (kids/family games) – sponsored by Cartamundi • Don Ullman, Bob Driscoll & Rob Daviau – Bank Attack (Megableu) Game designer of the Year (tabletop) • Elizabeth Hargrave – Wingspan (Stonemaier Games) R&D Team of the Year – sponsored by Wynne-Jones IP • Spin Master Design Agency/Invention Studio of the Year – sponsored by Hasbro • So Soundw

Toy Designer of the Year (licensed product) – sponsored by The Toy Association • Mike Wyatt & Matthew Wright – RNLI Inshore Lifeboat Play Set (Playpress Toys/RNLI) Game Designer of the Year (licensed product) – sponsored by Sambro • Open 2 Design – Rubik’s Cage (University Games/Rubik’s) Play innovator of the Year – sponsored by The Toy Association • Fuse London Ltd & Briology – Cool Maker KumiKreator (Spin Master) Rising Star – Sponsored by Alpha Group • Chris Naylor – Wild & Wolf Design Icon – sponsored by Batman • Alpesh Patel – VP of Global Toy Design, Tomy

Obituary: Mark Slater-Hyndman Alpha Group UK general manager Mark Slater-Hyndman sadly passed away on Saturday 31st August, aged just 54. Mark entered the Toy Trade in early 1992 when he joined Dekkertoys. Former colleague Clive Jones remembers Mark’s “unforgettable, incredibly infectious, positive personality”, which was soon recognised with his rapid promotion to national accounts manager. Mark became a huge personality in the toy and licensing industries, making many lifelong friends. In 1997 he joined Zapf Creation as national account manager as the UK business was set up. From Zapf, Mark moved on to Hasbro, followed by appointments at Flair and then HTI in senior management roles. As UK general manager of Alpha Animation, Mark embraced the challenge of setting up the UK operation with his usual excitement, enthusiasm and professionalism, and the subsidiary quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with. Mark became a member of the Fence Club in July 2017. He served on the committee and particularly enjoyed the charitable aspect of the club. He was also a supporter of the licensing industry Light Fund Charity. Many friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Mark’s upbeat and positive personality, and condolences have been expressed to Mark’s husband Tom and the couple’s families. Alpha Group president, Robert He, released the following statement: “Alpha has lost a passionate and creative manager, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Mark have lost a dear friend and an inspiring colleague. Mark leaves behind a business that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Alpha Group UK. No words can adequately express our sadness at Mark’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. He was an incredible and unforgettable ambassador for our industry and proud of his association with many charitable causes including the great work of the UK’s licensing fund-raising body, The Light Fund and that of the toy industry’s charity, The Fence Club, of which he was a dedicated and loyal member. We will honour his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.”

Ryan ToysReview under fire Watchdog group Truth in Advertising has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, accusing the YouTube channel of deceiving children through “sponsored videos that often have the look and feel of organic content.” Hosted by seven yearold Ryan Kaji, YouTube channel Ryan ToysReview has built an audience of 21m since 2015, and racked up more than 30b views. Truth in Advertising found that nearly 90% of the videos included at least one paid product recommendation aimed at pre-school children, who the watchdog argues are too young to distinguish between a commercial and a review. “Ryan ToysReview’s sponsored content is presented in a manner that misleadingly blurs the distinction between advertising and organic content for its intended audience,” states the complaint. “According to the FTC, when such a blending of content occurs, any material connection between an endorser and the seller of the advertised product must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed in a manner that will be easily understood by the intended audience.” In a statement, Ryan’s father Shion Kaji responded: “The well-being of our viewers is always the top priority for us, and we strictly follow all platforms’ terms of service and all existing laws and regulations, including advertising disclosure requirements. As the streaming space continues to quickly grow and evolve, we support efforts by lawmakers, industry representatives and regulators such as the FTC to continuously evaluate and update existing guidelines and lay new ground rules to protect both viewers and creators.” Many toy companies and retailers have pursued endorsements with kid influencers like Ryan ToysReview, although the FTC has repeatedly warned influencers to clearly disclose their relationships to brands in their social media posts. However, watchdog groups believe that, without enforcement, the agency’s warnings have had little effect. The success of Ryan ToysReview has spawned a cable and online series: Ryan’s Mystery Playdate and a range of Ryan’s World products including toys.

Toy World 12

Crazy Aaron’s NEW Treasure Surprise POP comes pre-packed with 60 MINI Thinking Putty® tins in 12 different colours. Customers will love the adventure of discovering their own treasure behind the mystery label, and will race to find two very special putty colours: Pirate’s Gold, which contains flecks of real gold, and Lost Diamond, which includes a sprinkling of diamond dust! For UK and Ireland wholesale enquiries please contact: GREEN ELEPHANT TRADING LTD www.greenelephanttrading.com sales@greenelephanttrading.com 0870 803 2116

News Modarri appoints TKC Sales The California based manufacturer of the Modarri car concept, Thoughtfull Toys, has announced the appointment of TKC Sales as exclusive distributor for the UK and Ireland. Modarri was launched by a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2015. The concept has progressively evolved and established itself as a sought-after brand and has been successfully marketed in over 20 countries worldwide. Commenting on the announcement, managing director of TKC Sales, Matt Woodruffe said: “Modarri is a cut above most other products in the vehicle category and, understanding the development that is in the pipeline for the next three or four years, we are very excited to have the opportunity to launch this proven and unique concept.” Modarri is a vehicle concept where the component parts of all the designs are fully interchangeable – 10m different combinations can be made from just six cars. K.I.M., which manages the brand internationally, will be working closely with TKC Sales to help it maximise sales through a select number of retail partners. Modarri will be available to retailers in the UK and Ireland from spring 2020.

A.B. Gee expands puzzle portfolio with Tooky Toy A.B. Gee has expanded its puzzle portfolio for 2019, boasting a strong collection from Tooky Toy, designed specifically for infant and pre-school children. With many items suitable from age 12 months and upwards, the range contributes to early education, helping to improve hand-eye coordination and memory, as well as colour and object recognition. Perfectly sized pieces and softened edges make it easy for small hands to play. As it’s never too early to start the learning journey, both the Alphabet and Number Peg Puzzles feature easy grasp wooden pegs, making them perfect for little fingers. Little ones will also enjoy the Wooden Dress up Bear Family puzzle box; a 56-piece set played on the slide-off lid. Kids can choose from a variety of outfits and facial expressions for mum, dad and baby bear, developing matching skills or choosing their own combinations. The set packs away into a beautifully crafted box, making it an ideal on the go toy. The range starts with puzzles as simple as four pieces and includes puzzles with up to a 101-piece count. The company takes great pride in ensuring that all lines are made from sustainable wood and coloured with non-toxic paint, guaranteeing a safe and robust puzzle experience for kids.

newsanalysis

The Keys to success LjK Sales and Marketing is a sales agency founded in 1999 that remains a family business. Run by Leon and James Keys, LjK offers sales and marketing representation to a number of leading manufacturers and distributors within the Toy and Gift industries. LjK is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. How do you feel about reaching this landmark? Given the current retail and economic climate, it’s a fantastic achievement that we’re very proud of. The business started in 1999, working with number of major toy manufacturers and distributors which were also in their infancy. It’s been great to have played a part in helping to establish and grow a number of brands, many of which are now evergreen best-sellers today. A 20th anniversary is a great milestone to celebrate, especially as a family business.

How has the sales element of the industry changed over the past two decades? Retail has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, and we have had to change how we operate too. Fortunately, the days of writing orders by hand, posting copy orders or spending the evening loading the fax machine are long gone. Toy trends move so quickly, stock availability can change in an instant, and we can’t always wait for our next meeting with a customer to share an update, so email, text messages and even WhatsApp have become useful tools. Additionally, we run email campaigns similar to Toy World, to keep customers up to date on new products, marketing campaigns or promotions. However, although email, iPads and B2B systems have contributed to an almost paper-free office now, a printed catalogue is still one of our best sales tools. The types of retailers we work with have certainly changed too; while toy shops remain an integral part of our business, it’s important to remember that a wide variety of retailers also sell toys. Our customer base is incredibly varied, made up of garden centres, department stores, buying group members, online, gift shops, museums, wholesalers, railway exhibitions, theme parks, farm and zoo attractions, comic and gaming shops and even pharmacies. Like all businesses, it is important for us to spread risk as much as possible by putting our eggs in different baskets.

What main challenges do sales agents face? Sales agents face similar challenges to those of retailers and suppliers. Brexit, turbulent exchange rates, stock availability, aggressive online (and sometimes high street) pricing all create problems that we have little influence over. However, store closures are by far our number one challenge.

In your opinion, what makes a successful sales agent? The long-term relationships we have built with our retailers and the principles we represent are incredibly important. We’ve worked with a number of our clients for 20 years now, which has certainly helped grow our mutual business and also forged some strong friendships. As a business, we’ve always put equal importance on both the sell-in and sell-out of products. This often means getting involved with new POS installations, merchandising, product events, bespoke promotions and marketing campaigns. We conduct a lot of store visits too, even if they aren’t the direct buying point; it’s important to know what is working or what isn’t, and what support is needed by that specific retailer.

What do you think the next 10 years holds for LjK Sales? I’m sure the retail market will see even more change in the next decade. As a business, we need to embrace the evolving markets and work closely with our suppliers. There is always going to be a demand for toys, and we want to continue to be a valued part of this industry.

Toy World 14

Industry Moves Informa Markets promotes Anna Knight to vice president, Global Licensing Group Anna Knight has worked for Informa Markets (formerly UBM) for the past ten years, most recently as event director for Brand Licensing Europe, which will take place at ExceL London from 1st - 3rd October. Her promotion follows two months operating as interim managing director for the division. In her new role as vice president, Anna will continue to be responsible for the strategic and commercial performance of Brand Licensing Europe; Licensing Expo Las Vegas; the Licensing Leadership Summit and the group’s media division, License Global. Anna will also work in partnership with Informa Markets Asia to develop Licensing Expo China and Licensing Expo Japan. Informa Market’s North American president Rick McConnell commented: “We are delighted that Anna will be stepping up to take on the role of group vice president. She has done an amazing job of reinvigorating BLE over the last four years, smashing every target possible along the way. Over the last two months, she has proved that she knows this market inside out – and is incredibly well-connected and well-respected within it – and has really exciting and quite ground-breaking ideas for propelling the group forward, revolutionising the products within it and further cementing our position at the heart of the global licensing community.”

Thomas Baker joins Learning Resources as head of sales EMEA Thomas Baker has joined the Learning Resources team as head of sales EMEA. With many years’ experience in the baby and toy product categories, Thomas brings a wealth of experience to the role, having managed sales and to-market strategies for numerous brands in the category across several regions including the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific zone and Africa. “We’re delighted that Thomas is joining us at this important time in our company’s growth,” said Dennis Blackmore, managing director. “Thomas has a proven record of developing and executing effective sales strategies and is a key appointment to the company. He’ll focus on maximising our strong relationships with our retail partners in the UK and Europe and expanding on our existing base in the Middle East, Africa and India. Education is at the heart of all Learning Resources’ product development. The company supplies learning aids into schools and has a vast selection of educational toys aimed at the parent market. Thomas added: “Trends indicate that parents are keen to dovetail home learning with what’s going on in the classroom and build on core concepts like numeracy skills and critical thinking, through encouraging hands-on play with educational toys. We see potential for ongoing growth in the educational toys category, and my team will continue to leverage our proactive and innovative approach to growing sales and revenue in the markets we service.” Thomas will be based in Amsterdam and manage a sales team across the EMEA region.

Jon Birch to move on from Wow! Stuff Following significant growth and a raft of new appointments at Wow! Stuff, director Jon Birch is leaving after 11 years with the innovative toy company. Wow! Stuff’s CEO Richard North commented: “It’s all about the people here, so when a hardworking, trusted colleague leaves the company it’s a sad day. Jon goes with our deep, heartfelt thanks and best wishes.” “The time feels right for a change,” said Jon. “It’s been an absolute pleasure, incredible journey and an honour to have worked with the Wow! Stuff team, but now feels the right time to move on. I leave as the business is entering unprecedented growth in 2019, with a raft of new product innovations and brands set for launch in 2020. I am very confident that my small shareholding in the business will continue to grow further in value as the business keeps ‘doing wow’ as only Wow! Stuff knows how.” Recruitment to the Wow! Stuff business across sales and commercial activities began in November 2018 with Dawn Lavalette joining from Tesco, followed by Ian Goodall from Logitech, Kelly Fletcher from Muller and most recently Sunny Walia from Tesco.

Looking for a job or filling a vacancy? Toy World can help.

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Our online Recruitment section is the place to advertise your latest vacancies. For just £250, ads can be placed online within 24 hours and enjoy daily exposure on our popular email newsflash, plus front-page visibility on our website. Print ads are also available – to discuss your requirements, get in touch with Mark Austin mark@toyworldmag.co.uk.

Toy World 16

GET IN TOUCH TODAY TO ORDER FROM THE TOMY RANGE OF CHARACTER LICENSED TOYS Contact us 01392 281927 | ukcustomerservices@tomy.com | www.tomy.com

Marketing World Golden Schleich T-Rex appearing at Smyths stores Kids already familiar with the sight of a giant Schleich T-Rex at store openings across the UK are about to be treated to an even bigger spectacle; a golden version of the prehistoric beast is to be unleashed at a number of Smyths Toys Superstores this autumn. The super-sized golden T-Rex will appear at Smyths Toys superstores locations across the UK, offering not just a golden photo opportunity but the chance to win some great prizes. Kids will also be able to get their hands on one of the limited-edition Schleich Golden T-Rex figures, which are exclusive to Smyths. Paul Dearlove, trade marketing manager at Schleich, said: “Our giant models offer great store theatre, whether it’s for a one-off event or for a terrific display in-store. This is the first time we have created a golden model, and we expect he will be extremely popular.” For more information call Schleich on 01279 870000 or email Schleich@ Schleich-s.co.uk.

Poopsie Slime Surprise is the new face of Hamley’s window display MGA Entertainment has launched a takeover of the Hamley’s London flagship store window, celebrating two new product launches for its collectible slime brand Poopsie Slime Surprise. The best-selling collectible slime brand will be showcased in an unmissable display until the 28th October. The display will feature the popular Poopsie Slime collectibles alongside the highly anticipated new Rainbow Surprise Dolls and Llama Slime Surprise. Samantha Wilson, marketing director for MGA Entertainment, said: “This captivating Hamley’s window display is the perfect way to showcase our fantastic new product launches to a high footfall of shoppers this autumn. We believe this will drive anticipation and excitement for Poopsie Slime Surprise ahead of the Christmas period, driving sales as the brand continues to go from strength to strength.”

Canal Toys to sponsor afternoons on the Disney Channel The innovative art & crafts specialist is kicking off Q4 with an exciting sponsorship with the Disney Channel. Promoting three of its best-selling brands – So Slime DIY Slimelicious, So Bomb DIY and So Magic DIY – the TV sponsorship campaign, planned by Generation Media, forms part of an integrated PR & communication plan, managed by Adrenalin PR & Marketing on behalf of Canal. This is the latest embodiment of Canal’s ongoing investment, as the company increases support for its retail partners by raising awareness and driving additional demand for its fun, fully certified and innovative ranges. Starting from the end of September, the five-week partnership will see Canal Toys’ eye-catching idents sponsor afternoons on Disney Channel, strategically promoting the popular So Slime DIY Slimelicious scented range with storage containers, the So Magic DIY terrariums and the So DIY bath bomb kits. Anthony Grimaud, CEO of Canal Toys UK, commented: “We are excited by the TV sponsorship campaign designed by Generation Media. The Disney Channel is the ideal spot for our innovative DIY brands So Slime, So Bomb and So Magic. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight our exceptional, fun products, which allow children to get creative and explore their imaginative design skills.”

Toy World 18

Marketing World

A world of pure imagination Lego recently launched its brand identity 'Rebuild the World'. The campaign, rooted in the company’s commitment to celebrate kids’ creative resilience and the power to make the world a little brighter, saw celebrities and creative industry leaders meet at Lego House in Billund to discuss how to help children build creative resilience and expression. Toy World caught up with Marius Lang, head of marketing UK and Ireland to find out more. What will stand this brand campaign out from other toy marketing campaigns? Our new TV advert for Rebuild the World is live action, so it looks totally different to what people might expect from Lego. However, at its heart, the campaign stays true to our core values of creativity and imagination. It encourages people to look at the world through a child’s eyes and remember how good it felt to unleash imagination. The advert, and activity around it, brings to life how every Lego build starts with a brick and billions of possibilities. As we build, unbuild and rebuild, the limitless worlds of our imagination are brought to life.

creativity, as well as develop key skills including problem solving, motor skills and team-work through play. Through activities across the globe, we are inspiring the next generation of builders and helping build their creativity skills during playful workshops. We’re encouraging debate around the importance and role of creativity and play, and how this should be protected to help children succeed in tomorrow’s world. Iconic UK landmarks were rebuilt based on children’s research, which revealed how they’d like to see the world around them.

What is the thinking behind this campaign? Creativity is fast being recognised as one of the most important life skills for children to develop. Last year the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report identified creativity as one of the three top skills required for workers to ‘thrive in the fourth industrial revolution’. For the Lego Group, creativity has been behind the enduring success of the iconic brick for over 60 years and Rebuild the World is the expression of the company’s belief in the importance of nurturing and enabling this all-important life skill for future generations.

When did the campaign launch? The global embargo lifted on 17th September, with the first airing of the advert in the UK on 21st September during The X Factor on ITV. Ahead of this, the UK campaign was across OOH, digital and social channels.

What is Lego hoping to achieve with the campaign? Rebuild the World is our commitment to fire-up children’s creativity to ensure they’re ready to succeed in tomorrow’s world. We want to celebrate and inspire

What do you hope the legacy of the campaign will be? Rebuild the World helps nurture an innate and essential human skill by inspiring children to unleash their creativity, to rebuild worlds filled with infinite possibilities and retain this vital ability for life. By firing up their creativity, children can bring anything they imagine to life in brick form. We hope Rebuild the World will have a positive impact on construction toys and the wider toy market and spark a creative culture than inspires generations to come.

Why licensors and licensees should consider a “product-first” content strategy In the run up to BLE, Greta Bisetto-Donelan of Generation Media explores why a “product-first” approach is worth exploring.

he UK’s largest licensing trade show will kick off at Excel London this month, once again providing an invaluable networking and business platform for licensing professionals. As ever, the list of exhibitors features an impressive selection of IP owners which are heavily leveraging their content pipeline to support licensing deals. Indeed, “As Seen on TV”, is to still a huge incentive to investigate a potential deal. However, conversely, a “product-first” content strategy, where content is created to complement an already existing product range, is growing from strength to strength. Here are five reasons why we at Generation Media think “product-first” approach is worth exploring. • It further amplifies the level of engagement of a brand and product within a given target market and it increases its exposure. • It creates a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the brand, beyond the physical product. In fact, creating content with a strong over-arching

narrative decreases the chances of content looking and feeling like an advert. The audience will then emotionally engage with the plot and the characters and, as a result, will facilitate the sell-in of the physical product. • It inspires different modes of play and extends the potential for storytelling. For example, we know that children love to watch content where their favourite product is used to act out different narratives and situations. This could encourage them to create content themselves, becoming creatively active and developing new skills. • It offers a wider selection of platforms where audiences can talk about the content: broadcast TV, cinema and social. • Finally, the successful creation of content may end up with a further revenue stream of monetisation, adding a new line to the revenue mix. If you would like to know more about developing and distributing content, Generation Media can help. Visit our website www.generationmedia.co.uk for more information.

Toy World 20

NPD Insight

About a boy This month, Rory explores recent shifts in licensing purchasing, with particular emphasis on licensed products targeted predominantly at boys.

he toy market is constantly evolving; we have seen some big changes, particularly over the last 12 months. What influences children and what is ‘on trend’ can shift at a remarkably fast pace. One area where these changes are particularly apparent is in the toy licensing arena. This sector has become a smaller part of the UK toy market in recent years and there are a number of reasons for this development. For the purpose of this article, I will look at whether there have been any demographic or motivational shifts in licensing purchasing, looking particularly at boys licensing. Are boys moving away from licensing? Have there been any specific drivers in advertising influences that have had a major effect? Using NPD consumer data, we can try to assess these questions and more.

licences for the older age group are Marvel, DC, Pokémon and Harry Potter. There seems to be a clear trend for boys-focused licences performing well with older kids - the popularity of Funko is likely to have had an impact here. Conversely, the data suggests that the decline in licensing is being driven by younger boys. Looking specifically at boy recipients of licensed toys, the biggest declines are coming from 3-5s and 6-9s, declining at -37% and -27% respectively. Both these age groups are down across all toys, but the licensed decline is around 1.5 times faster for both. Looking at the top licences for boys 3-5, Paw Patrol is No.1, followed by Marvel and then Star Wars. However, all of these licences are seeing declines. It’s a similar story for boys 6-9, with the top three properties Marvel, Star Wars and DC all in decline. Many of the same licences that are driving growth for older boys are in decline for younger age groups. There are obviously differences in category: these licences are more likely to feature in the growing Collectible categories for the older boys and in Preschool Toys and Playsets for the younger boys.

Rory Partis

Director UK Toys & EuroToys NPD licensed toy purchases for 18+ being influenced by the film and 15% for the 13-17 age groups. Interestingly, this is growing at +23% for 13-17s and +6% for 18+. However, this is not the case for the younger boys’ age groups, with films lower down as an influence and declining. TV and streaming has more of a share for the younger age groups and has stayed relatively stable in terms of value; could it be that streaming TV for younger boys is affecting the popularity of those movie licences?

Another factor to note is that, from the Christmas Looking at the latest 12-month period to June List study which NPD carried out last year, it was 2019, NPD consumer data shows that the toy market boys that were much more likely to put video games has declined by -6%, but the licensed portion of the on their Christmas lists. If we look specifically at the market has declined by -17%. What could be driving boys 6-9 age group, 32% highlighted a toy as their this trend? Looking at who is more likely to receive main Christmas list item, whereas 35% put a video licensed toys, we can see that 57% are bought for or games console and 31% put video games software. by boys, compared to 51% of total toy purchases being Looking at advertising or media influences, films With a combined 66% for video games -related gifts for boys. So with an over index on boys licensing, the are still a key influence for older boys, with 26% of all as the main item, category has also seen this is actually a -20% trend over the the highest share prior period for boys, for these items on compared to -13% for Christmas lists, even girls. If we then focus compared with older on age, there is a clear Older boys are the growth area for licensed toys, but decline from 3-5s and 6-9s boys’ age groups. If similarity between means boys’ licensing is decline. boys are getting into boys and girls, in video games earlier, that it is the older could it be that toys age groups which 0-2 Years -and particularly are showing growth. licensed toys- for For both genders, it 3-5 Years boys could be even is the 13+ age group 6-9 Years more challenged? We that is showing value have obviously seen growth in licensed10-12 Years Fortnite transition toys, with boys 13+ 13-17 Years successfully from growing at +12% video games to toys and girls 13+ at +2%18 Years + in the last year, so versus the previous 0 25 50 75 100 -60 -45 -30 -15 0 15 maybe we will see 12 months. Why Millions Value £m Value Change £m more of this in the might this be? Some next year? of the top performing

Boys recipient age for Licensed Toys

Document The classification: Client/Third Party Confidential NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Source: The NPD Group | Consumer Data| MAT June 2019 vs 2018

Toy World 22

To monitor what’s happening in the ever-changing toy market, NPD collects point-of-sale information from all major toy retailers. This information, combined with our analysts’ industry perspectives, delivers a comprehensive view of what’s selling and where. We also field over 12m consumer surveys annually to help industry leaders understand why consumers shop where they shop and why they buy what they buy. For more information visit www.npd.com. Follow NPD on Twitter @npdgroup.

Licence Progression Total Licence

Rank June 2019

Rank Jul 2019

Bing

#280

#76

Bing has been around for a few years now and the programme is ever present for a number of children in the morning. The adventures of a young bunny learning new things was a big hit when it was initially launched, and the licence was worth over £6m in 2016. Golden Bear has taken over the toy licence in 2019 and have pushed the licence up the rankings for July with a range of new plush items.

Fastest Growing Subclasses The top gaining subclass in the UK toy market this year is Action Figure Collectibles, with some of the properties driving this growth being Fortnite, Funko, SuperZings and Ryan’s World. Skates/Skateboards/Scooters is the second top performer after a good couple of months, particularly for scooter items over the summer period. Dolls categories are also represented with three subclasses in this top 10 with Playset Dolls Accessories, Nurturing Doll Accessories and Fashion Accessories all appearing.

Fastest Growing Licences

Action Figure Collectibles the top performing subclass in 2019 Sales Gained £M Ac:on Figure Collec:bles Skate/Skateboards/Scooters Playset Doll Accessories Card Games Strategic Trade Card Games Nurturing Doll Other Accessories Family Board/Ac:on Games Fashion Accessories Brainteasers Ac:on Figure Plyst&Acc 0.0 Document The classification: Client/Third Party Confidential NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

1.5

3.0

4.5

6.0

Source: The NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | YTD May July 2019 vs. 2018

Ride-on

en d oo W oys T

Order by 2pm for Same Day Dispatch

RETAILERS Stock some new and exciting toys for Christmas!

01460 241800 trade@beehivetoyfactory.co.uk

www.beehivetoyfactory.co.uk/trade-enquiries

Talking Shop

Ready for the silly season This month, independent retailers spoke to assistant editor Lisa Currie to update Toy World on what is proving popular in store at the moment, their thoughts on the licensed toy market right now and how they are getting ready for the festive season

Alan Simpson - Toytown I am delighted with how 2019 has been going, given all the issues and the uncertainty in the marketplace. New stores have contributed to this, as this year we have opened premises in Hull, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Aberdeen, Glenrothes and Washington near Newcastle. There was great opportunity in those locations, and they have all been performing exceptionally well. Our strong points are the depth of range that we carry and our ability to blend in end of line specials to complement our core offering. We pride ourselves on the breadth of range from the suppliers that we deal with and on being competitive in the marketplace. This year we took on a new marketing assistant to co-ordinate our social media activity, so we can make customers aware of when a product is landing. We also change our displays on a regular basis to keep stores fresh and up to date. L.O.L. Surprise! is still strong this year, alongside Ryan’s World, Squishies and Slime. Our vast depth of range means these products hold a strong position, but are not the dominant product on sale. Ultimately those who limit ranging are going to feel more of an impact from the ups and downs of toy crazes than we do. L.O.L. is being kept alive by its innovation; all crazes and fashion lines tend to have a life span dictated by development and upcoming launches. Nothing is set to knock L.O.L. off its perch just yet, and with new product ranges being

released regularly, interest has remained consistent despite a slight dip in sales this year. As consumer confidence has dropped, it’s only to be expected that people are going to spend less. In the pre-school department, Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig have remained very strong. Other licensed products are performing very well – Toy Story 4 was extremely well received and is one of the more successful launches we have seen for a number of years. Conversely, Star Wars has declined. New Star Wars lines are very expensive, but end up on clearance within a few months. Once it is brought down to a more realistic price point, the clearance product has a better rate of sale. Apart from collectors, regular toy consumers will wait until the price is reduced. Without the initial wow factor at launch that we used to see, and seldom do these days, there is a surplus in the market. One of Toytown’s strengths is that we work well with suppliers when they are closing a line or re-aligning stock levels; and we can pass that value onto the consumer. I don’t expect to see much of an uplift in Star Wars after the new film release in December. Launching earlier in the year would have meant a better opportunity to release stock; with this timing, Star Wars will inevitably miss the boat.

