Toyworld August 2017 by TOYWORLD MAGAZINE

August 2017 Volume 6 Issue 11

5-in-1 Stroll & Grow Trike

Electronic Activity Panel

Stroller (9+ months)

2 3 4 Trike (18 months - 3 years)

On TV now

Training Trike (12-18 months)

5 Drift Trike (3-5 years)

To y s

Mag

n i z a

e A p p ar

a ti

oner y

Find your Mood Power with the new Hanazuki product ranges More about Hanazuki at Hanazuki.com. For sales and enquiries call: 020 8744 5777

The Team...

CONTENTS August 2017 volume 6 issue 11

30 Show Preview: Autumn Fair

48 Feature: STEM Toys

John Baulch

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

Mark Austin

Advertisement Manager mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher

18 Generation Media: Living in a Digital World

19 Retail Profile: Tesco

24 NPD column

48 Feature: STEM Toys

27 Talking Shop

60 Feature: Plush

72 Viewpoint

74 Feature: Wooden Toys

98 Allegedly

86 Company Profile: A.B.Gee

06 News 14 Industry Moves

Anita Baulch

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

16 Marketing World 20 Licensing World 46 Fresh

87 Feature: Playmats & Baby gyms

Contributors Rachael Simpson

30 Show Preview: Autumn Fair

92 Feature: Role Play Toys

Deputy Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Casey Goodman

Editorial Assistant casey@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

60 Feature: Plush

Mark Crowford

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

74 Feature: Wooden Toys

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

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www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

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Toy World Magazine

“

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” is an infamous quote attributed to Mark Twain. Even if it is now accepted that this isn’t quite what he actually said, the phrase has passed into common usage, and it certainly comes in handy from time to time. It came to mind this month after several conversations about recent developments in the toy trade media, which made me realise that some people may potentially have misconstrued what is actually going on. These are the facts: last month, a toy magazine which has been having a tough time for some while instigated a relaunch. In doing so, its editorial content included several sweeping generalisations which were, in my humble opinion, fundamentally flawed; someone with sufficient knowledge about the 21st century media landscape would be able to rebuff them quite comfortably. This is not the appropriate place to dissect the specifics of the debate, but I would simply say that people should perhaps be a little careful not to take certain statements at face value: I like to think that Toy World is the market leader because we know what we’re doing. We know the toy trade, we know our readership and we know about media. The simple fact is that if you ask the wrong questions, you’ll always get the wrong answers. We know the right questions to ask – so if you would like to understand more about the symbiotic relationship between print and online, we would be delighted to give you some insight. The reality is rather more complex than some might think. In the meantime, let me say for the record, print is most certainly not dead. On the contrary, it is alive and thriving - if you know what you’re doing. We’re enjoying our best year ever, despite the fact that the toy market is essentially flat year-on-year, and marketing budgets certainly haven’t been super-sized. You’re reading this, aren’t you? So are thousands of other people in the toy community, and many more whose jobs bring them into contact with the toy world. Did e-readers kill books? Have technology-driven toys destroyed the market for traditional toys (judging by this month’s healthy features on classic categories such as Plush, Role Play and Wooden Toys, I would venture to suggest not). It’s all a question of balance, and of applying the ‘horses for courses’ rule. Don’t get me wrong, we know only too well the power of the online medium, as evidenced by the MI PR Global Banner 2017-07_Layout 1 03/07/2017 1 Blog, arguably the most read success12:00 of thePage Friday

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

weekly toy online column anywhere in the world. But, crucially, we also recognise its limitations, and we strive to ensure that our print and online channels complement each other, rather than conflict. They both work in very different ways, and have different strengths. Ignoring online would be as foolish as neglecting print; together they make a powerful team. But there are things that we can do in print that would never work online: we have several ambitious projects coming up over the next few months which simply wouldn’t have the same impact on the website. Next month, for example, you’ll be able to find out why I recently interviewed Pixar production designer Bob Pauley, the man who is credited with contributing some of the pivotal formative design work on the iconic Buzz Lightyear. Just as a child who plays with nothing except its parents’ tech devices would miss out on so much if it didn’t also embrace more traditional pursuits, so people who only ever skim daily online bulletins and eschew the far more varied, in-depth editorial content that print publications offer will only ever get part of the big picture. I’m no luddite: on the contrary, I embrace technology in all its multi-faceted wonder. But a screen will always struggle to compete with the warmth - the look and feel - of a luxury magazine and the way it engages the reader. Although the same doesn’t apply to a small format magazine, heavens no - even Glamour magazine, the forerunner of the compact print title, has famously turned its back on the now essentially discredited format. Size really does matter in the magazine world. The only reason to print a smaller title is to save money, pure and simple. It’s not good for the readers and it certainly isn’t good for the advertisers – a well-designed and executed ad in a large format magazine will always deliver a message with the greatest possible visual impact. Online advertising has its place, but it’s a completely different beast. What’s more, magazines provide a welcome break from screen time: we all spend far too much time in front of a laptop or phone anyway. I have been told by many independent toy retailers that when Toy World arrives they put the kettle on, open a packet of biscuits and sit down to digest its contents. Long may that charming little ritual continue. If we have anything to do with it, it won’t change any time soon (but please keep reading the Blog and the daily bulletins too).

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16th September 2017 Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire

News Hape acquires Marbel

Argos releases top toy predictions for Christmas Argos has released its predictions for the toys that will feature in letters to Santa across the country this year. They are: Luvabella, Lego Friends Sunshine Catamaran, Airhogs DR1 Official Race Drone, PJ Masks Headquarter Playset, Disney Cars 3 Lightning McQueen, Transformers: The Last Knight RC Sqweeks, Hatchimals & new Colleggtibles, Fisher Price Teach n Tag Movi, Lego Boost, Paw Patrol Sea Patroller, Tiny Treasures Twin Set, and SoundMoovz. Linzi Walker, chief toy buyer for Argos, who has been curating the list with her team since the beginning of the year, commented: “This year’s top toys list is a fantastic blend, as toymakers evolve childhood favourites alongside the introduction of newer and more technologyled gifts.” “There are many opportunities for children and parents alike to embrace user-friendly technology this Christmas. Lego Boost provides everything needed for children to make five different Lego models that can then be coded using a free app. The Fisher- Price Teach n Tag Movi is an interactive play buddy that helps kids learn on the go. And SoundMoovz, an exciting wearable tech toy for all ages, lets players create their own beats and rhythms as they move by using Bluetooth-connected bands on their ankles or wrists.” She added: “Popular on-screen toys are also set to feature, with appearances from Disney’s Cars 3 Lightning McQueen, PJ Masks Headquarter Playset, the Paw Patrol Sea Patroller, alongside RC Sqweeks from Transformers: The Last Knight.” All featured toys were expected to be available to buy via the Argos website from Saturday 22nd July.

Hape has acquired the entire shareholding of leading UK toy distributor Marbel Toys. Marbel Toys was formed in 2002 and distributes numerous international toy brands into the UK and Irish markets. The deal represents the latest stage in the expansion of Hape Toys following its success in Asian, American, and European markets. Peter Handstein, CEO and founder of Hape, commented: “The deal with Marbel will allow Hape to evolve and drive Marbel forward to continue its success in the UK and Irish markets. It also enables Hape to continue long-standing relationships within the toy market and invest to make Marbel and its brands market leaders and increase their market share. This acquisition represents the latest stage and continued expansion for Hape and further demonstrates our belief that Marbel is a leading toy distributor.” Christoph Bettin, MD of Marbel, added: “Peter and I believe this deal represents a great result for our staff and customers. It allows Hape to speed Marbel’s growth with investment, whilst ensuring our strong ethos in quality and toys will continue. For Marbel’s existing customer base, this signals a very positive outcome with many exciting projects in the pipeline.” Christoph Bettin will remain MD of Marbel. In addition, he has been appointed Hape global marketing director.

Richard Greenwood joins Epoch making toys Richard brings a wealth of experience from the toy market and experience of sales and account management. Richard commented: “I am really thrilled by my appointment, and am looking forward to driving sales forward for Epoch in the South and West of England and South Wales.”

DISTRIBUTING AND MARKETING

QUALITY CHILDREN’S BRANDS tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK

www.dkl.co.uk DKL.Toys

DKLtoys

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News Developments at Hornby Following the release of its latest financial results, Hornby appeared to be potentially facing a mandatory takeover. The company announced the resignation of executive chairman Roger Canham from the board, after its largest shareholder bought out a fund, substantially increasing its shareholding. Media outlets reported that Hornby’s largest investor Phoenix would own 55% of the company’s stock after buying New Pistoia Income Limited’s 20% holding. In April of this year, New Pistoia had joined an unsuccessful attempt by investors to remove executive chairman, Roger Canham, whom those involved claim had presided over a failed strategy for the company. Roger Canham is also a director of Phoenix Asset Management Partners, the investment manager behind Phoenix UK. Under City rules covering majority ownership, the sale of the shares by New Pistoia meant that Phoenix was obliged to offer to buy the shares it does not own. Hornby investors were urged to reject the takeover bid, with the board saying that the 32.375p bid “significantly undervalues” the company. However, at a shareholder meeting on 14th July, Phoenix further increased its stake. An offer of 32.375p per share, which offered only a slight premium on shares’ undisturbed price, was accepted by just over a third of Hornby’s remaining shareholders, increasing Phoenix’s stake to 71.5%. Phoenix has previously said it intends to maintain Hornby’s stock market listing, but the results of the offer leave its remaining shareholders with little control over the company.

Tesco cuts 1,200 head office jobs The latest job cut announcement comes as CEO Dave Lewis presses on with a cost-cutting drive. A quarter of staff at offices in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield face the axe, along with some jobs at the Birmingham head office of Tesco’s One Stop chain and the retailer’s technology and retail support centre in Bangalore, India. “This is a significant next step to continue the turnaround of the business. This new service model will simplify the way we organise ourselves, reduce duplication and cost but also, very importantly, allow us to invest in serving shoppers better,” a spokesperson for the company said. Head office jobs are to go across many functions including property, finance, buying and marketing once consultation has been completed over the summer, and are the latest in a string of cutbacks implemented by Dave Lewis, who joined in autumn 2014. Tesco also has plans to close a call centre in Cardiff in February, putting 1,100 jobs at risk. About 250 jobs will be created in the group’s other call centre, in Dundee, which will handle all customer queries, including emails, social media inquiries and phone calls. Workers from Cardiff will be offered work there but few are expected to move. The retailer also announced a 10.5% rise in the hourly wage of store staff over the next two years, from £7.62 to £8.42 an hour by November 2018. It will continue to offer premium pay for Sunday and bank holiday shifts, but the premium will slip from time and a half to time and a quarter in July 2018.

BTHA Lifetime Achievement Award for Roger Dyson The award was presented at the BTHA’s Industry Day at Great Fosters Hotel on 28th June. Roger’s career in the toy industry began in 1966 with his first job at J&L Randall (Merit Toys), which he joined as a Trainee Sales Representative. He later went on to work for Airfix, Palitoy, Ertl, Toy Brokers and latterly with retailing group Toymaster, where he is now a non-executive director. Kevin Jones, BTHA President, commented: “Roger has made a lasting and significant contribution to the toy industry in his many roles that have spanned suppliers, manufacturers, and as leader of the retail buying group Toymaster – along with his 21 years’ service on the BTHA Council.” “Roger’s enthusiasm for the toy business, his deep knowledge of the industry from multiple perspectives, and his great wisdom, have ensured a highly successful career and unparalleled industry-wide respect. From Roger’s first role in the toy business in 1966 until this day, he has made lifelong friends, and holds the support and admiration of the people who he has worked with across all sectors of the industry.” Roger has held many influential and important roles within the BTHA, notably as a member of the BTHA Council, which he served with distinction from 1995-2016. He led the Toy Fair for many years as Toy Fair Committee chairman and went on to become chairman of the Association from 2008-2010. Kevin added: “Through some of the most difficult and challenging times the industry has faced, it has been Roger’s dedication and leadership, along with his commitment to the BTHA in many roles, that truly sets him apart. This BTHA Lifetime Achievement Award is richly deserved for the vision and wisdom that he has brought to the Association and the industry as a whole. Roger is without doubt a very deserving, and very popular, recipient of the BTHA Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Mothercare enjoys increase in sales and profits Progress continues during the third year of the company’s turnaround plan. In its annual report, the retailer has announced a jump in worldwide sales, up by 6.3% to £1.2bn for the full year to 25th March 2017, while underlying profits are up by 1% to £19.7m. UK like for like sales were up by 1.1%, while the UK reduced losses by 31% to £35.2m. Mark Newton-Jones, chief executive, commented: “This year marks the third year of our turnaround and I am very pleased to report that we have continued to make good progress, despite some challenging conditions in this past year. The UK has returned to underlying profit in the second half of the year for the first time in six years.” “In the UK, we have closed unprofitable stores, transitioned the store portfolio to two-thirds out of town and one-third in town, and 70% of our UK store estate is now refurbished in the new club format. We now have an agile store estate with an average lease length of five years.”

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BRAND NEW COLLECTIBLE

LAUNCHING Q3 2017

FSDU, TV SUPPORT, INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN, DIGITAL MARKETING AND KIDS PRESS CAMPAIGN MARKETING FOR LAUNCH

DANIEL SMITH 07793 121778 DANIEL@THEWORLDEEZ.COM

News newsanalysis A powerhouse in plush Rachael Simpson spoke to David Martin, new MD of Posh Paws, about what inspired the move from Funrise, his plans for the company and the challenges ahead for the toy industry. What is it about Posh Paws that inspired you to take up the role of MD? Well, the owner Phil Setter was a very big reason. Posh Paws is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Whitehouse Leisure Group, which markets similar licensed plush merchandise to the leisure market, and that business is an amazing model and in great shape. Despite UK toy retail being a very different animal to the leisure sector, there are synergies which I can take advantage of to take Posh Paws forward. That aside, the plush supercategory is trending very well, so I’m going to make sure Posh Paws gets a bigger piece of the action.

Will you be implementing any changes at Posh Paws? And if so, what do you hope these changes will achieve? I’ve got my own methods so of course that will mean some changes, but the business is in solid condition and we’re working with some great licensors. When you’re in the licensing world, by nature there are going to be peaks and troughs, so I’m going to raise the bar of our evergreen licences, such as Classic Disney including Winnie and Mickey, and make them work much harder. In

that way we can take the peaks when they come, but then the troughs won’t hurt so much. You’ll be seeing Posh Paws in partnership with Disney on TV for the very first time in spring 2018, for starters.

What knowledge will you bring to Posh Paws from your previous roles? I like to work with brands and licences on smaller SKU counts and market them effectively. I’m no trader. More from less works for me very time. Everyone yaps on about the classic 80/20 rule, but too many don’t do anything about it. Crayola was a fabulous journey and I learned so much there, and licensing became part of my working life at KD. I’ve got a great opportunity here to take all that knowledge and make Posh Paws a powerhouse in plush. We’re obviously going to make the core toy business work harder, but plush product is adaptable and I’m going to broaden our retail horizons.

What are you most looking forward to in your new role? ...becoming an Essex boy? I don’t think so. I’m from Yorkshire so that’s an impossible transformation.

Toy industry stalwart David Pope sadly passes away Toy World Magazine is sad to report the passing of David Pope in June this year. The well-known toy buyer spent many years with some of the industry’s foremost retailers, including Beatties, Hamleys, Woolworths, and The Entertainer. After being diagnosed with cancer and given 12 months to live, David bravely battled the disease for three and a half years before passing away peacefully on Tuesday 20th June, with his family around him. His funeral was held at Amersham crematorium, where mourners were requested to incorporate an element of red and white into their dress code as a tribute to Arsenal Football club, which was one of David’s life passions. Donations were made to the Florence Nightingale Hospice.

What challenges do you see ahead? Toy retail is turning on its head and it’s all about how you adapt to that, but we can see from NPD data that the UK toy market is remaining strong. Online continues to grow, so we’ll embrace that. Forming key partnerships with the right bricks and mortar retailers is critical in my opinion, the discount sector is here to stay so we will be examining how best to manage that, plus retailer consolidation is happening too. All in all there’s a lot of change, but this is the first time I’ve worked within a dedicated category, and with products that are so versatile, so I think I’m in a really strong position to take Posh Paws to a new level.

Whirligig expands with fourth shop opening The creative toy shop opened its fourth shop in in Canterbury on 1st July 2017. Whirligig was founded in 2012, and the Canterbury shop joins others in Brighton, Chichester, and Tunbridge Wells. Whirligig specialises in things to make and do, creative and memorable toys that get children actively involved. The rapid growth of the company has been due to the excellent reception that the shops have received from local customers. Peter Allinson, company founder, commented: “Canterbury is an exciting new area of growth for us. Located right next to the iconic cathedral, we are looking forward to introducing the city and its visitors to our fantastic range of toys and games.” The new store opened its doors at 22 Sun Street, in Canterbury city centre. A launch party on Friday 30th June was attended by Councillor Colin Spooner, the Sheriff of Canterbury and every child visiting the shop on the opening day received a free toy.

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News Kind + Jugend expands exhibition space for 2017 event New digital marketing division for Norton PR Norton PR has confirmed the creation of a digital marketing division to offer social, digital, retail, creative marketing, and PR solutions. The new division will offer bespoke PR and digital campaign planning frameworks. Norton has extended its expertise and client offering with a new digital and creative marketing team. After 25 years in the business, the agency has an extensive and varied client portfolio including Warner Bros Consumer Products, Lego, Crayola, Vivid, John Adams, Golden Bear, Jakks Pacific, and Hornby, and is looking to diversify into complementary markets where its skill set and experience can be utilised to the fullest. Tony Norton, chairman of Norton PR, explains the rationale behind the new division: “The role and scope of PR within the toy and game industries has changed exponentially since the agency first launched over 25 years ago. The most forward thinking companies are recognising the benefits of working within a more integrated marketing communications framework offering a 360 degree PR solution and reaching a more diverse network of consumer touchpoints.” “As the way consumers digest and process information evolves, so must the way PR touches them and influences their purchasing decisions. Whether that is at retail, through brand partnerships, via social media engagement or tried and trusted traditional PR routes to editorial, agencies should be able to adapt, offering lifestyle communication solutions across a wide range of communication channels.” “Hence our decision to expand our team to include some of the best in the business at delivering creative, bespoke campaigns across digital, social and more. We are now in a position to offer companies large and small the opportunity to speak directly to their consumers via a multitude of PR methods with tangible and measurable results.”

Sad death of Tom Kremer, founder of Seven Towns Tom Kremer died peacefully at home on 24th May 2017. Tom, a professional inventor, created over 250 games and toys widely sold worldwide. As well as being a prolific games inventor, Tom is probably best known for his discovery and popularisation of the Rubik’s Cube. A spokesperson from Seven Towns commented: “Tom inspired everyone he met and we are all immensely proud of his lifetime achievements and the legacies he leaves.”

Kind + Jugend is the number one meeting point for baby and children’s outfitting. More than 1,200 exhibitors from 50 countries will be presenting the latest trends, innovations and design concepts in Cologne this year. International market leaders as well as promising newcomers will be meeting at the show, attracting more than 22,000 trade visitors and decision makers from 100 countries. As a leading international trade fair, Kind + Jugend has supported young companies and designers, as well as established brand manufacturers, since 1960, and has assisted them with product development, from the conception of ideas through to successful market launches. This year the trade fair offers an expanded exhibition space, having increased the exhibition area to 110,000 m². The additional space in hall 4.1 is easily accessible from the entrance west of the fairgrounds. Over four days, visitors can look forward to a mix of product displays, trend information, and networking with international business contacts. The new design hotspot #Designinfocus in hall 11.1 offers a framework for staging design-oriented products. Moreover, The Connected Kidsroom will celebrate its premiere with the aim of bringing together the topics of digitalisation, digital aids and smart products to one central location.

Hamleys CEO Gudjon Reynisson to be replaced by COO Following nine years leading the company, Hamleys chief executive Gudjon Reynisson is set to relinquish his role as the toy retailer’s chief operating officer steps up to replace him. Gudjon will join current chairman Frank Slevin in a vice chairman role. Chief operating officer Ralph Cunningham will be promoted to lead the retailer, which has recently unveiled its latest store in Mumbai, India this week, bringing its total estate to 110. The leadership transition is set to take place this October. Ralph joined the company in 2013 as retail and brand director before being promoted. Prior to this he held roles as commercial director at Go Outdoors, and director of operations at B&Q. Frank Slevin commented: “Gudjon has been instrumental in the transformation of Hamleys and I would like to thank him for his continued leadership through the international expansion of the business, particularly since its acquisition by C.Banner in 2015. I am very pleased that we have been able to manage this succession in such a seamless way, and Ralph’s appointment will ensure the long-term success of Hamleys.”

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News BTHA Briefing

Rebecca Deeming The BTHA’s Rebecca Deeming brings Toy World readers up to date on the current news from the association.

ast month kicked off with another great fundraising event for the Toy Trust; the annual Hasbro Football and Netball tournament. The BTHA joined forces with Toy Fair contractors GES to once again enter a football team, and a netball team for the first time. It was a fantastic day of networking and friendly competition between the industry in the sun. Huge congratulations to Coopers Residential and Hasbro who won the football and netball tournaments, respectively (I am still recovering from the defeat). Most importantly, it was great to see the industry coming together yet again, to raise even more money to provide play equipment for UK children’s hospitals. From one event to another, the BTHA also attended the ICTI board meeting last month in Australia. This is a chance for the world’s toy associations to come together and share updates from their own countries and identify global threats and opportunities to help the industry worldwide. At the beginning of this month we will be hosting our second training seminar for members as part of the

new BTHA Training Hub, on ‘Tackling Modern Slavery’. Speakers include Stronger Together and ICTI Care, who will give advice on the steps that members need to take to meet their obligations of continuous improvement under the Modern Slavery Act. A third seminar on ‘Responsible Marketing’ is planned for September, to inform members of developments and help them with good practice. We will also be running a series of webinars on the General Data Protection Regulation which will impact every UK toy business from 25th May 2018. Please do get in touch with me at Rebecca@btha. co.uk to register your interest for these events. For those of you that don’t know, here at the BTHA we run a consumer campaign called Make Time 2 Play. This campaign promotes the value of play and benefits of toys and play for child development to parents and carers across social media, a dedicated website and our FREE app. This month we will be running themed weeks on Facebook - including physical play, creative play and science and nature, to promote the benefits of these types

of play for our 100,000 followers. We would love to promote the play benefits of our members’ products that fit these themes. If members would like to send over any content for these themes then please get in touch; it would be great to have more members on board. To check us out visit facebook. com/maketime2play or follow us @ maketime2play. And finally, as part of the BTHA’s ongoing public affairs work, I’m delighted to announce that we will be hosting an event on 29 November in the Houses of Parliament. The event, which will be themed ‘Giving the Gift of Play’, has been kindly sponsored by the office of Andrea Leadsom MP. The event will encompass all aspects of the BTHA, highlighting the positive contribution that our members and industry has on the fabric of UK society and its economy.

Please register your interest for the day with my colleague Kerri at kerri@btha.co.uk.

As long as you’ve got your elf… Toy World spoke to Tobias Spoerer at Baby Republic, official distributor of Elf on the Shelf, about the Christmas bestseller and new additions to look forward to during the run-up to the festive season. Can you give us a bit of history about the Elf on the Shelf brand and why you think it has been so successful? The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is written by mother and daughter Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, and is based on their own family’s Christmas tradition. Carol, Chanda and her twin sister Christa Pitts self-published the book and founded their own company, Creatively Classic Activities and Books. The brand has established a tradition that brings the whole family together.

Has the UK embraced the concept as enthusiastically as the USA? The concept has been well-received in the UK since it was introduced in 2009, and the range of Elf on the Shelf products is now available from retailers including The Entertainer, Mothercare/ELC, WHSmith and Fenwicks, plus many more toy, book and gift shops.

What makes the original Elf on the Shelf brand stand out from its many imitators? Whilst there are imposters out there, the original Elf on the Shelf offers families an authentic and high quality Christmas experience. This is the careful result of the company’s years of experience in providing the magical Elf on the Shelf tradition.

What new additions have been introduced to the range this year?

Do you see opportunities for extended purchases by families?

2017 sees the launch of the Scout Elf Express Delivers Letters to Santa kit. The kit allows children to write and shrink down letters to Santa, which can be hung on the Christmas tree once read. Each kit comes with an illustrated storybook, eight pieces of Santa’s Special Paper, Mrs. Claus’ Magic Press, eight ribbon sashes, two markers and two sheets of parchment paper. The Claus Couture collection provides a range of clothing items for Santa’s Scout Elves, including the Scout Elf Superhero cape and mask, Jingle Jam Hoodie with headphones, Twirling in the Snow Skirts, Snowflake Skirt and Scarf and a great Sweet Shop Set with mixing bowl, spoon and apron.

As well as the Claus Couture fashion range, in 2014 the brand introduced Elf Pets: A Reindeer Tradition from the North Pole, which led to Elf Pets: A Saint Bernard Tradition being released in 2016. Both sets include huggable pets and new illustrated hardbound books. The range provides a great variety of complementary products, and allows families to bring home both Elves and their pets for the holiday season.

What role has social media played in growing the brand’s presence? Parents love to share the special moments that are being created with their Scout Elf and social media has been an obvious way to do this. The brand has over a million fans on Facebook and a strong social media presence on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.

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Industry Moves New marketing appointments at Lego Group

Simon Burton strengthens sales team at Playmobil

Rebecca Snell has taken on the role of vice president of marketing for Europe Central, based in Munich, while the UK team has welcomed Marius Lang as the new senior director – head of marketing for UK & Ireland. Rebecca joined the Lego Group in April 2013 as head of marketing for UK & Ireland. During her time with the company Rebecca has achieved great success, having developed new strategies to drive the business to greater heights. She has built and developed a high performing marketing team that has consistently delivered outstanding performance under her leadership. Marius has been with the Lego Group since 2014 as director of marketing for the direct to consumer (D2C) business in EMEA. Once promoted to senior director, he had a major impact on the marketing agenda across D2C EMEA, evident in the results he has delivered. Marius will report to Marina Edwards, VP & general manager of BU UK/ Ireland who commented: “The UK/Ireland team will certainly miss Rebecca but her expertise and commitment make her a huge asset to the EUC team and we wish her well. We are looking forward to welcoming Marius into the UK team; he has an outstanding track record and is absolutely well placed to continue driving marketing excellence within our UK/Ireland business.”

In his new role as a field sales manager, Simon will be responsible for the territories of Scotland and the North of England. He will also focus on driving forward Playmobil’s educational accounts, as well as managing the independent sales team. Simon brings a wealth of experience to the brand after spending the past nine years as a sales manager at toy distributor Marbel, where he looked after a range of key accounts. Alf Blohm, sales manager, Playmobil, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Simon to Playmobil. With his wide-ranging experience and ambitious drive, we are sure he will be an asset to the team as we seek to further grow our presence here in the UK.”

Sinco Toys welcomes Sally Hunter Sinco Toys, the toy specialist and distributor, has announced that Sally Hunter has joined its senior management team as sales director. Sally has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and will bring a wealth of knowledge to the company. Sally’s early years were spent working for her father Jimmy Hunter, a well-known toy industry veteran, and the past 10 years have been spent at VTech. Sally therefore possesses a huge breadth of knowledge on all sides of the business. Sally commented: “I am beyond thrilled to be joining such a dynamic company and am certainly fired up and ready for the challenge. Sinco has a fantastic portfolio of products, with some really exciting projects underway. The company has ambitious growth plans and I’m excited to be a key part in achieving those goals.”

Thames & Kosmos announces hire of Bethan Davies Continuing a successful 2017, the growing UK team has welcomed a new key account manager. Bethan Davies arrives at Thames & Kosmos from Hush Heath winery, where she managed exhibitions and key accounts including Waitrose, together with its retail offering. One of her first tasks was supporting the company’s debut appearance at the Harrogate Home & Gift Show. Bethan commented: “It is a really exciting time to join such a dynamic company and I’m really looking forward to meeting the customers. I was right in at the deep end with the Harrogate show, and the Autumn Fair is looming, but I am looking forward to it immensely.” Commenting on this being Thames & Kosmos’ first time at Harrogate, Joanna Drage, sales director added: “An ever-increasing portfolio of product means it is an important time for Thames & Kosmos UK to be seen at the Home & Gift Show. It also offered the perfect platform to get Bethan started in this important new role.”

Marbel Toys announces new sales roles Joe Rushworth has been promoted to UK and Ireland sales manager, and Helen Webb hired as sales representative and national education sales manager. Joe commented: “After five years at Marbel as Northern, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland sales rep, I am looking forward to the challenges of my new role as sales manager within the company, especially with all the exciting changes going on. Hape has acquired Marbel, and I am looking to build on all the good work Marbel has done in the UK and Ireland since 2002.” Meanwhile, Helen Webb has returned to the toy industry after a short stint away. She brings over 13 years’ experience from working with Playmobil, plus strong relationships with much of Marbel’s existing customer base as well as great new contacts that she is looking to introduce to Marbel.

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Marketing World Character Options celebrates official launch of SoundMoovz Celebrities, national and trade press attended an exclusive party at London’s Oxo Tower on 4th July. The new wearable tech gadget SoundMoovz was demonstrated to a venue full of VIP guests at the event. The SoundMoovz crew of professional dancers, which Character Options formed especially for the launch, put on a performance to guests such as 5 After Midnight and Sinitta, plus Katya Jones and Joanne Clifton from Strictly Come Dancing. The venue also saw the reuniting of Big Brother housemates Imogen Thomas and Nikki Grahame. Speaking at the event, Jerry Healy group marketing director, Character Group, commented: “SoundMoovz is a unique product which is going to make a big impact in the UK Market. It’s such an innovative product to add to our portfolio, we see this as the must-have wearable tech of 2017. The SoundMoovz Dance Crew has unleashed its unlimited potential to the UK audience whilst showing how cool and easy these bands are to use; anyone can now produce their own beats through simple movement and dance.” SoundMoovz also made its consumer debut at Westfield Stratford on the 1st and 2nd July. Thousands of shoppers attended to watch the SoundMoovz dance crew and brand ambassador, Hakeem Onibudo, put on a show of streetdance, play acting, and audience participation, while MenKind was chosen as the official launch partner for SoundMoovz, with stock available to purchase from July. Jerry commented: “MenKind is the perfect retail partner to launch SoundMoovz into the UK market. They have a clear passion for delivering innovative and fun products to a broad demographic, and we are particularly excited to see the instore execution and engagement with consumers.”

Smyths Toys arranges surprise Transformers school visit To celebrate the release of the Transformers: The Last Knight movie in cinemas on 22nd June, and the new toy range available in Smyths Toys Superstores, the retailer arranged a surprise visit from the Transformers Optimus Prime truck and Bumblebee character to Boxted St Peter’s Primary School on Monday 5th June. The Optimus Prime Truck arrived at the school with the Bumblebee character to surprise the children. Chosen after winning a competition arranged by Hasbro and Smyths Toys, the pupils received goody bags in addition to having their pictures taken with the truck. The children had been told that they were there to film a video for the school website, so there was much excitement when the truck, used in the first three Transformers films, arrived at the school. Teacher Pippa Davies commented: “It was quite a surprise and a very exciting day. The children didn’t know anything about it, but the parents and staff did, and the excitement built up – the adults were just as excited as the pupils.” Amy Matthews, events and PR executive from Smyths Toys added: “We were delighted to be able to pull off the surprise; it was great to see so many smiling faces. We are really excited about the new Transformers movie and the range of toys we have in-store, so it was great to be able to share that excitement with our customers.”

Thinkway’s Toy Story Twitter campaign a success On Tuesday 27th June, between 1-2.30pm, Twitter users joined a Toy Story party hosted by one of ten influential bloggers. Retailer B&M provided 10 prizes, which were awarded to winners of a competition that involved posting their favourite Toy Story photos and answering related questions, using the hashtag #ImAThinkingToy. As a result of the Twitter party and competition, the #ImAThinkingToy hashtag reached no. 4 in the UK charts, trending for almost four hours. Darren Garnham, from MTW Toys, which distributes for Thinkway Toys in the UK, commented: “The Twitter party was a great way to engage retailers and consumers, and to keep Toy Story at the front of fan’s minds in the run-up to the fourth installment of the Toy Story franchise.”

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Opinion

Living in a digital world This month, Martin looks at the rapid shift towards integrated technology in toys and how digital online is vital to consumer engagement, whether marketing tech or traditional toys.

e toy industry aficionados live in a strange old bubble. Readers have surely experienced incredulity from friends and family when talking about planning for Christmas at January’s industry toy fairs. But come the height of summer, when retailers start to release their top 10 toy lists, as Argos did recently, our bubble is burst; or at least temporarily extended to the general public. I make my study of these lists from a technological perspective, because the sector is always well represented. Of course, it depends on how you determine a ‘tech’ toy but this year’s entries from Argos, such as motion-activated musical bands SoundMoovz and Fisher Price’s pre-school Teach n Tag Movi, are very much in that category. I played around a little and out of interest divided Argos’s list into two subsets: there are six tech toys and four traditional, although Spin Master’s Luvabella doll could fall into either category (the former in my opinion, given its smart capabilities). When I compare that to 2016’s list, the split is the same, but in favour of traditional toys. I have therefore been considering whether this is a fair representation of the industry, and why this shift is happening. On the evidence of Argos’s list, it does appear that Toys & Games is moving rapidly into the tech realm, and perhaps that is inevitable. But, as I have said before, collectibles such as Shopkins remain wildly popular: these are products that are about as traditional as they come. There is more technology in a ham and cheese panini than there is in a Panini football sticker, but don’t doubt for one second that they won’t fly off the shelves as boys, girls and adults alike get excited for next year’s World Cup, as we saw back in 2014.

Martin Doyle

Like any child-focused sector there will always be a parental influence: we may be living in a digital world, but it’s a constantly evolving one. STEAM toys play a key role in school and in the home, and as parents look to these to assist their child’s development. I understand this sector is amongst the fastest growing amongst major eCommerce retailers. Additionally, ‘intelligent’ toys can be perceived as effective babysitters, and from the research I have seen, that is certainly the temptation amongst even the most attentive of parents. Is there a counter argument? Argos’s list came with the insight that 22% of parents wish they’d received the toys their kids get – but is 1 in 5 particularly high? A growing proportion of parents with children have media consumption habits far closer to their kids than to their older counterparts on the school run. Whilst technology is part of life for most families, there is definitely an appetite to break away from the glare of the first, second and third screens – and what better way to do that with than with traditional play. Finally, technology is relatively expensive and pushes up RRPs, whereas traditional toys such as collectibles offer a cheap, easy alternative that can be popped into the grocery basket. Marry to this the fact that building a collection is arguably a childhood pursuit that will surely be around forever: whether that be marbles, trading cards or Lego Friends. So what does that mean for marketers? I believe that whether you are marketing tech or traditional, digital online is vital to consumer engagement. There is a natural link between smart products and online platforms, but if you are looking for engagement for more traditional products such as collectibles, then this can be achieved online. Take Roblox, which in the UK is now seeing 5m unique users per month – with its virtual items and expansive online

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Head of Digital, Generation Media. Tel: 0207 307 7908 martin.doyle@generationmedia.co.uk

world, it provides an excellent enhancement to a TV campaign. Meanwhile, 9 in 10 mums are online every day and Facebook reaches around three quarters of them: it’s a no brainer to utilise that reach. It’s also important to develop an eCommerce strategy to ensure that your products are centre stage when consumers are looking for your tech toy – although that’s also the case for the most traditional of toys too. The Generation Media Checkout programme facilitates this. I predict that we will continue to see a rapid shift towards integrated technology in toys, and no doubt they will have their place in the Internet of Things (IoT) – but does it really matter? For millennials, a toy is a toy, whereas kids’ and parents’ media consumption habits are evolving and fragmenting even faster. For me, predicting, monitoring and responding to these changes is an even greater and far more important challenge.

Tesco

Retail Profile

Tesco to extend Carousel own-brand range into new categories Toy World attended the Tesco Christmas in July event to see what the retailer has planned for the festive season

Tesco held its Christmas in July showcase in London last month, revealing a selection of what it believes will be its top-sellers this festive season, as well unveiling its expanded own-brand offering under the Carousel brand. Tesco’s top toys list features a selection of widely-tipped Christmas winners, including Spin Master’s Sea Patroller, Flair’s PJ Masks

Headquarters (the two brands are apparently now going head-tohead for leadership in the preschool aisle at Tesco), Hasbro’s Nerf Modulus Regulator, Mattel’s Movi and items from the Lego City and Num Noms ranges. In addition, the top toys list features several lines which are exclusive to Tesco, including a Guardians of the Galaxy 12-inch figure six pack, which is scheduled to play a prominent role in Tesco’s half-price sale, as well as two lines which are currently under embargo (although one was teased as an item relating to the My Little Pony movie, which will be released in the UK this October), in addition to one item from Tesco’s Carousel own-brand range, a Drive and Talk car. Exclusive lines feature prominently across Tesco’s overall toy range, with other items on display at the event including Beat Bugs interactive figures, a Sylvanian Family house, a Barbie doll and bike and a VTech Toot Toot item. The Tesco-exclusive Sindy range has also been extended, with the dolls now increased to 18-inch size, with large format accessories, including a rather imposing horse, to accompany the core doll range. Senior buying manager Garry Lawford told Toy World:”We have secured a large number of exclusive lines that will only be available at Tesco this Christmas. It will give our customers another compelling reason to shop for their toys at Tesco over the festive season.” Tesco will also be significantly extending its Carousel own-brand range: previously focusing on the nursery and pre-school categories,

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the newly-expanded range will incorporate a selection of diecast and radio control vehicles and sets, a range of nurturing dolls and accessories and plush items. There will be a total of 150 items in the new Carousel range, which will be available in-store and online from October. Garry commented: “We spoke to our customers and found that the most important things they were looking for in our own-brand toy range were quality and fun. Previously, we had predominantly focused on educational lines, but our newlyexpanded range delivers more of the fun that our customers told us they wanted to see. We’ve made a big investment in the Carousel range for this year: the price points cover everything from highticket items for Christmas and birthday presents to pocket money lines for everyday purchases.” Toy World understands that the Carousel ranges will be merchandised within the relevant product sections in-store, rather than appearing as a separate Carousel-branded section. Standout lines include the Feeding Fun Emmi doll and accessory set at £19.95 and a £60 wooden train set which comes complete with play table, while at the pocket money end there is a huge range of diecast cars for as little as £1. The expanded Carousel Pre-School range includes a broad selection of wooden toys, from competitively-priced wooden puzzles through to festive purchases such as a wooden dolls’ house and play kitchen, which are both augmented by a wide range of accessories to enhance play value. The Infant range has also been extended, with key new introductions including an activity gym, an activity cube and a range of infant plush.