Toy World 25

Overall, the licensed toy market is healthy, though perhaps not as impactful as it has been in recent years. Classic toys have remained extremely popular, but licensing is still a very important part of the business. A prime example would be Nerf, which released a Fortnite version of what has become a classic item. The Fortnite version has attracted a lot of additional customers, which shows me that licensed product is healthy and driving sales. I think Fortnite will continue to be very strong through to the end of the year, as well as Toy Story. Unlike the new Star Wars, which is yet to build momentum, the impact of other films launched this year should continue through to Christmas. Frozen II will appeal to its own audience; we hope to see the success of the first Frozen movie replicated. The singing Elsa doll from Jakks was the must have line last time round. This time round, it won’t be available now until next year. In my view, Disney should allow products like these to be released before Christmas to avoid missing out on the initial excitement of the film launch. If anything, the dolls would be a teaser for kids who can sing the new songs and be encouraged to look forward to the film. Because we have 28 branches, we are an important partner for suppliers. Our strong relationships mean they make sure we have coverage for major launches, so allocation of licensed product tends to be straightforward. The pricing can be a problem. Royalties can put licensed products out of synch with generic product ranges, and there’s a discord when it comes to price points on shelves. When faced with a premium price, we have to consider if there is enough value for money in the product. With the uncertainty of Brexit, we have been bringing stock in early. Because there are so many distribution hubs based in Europe it is inevitable that there

Talking Shop are going to be delays and stock shortages, should we leave the EU at the end of October. We are getting all our branches well stocked with key lines so we don’t have to rely on November and early December shipments and can be prepared either way. We still have deliveries planned in November and December, but these shipments are less vital than the stock that we will already have in situ. We predict that Peppa and Paw Patrol are going to be in high demand for Christmas presents for pre-schoolers. Toy Story 4, Frozen and Lego should remain consistent in their performance, and Barbie has also performed really well this year. I believe that this year, there is a good depth of sellers that are going to drive numbers through Christmas. I just hope that the public isn’t put off even further by the turmoil of Brexit and the possibly of a general election – hopefully they can focus on the fact that Christmas is coming. We celebrate 40 years of business this November, and have come through tough times before. To a degree, toys has always been exempt at Christmas time, no matter how difficult the economy. That is the beauty of toy retailing; Christmas will always come around. It’s something to look forward to and

is a vital part of our year. We have been preparing for it since last Christmas! My hope this year is that more people support high street shops and avoid spending online. There is a danger when buying from third party sellers on Amazon, but people are drawn to value. Online companies are not penalised by the tax system in the same way as bricks and mortar retailers, which

makes us question if high street stores can really compete. It’s not a level playing field – we have to pay rates, rent and staff. To make a profit, it’s tempting to be the cheapest, but that can lead to problems. There is no longevity in the cheapest option – John Lewis has experienced that with its price promise scheme. Such retailers can now no longer compete with those who don’t have the overheads associated with high street trading. Online shopping is also making the retail experience disappear for children. A child should experience the feeling of walking into a toy shop – there is no wow experience when a brown box arrives on the doorstep. By saving a few pennies online, parents are depriving their children of the toy shop experience, and they need to consider that when reaching for a tablet or device. Customers are the ones that can keep a business alive or kill it, more people should remain loyal to the high street. After 40 years of business, I think we have stood the test of time. We give value for money and plenty of choice, and our customers have remained loyal because they see what we do and realise we are here for the long term.

Laurie Symes - Jakes Toys, Petersfield Sales across the summer holidays were steady, without being remarkable. Consumer confidence is affected at the moment, due to the uncertainty of Brexit. The period from September to Christmas is always unpredictable, but we can only hope that things will improve as we approach the festive season. At Jakes Toys, our large Lego range is a big draw for customers. In the run up to Christmas, we naturally expect Lego to do well. We help make the bigger sets more affordable by offering a Christmas savings plan where customers pay a 10% deposit and then pay in weekly instalments. This helps us manage our commitment for the higher priced sets with less risk, and we can put more orders in if needed. As well as the latest sets and ranges, we also offer discontinued Lego lines. Popular sets often sell out quickly, but we keep some lines in stock that move at a slower pace, because we understand that customers can’t always afford to buy the higherpriced sets as soon as they are released. Since turnover of Lego sets is very rapid, children can miss out. Our reputation has spread, and many people contact us from a fair distance away to ask if we have a specific item that is no longer widely available. Those people will travel to pick up a set, because they want to avoid paying the prices that it will now be sold at online, often way above retail price. That service alone makes Lego our biggest asset

- it keeps us going and is always our best-seller. Star Wars sticks out as a customer favourite and appeals across a wide age group. Lego City is also in high demand especially with younger children. In the run up to Christmas we are likely to sell a lot of Lego Technic - I believe the nostalgia of this range makes it a top present choice for parents since many, including myself, would have had Lego Technic when they were young. Star Wars is our best-selling licensed propery, not just in Lego, but across all ranges. We also see strong sales from anything that features superheroes and

from Hot Wheels. Overall, we carry a mix of licensed and non-licensed product. People are often drawn to licensed products because of the characters, although with non-licensed ranges, consumers arguably get better value for money, because there is more in the box. Toy market sales have dipped overall, which has naturally had an impact on the licensed toys

Toy World 26

market. I think the dip can be attributed to children becoming more interested in games and apps on tablets. Lego Hidden Side is popular though, and offers a good balance between play time and screen time. Parents perceive that screen time and app technology are combined in a creative way that can benefit the child. The smaller sets have been selling really well and I predict this will be a top seller at Christmas for us. With the release of Frozen II approaching, as well as other big movies like the next instalment of Star Wars, I am confident that we can look forward to renewed interest in licensed products. The first Frozen film was a huge success and we couldn’t get hold of the Elsa dolls, so I’m hoping more stock will be available this time round. It’s difficult to predict how the film will be received, but I’m expecting a positive reception because of Frozen’s existing reputation. I think allocations of licensed toys could be improved for independent toy shops. Many suppliers prefer to deal with bigger toy retailers, because they can buy in large quantities. As an independent business, we can’t always justify buying in the quantities that suppliers want us to, so we lose out on allocations. It is a shame; we are situated in a small town and customers have to travel over half an hour to access a large toy chain. The demand is there for the stock, but we don’t always get the allocations. A couple of years ago, when Fingerlings was really popular, we couldn’t get hold of any stock, yet we had many people asking for it every day. It was a shame to lose out on those sales and fail to fulfil customer needs; I think it would be good if suppliers could be much more supportive of the smaller independents.

Where Great Books

Become Great Games! University Games / Paul Lamond Games 31 Newington Green, Islington, London N16 9PU Tel: 020 7254 0100 Email: sales@ugames.uk.com and sales@paul-lamond.com

www.university-games.co.uk www.paul-lamond.com

indie viewpoint Jim Gray - A1 Toys, Glasgow Business this year has been disappointing compared to last, although we experienced a slight lift across the summer period and have seen some pull back across September. We hope business will increase in the run up to Christmas. We offer something different to our competitors, as we stemmed from an independent comic book shop called A1 comics, which is still up and running, situated in the centre of Glasgow. At A1 Toys we stock both toys and other merchandise that resonates with our roots, including superhero figurines and collectibles. Though we are a toy shop first and foremost, our offering of unique collectibles has widened our consumer group to older children, parents and collectors. Our clearance lines always receive a positive reception, but L.O.L. Surprise! remains one of our best-sellers. These crazes always stand out above the rest; it will be interesting to see what craze grabs the attention of the YouTube generation next. The new release of Lego Hidden Side looks really promising. We first saw it exhibited at Toy Fair at the start of the year and thought it was an innovative concept and different from traditional Lego. Our competitors don’t currently stock it, which is another bonus. We stock all the licensed ranges for Lego - the Harry Potter sets are popular, and a lot of the superhero Lego is highly rated by our customers. With the Avengers End Game film coming out this year, we stocked the toy line from Hasbro, which includes the six-inch action figures. These sold out rapidly and thankfully Hasbro has re-stocked the line before the DVD release. Moon and Me has also been popular in terms of our licensed ranges. Overall, licensed product is a key focus for us. The danger is jumping on a licence bandwagon and then the film or TV series doesn’t perform as expected, but most of the time it works for us. Properties can struggle if suppliers miss the right opportunity timing-wise, or re-release something that doesn’t have the potential to do as well as the initial launch. Star Wars should be popular for Christmas with our customer base - we find that the Star Wars lines usually flood the market and we can’t always predict whether it’s going to work or not. We will place some orders, but don’t want to fall into the trap of stocking too much and then struggling to make sales. There are other films in the pipeline that we will want to increase stock for as well. If the release of Frozen II is anything like the first film, I expect it will do very well at retail. Allocations on licensed ranges can be an issue for us. In one case, I ordered 20 boxes of stock and only got two, which was an unwelcomed surprise. I’m not entirely sure how the allocation process works, but I know smaller toy shops generally suffer. I just have to hope that we can get what we ask for. The more we order, the more we should get allocated, but as an independent store we can’t always commit to large orders, because we have to consider whether we can realistically sell it all. At the Toymaster show we ordered a lot of front-page lines from the catalogue, as well as the half price selection, which includes products from VTech. I am gearing up for the Christmas season now, having realised how many people have already come into the shop looking for items to put away for presents. The Brexit deadline is not worrying me yet, and I don’t think it will until something actually happens on the matter - it’s business as usual so far. We stock many brands from European companies though, like Lego and Playmobil, which I am sure are thinking about possible outcomes. I think the best thing I can do is carry on as normal and look forward to Christmas.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Autumn’s here!

s we write this, the school holidays have just ended, and we are in the midst of more twists and turns in the Brexit saga. We have been pleased with August sales this year, even against the strong figures from last year when Harry Potter Lego was released. Quite a few new lines have started to sell well already. The relaunch of Bakugan has been popular with customers and has given a good boost to boys’ action figures. Pokémon trading cards are still very strong, and with the launch of the Hidden Fates set, there is even more demand from collectors. One that is a bit under the radar is Mario figures and plush from Jakks Pacific; it’s one of those ranges that is not stocked everywhere, so is a good point of difference for us. The Robo Alive range from Zuru has established itself well over the past year, and the new dragons and Boppi the Llama have enhanced an already strong range. The new Lego Hidden Side range has also started to take off. It took a few weeks for people to understand exactly what it is, but they clearly do so now, and it looks likely to be a popular choice for Christmas. Although it’s only September, we are taking delivery of advent calendars. We are especially excited about the Lego Harry Potter one, as we have had a significant number of requests for this in advance of its release. It appeals to a wide age range, and looks as though it’s going to be very popular. To try and make our lives easier and split the workload, we started taking in Q4 deliveries early in August. So, our stockrooms are filling up, but still have space to take in a lot more, and hopefully we will keep on top of it all this month. Autumn Fair was our last show of the year, and we spent a full day there on the Sunday. It was all change this year, as the show has moved to a different area of the NEC. We were a bit worried, as we always start our day there with breakfast at the Wetherspoons, and with the new location, we were not sure whether there was one. However, we were not disappointed, and set ourselves up for the day by holding our first meeting over breakfast. With the new layout, the toys are now located within the gift area. There were noticeably less toy suppliers, but those in attendance did seem to be quite busy, and the section seemed to sit well next to other gifts. Our customers do expect to see licensed products in our stores, and they make up around half our range. However, there are so many around that you do have to be selective. There are obviously evergreens such as Peppa Pig, Thomas, Barbie, Marvel and Disney Princess but with the amount of films and other entertainment properties out, the selection to choose from is vast. With new licences, we are cautious and look at how they translate into product first, and also take into account how much we are getting asked for them by customers. With a film, the window for selling can be very short, so unless there seems to be a huge demand for it, we may wait and see what the reaction is from the public first. The key licence for us for this Christmas will be Disney Frozen. There is a wide range of product available, but by sticking to core products that relate well to the licence and provide good play value, we are confident we will do well.

Toy World 28

Viewpoint “Why start a consumer products programme, if licensors insist on making the product unsellable?”

Ruth Clement Ruth is director of insight at Consumer Fluent, a UK based company with global reach, its own panel of family shoppers, industry experts and access to kids for qualitative and quantitative research in 15 markets worldwide.

his question is just one of the challenges raised by a licensee in response to Toy World Magazine’s recent Licensing Survey. Licensors never intend for product to become unsellable as a result of the approvals process, but they look to licensees to provide reliably sourced and evidenced insight to support their ideas.

Parent shoppers will stick with this “systemising” approach until their habitual behaviour is disrupted by truly differentiated product or innovation, which promises to expand their child’s play experiences and learning opportunities exponentially, or which parents predict will be the next hot, musthave toy within their child’s peer group.

Know your shoppers as well as you know your consumers

Investing in innovation but not at any price

For pre-teen kids, entertainment characters are profoundly powerful in generating demand for consumer products. These kids have high demands, but the lowest direct purchase power of any consumer group. On the one hand, the pulling power of a licence might be enough to dispel the need for licensees to invest large sums of money in generating demand through advertising and marketing to these kids. On the other hand, licences cannot be relied on to do the heavy lifting in persuading those who do have the purchase power – parent shoppers - to part with their money when they encounter products at retail.

With innovation comes the need for research and development. R&D costs, when added to together with licence royalties, potentially price licensed products out of the market. One solution is to share the cost of research across non-competing licensees. A shared approach means that, when kids or parents are recruited to review concepts, the cost of recruitment, their incentive to attend research, the cost of venue and equipment, and the research moderator’s skills and time are split between two or three licensees. Licensors which have a good record of testing their entertainment properties in development, and benchmarking it with competitors, are already signalling that they value evidence and insight-based strategy and are more likely to support such a franchise-wide research programme as this. For the licensor, it leads to a richer, stronger franchise statement, worth contributing funds to.

Parents are often overlooked in product design and development. Undoubtedly, parents continue to buy on impulse, but they are buying fewer medium-large sized items, which occupy valuable space in the home, than the market caters for. Left to their own devices, once a medium-sized playset is bought, parents tend to commit to adding smaller toys from the same range to create a matching “system” of play, rather than diversifying their purchases across other licenses or brands. This tendency to accumulate one brand rather than diversify, has intensified with the age compression of toys, and as technology has competed for and won share of free time, all whilst taking up less space in the home. From an adult’s point of view, that might seem logical. From a shopper’s point of view, it’s prudent. From a child’s developmental point of view, they may lose out on valuable diversity in the toy box. From a new brand or licence’s point of view, it’s increasingly difficult to build scale and achieve ROI.

Consumer Fluent researchers often coordinate and conduct franchise-wide projects on behalf of licensors and licensees. First, we test entertainment shows with audiences, from their inception to the final cut, specific episodes and subsequent series, and in the process explore how the core attributes of the licence can be transferred to consumer product. Then, we work with licensees to test actual product concepts in single and multi-category research; very often sponsored by the licensor. If you are not sure if a licensor will respond favourably to this approach, contact me on LinkedIn or via email on contact@consumerfluent.com and I’ll advise on how to pursue this option.

Toy World 30

Champion your category Licensors are masters of their viewing audience, of the creativity which goes into producing a new entertainment property, with topline knowledge of your market. They cannot be expected to be experts in or have detailed knowledge of your category, your consumer or shopper. It’s up to you to take the lead and demonstrate that the consumer and shopper are front and centre in your thinking, that you have the evidence to champion their needs in your category, and irrefutably prove or disprove a product’s appeal. In the absence of evidence, the anecdote and opinion of one person will fill the vacuum, with the risk that a product line which has great potential is rejected before consumers and shoppers have even had a chance to judge it for themselves. Build an understanding of the separate components which make up a purchase decision or the mechanism for a consumer request. With every new product line, you might have a vision as to how it will add value to your consumer’s life, but can you support that vision with evidence? Do you know what tradeoffs shoppers are making between your products and others which have retail visibility within the same line of sight? How are you going to persuade shoppers to add your product to the growing pile of toys at home, regardless of the licence it carries? How is the licence going to make a difference in the shopper’s mind? And finally, what is the price elasticity of individual products, within the franchise’s architecture as well as your product range? Use as much evidence as you can get your hands on, to get alignment with your licensor on your product line and its role within their franchise and your category. We can advise on what’s freely available and how to cost effectively source what’s not. As much as any licensee may feel that their opinions are not listened to in the approvals process, they are just opinions, not insights, until consumers and shoppers have been listened to first. Consumer fluency begins with listening. To find out more, come and meet us at BLE on Consumer Fluent’s stand F302.

NEW!

SUPER PAWS EPISODES ON NICK JR. FROM OCTOBER! POWERED UP VEHICLES

DELUXE LIGHTS & SOUNDS VEHICLES

JET AND COMMAND CENTRE

MIGHTY LOOKOUT PLAY SET

HERO PUPS

Viewpoint Protecting kids and protecting brands

Harold Chizick Harold is CEO and Founder at leading marketing agency ChizComm & Beacon Media Group, having previously held senior marketing roles at Spin Master and Mega Brands, and has served on a number of Toy Association committees in addition to being official spokesperson for the Canadian Toy Association.

he latest ruling and fines handed to YouTube with regards to child privacy and COPPA compliance has toy industry advertisers nervously asking lots of questions heading into the busiest shopping time of year. With billions of dollars at stake, how do manufactures bring brand messages forward that have impact and are simultaneously compliant? As we enter Q4, the most critical time of year from both a sales and marketing perspective, there is a heightened awareness and concern in the industry regarding how brands reach consumers in an ethical way that also protects the privacy of children. In the wake of YouTube having to pay a recordsetting $170m to settle allegations by the FTC and the New York Attorney General for COPPA violations, many in the industry are left asking “But what does this mean for my business?” ChizComm and Beacon Media Group hold the safety and reputation of our clients above all else. Protecting brands from the vulnerability of an ever-changing marketplace with relevant multilayered strategy and strong partnerships will ensure best-inclass digital campaigns. Shifting regulations and

crackdowns aren’t new to the toy and entertainment industry, especially during the key festive season. Although YouTube isn’t going away, it has shown that it’s not invulnerable, and the scrutiny will continue into the paid influencer space, as we’ve anticipated and have already started to see happen. We are hopeful that the changes being promised by Google will deliver on the stricter standards necessary. At the same time, we believe that it’s important to start looking beyond the YouTube ecosystem for alternative ways to engage our audiences that are safe and effective. It may seem like a time of uncertainty, but things change. Technology changes, players change, rules change, and our understanding of how people use digital media continues to evolve. This is a watershed moment in the shifting digital media landscape and its implementation of stricter COPPA compliance rules and regulations. Consumer activism will become more demanding: Mom and parent groups will begin to advocate for more transparency around products and the purchases they make. Where and how often information is being presented to their children will become a larger part of the conversation. This demand will put

even more pressure on the FTC to implement harsher consequences that enforce greater safeguards protecting children from data collection at every level across digital networks. How you navigate this change is the secret to success. Is turning away from digital media or dropping YouTube the answer? No, certainly not. YouTube will remain a powerhouse and will continue to be where kids consume content. As industry leaders, it’s incumbent on us to use the platform, and all other digital platforms, carefully and responsibly to protect the children our products and services are designed for. It’s also important to hold our partners and media platforms to the highest of standards. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball - all we can do is look at history and use it as an indicator to best predict what changes are coming. Google is too smart to turn away from the power of kids, and they are not going to turn a blind eye to public criticism. Competitors will also see the opportunity to step up their game and try to win back a bit of market share from the behemoth. In the end, we may be left with a healthier, competitive market, with more options than we’ve ever had before.

Be part of the November issue of Toy World. Features include: Spring/summer & outdoor toys Q1 launches (ranges hitting retail between Boxing Day and Easter) Plus a special focus on Frozen II merchandise For advertising enquiries, contact Mark Austin Mark@toyworldmag.co.uk or call 01442 502405. Toy World 32

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

VISIT THE ALPHA GROUP STAND AT EXHIBIT HALL — C260 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ALPHATOYSUK.COM

Viewpoint Media bites

Tristan Brooks Tristan is client services director at Arena Azure, a specialist media planning and buying agency focused on child markets

et’s start with kids commercial TV: after the first quarter of this year, viewing impacts were showing a decline of 17% on the previous year (child 4 - 9 BARB research data). These figures were impacted by new technology and video streaming services entering the home over Christmas. Viewing has subsequently picked up over the past three months, with an increase of over 3% compared to last year. Whilst this is not yet a reason to crack open the champagne, it is a welcome sign for advertisers who continue to value, invest and benefit from kids’ TV advertising. However, broadcasters have not fundamentally changed their offering to consumers; they are arguably still too reliant on repeating ‘hero’ programmes to retain audiences. There has been some but not enough- new programming, in a market where kids expect new content on demand. The need for fun, engaging, relevant new content to ensure audiences keep coming back to channels is critical. It takes so much time and resource for broadcasters to create a new animated series, maybe this model needs to change? Just look at the success of the Dude Perfect channel on YouTube and the growth of live streams. Simply serving up more of the same while the broadcast world is changing apace just feels unambitious and defeatist. Let’s hope broadcasters become braver in their product offering to consumers in 2020. You may have noticed that YouTube seems to be in the news for all the wrong reasons at the moment. YouTube has either been asleep at the wheel or turning a blind eye when it comes to effectively policing its community and addressing

inappropriate content targeted at kids. A recent fine by the FTC for failure to protect the data privacy of children is its latest issue. The case has forced Google to finally accept that there are children on the platform under 13 who they need to protect. This is an inconvenient truth which Google has seemingly been trying to avoid as the platform has ballooned in recent years, mainly driven by younger audiences. Clearly, a restructure is now required. In addition, Kidfluencers are now under the FTC’s microscope for not making a clear distinction between what is and isn’t paid for sponsored content, an issue they have been remarkably slow to pick up on (Ryan ToysReview channel is currently under investigation). The negative press surrounding these cases will surely erode trust with parents, who seem to be increasingly wary of the main platform and are actively migrating their children onto the YouTube Kids App or other ‘safer’ platforms. If it continues, this trend will no doubt benefit TV. YouTube has announced that big changes are planned for the housing and distribution of kids’ safe content, so expect 2020 to be an important year for the platform, with advertisers and influencers alike keeping a very close eye on any potential changes and what they might mean for their businesses. As YouTube falters, Netflix gains. Research from Kids Insights has indicated that this year, Netflix is the no.1 favourite video-ondemand platform for kids aged 3 to 9, overtaking YouTube for the first time. Will Netflix ever take advertising? This debate will only grow in 2020 as the company’s debt mounts. Meanwhile, its competition dramatically ramps up with the

Toy World 34

imminent launches of Apple TV + and Disney +, while Amazon Prime Video continues to build its video on demand offering. Disney is currently stripping its content from Netflix, further eroding its value as a service to families. Analysts predict Netflix costs will either need to be passed on to customers through raising subscription prices. Another option could be to adopt an advertising model that won’t lose subscribers. It’s not an easy decision for a company which has built its brand reputation around quality, value and no advertising! For Disney + and the lower priced Apple TV + to steal share, they will need to justify to potential customers why they should shell out for another subscription service. Disney is hedging its bets that exclusive access to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Simpsons and National Geographic content will be enough, whilst Apple is relying on completely new content directed and fronted by established names in entertainment, including Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. Surely Netflix has the advantage, having built its platform first with a huge loyal fan base, but only time will tell. Importantly device ownership of mobiles and tablets for children seems to have plateaued this year (based on Kids Insights data for children aged 3 to 12). This may be due to several factors, including parental choice limiting access to devices or sharing devices between children. However with ownership smart TVs and connected TV s on the rise, access to other non-advertised apps and content will only increase the challenge to broadcasters. With the New Year fast approaching, 2020 certainly won’t be boring!

NEW

Squish

it!

! t i x i M

Playfoam Pluffleâ&#x201E;¢ Perfect for sensory play and tactile learning!

! t i p Fli Watch i

Mix together the wonderful creation and squish-sation of Playfoam Pluffle! Bursting with colour and glitter that is truly mesmerising to watch, all whilst keeping its texture and feel!

Playfoam Pluffle™ POP 9-pack

Playfoam Pluffle™ Blue & Red 2-pack

Playfoam Pluffle™ Pink & Green 2-pack

Playfoam Pluffle™ Yellow & Purple 2-pack

EI-1940

EI-1941-A

EI-1941-B

EI-1941-C

Viewpoint

ce found out just how deep Hasbro’s pockets were last month when it was announced that the company had made a $4b bid for eOne. It has been no great secret that eOne has been on the market for some while, and the huge sum it took to finally get the deal over the line presumably explains why a sale has taken so long to come to fruition. It also presumably explains why certain other toy companies didn’t follow through on their interest in acquiring the company. It has generally been hailed as a bold, brave move by Hasbro; the deal offers huge potential, while also raising many questions as to how things will pan out in a logistical sense, both for eOne employees and existing licensee partners. It is important to point out that the deal is not yet ‘done’. If it progresses smoothly, it is due be signed off in Q4. This means that for now, it has

fter my attempt at a relaxing summer, I’m currently experiencing something of an endorphin rush, or adrenaline high. Having overshared my fitness quest last month, I’ve now torn my hamstring. This means I’m miles behind on the company steps challenge, and my adrenaline rush is clearly not coming from physical exercise, so where can it be coming from? I think it must be from attending a trade show. There is nothing better than meeting up with customers face to face to get you going. Autumn Fair is not exactly inundated with toy company exhibitors these days. In fact, the area now dedicated to ‘toys’ is surrounded by stands targeting the gift market – lots of scented

to be ‘business as usual’ for eOne. Could anything derail the deal? Sure – shortly after the announcement, the shares were trading higher than the bid price, which could attract rival bids. In addition, Hasbro is a $14b capitalised company, which means it is extremely unlikely to have $4b cash sitting in the bank doing nothing. Presumably it therefore has to raise the necessary cash; I suspect lenders will be accommodating, but it is still a hurdle that needs to be cleared. And the price certainly isn’t a ‘steal’: few people expressed surprise that eOne was being acquired, but plenty admitted that the asking price came as a bit of a shock. The other thing that surprised people was that it was Hasbro rather than Amazon, Netflix, Disney or any one of a number of powerful media companies – that had made the bid. Because, ultimately, the general consensus is that this deal is about far more than licensed

candles and even confectionery. But those toy companies who were there were busy; we at Kids@Play were certainly busier than expected. The first thing to be pleased about was our arrival and setup. Year 2 went a lot more like clockwork than the panic of Year 1. The second thing that delighted us was seeing friendly faces from the off, and having some brilliant conversations with people who know Christmas is coming and are preparing accordingly. This year, we had awards in hand, positive consumer reviews, product demonstrations all day – and we kept hearing that special phrase from customers: “I’d like to place an order.”

merchandise sales, and far more than Peppa Pig (as most consumer media reports assumed): it is about content. Of course, this fits perfectly with Hasbro’s strategy to transition to an entertainment / content driven business. But could one of the other global content platforms decide to pitch in with a bid of their own? As ever, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over… As for what this might mean for existing licensees and retailers, we can only speculate until the deal is finalised: for now, I find it hard to imagine any great change before 2021 or even 2022 (factoring in Hasbro’s product development cycle timings). Retailers will be also aware that the Hasbro’s margins won’t be as generous as existing licensees, and its ranges tend to be focused around a tighter SKU count, so that is another angle to keep an eye if the deal reaches fruition.

proroguing of parliament. (Never ever did I foresee using that word in an article before.) The exchange rate shot down to a historic low on the Monday morning of the show; by the time we were packing up to leave, it was embracing recent highs. Watching exchange rates going up and down doesn’t help my addiction to data tendencies. I couldn’t quite take my eyes off of it, but it all added to the heightened excitement. Do you remember a time when the exchange rate was $1.50, buyers wrote orders all day long at tradeshows and we had long relaxing summers without the need to go into the office? I wonder if we’ll ever get back to those heady days?

What added to the cocktail of trade show excitement was the exchange rate movements driven by the political reaction to the

Toy World 37

Hasbro bids for eOne – a big deal?

John Baulch John has worked in toy trade publishing for over 35 years, and will be well known to our readers for his personal analysis of industry matters and forthright opinions. If they get past Anita.

These are the days of our lives

Nat Southworth

MBA, ACMA Nat is managing director of Kids@Play Ltd, has bought toys for Asda, and held sales & marketing positions with Vivid, HTi, and Hornby.

Special Feature

Tactic Games

From L-R: Olli Kivelä, Markku Heljakka and Juha Nieminen

From start to Finnish Publisher John Baulch visited the home of Tactic Games in Finland to find out what makes the company tick and how it has established itself as an enduring success in the games and toys field.

actic Games is among a handful of successful European toy companies that has resisted the temptation to move its production facilities over to the Far East. Based in the small industrial town of Pori in Finland, Tactic’s annual turnover exceeds 50m Euros. The company employs over 200 people during peak season and manufactures around five million board games each year. Its production facilities can truly be described as state-of-the art; the company controls the entire process – from design and development, through manufacturing to logistics – from its modern, highly-automated base in Finland.