Licensing World Cartoon Network franchises perform strongly on free-toair across Europe Turner’s Cartoon Network has announced that it has been enjoying a raft of strong free-to-air performances from key franchises across Europe. The new series of The Powerpuff Girls, which made its global return to Cartoon Network in April 2016, has since reached millions of new viewers and beaten average audience figures on a number of its new free-to-air homes, including CITV (and ITV simulcast) in the UK, where it became the No. 1 commercial show for girls aged 4-9 when it launched in Q4 2016 and has since

reached over two million viewers and 13% of kids aged 4-9. The all-new series of Ben 10 has also been delivering strong audience figures across the region. On CITV (and ITV simulcast) it has reached 1.2m viewers and 9% of boys aged 4-9. Johanne Broadfield, VP, Cartoon Network Enterprises, commented: “The early success of PPG and Ben 10 is a great indication of engagement – kids are choosing to tune in and watch our shows despite all the other great content out there. The product launch is lined up for this autumn and 2018 will offer kids new ways to

interact with the brands they love, and we look forward to revealing more details of these, as well as new licensing partnerships in the coming months.”

Clementoni releases Cars 3 offerings

Regenerated master toy licence deal for Character Options

A new range of fully licensed puzzles, games and toys celebrates the Cars 3 cinema release. Clementoni’s line includes a brand-new Alphabet Pad to teach letters and words through SmartTouch finger-tip technology, an interactive, electronic Giant Floor Puzzle with 24 tiles, and an electronic pen that, when used to answer questions correctly, reveals the muchloved characters, and a Cars 3 Magnetic Drawing Board. Shahbaz Khan, UK county manager for Clementoni, commented: “We are delighted to bring Clementoni technology to the Cars 3 licence and are excited to see how the range performs at retail. The Cars 3 movie is eagerly anticipated so we are confident that the licence will do extremely well for us.” The Cars 3 range is the latest addition to the Clementoni games and puzzles category, which includes popular licences such as Shimmer and Shine, Trolls, and Paw Patrol.

Character Options has renewed the deal to be UK master toy licensee for Doctor Who. Rikesh Desai, licensing director for merchandise and gaming, BBC Worldwide, commented: “We are very happy that Character Options will continue to be the lead licensee for our Doctor Who merchandise. Their products excite and delight UK fans and we are looking forward to working closely with them over the tenure of new showrunner Chris Chibnall and the adventures of Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor.” Jon Diver, group managing director, The Character Group, added: “We are delighted to re-confirm the master toy licence for Doctor Who with BBC Worldwide, which has been one of Character Options’s key brands for over ten years. With the global and loyal following for whom the ownership of toys is essential, complemented by the regeneration of the Thirteenth Doctor and Chris Chibnall being the new producer for series 11, we can be sure of an exciting few years ahead.” Character Options has held the master toy licence for Doctor Who since the show’s 2005 relaunch. In the last twelve years the partnership has seen over 10 million action figures and almost five million sonic screwdrivers sold. The deal will see the development of new products featuring the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and new items are expected to hit the shops later this year, with Thirteenth Doctor product becoming available in autumn 2018.

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Licensing World eOne announces new UK partnerships for Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom Entertainment One (eOne) has unveiled new partnerships and a fresh toy line for its pre-school property Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom. A new food partnership with Naturelly has been announced, as well as a fresh toy line from Character Options. The partnership with Naturelly will create a new range of Magic Jelly pouches that will launch at UK retail in August 2017. The Magic Jelly is made from natural ingredients and will be available in two flavours, Strawberry and Blackberry, inspired by the show’s The Fruit Harvest episode. To support the launch, Naturelly will run exclusive on-pack promotions offering Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom goodies including a bicycle, toys, backpacks, and DVDs. The toy category is also gearing up for expansion, with master toy partner Character Options planning new line extensions for launch in autumn/winter 2017. The new range will include figure and accessory packs and refreshed five-figure packs, plus new Royal Limousine and Thistle Castle playsets. TV advertising and a new advert for September showcasing the Thistle Castle and Royal Limousine playsets will support the range. Katie Rollings, head of UK licensing at Entertainment One, commented: “These exciting new partnerships and the upcoming product extensions demonstrate diversification within the brand that is testament to its enduring popularity and commercial appeal.”

Golden Bear appointed master toy licensee for The World of Dinosaur Roar!

Fireman Sam Partners with Welsh Fire Service The new partnership celebrates the 30th anniversary of the pre-school property and see’s Fireman Sam supporting numerous charity fundraising events throughout the year. Helen Genia, Mattel’s senior consumer products manager hardlines for Europe and the UK, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service as part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations. Fireman Sam supports the missions and values of the Fire Service, and it’s great to be working with the team based in Fireman Sam’s home country.” On Saturday 19th August, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service will be running a sponsored ladder climb at St. David’s Shopping Centre, with an appearance from Fireman Sam himself to support the fundraising. Fireman Sam will also be cheering on the team as part of the Cardiff Half Marathon Family Fun Day which takes place on Sunday 1st October. To kick off the partnership, station manager at Cardiff Central Fire Station, Mark Watt, and firefighter Kevin Summerhayes attended the Golden Helmet Awards in London in May, honouring real-life heroes for incredible achievements by inspirational adults and children. Chief fire officer of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Huw Jakeway commented: “South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is committed to serving and helping our local communities and we are extremely pleased to have the support of everyone’s favourite firefighter. We look forward to working together to fundraise for such worthy causes, making South Wales safer.”

In addition to being appointed the master toy licensee for The World of Dinosaur Roar!, Golden Bear will also create products for the classic Dinosaur Roar! brand, also owned by Nurture. Dinosaur Roar! has already inspired successful apparel ranges for Mothercare and M&Co, as well as partnerships with a raft of licensees including Paul Lamond Games, Carousel Calendars, Fashion UK, and VMC.

Kids’ media company Nurture Rights has announced the appointment of Golden Bear as master toy licensee for The World of Dinosaur Roar!, as well as Nurture’s Dinosaur Roar! property. Golden Bear will develop a line of products based on The World of Dinosaur Roar!, which teaches pre-schoolers about dinosaurs in a fun and engaging way. The initial launch will feature puzzles, card games and a range of soft toys and will launch in spring/summer 2018 at select retailers. Additional wider rollouts are planned for late 2018 and early 2019, including a collectible dinosaur figurine range. The core market for the Golden Bear range will be children aged 2-5, as well as gift givers and dinosaur fans everywhere. Barry Hughes, Managing Director, Golden Bear Toys, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering Nurture Rights and The Natural History Museum on the delightful Dinosaur Roar! property. The combination of the wonderful prehistoric characters and modern innovative marketing plans and content promises to ensure that Dinosaur Roar! will be around for many years to come.”

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NPD Insight Long term trends vs short term crazes NPD’s Melissa Symonds looks at crazes and trends in the UK toy market, and the effect they have on overall sales for UK retailers.

he UK toy market loves a craze – it helps drive both value and volume in the market in the short term. What do I mean by craze? A craze is a toy or brand that seems to appear in the market overnight and sells in large volumes in a short space of time. This can be quite different from a trend, which sees sales increasing or changing over a longer time period. Some trends can be mistaken for crazes, although trends tend to be more consistent while crazes can become genuine phenomena, reaching outside of the toy market to become cultural touch points. The UK toy market often benefits from crazes for a short-term boost in sales, while some trends become so predictable, we might not even consider them a trend anymore. For example, Outdoor & Sports toys sales increasing dramatically during sunny weather is expected, although the exact timing of this is still largely unpredictable due to the British summer climate. At the time of writing, fidget spinners is the latest craze to hit the toy market – and not just in UK toy shops. With sales of £4m YTD June 2017 from NPD’s Retail Tracking Service, actual sales are presumably considerably higher when the market street and non-toys retailers add their share. But with a significant volume of these spinners selling outside of traditional toy market retailers, have fidget spinners taken consumers away from the toy market and the benefits of additional purchasing by consumers? Sales are still impressive in the retailers NPD does cover, with sales appearing almost overnight in mid-May and value sales becoming an impressive 2.5% of total toys at its peak in week 19.

While sales dropped moving into June, they remain consistent, generating £300-£400k per week through NPD retailers. With the rest of Europe also caught up in the spinners orbit, one question that is being asked a lot is how long the craze will be around for? In 2015 Loom Bands were the toy craze of the year, selling £19M in the UK, with sales starting during the early summer – a similar time period to the spinners craze. However, sales of loom bands slowed considerably in September once kids had gone back to school, and many retailers are wondering if the same could happen with spinners? Other crazes can be similarly short-lived. For example, during World Cup and Euro Championship years the FIFA stickers from Panini enjoy extremely strong sales, for as long as the tournament lasts and the home nations perform well. They could be considered a predictable craze which occurs for a couple of months every two years. However, the toy market has also had a number of trends which have had a longer lasting impact on sales, with Superheroes perhaps the most consistent trend of the last few years. In 2016, Superheroes accounted for 5.5% of total value toys with sales increasing over £16M since 2014, reaching £140M in 2016. Year-to-date June 2017, sales of superhero product are still increasing double digit, and well ahead of total market growth. With different films, TV Shows and properties taking precedent each year, the continued growth of this area is not reliant on just one character, item or category to drive growth and has built a distinct offering within the UK toy market.

Fidget Toys exploded in May, peaking in Wk 19 (07 -13 May 2017) with sales of £731k in one week (x3 wk 18 sales!) accounting for 2.6% of total toy sales £k

Fidget Toys £

£%

% Share of Toys

4.0

700

3.5

600

3.0

500

2.5

400

2.0

300

1.5

200

1.0

100

0.5

Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 2017 10

Wk 11

Wk 12

Wk 13

Wk 14

Wk 15

Wk 16

Wk 17

Wk 18

Wk 19

Wk 20

Wk 21

Wk 22

Wk 23

Wk 24

Wk 25

0.0

Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking | UK weeklies 2017

The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD Collectibles is another trend that has become a huge part of the UK toy market in the last three years. Currently Collectible products account for 11% of value sales YTD June 2017 with growth of +29%. This is nearly treble the share collectibles had back in 2014, where they were just 4% of toys value. Due to the low price point of many collectibles, viewing the sector by volume has an even greater impact on the toy market with a quarter of all volume sales so far this year being a collectible product. Collectibles have had an impact on multiple areas of the UK toy market from Playset Dolls and Action Figure Collectibles to Building Sets and Plush, showing that trends can have much deeper impact than short term crazes. With the majority of 2017 toy sales still to come over the all-important Q4 period, it will be interesting to see if the spinner craze has a long term positive impact on the market or if the long-term trends of superheroes and collectibles contribute more to UK sales. And looking further ahead, what will be the next toy craze? What trends will impact the toy market? The consumers themselves will decide and probably surprise even some of us in the industry.

Item Progression:

UK Weekly Fidget Toys Sales: YTD Wk 25 £3.6M

800

Melissa Symonds

Item Description

Corporate Manufacturer

May 2017 Rank

June 2017 Rank

Bunch of Balloons

Geemac

#49

With the sun out for most of June and most of the country experiencing warm weather, Geemac’s Bunch Of Balloons rose 41 positions to become a top ten best-selling toy by item for the month. Many outdoor and water related toys all had a similar increase in ranking for the month, as Brits prepared to make the most of the good weather while it was here. Two other items in the top ten items for June were also Outdoor related, including the 8ft Fast Set Pool and Cover from Wilton Bradley at number two and the ever popular All Surface Swingball from Mookie at number nine. While we can never be sure of a good summer in Britain, a little bit of sunshine can go a long way to drive outdoor toys sales.

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Entertainment Type Performance The largest part of the UK toy market is still dominated by pure toy brands with no additional entertainment content behind them; these account for just under a third of all toy sales and represent the fastest growing area of the market Year-To-Date. The largest pure brand property is Little Tikes followed by Nerf and Vtech Baby. However, there has been strong growth from LegoTechnic and Hatchimals. TV/DVD/Digital is also in growth, up +3% driven by continued strong performance of both Paw Patrol and Pokémon. Toy products based on Movies is down despite strong sales from Batman and Trolls, as Star Wars sales YTD remains below the 2016 performance. However, Star Wars still remains the top movie property on the market.

Entertainment Type Performance - Total Toys

Brands account for largest proportion of sales, 31%, and is also the fastest growth area, up 6% (more than x6 faster than total market performance) Brand

TV/DVD/Digital

Movie

Value % Share

-20.0

-10.0

0.0

10.0

Yr/ Yr % Change Source The NPD Group | UK POS Retail Tracking YTD June 2017 vs. 16 | Entertainment Type

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

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/food service, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. 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

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Toy World 25

02.05.17 14:50

Sponsored by

indie viewpoint Janice Pattison -

Ducklings Toy Shop, Marlborough and Wootton Basset

We have two shops, both based in North East Wiltshire. We opened our first store in Marlborough six years ago and our second in Royal Wootton Bassett two years ago. There had been a much loved toy shop in Marlborough for generations and its closure, closely followed by that of Woolworths, left a big gap which local families are pleased we have filled. Royal Wootton Bassett is a town we know well, which hadn’t had a toy shop for some years. Both towns are small market towns where many residents are proud to shop locally, and where there is a range of shopping experiences. We like to make visiting our shops an experience for the families who shop with us, with lots of toys to play with and “try before you buy” opportunities with things like kinetic sand, putty, slime and spinners. Children enjoy visiting the stores and both shops have schools nearby. Our emphasis has always been on quality toys, aimed at our local regular customers. We specialise in pre-school with a large area devoted to Thomas, and Brio. We also stock ranges from Galt, Lamaze, and Wow! Stuff. Footfall is driven by strong ranges of Lego, Playmobil, Melissa & Doug, Schleich, Siku, and Sylvanian Families, but we also try to differentiate ourselves from larger store groups by supporting brands who are willing to work with us, and support companies such as Lottie Dolls, Crazy Aarons Thinking Putty, Klutz books and Brainstorm with Stikbot. We have a large range of games, from the well known Hasbro names to more specialist games taking older children into adulthood. We have demonstration games and are happy to encourage widening the game playing experience. We also encourage broader construction experiences adding Knex and Meccano to the mix, and hold regular build days. We find the customers differ a little bit between the stores. Marlborough

is used to having its own toy shop and customers like to shop for traditional toys and more unusual gifts. Customers in Royal Wootton Bassett previously had to travel to Swindon to buy their toys and are often more driven by movie and TV lines. In both, however, the most frequent purchases are under £10, representing pocket money and birthday party gift spend, although the average is slightly higher than this. We are always mindful of our close proximity to larger toy stores in Swindon, so we try to keep prices competitive. Our customers value our personal service and willingness to take special orders though. We believe the key to our success is that we enjoy working in the shops, seeing the results of our work in sales, and cooperating with our suppliers to provide new and exciting products. This spring has been a golden time for independents - a later Easter with good weather started outdoor sales nicely. It’s always good to have pools and play sand when the majors aren’t prepared! Putty sales have been consistently good for us for a couple of years now, with the spinner craze adding a hype on top but also encouraging sales of yoyos, gyroscopes and juggling skill toys. Lego started the year well with the Batman movie stock selling through. Playmobil is up on last year with the new Ghostbusters reacting well to the TV advertising. We are cautious about hyped films and new character ranges, but Cars 3 is performing well in Lego and diecast. Shopkins has slowed noticeably awaiting the release of Series 8, but sales seem to have been replaced by Glimmies and Hatchimals Colleggtibles, so we have had new and interesting products to focus on for the older collectors. We joined Toymaster around three years ago, as we wanted to be part of the greater toys community. We feel it is important that independent stores across the country talk to the major suppliers with one voice, while maintaining their independent trading stance. One of the most important issues is cooperating with each other to encourage consumers to shop locally. It was noticeable that most retailers were positive at the Toymaster Harrogate show - let’s hope this continues as we move into the second half of the year.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes

Hot stuff

Toy Barnhaus

s we write this, we are sweltering in our second hot spell of the summer so far. This has come at the perfect time for us, and will hopefully help us to clear out a lot of our summer stock, and leave us relatively clean come the end of the season. Trade has continued to be good, with fidget spinners still selling well. They have been slowing down week on week, but only gradually. This means that the situation has been a lot easier to manage stock-wise, and we don’t expect to be left with any significant overstocks. The whole fidget craze continues to move on into other areas, with slime being the next thing that all the kids are after. In the last couple of weeks we have also noticed that Thumbchucks from Wind Designs have started to be in huge demand. It is really encouraging to see so many top sellers this year, across a wide range of products. As many of you know, we started Toy Barnhaus back in 2009, after being made redundant from Woolies. We have grown rapidly from that point, and now have seven shops spread across shopping malls in Sussex and Surrey. In selecting these stores, we were able to use our prior knowledge of the Woolworths stores there, and how successful they were in terms of turnover. This gave us a good idea of locations to focus our attention on. However, selecting a town is only the beginning of our decision-making process and business strategy. We always have to consider competition; what is already in the town, what are their strengths, is there room for another toy shop in this location? After that, location within the shopping area is absolutely key. Toy shops tend to be destinations for parents and kids alike, and are therefore not entirely dependent on passing footfall as something like coffee shops; for example. However, you do need some footfall to get people to know where you are. When visiting a potential site, we always take time to just look at the customer flow in the area. What way do people walk from and to various areas, what routes they take? Do they walk past the potential shop, or is it in a blackspot that people miss? Also, adjacent shops already there can help bring in customers. One of our shops is two doors from a Primark, so that is a big draw. Once we have found one we like, the negotiations with the landlord begin. A unit can become unworkable at this stage if the rent is just too high, or a unit in a lesser location can become a more attractive proposition if the landlord is willing to do a deal. We are about to move one of our shops shortly, and will be moving to a lesser pitch than the one we currently are in. However, the deal on offer, and the potential long-term growth in the new location will make it worth our while. Often when we move into a town, we take a small unit initially, to test the water, then a year or two down the line we move up into a larger store, when we have built up some trading history. Over the past few years, we have built up a template of what makes an ideal shop for us. We have prioritised opening in shopping malls. Although the rents will generally be a bit higher, and there is a service charge to take into account, you are paying for the mall to deliver footfall, and the good ones will. It is then up to us to use this footfall and generate sales from all the great toys that our suppliers are delivering us.

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Feature

Autumn Fair

Goes to show

As another Autumn Fair comes around, with a dedicated toy section featuring a selection of new exhibitors, Toy World spoke to Louise Young, divisional director, retail at Autumn Fair, to get the lowdown on this year’s event. How many exhibitors make up the toy section this year? How does that compare with previous years?

Second season shows tend to represent a different proposition for suppliers and retailers compared with early year events – where do you think Autumn Fair fits into the festive selection process? What a great question. Autumn Fair and Spring Fair are different branches of the same tree. What Autumn Fair provides for retailers is a selection of the very latest products and current best-selling items. What is also great about Autumn Fair is that when you enter the show, you smell Christmas in the air, so it really gets buyers in the mood to select pre-season Christmas stock. Being at the show allows visitors to discover hot products and see the latest trends that they may have otherwise missed. Retailers also use this as an opportunity to gain insight into what will be the biggest sellers for the following year. Exhibitors at the Autumn Fair put on an inspiring show of bringing to life the big trends for the next calendar occasions, including Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter. Autumn Fair also offers visitors an unrivalled visual snapshot of what’s available on the market, allowing them to judge the relevance of their own stock and adjust it according to the trends, if necessary.

Around 30% of exhibitors joining the toy sector this year will be new to Autumn Fair. Returning after a number of years, Wilton Bradley will take an extended stand, while Halilit also returns to the show. An exciting addition this year is the Timex Group, which produces a range of children’s watches that are popular around the globe and are known for helping children to tell the time in a fun and innovative way. Get Retro, which sells merchandise related to top science fiction, fantasy and cult genres, will also take a stand at the show for the first time.

Can you give us some details of the new Toy Demo Zone? The new Toy Demo Zone will feature within the Toy sector for the first time. Modelled on the live, fun product promoters you see at retailers such as Hamleys, the Toy Demo Zone will showcase invited suppliers to demonstrate their products, bringing a sense of theatre and excitement to the toy sector. Companies that are already confirmed to host demonstrations include Alex Brands Juratoys, Bladez Toyz, and Omni Geneius.

Are there any other new initiatives that visitors can expect to see in the toy section at this year’s show? New for this year, exhibitors and visitors will be able to use Autumn Fair’s Appointment Planner as a dedicated online matchmaking tool for prospective buyers and exhibitors to set up meetings in advance and make the most of their time at the show. The online function enables exhibitors to send meeting invitations to their customers to ensure they visit them at the show, as well as giving access to the live database of contacts registered, to zero in on any key connections. It also matches potential buyers with suppliers based on shared interests and, as a result, helps everyone make the most of their time at the show through effective preplanning. An incredibly useful tool and completely free of charge,

Toy World 30

the Appointment Planner will help create an unrivalled number of connections for exhibitors and visitors alike. Additionally, visitors should look out for a greater number of international suppliers on the show floor with exhibitors such as Bertoy and Vekemans BVBA from Belgium; Legler OHG, Music Box World and Schaefer Global from Germany; and Smart Gurls from the US.

What do you see as the main reasons for toy buyers to visit the show? The event enables visitors to see and order the latest products that have developed in the months preceding September. Buying at this time is particularly important for independents that have less storage space and prefer to spread their budget across the year, as well as for bigger multiples that work on 18-month buying cycles, meaning September is a key month for planning. Specifically for the toy sector, Autumn Fair allows retailers the opportunity to see the newest products on the market, as well as seeing them in action. This will be a major benefit of the Toy Demo Zone, and we expect the regular demonstrations to draw big crowds. Over the next few pages, Toy World previews highlights of what is on offer to toy retailers from exhibitors at the show.

AUTUMN FAIR 2017 The NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT Sat 2 Sep (Volume sector only) - 10:00 - 17:00 Sun 3 September - 9:00 - 18:00 Mon 4 September - 9:00 - 18:00 Tues 5 September - 9:00 - 18:00 Wed 6 September - 9:00 - 16:00

e g n a r l u f r e d n o w r u o r e v Disco s y o T n e d o o W l a n o i t i d a r of T

Come and find us at

! n u F f o d l r o W A

3-6 September, Hall 5, Stand D10-E11 NEC Birmingham, tel: 01603 397 105 email: sales@tobar.co.uk www.tobar.co.uk

Feature

Exhibitor spotlight

Where there’s a Wilberry, there’s a way

Toy World spoke to Peter Lockey, MD of Wilberry, about the company’s latest plush ranges and the wide range of styles on offer.

What are the latest introductions from Wilberry for this year? Wilberry launched over a hundred new designs at Harrogate Home and Gift Fair this year, featuring wild and wacky plush alongside beautiful miniaturised animals. We offer everything from patchwork rag dolls to very naturalistic animals that wouldn’t look out of place in a pet shop.

What sets the new Wilberry lines apart from other offerings within the plush category? Wilberry offers a whole spectrum of product. Our miniature animals are beautiful representations of animals including dogs and cats of particular breeds. On the other hand we offer weird and wonderful unicorns and dragons which display a lot of fantasy elements in their design.

What design process did Wilberry go through in order to come up with such a wide range of plush? From parent company The Puppet Company we have the knowledge of what animals are most popular, and this aided us in deciding on the Wilberry Mini’s collection of 26 core animals. The range includes a Pug, a Border Collie and a Golden Labrador as they have always been strong in the puppet ranges. Rabbits are very popular, which led to the design of the Wilberry Bunnies range.

The slightly wacky range was more challenging to design. We wanted to produce something engaging and interesting as well as child-friendly. As a father of four I wanted to make toys that I would buy for my own kids (although they are grown up now!)

How is Wilberry going to promote the ranges throughout the rest of 2017 and into 2018? We’ve taken stands at Top Drawer and Autumn Fair, and as an international company we are also showing at two large American toy fairs. We have distribution channels in Europe and we are getting feedback on the in-demand plush. Country preferences differ – our Spanish distributor loves us to make mice. We design specific animals for specific countries to stay up to date within the category.

Overall, the wholesale market is buoyant. Where there has been an issue is that factory prices have increased this year – a lot of commodity costs such as paper have seen huge price rises in Chinese factories, which has resulted in significant price pressure. Additionally, the exchange rate has plummeted against the US dollar, leading to a 25% price rise due to exchange rate movement alone. However, you can’t pass all those price increases directly onto

Without any doubt it comes from the huge fan base that Harry Potter has. J.K. Rowling has not only got children reading, she’s also got them looking outside the box in terms of animals that they like. We are currently focusing on a whole collection of owls, in typical colours and multi-coloured options too.

Can you tell us about any developments or future plans for the Wilberry range that’s currently available? We are very happy with the naturalistic range, but the fantasy route offers so much scope. We will offer an expanded variety of mythical creatures, and more dressed characters too.

Wholesale value How healthy is the wholesale sector and what impact has the Brexit vote had on the channel?

And where do you think the demand for fantasy and dressed characters stems from?

Toy World spoke to David Mordecai, CEO, Tobar to gain some insight into developments in the wholesale toy market.

your customers and inevitably the national accounts have resisted big price rises. As a result, we’ve had to absorb a fair amount of this price pressure, which has been a cost to us.

How do retailers benefit from buying through a wholesaler? If you buy on an FOB basis, you need to commit to a container’s worth of stock, which might take a retailer a year or two to sell through. So, although there is a price advantage to buying on an FOB basis, the risk is that your cash flow is more stretched and you have stock that may not be on trend in a year’s time. More and more customers in the UK are buying through a wholesaler so they don’t have that risk. They expect a wholesaler to carry a good depth of stock and to be able to react to customers’ needs and requirements on an almost 24-hour basis, which we do, so that we can service our large base of customers, ranging from national accounts through to independent stores.

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What value does a distributor add to the supply chain? A distributor’s job is to market, develop, promote and sell the brands it represents. Where the distributor adds value is where it markets those brands and increases market awareness. For example, we use our PR agency, OneChocolate, to market our Maisto Bburago products: they communicate with consumer press as well as trade press, and this way our products become more widely seen and we can direct consumers to the stockists that sell the product.

So, what’s new for Tobar this autumn/ winter? We are going to be showcasing some fantastic new products at Autumn Fair this year, including unicorns, flamingos, cacti and pineapples, which are very on trend. Do come and visit us!

NEW

Battle Arena

Twin Pack 8 Styles

Floor Display with Video Screen

8 Styles

Wristbands

8 Styles

Watch the o at Promo Vide m o kidicraft.c

Autum Launch n Fair Selfie - NEW Horses

ir Autumn Fa ew Launch - N Selfie Cats

Super 3D Postcards

Super 3D Placemats

Super 3D Posters

NEW

Super 3D Bookmarks

Kidicraft Limited Tel : +44 (0)1282 505988 Email : sales@kidicraft.com

www.kidicraft.com

AUTU M 3 -6 th N FAIR Se Birmin pt 2017 gham NEC Hall 5 Stand A38 rd

Autumn Fair

Enesco 01228 404022 | www.enesco.co.uk Hall 3, Stand 3V22-W23 Prestigious American soft toy manufacturer Gund has unveiled the latest in its Pusheen collection. Originating as a wildly popular web comic, Pusheen is a chubby grey cat and social media sensation. With over 9.5 million fans on Facebook alone, Pusheen animated stickers are shared online more than 14 million times per day, conveying a host of different scenes and emotions. The Pusheen Waterdazzler Globe is a quirky alternative to a snow globe. Standing at 10cm tall, the Waterdazzler features a metal base and a clear plastic dome that is filled with water and glitter. Inside, Pusheen and her sidekick sister Stormy are seen snuggled up together beside their beautiful Christmas tree. The entire scene comes to life with flashing LED lights. The Pusheen Tumbler stands at 24cm tall and holds 16oz of fluid. This light green plastic cup includes a dome lid with an attached pink straw. The caption reads ‘I like to drink through a straw and pretend I’m an elephant’. There is also the Pusheen Mini Tablet Case. Measuring 25.5cm tall and suitable for protecting smart phones, tablets, and other gadgets; this soft fabric sleeve features a sturdy zip closure and is great for Pusheen fans and cat lovers alike. Featuring embroidered detailing of Pusheen’s face, complete with whiskers and ear accents, this case is set to be a winner across the UK.

Cheatwell Games 02392 524 098 | www.cheatwell.com Hall 5, Stand 5A05 If there’s one product that’s stopped buyers in their tracks this year it’s been Sticky the Poo, the familiar phone icon made 3D. Children can mould, squeeze, and throw, as Sticky the Poo clings to any shiny surface with a reassuring splat. Some buyers love it, some buyers hate it – the kids however, love it. Soar-away successes at Toy Fair and Spring Fair were the brand new Round Tin Games. Three fun titles which are simple to learn, children can open and play with no complicated rules, but plenty to keep their brain buzzing as they try to find missing animals in Silly Safari. Children can learn to talk like a Caveman or collect sets of cards to Lift Off. Two new quality games offer something very different: Quirky and What’s in the Box?. Both games are simple to learn. What makes them unique is that, depending on the players or the location, the game will change subtly each time it’s played. Cheatwell Games’ trivia range has something for every trivia fan; from 300 question mini quizzes, to a whopping 4,500 questions for that know it all in the family, Cheatwell has always taken pride in the quality of its trivia questions, all written in house by its very own team of questioneers.

Keycraft 01779 478 078 | www.keycraftuk.com Hall 5, Stand 5C19 Shrinkles craft kits are creative fun for all the family. Children can draw, trace, or colour in the pre-printed pictures and with the help of an adult, cut out their drawings and pop them into the oven. They can watch the magic happen as each Shrinkle shrinks seven times smaller and seven times thicker than the original. They can then be used to create badges, keyrings, jewellery, figurines, and more. The Original Shrinkles Bumper Boxes and Mini Packs feature 11 themes across both kits, including; Wiggly-Eyed Bugs, Fairytale Princess, Magical Fairies, Farm Friends, Little Pony, Playful Puppy, Cute Kitten, Dinosaur World, Woodland Animals, Magical Unicorn, and Australian Outback. The Original Shrinkles Slim Pack – Woodland, Prehistoric, Wildlife & Scotland collection contains a variety of medium sized packs. Creations can be used to make a selection of keyrings of animals, dinosaurs, or even the Loch Ness Monster. The Shrinkles range can be showcased on Keycraft’s complimentary floor standing display unit with an included point of sale video screen. Shrinkles are available in a wide variety of designs. Shrinkles is suitable for no-mess creative fun, and children can even create their own drawings to shrink using the blank sheets of paper included in every pack.

Toy World 34

Autumn Fair

Tobar 01603 397 105 | www.tobar.co.uk Hall 5, Stand D10 – E11 Being a leading wholesale supplier of toys, games, gifts, and gadgets, Tobar has a wide range of products being showcased at Autumn Fair, including the following: The novelty Duck and Frog umbrellas have light functionality on the top of the brolly, and children can press the button on the handle to hear the umbrella come to life. The My First Post Office set includes everything needed to run a very first post office. The set includes a post box, wooden handle stamps, letters, postman’s face, card boxes, teddy and puppy stickers, lined note paper, and pencils. The Time Shock! frantic clockwork-shape sorting game is a great brainteaser. The game is wound up to start the clock, then players race to place all of the shaped plastic pieces into the correct slots before the timer expires and throws them all into the air. The Solar System Planetarium set of plastic pieces, combined with hard work, creates a solar system fit for the very best of astronauts. A great project for all space explorers old and new. The Plush Piggy Bank is great for cuddles and for storing pennies. Children can drop in the coins and hear the piggy oink with excitement.

Kidicraft 01282 500 899 | www.kidicraft.com Hall 5, Stand A38 Kidicraft is launching a further eight 63-piece lenticular Super 3D magic motion jigsaw puzzles at Autumn Fair. Characters include a Great White Shark, Twin Pandas, Penguins, and a Seal, all from the National Geographic library along with a smiley Sloth, a grinning Shark, Dart Frogs, Reptiles, and various wild animals posing for the camera in African Smile, all of which are based on the colourful artwork of British Artist, Howard Robinson. There will also be two further 48-piece puzzles, Horses and Cats, in the hugely popular Selfie range. All of these are in addition to the 16 puzzles that were launched at the beginning of 2017. There are now over 50 lenticular jigsaws to choose from with piece counts ranging from 48 to 500. Specially designed floor display units which hold a wide selection of all sizes are available for the whole puzzle range. The best-selling Stunt Jaxx crazy collectible characters will also be at Autumn Fair. Each of the eight friction-powered comical creatures will perform stunts individually, or can be put into battle against each other in the Stunt Arena. Each character comes with a stunt ring and a stunt cone. A clever floor display unit is available for Stunt Jaxx, complete with a live video screen.

Inside Out Toys 01908 969 969 | www.jumini.net Hall 5, Stand 5D50 Inside Out Toys’ Jumini range of wooden toys has grown enormously since last year and the company is now excited to launch the Mr Men & Little Miss collection. Mr Men is a classic brand, loved by generations. The basic shapes and bright colours epitomised by the characters will now feature in a selection of My First Mr Men & Little Miss wooden toys, including a Mr Tickle Bead Maze and a Mr Men Little Miss Shape Sorter. The new collection will be available to order at Autumn Fair, for delivery in time for Christmas stock. The retro style toys will strike a chord with parents and grandparents alike. Inside Out Toys has also added new Jumini items to the catalogue to cater for toddler birthday present purchases, such as its chunky puzzles and lacing games, as well as a caterpillar balance game and a duck fishing game. For larger Christmas gift options, a slightly smaller wooden dolls house (which includes two people and a full set of furniture) and a wooden garage set are available. Inside Out Toys now has agents covering Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the North East, but is still actively looking for additional people to cover London and the South. The company has recently become an approved supplier to the AIS group and looks forward to delivering Jumini toys into members’ stores this year.

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We are a UK based Design & Wholesale company supplying high quality soft toys of all shapes and sizes!

www.wilberr ytoys.com

Tel: +44 (0) 1462 446040

Autumn Fair

Esdevium Games 01420 593 593 | www.esdeviumgames.com Hall 5, Stand 5D23 Esdevium will showcase a wide range of products at this year’s Autumn Fair, from brand new games and collectibles to the firm’s best-selling Q4 gaming products. In high demand will be Zomlings – In the Future, the sixth series of the successful collectible. Hitting the key back to school season at the end of August, Zomlings Series 6 introduces 105 new characters to collect, including six Ultra Rare and three Limited Edition Zomlings. Series 6 will be supported by a significant marketing campaign that includes a mix of TV, digital, social, unboxings, and PR. Autumn Fair will also provide a launch platform for the Lego Ninjago Series 2 Trading Card Game, which launches the day after the show ends. Esdevium began distributing the successful Lego Nexo Knights Trading Card Game earlier this year and is now hoping to go one better with the popular Ninjago licence. With the Lego Ninjago film hitting cinema screens in October, the brand is set to see a huge surge of interest as the pre-movie hype builds. The Lego Ninjago TCG launch will also be supported by a wide-ranging sampling campaign across Lego magazine titles and other primary boys’ sector magazines. Esdevium will additionally exhibit the latest from its top-selling properties including Dobble, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Rory’s Story Cubes, and Ticket to Ride, as well as new collectibles including Hot Wheels Super Speed Blind Bags. There will also be show-exclusive offers.

Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com Hall 5, Stand B40-C41 Games and puzzles specialist Paul Lamond Games will be unveiling some exciting new children’s lines based on characters from two of the world’s most famous authors at Autumn Fair this year. This autumn the company will bring to market four 250 piece puzzles featuring entertaining scenes from four of David Walliams’ most famous books; Gangsta Granny, The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy, and Mr Stink. New to Paul Lamond’s pre-school line up this autumn will be two new puzzles featuring the villainous Highway Rat from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler children’s storybook. The new 4-in-1 Puzzle Set and 24 piece Floor Puzzle feature scenes from the rhyming classic, where the Highway Rat meets his match when he tries to steal food from a clever duck. Now in stock are two additions to the family games range. The new quiz-style Now That’s What I Call Music board game is based on one of the most successful music compilation series of all time and will see music fans test their musical knowledge with questions from the 80’s, 90’s and 21st Century. There is also the new Who Dares Wins board game, based on the hit TV show. Also available this autumn will be a brand-new Murder Mystery Game: A Slice of Murder. Silly Spaghetti, Colour Cube Sudoku, Lunar Landing, and Roller Coaster Challenge are just a few of the new titles that are now available in Paul Lamond’s extensive children’s games portfolio. These are joined by the new Jamie Raven Magic Range.