Tactic has always been a family owned operation: started by the father of current chairman of the board Markku Heljakka, it retains a strong family connection through Markku’s daughters and other family members. Like many successful toy companies which have stood the test of time, Tactic’s beginnings were humble. In 1967, like many toy companies of the era, the original operation Nelostuote - started life in a garage, where its first range was manufactured. The company’s inaugural game was Kimble, which bore more than a passing resemblance to the hit game Frustration. An American relative brought the game over to Finland

Toy World 38

during a visit, and the rest – as they say – is history. If you find a copy of the original game and look closely at the box, a young Markku is actually featured in one of the images. Back in the late sixties - as is still the case – games sales were heavily focused around the festive period. The company soon realised that it would be impossible to survive based on one game which sold at Christmas, so it set about expanding the games range, while also introducing other product ranges which would sell all year round. Although, relatively speaking, the board game market was still in its infancy, the company grew to the point where

it was able to relocate from the garage into a factory, headed up by toy industry stalwart Phil O’nion, has A visit to Tactic’s headquarters in Pori is certainly adding plastic injection and die-cutting machines. been growing healthily in recent years. As is the a great way to understand the company’s ethos and Subsequently it began to print its own packaging case in many territories, Amazon is the company’s appreciate just how far it has come in its 50-year – the company still has connections to the screenlargest UK account, while it is making steady history. It is abundantly clear that the company has printing business to this day. progress in other retail channels, including specialist invested significantly in its facilities, which deliver a From its inception, the company looked to the independents and department stores. The company truly integrated process, from product development international market; the original packaging was also works closely with British design guru Richard through to manufacture and delivery. As a measure in dual Finnish and Swedish language, and a major Heayes, who heads up the in-house innovation team, of its capacity, the company manufactures up to Swedish department store chain was one of its first which covers everything from invention, mock-ups, 500,000 games a month in peak season. Pretty much customers. By the mid-1980s, the company was prototypes and play testing through to production everything is produced in-house – games boards, exporting to other key Nordic territories Norway and schedules and pricing. cards, packaging - using locally-sourced materials. Denmark. The big step change Finland was described to me by came in 1995, with the creation one local as “more like a giant of the more internationallyforest than a country”, so it is friendly brand name Tactic no surprise that Tactic takes Games. At this time, the advantage of the abundant company also started to adapt local resources. its distribution model: in order The facility in Pori is a to take greater control of its seamless blend of highlybusiness in the international advanced automation and market, it began to establish human interaction; rarely have overseas subsidiaries. Sweden I seen such advanced robotics was first, followed by Norway. at a toy manufacturing facility France was the first territory in Europe, while at the other outside the Nordic market to end of the scale, there is still the have a dedicated subsidiary. need for the personal touch: I The company now operates watched as special order labels subsidiaries in UK, USA, were stuck on delivery boxes France, Netherlands, Poland by hand for one particular and each individual Nordic UK customer (apparently UK market, while it also has accounts are renowned for an established network of being quite specific with their distribution partners across requests). the globe. Overall, Tactic now The huge warehouse storage exports to over 70 different area benefits from a number countries. of cutting-edge innovations: Markku initially joined for example, it uses satellite Kati And Jemina Heljakka: Markku's daughters. Kati is the writer of Northern Brights and Jemina has written the Pan and Da - book series. Jemimna is Tactic Games CMO. the company in the late technology to pick pallets, 1970s, taking over the running of the business in the very same year that I initially joined the toy market – 1980. He remained at the helm as managing director until last year, when he became executive chairman of the board. While the day-to-day running of the business is now handled by a strong management team – led by newly-appointed CEO Olli Kivelä – Markku and his family are still very much involved with Tactic Games. To this day, there are three strands to the core Tactic business: games, books and toys. Over its long and distinguished history, licensed board games have remained a key component of the range. Tactic signed its first Disney licence in 1979, while arguably its biggest licensing success came from partnering with fellow Finnish company Rovio to produce a range of Angry Birds games for the global market. These days, Markku admits to being more “selective” with regard to signing new licences, preferring to focus on evergreen properties such as Peppa Pig and Masha & the Bear. The UK market has long been a key market for Tactic: having worked with a succession of distribution partners since the early 1990s, Tactic decided to set up a dedicated UK subsidiary in 2006. The UK operation, which is now

a process aided by having only one central aisle. The area is also cocooned by an ingenious fire protection system, which regulates the amount of oxygen in the section so that a fire physically cannot take hold. Pickers use smart phones to make order processing hyperefficient, while the facility has been designed to be incredibly space efficient (giving it an additional 20% storage capacity over typical warehouses of similar size). All Nordic deliveries are handled from this central warehouse, while Tactic also operates warehouses in key territories such as the UK, Holland and Poland. I asked Markku whether he had ever been tempted to move production to a low-cost area such as the Far East or Eastern Europe. He admitted that around twenty years ago, Tactic explored the option to move part of its production to Eastern Europe, but decided instead to invest heavily in its Finnish factory. This not only allowed the company to maintain continuity and control, but also meant it could continue to develop its credentials as one of the greenest

Toy World 39

Special Feature companies in the global toy community. Anyone who has spent time in Finland will appreciate the incredibly close relationship between Finnish people and nature; people are literally surrounded by natural beauty, and have a deep respect for the environment. Tactic is no exception: all of the company’s paper waste goes to a local paper mill to be recycled, while the whole facility is energyefficient and run on solid environmentally friendly principles. In addition to its eco-friendly DNA, Tactic is also a huge advocate of social responsibility, as you often find is the case with family-owned and run companies with genuine long-term values and principles. Most of the workforce lives locally. Indeed, there are families where several generations have worked at the facility – I’m told that parents often encourage their children to join the company. However, as Markku rightly points out: “Having the best system means nothing if our products don’t appeal to consumers.” In a category where life cycles are generally quite short, it is testament to Tactic’s approach that it has established a number of evergreen brands in its portfolio. Kimble’s popularity has lasted for over 50 years; Alias has been around for 30 years; Flags of the World for 25 years and Mölkky for over 20. While the company aims for its products to last for a minimum of five years in order to recoup investment in product development and marketing, the enduring nature of these brands is quite an achievement in the hugely competitive games market, where decisions are often based on initial sales figures and patience may not be every buyer’s greatest virtue. Markku admits that it is sometimes a challenge for board game companies to appeal to children over trendier, craze items. However, he acknowledges that parents appreciate the educational value provided by the games, as well as giving them the chance to spend quality time with their children and interact with them in a fun way. He also accepts that when there is a surge in popularity in the games sector –

Tactic

something we have witnessed in recent years – there is a tendency for many companies to jump into the market. But as someone who has been visiting the Essen Games Fair since 1985, his passion for games in undiminished, and will last long after the bandwagon-jumpers have moved on to the latest hot category. I saw just how passionate about games the whole Tactic operation is when – an hour after arriving in Pori – I was challenged to a game of Mölkky by Markku, Olli and CCO Juha Nieminen. I am almost embarrassed to admit that this was my first time playing the game which has become something of a cult in recent years. Proudly championed by TV personality Philip Schofield, Mölkky (pronounced ‘Mol-kew’ in case you are not fluent in Finnish) is highly addictive; within minutes, my competitive streak was coming out and although I was soundly beaten, there was no shame in losing to people who have been playing the game for decades when it was my first attempt. It is easy to see why the game has become such a hit. It is incredibly easy to learn (about 30 seconds should do it); great fun to play and appeals to all ages and abilities. I spoke to Sami Viljanen, who has the enviable job of being the global ambassador for Mölkky: “I’ve literally been playing the game ever since I was born! There is no limit to the number of people who can play: you gather round your friends and family - all ages can play together. It gets you outside and is a very sociable pastime.” Although Mölkky has been around for 20 years, it only reached the international market in 2010. In under a decade, the game has become a huge success across the globe; days after my visit, Sami was heading off to France to compete in the annual Mölkky world championship, along with around 1000 other contestants. While France is arguably the epicentre of Mölkky’s international popularity, the game is making great strides in the UK, as well as Germany, Spain and Switzerland amongst others. Expect another strong year for the brand in 2020.

Toy World 40

While Tactic Games is unsurprisingly best known for its games ranges (the clue is in the name), it has branched out successfully into the mainstream toy market in recent years, notably through its Lumo Stars range. Based on the successful story book written by one of Markku’s daughters – the awardwinning Kati Heljakka – Lumo Stars is set in the magical Nordic wilderness, in a realm filled with wondrous animals that live and play in the land of the Northern Lights. Starting out as a striking range of cute plush, the Lumo Stars brand has expanded to encompass many other categories, including puzzles, games, baby products and figurines featuring AR technology. Using codes which come with the product, the interactive features have really driven engagement and popularity. The range has enjoyed great success in the US, where both Walmart and Target have sold big volumes, while Tactic will be exhibiting at BLE this year, looking to find other partners to become part of the Lumo Stars story. Kati remains very much part of the Tactic family, while also spreading her wings into the field of academic research on toys, specifically adult play. It is widely acknowledged that Kati coined the term ‘kidults’ during her initial research on the subject in 2008. Kati also now works for the University of Turku in Finland, extending her research into the digital culture: while adult play is still central to her work, her studies also now encapsulate visual arts, trans-generational play and the concept of playful environments. Across the whole company, Tactic clearly has an abiding love of play in all its forms. It is an ethos which has served the company well for over five decades, and will no doubt continue to fuel the company’s success for many years to come. To find out more about working with Tactic Games, please contact UK Sales Manager Phil O’nion on phil@tacticgames.co.uk or 01483 332070.

The star capti vat kids globa ing lly

Engage and Play the Blippi way Figures, Vehicles, Playsets Plush & Roleplay coming in 2020

Special Feature

ICTI Ethical Toy Programe

Labour of love

Toy World publisher John Baulch, and editor Rachael Simpson-Jones, sat down with Carmel Giblin, CEO & president of the ICTI Ethical Toy Program, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, to find out how the non-profit is improving the lives of factory workers across the globe, and how you can support their work by becoming a member. 2019 is the Ethical Toy Programme’s 15th anniversary – what has been achieved since your launch? We launched in 2004, but the toy industry had actually come together in 1995, the year the Code of Business Practices was first established by the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI), to set out standards that toy manufacturers and factories were expected to meet if they were supplying products to toy companies and retailers. The Ethical Toy Program was created to ensure that the code was being assessed and implemented effectively. Nowadays, factories are far better environments than they were when we started; hours are reduced, workers are financially better off, and some of the most egregious issues, such as child labour, are now almost unheard of in the 1st tier toy industry supply chain. As an organisation, we’ve gone from a pioneering start-up to the world’s leading labour standards programme for the toy industry. We work with

around 1,300 toy companies, vendors, brands and retailers, and about 1,200 of their factories, and we’ve achieved a huge amount in improving conditions and ensuring workers are treated with the respect that they deserve.

What schemes are being run in participating factories, and how are these impacting the lives of workers? The Ethical Toy Program is focused on positively impacting workers’ lives. Our Best for Workers strategy has led to our Family Friendly Spaces programme, which has been delivered in 30 factories this year, benefitting around 1,200 children and their parents. In mainland China, many workers are domestic migrants that travel from rural locations to work in city factories, and they often only get to see their children once a year during the Chinese New Year. Family Friendly Spaces was created to allow families to spend time together in safe and stimulating environments that help them develop lifelong skills. The scheme has got bigger each year,

Toy World 42

Carmel Giblin

since launching in 2016, because it helps factory managers attract and retain workers. In China and in other countries, labour shortages are a major concern for businesses, so anything that encourages an individual to choose one factory over another is valuable. We’ve received fantastic feedback also from our toy brand and retailer members which partner with us to support delivery of these programmes, and we’re excited to see them grow to benefit more families in 2020 and beyond.

How are situations including Brexit, the USA/China trade war and the Hong Kong unrest complicating things for the toy trade? Can you do anything to mitigate these developments? Unstable business environments affect confidence and long-term strategic thinking. We ensure that those companies working with factories where we operate, especially in China, are getting the information that they need to respond to any concerns being raised. The USA/China trade tariffs,

Special Feature combined with Trump’s demand for US companies to stop doing business with China, have caused some production to move outside of the region, so we need to make sure those companies sticking by Chinese factories are using reputable ones where workers aren’t exploited. Outside of China, the industry is looking to other countries for sourcing, with growth in India, Vietnam and Indonesia, areas which have not benefitted from the same level of labour standards monitoring in factories. While toy companies are looking to maximise on the opportunities that moving away from China may provide, they also need to minimise the risks. We’re committed to support the development of ethical toy manufacturing supply chains wherever the industry needs us outside of mainland China, whilst maintaining our teams in China where most of toy companies still do business.

ICTI Ethical Toy Programe

We understand that Target has recently started working with you – what can you tell us about this initiative? One of our initial objectives when we started up was to cut costs for compliance by reducing duplicate audits and programmes. Companies adopt a variety of approaches to managing their supply chain, ranging from independent initiatives like ours, a toy industry specialist programme to company-owned programmes. For many years, Target had the latter, which meant a toy factory would have to go through Ethical Toy Program certification and the Target audit process too. Following a recent review, Target selected to join us and now requires its vendors and their factories to be in our Ethical Toy Program. Having multiple companies conduct multiple audits doesn’t help drive standards. It confuses things and changes the audit from being something of value to a process to be endured. When factories see labour-standards programmes as a nothing more than tick-box exercises, it reduces the value of what can be achieved. We’re delighted that Target has joined us. Life will now get easier for the large percentage of its supply base already involved in our programme, and we’re welcoming new suppliers too.

Which other toy companies and retailers are involved in the Ethical Toy Program?

Do you have a feel for what percentage of Chinese factories are part of the Ethical Toy Program? We currently have around 1,000 certified factories, with a further 200-300 working towards certification. In China we believe there are around 3,000 factories with an export licence, so this means we’re working with about 43% of them. The marketplace is changing, and some of the biggest concerns we hear are issues such as transparency and management of sub-contractors. Most of the 1,000 factories we work with are first-tier factories, with the wider universe of factories being tier two or three. A priority for us in 2020 will be supporting our members to achieve greater visibility of suppliers beyond tier one. To be a certified Ethical Toy Program factory you need to meet all our requirements, from the hours worked and the wages paid, to the policies in place for working conditions and support programmes for pregnant workers and new mothers. While these standards are broad, our requirements aren’t excessive. As an example, on wages we simply ensure that the minimum legal wage is paid, and most toy factories are having to pay more than this to secure workers anyway. The programme isn’t so demanding that smaller factories cannot participate, but we recognise the need to help factory management understand and meet the expected requirements. We already offer tailored training and support to all factories in our programme to help them maintain our standard. In 2020 we’ll be launching a supply development programme that, over a period of time, will support and train factories across our core areas of concern, putting them in good shape for becoming fully certified. We believe this will be especially helpful in new manufacturing locations.

There are two ways companies can engage with us. Factories can be a member of our programme, paying for their own audit and Ethical Toy Program certification. They can then share this certification with any of their customers. We then have a subset of around 60 BuyerMembers who pay us an annual fee for additional service and support, including major companies such as Disney, Lego, Mattel and Spin Master, and large retailers like Walmart and Target. This is an area we really want to grow. The toy market is seeing consolidation, and, while we aren’t here to make large amounts of money, as a not-for-profit organisation, we do need to ensure sustainability by securing more income than we are spending. We introduced our Buyer-Member programme in 2016 to increase our income, which in turn allows us to support our members with better technology, support and a deeper level of insight. The fees we charge are based on the size of the company and start at just $500 a year; we want the programme to be accessible.

What would you say to smaller companies who believe they don’t have the investment power to work with the Ethical Toy Program, or are concerned about the impact on their pricing and margins? Our programme sets a baseline standard for workers, and if a factory can’t meet these ethical standards then companies really shouldn’t be sourcing from it. We’re helping toy companies make good, responsible sourcing decisions, and that shouldn’t add cost to the product. What it should do is enable security of the supply chain; customers, retailers and consumers, as well as regulators and legislators, all expect these standards to be met. If they’re not, you can expect significant supply chain disruption. That costs far more than any kind of

Toy World 44

compliance cost. The Ethical Toy Program ensures products keep moving along the supply chain and get to the retailer’s shelves quickly.

How practical is it for toy companies which source from a wide range of factories to get involved with the scheme? It’s very practical, we’ve designed things to be simple and straightforward. We provide information regarding the general situation at the factory, plus all the positive things each factory is doing above and beyond basic compliance. This means that companies with certain objectives, such as improving the welfare of families or the empowerment of women, can show their customers and retailers that they are working with a factory that supports Ethical Toy Program initiatives such as Family Friendly Spaces or Women Empowerment, in alignment with the company’s own ethos. We can manage a very diverse set of members and a broad supply chain because our teams are on the ground where the sourcing is happening, and we’re very close to the factories we work with. We have teams based in Shenzhen and Dongguan in China, our main corporate office is in Hong Kong, and we now have teams in Vietnam too. We’re able to get our teams into factories at very short notice, helping reduce the cost of compliance while fully leveraging the opportunities responsible sourcing brings.

When the Ethical Toy Program was first discussed, people in the industry expressed concerns about the use of “show factories” being used to circumvent audit processes. Do you think this has changed over the years? We still find hidden factories, a factory that looks perfect but is only a small part of the wider production chain. Most of our programme monitoring team members in Mainland China have been with us since we started, so we have a huge amount of expertise to draw upon. Our strong quality control programme means every audit done for the programme is reviewed by the team in depth, and if we see something that is too good to be true, we’ll investigate further. If we find that a factory hasn’t

been open with us about its operating environment, it will either lose its certification or won’t achieve it at all. Each year we terminate around 10% of factories because they have hidden production from us. Bribes and other incentives for our auditors to ignore what they see are a threat to the credibility of our programme that we take very seriously. Two years ago, we opened ourselves up to external review with a company called Control Risks, a large global consultancy in risk and integrity management. It reviewed everything we did, with an eye on anything that could support poor-integrity activities. We got a good report which reinforced how serious we are about monitoring this area, and also gave us ways to better protect ourselves and the quality and credibility of what we do. We ultimately reduced the number of external auditors we work with, and have formed a much closer relationship with everyone who assesses factories on our behalf.

Are the Ethical Toy Program’s core aims becoming more accepted by Chinese factories, or are many still resistant to the West’s concept of ethical manufacturing? It depends on where you are. In China, for example, monitoring of labour standards has been happening for a long time. What we do in China now has become less about looking for faults, and more about using audit findings to support factories and help them become more profitable. 1This8/27/19 change 3:57 UK_toy_worl_halfH.pdf in our approach, and the services we offer, has

CMY

been welcomed. However, when we launch the programme outside of China we must go slowly, creating an understanding with the factories about what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what the benefits are for them. Once they feel included in the programme, we can start to overcome the barriers we face, and the fear many factories have that western buyers are setting unrealistic expectations. Our certified factories also value the fact that we work both ways; retail buyers must take responsibility when their actions impact workers or create problems at the production stage. A large order coming in late with an unrealistic delivery time, particularly if the price of the order has been driven down, has a major effect. We bring the Buyer-Members together for meetings where we can share with them common challenges factories face, while our Technical Advisory Committee looks at how we’re going to evolve the programme and our standards. We want to develop a shared understanding of the impact of different people

on the supply chain, and how this affects workers. For example, we often find that the procurement department of the buying company will not be linked to the ethical sourcing or corporate responsibility teams, and this means they are sending different messages to the factory. Our role is to help with communication; by thinking about how you treat your workers, you can better manage the ups and downs of the ordering process. We’ll soon be offering training to our factory members on product planning and lean manufacturing. Sometimes issues are down to placing an order late or making a change at the very last minute, but sometimes it’s because a factory manager is lacking management capability, and doesn’t understand how to plan production processes.

How can interested companies get involved? It’s really simple. If you’re reading this, we encourage you to join the Ethical Toy Programme as a member so you can contribute to and actively participate in the programme. On top of that, if you’re already working with factories, please ask them to become certified with us. If you don’t know how, speak to us; we will support you with an entire engagement programme, and all the other information you need. Find our more on our website www.ethicaltoyprogram.org or email us on info@ ethicaltoyprogram.org

fresh FRESH THIS MONTH:

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. In October we have new releases from: A.B.Gee, Beehive Toys, Green Elephant Trading, Learning Resources, Sinco, Rollplay, Panini & Gibsons

Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty

Green Elephant Trading 0870 803 2116 | www.greenelephanttrading.com

Green Elephant is excited to announce the arrival of new products from Crazy Aaron’s. The new Treasure Surprise Counter Display comes pre-packed with an assortment of 60 ‘blind’ Mini Tins in 12 different colours. Colours include Lost Diamond, which contains a sprinkling of real diamond dust, and Pirate’s Gold, which contains flecks of real gold. Celebrate Thinking Putty is full of multi-faceted rainbow sparkle confetti. An all-in-one gift, the back of the box opens to reveal a customisable greetings card and includes all-occasion stickers. By popular demand, Crazy Aaron has created the new Putty Party pack, ideal for hosting a Mixed by Me themed party for a birthday or social event. The pack includes everything needed for eight kids including eight tins of clear putty, 24 coloured pencils, 12 colours and special effects, eight activity mats, eight tattoo sheets, eight treat bags and fun party games. The Ultimate Putty Challenge game is sure to be a hit this Christmas. The pack contains four exclusive Thinking Putty colours, game cards, timer and everything needed to play 25 original games. The new Wow Set makes the perfect gift for any Thinking Putty fan, containing four tins of special effect Thinking Putty, two of which are exclusive, plus a Mini Tin bag clip. The new Eternal Flame Thinking Putty, included in this set, is particularly stunning and a firm new favourite with all at Green Elephant Trading. Crazy Aaron’s ever popular, limited edition Halloween and Christmas colours for 2019 are also available now. Green Elephant is also unveiling new additions to the ever-expanding Pixie Crew range and new Tokidoki characters.

Balance Bugs

Beehive Toys 01460 241800 | www.beehivetoyfactory.co.uk The Balance Bug range from Beehive Toys is set to expand with the addition of a Lion and a Panda in time for Christmas. The existing Bumblebee and Ladybird Balance Bugs have been top sellers for 2019 and, together with the new lines, will make ideal Christmas presents. The range has been praised by parents for its quality, comfort for little ones and overall look. With five 360-degree rotating castor wheels, the bugs can move in any direction and are great for developing motor skills, special awareness and confidence as parents prepare their children for nursery and pre-school. The sturdy design and rounded, easy to hold handlebar ends have resulted in toddlers using the balance bug as a walker, which means it provides multiple uses per investment. As with all balance bikes, trikes, emergency vehicles and scooters in the existing Beehive Toys ride-on range, the new bugs require minimal assembly.

Toy World 46

T E S R U O Y E E S E

V I L A E M O C

Punkymals

Sinco Creations 0161 737 7464 | www.sincocreations.com Punkymals is a range of feature plush toys which includes six characters, each with a unique personality. Presented in inviting try-me packaging, when the Punkymals are squeezed, they will reveal a cheeky smile, laugh and prick up their quirky ears. There are six fun characters to collect. Roxy has her own electrifying stage style; Bowie: is a crazy and colourful canine; Iggy is the king of raw and roaring riffs; Ramona has a two-tone fur mohawk; Blink is wrapped in rainbows and sparkles, but a true punk at heart and Sid ignites hearts and minds with a single blazing flap of his wings. For details on this range please contact Daniel Smith at Sinco Creations on Tel: 07793 121 778 or e-mail: Daniel@Sincocreations.com

Chuckles pre-school toys A.B.Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk

A.B.Gee has launched a new and exclusive range called Chuckles. This impressive new collection fits perfectly with the company’s core values in play, and offers high quality products at an attractive price point. These bright and colourful pre-school toys actively encourage creative and imaginative play. The range has been carefully selected to develop a child’s dexterity, problem solving and concentration skills, and promotes recognition of colours and shapes. The pull-along Sammy the Musical Snail features bright colours, a xylophone and a side drum, while Jessy the Giraffe’s head bobs as she is pulled along; her tail wags too, and her moving legs make it look like she is really walking. The Freddy the Fire Engine Peg Basher will excite kids’ senses as they bash the colourful pegs using the mallet and are rewarded with fire-themed sounds and lights. These new additions will be available from October, just in time for Christmas.

Playfoam Pluffle

Learning Resources 01553 762 762 | www.learningresources.co.uk From the creators of Playfoam, the ultimate squish and shape sensation, comes new mixable Playfoam Pluffle. Where Playfoam is all about squishing together and constructing, new Playfoam Pluffle is all about mesmerising deconstruction. Kids can mix their favourite colour combination and squish Playfoam Pluffle together, release and then watch it flow. If Playfoam Pluffle is kept in the tube, it can be flipped for a lava lamp-like flow. The compound promotes tactile learning and encourages concentration. What’s more it never dries out, so kids can use it again and again. The child-friendly, non-sticky formula ensures safe, creative play for children aged five and above. It is available in three duo pack options: Pink and Green, Yellow and Purple and Blue and Red.

Toy World 48

toys . jouets

spielwaren

just like the real thing

The Sales Partnership Distributors Ltd Chiltern House, 45 Station Road Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1AT Tel.: +44 1491 412415 Fax: +44 1491 412915 Contact Name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James Triptree sales@thesalespartnership.com

www.bruder.de

Rollplay

Wave Catcher 07986 971 902 | www.rollplay.net Kids aged eight and above can catch a different kind of wave this autumn with the launch of the Wave Catcher from Rollplay. This is Rollplays first electric scooter, which will be available for retail this November. The 24V lithium powered electric scooter combines all the fun of a traditional scooter with the added challenge and unique sensation of surf-like moves to turn and steer. Inspired by the art of windsurfing, the Wave Catcher allows riders to cruise, carve and shift at thrilling speeds of up to 6 mph/10 kmph. Featuring a rear skateboard style truck with a height-adjustable central throttle at the front, the innovative high-performance scooter offers users a new riding experience with more control over the vehicle as well as one-handed steering. Integrated suspension delivers a smoother ride, while a rear foot brake provides ease of use and safety.

Panini

Official Premier League Adrenalyn XL Trading Cards 01604 877 888 | www.paninigroup.com Panini’s Official Premier League Adrenalyn XL Trading Cards have landed. Panini is taking on the brand for the first time and present the first Adrenalyn XL Trading Card Collection under the Premier League brand. The new, official trading cards launched on the 5th September and features the Premier League’s top talent. The new collection includes all 20 clubs from the Premier League and includes 469 trading cards plus 26 limited edition cards. Collectors can activate their cards in the free to download Adrenalyn XL app and trade and compete with their friends. Collectors can boost their collection with the starter pack. This includes a collector’s binder, game board, mini checklist, 24 trading cards, a magazine game guide and two limited edition cards. Starter packs are priced at £6.99 RRP and packets, which include six trading cards each, are priced at £1.00 RRP. Panini will be working with key influencers and activating on its own social channels. There will be magazine cover mount activity and a nationwide schools sampling campaign in addition to a Premier League Adrenalyn XL tour kicking off in late September. Panini will also be working closely with Premier League clubs and grass roots football clubs across the UK and Ireland and there will be investment at retail across a broad range of sales outlets.

Gibsons

I Love Weddings puzzle 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Momentum has been building since Gibsons’ last instalment of its best-selling ‘I Love…’ range, and the company has now announced that I Love Weddings is available and ready to order. Cartoonist Mike Jupp is one of the most successful artists within Gibsons' jigsaw puzzle collection; his ability to delight fans with his hilarious illustrations has resulted in 15 I Love jigsaw puzzles and over 1m copies sold. Even the England Rugby Team has been seen enjoying I Love Great Britain whilst training for the 2019 World Cup in Japan. I Love Weddings is Mike’s latest design. Like all of Gibsons 1,000 piece puzzles, the jigsaw puzzle pieces in I Love Weddings are the thickest on the market and are made from 100% recycled board to ensure the puzzle can be enjoyed again and again.

Toy World 50

Allegedly

Hasbro’s announcement last month that it will begin phasing out plastic packaging from its new toy and game packaging from 2020 is welcome news. The company’s ultimate - and entirely laudable - ambition is to eliminate virtually all plastic in packaging for new products by the end of 2022. Removing virgin plastic completely from the toy production process is going to be a complicated task, but removing it from packaging is a different matter entirely. As an industry, it’s important that we do what we can to minimise environmental impact. It’s not about paying lip service or virtue signalling, but about effecting real change and addressing the issue of plastic waste in a commercially viable way. So, huge kudos to Hasbro for being trail-blazers; hopefully many other toy companies will follow their example… Contrast Hasbro’s positive stance with Amazon, which was criticised by environmental groups and customers recently after introducing new packaging that can’t be recycled in the UK. The retailer has apparently started sending out smaller items in plastic envelopes, seemingly to allow more parcels on each delivery truck. In the absence of a human spokesperson, an Amazon computer generated this random statement addressing the concerns (it helps if you read it in your head with a robotic voice): “We work with manufacturers worldwide to continuously improve packaging design and introduce new, sustainable packaging that delights customers, eliminates waste, and ensures products arrive intact and undamaged for our customers.” If the packaging can’t actually be recycled, I am not entirely sure how this move can be “sustainable” or be said to “eliminate waste”? And I thought that computers were supposed to be good with logic… It was also revealed last month that revealed that Amazon UK’s services arm paid a desultory £1m corporation tax in the UK last year. Given that its profits were £75m and its turnover exceeded £2.3b, Amazon must surely be up for ‘Creative Accounting of the Year’ award. Of course, there is no suggestion whatsoever that any impropriety has taken place; but surely it is time that HMRC looks to close some obviously gaping loopholes in the tax system… Sainsbury’s has changed its payment terms from 75 to 90 days at very short notice. The new terms align Sainsbury’s with Argos, so it was no great surprise, but the timing – slap bang in the middle of the main shipment season – is unlikely to have been an accident, nor will it have particularly endeared them to suppliers… If you’re heading to Hong Kong in January, a date for your diary: the bi-annual Fence Club charity football match has been confirmed for the evening of Tuesday January 7th. It’s always a great night that the whole UK toy fraternity looks forward to (not to mention probably the best networking opportunity of the week, outside of Saturday night in Lan Kwai Fong). It also raises valuable funds for one of the industry’s great charities, so it’s well worth coming along… Eyebrows were raised when President Trump ordered (not requested or suggested – ORDERED) American companies to quit China. We truly are

Toy World 52

in uncharted territory. You may well ask yourself “what gives him the right to tell US companies where to manufacture their goods?” Unfortunately, with this president, nothing is off the table - even telling companies how they should structure their business operations. It turns out that declaring a national emergency is the way to do it. An obscure act from 1977 – originally intended to target rogue regimes, terrorists and drug traffickers – could yet become Trump’s latest weapon in the US / China trade war. According to the president, China’s theft of intellectual property and the large US trade deficit with China could be construed as such an emergency (really!). Of course, Trump could just be raising the stakes as a negotiating tactic. If that’s true, it is a high-risk strategy. The problem is that it is consumers who are most likely to bear any collateral damage. As Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner pointed out: “Ultimately, the cost (of the tariffs) will be borne by the consumer. With time, you can redesign and redevelop your product lines with those tariffs in mind, but in the short term, you do need to pass along those costs.” It subsequently transpired that President Trump actually wanted to double China tariffs after Beijing responded to his initial tariff threat by introducing retaliatory tariffs of their own. Apparently the US Treasury Secretary had to drum up the support of CEOs of big US companies to persuade Trump that this would be a stupid move. At least he backed down (for now), but I dread to think what will happen if he is re-elected next year… With Brexit and potential chaos looming at Dover and other ports, the fact that retailers can’t postpone Christmas orders too much longer may well have worked in Autumn Fair’s favour this year. Major toy buyers were unsurprisingly conspicuous by their absence, but I saw a few independent toy retailers stocking up, with the clearance hall a popular destination. One retailer admitted he would be talking in a Mancunian accent for the rest of the week after he spent so much time in there. Apparently there was a lot of Star Wars merchandise on offer at very attractive prices, and even some Lego Movie 2 stock, which by all accounts is quite a rarity. Overall, the show felt a little subdued; the aisles were not deserted by any means and some exhibitors told of opening new accounts, but the fact the coach driver told me they were only using two car parks this year tells its own story… Finally, here’s a sneak peek at some initial ideas for the new Hasbro Peppa Pig range (not coming to a store near you any time soon). When I first ran this picture in the Friday Blog, one retailer wittily dubbed it ‘Transporkers’

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

With only the November and December issues to go before the bumper January issue of Toy World gets underway, now is the time to get in touch to secure your company’s coverage in our comprehensive annual Toy Fair edition. Landing on desks at least two weeks before the 2020 London Toy Fair opens its doors, this issue is essential reading for everyone involved in the UK toy trade. All companies advertising in this edition will receive generous editorial coverage within the dedicated Toy Fair Preview section of the January edition, while regular online coverage in the run-up to the event, and during the show itself, will help bolster advertising initiatives. This issue will also include previews of the Nuremberg and New York Toy Fairs, complete with opinion pieces, interviews and company profiles, retail feedback and all the latest news.