Blue Sky Studios 01133 879 670 | www.blueskydesigns.co.uk Hall 5, Stand 5A72, 5A74 Blue Sky will debut a brand new dual facing stand, featuring licensed and non-licensed product in separate spaces. The company’s new Online Wholesale Store will go live just prior to the show. Blue Sky is also delighted to welcome two new additions to its sales team, both of whom will be present on the stand to meet with its customers. The company has four new gift ranges to show, covering key trends and demographics. Within the ranges, Blue Sky has new lighting products on offer. On the licensed side, Blue Sky has a full range of the highly anticipated new Hasbro property Hanazuki product to show. Across Blue Sky’s licensed portfolio, customers will see the expansion from stationery into kids’ novelty gifting. There will be a show offer on Blue Sky’s best-selling Storm Trooper Bluetooth Speaker and, as the release of the next Star Wars movie approaches, an exclusive Black Shadow Trooper version will be on offer too.

Toy World 38

Perfect Puzzle Presents and Great Gift Games at Autumn Fair. Find us on 5A05

www.cheatwell.com

For more information and a copy of our latest catalogue please contact mark@cheatwell.com or call 02392 524098

Autumn Fair

Milly&Flynn 01242 241 765 | www.millyandflynn.com Hall 4 Stand 4A02-B03 Award-winning creators of pre-school toys and books, Milly&Flynn is expanding its range of beautiful licensed wooden toys this autumn. The latest additions to Milly&Flynn’s much-loved Dear Zoo wooden toy range are three new Dear Zoo Wheeled Vehicles. These pocket-money toys bring the classic story to life, featuring three favourite animal characters – the big elephant, the noisy lion and the naughty monkey – each in a little wheeled crate. Youngsters will love slotting the characters in and out and taking them for a ride. With Christmas fast approaching, Milly&Flynn’s The Snowman and The Snowdog wooden toys make ideal gifts for pre-schoolers. The wooden The Snowman and The Snowdog Shape Sorter and Puzzle Tray are full of festive charm, and great for helping children to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Bladez Toyz 02392 658 259 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk Hall 5 Stand D63 Visitors to the Bladez stand at Autumn Fair will be among the first to see the newly launched Hot Wheels Drone Racerz and to admire the final style, look, colours, and packaging of the Drone & Vehicle Sets. Each set comes complete with everything needed to fly, drive, drift, and race. Thanks to daily demonstrations at the show, customers will be able to appreciate the unique compatibility of the vehicles with the Hot Wheels track. Bladez will also be presenting new characters in its range of Star Wars radio control inflatables such as Stormtrooper and introducing new sizes for the popular R2-D2 and BB-8. With the Despicable Me 3 DVD release due in November, retailers will also be able to stock up on RC Minions and Fluffy the Unicorn. With plenty of PR still surrounding the Teletubbies’ 20th anniversary and upcoming theatre tour, there will also be a show offer on the radio control characters, night lights and inflatable boppers to encourage pre-Christmas buy-in. The pre-school offering will also feature lines from Peppa Pig and Thomas & Friends. For flying toy enthusiasts, there will also be a special promotion on selected drones and quadcopters for immediate delivery, with full details available from the team on the stand.

Green Board Games 01494 538 999 | www.greenboardgames.com Hall 5, Stand 3Y37 Green Board Games will once again be at Autumn Fair with a whole host of lines and ranges, some of which are new. It will present the Fat Brain Toys range of colourful, educational, pre-school toys including the best-selling Tobbles balance stacking game and the addictive Squigz sucker sets. Children can add the sucker sets to Peek-A-Doddle-Doo, the fast-paced chicken and egg game, and Neck of the Woods, the stacking giraffe challenge, for additional play value. Green Board Games will also be presenting the Gigamic range of top quality table top strategy games which are best-sellers from France, including the multiple award winning two player challenge Katamino.

Toy World 40

Our jumini range of beautiful wooden toys has grown enormously since last year and we are now excited to launch the Mr Men Little Miss collection. Mr Men is a classic brand, loved by generations. The basic shapes and bright colours epitomised by the characters will now feature in a gorgeous selection of ‘My First Mr Men & Little Miss’ wooden toys, including a fabulous Mr Tickle Bead Maze and a stunning Mr Men Little Miss Shape Sorter!

This new collection will be available to order at the Autumn Fair, for delivery in time for your Christmas shoppers! We think these retro style toys will strike a chord with parents and grandparents alike – don’t miss out, order soon for your store!

BRAND NEW ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH

Tel: 01908 969 969

jumini.net

Autumn Fair

H. Grossman 01416 132 525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk

Winning Moves 0207 298 9507 | www.winningmoves.co.uk

Hall 5 – Stand 5D20 – E21

Hall 5, Stand 5D55 The Retro Top Trumps packs are launching this September, and Winning Moves is reviving six of the most requested Retro Top Trumps Packs, which include: Fantasy, Horror Pack 1, Horror Pack 2, Exotic Sports Cars, Crazy Cars, and Today’s Strikers. The revived titles will showcase all the original artwork and are presented in a newly designed cassette style case. Displayed in a retro CDU, these vintage packs will transport children back to yesteryear. The Top Trumps range is also expanding in 2017 with many hot licences being introduced, including Yo-Kai Watch, Cars 3, and Spiderman. There is also a new Despicable Me 3 pack containing all the favourite characters from the Despicable Me franchise, plus a brand new pack features Shopkins from all eight seasons. The premium Top Trumps packs will showcase special finished cases, including metallic and flocked.

Pioneer 01279 501 090 | www.qualatex.com Hall 4, Stand D40/F41 Pioneer Europe is pleased to launch a brand new collection of Unicorn balloons to meet the current demand for these mythical creatures. Additionally, a new collection of balloons with Doughnuts, Pineapples, and Flamingos has been added to the everyday Birthday collection. Pioneer Europe will be at its pod at the Cardgains Village stand at the Autumn Fair with the latest trends in balloons, as well as Qualatex collections for Halloween, Christmas, and New Year, and customers can receive exclusive show discounts when placing balloon and party orders.

Halilit 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk Hall 5, Stand D31 Along with new product launches, Halilit will present amazing show deals offering up to 60% margin. TrueDough sets contain everything needed to make modelling dough, with patented powder mixes, mixing bowl, and bespoke measuring spoon. The colourful creations can be baked and then painted to create keepsakes and gifts. From entry level price point items through to gift sets, the range offers great margins. Halilit will also be unveiling Rosa & Bo, a boutique style baby gift range with innovations such as the delicately flavoured dishwasher-safe silicone teethers, featuring friendly characters, and the Nesting Babies that hide a chiming bunny.

H. Grossman will be showing a range of four toy kitchens at Autumn Fair, already selling well. The wooden kitchens come complete with accessories and are designed to retail at a cost effective price. In addition, the Ozbozz brand is renowned for great outdoor products and this year sees a whole selection of new offerings, including a Unicorn Scooter in silver and pink with light up wheels. There are a wide variety of scooters on offer and some great deals to be had at this year’s show. Keeping with the unicorn theme, there are new large sitting (40cm) Unicorn Plush toys, Hatching Dino Eggs, and the Hatching Alien Eggs are now available supersized and produce huge offspring for added impact. Dinosaurs are well represented with the Megasaur range. Ozbozz has a full range of Emoji licensed product too, from fun hoppers to pogo sticks. In total, H. Grossman has introduced over 120 new pocket money lines for 2017, from water wrigglers to whoopee cushions, skipping ropes to slime balls. There will be special show deals to be revealed at the show.

Copywrite Designs 01908 618 811 | www.copywritedesigns.co.uk Hall 1, Stand H22-G23 Copywrite Designs has just launched a range of creative play and sticker items for Cars 3, the brand new smash hit movie from Disney Pixar. Crammed with goodies like a Bumper Play Pack, Artist Colour and Sticker Pad, and 700 Sticker Pack, Copywrite’s Cars 3 range will appeal to young Cars 3 fans. Retailers will be able to view Cars 3 and all Copywrite’s other best-selling licensed creative play, sticker, and stationery product ranges on the company’s stand. Other winners Copywrite will be exhibiting include products based on Marvel’s Spiderman, Num Noms, emoji, Despicable Me 3, Disney Princess, My Little Pony, and Chupa Chups.

Bertoy +32 03 777 05 33 | www.bertoy.com Hall 5 Stand A19 Three new designs have been added to the Tiger Tribe colouring sets assortment, these include the Unicorn and Construction designs, as well as the new Neon Colouring sets. The sets are suitable for children on the go and are designed for easy portable play, while the new neon colours add even more pizazz to the 36 different drawings. The Beat the Clock Stopwatch Set is packed with fun and constructive activities to get kids interested in not only exploring time, but also beating it. From keeping balloons in the air, to running around the block, to setting the table, the fun time-based activities are designed to delight and entertain children for hours. As well as the colouring books and stopwatch set, Tiger Tribe has also added a range of Shrinkies and Fabulous Felt sets to this year’s Autumn novelties.

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Exclusive to Enesco…

Organic Bamboo

Snack Box & Cutlery Sets

GIFT GIVING…all wrapped up

3Y25 3Y22

3W24

3V30-W29

3X25 3X23

3W22

3V26

3V22-W23

3V29

3V25

3T24

3U27

International Autumn Fair, NEC, Birmingham, 3rd—6th September

3T22-U23

See our collections at:

Hall 3, Stand 3V22-W23

Enesco Limited, Head Office & Customer Services, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0EN.Tel: 01228 404022 email: trade@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services: Tel: +44 1228 404066 email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk © Disney © 2017 Enesco Ltd. © Frederick Warne & Co., 2017.

Company Profile

Pyramid International

Pyramid power Toy World spoke to Robert Ling, Pyramid International’s marketing executive, about the added value of licensed products within the company’s ranges, and the opportunities that the back to school season presents. Firstly, could you give us a bit of background on Pyramid International?

How important is the Back to School season for you? Back to school is an important season for us, as is back to college and university, as licensed merchandise applies to the big kids as much as the little ones. Stationery sells year-round, but to have a window in the year where a vast number of customers are searching specifically for fresh stationery provides a fantastic opportunity, creating a perfect storm.

Established in 1992, Pyramid International started out as a small business selling posters in Leicester. Since then, Pyramid has grown into a multinational company with offices around the world and has expanded its product library to include stationery, wall art, keychains, mugs, travel mugs and much more. The driving force behind this success is our amazing array of licences, which currently sits at over 250 and includes the juggernauts of Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal, DC Comics, Nintendo, Marvel and Star Wars.

Do you find there are sales peaks at other times of the year? Winter, and particularly Christmas, are of course busy times for us, helped by the fact that the winter months usually see huge box office releases (e.g. Star Wars, Justice League for 2017) Otherwise crucial times for us are around major box office releases, providing us with opportunities not just on a new movie’s look and feel, but also as a platform to reinvigorate our classic designs.

What are the benefits of creating licensed products? Where to begin? I think the major advantage of working with licensed products is that the licences themselves are immensely popular with incredible fan bases. So, when we create our products, we know the fans are out there and are actively looking for products. There is also added value to licensed products. The addition of well-known logos and brands gives them that additional perceived value, which, when coupled with the eye catching and iconic artwork gives our products a real point of difference and presence on busy store shelves.

What are your most popular licences at the moment? The retro look for Marvel and DC Comics continues to be amazingly popular. Between them they have some of the most iconic and loved superheroes - and thanks to revitalised comic stories and block buster movies, their popularity continues to endure for us. Another prominent licence in the Pyramid International library is J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World. The number of Harry Potter fans also continues to increase, and they are always looking for new products to show their love for the magical world. Finally, Star Wars is another juggernaut in the licensing world. The latest round of movies has revitalised the saga, giving us new characters and art work which is great for the fans. Moving towards the latter part

of 2017, My Little Pony will be a huge film. It is an honour for us to be working with both the retro and new movie imagery and I am sure that it will join the ranks of our most popular ranges.

How relevant are wall art, stationery, and posters to children in this growing digital age? I think the use of stationery is of particular importance in the digital age. Skills such as hand writing are as crucial now as ever and as advanced as some tablets have become, I still believe there is no substitute for a pen and paper. Wall art and posters still have their place in this technological age too. Children love to use their imaginations; they want to be able to express themselves, create worlds and be bold. Wall art and posters add to those worlds and help them show off their passions. Finally, an important point is they never need charging…

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Can you tell us about your work with UK retailers? We work very closely with UK retailers to ensure we are supplying them with the products we believe will work for them. Our in-house creative team are experts at creating eye-catching products. Their enthusiasm is shown in their designs and this comes through in the quality of the products. Secondly, thanks to this in-house team and many of our products being UK made, we are able to react to changes in the market and customer recommendations quickly. We are always looking for new retailers to work with and know that, thanks to the diversity and breadth of our range, we have a sales solution to fit all areas of retail.

Tel: 01162 843 645 www.pyramidinternational.com

Fresh

FRESH THIS MONTH:

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. In August we have new releases from: Mattel, Arklu, Bladez Toyz, Casdon, Hape.

Pole position 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Hot Wheels Ai is the brand’s first ever artificial intelligence racing system, combining cutting edge technology with epic new races. An exciting new way to play, Hot Wheels Ai is the first full racing system in a box which needs no smartphone to activate features. The Hot Wheels Ai Start Set: Street Racing Edition puts kids in control of high-speed, head-to-head racing powered by innovative, computer-enhanced artificial intelligence, enabling the smart cars to race around the tracks with three high-powered race modes and three exhilarating skill levels. Each Smart Car has sensors which allow the cars to communicate with the Smart Track. Young racers control play via a gaming controller; and the system inspires fast-paced action and quick thinking, launching virtual hazards like engine failure, oil spills, tire blowouts and more. Kids can compete with up to four friends in Championship Mode, set a lap record in Practice Mode, race off-track with the standalone Freeplay Mode, or race against the Ai by placing a vehicle into Auto-Drive mode. Hot

Wheels Ai creates a lifelike, real-world racing experience, with real-time race announcements and sound FX, with cars designed in the likeness of real car models in 1/32 scale. Hot Wheels Ai Starter Set Street Racing Edition Track Set includes two high-performance Smart Cars with scale speeds up to 180 mph; two gaming controllers with gameplay modes for all ages and 22 pieces of easy-toconnect track, including the all-new T-Bone crash zone for more than 32 race configurations. Wendy Hill, brand activation director Mattel UK, commented: “Kids will love the combination of high-octane thrills infused with Smart Car and Smart Track technology, and we are excited to offer parents and kids a full Ai racing system in one box, without the need for a smartphone.” Hot Wheels will launch this dynamic new way to play in a partnership with CarFest, offering racers an exclusive first play. An exciting marketing campaign includes TV, digital and PR.

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Lottie Brownie Dolls

Bladez Spinnerz

Arklu

Bladez Toyz

0203 773 2716 | www.lottie.com

02392 658 259 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk

The dolls are the product of a collaboration with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). An authentic doll that’s true to today’s modern Brownie and is based on a nineyear-old child, the Lottie Brownie doll comes clad in her Brownie uniform and is both age-appropriate and relatable. Available from high street toy stores across the UK as well as through Lottie’s online store, the doll will be joined later this year by a range of accessories and playsets based on popular Brownie activities, and relevant to the Brownie age group. The range was created to empower children to be themselves, to be imaginative, adventurous and to have fun.

First to market globally with licensed fidget spinners, Bladez has designed a range of Hot Wheels and Barbie Spinnerz in partnership with Mattel. With a choice of different brightly coloured ABEC 7 bearings, there are three carthemed designs for Hot Wheels enthusiasts and three hot pink spinners for Barbie fans to collect. Available in branded counter display units, each CDU contains 36 spinners, incorporating a try-me feature on the packaging to highlight the spin function. Bladez licensed Spinnerz collection arrived in the UK in July with an official launch with Toys R Us. In an exclusive partnership with Mattel across four European countries, the licensed spinners were offered as a gift with purchase to all customers spending the equivalent of £10 on either brand’s toys.

Baby Huggles

VW Camper Van Walker

Casdon

Hape

01253 766 411 | www.casdon.co.uk

0345 6000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk

Casdon’s Baby Huggles range is a proven seller and offers a one-stop shop for all dolls up to 46cm. Keeping on trend, 2017 has seen a refresh to the design, bringing a contemporary and up-to-date feel to the collection. The new colour scheme has been applied to such items as the car booster seat, which features a three-point harness and can be fixed inside a car to take dolls on the go. For when it’s time to unwind, little ones can use Baby Huggles Relaxer; the perfect place for dolls to chill out and play. This stylish looking relaxer will ensure dolls are kept safe with elasticated hand shaped buckles and sturdy metal frame construction. To ensure the Casdon brands are seen by the firm’s core consumer parents and grandparents - a year round social media strategy is in place. Included in this will be reviews of the new Baby Huggles range with the UK’s top parenting influencers.

A new addition for summer 2017, the walker is ideal for children taking their first steps. With a 2-in-1 design, children can use their VW Camper Van Walker either for walking, or as a pram to carry their favourite toys around. The walker’s classic aesthetics, true to the look of traditional VW Camper Vans, will look good in any playroom, and it makes an ideal gift for the summer. The sturdy construction and rubber non-skid wheels makes the walker safe for babies first getting to their feet. The adjustable hand rail allows children to grow along with the walker; raising the bars encourages children to walk, while lowering them teaches the child how to push and pull. The walker not only helps to encourage early walking efforts, it also aids the development of balance and the honing of fine motor skills.

Toy World 47

Feature

STEM

Skill sets

Despite commanding only 2-3% of the market, sales of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) toys are increasing. Thanks to the likes of astronaut Tim Peake, whose exploits in space were broadcast on prime-time TV, and programming such as BBC’s Doctor Who and MGA Entertainment’s Project MC2, kids showing an interest in STEM subjects isn’t just more common nowadays – it’s become cool. Rachael Simpson takes a look at this expanding toy category.

ith the increasing popularity of STEM comes a surge of new products purporting to be related to STEM topics, and this can make it tricky for consumers to differentiate between true STEM offerings and those that are simply educational. Put bluntly – all STEM products are educational, but not all educational products are STEM. Robert Mann, VP international at Engino, explains: “STEM products are products which enhance the understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics - products that not only provide a play pattern, but encourage background knowledge, experimentation and understanding of the applicable science.” Correct labelling of STEM products is a concern for retailers who want to offer products that fit the STEM remit. Traditionally, STEM products have come through educational channels such as schools, but with kits and toys now commercially available parents have a wealth of products to choose from, and some manufacturers are voicing concerns that STEM labels applied to products may be there simply because it’s fashionable, thus leading consumers astray.

Engino

As STEM toys and kits offer education as well as entertainment, they often sit in a higher price bracket than traditional toys, and this is where additional content can draw consumers that might otherwise be scared off. With some products increasing in price the moment a STEM logo is applied, retailers might feel it prudent to research whether the companies they are working with have a background in educational content, and whether the product itself is truly related to STEM. Adding further to the confusion is the variation in acronyms. STEAM (the A stands for Art) is picking up steam, and the emergence of STREAM, with the R representing Robotics, is a reflection of the increase of interest in coding and programming. Regardless of whether a product displays the STEM, STEAM or STREAM acronym, the benefits should remain the same as those outlined by Robert Mann. “With any of the abbreviations, consumers should look for companies which have a background and experience within the educational sector as their products will have passed the scrutiny of teachers and students,” he advises. Parents and guardians wanting to get the most value out of STEM toys should support their child during play. It’s all very well and good adding chemical X to powder Y and creating a reaction, but if the child doesn’t understand why that reaction is occurring the educational benefits are lost. “The educational value of STEM toys comes not only from the toy itself, but also from the way parents interact with the child,” says Manuel Laia, international sales manager of Science4you. “Questioning children as they play, and asking them to apply different strategies, enables children to fully explore the play potential, have fun and learn at the same time. Parents have a crucial role in delivering the full STEM experience.” Robert Mann adds that a true STEM product will incorporate booklets that enhance knowledge and explain the science in an easy to understand format. Other STEM products can be linked to complementary apps or websites that provide additional learning resources. Retailers looking to secure parental purchases should therefore stock products that feature these extra educational materials. Science4you’s experiment kits include

Toy World 48

booklets that help children to understand chemical reactions, and learn facts about physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology, whilst Trends UK’s Discovery Galaxy Tracker Telescope is enhanced with the Star Walk app. Kids know when they are being taught as opposed to simply playing, and this in itself poses a hurdle for companies; balancing fun with learning. Exciting or destructive experiments - think explosions or impressive chemical reactions - can win children over. “We’ve focused on real science equipment made user-friendly for children, and kits which encompass proper science experiments,” says Lindsay Hardy at Trends UK. “We all remember the fun of playing with Bunsen burners at school, so our Science Mad Chemistry Set includes a spirit burner.” Additionally, products that offer a tangible sense of achievement are popular. “If a child constructs a moving robot, or something used for discovery, they find it fascinating, and far more engaging than something they might play with once and then discard,” says retailer Peter Allinson, owner of specialist make-and-do shop Whirligig Toys. STEM toys are also helping to bridge the gender divide in STEM careers. WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) reports that the proportion of the STEM workforce made up by women has decreased from 22% in 2015, to 21% in 2016. Gender neutral packaging is on the up, but retailers can assist by including STEM products in sections of their shops that may be dedicated to girls, or simply by doing away with gender-specific areas altogether. It’s clear that STEM toys offer opportunities above and beyond those of traditional toys. “From a gift-buyer’s perspective, it’s very different to just playing a game, or engaging with a tablet,” says Peter Allinson. “STEM products allow a parent or grandparent to give more than just a toy.” And with the first visitor to Mars most likely sitting in a classroom as you read this, as Helen Sharman OBE, first British astronaut and the first woman to visit the Mir space station recently told attendees at the BTHA’s Industry Day, perhaps every child should have a STEM toy in their toy box. Over the next few pages we take a look at the newest STEM products in the category.

STEM

Brainstorm 01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk Brainstorm is introducing a brand new extension to the Aqua Dragons line this year. The Aqua Dragons in Space range allows children to hatch and grow live aquatic pets from eggs sent to space. The exclusive range includes Aqua Dragon eggs sent on a near space mission into the highest levels of the Earth’s Stratosphere. The product comes with an Aqua Dragons in Space Authenticity Certificate, and, using the Aqua Dragons app, children can watch their Aqua Dragons journey into space and get their mission metrics. The asteroid-shaped tank glows in the dark and has a magnifying lid. The Deluxe Kit also features LED lights as well as a bubble pump and thermometer. Launching in August, the ranges will be supported by TV advertising throughout key selling periods, and comprehensive marketing and PR activity will drive brand awareness and sales. New to the Brainstorm Toys STEM range this year is the Dinosaur Projector and Night Light, a handheld miniature product that projects 24 colour images of different dinosaurs onto walls and ceilings. Each image can be maximised to one metre wide. It also doubles up as a night light, ideal for bedside tables. Also available is Brainstorm’s brand new 14-centimetre World Globe, which comes with a sturdy base and easily rotates to view the different areas of the world.

Learning Resources 01553 819 386 | www.learningresources.co.uk Kids can develop hands-on coding skills with the multiple award-winning Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set. Once the maze is built, the coding cards can be used to create a step-by-step path for Colby, the Programmable Robot Mouse. Kids can programme the sequence of steps, and then watch Colby race to find the cheese. Paths can be created with 16 maze grids to create a 20” x 20” maze board, 22 maze walls, and three tunnels for endless possibilities. Colby lights-up, makes sounds, and features two speeds along with colourful buttons to match coding cards for easy programming and sequencing. Multiple players can be added with Jack, the Programmable Robot Mouse, sold separately. This set includes 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, a cheese wedge, and activity guide to provide a hands-on introduction to coding concepts.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk GP Flair’s Wild! Science range transports kids to the world of science and educates them along the way. With the Wild! Science Lava Lamp and Glitter Tube Lab, kids can make their own light-up bubbling lava lamp and glitter tube. The kits allow children to create optical effects by reflecting light from glitter and bubbling water, as well as exploring fizzy chemical reactions that look like an underwater volcano. Alternatively, kids can make cupcake shaped soaps with the Cake Soap Factory. The soap in this kit can be melted and moulded to make almost any solid shape; macaroons, meringues, jellies, cake decorations, and even buttercream icing. Whipping the soap creates a stable foam that can be piped onto cake soap creations. Kids can learn about solids and liquids, melting and freezing, aeration, dissolving, stable foam and reflection, plus much more. Wild! Science is supported with extensive PR. In 2017, the Wild! Science Global Science Challenge is taking place, inviting fans to buy one of the science kits, design their own, and enter the competition to win a once in a lifetime trip to the USA.

Toy World 50

STEM

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com With the launch of two new magnetic brands, Character Options is offering a new construction play pattern for the STEM sector with the launch of its Magtastix and Magcreator ranges. With Magtastix, children can create hundreds of structures and designs with a combination of magnetic rods and metal balls. The range includes 20 piece, 40 piece, and 70 piece sets for magnetic building fun. Alternatively, Magcreator allows kids to design and build hundreds of designs using the brightly coloured geometric shapes. Magcreator introduces magnetic power that’s both educational and fun. Magcreator is available in 15 and 31 piece sets. Both new brands will be launched with the full marketing support expected from Character Options, including extensive TV and PR programmes.

Engino 0800 988 7068 | www.engino.com Engino has established itself in the STEM category with both its Discovering STEM series and ERP Robotics Series. Discovering STEM allows students to build models which demonstrate a variety of STEM subjects including Newton’s laws, Gears, Levers, Structures, and Solar Power. Each Discovering STEM pack includes a reference book which highlights the history and theory of the subject, and provides experiments and quizzes. Children can experiment by making their own creations and follow in the footsteps of Isaac Newton. The new STEM Heroes series introduces the world of STEM disciplines. Kids can construct one model from each of the small sets, while also learning facts about each theme, presented in the leaflet and free app. The models cover a variety of scientific themes such as Aviation, Space Exploration, Animal Kingdom, and Speedster Vehicles. Each theme consists of three starter sets which can be combined to create a larger model. These can be combined even further to construct mega-builds. STEM Heroes are available from May in support of the Discovering STEM series which is available for immediate delivery. With the Robotics Series, Children can not only experiment with STEM theories but can also program their own creations for movement and activity. They can also follow the educational builds and programming examples supplied. Engino Robotics allows programming through a variety of sources whether using the supplied keypad, the PC downloading program, or controlling models from a mobile or Android Bluetooth device.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Meccano sets encourage kids to learn about STEM skills while having fun. All Meccano sets are designed with STEM qualifications in mind. With Meccano, kids can use metal and plastic parts of various shapes and sizes to build working models. With the Meccano Excavator 2-in-1 Model set, kids can now challenge the boundaries of their imagination and discover the world of engineering. They can first construct the model Excavator, which features custom treads, working boom with bucket and a cab that rotates 360°. Once done, kids can play with the finished excavator, or take it apart and rebuild it as a bulldozer with custom treads and a working front scoop. The Excavator 2-in-1 Model set includes step-by-step instructions and 254 parts, plus a real wrench and hex tool set. The pieces are made of durable metal and plastic so models can be rebuilt and played with again and again. Other new models for 2017 include the 25 Model 4x4 Off Road Racer set which allows construction enthusiasts to build 1 of the 25 off-road motorised models, including a truck, before taking it apart and building a different one. The real working Off-Road Racer set comes with 443 parts, two ergonomic tools, a 6V electric motor, and easy-to-follow instructions.

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PRESENTS

Magnetic Adventures

For Trade Enquiries please contact: clivewooster@aol.com www.geomagworld.com

STEM

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com Clementoniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach to STEAM for 2017 covers a broad range offering retailers variations on themes at different price points. The Science Museum portfolio of experimental and exploration products offers a range of educational discoveries from Perfume and Crystal Labs to Human Body kits, Triops, and Kitchen Laboratories. The Archeofun line of scientific kits take children on a journey of dinosaur discovery where they can hunt for fossils in blocks of earth, and reconstruct the skeletons of these legendary animals including the T-Rex, Triceratops, Smilodon, and Woolly Mammoth. Nominated for a Licensing Award with the Science Museum range, Clementoni has also expanded its mechanical and robotics offering with the all new Aerodynamics Kit and Evolution Robot. Children can program the robot to pick up and transport objects, whilst the compatible free app allows a further five different play modes: Programming, Real time, Self-learning, Dancing, and Memo. Evolution Robot is the third robot in the range for Clementoni, and follows the 2016 success of Cyber Robot and Mio. In addition, the Mechanics Lab line of self-build kits extends for 2017 with the introduction of aviation, motorbike, and farm equipment kits.

Science4you +35191 172 8690 | www.science4youtoys.co.uk Science4you offers a wide range of scientific and educational toys. The brand is expanding its portfolio of STEM products and is planning to bring to market several new products that aim to spark creativity, imagination, and curiosity. Following the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic product range plans for 2017, Science4you will launch two versions of the Super Mega Science Kit: Cosmetic and Chemistry, bringing over 100 different scientific experiments together in one kit. Children can discover facts about the science behind cosmetics as they create their own soaps, shampoos, lipsticks, perfumes, and more. The Super Mega Science Kit - Chemistry encourages kids to discover the world of chemistry by learning how it influences materials that surround us, and that we are used to seeing in different states of matter every day. Two additional new products will be available for purchase in October, in time for Christmas. Following the newest craze for slime, Science4you is releasing Glow In The Dark Slime. The second launch is the Lipstick & Lip Gloss Factory. With this kit, children will learn the answers to questions about materials in their changing states: such as what occurs when wax goes from solid to liquid, why does this phenomenon happen, and why honey should be used as an ingredient for lipsticks. The marketing plan for these launches includes an investment in TV campaigns and YouTube.

Geomag 07831 886 997 | www.geomagworld.com After a successful introduction and sell through in 2016, Geomagworld SA has announced expansions to its product portfolio and operation within the UK. 2017 sees a full packaging refresh of the Colour and Panels collections, including the addition of a STEM logo and improved piece count. Additionally, two new collections will be launched within the range. Available now, PRO-L is a range designed for the expert looking for more challenging structure developments. These products all contain rods with stronger magnets, have visible polarity, and exclusive silver bars. At the other end of the age spectrum is the Magicube range. This toy is made of magnetic cubes which attach to each other on every side, so children as young as 18 months can learn about magnetism and construction. To further support the Magicube launch, an FSDU deal has been developed to offer FOC stock and provide in store branding. Magicube stock is available from August. The classic Geomagworld range will be supported with TVC for three weeks in October, including the half term period, as well for a further three weeks commencing 27th November. The complete Geomagworld collection, incorporating Colours, Panels, PRO-L, Mechanics, and Magicube, will also be fully supported by a cohesive marketing and PR campaign.

Toy World 54

>Galaxy Tracker 60mm Smart Telescope

New

Scientific exploration inspired by

>Planetarium

Refresh

> Chemistry Lab

>360 HD Microscope

To place an order please contact: Trends UK (National Accounts)

Tel: +44 (0)1295 768078

Email: salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk www.trendsuk.co.uk

Wind Designs (Independents)

Tel: +44 (0)1353 724140

Email: sales@wind-designs.com www.wind-designs.com

Science Mad ÂŠ2017 Trends UK Ltd

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu

Trends STEM ad Toyworld half p 210x138 AUG2017.indd 1

03/07/2017 11:12

GRAB YOUR KIT TODAY!

www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Call 01580 212000 or email sales@thamesandkosmos.co.uk for more information.

STEM

Usborne 0207 430 2800 | www.usborne.com Usborne is proud to publish an extensive range of non-fiction lift-the-flap books for children of all ages, covering a variety of STEM topics including coding, the human body, space, and mathematics. The company’s latest interactive STEM book is Lift-the-flap Periodic Table, a dynamic introduction to the building blocks of chemistry, with over 125 flaps to lift. Children can discover which elements are crucial to life, which are explosive or radioactive, and lots more. Also new for 2017 is See Inside Space Stations and Other Spacecraft, featuring spacecraft from the beginning of the space race to the latest mission to Mars and beyond. Published in association with the UK Space Agency, this book should appeal to all budding astronauts. Both books are full of STEM information and include links to carefully selected websites with video clips and more.

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Science fans can be inspired by the Discovery range from Trends UK. The Discovery Bug Barn and Discovery Digital Walkie Talkies allow kids to venture outside to start exploring nature and their outdoor environment, while the new 100 X Discovery Microscope offers insight into life’s smaller building blocks. Going into autumn, the Discovery Planetarium and new Discovery Galaxy Tracker Smart Telescope are ideal for exploring the darkening night sky. One of the most comprehensive chemistry sets on the market, the Science Mad Chemistry Lab from Trends UK has over 100 experiments to conduct. Kids can mix the ingredients to watch chemical reactions and grow crystals to find out how nature’s building materials work. The set includes a detailed manual, 19 chemicals, tools, goggles, and a spirit burner. With Be Amazing’s Insta-Snow kids can learn how the superabsorbent polymer soaks up water using the process of osmosis to make fluffy snow. Insta-Snow is reusable; just add a few drops of water and the powder expands instantly for light, fluffy snow, which can be used to create snowy art projects and winter landscapes. Launched with PR campaigns promoting the range, Insta-Snow is available in tubes or blister cards, and a 100g jar.

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Thames & Kosmos 01580 212 000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Kids can build and programme robots with Thames & Komos’ Robotics Workshop. Using sensors, motors, a core controller, and snap-together building pieces, children can follow the instructions to assemble ten different robots. The versatile parts also allow kids to make robots according to their own designs. This robotics curriculum starts out with instructions for building simple robots, teaching kids how the sensors can be used to control the robots, including an ultrasound robot that can avoid obstacles, a drawing robot, and a touch sensor robot. Children can then progress onto more complex robots that have multiple functions, such as a ball-shooting and grabbing, and can build a robotic arm able to pick up objects, a butler robot, a robot that will turn toward a light source, and a scorpion robot. After kids have mastered all of the robotic models in the instructions, they will have the tools and knowledge to construct their own robotic creations. The robots can be controlled directly in real time and programmed to perform series of commands using a downloadable app on iOS or Android tablets and Windows PCs. The mobile app wirelessly connects to the core controller using a Bluetooth low energy connection. The PC app connects to the core controller via a USB cable. The app uses the open source visual block programming library Google Blockly, to make coding fast and easy to understand. A 64-page, full-colour manual features step-by-step illustrated building instructions and explanations on how to program and operate all of the robot models.

STEM

Addo Play 01494 917250 | www.addoplay.com Addo Play’s new licensed science line Nickelodeon EXPERImake consists of 12 SKUs in three colourways - green, pink and orange - highlighting the three key themes of classic science, cosmetic science, and kitchen/engineering science. The packaging features an explanatory STEM logo, and the key experiments clearly called out. The bar along the bottom provides information about the learning benefits of the set. On the back are listed additional experiments, requiring simple household items. Each set contains a 16 page illustrated user manual with stepby-step instructions for the experiments. The user manual also contains two pages of facts about the topic of the set.

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk The Squishy Human Body comes with organs, bones and muscles, and an activity book. Other kits include Squishy Zombie, Squishy T-Rex, and Squishy Brain. The Crash Test Lab from SmartLab includes a crash test dummy with an electronic sensor to measure crash force. The Crash Cart comes with a removable roll cage, bumpers, and a safety harness. With the Demolition Lab Wrecking Ball children can build structures, then knock them down with the wrecking ball. Using the science of energy and momentum will ensure success. DKL supports its ranges with marketing campaigns including planograms, visual merchandising, and social media activity.

Interplay 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com Following a successful 2016 with My Living World, Interplay is seeing continued growth for the brand in 2017, as well as for the company’s other STEAM inspired brands. Interplay’s My Living World range is an evergreen brand, which has been a strong seller for nearly 20 years. Having invested in instructional and informative videos to use online, as well as in-store display units in 2016, Interplay is confident that the range will continue to grow this year and beyond. Science and nature toys nurture the curiosity and creativity of children, and therefore retain their appeal. These toys also aid parents who want to raise environmentally conscious children by encouraging the families to interact with nature and develop a positive relationship with the natural world.

John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk New from John Adams for 2017 is the Super Science Heroes Lab, which will join the company’s science portfolio for autumn/winter. Super Science Heroes Lab enables children to create their own superpowers. Kids can fire augmented reality laser beams, create a water web shooter, launch a rocket man, create a working freeze ray, and see a superhero walk vertical surfaces. The new introduction will sit alongside the company’s existing science sets, including Hot Wires, the Gross Science range, Sparkle Science, Neon Science and Booms, Bangs, Fizzes. All key lines will be supported by TV/digital and PR campaigns from launch.

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MGA Entertainment 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com Project Mc2 is a team of six smart and cool girls who use their love of STEAM to undertake missions for topsecret organisation, NOV8 (pronounced innovate). This autumn, the doll line and accompanying Nexflix original entertainment will see a range of new STEAM inspired products hitting shelves which continue to offer science-inspired play. New accessories will include the Project Mc2 Pixel Purse, a fashion accessory which allows users to customise an included multi-color LED display via a free iOS and Android app. It also comes pre-programmed with 10 animations for easy out-of-the-box play. Following continued popularity, the Project Mc2 Ultimate Spy Bag will carry forward for autumn, and the Project Mc2 A.D.I.S.N Journal will be refreshed. The line of Experiment Dolls will return with brand new experiment accessories which can be performed at home using household ingredients. With the new line, kids can create lemon soap with Adrienne Attoms, make nail varnish with Camryn Coyle, and more. Each Experiment Doll is based on the characters from the show and includes premium fashions and features. MGA Entertainment hopes that Project Mc2 will encourage the next generation of female scientists, engineers, technicians and mathematicians by stimulating girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests in STEAM subjects. The campaign will be backed by entertainment and TV support, PR and digital influencer activity, and full social media support.