For more information, contact – John Baulch – John@toyworldmag.co.uk Mark Austin – Mark@toyworldmag.co.uk Rachael Simpson-Jones – Rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk

licensing October 2019

world

licensing W

world

Of course, we still have Frozen II to come – we would have loved to bring you details of all the new Frozen merchandise in this issue, but unfortunately a global embargo precludes us from doing so. We will, however, be running an extensive article in our November issue, rounding up some of the key ranges that will be launched to coincide with the eagerly-anticipated sequel, so keep an eye out for that.

e elcome to the latest edition of Licensing World. This time we have ‘flip reversed’ our October issue, so all the licensing content is contained within a dedicated section (you could call it ‘the upside down’ if you’re a fan of Stranger Things). Over the following pages you’ll find a round-up of a selection of the latest licensed ranges which will be hitting shelves over the coming months; exclusive interviews with some of licensing’s biggest movers and shakers, as well as an extensive preview of BLE, focusing on exhibitors which have properties of interest to toys and kids’ licensees.

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

If you’re heading to BLE next month, please come and join me and a stellar panel of experts as we dissect the current state of play in the toy licensing arena, and explore ways in which sales of licensed toys can be rejuvenated. You’ll find more details of the panel on page 109; it will be held on Tuesday 1st October between 12.30-1.00. How we are going to keep the discussion down to half an hour is anyone’s guess, but I am sure it is going to be a lively and informative debate. Whether you’re a licensor, licensee or retailer (and we have all three constituencies represented on the panel), I promise we will give you plenty of food for thought.

It won’t have escaped anyone’s notice that the last couple of years have certainly been interesting and unpredictable for the licensing community. Following three consecutive years of decline, there had been high hopes that 2019 would see a reversal of fortune in terms of sales of licensed merchandise in the toy market. In this month’s NPD column (see page 22), it is revealed that while the pace of decline has slowed this year (‘only’ 17% year to date, compared to a drop of 20% last year), there is still some way to go to turn things round.

CONTENTS

For now, enjoy our ‘licensing special’ issue and I look forward to seeing you at BLE next week.

October 2019

News

Opinion

Features

04 Licensing World 10 Licensing Seminar

18 Strathmore Advisory

12 14 20 24 53 56 58

licensinwgorld

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Special Feature Nickelodeon Brand Profile Warner Brothers Hot Properties Feature Character Licensed Merchandise Feature BLE Preview Special Feature eOne & Tomy Special Feature Universal

Alakat Published by

www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

toyworldmag

Toy World Magazine

61 Maxted Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DZ

Licensing World Universal announces global CP campaign for Dreamworks’ Trolls World Tour As excitement builds for the theatrical debut of DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour in April 2020, Universal Brand Development has announced an expansive global toy and lifestyle programme, featuring world-class licensees and first-of-itskind partnerships, spanning every major category from toys to lifestyle collections. Hasbro will be returning as global master toy licensee and will be joined by first-time partner the Lego group. Just Play, Tomy, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Kiddesigns are also on board as returning licensees, along with Crayola and Disguise Costumes amongst others. Highlighting new characters and musically diverse worlds, the collections are filled with hair-play and innovation. The Trolls lifestyle programme will include multi-category collections for both girls and boys, including products from apparel to footwear and accessories to luggage, bedding, furniture and more, as well as an extensive publishing programme. “With its irreverent humour and award-winning music, the feel-good versatility of the Trolls franchise has licensees and fans across the globe excited for more,” commented Heather Oster, vice president Franchise Strategy, Universal Brand Development. “Looking ahead to Trolls World Tour, we’re teaming up with major brands and licensees to create dynamic collections that are bright and bold and that inspire fans to celebrate their own unique, individual style and share their happiness 365-days-a year.” Toys and lifestyle collections will start arriving at retail on 1st January 2020.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland to feature Paddington on Ice This festive season, Paddington on Ice will make its UK debut on Thursday 21st November at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, following success at Germany’s largest theme park, Europa-Park. The 45-minute show combines award-winning international figure skaters with impressive costumes and an irresistible musical soundtrack. The perfect festive show for all ages, Paddington on Ice tells the tale of Paddington and his adventures as he travels on a ship from Peru to London, discovering new places and meeting new friends along the way. Shows are available throughout the day and evening. Tickets start from £15.95 for adults, £11.95 for children and £47.80 for families and are on sale now. Paddington on Ice will also be available as part of a Family Bundle, a brand-new ticket pack that offers a planned day of activities at Winter Wonderland.

newsanalysis

Holding out for a hero Toy World spoke to Chris Thompson, brand manager for Hero Collector by Eaglemoss, to hear how the brand is growing its presence in the retail channel. Can you tell us about the Hero Collector range? Hero Collector works in partnership with some of the world’s top entertainment brands to produce high-quality collectibles that are expertly researched and artfully presented with knowledge and care. The range features a wide selection of popular brands and properties, including Star Trek, Doctor Who, Wizarding World, DC, Ghostbusters and the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In short, we’re fans who produce the kind of products people like us want to see – because we want them as well.

What steps do you take to ensure Hero Collector items have authentic appeal? We are able to make contact with useful connections, such as the original designer of one of the Star Trek star ships and the costume designer for a particular character on Doctor Who. Working with these professionals is both an honour and a privilege. We get access to their original designs and sketches, and are able to discuss their work and process with them. Ultimately it means the customer is getting a truly authentic version of the collectibles, and ones that their creators are just as happy to see.

What are you currently working on, and which new licences can customers look forward to in upcoming months? We’re always working on something new, which is why both Eaglemoss and Hero Collector have done so well over the years. Right now, we’re transitioning from being a mail-order/subscription company into one that’s making in-roads into traditional and specialist retail, and we’ve started working on newer retail-friendly packaging to support that move. Our popular figurine lines continue to grow with the recent success of our Marvel Movie and Wizarding World lines - just wait until you see our 1:2 scale Niffler - as well as new introductions such as Ghostbusters, WWE, Ricky & Morty and Sonic The Hedgehog. We continue to enjoy great success with our Star Trek line; having brought in the Discovery collection, we’re keeping a firm eye on the future and gearing up for an even bigger push into retail as CBS continue to expand the Star Trek franchise. We’re applying the same sensibility to other sci-fi properties such as Battlestar Galactica and The Orville. It’s all about taking the things we do well and applying them to new properties and markets, in order to reach new audiences.

Toy World 4

Licensing World Mush-Mush gets exclusive global licensing agent La Cabane has signed an exclusive agreement with Copyrights Group for the brand development and licensing & merchandising representation of the animated IP. Mush-Mush & the Mushables will be launched to the industry at Brand Licensing Europe 2019 in October. Created by Elfriede de Rooster, the property is making its debut as a CG comedy adventure TV series set to premier across 150 territories in 2020. The series is directed by Joeri Christiaen (My Knight and Me) and produced by La Cabane and Thuristar, in coproduction with Cake, who is distributing the show worldwide. The series will air internationally on Boomerang (in addition to Turner Kids channels Cartoon Network, Boing and Pogo in select markets), in France on Canal+ Family and Piwi+, in Belgium on VRT-Ketnet and RTBF, in Switzerland on RTS and in the Netherlands on RTL Telekids. As the appointed exclusive brand licensing agent, Copyrights Group will be responsible for the brand strategy rollout and the licensing program development for the brand worldwide (excluding Greater China), alongside the two production companies and creative studios behind the development and production of this original IP – France’s La Cabane and Belgium’s Thuristar. Sophie Kopaczynski, CEO, Copyrights Group commented: “We are thrilled to partner with La Cabane and Thuristar on Mush-Mush & the Mushables to build a 360° brand strategy. It is exciting to work on such a property, full of genuine heart, fun and entertainment. We truly believe that children around the world are just going to love it as much as we do.”

Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar premieres on CITV Universal Brand Development, the Lego Group and CITV have launched the all-new, animated mini-series, which will air at 8:30am on Saturdays. Just ahead of the show’s premiere on CITV, the Lego Group globally launched four building sets inspired by the series, giving fans the chance to bring new adventures, characters and dinosaurs home. Set in 2012, the all-new, 13-episode mini-series takes place three years before the Jurassic World movie and picks up from Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit, the animated special that aired in 2018. Newly hired animal behaviourist, Owen Grady and assistant manager of Park Operations, Claire Dearing team up on Isla Nublar to deal with everything the Jurassic World park throws their way. This includes runaway dinosaurs, ongoing construction to expand the park, throngs of tourists, unpredictable tropical weather and an impulsive boss. There’s also a mysterious saboteur on a quest to find a legendary treasure and destroy Jurassic World forever. Building sets based on Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar have been available globally at retail beginning in August.

University Games and Paul Lamond Games launch Game of Thrones 3D puzzles The ultimate Game of Thrones gifts were launched at Autumn Fair. Games and puzzles specialists University Games and Paul Lamond Games will bring to market a selection of detailed 3D puzzles which will let fans create three of the locations from Game of Thrones including the Red Keep, Winterfell and King’s Landing. The high-quality 3D puzzles, with up to 430 pieces, can be assembled without the need for glue or scissors. Mark Jones, head of sales at University Games and Paul Lamond Games commented: “The following for this award-steeped fantasy drama has grown from strength to strength as each of the seasons has unfolded, accumulating a staggering average 44.2m viewers per episode across all platforms,” he said. “Game of Thrones has a highly devoted set of fans, and these fun-tomake, eye-catching 3D landscapes of some of the most iconic locations from the series are going to be on many fans’ Christmas lists this year.”

Toy World 6

Licensing World BBC Studios extends Bluey partnership with Moose and welcomes Trends UK for Hey Duggee BBC Studios has announced that it will be extending its partnership with global master toy partner Moose Toys for Australian hit series Bluey. The announcement follows news earlier this year that BBC Studios has signed a deal with Disney, announcing that the first two series of Bluey will premiere internationally on Disney Junior and Disney+ from autumn 2019 in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China. Bluey first launched on ABC in Australia last year and has been a runaway success with audiences. Moose Toys will be supplementing the master toy range with a new collection of lifestyle products. Play tents fit the outdoor themes running through the show, while a range of furniture, ReadyBeds and GoGlow will appeal to the family audience and will have strong parental appeal. The extended partnership covers the world, excluding Asia, and will see the first products launch in Australia ahead of Christmas 2020, before hitting shelves in other territories. Julie Kekwick, senior licensing manager, BBC Studios, said: “Bluey is doing fantastically well in Australia and we’re looking forward to growing our partnership with Moose Toys to introduce Bluey fans across the world to a beautifully designed range of toys and lifestyle products.” BBC Studios and Trends UK have also announced a new partnership to create electronic learning toys for the hit series Hey Duggee. The new range will include a Hey Duggee themed learning tablet and flip-up phone, featuring Duggee and his squirrel friends. Available in-store and online from Spring 2020, the educational range will develop communication skills and help children to recognise colours, numbers, shapes and letters Hey Duggee consistently ranks as one of the top three programmes on CBeebies and received over 50m iPlayer requests in 2018. Lindsay Hardy, marketing director at Trends UK, said: “We are delighted to work with BBC Studios on this engaging property. Hey Duggee electronic learning toys will have fun and educational appeal at their heart. The range will inspire children to have a go and try new learning tasks with lots of laughter along the way, just like the show.”

Generation Media brokers deal to bring Masha and the Bear to Vue Masha and the Bear has entertained kids and adults across the world for the past 10 years and is ‘the most viewed family cartoon’ on YouTube according to the Guinness World Records Book 2019. To celebrate the cartoon’s 10th anniversary, the family programme will come to the big screen in 89 Vue venues across the UK and Ireland from 20th September. The programme includes the latest episodes of Masha and the Bear Season three. Across each episode, Masha and her animal pals explore and teach the audience how to be a caring friend; the value and importance of education; performance and love of theatre and most importantly, to never be afraid of who they are. “We are proud to be working with Animaccord and Vue to bring Masha and the Bear to the big screen. As we continue to expand our content distribution capabilities, cinema remains one of our key priorities. This is where our clients can showcase their brands and content in a quality environment, to an engaged audience.” said Greta Bisetto Donelan, associate director of Partnerships and Content Distribution at Generation Media. Johnny Carr, event cinema manager at Vue UK and Ireland, added: “We are delighted to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Masha and the Bear by helping to bring it to the big screen for what is sure to be an incredible family event. This is a unique opportunity to see these favourite television characters in top quality picture and sound, allowing children and adults alike to be truly immersed in the world.”

Claude launches on free to air ITVBe and RTÉ Jr. Sixteen South is delighted to announce that its animated pre-school series Claude is due to launch on free to air TV, appearing initially on ITVBe and RTÉ Jr. The show is showing at 9:25 daily on LittleBe, part of ITVBe, and on RTÉ Jr every day at 12:55. Based on the much-loved, best-selling series of books by Alex T. Smith, Claude follows the humorous adventures of a little dog, Claude and his faithful sidekick, Sir Bobblysock. The series was devised for television by Sixteen South and first launched in 2018 on Disney Junior, in all countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. The voice cast features Simon Callow, Anne Reid, Shane Richie, Jane Horrocks, Su Pollard, Brian Murphy, Tameka Empson and Bhasker Patel. Newcomer, twelveyear-old Alexander Molony plays the eponymous hero, Claude Simon Callow, playing his first ever role as a sock, commented: “I just loved the character and the relationship between Claude and Sir Bobblysock. He’s very well written, and the concept of the stories is original. There’s a lovely innocence about the series, however it’s also odd and wacky. The characters are so vivid, funny and unexpected.” Hachette Children’s Group has published four Claude TV tie-in titles, with a further four titles scheduled for 2020, including two more picture books, a comic book and a sticker activity book.

Toy World 8

Special Feature

Licensing Seminar

I’m with the brand Toy World Publisher John Baulch will chair a panel discussion at BLE entitled ‘How can toy licensing recover its sparkle?’

ollowing on from the ground-breaking licensing survey which Toy World conducted in partnership with Informa, the organiser of the forthcoming BLE show, this year’s event will host a special panel discussion which will debate some of the survey’s findings and explore ways in which sales of licensed merchandise could be boosted after four consecutive years of decline. The aim of the survey was to assess the current attitudes of toy licensees and retailers towards the licensing category – the upsides and the downsides, the opportunities and the challenges, its strengths and how partnerships with licensors could be improved for everyone’s benefit. The results of the survey, which were published in the August and September issues of Toy World, offered an honest and unflinching perspective on the issues facing licensees, and the panel session is sure to be equally lively and informative, providing plenty of food for thought for licensors, licensees and retailers. Entry to the panel discussion is free of charge. Details of the session can be found below. We hope to see many of you there.

How can toy licensing recover its sparkle? An exploration of the ways in which toy licensees and retailers can collaborate with licensors to reinvigorate the licensed toy category Day: Tuesday 1st October Time: 12:30 – 13:00 Seminar Theatre: License Global Theatre Chair: John Baulch, Publisher & Managing Editor, Toy World Panellists: Hannah Mungo, director of Consumer Products, UK and Ireland at NBCUniversal Marianne James, VP, Consumer Products, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences UK, Northern & Eastern Europe, Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products Andrew Barrett, director of product development, VTech Electronics Europe Lucy Wynne-Jones, head of licensing, Europe, Moose Toys UK Stuart Grant, buying director, The Entertainer his panel discussion is one of 25 sessions scheduled for BLE’s License Global Theatre. Other T highlighted topics include sustainability, publishing, animation, gaming, eSports, food and beverage, heritage, fashion, influencers, digitalisation, retail, Brexit and more.

John Baulch

Hannah Mungo

Stuart Grant

Marianne James

Lucy Wynne-Jones

Andrew Barrett

Toy World 10

Are you game for Brexit?

Have IP queries & concerns that need answering? Then join us at Brand Licensing Europe for an in-depth discussion on all things Brexit; it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a wasted 45 minutes!

FREE BREXIT BOOKL E ON I P T WHEN & WHERE... Wednesday 2nd October, at the Brands Theatre, at Brand Licensing Europe, ExCel. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be joined on stage by industry guests and all attendees will be given a Brexit booklet packed full of useful information, to take away.

For further info, please call Victor Caddy, Trade Mark & Design Attorney on +44 (0)1242 267600.

Wynne Jones IP - Not your typical law firm.

Special Feature

Nickelodeon

Nick be nimble

Toy World spoke to Marianne James, VP, Consumer Products, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences UK, Northern & Eastern Europe about what the current Nickelodeon portfolio has to offer licensee and retailer partners. How has 2019 been for Nickelodeon?

This year has seen continued change and newness for the brand, as we launched new TV series with Butterbeans Café and Abby Hatcher, as well as new consumer products with Top Wing and Sunny Day. Paw Patrol has also seen a broader expansion of its franchise into multiple touchpoints, including its first UK cinema outing with the hugely successful Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups. The showing beat its target of £1.5m, which we’re now looking to build on with the next theatrical release, Paw Patrol: Ready Race Rescue, in February 2020. Looking forward, we’re very excited about representing Ryan’s World and Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, as we head towards the New Year.

What have been your standout successes so far this year? This year, we celebrated six years of Paw Patrol. We’re delighted that the property remains the No.1 pre-school licence, driven in part by our refreshed themes and content. We also launched Top Wing across our free to air Channel 5 network, with an incredible average monthly reach of over 600,000 kids. Top Wing has also seen an extremely successful launch by our master toy partner Hasbro, along with apparel and publishing.

How have you found the retail landscape for licensed products over the past nine months?

It would be remiss not to say it’s challenging. However, with challenge comes opportunity. Remaining nimble and offering a variety of promotional and marketing solutions with multiple touchpoints is a key contributor to success.

With latest NPD figures showing a decline in licensed toy sales for the fourth consecutive year (YoY), what can Nickelodeon and its partners do to ensure demand for product remains high? For the right brands, there is still a great opportunity to grow great sales value. We believe that Ryan’s World is a great example of this; a content creator who is achieving fantastic viewership online, and is now expanding in to the consumer products

Toy World 12

arena, with initial results proving very successful. We are excited about the opportunity to grow into new categories in the near future, epitomising our current strategy of establishing multiple consumer product pipelines to ensure that the Nickelodeon brand thrives across ‘Every Age, Every Aisle, Everywhere’.

What big properties are you most excited about for 2020?

We expect movies to explode again in 2020. The return of the Top Gun franchise with Top Gun: Maverick by Paramount Pictures will likely prove to be one the biggest hits of 2020, while we have a number of other new movies to energise the market, including the return of SpongeBob in his 3rd feature length film. We’re also excited to introduce Rumble – a new animated monster wrestling movie from Paramount – set to be released in 2020.

What makes Nickelodeon a great partner for licensees? We have a hugely passionate licensing team who is flexible, approachable and creative - there’s always a way to achieve creativity and success. Our flexibility and experience are critical components to our success. It’s what sets us apart and ensures we sustain long term partnerships in the industry, with a solutions-focused approach.

Brand Profile

Warner Bros

The gang’s all here Rachel Wakley, general manager, Warner Bros, spoke to Toy World about theenduring Scooby Doo franchise and new developments for the property in 2020. What makes Scooby Doo such an enduring, iconic brand? Scooby-Doo creates a world of spooky, mysterious fun where playful fans of all ages find the courage to seek adventure, solve problems and do good. It’s a combination of these strong values and the brand’s unique positioning within the entertainment space, especially for kids, that has made Scooby-doo such an iconic brand for 50 years. No matter what the next adventure may be, Scooby-Doo will always deliver.

Who is the target audience for the brand? The target audience broadly falls into three groups: children aged 3-5 who inspire curiosity; children aged 6-8 that lean into mystery and adults who love to celebrate the nostalgia and pass on the fandom.

Scooby benefits from an all-year-round broadcast presence; what does the broadcast schedule look like for 2020 and how important is this exposure to the ongoing success of the brand? Exposure is so important to us and we have been

tremendously lucky to have content that, even after 50 years, everyone still loves. Scooby Doo continues to be a top performer on both pay and free tv channels, highlighting how much fans love engaging in new Scooby content. We have a brand new all animated TV series Scooby Doo and Guess Who, in which Scooby and The Mystery Inc. Gang team up with new friends such as Batman, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Nye and Ricky Gervais to name a few. Launching in Oct ’19, with a further rollout of new episodes to come through 2020 in line with the movie, fans young and old are sure to be delighted with all the new content we have coming through.

What can you tell us about the new Scooby movie? It’s going to be an adventure. Slated for May 2020, SCOOB! is the first fully CG animated Scooby-Doo theatrical release. Featuring an iconic cast including Frank Welker, Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Tracy Morgan, Mark Wahlberg, SCOOB! tells the origin story of one of the most famous friendships of all time, and reveals how Mystery Inc. was formed. The film takes audiences

to the four corners of the globe on an epic adventure that taps into the core DNA of the Scooby-Doo franchise, while leveraging a whole new environment and cast of characters.

How can retailers make the most of this property in 2020? Retailers can maximise this opportunity by working with our key partners and ranging the new, exciting products coming through. The property has great traction with both boys and girls and is a firm family favourite. We’ll be launching new SCOOB! product through Character Options - bringing the key characters and movie moments to life for fans. We will also be launching a brand-new Scooby-Doo range with Playmobil from April 2020, which is incredibly exciting; a fantastic partnership between two iconic brands. Finally, we will also be launching another new partnership with Hunter Price who will be driving our Scooby business across outdoor toys, art & craft product and some fantastic pocket money options. The diversity of these ranges will ensure that fans can engage with Scooby across all major product categories.

Warner Bros

Brand Profile

Superheroes for superfans Toy World spoke to Rachel Wakley, general manager, Warner Bros, about the company’s popular DC portfolio, upcoming activity for the franchise and the opportunities for retail stockists. From a licensing perspective, what are the key strengths of the DC portfolio? We have one of the best brands in the world that not only has the most recognised superheroes but also, equally, the most recognised super-villains. DC has an 85-year heritage which has brought us diverse, complex and meaningful characters that our consumers can’t get enough of. The DC franchise has an all-round appeal with fans through the ages; whether that is toys for our younger fans; trend setting fashion for young teens or the collector pieces that delight superfans - DC delivers for all.

Given the different elements of the brand, where do you see the main opportunities in-store? We need to make the UK consumer aware of the vast range of great character product that DC has to offer - 365 days a year, for all; from superfans all the way through to casual gift buyers. The everyday range is such an evergreen property, and we can use movie moments and always-on TV content to amplify out of aisle activations when relevant. We have a growing team here at Warner Bros. which is eager support our UK partners in maximising their DC performance; driving increased SKU efficiency at retail and amplifying through the line marketing across all channels.

What new developments are coming in the DC Universe in 2020? The DC Universe is constantly evolving. January

2020 will see an amazing new toy range from Spin Master. The product line is fantastic and includes all the fan favourite DC Super Heroes and SuperVillains. Theatrically we have Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) in February, which is closely followed by the eagerly awaited Wonder Woman 1984 in June. When you combine these two theatrical moments with the all new DC Super Hero Girls TV series currently airing on Cartoon Network, the female superhero opportunity has never looked so strong. On top of this, we have some highly anticipated new titles coming to TV which will be announced very soon. This is a year everyone will want to be involved in. As well as all the new content, our new DC Super Hero Girls fashion doll line with Mattel launches in June 2020, with a new look and feel mirroring the new programming, which is sure to be a hit for our younger DC fans. We’re also anticipating a huge halo effect from the Wonder Woman movie for younger fans. All of this is in addition to the live action TV content that is already playing across the major VOD platforms, including The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, Gotham and Black Lightning.

Which new DC ranges should retailers be looking out for over the coming months? Retailers should certainly be focusing on maximising the all-important Christmas trading period with some of our fantastic lines across DC Imaginext and Lego Batman. We have already seen

Toy World 16

the Imaginext RC Batmobile feature in retailers’ top toy lists this year; it’s an excellent product that is sure to deliver hours of play value. The Lego Batman range, in celebration of Batman’s 80th Anniversary this year, has got off to an excellent start and is set to continue through the rest of this year. The range takes us on a journey through iconic moments from the franchise over the years, delivering classic pieces like the Batmobile and Batcave which are sure to delight our fans. If retailers haven’t already placed orders, they should be snapping up stock fast.

How can retailers maximise on the brand next year? Retailers should continue to maximise DC by supporting the new products we have coming through with depth and breadth of range. The DC franchise will continue to be supported by streams of new digital content every week through our DC Kids You Tube channel, alongside the major movie releases and theatrical campaigns for Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984. Batman will continue to be a priority for 2020, with new digital content starting in January. We’re keen to partner with UK retailers on using this content across their own platforms to ensure that we’re maximising sell through, and the reach of this new content. It’s also worth noting that, according to Kids Insights data, when boys aged 4-8 years were asked ‘who is your favourite character?’, the second highest response was Batman. (Incidentally, the 3rd highest response is Lego Batman!) This reminds us of the relevance of the brand to fans and the opportunity for retailers.

BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. WB SHIELD: © & ™ WBEI. (s19)

Opinion

Simon McIntosh - Strathmore Advisory

Lessons from licensor audits

Simon McIntosh is the founder director of Strathmore Advisory, an agency which provides SMEs and the toy trade with advice on core business strategies. Formally the CFO and COO of Vivid and prior to that a manager at Price Waterhouse, here Simon offers advice on how to manage a licensor audit successfully.

letter arriving on the desk of a CEO on Monday morning, advising of an impending licensor audit, is at best an unwelcome distraction for a busy CEO and their team and at worst can cause major disruption to an organisation. Typically, licensors give between one and two weeks’ notice of an audit, and prior to that the CEO and management team need to decide who should be responsible, check that the company has complied with the licence agreement and nominate who should gather the necessary data prior to the auditors arriving. Planning and preparation at an early stage can mitigate a lot of hard work and ensure that there are no nasty surprises, such as failing to meet minimum guarantees, marketing commitments or inaccurately competing royalty returns, which could result in an unwelcome hit to the profit and loss. Licensor audits, particularly with the large international licensors, are almost inevitable, so consideration should start when the licensing team is negotiating the contract. Specific consideration should be given to, and experienced advice taken, on: • Definitions such as “gross sales” • Royalty rate, percentage of sales or royalty per article • Minimum guarantees • Advertising and promotion commitments • Product approval • Sell off period • Frequency of audits and notice period • Costs of any audit • Change in control Once all points have been agreed and the license agreement signed, a director (usually of Finance or Licensing) should take personal responsibility for compliance and share the agreement with all relevant members of the team including Sales,

Marketing, R&D, Finance and Operations, and make clear where responsibilities rest. This should ideally be documented and reflected in the team’s job descriptions; if people change roles or leave an organisation, responsibilities can fall through the cracks. Keeping a central, up to date file, showing evidence of compliance, can save a lot of time, as gathering this information later can be very time consuming. Most licensors require detailed quarterly reporting on historical data and some on forecast commitments, though this is less usual. This reporting requirement should not be seen as a burden but rather an opportunity for the licensee to ensure that they remain compliant with their commitments and that there are no nasty surprises for either licensee or licensor. Should this review indicate that there are any concerns, such as not meeting a minimum guarantee, action can be taken at an early stage to address the issue and manage all stakeholder interests. The licensor’s notice and scope of an audit will be governed by the licensing agreement. Typically, they will send a letter giving notice of an audit between one and two weeks in advance. Such a letter will state the scope of their work and who is commissioned to complete this. Whilst the largest licensors have their own internal audit teams who will be familiar with the licence agreement and industry, other licensors can use third party firms of accountants or specialist firms of varying experience. The latter category in particular can be incentivised to find errors in the licensor’s favour which rarely leads to an impartial audit. I would recommend that the finance director leads any audit from the licensee side since they are usually best qualified to do this. A good licensor will provide an audit assistance schedule, stating what documentation, usually in electronic format, the licensee needs to provide prior to the audit. The finance director should carefully review the list with

Toy World 18

the team and allocate responsibilities which should be consistent with the responsibilities allocated when the agreement was signed. If resource is an issue, consideration should be given to either drafting in help from the wider team or even bringing in temporary external resource. Having a good relationship with the auditors is important for an efficient audit. Being well prepared and offering a “kick-off” meeting will help to ensure that the whole process goes smoothly. Addressing any issues as they arise is strongly recommended, and most auditors will gladly share their draft report with the licensee to check for factual accuracy prior to issuing to the licensor. Assuming that licensees have planned for the audit since signing their licence and have regularly checked for compliance, there should be no nasty surprises. If this hasn’t happened, there may well be issues which need to be resolved directly with the licensor following the issue of the audit report. Where issues are clear cut, such as under-reporting licensed sales due to coding errors, the licensee is unlikely to get much sympathy from the licensor. Where there are areas of ambiguity or judgement, however, a commercial negotiation with the licensor is worthwhile. When doing so it is often beneficial to seek experienced professional advice which can more than pay for itself. If managed properly, a licensor audit need not be a major distraction for a management team and can actually strengthen relationships with licensors and increase a licensee’s chances in winning new licences. Licensor audits also can provide comfort to the board and statutory auditors that the licensee’s systems and controls are functioning properly, and if the quarterly reporting is shared appropriately with the licensee’s board, it can provide good quality management information. Simon can be contacted on 07500 805275 or via email at simonmcintosh@strathmore.com.