STEM

Feature

Plush

Feeling plush Plush forms a staple of any child’s toy collection, and offers one of the broadest selection of choices of any toy category. Rachael Simpson takes a look at the options available, and the opportunities for the toy retail channel presented by plush products.

lush is usually one of the first gifts a baby receives, and remains popular throughout childhood. The category remains strong, with NPD reporting that plush sales YTD June 2017 are up 9% in value, and 10% in volume. As a more traditional toy, plush doesn’t evolve year on year the same way gadgets and tech toys do, though feature plush, as a sub-category, presents the most scope for technological advancement. Lights, sounds, movement, and interactive abilities allow companies to produce toys that combine a range of features – as long as those companies can balance their technology with price points that remain attractive to consumers. IMC Toys has just released a new version of the singing and dancing puppy Lucy, who can now respond to 20 voice commands. “In June, NPD reported a growth of Special Feature plush of 24%, sure signs that the consumers are looking for the latest innovations and developments within the plush ranges,” explains Cathy Prowde, UK marketing manager at IMC Toys. “Consumers want plush to be more functional but still competitively priced. As a result, IMC has focused on increasing the functions of key products whilst trying to maintain a competetive price point.” For companies in the licensed plush market, successful ranges are linked to popular movies, TV programmes and pre-school properties, such as Golden Bear’s In The Night Garden, Mr Tumble

and Friends, and Twirlywoos ranges, which MD Barry Hughes has reported are performing well, from pick up purchase mini soft toys up to the company’s high ticket feature plush items. In addition to children, licensed plush often also appeals to adult collectors. Posh Paws’ licensed Star Wars Deco plush range features expensive materials which the company believes will appeal to the franchise’s collector fan base. The company is also keeping lines fresh elsewhere in its ranges. “We are bringing a slightly edgier look to our Marvel ranges going into next year that will still appeal to a younger audience,” says Lauren Shipman, marketing and brand director, Posh Paws. “We are using new materials and changing expressions, as well as key sub print or embroidered details.” The Wilberry Mini’s range targets young collectors by offering 26 plush animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, farm animals and wild animals. “People love cats, and sloths are so popular at the moment too,” says Peter Lockey, Wilberry MD. “Everyone has a favourite animal that they love to collect in plush form.” IMC Toys is also embracing the collectors market. “There has been a move towards collectible plush this year, mirrored by demand for our Club Petz and Mickey and Minnie special feature plush,” comments Cathy Prowde. And retailer Vicky Brown, owner of Just Williams toy shop, adds: “Kids love the collectibility of smaller plush lines, as long as the price stays right. The interest in collectible plush does seem to be increasing, especially among girls.” Society’s shift to online shopping habits presents an interesting challenge to plush toy companies, as consumers can no longer depend on feel to guide them – how often have you picked up a particularly soft or cuddly plush and decided to buy it based on that element of touch? Here, bricks and mortar shops may have the edge over online rivals. “Although the online retailers can stock a wide range of products, the consumer is unable to see the product before purchase and cannot get a sense of the product size and functionality prior to purchase,” says Lauren Shipman at Posh Paws. Cathy Prowde has voiced a similar opinion. “Within a traditional toy retail environment, IMC Toys is convinced that the consumer’s ability to try the products definitely aids sales,” she says. Manufacturers looking to engage customers online embrace a range of marketing techniques. Posh

Wilberry

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Posh Paws Paws has focused on product photography to aid in keeping online sales of plush high. “Our business with online retailers continues to go from strength to strength,” explains Lauren Shipman. “It’s important that our photography conveys the cuddle factor. At Posh Paws this is something we are continually evolving to ensure we get as much of the touch and feel factor across in our lifestyle pictures as possible.” With plush so readily available in a wide range of retail outlets, including garden centres and supermarkets, dedicated toy retailers need to address both value for money and high quality products in order to remain competitive in the plush category. “The toy retailer has to be very canny, and focused on price and quality,” says Peter Lockey. Cathy Prowde points out that in non-toy brick and mortar shops, space for plush (and other toys) can often be limited. “Toy retailers can supply a wide range of low-high price point products due to the availability of shelf space in stores, whilst space-restricted garden centres and supermarkets can only stock smaller, less costly ranges,” she offers. Quality high-end plush should therefore drive footfall into toy shops rather than other stores. With plush on the up both in terms of popularity and sales figures, good relationships between retailers and suppliers can only enhance success in the category further. “Service is everything,” enthuses Peter Lockey. “A visitor to Harrogate told me of a plush company with an opening order value of £1500 – for a tiny little toy shop that’s impossible. Wilberry, on the other hand, will take an order of £100 and provide one of each of our plush. People in the supply industry have to be competing on their service as well as their product, and we have a duty to support the retailers – ultimately, they are the people supporting us.” Over the next few pages we take a look at some of the newest offerings from the plush category.

Plush

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com Following the success of the Little Live Pets My Dream Puppy in autumn 2016, Character is launching a second hero pet within the established range. My Dream Kitten Cuddles moves and feels like a real pet. She opens and closes her eyes, makes sleeping sounds when napping, nuzzles like a real kitten and twirls her tail when she is patted. She also purrs when she’s happy, and kids can feed her with the feeding bowl included. My Dream Kitten Cuddles comes with an adoption certificate. The Teletubbies range has a new collection of 8” Talking Party Plush. To celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary year, this new party theme sees each of the Teletubbies donning a party accessory, including pin-wheels, balloons, and party hats. Available in all four characters, the Party Plush toys say their signature catchphrase when their tummies are squeezed. Also new to the Teletubbies collection is a range of Tiddlytubbies. First in-line is the collection of Giggling Tiddlytubbies plush, which giggle when their tummies are squeezed. Made with towelling fabric bodies, kids can choose from yellow Umby Pumby, light blue Mi-Mi and pink Ping, or collect all three. The interactive Shuffle-and-Giggle Ping comes in pastel pink, with towelling fabric. When children press her back, Ping shuffles and giggles across the floor, encouraging little ones to crawl. Another plush option for pre-schoolers comes from the Peppa Pig range. With a new Play Days and Learning theme across the whole licence, Character has introduced ABC Singing Peppa’s. When Peppa’s hands are held she sings one of two songs; the Bing Boing theme tune, and a rendition of the ABC alphabet song.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk

Bush Baby World centres on Bush Babies which feature a patented system that enables children to wiggle the eyes and waggle the ears. Bush Baby World follows the adventures of the Dreamstars, a group of Bush Babies who protect the Dream Tree. The characters all come with their own Sleepy Pod. The Shimmies of Bush Baby World include Princess Melina who comes with a royal sceptre, shimmer star, silver bag and Royal Pod, as well as a comb. Lady Lulu and Lady Lexi are made with sparkly fabric and also come with a comb. The Dream Tree heads up the range and comes with a Sleepy Pod and exclusive Dreamstar Niki. Golden Bear’s DC Super Friends plush range is headed up by the Interactive Power Punch Batman, with poseable arms, phrases and oversized fists, one of which makes punching noises on impact. The range also includes Superman and Batman Large Tough Talking Soft Toys, with The Joker, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn joining the range for autumn/winter 17. There is also a new line up of In the Night Garden plush toys for autumn/winter 17, led by Twinkling Lullaby Igglepiggle, a plush which features a glowing star and plays the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star lullaby. The collection will also include a Peeking Igglepiggle, My Friend Upsy Daisy, and a Walking Makka Pakka. The In the Night Garden Baby range, for children aged 0-18 months, includes Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka characters which feature crinkle material and a rattle.

The new Swing & Sling Spiderman is a 15” feature plush which mimics the superhero’s signature web shooting motion. When kids press the on-switch, Spiderman comes to life and lifts his arms to prepare to swing. Then, when held up by his web, Spiderman swings his legs and performs a 360 degree backward flip. Go Puppy Go is the new line up of plush puppies which walk just as fast as their owners, with no batteries required. Kids can also detach the pets from the walking cradle so they can hold and cuddle their pet in their arms. A Yorkie, Poodle, Bichon and Pomeranian make up the collection. Another animal option is the Peppy Pets range. The latest additions are a French Bulldog and a Unicorn, which features a flowing mane and a bouncy walking action. Also available is a trio of Jo Jo Siwa Bow Bow Plush puppies. Just like the online sensation Jo Jo, Bow Bow comes with bright coloured accessories. The Bow Bow pups are available with a choice of pink, blue, or purple bows. Made from soft fabrics, these collectibles are small enough for kids to take with them on their travels.

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Plush

Melissa & Doug 0800 731 0578 | www.MelissaAndDoug.com The Melissa & Doug plush collection features realistically detailed toys crafted from top-quality materials. The assortment of lifelike stuffed animals includes creatures from the forest to the farm, and the savanna to the sea. Giraffes, lions, and tigers feature alongside pandas and sea turtles in this range. Standing on two feet and made of soft and colourful fabric, the sturdy Giant T-Rex is over a meter tall, and will stand up to a child’s hugs for years to come. At nearly a meter tall, The Giant Unicorn features pure white plush fur, a pink mane and tail, a silky horn, blue eyes, and satin star decorations. A sturdy wire frame keeps the unicorn steady on its hooves. The plush collection also includes an assortment of lifelike stuffed dogs in popular breeds such as a Jack Russell Terrier, a Beagle, and a Basset Hound.

Simba Smoby 01274 765 030 | www.simba-dickie-group.de Fans of Wissper can collect their favourite characters with the plush assortments from Simba Smoby. Retailers can choose between Plush Animal Friends Assortment 1, which comes with Otis, Monty, Herbert, and Gertie, or Assortment 2, featuring Stripes, Kev, Peggy, and Dan. Each toy is a soft replica from the show, making this line a key offering for fans of the TV series. Masha and the Bear offers a great feature plush option with the 35cm Dancing Bear. When little ones press Bear’s button, he dances to the Masha and the Bear theme tune and moves his hands in time to the music. He is also super soft, ideal for bedtime cuddles. Alternatively there is the 50cm Plush Bear for bigger cuddles, or the CDU of 25cm plush bears for hugs on the go.

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com Lamaze has expanded its gifting and activity toy segments with a range of new plush products including Cosimo Concerto. This soft plush zebra doubles as a piano for babies to begin playing songs and developing musical skills. Each of the coloured stripes plays a different musical note when pressed. Young infants will enjoy the bright colours and friendly face, and older babies will learn that each stripe plays a different sound. Cosimo also plays a musical tune of his own when switched to a different mode. Crinkles, contrast patterns, and multiple textures to explore will keep babies engaged during play. The Molang plush range, from master toy licensee Tomy, is based around the popular animation, Molang, which airs on both Cartoonito and Boomerang. The cartoon follows Molang, a cuddly rabbit with a big heart, and his best friend is Piu Piu, a shy chick. The Molang plush collection is targeted at girls aged four years plus, and tweens and teens, with the new range offering a collectibility factor. The Molang plush range consists of collectible plushes, basic plushes, and Talk and Sing Molang and Piu Piu. This talking plush features Molang and Piu Piu talking and singing, whilst the Super Soft Molang is made from stretchy and soft Softboa materials. The Molang marketing plan for the remainder of 2017 consists of targeted digital campaigns, social media activities, and retail PR partnerships.

Re:creation 01189 736 222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation’s Feisty Pets reveal a darker side when squeezed, complete with snarly teeth, while the TV advertised Mimic Mees Talk Back Zoo range brings bold colour to the plush aisle this season. This range of four puppet-style plush have extending necks and each features voice-repetition technology. The award-winning, TV advertised Stretchkins collection welcomes Ballet Bunny. Like fellow Stretchkins, Ballet Bunny features the signature stretchy arms and legs with loops to attach to children’s own hands and feet. Bright Light Pillow and Emojis Necknapperz continue to be a focus and will benefit from marketing support including TV, PR, and online.

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PRE-SCHOO

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Interactive Toys

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Making Children Smile

Plush

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk New for the second half of 2017 is the Sea Patrol theme and adventures that are carried throughout Spin Master’s extensive Paw Patrol toy line. The range features Paw Patrol’s Chase, Marshall, Rubble, and Sky, in soft feature plush. The Snuggle Up Pups each feature a light-up belly that acts as a nightlight. When their bellies are squeezed the characters play lullabies and Paw Patrol sounds, ideal for both bedtime and playtime. Also available in the range are 8” plush Pup Pals. Made from premium plush materials featuring bright and vibrant colours, kids can collect all of their favourite Paw Patrol characters including new Sea Patrol themed Pup Pals.

Juratoys 0208 878 2133 | www.kaloo.com From Kaloo’s Collection Les Amis comes the maxi range of soft plush animals. Each of the 45cm plush characters features a neutral colour palette in a variety of fabrics and finishes. There are three maxi characters to choose from – Caramel Puppy, Vanilla Lamb and Liquorice Donkey – each with a blue bandana fastened around their neck. Also in this range are the medium Les Amis plush. Alongside the puppy, lamb and donkey are Milky Cow, Coco Kitten, Praline Rabbit, and Lemon Chick. Each of the 25cm medium plush characters comes in an attractive and sturdy slide-out box, making them ideal for gifting.

Wilberry 01462 446 040 | www.thepuppetcompany.com Over the last twelve months the Wilberry UK design team has been working closely with its manufacturers to produce a collection of toys and gifts for 2017/18. The new website for Wilberry Toys will give retailers an idea of the variety of styles the company has developed in conjunction with some of the world’s best designers. Each range has its own distinctive style, giving it a noticeable visual signature. Some ranges are designed to be naturalistic whilst others are bright and colourful. As all Wilberry Toys are intended to become a child’s new best friend, the Wilberry website also has a section that allows customers to download a Birth Certificate for their new Wilberry purchase. With over 100 soft toys in the collection, there is a Wilberry for everyone.

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk This September, Trends UK is launching a new Maad Toys range featuring the Angry Birds Hatchlings, licensed from Bulldog Licensing. As the recognisable characters from The Angry Birds Movie, the Angry Birds Hatchlings have found even more fame online with their viral short animations and high viewing figures. Rovio also has a mobile game, Angry Birds Match, which features the Hatchlings and is planned for global release in late 2017. Available in September is the Hatchlings 15cm Reversible Soft Toy. It converts from a Hatchling in a shell to a Hatchling chick by turning it inside out. To complement the plush offering, and perfect for creative kids, the Angry Birds Hatchlings Scribble Me bags can be coloured in with the pens supplied. The range includes a Hatchlings Handbag, Hatchlings Purse, Hatchlings Messenger Bag, and Hatchlings Backpack.

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Plush

IMC Toys 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com Expanding its special feature plush portfolio, IMC Toys will introduce new products this year within their Club Petz brand. The Lucy Sing and Dance puppy can now respond to to 20 voice commands, and can dance in many different styles such as hip-hop, ballet and salsa. Lucy not only responds to voice commands but can also be controlled via the new Lucy app. Extra dances and other features such as Lucy selfies can be accessed on the app. Bianca behaves like a real kitten, and will even turn her head when her owner calls. She purrs when her back is stroked, and plays with her ball of wool whilst humming a song. Kids are advised not to squeeze her paw though; she doesn’t like it. When her ball of wool is placed in front of her, Bianca will start walking in order to play. Bianca also tries to attract her owner’s attention with movements and sounds, encouraging kids to stroke and play with her. IMC also introduces new functions for Blu Blu the baby dolphin. Now Blu Blu will call out, just like a real dolphin would in the wild, and will then interact in his own dolphin language when he is talked to. Kids can now can call his name to wake him up, when he falls asleep after being calmed with his dummy. All of the new additions to the Club Petz range will be supported by a comprehensive marketing and heavyweight TV campaign.

Posh Paws 01268 567317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk The Posh Paws range of Winnie the Pooh and Pals soft toys includes fan favourites from Hundred Acre Wood such as Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. These characters are popular with parents and kids alike and have become UK national treasures. Winnie the Pooh continues to grow its fan base with the brands core values of friendship, fun and imagination. Posh Paws has a variety of different styles and sizes to suit a range of ages and budgets, as well as offering focused retail opportunities with the popular range. Disney continues to deliver ongoing content to parents and infants across a multitude of platforms, including parenting websites and social media. Regular animated shorts on YouTube and Disney Junior ensure that the characters remain front and centre of families’ minds.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Rainbow Designs has a host of new plush lines available this summer including a brand new Peter Rabbit TV range and feature plush lines in the Paddington Movie collection. The Peter Rabbit TV collection not only includes a soft toy assortment of the characters from the show but also two feature plush lines. The cuddly Talking Peter Rabbit and Lily Bobtail characters speak five different phrases when their tummies are squeezed. The collection also includes the award-winning Hopping and Talking Peter Rabbit and Lily Bobtail feature plush toys. Peter and Lily not only voice five different phrases and giggle away, but also waggle their ears and hop up and down. Along with the new Paddington 2 Movie set to premiere in November, Rainbow Designs has added two new TV-advertised feature plush toys to its Movie range. Youngsters will be able to dance along to calypso rhythms with Dancing Paddington as the bear swings his hips to the beat of the music. Dancing Paddington comes with his traditional blue toggle coat which can be reversed to reveal a brightly coloured calypso-style shirt. Paddington also says five different phrases that include “Hello, my name is Paddington” and “Marmalade sandwiches are my favourite”. The new Cycling Paddington will see the character cycling around on his red bicycle to a catchy tune. These two new feature plush will appear in a new range commercial on air autumn/winter 17, with 500+ TVR’s.

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Plush

Baby Republic 0800 009 6177 | www.elfontheshelf.co.uk The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is a children’s storybook about scout elves sent from the North Pole to help Santa manage his nice list. Each illustrated book comes as part of a box set that also includes one of Santa’s scout elves. The storybook was written by mother and daughter Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, and is based on their own family’s Christmas tradition. Carol, Chanda and her twin sister Christa Pitts self-published the book and founded their own company, Creatively Classic Activities and Books (CCA and B, LLC). In the run up to the festive season, families can adopt a scout elf who reports back to Santa every evening, creating a fun tradition for all the family to be part of. The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is available at stores across the UK.

Cloud b + 1424 757 9838 | www.cloudb.com The Cloud b Sleep Sheep is suitable from birth, and is ideal for helping babies and young children drift off to sleep. The Sleep Sheep plays eight soothing sounds and melodies, including Mother’s Heartbeat, Ocean Waves, Spring Showers and Whale Songs. 23 minute and 45 minute sleep timer options are available. The Sleep Sheep attaches easily to a cot or bed with its Velcro strap, and includes two AA batteries so that it can be used straight away. The Sleep Sheep is also machine washable thanks to its removable sound box.