Discover Waffle, the adorable star of consistently top-rating CBeebies comedy Waffle the Wonder Dog.. From award-winning independent producer Darrall Macqueen, makers of Topsy and Tim and Teletubbies, Waffle is a huge hit, with more episodes to come and global sales to top TV channels. The fast-growing licensee list includes toys by Golden Bear, puzzles by Ravensburger and publishing by Scholastic. Licensing contact:Â richardhollis@rocketmail.com

Waffle The Wonder Dog ÂŠ and TM Darrall Macqueen Ltd 2018

Hot Properties the Wonder Dog Waffle Darrall Macqueen A puppy isn’t just for Christmas, and Golden Bear has conclusively proved the point with sales of its Waffle the Wonder Dog range throughout 2019. In January the feature plush was awarded a place on the BTHA’s Hero Toys list as one of the top 25 lines tipped to be 2019’s most sought-after toys. For pre-school TV viewers, Waffle is a big star. Since its launch in Spring 2018 Waffle the Wonder Dog has firmly established itself as one of CBeebies biggest flagship shows, with audience figures regularly topping the preschool chart. 30 new episodes were commissioned for 2019 and the series has barely been off air. The show is a live-action pre-school comedy, and tells how lost puppy Waffle is adopted by the Brooklyn-Bell family. The Brooklyn-Bells are a newly blended family created when Doug’s dad Simon marries Evie’s mum Jess, and Waffle is found mysteriously hiding amongst the wedding gifts. Waffle can talk and is instantly popular, bringing the new family together whilst causing chaos with his attempts to befriend next-door’s cat, George, owned by grumpy and eccentric Mrs Hobbs. The show is made by multi-award winning independent producer Darrall Macqueen, maker of Topsy and Tim and the new Teletubbies. Waffle continues to air in prime afternoon slots throughout the Autumn, as well as being available on BBC iPlayer, and series four is due on CBeebies from Spring 2020. Waffle has struck a chord with pre-school families nationwide and the licensee list has grown rapidly, now including deals with Ravensburger for games and puzzles, Scholastic for publishing, Cooneen for nightwear and CWI Blues for daywear.

Octonauts, Hilda, Peter Rabbit Monkey with a Tool Belt & Sivergate Media Pre-school animated TV show Octonauts continues to appeal to audiences around the world. A new spin-off series, Octonauts: Above and Beyond will feature new characters and new Terra gups. The 156 x 11-minute new episodes are set for delivery from 2021 through to 2024 with a major global brand relaunch from 2021. The new themes, characters and creative will offer licensees fresh content to inspire consumer products and Silvergate will be giving visitors to the show a first look at this new world. The fifth season of Octonauts will air from 2020, bringing 26 x 11’ new episodes, in addition to 26 x 1’ Creature Reports and a 22-minute special episode. The brand’s global live events and experiential category is a huge focus and has delivered growth through activations including a global partnership with Sea Life centres, shopping mall events, indoor attractions and education centres across China. Silvergate’s newest licensing programme is based on animated Netflix series Hilda, available in 130 countries and opening up for linear broadcast from 2020. Inspired by comics from writer and illustrator Luke Pearson, the 2D animated series is aimed at kids aged 6-11 years. A second series is in production and expected to launch on Netflix in 2020. The consumer products programme targets girls, teens and young adults and will be spearheaded by Gund. A line of plush, accessories and giftware will debut at retail from 2020 as part of a multi-territory deal. In partnership with co-producers Nickelodeon and Penguin Random House, Silvergate Media has developed Peter Rabbit into a CGI animated TV series for pre-schoolers. A robust line-up of broadcast partners currently air series one and two around the world including CBeebies (UK) and ABC (Australia). As the licensor for the animated TV series and the global licensing agent for Classic Peter Rabbit on behalf of Penguin Ventures, Silvergate has seen steep category growth for the property, with new licensees and an expanding range of apparel collections in the UK. Experiential partnerships are also driving fan engagement, including a new ride at Alton Towers and an expanded site at Willows Farm in the UK. Silvergate will also be representing new animated series Monkey with a Tool Belt, which will have its global launch on Netflix in 2020. The 40 x 11’ pre-school action comedy series aimed at kids aged 3-6 years follows the adventures of monkey Chico Bon Bon and his Fix-It Force. With strong educational features and STEM narrative content that will gain parental endorsement, the property will inspire licensed products with educational benefits. Silvergate has partnered with Wanda Kidsland to manage TV distribution, tie-in publishing, consumer products and live attractions in China.

Toy World 20

• Deluxe film replica from Disney/Pixar’s digital data. • Unique film inspired packaging! • Includes Certificate of Authenticity! • Highly detailed!

PUMP FOR

POWER

Attach DUKE to the launcher! Pump, pump and release!

He’s Super Posable!

©Disney/Pixar

Product and colours may vary.

MAKES COOL WHEELIE ACTIONS! INCLUDES PUMP-ACTION LAUNCHER!

9-inch

MOTORCYCLE DAREDEVIL (approx. size)

! S T N U T S E M O S Y R T F o r m o re

! esome pose w a n a in e whil ump! e to travel you can make Duke j k u D t e g n ow far r you ca See how fa oard ramp and see h db Build a car

in fo , p le a

se co

a n G a rn n ta c t D a rr

ham: 078

1 2 -1 2 3 4 3

2 D

rn h a m @ a rr a n _G a

M T W to y s

.c o m

Â®

Visit us at www.ThinkwayToys.com

Character Licensed Merchandise

Feature

Full of character Over the following 27 pages, we present a comprehensive selection of the latest licensed merchandise lines which will be hitting retail shelves in the run-up to Christmas.

MTW Toys 07734 479 973 | www.thinkwaytoys.com Thinkway has a had long and successful relationship with Pixar properties and the company has been thrilled with the reaction from consumers to its Toy Story 4 product line. A number of families has contacted Thinkway, saying that they still have an original, working Buzz or Woody from 1995, which is testament to the quality, development and longevity of Thinkway design, production process and core values. The latest Thinkway range and new characters in the franchise have introduced a new generation to Toy Story. The range has seen strong sales of Forky across all price points and high demand for the Signature Duke Caboom, Bo Peep and Buzz; the latter helped by a partnership with Duracell. Duke Caboom has been a standout favourite, appealing to parents from the 1970s who may remember a certain stunt bike toy. Mirroring previous successes from the past Toy Story movies, Thinkway has been thrilled with the reaction to its feature fall-down product. Supported on TV, instore and online, the technology and consumer reactions to the innovative voice control function has been hugely positive, and this is expected to be reinforced by social media and user-generated content as the product is unboxed. Thinkway will underline its core values and vision with product that the company supports both in and out of movie years. Unique initiatives are planned to bring both old and new into stores, and for consumers to experience Thinkway’s passion for the franchise.

Little Brother Books 01392 982 082 | www.littlebrotherbooks.co.uk Little Brother Books began in 2016 with a complete focus on being both retailer’s and licensor’s first choice publisher for annuals. This dedicated strategy has led to LBB becoming the number one annuals publisher in the market, with over 1.2m LBB annuals sold in 2018. LBB reacted to the latest trends in the market with Pokémon Go in 2016, L.O.L. Surprise! in 2017 and a Guide to Fortnite in 2018. This speed to react is a crucial USP that gives retailers immediate sales opportunities that match current customer demand. The company now has a range that offers retailers and consumers a choice for both girls and boys from pre-school with CBeebies, to young adult with Shoot and WWE, and everything in between. This includes many of the leading brands on the market such as L.O.L. Surprise!, Little Mix and Minecraft. LBB will be publishing the first official Elf on the Shelf Annual in 2019, which is a perfect fit for the annuals season. LBB’s strategy also includes widespread retail distribution, as annuals are a gifting opportunity for any type of retailer. They are bought on impulse by the consumer, so LBB’s eye-catching POS and displays maximise this for retailers. LBB has a wide retailer distribution base and will focus on growing this further in coming years.

Toy World 24

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Alpha Animation and Toys 01293 804 599 | www.auldeytoys.us New products have been developed in line with series three of pre-school animation Super Wings. High Flying Jett is one of the key lines in the new range. The launcher enables children to send Jett flying over 20 feet into the air. Children simply load Jett onto the launcher, pull the cord and watch him fly. The new Missions Team Airport is one of the core playsets for autumn/winter 19. Compatible with the 3-inch Transform-a-Bot characters, fans can slide and turn the tower to release one of the five Mission teams and launch them. Interactive features include light and sound and a lift to the top of the patrol tower. The TV advertised Super Wings Rescue Riders Playset is suitable for kids aged 3-5. The playset features Sparky the fire truck and Zoey the ambulance. Features include water cannons, telescopic ladder and electronic lights and sounds along with a compartment to launch Zoey. This vehicle is compatible with all five inch Transforming Figures. Transform-a-Bots are ideal pocket money purchases and transform from planes to robots in three simple steps. Children aged three and above can collect the Super Wings cast from series 1-3. In celebration of SpongeBob SquarePants 20th Anniversary, Alpha Animation, signed as master toy for the brand, has a vast range of lines including Hero plush line ExSqueeze Me Plush which are 8” tall huggable plush with a twist – when they are squeezed, they make rude noises. There are four to collect, including SpongeBob Fart and Patrick Burp. SpongeHeads are inflatable character heads used to role-play favourite characters from Bikini Bottom. The 21” tall heads are available in SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and Plankton designs. SpongeBob Slimeez 2.5” figures pull apart so kids can squeeze out the official Nickelodeon Slime. The blind cube packaging encourages repeat purchases and there are 12 expressions available to collect. Squeezable SpongeBob Squeazies figure deliver extra play value with bubbles appearing from their eyes, mouth and bottom.

Global Brands Group 0203 281 8000 | www.globalbrandsgroup.com Barbie celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and remains a timeless and trendsetting brand. To celebrate this anniversary Primark launched a ladieswear SS19 collection in association with Global Brands Group. The collection is pink-centric with striking, cute patterns and motifs throughout. Global Brands Group delivered a Barbie range that includes crop tops, t-shirts, shorts and swimwear that was launched in Primark stores in summer 2019. It stayed true to the iconic Barbie logo to inspire nostalgia in consumers, as well as taking a modern approach with different font appliques on certain pieces. The Barbie collection was well received on social media, with Primark posts on Instagram receiving 60K likes on posts featuring Global Brand Group pieces.

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com This year, Mattel launched the Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 range. The movie inspired range includes the Ultimate Walking Buzz Lightyear and 7” figures. Role play products also feature, with the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Armour with Jet Pac, Buzz Lightyear Rapid Disc Blaster and Buzz Lightyear Wrist Communicator. The Fisher-Price Imaginext range features the Buzz Lightyear Robot and Basic and Feature Figure Assortments, with legacy characters including Imaginext Toy Story Buzz Lightyear & Pizza Planet Truck and the Imaginext Disney Toy Story Woody & RC to continue the momentum from previous movies. From the DC universe, the Shazam! toy range includes the 6” and 12” Action Figure Assortments, with key characters from the movie. The DC Batman Missions world expands as new characters are introduced. In the Imaginext DC Super Friends range, key lines include the fully loaded Transforming Batmobile R/C, Joker Laff Factory and Figure Assortment. The Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom toy range expands with the Destroy and Devour Indominus Rex, Jurassic World Primal Pal Blue and the Jurassic World Snap Squad Assortment. The Fisher-Price Imaginext Jurassic World range debuts the Mega Mouth Tyrannosaurus Rex with chomping action, while new figures are introduced in the Basic and Feature Assortments. WWE fans can get the WWE Wrekkin’ Figure Assortment alongside the WWE Wrekkin’ Performance Centre - a new playset featuring backstage gym area and collapsible scaffolding and ring. From Fisher-Price character brands, the Sunny Day toy range, inspired by the Nickelodeon TV series, includes 6” Dolls and 11” Brush and Bracelet Dolls, the innovative Little Wonderbun Assortment with surprise reveals and Sunny's Hair Dryer Kit for role play. Twin genies Shimmer & Shine for pre-schoolers includes the 6” Doll Assortment, Teenie Genies and the new Ring Surprise Assortment featuring chunky gem rings with a Teenie Genie inside. The range also includes the Zoomicorn Stable and eight pack Assortments. Mattel also introduce the BTS Core Fashion Dolls Assortment, inspired by the group BTS. The dolls will include fashions that are inspired by every day, street-wear looks For Harry Potter fans, the new Yule Ball doll Assortment of dolls boasts authentic, true-to movie looks and each character has 11 points of articulation. The collection includes Harry, Ron, Hermione and Cho Chang.

Toy World 26

REALISTIC VERSIONS OF THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE HEROES

COLLECTOR PRODUCTS FOR AGES 14+ SOLD OVER 50 MILLION FIGURINES & 35 MILLION DIE-CAST VEHICLES

SCALES 1:21 TO 1:2

) S. (S19

TA N FA

ER TA IN M

EN T

E TT PO RRY

IN C( S1 9

)

COMIC © DC TM &

ST IC

BE AS TS

CTE RS N

AM E

E© S A ND RELATED INDICIA AR

TM AND

E S. RO RB NE R WA

T N

TM & © CBS STUDIOS INC.

A L I E N

ES ER CO VED RP . T OR M AT & © IO N. 201 AL 9 L R TW IG EN HT T S R IET ES H C ER EN VE D. TUR Y

ILM

NOW AVAILABLE TO RETAILERS IN UK, FRANCE, GERMANY, SPAIN, ITALY, BENELUX NOW SEEKING DISTRIBUTION IN E.EUROPE, RUSSIA, NORDIC, LAT AM, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, MIDDLE EAST

For more details please contact:

GlynnDavies@eaglemoss.co.uk and NeelamSamplay@eaglemoss.co.uk

HEROCOLLECTOR.COM

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master kicked off 2019 with the launch of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World toys at London Toy Fair. Spin Master is now ready for the launch of its hero item for autumn 2019, the Hatching Dragon, inviting fans to hatch and train their own Baby Toothless. This innovative toy utilises Spin Master’s successful Hatchimals technology and is set for a fun media and influencer launch in London’s West End in October. Following an exciting last quarter, Paw Patrol celebrates not only the launch of the Paw Patrol Mighty Pups Super Paws Mighty Jet Command Centre - this year’s big Christmas playset – but also the second Paw Patrol Little Heroes Awards. Spin Master launched The Awards earlier this year and has seen entries in the hundreds from some the UK’s most deserving youngsters. Taking place in October, the awards will celebrate the eight winners at an event supported by Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge and Hamleys. The weekend will be supported by celebrities, media and influencers. Hatchimals continues to develop as an evergreen property, with further new launches including a second wave of Pixies and Colleggtibles Seasons 6 and 6.5: The Royal Hatch and The Royal Snowball. There are additional Hatchimal surprises still to come before Christmas. Pusheen is another character that continues to drive success for retailers. Pusheen the tabby cat began in 2010 as part of a web comic series and spun off in early 2011; the character has become incredibly popular ever since. A host of Pusheen’s family and friends is portrayed through a range of super-soft plush toys including feature plush and Blind Box series surprises and attachments. Spin Master is also getting ready for the early Spring Launch of its new DC figures. The range promises innovation and disruption in true Spin Master style, not only through product development, but also through the exciting plans supporting the release.

HTI 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk With Peppa Pig celebrating its 15th birthday in 2019, it’s a big year for HTI, which continues to invest in this evergreen property. HTI’s Peppa portfolio in 2019 includes a refresh to key lines and new launches across its roleplay and dolls prams and pushchairs categories. The perfect kit to take care of a baby doll, the Peppa Nursery Playset includes a stroller, highchair, a carry bag which transforms into a changing mat and feeding accessories with the Peppa Pig patterned fabric running throughout the set. Designed to encourage imaginative play, the Peppa Pig House Tea Set features a teapot modelled on Peppa’s own house. Kids can press the teapot door to play the Peppa Pig theme tune and watch the windows light up. They can pour to hear the 'glug glug' sounds and open the roof to hear Peppa Pig's snort. The set includes four teacups, saucers, spoons, a milk jug and a sugar pot with lid. Still a firm favourite among HTI’s roleplay range, the Peppa Pig Cash Register comes complete with pretend money, bank card and working calculator to help to develop numerical skills, as well as encouraging imaginative play and social interaction. A key licence in the current market, the L.O.L Surprise! Cosmetic Case offers an all new unboxing surprise. With four beauty compartments to discover, kids can peel back the film to reveal eyeshadows, nail varnish, nail gems, hairbrush and hair clips. They can use their L.O.L doll to unlock the secret compartment in the centre of the star to reveal more surprises. Character cases is a category unique to HTI and span across multiple licences. Kids can save the day with the Catboy case, make sweet music with the Chase case or style hair with the Peppa Hair Care Case.

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com Inspired by Disney's hit movie Frozen, toys and games manufacturer Tomy has refreshed Pop Up Olaf for a brand-new audience ahead of the premiere of Frozen II. The licensed game was created following the success of the original and best-selling Pop Up Pirate game and proved popular when the original Frozen movie launched. The classic action game is full of hidden surprises. The game is quick and easy to set up; players take it in turns to slide sticks into the frozen barrel, with the hope that Olaf does not pop up or they’ll be out of the game. Earlier this year, Tomy’s leading infant play brand Lamaze added Toy Story characters to its Clip and Go travel range, to coincide with the premiere of Disney’s Toy Story 4. Aquadoodle continued to dominate the arts and crafts category with the refresh of its Peppa Pig travel bag for spring/summer 2020. The Peppa Pig Aquadoodle mat continues to perform well with the resurgence of popularity in the Peppa Pig brand. Tomy’s scale farm models from Britains continue to work with the strongest global farming licenses. Britains has recently released a limited edition Pink Valtra, in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness Month; £1 of each sale from the 7,500 tractors will be donated to Breast Cancer Care.

Toy World 28

10 piece fairy lights

My Dream Den

Double sided character print IDEAL FOR PROMOTING IMAGINATIVE PLAY

INTEGRAL 130MM INFLATABLE MATTRESS

What's your Dream Den?

ALL 'MY DREAM DENS' INCLUDE A SLEEPOVER CARRY/ STORAGE BAG

2-IN-1 SLEEP POD & PLAY DEN

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk The Home of Classic Characters is full to the brim of some of the most famous, much loved and timeless licensed characters including Peter Rabbit, Paddington, The Snowman, Winnie the Pooh and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This year Rainbow Designs has also welcomed both new characters as well as welcoming back some old favourites. The star of the show this autumn will be Everest, the lovable yeti from the new DreamWorks blockbuster, Abominable. The highly anticipated movie will hit cinemas in the UK on 11th October and the official new Abominable range will feature 18cm – 50cm plush Everest toys as well as co-stars Yi and Peng 18cm plush. Also new this autumn will be the Universal’s DreamWorks Heritage Collection that includes super soft plush characters from renowned blockbusters: Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. There will be multiple size plush available of Shrek and Donkey from the Shrek series of movies as well as Alex, Marty and Penguin from Madagascar and Po, the star of Kung Fu Panda. The new Toy Story 4 movie broke UK box office records this summer, and the new Disney Baby Toy Story collection of infant developmental toys includes Soft Toys and Activity Toys of some of Toy Story’s most famous characters including Sheriff Woody, Cowgirl Jessie and Buzz Lightyear. The Home of Classic Characters is also welcoming Spot back to the Rainbow Family this autumn. 2020 will be the 40th anniversary of Spot and to celebrate, Rainbow is launching a ‘Fun with Spot’ infant pre-school toy range that includes attachable and developmental activity toys as well as Spot plush.

Smiffys 0800 590 599 | www.smiffystrade.com Smiffys licensed character merchandise is continuing to expand with new partnerships for childhood favourites like Peter Rabbit, as well as exclusives coming soon including Thomas the Tank Engine and Spot. The officially licensed Peter Rabbit collection embodies the nostalgia of the Tale of Peter Rabbit and friends, created by Beatrix Potter. With designs celebrating classic, TV and movie versions of the Peter Rabbit brand, Smiffys children and toddler deluxe designs feature detailed prints, complete with 3D floppy ears to bring the rabbits to life. Beatrix Potter’s novels have delighted both children and adults for over 100 years and her charming creations are just as popular today. Smiffys has teamed up with Mattel to launch a new line of licensed Thomas & Friends dress-up for toddlers. The collection broadens Smiffys already extensive offering, entering the toddler market to introduce dress up for all ages. The partnership comes as Thomas & Friends gears up for the 75th anniversary of the brand in 2020 and brings to life the imagination and storytelling behind the famous engine. Baby dress-up is a recent category extension for Smiffys and new licensed character additions include Spot for baby and children’s dress-up. Eric Hill’s loveable puppy, Spot, has been an integral part of early childhood since he first appeared in the classic lift-the-flap storybook Where’s Spot? in 1980. A firm favourite with pre-schoolers, Spot’s toddler-like behaviour introduces children to new experiences, friendship and play in a fun and gentle way. 2020 will mark 40 years of Spot and there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate. Both Thomas the Tank Engine and Spot are set to launch in time for Book Day 2020 and can be pre-ordered now.

Jakks 01344 638 900 | www.jakks.com Sing & Sparkle Ariel from Jakks is perfect for Disney Princess fans. Children can rotate Ariel to see the glitter float in her translucent tail. By pressing Ariel's seashell necklace, they can hear her say phrases and sing Part of Your World, from the original Disney movie, as her tail lights-up. By placing Ariel in water, children can hear her say more phrases and sing the classic song Under the Sea as her tail creates a light show under water. The Disney Princess Style Collection combines everyday play with contemporary Disney Princess flair. This collection of real-life inspired toys is meant for the modern girl with big goals and great style. The Disney Princess Style Collection Play Suitcase has everything a young princess needs to travel in style, with real working wheels and a retractable handle. All travel essentials are covered and stored perfectly in the play suitcase. Kids can lounge at the airport with play ear buds and eye mask, or freshen up before take-off with the play lip balm and hand sanitizer. With a passport and ticket in their folio, kids can feel ready to go on their adventures.

Toy World 30

GET IN TOUCH TODAY TO ORDER FROM THE TOMY RANGE OF CHARACTER LICENSED TOYS Contact us 01392 281927 | ukcustomerservices@tomy.com | www.tomy.com

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Mondo 01706 751 155 | www.mondotoys.com Mondo is set for another strong year in 2020 in both the outdoor toys and the vehicles segment. After a successful launch in 2019 of the Hot Wheels Light & Sound, Radio Control, Pull-back and Friction vehicle ranges in cooperation with Bladez Toyz, Mondo Motors looks forward to further growth with many relevant additions to the range set to launch in mid-2020. Alongside Hot Wheels, Mondo has launched a 1:10 scale Barbie radio controlled car, which is set to be one of the most popular branded RCs on the market this Christmas and it will be followed by a range expansion in 2020. Mondo’s outdoor toys and balls range will see a strong licensed product offering in spring/summer 2020 with the release of numerous motion pictures, such as Frozen II and Paw Patrol in the next few months. Mondo’s Outdoor product line will showcase foam, plastic and stitched balls, space hoppers, beach toys, bodyboards, inflatables, junior sport products and wheeled toys in selected licences and brands. European manufacturing on most of the products will allow Mondo to react quickly to market trends, making sure to catch the latest consumer demands. In late spring next year, the Euro 2020 ball and football accessories range will be launched into the market. Next year’s competition is particularly interesting as it will be the first one played in a number of countries and both the final and semi-finals will be played in Wembley Stadium.

Jazwares 020 3598 5119 | www.jazwares.com

Siso Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de Toy Stoy 4 hit cinemas earlier this summer and Siso’s toy range includes 1:24 scale RC of key characters Woody, Buzz and Duke Caboom. Also included is an IR controlled Forky, Cable Flying Buzz and Cable control Spaceship. Siso Toys UK is investing in a full 360 marketing plan, including TV investment to drive sell through at retail. Siso Toys UK is also supporting its Masha & The Bear range with full 360 marketing support comprised of heavyweight TV, YouTube, social media, digital and PR. The show is performing well, ranking as Tiny Pop’s number one show and Cartoonito’s number one show for girls. Masha is also the sixth biggest show for pre-schoolers based on viewership. The range includes best-selling lines such as the 12cm dolls, 23cm soft body doll, plush bears varying from 25cm to 50cm, as well as the ever-popular playsets. With the acquisition of Jada Toys by the Simba Dickie Group, Siso Toys UK took over the distribution of Ryan’s World, with a full range of toys based on Ryan’s ToysReview YouTube series. The range comprises mini die-cast vehicles, as well as action vehicles with features that include a garbage truck, fire truck and rescue helicopter. The range also includes RC, with the hero item being the popular Stunt Panda RC – a 24cm Panda on a skateboard that performs wheelies, spins and can pop back up if he falls over. CBBC’s The Deep has two seasons under its belt which have performed well, with season three airing now. Siso Toys UK has a collection of action figures and the popular underwater robots, Nekbots, that are 25cm, articulated and light up. Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, is a Netflix original which launched in December 2016 and has garnered huge success, and Siso’s toy range includes various sets of figures including 3“ non-posbale multi-pack figures and 6“ deluxe figures with light and sound features.

Toy World 32

YouTube star Blippi has named leading global toy manufacturer Jazwares as master toy partner, and Jazwares will debut a full Blippi toy line at retail in Spring 2020. The range will feature toys inspired by Blippi’s most watched content with opening experiences that bring his energy to life including collectible blinds, figures, vehicles, playsets, plush, novelties, musical instruments and bath toys. In just a few years since inception, Blippi has become one of the most popular Kids Entertainment entities worldwide with over 200m minutes watched in the UK, over 400m monthly global views and over 8b total views. In addition to a presence on YouTube, Blippi is a leading Kids Entertainment show on Amazon Video. Blippi is an energetic and loveable character clad in orange and blue with goofy mannerisms and a friendly demeanour. Children from the ages of 2-7 years old across the world have quickly taken a liking to Blippi’s charismatic personality and innovative teaching. The Jazwares toy line will bring Blippi to life in a way that amplifies Blippi’s humour, edutainment and personality in a way that will resonate with kids and parents alike.

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Pyramid International 0116 284 3645 | www.pyramidinternational.com Pyramids ranges for It: Chapter Two and The Joker are scheduled to land early for the autumn/winter season in time for these two exciting movies. The It: Chapter Two collection will include Pyramid's iconic doormat as well as its UK produced coloured inner mugs, posters, collectible art prints and badges. The Joker has gone retro with a comic book look and will include a gift set, perfect for the gifting season, coloured inner mugs, badges and posters. Pyramid has also introduced its popular metal travel mug to the range, which will be available for Batman's 80th anniversary. The company is also gearing up its ranges for Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker and Frozen II. Both will include striking products right across the portfolio including posters, drinkware, stationery, merchandise and more. Characters including Olaf, Anna, BB8 and Kylo Ren are expected to be some of the most sought after this Christmas. Contact the Pyramid team for opportunities available for these Q4 properties and to explore 2020 plans for licences including Trolls 2, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Mulan and more.

Flair 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk PJ Masks continues to be a hit amongst pre-schoolers and fans of Cat Boy, Owlette and Gekko will enjoy the PJ Seeker - a playset and transporter all in one that can fit up to four vehicles inside the carrier and up to three 7.5cm figures inside the detachable cabin. Features include a light-up searchlight, disc launcher and a detachable cage to track down night-time villains. Also new for autumn is the refreshed Transforming Playsets, which cleverly change PJ Masks figures from their daytime persona to night-time heroes, and the new Turbo Movers Vehicles with fun features to outsmart villains. In addition to the TV programming, Flair’s own extensive TV advertising, pre-roll and continual rounds of influencer activity will ensure awareness throughout the season. Just Play’s Spirit Riding Free master toy range will accompany new episodes towards the end of the year. Central to the campaign will be new playset, the Spirit & Lucky Grooming Paddock, and the impressive Deluxe Spirit Walking Horse with realistic sounds and movement. These key new items are coupled with extensive marketing support. A high number of TVRs and pre-roll advertising will feature the brave and adventurous Lucky and her cherished wild mustang Spirit. Influencer activity together with a late autumn event is also part of the marketing mix.

Posh Paws 01268 567317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk From the summer’s biggest blockbuster hits including Lion King and Toy Story 4, Posh Paws has something for all Disney fans, including the latest new characters such as Forky and characters from the highly anticipated release of Frozen II. The third instalment of Universals Dragons was released earlier this year, and moving into SS20 there is more excitement to come with the release of Minions 2 and Poppy and her friends returning for Trolls 2. Posh Paws is the official plush partner for Universal and will feature long-standing favourites alongside new characters from these highly anticipated movies. Working with some of the hottest brands around, Posh Paws also offers premium plush toys from some of the biggest TV shows around, including BBC Earth and up and coming pre-school shows including Sunny Bunnies and Pirata and Capitano.

Toy World 34

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Sakar 02476 518 500 |

Amscan International 01908 288500 | www.amscan.co.uk

www.sakar.com

Amscan is launching a variety of new Peppa Pig licensed costumes and party tableware, to complement the existing best-selling foil balloon range. The new costumes can be pre-ordered now for Q4 2019 delivery and feature three different styles; Peppa’s Everyday dress - complete with bear accessory, a Peppa party dress and a George cape. The new party range perfectly matches the existing foil and latex balloons. Amscan has also added a new PJ Masks partyware range to complement their foil balloon and dress up offering, available now, and is launching Baby Shark partyware & balloons for Q4 2019. In addition, a new licensed offering for Moon and Me spans partyware, balloons and costumes. Foil balloons and Dress Up styles for Moon Baby & Pepi Nana are in stock now, with partyware available to order for delivery in Q4 2019. Amscan’s recent partyware and balloon launch for Harry Potter is also off to a flying start. It features a fun, illustrated ‘Kawaii’ design and is proving incredibly popular with wizards and muggles alike. Amscan’s Thomas the Tank collection of partyware and balloons features everything to create a Thomas and Friends themed celebration. The “Thomas All Aboard” ensemble includes 24 coordinating party items which are complemented by a matching range of foil balloons by sister company Anagram. A choice of different balloon formats is available; from Mini Air-filled balloons, to SuperShapes, balloons bouquets and an impressive AirWalker. The Fireman Sam collection contains a mix of 18 party products and coordinating foil balloons; perfect for celebrating with the ultimate hero next door. The range includes everything from disposable tableware to banners and accessories such as candle sets and stationery packs which make great party favours. The most recent addition is a pull pinata, adding extra fun to any celebration. New for 2019, Amscan has launched a coordinating collection of Enchantimal partyware and foil balloons. The range features key characters from the franchise; Felicity Fox, Bree Bunny, Patter Peacock and Sage Skunk. Amscan has a collection of Barbie costumes and accessories. New styles added for 2019 include a Rainbow Cove dress, Rainbow Unicorn set, Gem Ballgown and Chef outfit. As well as dress up, Amscan also has a collection of Barbie Dreamtopia themed partyware and balloons. Other new Dress Up ranges include Top Wing and Sunny Day for Q4 2019, as well as Paddington Bear and Doctor Who for World Book Day 2020, with more to be announced shortly.

Sakar’s Fisher-Price wheeled goods line includes the FisherPrice Corn Popper Scooter and the Rock-A-Stack Trike and Balance Bikes. The Classic Corn Popper Walker has evolved into a rideon scooter, which helps teach kids how to balance and ride a scooter safely. The tricycle is based on the classic Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack toy and made for a stable and comfortable ride. The easy-to-steer trike has the added element of floating rings within the see-through front wheel hub, allowing the rider to see and hear their progress with every pedal forward. The rings make noises as they tumble about when the child pedals, while soft, quiet tyres can be used indoors or out for yearround fun. The Fisher-Price Balance Bike helps to teach kids proper balance as well as hand and foot coordination, providing a safe and comfortable way to learn until they feel ready to pedal on their own.

Bladez Toyz 02392 658 255 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk Bladez Toyz expands its Hot Wheels Maker Kitz range with the Design and Race Kit. Maker Kitz are Hot Wheels cars kids can build, and the new Design and Race version lets them be the designer too. Young builders pop out the pre-cut plastic panels and assemble the tough snap-fit parts - there’s a step by step instruction video online to make building easy. They can add power with two pull-back motors and then use the permanent markers included to create a unique custom design. Once assembled, the car is playable and tough enough to race and perform stunts using the card launch ramp provided, which can also be customised. Adding a lower price point to the range in Q4 this year is the new Mini Maker Kitz range, which offers the same snap-fit system and pull back speed at a collectible 1:64 scale, with 16 styles in the first wave and wave two following early next year. Featuring iconic designs from the world of Hot Wheels like Shark Bite, Roger Dodger and Motosaurus, the track compatible Mini Maker Kitz are easy to build and tough enough to race and will launch with full strategic marketing, kid and parent targeted digital and PR campaigns. A mini trading card is included in each kit. As UK distributor for Lights and Sounds and Radio Control, Bladez is also adding Mondo Motors' Hot Wheels and Barbie range to its offering moving forward, giving a comprehensive portfolio across all price points. Including the Shark Cruiser Monster Action Lights and Sounds with chomping action and the Barbie RC Dream Car, the full range is available now.

Toy World 36

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Team Tex +33 4 72 46 98 98 | www.groupeteamtex.co.uk

Team Tex is a French based company that specialises in child car seats, with safety, accessibility, innovation and value at the forefront of its product design. Offering a wide range of licensed properties available as car seats, the range includes seats for newborn babies and toddlers, extendible car seats for 0-12 year olds and booster seats to make car travel fun and comfortable for all ages. Team Tex is continually considering ways to develop lines by introducing new licences. As a Mattel licensee, the company has developed a range which offers a selection of evergreen favourites such as Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher Price for customers to choose from. The wide variety of characters and designs offers something to suit all tastes, and each licence is available in a variety of seat styles and sizes. Car seat models include the FP1000 which is suitable from birth, combining ease and comfort with great value. There is a full body insert for additional comfort, and the car seat is lightweight for easy carrying. The FP2000 Gr 0/1/2 extended convertible car seat can be adapted for use from birth to eight years. The car seat features a 5-point safety harness with non-slip shoulder pads, built-in belt guides for a safe and comfortable fit and a head and body pillow for additional comfort. An FP3000 harness booster is also available that provides safety and comfort and can be used for both a harness booster seat with a 5-points harness and a belt position high-back booster. With adjustable head support providing superior comfort and side impact protection, a 5-point safety harness with non-slip shoulder pads, the seat also has plush foam padding for premium comfort at every touch point. Finally, the versatile FP3550 ISOFIX combination booster seat has ISOFIX connectors for a growing toddler and is suitable from 9Kg – 36Kgs (approx. 9 months to 12 years). The seat can be used as harnessed booster and high-back, belt positioning booster and has built-in belt guides for a safe and comfortable fit, as well as an arm rest adjuster. Team Tex products are designed and crash tested to meet or exceed European testing requirements and offer a blend of safety, comfort and convenience that any parent and their child will appreciate.

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com The Pokémon line from Character options has grown substantially in 2019 with continual waves of new figures, plush and role play lines plus a new pocket-sized Pikachu. This year’s star line will be the My Partner Pikachu toy. With two interactive modes, Pokémon Trainers can discover all that’s possible with this new handheld friend, while also training Pikachu to react as they need him to. Pokémon plush toys are also abundant in the autumn line up. A 24-inch Pikachu will join the new Flame Action Charmander and Power Action Pikachu toys; all of which feature heavily in this year’s pre-Christmas marketing drive. Action figures are available in multiple scales from 2” triple packs to 12” Legendary figures. This year, Peppa Pig celebrates its 15th anniversary and Peppa’s Stage Playset brings a new play pattern to the range. The curtained stage comes with three reversible back drop cards; the pull-out stage floor has sound effects such as music, applause and laughter; plus separate theatre seating is ready to be filled with an audience. Figures, themed accessories and cut out scenes are included to inspire fans. Peppa’s Wooden Playhouse is an impressive 3-storey wooden house, which stands at 2.5 feet tall and has a different coloured back drop and flooring in every room. A host of accessories and furniture is included, as well as light and sound features. Peppa’s Big Red Car comes with Mummy Pig and Peppa figures. The push along car features music and sound effects with picnic accessories packed in the trunk. New to the Peppa Pig plush collection is Sleepover Peppa; ideal for sleepovers and the nightly bedtime routine. Peppa gently glows as a night light when kids press her tummy and also plays a soft lullaby. Sleepover Peppa comes with her own sleeping bag carry case.

Stor 07809 572 778 | www.storline.es Stor SL celebrates its 50th anniversary with major new product launches including a brand-new Back to School range with eye-catching designs on both lunch bags and re-usable water bottles. The core licensed ranges on children’s tableware, baby/toddler feeding items, storage boxes and porcelain mugs feature L.O.L, Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Peppa, Baby Shark, PJ Mask, Paw Patrol, Minions, Trolls and Frozen II. Stor also has a new line of gifting items including unique 3D mugs and piggy banks. With the environment in mind, the innovative Young Adult range features new materials on hydration items with toughened glass, plastics, and bamboo. With artwork specifically designed for the Young Adult market, licences include Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mickey, Minnie, Marvel, Star Wars, Nintendo, Dragonball, Gorjuss and Pokémon. To ensure the fullest support for its ranges, Stor has made additional investment in the company’s UK sales operation by expanding the sales team and opening a new showroom. Stor will be presenting its ranges this October at Canton, as well as at the Hong Kong, Nuremberg and Frankfurt shows in 2020.

Toy World 38

Toys that really are just like the real thing!

Real life fun & play Casdon Ltd., Cornford Road, Blackpool, Lancs FY4 4QW Tel: +44 (0)1253 766411 Fax: +44 (0)1253 691486 Email: toys@casdon.co.uk www.casdon.com

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Tobar 01603 397105 | www.tobar.co.uk The latest Angry Birds movie was released in August and Tobar has a great range built around Red and five other major characters. The line-up includes pocket money items such as slime and light up gadgets, including lava lamps and night lights. Six characters now appear in the already popular Jellyball range – large squishy stress toys. One of the pocket money stars is proving to be Squishy Buddies - a blind bag collection comprising squishy versions of the Angry Birds characters designed to sit on your phone, desk or computer. Games for Christmas and beyond are covered with an Angry Birds version of Pig Head. Players throw Angry Birds characters at the player wearing the cap, who tries to catch them in the fetching side pockets sticking out from the cap. Tobar already has a great relationship with Bburago and Maisto and 2019 has seen the Angry Birds licence extend across these brands to include a new line of products with differing price points from pocket money upwards. Other hot items include radio control and a range of construction toys like the Hatch and Race Eggs - again packaged in blind bags to entice the consumer to collect them all. Each egg contains an Angry Birds character on his own vehicle and the vehicles can be constructed and re-constructed; pieces mix and match to provide endless permutations. A Slot Car Racing Set will be supported by a fourth quarter campaign across parenting bloggers and youtubers to support this great gift item. K-Blings is a new line, designed to add bling to headphone cables or phone charger and tablet cables. The clip-on characters also strengthen the cables and allow kids to personalise their look with a choice of characters such as Harry Potter, Rick and Morty or a whole host of Emojis.

Playmobil 01268 548 111 | www.playmobil.co.uk Playmobil released its brand-new movie playsets in July 2019, in time for the release of Playmobil: The Movie which made its debut in August. The nine new playsets are ideal for young fans to reconstruct, or reinvent, their favourite scenes from the movie, which is the first ever feature length film inspired by Playmobil. The nine playsets from the new range include characters like Rex Dasher with Parachute, Robotitron with Drone, Marla with Horse, Charlie with Prison Wagon and Marla in the Fairytale Castle. Alongside the playsets, Playmobil has unveiled two series of Playmobil: The Movie Figures, with the first collection of characters launched in July and the second to be launched in December 2019. Playmobil: The Movie follows the story of Marla and her brother Charlie who find themselves in the Playmobil universe, travelling through different worlds. The playsets feature the imaginative settings from the movie, allowing children to recreate their favourite scenes. Each playset comes with numerous accessories, as well as the main featured characters: Marla, Charlie, Rex Dasher, Emperor Maximus, Del and Robotitron.

Toy World 40

Topps 01908 800100 | www.topps.com Collectors can voyage across the Star Wars galaxy with an all-new trading card collection from Topps – Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, launching on 4th October. This collection celebrates one of the greatest stories ever told, featuring key moments from Star Wars history along with a sneak-peek at characters from the final movie. Topps has held the Star Wars licence since 1977 and the company is proud to be the longest-running uninterrupted Star Wars licensee. The iconic blue starfield design from the very first set of Topps cards features in this brand-new collection. With over 80 unique sets produced in the last 42 years, Topps continues its celebration of the Star Wars story with another release in December. A trading card set for the final chapter of the epic Skywalker saga will accompany the cinematic release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Topps Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases on 4th October. Starter packs retail at £5.00 and include a collector binder, checklist, packet of cards plus a limited-edition card. The release of Topps Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trading card collection will follow on 20th December, with packets and Collector Tins.

Disney classics now available as Tonies!

Set up the Wi-Fi just once …

Put the Tonie on top …

Sit back and enjoy listening.

Heard enough? Just take your Tonie off.

Ready for more? Simply put it back on.

More information: www.tonies.com

J OY Y TO EN S A E ’S ! IT FUN AUDIO

MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

It’s full steam ahead for Thomas & Friends range of bikes, ride-ons and scooters, many of which incorporate authentic Thomas features including 3D features, moulded wheels and colourful graphics. The Thomas Train and Track is a perfect first battery operated ride on, complete with a 22-piece track plus forward and reverse gears, authentic features and fun Thomas sounds. The new Thomas and Friends 2 in 1 10” bike is the ideal beginner’s bike, with a recently improved design incorporating quick-release pedals and stabilisers, making it quicker to transform from a pedal bike to a balance bike as the child grows in confidence. Barbie is celebrating her 60th anniversary this year, and MV sports is celebrating with an exciting range of bikes, scooters and protective gear in contemporary candy colours and iconic Barbie pink, as well as modern graphics to give the range a fresh look and feel. Also new is the Barbie Dream Den; an innovative 2-in-1 sleep pod and play den, with integrated inflatable mattress for extra comfort, tie back doors and 10 piece fairy light set. The Fireman Sam range offers kids the opportunity to get active and be the hero next door with a collection of emergency rescue themed scooters, bikes and ride-ons. Kids can be just like Fireman Sam with the Light & Sound Rescue Tri-scooter, with three sturdy puncture proof tyres, flashing lights on the deck and fire engine siren sounds, ideal for roleplaying favourite Fireman Sam episodes. The Hot Wheels brand is synonymous with speed, power, performance and attitude; attractive attributes when purchasing the latest wheeled toys. The new range of bikes, scooters and protective gear combines MV Sports core values with iconic stylised graphics.

Pioneer 01279 501 090 | www.Qualatex.com Pioneer Europe Limited offers a wide range of licensed balloons, tableware and accessories that make the perfect addition to a child’s birthday party or Christmas treat. With low initial order quantities, a choice of retail display options and a wide range of designs to choose from, Pioneer Europe offers customers a one-stop solution. The Toy Story 4 ranges have been very well received over the summer, and with the cinema and DVD releases of many evergreen properties this year, it is a great time to give this category a try. Pioneer Europe has a year-round training programme, so retailers and consumers can be up and running in no time with balloon bouquet displays and more.

Toys Moose 0845 602 2119 | www.moosetoys.com A Frozen II range will launch this October. The Beds and Furniture ranges will not only appeal to aspiring Annas and Elsas, but also to parents as they make bedtime routines easier. The ReadyBed is ideal for having friends to stay at home or staying with grandparents during the holidays, while the addition of the Frozen GoGlow Pop and Sven GoGlow Pal to the range means there is a fun night light solution for every child. The Play Tents will aid imaginative play both indoors and outdoors, whilst seating and storage items round out the themed range. Paw Patrol continues to perform across all our categories, and Moose will introduce a Moon and Me range in Spring 2020, which fits perfectly with the bedtime theme of Moon and Me. With Peppa performing particularly well across the My 1st ReadyBed and seating ranges, 2020 looks to be another strong year for pre-school. The boys’ range saw the addition of Toy Story in 2019, and the 25th anniversary of Toy Story in 2020 will ensure the continued performance of this range into next year. Buzz and Woody continue to appeal to a new generation of boys, and the vibrant colours of the range provide stand out at retail. The boys’ category is also catered for with a strengthening Marvel range and the consistently popular Cars range.

Toy World 42

THE UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO. 1 ANNUALS PUBLISHER* A one-stop An

for girls and

boys from preschool to y oung adult.

TBORANPDS proud r Books are Little Brothe ands br g ith leadin to partner w liver de to rs ile ta and major re ges,

nuals range

HING EYE-CATC

RETAILER

POS

IMP

PURCHUALSE SES

PARTNER SHIPS

ran best-in-class ibution tr is d il widest reta y. vi d n ra sibilit and high b

STOC

FILLEKRING S

All covers subject to change and approval. * Based on Nielsen and non Nielsen retail sales.

Little Brother Books Ltd, Ground Floor, 23 Southernhay East, Exeter, Devon EX1 1QL

+44 (0)1392 982082

books@littlebrotherbooks.co.uk

www.littlebrotherbooks.co.uk

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Vivid Imaginations 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Ryan ToysReview has over 21m YouTube subscribers and more than 1b views per month. Already a huge hit in the US and rapidly following suit in the UK, Vivid’s Ryan’s World range includes mystery blind bags, squishies, vehicles, plush and mystery eggs. The Ryan's World Super Surprise egg can be cracked open to reveal the contents. With five Ryan's World items to discover inside, kids can unbox just like Ryan. Items include a Ryan's World figure, bag tag, cuddly toy, Red Titan mask and sticker sheet. Perfect for the ultimate Ryan's World collector is the 6-pack Collectible Mystery Figure set which includes 4" versions of all Ryan's World characters. Each pack includes three hidden mystery figures. With Build A Ryan Egg-stravaganza kids can crack open the six eggs to reveal parts from three Ryan figures. They can mix and match the parts to create their own custom figures. Fun games featuring fast-action pop ‘n’ race play include Springin’ Spiders, where players simply flick their spider, to get the most spiders onto the web before time runs out to win. New from Crayola is the Ryan’s World Color Wonder pack. Kids can create bold colouring creations using mess-free Color Wonder markers to bring Ryan and his pals to life

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com Ravensburger welcomes hot new children’s licences on board to join popular evergreen properties Peppa Pig, Toy Story and Thomas & Friends. L.O.L. Surprise!, School of Roars, Waffle the Wonder Dog and That’s Not My… are among the new introductions to Ravensburger’s games and puzzles portfolio this year. Fans of Peppa Pig will enjoy the new Peppa Pig Family Celebrations Giant Floor Puzzle. This 24-piece puzzle showcases favourite characters enjoying muddy puddle fun along with Madam Gazelle’s band. For Thomas & Friends fans, new additions include a 4-in-a-Box Puzzle set showcasing themes from Thomas & Friends’ latest big screen release, Big World! Big Adventures! Inside the box, children will find 12, 16, 20 and 24 piece puzzles to put together, featuring evergreen favourites and new characters such as Nia. The School of Roars Giant Floor Puzzle, with 24 pieces, features CBeebies popular mini monsters having mischievous fun in their classroom. Also available for fans of this new licence is the My First Puzzles set including 2, 3, 4 and 5 piece puzzles. Waffle the Wonder Dog, also a CBeebies hit, is celebrated in a new 4-in-a-Box Puzzle set with 12, 16, 20 and 24 piece puzzles included.

Danilo 01992 702 900 | www.danilo.com Celebrating over 40 years as the leading publisher of licensed calendars, diaries, greetings cards and gift wrap, Danilo works with the hottest licensed properties in entertainment, music, sport, gaming and lifestyle, and has something to offer each and every consumer group. Danilo has an extensive product range including calendar and diary formats such as the deluxe calendar, change-it-up calendar, magic cube calendar, desk pad, musical advent calendar and the collector’s box set as well as new fashion and mid-year academic diaries, providing a varied range of product formats appealing to everyone from pre-school to adult. My First Calendar is a new pre-school product from Danilo that has launched this year. This interactive non-dated calendar, available in Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Paw Patrol designs, allows children to turn wheels to find the days and months and features a wipe clean panel to write important play dates for the coming week. There are also sections for children to note the season, weather and temperature, making it a truly interactive learning experience, perfect for kids aged 3-7. Danilo also has a strong reputation for juvenile cards and gift wrap with licences such as L.O.L. Surprise!, Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, Peter Rabbit, Despicable Me, Baby Shark and The Gruffalo all performing very well. This year it is further broadening its ranges of children’s greeting card and gift wrap with new additions including Harry Potter, Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, Thomas and Friends, Ryan’s World, Pokémon, Original Stormtrooper and Mr Men and Little Miss, to name a few. The greetings cards come in a number of different sizes and formats including pop up cards, sound cards, fold out cards, activity cards, badged cards and many more. Its licensed gift wrap and bags are also printed in a variety of sizes featuring more innovative designs such as the Transformers mask bag and integrated card and gift bag.

Toy World 44

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Bruder 01491 412 415 | www.bruder.de New to Bruder’s comprehensive range is the Prinoth snow groomer Leitwolf. Suitable for children aged four and above, this impressive vehicle has now been added to the range at a scale of 1:16. With an output of 530 hp, the Leitwolf six-cylinder diesel engine generates a torque of 2,460 Nm and merges strength with safety. The vehicle’s high levels of flexibility mean the Leitwolf operates efficiently and sustainably. It boasts strong levels of detail and an ample functional scope including the impressive master blade, which is height-adjustable with a pivoting feature and adjustable outside blades for maximum clearing results. The doors can also be opened, making the Leitwolf model compatible with bworld figures. The detailed, powerful snow blower at the rear of the model is height-adjustable and features a rotating impeller. The snow blower also pivots and features adjustable outside blades. This new product is ideal for any young winter sports aficionado and is in keeping with the Bruder motto “just like the real thing”.

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com Funrise has recently entered into a new multi-year toy licence agreement with Caterpillar, the world’s leading construction equipment manufacturer, and will bring to market a line of innovative toy machines based on Cat construction vehicles. The Cat toy line will include machines in a wide range of styles with innovative features including motorised toys, toys with lights and sounds, radio control toys for indoor and outdoor play, free-wheeling toys in different scales and Cat machines made of metal. Funrise is also the brand owner for thriving property Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty. As well as acting as licensor, the company produces the master toy range for the brand itself, which will be launching in the UK in spring 2020 and consists of collectibles, role play, figures and playsets that all bring the life of Felicity and her friends into the homes of RBUK fans.

Bandai 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk Bandai has re-launched the toy range for Thunderbirds Are Go. The new toy line consists of collectibles, action figures and vehicles reflective of the ITV series which is currently airing all three seasons. Thunderbird 2 is the hero line that comes with lights, sounds, zip line and a Virgil Tracy action figure. Holding the master toy licence for ITV series, Robozuna, Bandai’s range includes role play lines and new articulated figures. Clunk, the robot voiced by Ali A in the show, comes to life as Mega Clunk. This 30cm articulated feature action figure spins at the waist and includes an interchangeable, spinning arm. Hero role-play lines include the Mangle Voice-Changing Mask; with many of Mangle’s wellknown phrases, the jaw moves as the user speaks. Miraculous continues to air across Pop and Disney channels and reports two more series in development. Bandai’s collection includes 14cm articulated Action Figures and 26cm Fashion Dolls featuring LadyBug, Marinette and Adrien plus their alter egos Lady Noir and Mister Bug. Two of 2019’s hit movie releases have seen the company adding to its character-based portfolio. Bandai’s Dragon Ball Dragon Stars are a range of poseable character figures from Dragon Ball Super. Each set includes an extra piece of action figure that can be combined to create the star of the latest Dragon Ball movie, Broly. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has inspired a range of collectible ChiBi and Classic Figures. The highly collectible ChiBi Figures are available in two and six packs and include a host of characters based on various Godzilla film and TV incarnations. Classic Deluxe Figures and two Classic Large-Scale Figures Godzilla Final Wars and Mechagodzilla – are also available within the collection.

Toy World 46

Introducing the New Heritage Collection!

Everyone’s favourite characters from some of the hugely successful modern classic films

Fresh from the success of

TOBAR is excited to present our fantastic range of official Angry Birds products.

We’ve got putty, squidgy toys, RC cars and more, including our award winning Pig Head game. Visit us online or contact us today for more information! Angry Birds™ & © 2019 Rovio Entertainment Corporation and Rovio Animation Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Place your order today tel: 01603 397 105 email: sales@tobar.co.uk www.tobar.co.uk/angry-birds

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Dreamtex 0844 499 8465 | www.dreamtexltd.com Motivated by wanting to help children create happy bedrooms, Dreamtex’s ever-growing range of character inspired bedding and accessories includes hot properties L.O.L. Surprise!, Poopsie Slime Surprise! and PJ Masks, as well as classics such as The Gruffalo and Dr Seuss. Another new addition will be bedding sets featuring characters from the CBeebies series Moon and Me. Bright colours, bold patterns and fun designs dominate the vast collection of L.O.L. Surprise! duvet sets which promote the friendship and pop culture themes of the brand. A variety of striking blankets and pretty cushions will join the bedroom range. Fans can also choose L.O.L. design towels and ponchos for the beach or pool. New to the Dreamtex family this autumn will be bedding sets for Poopsie Slime Surprise!, utilising the Poopsie unicorn style guide and all the colours of the rainbow. Dreamtex’s PJ Masks bedding collection is both innovative and fun. The unique CatCar duvet features shaped edges that follow the outline of Catboy's signature vehicle and looks impressive on a child’s bed. Other PJ Masks duvets focus on saving the day and comic strip designs and are accompanied by themed blankets, towels, ponchos and pyjama case cushions. Dreamtex’s new partnership with Moon and Me is the ideal collaboration for promoting happy sleep and dreaming. Young viewers of the new CBeebies series will be able to snuggle up under Moon Baby, Lambkin and Pepi Nana inspired bedding. The Moon and Me duvet and pillowcase designs feature all the key characters, catchphrases and song lyrics associated with the programme and will be available from early next year. Decorating bedrooms with themed homeware at Christmas is becoming more popular and Dreamtex’s festive character bedding includes Elf on the Shelf and Dr Seuss’s The Grinch. These duvets are great gift ideas for children and big kids alike.

Casdon 01253 608 428 | www.casdon.com Casdon has a whole host of licensed toys to make role play come alive, including Henry and Hetty and Dyson cleaning toys, Morphy Richards kitchen appliances and afternoon tea from Mr Kipling. Casdon has an expansive collection of Henry and Hetty toys, perfect for making children feel just like mum or dad. The Henry/Hetty Vacuum Cleaner is a Casdon classic and a favourite with both boys and girls. Each vacuum cleaner comes with full branding along with working suction and a removable debris drawer. The Casdon Dyson Cord-free vacuum is a direct replica of the full-size cordless Dyson and has been specifically designed to be true to life, right down to the last detail. The model features working suction, spinning beads, realistic sounds and twist and turn action, so children can play at helping around the house. The Casdon Morphy Richards and DeLonghi ranges are the perfect partners to any pretend play kitchen. The Microwave, Kettle and Toaster Set comprises a microwave with a realistic looking touch pad and lights, plus a kettle and pop-up toaster. The DeLonghi Microwave has a rotating turntable, flashing lights and cooking sounds to help cook treats at home. The Little Cooks collection includes the Mr Kipling Cake Stand and Tea Set, which allows little ones to treat friends and family to afternoon tea. The brightly coloured shape sorting cake stand contains a host of cakes plus plates and cutlery to help with serving. For summertime, kids can help with the gardening using the Flymo Lawn Mower; another lifelike replica from Casdon Toys. The Flymo features a foldable handle for easy storage and a mechanical click when the mower is on the move. It also features the iconic orange base.

William Lamb 01924 829978 | www.wlamb.co.uk William Lamb has released a brand-new range of bags for fans of the Avengers. The new range is ideal for carrying favourite toys, school items or supplies for special outings and adventures. The multi character backpack and messenger bag include cool metallic elements, bold graphics and 3D logo features. Bold torso bags give the opportunity for fans to take their pick of their favourite characters. Iron man’s torso backpack includes a zip to reveal a hidden Marvel feature, perfect for kids who want to become their own superhero. William Lamb also offers new footwear and accessories ranges, which include licences like Hey Duggee, Nerf, Harry Potter, Frozen and more.

Toy World 48

published by

JUVENILE RANGES published by www.danilo.com

S R A & DI D N E A L R A I C

C ARDS G N I T E www.danilo.com E GR published by

www.danilo.com

C A T L S END R I F AR Y M G

RAP & BA W G T F S I

SALES@DANILO.COM 01992 702900 WWW.DANILO.COM Independent retailers contact: Words ‘n’ Wishes on 01942 233201 © 2019 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. / © ABD Ltd/Ent. One UK Ltd 2003. / © 2019 Frog Box/Ent. One UK Ltd / © SMARTSTUDY Pinkfong® Baby Shark TM / TM & © Universal Studios / © 2019 Spin Master. / Peter Rabbit TM © Frederick Warne & Co. Limited and Silvergate PPL Limited, 2019. / TM & © MGA Ent., Inc. U.S. & other countries

Character Licensed Mercdhandise

Boxine 020 3608 3056 | www.tonies.com Having launched in Germany in 2016, the innovative audio system Toniebox is an increasingly popular alternative to screens, smartphones and complicated controls. As the first digital audio system suitable for children, the functional design – a tough shockproof cube lined with durable, sustainable fabric – and intuitive features help families put the fun and magic into listening and audio adventures. Simple to use, a Tonie audio character is placed onto the Toniebox, attaching via a magnet, and the corresponding content will start playing. Take the Tonie off the box, and the audio pauses. Parents and children can even record their own stories or songs on a Creative-Tonie via their smartphone using the Tonie-App; the NFC chip in each Tonie means the Toniebox always knows what content to play when paired with each individual figure. Tonies has now added a brand-new range of Disney characters to its existing collection, with Tonies featuring characters from two of Disney's classic animated films, The Lion King and The Jungle Book. The characters, launched in August, breathe a fresh new burst of creativity into cherished classics. Each Disney Tonie is hand-painted and packed full of songs, so whether children embrace their inner Simba with The Lion King or want to dance around to The Jungle Book, there is something for everyone. Other stories currently available on pre-recorded Tonies include The Gruffalo, Zog, Little Red Riding Hood and Peter Pan, alongside a collection of songs and educational Tonies.

Zuru 01604 401 719 | sales@geemac.biz Zuru’s partnership with global entertainment brand Pinkfong sees a collection of Baby Shark licensed bath toys introduced to the UK market. The new Baby Shark range sits within Zuru’s Robo Alive Junior Range and includes Baby, Mummy and Daddy Shark bath toys which all sing the viral sensation ‘Baby Shark’ song once placed in water. Using water activation technology, the toys swim and sing and come with a four-minute sleep/power-saver mode. Baby Shark has been an unprecedented phenomenon across the globe. The viral tune has taken the world by storm amassing 2.6b YouTube views, charting at number six on the UK Official Singles Chart and Top 50 on Billboard’s Hot100 for 16 weeks. Zuru’s Robo Alive Junior is a range of bath-time toys for pre-school children. Using water activated carbon sensors, each of the designs provides interactive fun both in and out of the water and are positioned as affordable options within the interactive and tech toys market.

University Games and Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com University Games and Paul Lamond Games has a portfolio of games and puzzles which have been inspired by some of Britain’s greatest authors and involve some of the most iconic and much-loved literary characters. Christmas specials are lined up for two of literature’s most famous characters Paddington and The Tiger who came to Tea. The Paddington Sightseeing Adventure Game and a series of pre-school games and puzzles starring The Tiger who came to Tea are sure to be on many Christmas lists this year. There have also been new additions to the extensive licensed character portfolio this year including the award-winning Gangsta Granny ‘Stash the Swag’ Board Game from The World of David Walliams, an easy play board game that encourages strategic thinking. This is joined by a set of three learning-through-play educational games starring some of Roald Dahl’s most iconic characters: The BFG’s Whizzpopping Letters, Matilda’s Splendid Spelling and Charlie’s Marvellous Maths Card Games. The Horrible Histories board game has landed this autumn and will see players race through history by answering ‘Horrible’ multiple choice questions, acting out charades and trying to avoid Rattus and his tricky Chance cards. New to the pre-school portfolio is the Oi Frog Memory Game and series of 35-piece puzzles which launched in the spring. This summer also saw the arrival of the Dinosaur Roar Board Game from the World of Dinosaur; a fun-filled board game where players answer pre-historic questions, name different dinosaurs and make the loudest roar to collect dinosaur figures and help Dinosaur Squeak find her friends. University Games and Paul Lamond Games also has a plethora of games and puzzles starring The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2019, as well as product featuring Room on a Broom, The Highway Rat, Dear Zoo, Horrid Henry, Where’s Wally and The Beatles.

Toy World 50

EVERY

AGE.

EVERY

AISLE.

© 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Spin Master. Viacom International Inc. © 2019 Viacom Overseas Holdings C.V. © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Created by Stephen Hillenburg.

EVERY AGE. EVERY AISLE.

© 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Spin Master. Viacom International Inc. © 2019 Viacom Overseas Holdings C.V. © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 9 Story Media Group Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Created by Stephen Hillenburg. TM & © RTR-PW

FOR LICENSING AND RETAIL OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT:

ViacomNickelodeonCP@Viacom.com

BLE

Feature

What’s new at BLE? 2019

1–3 OCTOBER

In just a couple of weeks, Excel London will be welcoming Brand Licensing Expo for the very first time, from Monday 1st to Wednesday 3rd October. As well as the change of venue, the 2019 iteration of this must-attend trade show will offer visitors and exhibitors across a range of sectors the chance to enjoy new themes, exciting activations and brand-new networking events off the show floor. Read on to find out more.

Anna Knight

rand Licensing Europe 2019 is set to bring together more than 7,800 retailers and manufacturers with 260 leading brand owners and agents, to identify new trends, build partnerships and secure brand rights. It was announced last year that BLE would be relocating to Excel London from 2019 as part of organiser Informa’s ambitious strategy to evolve the

Toy World 53

show, attract even more European licensees, retailers and licensors, and improve the customer experience for both visitors and exhibitors. Informa has also confirmed the event will remain at Excel London until at least 2024. While the move may have raised a few eyebrows, Anna Knight, VP Global Licensing Group, says that the feedback has been very positive. “It’s human nature to be cautious about change; we all are, about everything,” she says. “But we’re

Feature

BLE

delighted with the response that we have received from our exhibitors, who are as excited about the move to Excel as we are.

former License This! winner Charlotte Reed, who is the author of the May The Thoughts Be With You books.”

licensing, Europe, Moose Toys UK). The panel takes place on Tuesday 1st October between 12:30 – 13:00, at the License Global Theatre.

Excel London is a state-of-the-art events facility, which gives BLE and our exhibitors the flexibility, facilities and future opportunities to grow and engage visitors in a way that just wasn’t possible at Olympia. Retail has shown us that the future lies in experiences and you’re going to see a lot more of that at BLE this year, both in the BLE themed installations and from our exhibitors. In terms of travelling to Excel, simply head for the Jubilee Line, which has so many interchanges along the Tube network, alight at Canning Town and hop up the escalator to take the DLR to Custom House. It’s that easy, and it means you really don’t have to drive unless absolutely necessary.”

Anna adds: “There has been a huge resurgence in publishing based on nostalgia, giving licensees and retailers access to cross generational audiences, which is incredibly beneficial from marketing and commercial standpoints. With gaming, it’s all about creating and maximising experiences in a fastgrowing sector and knowing how to activate the opportunities that exist within a category like this. The Arcade is our gaming activation, in partnership with PowerStation Studios; Activision, Bioworld and Sybo Games are all confirmed to participate, with others yet to be announced.”

“BLE is the must-attend show for the European licensing community and it provides the perfect opportunity to research which properties to sign, meet up with the key licensors and keep a finger on the pulse of this incredibly fast-moving sector,” says Anna. “This year’s show will have over 260 exhibitors from all areas of licensing, brand new publishing and gaming activations and the License This! finale, all of which will provide great inspiration for licensed toy programmes and products. There are also conference sessions on the opportunities within kids licensing, the increased digitalisation of the kids’ ecosystem and a session on influencers from HYPR and The Social Store.”

“There are loads of places to eat and drink both at and around ExCeL, with bars and restaurants on the concourse and in the immediate area,” adds Anna. “Plus, it’s super quick and easy to get to Canary Wharf, the O2, North Greenwich, Stratford and even Shoreditch, which offer a massive variety of choice to suit any palate and budget.” In terms of content, the organiser of BLE, Informa, has moved away from a single theme for 2019 and chosen instead to focus on several allinclusive licensing categories that offer something for everyone to take inspiration and ideas from: Animation; Gaming and eSports; Heritage x Interiors and Publishing. Celebrating publishing’s role within the licensing industry and showcasing success stories that have originated as publishing IPs over the years, BLE’s new Beyond the Book activation will showcase a collection of licensed products from exhibitors including Copyrights, Gallimard Jeunesse, Casterman, Penguin Ventures, Walker Books, Sanrio, Rocket Licensing, Tara Duncan and Metrostar. Nielsen Book has been confirmed as the activation’s official partner and will lead a publishing session in the BLE Licensing Academy during the show. “We’ve got three brilliant meet and greets in our Beyond the Book activation,” enthuses Anna Knight, BLE event director. “Mr Men and Little Misses’ Adam Hargreaves, Horrible Histories’ Terry Deary and

Last year the show hosted 264 exhibitors in the hall, and 2019 is on track to exceed this, according to Anna. This year’s BLE is also welcoming 63 new exhibitors across all three zones; Character & Entertainment (the largest zone), Brands & Lifestyle, and Sports. Occupying prominent positions within the Character & Entertainment will be leading players such as Nickelodeon, Hasbro, Entertainment One, Universal and Warner Bros. The show’s conference keynotes – taking place on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd – will focus on animation and eSports; the former will showcase the very best of British animation, while the latter is slated to be the highlight of what’s become an ‘unofficial’ gaming day at BLE, when three sessions will take place on the Thursday focused on gaming and eSports. BLE 2019 also welcomes a special panel, ‘How Can Toy Licensing Recover its Sparkle?’ chaired by Toy World publisher John Baulch. An exploration of the ways in which toy licensees and retailers can collaborate with licensors to reinvigorate the licensed toy category, panellists include Hannah Mungo (director of Consumer Products, UK and Ireland at NBCUniversal), Marianne James (VP, Consumer Products, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences UK, Northern & Eastern Europe, Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products), Andrew Barrett (director of product development, VTech Electronics Europe), Stuart Grant (buying director, The Entertainer) and Lucy Wynne-Jones (head of

Toy World 54

After-hours events, for those who want to network and let their hair down off the show floor, include the Exhibitor party, taking place on Tuesday 1st October between 5-7pm. All exhibitors are invited to join the BLE team for informal drinks and networking at the end of day one at the Novotel, less than a two-minute walk from Excel. On Wednesday 2nd October, the Novotel will play host to the Global Licensing Group drinks between 5-7pm. This is the perfect opportunity to meet the team as well as members of Licensing International chapters from around the world. Everyone is welcome to attend this drinks reception before heading to the Licensing International Official BLE Party. From 7pm, after the Global Licensing Group drinks, will be the Licensing International Official BLE Party. Organised by Licensing International, this is the biggest networking event at BLE and will feature a fun mix of live entertainment, karaoke, food, drinks and networking. The official show party will take place at the Museum of London Docklands this year. An exciting new venue in the heart of London’s vibrant financial centre of Canary Wharf, the museum is just a short hop from Excel. In terms of what Anna hopes to achieve with BLE this year, she’s keeping it simple: “ We aim to deliver another brilliant event for visitors and exhibitors that showcases exactly why we have moved to Excel, and the benefits this new venue will bring for all of us.”

SEASON 2 NEW EPISODE S 52 x 11” cgi

Nominated for International Emmy® Kids Awards 2019 Sold to 25 countries worldwide, with more to be announced soon Our broadcast partners include CBBC UK, Super RTL Germany, Rai Italy, France Télévisions, Netflix and many more Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! The Musical - launches in January 2020

Angeles Blanco T: 0207 400 1071 E: angeles.blanco@beano.com

STAND C180 STAND B301

For blamtastic UK and international licensing opportunities please contact:

BLE

Special Feature

eOne & Tomy

Welcome to Wheelford The global launch of Ricky Zoom, Entertainment One’s latest pre-school animated property, is gaining momentum. Based in Wheelford, a town populated exclusively by friendly bikes, the show lends itself perfectly to master toy partner Tomy’s upcoming range of figures and play sets. Rachael Simpson-Jones sat down with Katie Rollings, SVP UK licensing, eOne, and Mary Wood, UK general manager, Tomy, to find out more. Katie Rollings

Mary Wood

When does Ricky Zoom start to air, and what channels will the show be broadcast on? Katie: The show launched on Youku in China at the end of June this year and reached 200m views in just five weeks, which is really promising for the wider, global roll out which continues from September. Our confirmed partners include Nickelodeon in the USA, Clan TV in Spain, Gulli in France, RAI in Italy, Discovery Kids in Latin America and Super RTL in Germany, the best Free to Air platforms we could possibly ask for, with more to come.

What digital marketing support is in place for Ricky Zoom? Katie: We’ll start with the launch of an official YouTube channel, where original content such as episode compilations, sizzles or character introductions will be uploaded every week. We will use the existing and extensive audience we’ve built through our other global channels to strengthen the visibility of this new brand, and original ancillary content will provide support and drive the sales of the toy range when it launches. In addition, we’ve launched our first app, Ricky Zoom: Welcome to

Wheelford, which offers children a new way to meet and engage with the characters and discover the world of Ricky Zoom. We are also developing a suite of five games for broadcast and retail use. All these efforts will be aligned with our wider digital strategy, which also includes a website targeted at adults and spans all our social media platforms. While traditional broadcast platforms are vital, you have to supplement them with a robust digital offering. Many kids who are watching TV will be on a tablet at the same time, so it’s important to give them the opportunity to dive deeper into the world we’ve created using a mixture of platforms.

What challenges have you both identified in launching a) a new preschool property, and b) the toy range to support it? Katie: The overall market, and character licensing, is particularly tough right now, but we nurture our brands in an effort to ensure their longevity - and that means not rushing to market with too much too early, trying to manage licensee and retail expectations and sometimes saying no. Consumers are always looking for something new, and they are consuming content at a faster rate; our job is simply

Toy World 56

to keep them consuming eOne brands for longer. Dialogue with retailers is vital and so is acting upon feedback. A major plus for eOne was that Tomy came on board for Ricky Zoom early on, and together, we’ve been able to ensure that contingencies are in place. We’ve been very open with Tomy on the lessons learned from Peppa and PJ Masks, and it has always been our intention to live and breathe the process with a strong partner on board from the outset. Mary: To build a brand, it is important to not flood the market at launch, which means the initial Ricky Zoom range will be tight – just six key SKUs. However, we appreciate the need for retailers to differentiate their ranges, so we are also creating a number of items to be used as exclusives. The autumn/winter 2020 line is well progressed and we’re making inroads into our 2021 line as well. We have a lot to contend with in the UK at the moment, including fluctuating exchange rates, which may impact which lines we’ll introduce and when, but we have plans in place for all eventualities. Katie: As there are no humans in Ricky Zoom – the bikes are the people - it’s taken some serious design work to ensure they are self-sufficient in how they

move around and interact with their world. I’ve been blown away by the granular attention to detail that Tomy has paid to the show and which they have reflected in the product range. They truly understand pre-school and vehicle play, as demonstrated by their heritage with John Deere and Thomas & Friends from back in the day. As a result, the bikes Tomy has created are a masterclass in toy engineering, weighted in such a way as to ensure they stand on their own two wheels. It’s been a pleasure to be a part of that process. Tomy’s product development and design team has been so willing to take the challenges away and come back with solutions, and we’ve been impressed by what they’ve overcome. The creation of the range has truly been a joint and collaborative process. Mary: Yes, it’s been about asking ourselves: ‘How can we make this the very best product at the right price, which retailers will be happy with and the kids will really love?’ The ideas the development teams keep coming up with are amazing. Just when I think we’ve reached the creative limit, they push it even further.

What does Ricky Zoom as a property and eOne as partner offer Tomy, and why was eOne so keen to get Tomy on Board? Mary: eOne has an amazing track record with Peppa, PJ Masks and many other brands, so we’re confident that it will develop, market and launch Ricky Zoom effectively. The plans we’ve seen, even before we’ve launched product, are phenomenal, and as a global licence it will strengthen our core preschool business even further. From an international perspective, eOne has a broad, talented team which understands the needs of different markets. The company is already working with our teams in France and Germany, and our distributors. There are many reasons why this is a good partnership for us – and, hopefully, for eOne.

features. The house is in the opening sequence of every single show, so awareness of and demand for it will be very high by the time it launches.

When is the initial toy rollout happening, how will it be supported, and where can the trade preview the range?

Katie: This has been a key part of how we’ve evolved the toy line. We know the number of times a character or location will be seen across the 52 episodes and have used this as the basis from which to develop the core line, focusing on elements that will be most familiar to our audience and therefore most likely to resonate with them.

Mary: Spain and Italy will be the first markets to launch, followed by France, the USA, UK, Germany and Latin America. The UK launch is slated for autumn/winter 2020, and we’ll be starting previews this month at our Hong Kong showroom, the Deauville Toy Fair in November, the London Toy Fair in January and Nuremberg shortly after that.

Mary: We’ve got a very good path for future development. Year one toys will focus on Ricky and his friends, whereas year two is more about the adventures they have, and 2022 will be more rescue themed. Alpesh, our global head of design has done an amazing job, as has the wider design team, at ensuring the toys are future proof. The core figures we’re releasing at launch have been developed so that accessories can be added in the future, with attention to detail I think kids will really appreciate. Even though we are launching with a tight range – four key characters, supported by a wider range of family and friends in combination packs – we’re ensuring collectability by designing each toy with a point of difference. There might be six Ricky figures in the launch range, but each one will be unique, giving kids a reason to want it and parents a reason to buy it.

Katie: We first showcased the range at London Toy Fair at the beginning of the year and also in Nuremberg and Vegas, so people have already had a sneak peek at it. Supporting retail is a fundamental part of what we do. A lot of work goes on outside of and beyond the broadcast and digital platforms to drive engagement and demand. A robust retail activation plan including experiential activities is in place across the regions, tailored by channel and retailer so everyone hopefully has a point of difference.

Katie: Ricky will obviously be a popular character but, working on a property with a relatively wide cast of characters, it will be interesting to see who else stands out and resonates with the audience. Mary: And this is also where we need to be flexible with development. If a character other than Ricky really starts to resonate, then we will build out that line, and we have development plans in place for each character should this happen.

How will Ricky Zoom stand out as a pre-school property and toy line in such a competitive category? Katie: Ricky is the only all-bike show for preschoolers, so it already holds a unique position in the marketplace. Each character has their own role to play - DJ is all about construction and Ricky is all about rescue, for example - and they have gadgets that allow them to carry out their tasks in a way that negates the need for anyone to help them. This gives them a unique identity. Mary: When you watch the show, it’s easy to forget the characters are bikes because you’re so engaged with their personalities and the way they interact. The show is very reflective of family life and relationships, and I think kids will understand this and see themselves in the characters. Katie: Each character has been developed so they resonate with the audience. Relatability builds affinity, and the affinity for the characters will be what drives deeper engagement with the brand and love for the show. The action and strong storylines give it an aspirational quality too. We believe that we’ve created a unique show, and it’s about playing to those strengths. Our portfolio of pre-school brands is universal, timeless and unique and we strive to create brands which have a distinct fan offering. Peppa is about everyday first experiences, PJ Masks is about role play and heroes versus villains, and Ricky is all about vehicles, speed and stunts.

Katie: Absolutely. The partnership is one of shared knowledge and insights. Tomy is incredibly experienced in the pre-school toys market, but continues to remain open to exploring different ways of working. I’ve had a lot of experience working with Tomy in the past; the company’s understanding of the target market, particularly the infant and preschool sector, coupled with the design team’s innovation and attention to detail, really sets it apart.

How is Tomy planning on bringing the core themes of Ricky Zoom to life through its toy range?

Mary: There is some lovely humour too, so I can see parents sitting and enjoying it as much as their kids do.

Mary: eOne has conducted extensive research to find out what’s important to kids and parents, and we’ve been able to take this and build it into everything we’re doing in intricate detail. Boys love speed, stunts and rescue, so within the launch range we have an amazing play set which combines these three things. In the show, when Ricky and his friends roll over special points, they activate different things, so we’ve taken this element and built it into the play sets too. One of the hero products is the Ricky’s House Play Set, which has four levels and 10 different play

What role will BLE play in eOne’s Ricky Zoom launch plans? Katie: People have known about Ricky Zoom for some time, but BLE will be the first opportunity for meaningful pitch discussions with potential partners with a view to building the wider CP programme. We look forward to meeting with people at the show.

Toy World 57

Special Feature

Universal

Universal appeal Toy World spoke to Hannah Mungo, Director of Consumer Products - UK and Ireland at NBCUniversal about the company’s current property portfolio and its plans for the future. How has 2019 been for Universal’s brands? It has been a whirlwind. We are continuing to build momentum with so many of our properties and are looking forward to a great 2020. That’s due Hannah Mungo to some great wins for us this past year. The strong box office performance of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World really boosted the entire CP programme, led by our master toy partner Spin Master. That success really reflects

upon our ‘always on’ approach to content. We know it’s not just about having a movie out every couple years; we want to keep the brand top-of-mind and we achieved that with the Dragons series airing on both Netflix and BBC. We all know that it is a tough retail market across the globe right now. Licensing is not immune to being adversely affected by bigger forces. That being said, I think those conditions have forced us to innovate and improve. We now take a sustained, consistent approach to our portfolio, which has proved to be a real benefit for all our brands. For example, look at our Jurassic World programme. Even a year after the last movie in 2018, we have been able to keep products on the shelves, in a lot of different categories. Retailers are still seeing great sell-through too. New lines from our top-tier partners like the Lego Group and Mattel, and constantly refreshed fashion lines from Primark, are really cementing the property as evergreen, with the

Toy World 58

ability to outperform generic dinosaurs. Another highlight for us is our U Vault portfolio. Nostalgia has never been more of-the-moment. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that properties like Back to the Future, Jaws and E.T. would have such incredible staying power, but there is no denying it. They have had such a cultural impact and it just keeps going and going. This year was a big moment for us, as we started to move beyond T-shirts and apparel into a slew of other categories including gift and accessories. I expect that whole area to continue growing in 2020 and beyond.

What makes 2020 such a special year for your property portfolio? We are very excited for 2020; we have two, big movies to bolster our major franchises with DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour and Illumination’s Minions: Rise of Gru, and our

expectations are sky high. The track record for those two franchises is really strong and the timing is set to make an impact worldwide. We know there is a lot of pent-up demand for new content for these franchises and we are confident the movies will continue the tradition of quality associated with those brands. I also think that 2020 will be a great year for our TV output. DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free has been a real bright spot for us since 2017, and I look forward to that continuing as we expand beyond the toy and publishing categories and move towards lifestyle products. It is such a great, unique property for girls, as it offers something beyond what has been on the market before. Girls really have a deep connection with the characters and the entire ethos of the series. Finally, 2020 is the 35th anniversary of Back to the Future and that will be a real boon for our U Vault division. That IP has built up a several generations of real equity and we know fans are going to want to mark the anniversary. In general, we’ll be digging deeper into the U Vault portfolio as we line up new partners, focus on brand appropriate collaborations and develop products which will work really well at retail. So far, we have only scratched the surface with what we can do with beloved IP like the Universal’s Classic Monsters and Love Actually, among so many others.

What can you tell us about the new Trolls World Tour movie? The movie will hit theatres on March 20th and Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake are back. If the reaction to the first trailer this summer is any indication, it’s going to be very, very big. Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Clarkson and Mary J Blige are all lending their talents and that is about as A-list as you can get. The film will cover so many different musical genres that it will really have something for everyone.

Licensing-wise, we already have a lot of partners on board and we’re looking to expand out to categories that we have never been in before. We have added Plum Products for outdoor play and fashion is strong, anchored by partners like Aykroyds / TDP & Fashion UK. Hasbro will be returning as the global master toy partner and will be joined by Lego and Posh Paws, which are both new for Trolls. There will be a fresh approach to the programme in 2020 — building on the past success, but also offering something new. As big as Trolls is, we know that there is untapped potential out there that can really bring the IP into the stratosphere.

There is also a new Minions movie coming in summer 2020 – what details can you reveal about Minions: The Rise of Gru? How is the Minions licensing programme shaping up? The movie is slated to be released on July 3rd and will delve into the backstory of Illumination’s Minions and, of course, Gru. All the usual suspects who have made the series such a success are back, and the anticipation for the new movie is already strong. From a CP standpoint, we are looking at a total refresh of the product lines. Three-years have elapsed since the last movie, giving us a chance to refocus our efforts and re-examine the power of these mischievous, subversive characters. Retailers are already geared up for a bevy of new products that will be backed by the blockbuster movie. Mattel is creating a totally new line of toys and Lego joins as our first-ever construction toy partner for the franchise. There is also real strength in FMCG category along with a number of new fashion partnerships that will all help to bring that iconic yellow back to the forefront.

The success of Jurassic World has continued long after the movie – what do you put this down to? What can we expect in the coming months? It comes back to our sustainment plan. As the definitive dinosaur brand, Jurassic World has a rich history and deep connection with audiences of all ages, which gives us lots of opportunities

Toy World 59

to engage fans throughout the year with content that bridges the gap between movies; such as the upcoming Netflix animated series, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and the new Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar mini-series. There is so much to work with, in terms of story and even more dinosaurs, that our CP programmes stay fresh and on-trend; for example, new lines from Mattel and Lego have kept retailers and consumers interested and invested in all things Jurassic. Our partnership with Feld Entertainment for a new live arena show, Jurassic World Live – coming to EMEA in 2021, and mobile and video games from Ludia and Frontier, respectively, are great examples of our strategy of finding new avenues to bring the property to fans in a variety of ways.

What properties are you highlighting at BLE? We will be focusing on key properties Trolls, Minions, Jurassic World, How To Train Your Dragon, Spirit Riding Free and the U Vault archive. With many strong licensing partners already on board, we’re always looking to expand out to new categories across the portfolio.

What are your aspirations for your brands in 2020? We always look forward to continued growth, robust retail exposure and, most importantly, consumer connection. It is more crucial than ever to cultivate a special relationship between the consumer and properties. We are able to leverage some of the most-beloved franchises and properties on earth, so that is a great starting point. But we know that a great deal of work has to been done to sustain our IP in the public consciousness and to expand their imprint. You can’t stand still in this business; it’s all about innovation and that is why we are so careful to pick the best partners to help us serve our properties and, most importantly, the consumer. In the next year, through strategic marketing and retail activations, we will continue our efforts to build innovative programmes that bring the entertainment to the consumer and take our properties to places they have never been before.

Brand Licensing Preview

Sutikki 01753 785777 | www.sutikki.com Stand D223 At this year’s BLE, Sutikki will be highlighting Moon and Me, the preschool series which launched as part of CBeebies bedtime in February and now has 43 UK licensees on board across all key categories. This Autumn will see the initial roll-out of product at retail including toys from Hasbro, VTech, Orange Tree Toys and Jumbo, DVD from Studio Canal, collective apparel and nightwear from both Blues and Cooneen, dress-up from Amscan and the first Moon and Me bedding range from Dreamtex. The show is created, written, composed and produced by the multi award-winning Andrew Davenport, of Teletubbies and In the Night Garden fame, who made his much anticipated debut as a children’s author with The Little Seed, one of the new Moon and Me books from global publishing partner Scholastic. The latest licensee to come on board is Ulster Weavers, who will design and produce an initial range of aprons, gym bags, back packs, lunch bags and pencil cases for Spring 2020 under their new Little Weavers label. The show, which has aired continuously since launch, consistently scores highly in TV ratings and continues to generate huge interest and acclaim. This summer, Moon and Me was a key participant of both the CBeebies Summer Social Festival in Liverpool and the CBBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

Topps 01908 800100 | www.topps.com Stand E165 Topps is the preeminent creator and marketer of physical and digital sports cards, entertainment cards, sticker collections and collectibles. As well as producing retail collections for licensors such as Disney, WWE and UEFA, Topps has worked with a host of large FMCG, technology and leisure brands over the years, providing extensive consumer insights to help tackle marketing challenges. Topps is flexible to customers’ ambitions and target audience, and the team is willing to discuss in-pack promotions, online redemptions or bespoke ranges with visitors to the Topps stand. With a launch programme that includes UEFA Champions League Match Attax Cards, WWE Slam Attax Universe Cards and the upcoming Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker collection, Topps can help partners deliver a desirable and attainable reward at low cost. For more information on Topps products visit topps.com.

Toy World 60

Visit us at BLE Stand B181

LAUNCHING

On air from: AW2019 In retail from: SS2020

MASTER TOY PARTNER

Let’s Zoom Into Adventure

For licensing enquiries contact: eOneLicensing@entonegroup.com and visit: www.entertainmentone.com Ricky Zoom © Frog Box & Entertainment One UK Limited 2019

Brand Licensing Preview

ITV Studios Global Entertainment www.itv.com | global.kids@itv.com Stand B128 Action-packed animated series Robozuna launched on ITV in the UK to fantastic ratings, and globally on Netflix. This original IP enjoys linear broadcast, global VOD and exclusive YouTube short-form content created with high-profile influencer Ali-A. The SS19 toy line hit shelves in April, distributed in the UK by Bandai and supported with a heavyweight TV & pre-roll campaign along with costume character appearances at retail. A second toy line lands AW19, with consumer product opportunities available now. A full 78 episodes are now available of boys action hit Thunderbirds Are Go, with the most recent new episodes reaching 2.2m individuals in the UK. The brand-new toy line, distributed by Bandai (UK), Planet Fun (NZ) and Modern Brands (Aus), retails from AW19 and includes hotly anticipated 12” action figures and everpopular vehicle ranges. Additional brands showcased on the stand will include Netflix comedy favourite Schitt’s Creek; kids’ quiz show Top Class - with season 5 launching in 2020 and a 6th season in production; brand-new CITV comedy animation The Rubbish World of Dave Spud starring Johnny Vegas, Jane Horrocks and Philip Glennister which has just launched on TV, and classic retro TV and film brands such as Thunderbirds, Space:1999, UFO, The Last Unicorn, The Prisoner and many more.

Tactic Games +358 2 6244 123 | www.tactic.net Stand D164 Based on the successful children’s storybook written by award-winning Finnish author Kati Heljakka, Lumo Stars transforms the Nordic wilderness into a realm filled with wondrous animals, that live and play in a land of shimmering northern lights. As Lumo Stars expands globally, millions of products have been sold at major retailers like Target and Walmart in the USA, Hamleys in Russia and across Europe. The Lumo Stars consumer product range includes everything from plush toys to surprise eggs, puzzles, games, baby products and figurines featuring AR technology. The diverse range of products includes exciting features like the Lumo Stars digital app, which brings the fun to life and makes the experience even more immersive for the entire family. Lumo Stars is a rapidly growing and widely distributed brand that offers endless licensing opportunities, and Tactic invites interested parties to visit its stand at BLE (D164) to find out more and discuss becoming part of the Lumo Stars success story.

Toy World 62

Brand Licensing Preview

Those Licensing People 08459 011 657 | www.thoselicensingpeople.com Stand E300 Having established a raft of new licensing packages, Those Licensing People (TLP) which is also home to the SVOD platform KidsCast, will be at BLE with news about the launch of Roobarb and Custard dog food with Licensee Two Near the Bone and its latest adventure into personalised books with The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery. Sooty, Sweep and Soo continue to be solid properties and a lynch pin of the 2019/20 Blackpool illuminations which is seen by 4m people. Sooty, Richard and Sweep are back in Panto this year and will be doing another live tour in 2020 to support the Sooty and Sweep TV show that is broadcast every day. A relationship has been set up between TLP, The Craft Council of Great Britain and Cbeebies’ Olobob Top, which promotes crafting in early years, exploring innovative ways to bring art and craft concepts to young children to develop fine motor skills, imaginative play and creativity. Olobob Top is one of the current leading pre-school properties and is open for business for licensing opportunities. TLP has spent the last year reintroducing classics including The Magic Roundabout. Completely reimagined for a contemporary audience, The Magic Roundabout will also be re-published in 2020 in the UK with some exciting new concepts developed by TLP. Those Licensing People has exclusive new brand extensions and looks forward to new concept ideas for 2020.

Beano 0207 400 1030 | www.beano.com Stand C180 Loved by four generations of parents and kids, Beano is one of the most recognisable British brands of all time and has become firmly established as a national treasure since its launch over 80 years ago. Already boasting a comprehensive licensing campaign of over 30 licensees; in 2020 Beano is anticipated to build its reach at retail with exciting new products. The hit TV show Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! is currently in production for its second series following the successful debut on CBBC in the UK, becoming the number one show across all kids TV at launch. The International Emmy nominated show has been sold globally to 25 countries including prime time slots on free-to-air public service broadcasters such as Super RTL in Germany, Rai in Italy and France Télévision and is now available on Netflix in the US. Beano’s global reach has led to agents being appointed in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain with more to be announced very soon. Next year Dennis & Gnasher will take to the stage for the first time in an all new musical production in partnership with Selladoor – the company behind hits including Madagascar the Musical and Little Shop of Horrors. The new high-octane family friendly show based on the TV series will start in January and embark on a year-long UK tour throughout 2020, featuring live music, hilarious pranks and Dennis' trademark skateboard. Dennis & Gnasher will also be appearing in children’s lunch boxes as part of a partnership with Happy Monkey Drinks. A quarter of a million drinks by the smoothie brand featuring Dennis & Gnasher are currently on shelves in major supermarkets and retailers nationwide. The packs will direct kids towards a bespoke online treasure hunt, created on Beano.com, and offer kids and families the chance to win themed prizes – including tickets to the premiere of the musical next year. Over the Summer, Beano partnered with the National Trust for a Beano-themed family event held at Mottisfont in Hampshire. The Beano Time Travellers Exhibition launched in July with special guest appearances from CBBC star Angelica Bell and Beano illustrator Nigel Parkinson and has welcomed over 45,000 visitors and counting. Beano also took part in a unique partnership with Q-Park. As part of this all-encompassing partnership a campaign ran across the UK and the Republic of Ireland where customers gained a discount on parking and were entered into a prize draw.

Toy World 64

COME VISIT US AT

BOOTH E260

Live TV & retail listings 52 WEEKS a year

Over 200 LICENSEES worldwide distributing in more than 85 COUNTRIES

Over 1 BILLION followers across all social media platforms

For more information on licensing opportunities, please contact Carl Lawrence [P] +44 (0) 20 7349 1755 [M] +44 (0) 7876 884 525 [E] carl.lawrence@wwecorp.com

250+ WWE Superstars & Legends under contract

Brand Licensing Preview

Universal Brand Development 0203 618 8360 | www.universalpictures.com Stand B240

DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls has grown to become one of the largest girls’ entertainment brands worldwide. Trolls World Tour is the sequel to the first blockbuster film, and lands in cinemas globally in Spring 2020. New to the cross-category programme, Lego will be joining master toy licensee Hasbro to launch collections inspired by the upcoming film. Trolls also continues to inspire high-end fashion collaborations as well as fast fashion. A capsule collection, designed by Jeremy Scott for Moschino, has inspired further fashion partnerships celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Good Luck Trolls, which has just launched globally at retail. The popular Netflix original animated series, Trolls: The Beat Goes On! has become a big hit with fans and series two will debut in the UK on Pop TV this Autumn. 2018 was a historic year for Jurassic World, with $1.3b in global box office sales for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and the largest global licensing program ever for the franchise. New Jurassic World products, content and experiences will include new lines from Mattel, Lego and other cross-category licensees; expanded games offerings from Ludia and Frontier; an all-new animated Netflix series – Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous; an animated mini-series – Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar; plus the first live arena show with Feld Entertainment – Jurassic World Live Tour – debuting in the US and coming to Europe in 2021. Since the break-out success of Illumination’s Despicable Me, the Minions continue to deliver cross-category success. The much-anticipated sequel, Minions: The Rise of Gru, will premiere in July 2020. New collaborations tied to the upcoming film will feature first-of-its-kind partnerships and activations from across the globe, complemented by an all-new toy line from master toy partner, Mattel, as well as first-time construction partner, Lego, and much more. From the DreamWorks Animation portfolio, the DreamWorks Dragons franchise continues to grow, following the box office success of 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The always-on content ethos means there are three TV series of Dragons available on Netflix and BBC, as well as popular mobile and console games that expand on the film’s storyline. Master toy partners Spin Master and Playmobil are committed to launching new lines and anchor a broadening cross category licensing programme. The Netflix original series, DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free is a consistent top-performing kids’ programme. Since its debut in 2017, the series has celebrated viewership growth year-after-year, and Spirit’s consumer products programme has continued to grow, expanding beyond toys and publishing into a host of lifestyle categories. There is also a wealth of content for partners to unlock in the U-Vault, Universal’s formidable archive, containing many of the biggest movies and most popular TV shows and serving as the inspiration for many new fashion and lifestyle partnerships due in 2020. From Universal Monsters, which saw collaborations with Prada and Moschino in 2019, to Back to the Future, which celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2020, to Love Actually, Bridesmaids, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Jaws and more.

Zuru licensing@zuru.com | www.zuru.com Stand E244 Zuru has announced its first attendance at BLE where the company will be showcasing a new licensing programme for globally successful plush IP Rainbocorns. Launched in 2018, Rainbocorns cleverly encompasses everything girls love: cute animals, unicorns, sparkle, hearts, sequins, surprises and more. The brand also boasts several industry accolades. Spring 2020 will see the launch of a Rainbocorns licensing programme, capturing the brand’s magical essence and rolling it out across apparel, sleepwear, publishing, stationery, craft and accessories as the primary categories, with other categories following in autumn 2020. Zuru has partnered with Riverside Brands in the UK, Brand Fresh Management in the US and Black Mint Licensing in Australia/New Zealand.

Toy World 66

VISIT THE ALPHA GROUP STAND IN EXHIBIT HALL — C260 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ALPHATOYSUK.COM

Brand Licensing Preview

Nickelodeon 020 3580 2000 | www.nickjr.co.uk Stand B160 Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products (VNCP) will showcase its animation, pre-school, youth and adult licences at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe, reinforcing its ‘Every Age, Every Aisle, Everywhere’ strategy. Iconic franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants, Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be on display alongside new IP acquisitions including Garfield and Ryan’s Mystery Playdate. Nickelodeon’s mission is to be the home for the biggest franchise kids love. Consumer favourite SpongeBob SquarePants – celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year - continues to be a leading licence, and recently announced spin-off Kamp Koral will grow the franchise further with new stories and characters introduced to the SpongeBob universe. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has continued to expand and entertain audiences of all ages, old and new, with a mix of new content, consumer products and on-the-ground experiences to drive fan excitement as the crime-fighting turtles celebrate their 35th anniversary. Continued investment in pre-school properties is led by Paw Patrol, with new content themes and storylines, characters and product categories being added every year, growing the franchise and its properties and building it into one of the company’s biggest brands. Nickelodeon has welcomed Blue’s Clues & You! and Ryan’s World/Ryan’s Mystery Playdate to its pre-school portfolio, while the acquisition of Garfield has helped maintain Nickelodeon’s position as the place to go for the most popular franchises in family entertainment. The company expects movies to come to the forefront. The return of the Top Gun franchise with Top Gun: Maverick by Paramount Pictures will undoubtedly prove to be one the biggest hits of 2020, while other new movies to energise the market include the return of SpongeBob in his third feature length film – The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge. Exciting new property Rumble, Nickelodeon’s new animated monster wrestling movie, is also set to be released in 2020.

WWE 020 7349 1749 | www.wwe.com Stand E260 WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 800m homes worldwide, in 28 languages. The award-winning WWE Network is the first-ever 24/7 directto-consumer premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo. WWE’s operations are organised around the following three business segments: Media, Live Events and Consumer Products. The company’s worldwide licensing program builds partnerships with companies around the globe to create products featuring its marks and logos, copyrighted works and characters in diverse categories, including toys, video games, apparel, housewares, collectibles, sporting goods, books and more. WWE has a presence at retail 52 weeks a year and current partners include Mattel, 2K, Topps, DK Publishing, Fremantle and many more.

Toy World 68

Brand Licensing Preview

Boat Rocker Studios 0203 746 0850 | www.boatrocker.com Stand D140

Global entertainment company Boat Rocker Studios creates, produces and distributes premium media content for all platforms as well as developing high-profile brands and IP. Currently making waves with its continued expansion into licensing, including recent highprofile acquisitions to increase and develop its catalogue, Boat Rocker drops anchor at BLE in 2019 with its first-ever stand there. Boat Rocker will be talking to retailers and licensees about a range of properties including quirky new animated pre-school series Love Monster. Based on the best-selling books by Rachel Bright, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, Love Monster is co-produced with BBC Children’s Production and UYoung and is set to premiere in Q1 2020 on CBeebies. Smash hit reality-style dance drama for tweens, The Next Step, follows the lives of a group of dancers at The Next Step dance studio. Brought to life by Live Nation, The Next Step Absolute Dance live hits the UK this October for a nationwide tour at 14 high-capacity venues. Six matinees have already been added to the schedule due to unprecedented demand. At London’s iconic Pineapple Dance Studio, The Next Step themed workshops continue to be a sell-out hit with further dates being planned for autumn and 2020. A co-branded range of products is available at Pineapple from October with further retail discussions under way for 2020. A new ‘TNS Official Guide’ by Sweet Cherry is out now with a calendar from Danilo for 2020. More exciting announcements across the broader portfolio are on the horizon.

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Stand D240 Hasbro will be focusing on its key brands at this year’s BLE, including My Little Pony, Nerf, Power Rangers, Monopoly, Transformers, Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and heritage brands such as Tonka, Subbuteo and Micro Machines. My Little Pony continues to drive consumer engagement through an ‘always on’ content strategy, telling stories on multiple platforms including TV, SVOD and YouTube. The My Little Pony franchise will evolve in 2020, revealing the magic of friendship by bringing fresh content and product to engage fans of all ages. Nerf has expanded into a lifestyle brand which is reflected in the growing licensing programme that now includes over 20 licensees across 11 categories across EMEA. From digital targets to fashion and partyware, the Nerf brand empowers kids and fans to engage in active, social and exhilarating play. Power Rangers is an iconic action brand that is an entertainment and consumer products powerhouse. Since acquiring the brand last year, Hasbro has introduced new content, product and digital entertainment and is partnering with best-in-class licensees to develop inspiring products across multi-categories. With Monopoly celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2020, Hasbro is building on the brand’s popularity, taking it out of the toy aisle and working with best-in-class partners to bring about lifestyle collaborations. With the launch of the digital game Magic: The Gathering Arena, Magic: The Gathering is leading Hasbro’s esports plan with a category best $10m prize pool in 2019, plus a Netflix series coming in 2020. Dungeons & Dragons continues to invest in new storylines and digital offerings, with more celebrities and influencers streaming than ever before and increasing engagement. For both brands, Hasbro is seeking best-in-class partners to expand reach and deliver high quality consumer products for current and future fans.

Toy World 70

on every weekday

Active YouTube Channel & Social Media

Board & Activity Books with Bloomsbury

78 Episodes so far...

Strong play patterns based on Creative Play

Top 10 TV Show! 210K viewers per episode with 42% audience share! *Source BARB, Week 33 (12/8/19) HWK 0-3 and Kids 4-6 excluding guests

We are delighted to announce our partnership with and

leah@thoselicensingpeople.com

www.thoselicensingpeople.com

Brand Licensing Preview

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Stand B200 Mattel continues unlock the vault of its brands, to extend its reach and build brand franchises. The company will bring this portfolio of worldclass brands to BLE this year, with franchises to inspire the licensing industry including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends and Fireman Sam, as well as new announcements. This year Barbie celebrated her 60th Anniversary, partnering with best in class brands to drive appeal for adults and kids, including broadening partnerships in apparel, homeware and stationery categories. So much more than a toy, Barbie has become a power franchise spanning content, publishing, apparel, homewares, luggage, food and beverage and more. 2020 also marks an exciting year for Thomas, as he celebrates his 75th anniversary. Thomas & Friends has never been more relevant for families and pre-schoolers. Through inclusivity, gender equality and a global outlook on life, the brand continues to resonate with children as they create friendships to explore and discover the world around them.

Rovio (35) 820 788 8300 | www.rovio.com Stand B140 This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Angry Birds brand, the original mobile game sensation which launched onto mobile devices in December 2009. To commemorate this milestone, Finland-based Angry Birds creator Rovio is planning a worldwide celebration. In cooperation with advertising firm Droga5, the global campaign will call on Angry Birds fans and people at large to “bring their anger”. Angry Birds will be sharing its 10th anniversary celebrations with partners, the first of which will be announced at BLE; footwear manufacturer K-Swiss. The athletic shoe brand will transform its Classic VN shoe to feature the iconic Angry Birds characters in two distinct styles. Attendees of BLE can visit the Rovio stand to take a look first-hand at the new footwear, which will be coming to market later this year. 2019 has also been a big year for the birds due to the release of The Angry Birds Movie 2, which is currently playing in theatres worldwide. The film has been well received by audiences and critics alike, currently holding the highest Rotten Tomatoes rating of any video game movie ever. After ten years of games, consumer products and now a second movie, the birds have gone through their fair share of changes and with a new long form animated series planned for release in 2020, the evolution of the Angry Birds goes even further. The new series, a Cake production developed in partnership with Rovio Entertainment and Toronto based Yowza! Animation, will star the core Angry Birds flock in their teenage years, as they grapple with summer camp. In addition to giving Angry Birds fans a glimpse into this never-before-seen time in the birds’ lives, the show also introduces an all-new style for the familiar flock. The show’s long format is also new to the Angry Birds, whose previous series - Angry Birds Toons, Piggy Tales - have been short-form animation. The series will be accompanied by its own official style guide that will provide licensing partners with plenty of inspiration for toys, apparel and more. More information will follow regarding the new long form series and Angry Birds 10th Anniversary celebration, including future partnerships and anniversary happenings around the world.

Toy World 72

NEW!

s Visit u

at BLE

H B2 T O O B

TV SERIES Launches 2020 on NICKELODEON 11’x52 or 22’x26 episodes

Movies

Live Shows

TV tie-in products from spring

2020

Theme Parks

www.paddington.com

Tel: +44 (0)203 880 0134

I Floor 6, 4 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG

UK Licensing Enquiries: rachel.clarke@copyrightsgroup.com International Licensing Enquiries: polly.emery@copyrightsgroup.com

Brand Licensing Preview

Entertainment One 020 3691 8600 | www.entertainmentone.com Stand B181

Entertainment One (eOne) will be showcasing its award-winning preschool entertainment properties including Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom along with the newest addition to its portfolio, Ricky Zoom. Peppa Pig now boasts over 1,000 licensees and new episodes from series eight are airing around the world, bringing fresh themes and creative for the brand’s many partners. 2019 has been Peppa Pig’s biggest year to date with a calendar packed full of global brand activations. A partnership with Hunter saw two British brands collaborate to launch limited edition Hunter X Peppa Pig wellies and accessories in multiple markets. The brand also made its music album debut with the release of Peppa Pig My First Album generating 500k streams on opening weekend. A partnership with Merlin saw Peppa Pig theme park attractions open in Italy and Germany in addition to Peppa Pig World of Play soft play attractions in Michigan, Dallas and Shanghai. In the UK, the brand celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with family festival appearances, outdoor cinema screenings, live orchestra showing Peppa Pig My First Concert and Fiery Angel’s fifth new touring production, Peppa Pig: Best Day Ever. Peppa Pig is also accelerating at retail across Europe, in France, Italy and Spain, with standout sales performance in Germany, where toy sales have grown 700%+ in the first half of this year. PJ Masks has firmly cemented its position as a leading global pre-school property with a licensing programme now boasting over 650 global partners across 85 markets worldwide. A combination of expanded categories and fresh product lines introducing new characters, villains and vehicle SKUs has resulted in deeper retail penetration. Driving this strong retail expansion is ongoing investment in new content and extensive creative asset development. The brand has a strong European fanbase and this year experiential activity included National Superhero Day to promote the show’s Super Moon Adventure theme with planetariums, space centres and retailers across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain in honour of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Series three of PJ Masks is set to premiere on Disney Junior in September 2019 and series four will kick off with a four-part 44 minute special in 2020. The newest pre-school property from eOne, Ricky Zoom, launches on air in international markets from autumn 2019. The CGI action comedy series follows the adventures of Ricky, a little red motorbike and his Bike Buddies Loop, Scootio and DJ. A growing roster of global FTA, PAYTV and VOD platforms are lining up to debut Ricky Zoom across multiple territories including Super RTL (Germany) and Clan TV (Spain), Gulli (France), RAI (Italy), Youku (China), Discovery Kids (Latin America) and Nickelodeon in the US, with further deals to be announced. The licensing programme will be spearheaded by Tomy as master toy partner, with an initial toy range including vehicles and playsets from spring 2020. eOne is also readying the release of the brand’s first official app which will launch in line with broadcast TX dates in each territory. Welcome to Wheelford will feature mini-games and interactive playgrounds to explore. Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom is also celebrating its 10th anniversary in the UK. Now a multi territory pre-school property, the brand is enjoying renewed popularity in the UK thanks to a boost in on air exposure on Channel 5 Milkshake and has seen TV ratings increase by 45% at the beginning of the year. This year, a number of new partnerships are driving growth. The brand’s live stage show went back on tour in February 2019, performing at 45 venues across the UK, and a new line of apparel and celebration cakes are launching in grocers later this year.

Pokémon 0207 381 7000 | www.pokemon.com Stand D260 Another ground-breaking year for Pokémon has seen the first-ever live-action Pokémon: Detective Pikachu movie, while new mobile games, apps and innovative connected hardware are creating exciting new experiences for Pokémon fans. The highly anticipated new games Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield launch on Nintendo Switch on 15th November and a special pre-launch Pokémon Centre pop-up shop at Westfield London, Shepherd’s Bush will be selling exclusive items. Master Toy licensee Wicked Cool Toys expanded toy line is performing strongly. Distributed in the UK and Ireland by Character Options, the range has leveraged its strong distribution and marketing prowess, including widespread TV campaigns, to deliver significant sales. New products for Christmas 2019 include Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield plush along with more fan favourites such as the interactive and touch sensitive My Partner Pikachu and Flame Action Charmander featuring light, sound and fiery flame action. The Pokémon Company international won a NPD Group Europe Toy Industry Award for the best-selling Games and Puzzles property in Europe (TCG). Distributed in the UK by Asmodée, The Pokémon Trading Card Game remains the UK’s number one Strategic Card Game. Following the release of the live action film Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, tie-in cards have been hugely popular and anticipation is building for the forthcoming release of the first expansion of the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield TCG which will be supported by high impact marketing campaigns, retail promotions and widespread sampling campaigns. Puzzle partner Ravensburger will be releasing an extended product line across Europe in 2020, whilst video game accessory partners Hori, PDP, Power A and TCG accessories partners Ultrapro continue to create inventive tie-products. The direct to retail relationship with Build a Bear has seen a dozen new plush characters launched. Looking ahead to 2020, the hugely popular Pokémon World Championships will be held in London. The best players from all over the world will compete in the capital for the title of Pokémon TCG, Video Game, or Pokkén Tournament World Champion.

Toy World 74

Brand Licensing Preview

IMC Toys S.A. +34 638 121 25 | www.imctoys.com Stand B320F At BLE, for the first time ever, IMC will have a booth exclusively dedicated to Cry Babies Magic Tears, showcasing the brand and bringing the World of Cry Babies Magic Tears to all consumer product categories that would like to be part of the craze. Following on from the success of Season 1 & 2 of the Cry Babies Magic Tears animated series, which enjoyed 547m views, +1.4m subscribers and 44m unique viewers across all countries, along with securing European broadcasting partners such as Nick Jr, Disney channel, Frisbee, MyTF1 and VOD channel, Ketchup TV, Amazon Prime and Instagram TV, IMC has launched the Cry Babies Magic Tears licensing programme. The animated series supports IMC’s ever popular Cry Babies and Cry Babies Magic Tears toy ranges, resulting in the products featuring as top sellers in NPD rankings. The first country to kick off the programme has been Argentina, with licensees on board in all main categories. In 2019 other countries joined the success of the brand, including Mexico, Chile, Spain, Italy and France. To make an appointment at the IMC booth in the Spanish Pavilion, contact Cristina Camprubí on ccamprubi@imc.es

Rainbow Spa +39 0717 5067 500 | www.rbw.it Stand B180 Global content company Rainbow Spa landed in the UK on Freeview children’s channel POP with its latest success 44 Cats in September. The show debuted in the UK in March on Nick Jr., after premiering last November in Italy and quickly spreading worldwide in just a few months. A first-class partnership between Rainbow and Lisle Licensing, which distributes the brand across the UK, has ensured the success of this debut. With record-breaking TV ratings and already enjoying tremendous popularity throughout the world, the 52 x 13’ animated series is a sophisticated CGI production for pre-schoolers. The show follows the daily adventures of Lampo, Milady, Pilou, and Meatball, four adorable kittens forming a music band named The Buffycats , helping others and finding creative solutions to everyday hitches. 44 Cats is conquering more and more fans on social media and especially on YouTube, where it is growing in terms of subscribers and views. The show also turned into a live show that debuted in Italy and is going to tour starting next year. On the licensing front, 44 Cats is enjoying notable growth, with partnerships signed before the show even debuted. Siso Toys UK will distribute an exclusive collection of toys created by master toy partner Toy Plus, comprising interactive plush toys, figurines, play sets and musical toys, each linked to the core values of the TV show. Simba Dickie Group is special partner and toy distributor for Europe and the Middle East, UNITOYS is the exclusive distributor for Russia and Bandai America distributes the toy line in the USA and Canada territories. Consumer product deals are also in place with partners Artsana, Ravensburger, Clementoni, John Toys, Amscan, Dreamtex, Redan Publishing, Fashion UK and TDP Textile/Aykroyds for the UK. A wide range of products is being developed worldwide with further multi territorial deals, as well as many other deals with leading companies for each country. The first products launched have been well received, with committed and enthusiast retailers. Rainbow has set up a strategic marketing plan to celebrate the UK launch: a broad PR plan with a calendar rich in events and media activities to promote product awareness. The brand offers plenty of potential and keeps growing; Rainbow is already working on 44 Cats 2.

Toy World 76

MGA Entertainment 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com

Brand Licensing Preview

Stand C143 Retailers and licensing partners will be introduced to two exclusive licensing opportunities at the show, including a new licenc]e for Unboxed!, a digitally created brand that resides on YouTube and stars Mykal-Michelle and Tahani, who have reached millions of fans as they unbox products ranging from L.O.L. Surprise! to Poopsie Slime Surprise to Baby Born Surprise and more. Fans awaiting the big unbox reveal are just as eager to find out where to purchase the featured fashions, hair styles and set props in the episodes. New licensing partners will bring the Unboxed! lifestyle to life across all categories. This year’s MGAE portfolio is as diverse as ever, from pre-school, with heritage brand Little Tikes, to adults, with the 20th anniversary of Bratz. The company continues to see tremendous growth with both L.O.L. Surprise! and Poopsie Slime Surprise, and there will be more innovation to the L.O.L. Surprise! brand as the company looks to expand beyond licensing to include promotion and content.

BLE Round-up Larkshead Media Stand A280

Copyrights 020 3714 1184 | www.copyrights.co.uk

Larkshead Media will be representing a roster of clients which includes May The Thoughts Be With You, CBeebies ratingshit series Numberblocks & Alphablocks, street artist Sophie Long and TV series Terrahawks. Larkshead will also be showcasing animation studio Tiny Giants’ two key brands Swampies and Shelf Life. Stand A280.

Sanrio Stand B141 Hello Kitty’s 45th Anniversary is being marked with public installations in London and across Europe, pop-ups and fashion collaborations. To coincide with Sanrio’s 60th Anniversary in 2020, Netflix has confirmed a third season of the Aggretsuko series. There is also a new collaboration between Little Misses and the icons who invented girl power- the Little Miss Spice Girls.

Stand B222 More excitement is coming for the Paddington franchise in 2020 as a new TV series launches. Fully animated in 3D, the new Paddington series: The Adventures of Paddington will launch with 26 x 22-minute episodes, airing on Nickelodeon’s networks worldwide, excluding France, Canada, China and Japan. Additional highlights for 2020 include a range of TV tie-in products from both new and existing partners. The partnership with Butlins in the UK continues with its popular Paddington show, and internationally a new pre-school touring show is being produced by Rockefeller Productions, which will introduce Paddington to a whole new set of fans across the US and Canada. In 2019, two new Paddington coin designs launched from the Royal Mint which were supported by a strong PR and marketing campaign with more activity still to come, as Paddington takes to the ice for the first time in the UK in a new Paddington on Ice show at Winter Wonderland. There will also be continued activity in partnership with Unicef, where Paddington is the champion for supporting children’s rights.

Cyber Group Studios Stand F202 Cyber Group Studios, a Paris-based producer and distributor of animated television series and movies for children, is exhibiting at BLE with its CGI pre-school series Gigantosaurus. The award-winning animation brings to life Jonny Duddle’s bestselling book, which features four fun dinosaur friends – Rocky, Bill, Mazu and Tiny. The characters take pre-schoolers on exciting, comedyfilled adventures as they dare to be themselves and explore the world beyond their nests.

Toy World 78

Aardman Stand B280 Aardman is gearing up for the global release of the feature film sequel ‘Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’. There is also a new season of Shaun the Sheep in production and a Nintendo Switch game in development. Shaun will also become an official supporter of Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, creating a joint merchandise opportunity for UK partners across sports and character merchandising. The rebooted Timmy Time series will roll-out internationally on pre-school channels throughout 2020, with new UK product from Vivid hitting the shelves later this year.