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk 2017 has seen the launch of Hanazuki, Hasbro’s first ever animated digital series available on YouTube, and will see the arrival of My Little Pony: The Movie in cinemas this autumn. With them comes Hasbro’s newest range of plush toys. The Hemka are sidekicks to the moonflower Hanazuki. Each Hemka plush represents a particular mood, expressed by their colour, such as loving pink, sad blue and mellow green, and has an expressive face. The rainbow Hemka represents what happens when all the Hemka come together to solve a problem. All of the plush figures can be attached to a backpack or the wrist and make ideal collectibles. The Little Dreamer plush comes with a variety of hoodie pyjamas, including multi-coloured treasure-pattern hoodie pyjamas, purple hoodie pyjamas complete with purple cape, a green and black punk hoodie with a skull pattern, and peacock-themed pyjamas. Both the Hemka plush figures and the Little Dreamer plush figures come with codes on the back which can be scanned using a smart device’s camera to unlock interactive activities in the Hanazuki app. Inspired by My Little Pony: The Movie, the My Little Pony plush toy range includes Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Each pony represents an Element of Harmony, including kindness, honesty, loyalty and laughter, and the plush toys come with design detailing and a long mane and tail. The My Little Pony Huggable Plush toys are ideal for bedtime cuddles.

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NEW

[ ] [

Tendresse

“Tendresse” Kaloo’s new range of cuddly dolls, all oh-so-soft, tender and affectionate

[ ] [

32 High Park Road, Kew Gardens • Richmond TW9 4BH • United Kingdom Tel. : +44 (0)20 8878 2133

janod.com • kaloo.com • alexbrands.com

Plush

Carte Blanche 01243 792 600 | www.cbgtrader.co.uk Carte Blanche debuts the latest member of the Me to You family, My Dinky Bear, this month. This first range of plush will feature six novelty hats, magnetic paws so the bears can hold hands, drawstring bags with kangaroo-style pouches, and themed sticker packs. Consumer marketing campaigns will build over the autumn months with regular online competitions, blogger activity and promotions in girls’ magazine Sparkle World. My Dinky Bear iMessage stickers have already had over 40k downloads in one month, without marketplace presence. Carte Blanche is also launching a nationwide Schools’ Pack initiative, where over 600 classes will be sent free products and adventure journals that allow pupils to adopt Dinky as their class mascot.

Skip Hop 01582 434 250 | www.skiphop.com The Skip Hop Bandana Buddies collection is popular with parents and babies alike. Full of textures, patterns and sounds, little hands can stay active as babies explore rattles, crinkles and more. Each character’s bandana teether detaches so parents and guardians can wear it around their wrist for quick access. Perfect for multi-sensory play, this range of plush is ideal for fun at home or on-the-go, and can be attached to a stroller, car seat, or infant carrier. Bandana Buddies are available in fox, monkey, lion, raccoon, kitty, elephant, and puppy.

Vivid 01473 322 000 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk The Disney Emoji range of special feature plush includes soft 6” plush #Chatties, with ten sounds and four characters to collect, each having different Emoji expressions. #Swapsies are supersized plush Emoji that enable kids to swap either Minnie Mouse or Belle’s expressions to suit their mood with one of 10 changeable Velcro expressions. Also available from the Disney Emoji Project Plush range are Disney Emoji Plush Bag Clips, 4” Beanies, and 11’’ Plushes. For autumn/winter 17, Animagic will introduce a range of new pets. Surprizamals Series 2 launches in July with 12 new Surprizamals pets, including puppies, kittens and bears, plus a unicorn. Penny My Cute & Curious Puppy is a puppy who interacts with her owner, and Fluffy Go Walkies is back, with her light-up lead and a new wagging tail. All three new items will feature as part of Animagic’s strong TV campaign for autumn/winter 17. New ranges of Flip a Zoo, FlipZee Girls, and Care Bears Hug & Giggle are also to be released, and coming next year is a full Nella the Princess Knight range, which will include two key plush lines.

Sinco Toys 07793 121 778 Sinco Toys has announced a new range of Disney Christmas toys. Hitting the shelves in October, the seasonal collection should prove popular with fans both old and new. The range includes Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Winnie-the-Pooh. Each character plush is available in a medium size, measuring approx. 18”, and a large size, measuring approx. 25”. This range is suited to both younger and older girls and boys, as well as seasoned collectors. Each toy is themed with a festive hat for a Christmas feel, and are soft to touch making them ideal for playtime.

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14th to 17th Sept 2017 Hall: 10.1 Stand: A-069

Featuring Elephant Sounds

Viewpoint Reinventing media for a new generation

Jim Hawker Co-founder of Threepipe agency: a team of PR, social, content, SEO and paid media experts

Virtual Licensing

David Ripley David is currently EMEA category director for Toys, Nursery, Sporting Goods & Pet Care at Groupon. His long career as a toy buyer has included stints at a number of the industry’s largest retail accounts.

he recent news about the BBC pumping an additional £34 million into children’s programming over the next few years is highly indicative of the changing times and media consumption of families. What is interesting is that a lot of this investment will be made into creating content that is designed to be consumed online in the form of short form video, interactive quizzes, podcasts and apps. The BBC recognises that media consumption is moving away from TV and has responded by “reinventing the BBC for a new generation”. TV viewing of the BBC’s children’s content has been dropping for a while now and this investment will surely be

he rise and rise of the virtually famous continues a winning streak for the licensing industry, especially for those that were early adopters of grasping the commercial opportunity to take purely digital and largely homemade content celebrities into the mass market, with a wide range of consumer products. JoJo Siwa is the latest in a relatively short line of YouTube stars to convert their IP into a range of toy & hair play products. Claire’s Accessories has signed an exclusive retail agreement on the signature Bows range and

welcomed by toy companies that are heavily invested into BBC licences. The question is, however, will it be enough? The rise of Sky, Amazon and Netflix is a huge threat to BBC programming, and Amazon and Netflix budgets massively dwarf the BBC’s for original content development. These companies have a “mobile first” approach that makes sense for UK families that are increasingly turning to phones and tablets to consume their entertainment. The BBC will need not only to invest in these new forms of content, but to create new partnerships to ensure that the content is distributed effectively to reach families, in new and innovative ways that don’t rely solely on TV programming to drive awareness. Threepipe is currently working

Sambro has been savvy in recognising the hair play aspect and signing the virtual star before the majority of the toy trade woke up. The Entertainer also appears to be backing this licensing opportunity with a strong ‘Bows’ presence on its landing page. The Business Insider now regularly runs articles on the top commercial talent from YouTube and it was reported by The Wall Street Journal, among others in the US, when PewDiePie (54m followers and $15m pa income) was sacked by both Disney and YouTube for making ill-advised and offensive jokes in his videos. One of the original and more

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with a company that has developed a line of toys to support a Netflix entertainment property. This has required a completely different marketing approach because of the lack of advertising channels available within the Netflix ecosystem. We need to ensure that the campaign is highly targeted to those families we know are watching the exclusive series. Fortunately, there are some pretty clever things we can do to reach this audience – none of which involves a TV or PR campaign. The world is changing fast and toy companies are right at the heart of many of these changes that are taking place which makes it such an exciting time. Those that jump in quickly will steal a march on those that don’t.

established UK stars of YouTube, Zoella (Zoe Sugg), has a much-expanded range of Health & Beauty products for sale exclusively at Superdrug, which launched well over three years ago, proving that - managed correctly - virtual IP can have longevity. Her debut novel ‘Girl Online’ went straight to No1 in the book charts and was the highest grossing launch of any debut novelist. Apart from George Lucas in 1977, who else would have thought that a bunch of young upstarts could have such an impact on the licensing industry?

viewpoint

The new normal…

Tristan Brooks Client services director Arena Azure: Specialist media planning and buying agency focused on child’s markets

viewpoint

t’s fair to say that children’s commercial TV channels are having a tough time at the moment. Following on from a year of declining viewing in 2016 (commercial viewing impacts for children aged four to nine were down 13% for 2016), all eyes were on viewing figures at the start of 2017. It was hoped that decreases would be negligible, bearing in mind the tough trading environment the industry finds itself in this year. Unfortunately, no one told the kids. It looks like those children who received tech devices last Christmas have been putting them to good use this year (commercial viewing impacts for children aged four to nine were down 17% from January to May 2017). It’s hard to see children who now own a digital device reverting to their old TV viewing habits, and who can blame them? They have more control over media choice; their media world has expanded more than any previous generation at the touch of a screen. This is shifting influence away from advertiser to viewer, as the viewer can and will avoid and ignore advertising if they want to. Advertisers need to consider how to relate to their audience, on their terms, to hold their attention long enough to create demand. The ‘new normal’ we now find ourselves in, is one where marketers and their comms partners have to take more time and care crafting and integrating the consumer marketing plans across an increasing number of media channels. As audiences fragment we have to find where they’ve gone and more importantly how best to communicate with them there. This means constantly challenging and evolving our thinking and knowledge, addressing the knowledge gaps, understanding the audience in ever greater detail, taking time to plan properly, being brave by taking calculated risks, testing new media channels, integrating and aligning channels, optimising live campaigns and consolidating learnings for future planning…. plenty to keep us busy.

Be bold but be measured… One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked, as money is invested in digital media, is applying the same planning rigour and accountability that all media should be measured by. Rigour to make sure that every effort is made upfront to plan the most effective

campaign with the available insights, and then accountability in terms of measuring the performance of that campaign against key benchmarks. For an industry usually so focused on the bottom line and making every penny count, some of this rigour seems to be being overlooked, in my view, with certain new digital media. For example, influencer marketing has seen huge investment growth from the toy industry in the past two years, driven by the huge reach of YouTube toy vloggers. However, currently it feels like there should be more planning rigour applied and more accountability. The advertiser should expect a level of control to be handed over to the vlogger, so that branded content fits the individual vloggers look and style, in order to remain authentic to their fans, rather than potentially look too commercial by adhering to a tighter product messaging brief. This is totally acceptable, but the advertiser should still have confidence that their money is going to be invested to work as hard as possible to deliver the desired response, especially considering that the costs of working with leading talent is increasing. It’s right to ask the more challenging questions to talent agencies and management companies upfront, to provide the advertiser with the confidence needed for their investment. In my view, this is not done often enough and there needs to be more of a balance in this process rather than in favour of the talent agency or influencer. Remember, the reason you’re investing in branded content is not primarily to boost the popularity of that vlogger, but to sell your product.

Some things for advertisers to consider… • Agree how long you want the video to be. Consider that a video longer than 10 minutes will not have the same number of completed views as a video of five minutes. • Upweight the key product messaging to the first few minutes to increase the number of viewers you’ll reach. • Try and get as much of an understanding of how your product will be positioned and reviewed in the video. Ideally you should have input in this. • Make sure you have factored in feedback to edit and amend the final video as required. • Is the influencer proposed right

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for the campaign or are they being shoehorned? Do they already produce videos relevant to your product? Is their relevant social reach high enough? Do they reach the right target audience for your product? • Agree your viewing targets and what happens if you’re under delivered. Make sure your viewing estimates and delivery figures are based on the region you wish to advertise in. If the region you’re advertising in is the UK, ask for estimated specific UK reach figures so you can estimate media value. • What is the media value being offered? Benchmark this against known media costs. • Make sure your video will stand out. Your video may be one of many others released by the influencer that week, so how can you increase the opportunity for your video to be seen? Try and find out if other branded videos will be running and when. • Understand the relationship between viewing increases and sales return. Influencer videos do not drive immediate product search in the same immediate way TV does, as viewing grows over time to peak roughly two to three weeks after seeding. Therefore the sales curve is likely to build over a longer period and not be as immediate. • Have a detailed contract covering what you require. • Make sure you’re aware of risk. The advertiser is liable for any issues with working practices and licences, as well as injuries that could occur. Make sure you’re covered. • Think of other avenues if your budget doesn’t stretch to influencer marketing. Think smarter; for instance, you can run an ad as a pre-roll video prior to influencer content on YouTube, and the budget required should be a lot lower. It’s fair to say you’ll be hijacking the front of that video and only paying for those who’ve seen the ad the whole way through. With the growing digital media options now available, the trick is to use greater rigour in planning at the start to work out what you’re trying to achieve to get the desired result. The advertising world is evolving but that shouldn’t mean quality of output suffers. Be bold, be brave but make sure you’re properly prepared to achieve your set goals.

Feature

Wooden Toys

Wooden it be nice As the wooden category continues to grow year on year, Casey Goodman finds out how suppliers are keeping these timeless and traditional toys updated and fresh.

Mattel

ood remains a key traditional material for toys in the UK, as well as internationally. Last year across the globe, wooden toys as a share of total toys grew 4% (and YTD is up a further 3%), making up a sizeable proportion of the Pre-school Vehicles, Craft Kits, Kitchen and Food, and Family Games sectors. The perennial classic Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway range continues to perform strongly as the number three overall property and number one character brand in Wooden Toys, based on May YTD NPD data. Wendy Hill, brand activation director at Mattel, commented: “Our extensive wooden range is a key driver within the wooden toys sector, covering a great selection of playsets and engines featuring key characters. Wood is one of the brand’s key segments that sits alongside My First, Minis, Adventures and Trackmaster, offering preschoolers a fun and unique play pattern.” Mattel also has plans in place to keep its wooden range fresh for 2017. Wendy revealed: “We have a fantastic range for 2017 including great offerings for pre-schoolers. Key lines include the Tidmouth Sheds Wooden Railway, which features a working turntable that can hold up to five engines. Also in the range is Cranky the Crane, the Wooden Railway Coal Hopper Fig 8 Set, BatteryOperated Thomas engine, and Wooden Railway Thomas, which connects to other wooden railway engines. The range is supported with marketing including social media activations and Milkshake sponsorship.” Another popular classic licensed range

currently performing well in the wooden toys category is Orange Tree Toys’ Peter Rabbit selection. Orange Tree Toys’ Amy Cowdell confirms that this range has established itself as a customer favourite, while the company is also finding that its traditional wooden puzzles and playsets are selling well. Amy explains: “I would say that the puzzles are doing well because they are a good price point for mid-year, not too high but offering great value for money. Our Peter Rabbit range has been substantially extended this year and with Peter Rabbit remaining one of the classic favourites, I believe this has helped us sell this range well.” Amy added: “Our puzzle range has grown steadily over the past few years, with our brightly coloured crocodile first alphabet puzzle still one of the firm favourites. We are also excited to be launching our new Disney range this year. We are hoping to have this finalised in time to launch at Autumn Fair 2017 and cannot wait to share it with our customers.” Similarly, A.B. Gee has also reported a huge growth in the sales of its recently rebranded Wooden toy range, with sales almost doubling year on year. Alex Minchin, marketing manager at the company commented: “We continue to develop and expand our wooden ranges. We have a fantastic new Rocking Unicorn available towards the end of Q3 that will complement the popular Rocking Horse and Dinosaur. We are sure it’s going to be a big hit for Christmas. Our continued success is based on fantastic core brand values in play, together with best quality for best pricing when compared with competing brands or product lines.”

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Suppliers have noticed that a current trend in the wooden category is the need for toys to be relatable. Alex explains: “Children need to see something relevant and relatable to the experiences they are going through in the early stages of life, be it a favourite character or play type, like being a Police Officer, Fireman, Space Ranger and the like. Our development and buying teams have made a concerted effort to develop a range of outstanding new lines for 2017.” Wooden toys with added features have also proved successful, especially toys that incorporate educational elements, as well as having highquality design. A.B. Gee has responded to customer feedback in order to continue to develop its products. Alex commented: “Our activity range of Stacking Toys, Bead Mazes and Cubes have proven to be extremely popular this year. Our large wooden multi activity Space Rocket has been highly successful with its comprehensive range of learning activities on one beautifully crafted, bright and colourful design. All our products are made to the highest standards and are designed to stimulate and entertain children through imaginative and creative play. Alex added: “We constantly listen to our customer’s feedback, our policy is to continually develop and improve our Wooden lines. For instance, we have increased the quality of construction, sourced better quality wood, and improved our branding and packaging, all whilst maintaining fantastic value for money. Keep an eye out at Toy Fair 2018 for the new ranges.” Over the following pages, Toy World presents a selection of some of the hottest new wooden toy ranges coming to market over the coming months.

Making the right tracks!

Wooden Toys

Orange Tree Toys 01242 244 500 | www.orangetreetoys.com Wooden toys will always be a popular choice for both children and parents, as they remain timeless; for parents or grandparents, they are a reminder of toys from when they were young. Orange Tree Toys is run by two sisters, whose original aim was to create a range of toys which they remember from their childhood. Wooden toys can be more attractive than plastic toys as they are more durable, are tactile, safe, and usually quiet. They encourage the child to use their own imagination, rather than having gameplay dictated to them by various noises and flashing lights. An example loved by both boys and girls is wooden vehicles. Orange Tree Toys has a large variety of vehicles for children from 12 months, including some of its best-sellers, the First Emergency Vehicle Set, and London Vehicles. Wooden skittles has remained one of the best-selling collections for Orange Tree Toys and with a wide variety of designs, there is a set for everybody. These skittles are not only great fun to play with, but also look beautiful displayed on nursery shelves. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor play, the adorable characters will keep a child entertained for hours. All of Orange Tree Toys’ products are designed in the UK, and painted in vibrant colours, using non-toxic paint.

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Mattel’s wooden toy ranges continue to expand in 2017, with new products from Thomas & Friends and Fisher-Price Bing. Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway includes Tidmouth Sheds, which features a working turntable that can hold up to five wooden engines, while Cranky the Crane keeps everything moving at Brendam Docks with his working magnetic crane arm. Children can escape to the Island of Sodor with the Coal Hopper Figure 8 Set featuring a wooden Thomas engine, cargo car, wooden track, coal, and bridge. Also in the range are the BatteryOperated Thomas, Percy and James engines, which connect via magnets to other wooden railway engines, including Thomas’ faithful coaches Annie & Clarabel. Launching for autumn/winter 2017 is the new Fisher-Price Bing wooden range, with products to enhance role-play and fine-motor skills in pre-schoolers. The toy range includes Bing’s Lunchbox, recreating the iconic lunchbox from the show with Bing’s carroty sandwich. While the Balancing Seesaw teaches children about different weights, the collectible Wooden Figure Packs have adjustable features to express emotions.

Hape 0845 6000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk Suitable for pre-schoolers, Hape’s 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Blocks includes 30 pieces made from solid beech wood, perfect for budding builders. With a range of geometric shapes from squares, rectangles, triangles, and arches, children can build anything from castles to animals, limited only by their imagination. Using quality craftsmanship with a durable finish, these blocks are built to endure rigorous play. The blocks have added colour to encourage imagination and creativity. As a timeless toy that never goes out of fashion, children have been playing with blocks for years and with a brand new refresh, are sure to continue for years to come. Hape toys strives to make a difference across the world, and for every set of Hape Anniversary Toy Blocks sold, a toy is donated to a child in a poverty stricken country such as: Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Syria, and Zimbabwe.

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NEW

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With light and sound

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Tel: 01869 363800 sales@ravensburger.com www.brio.net

Wooden Toys

Peterkin 01162 543 645 | www.mokuru.com Available in the UK from Peterkin, Mokuru was originally designed to test an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s balance and focus and has become a massive craze. Crafted out of beech wood into an eye-catchingly cool object, players can flip, tip, and spin one Mokuru or more. Mokuru is the new black or, as the Japanese say, Genbu. Also available in green (Matcha), orange, (Kirin) white (Byakko), red (Suzaku), blue (Seiryu), and yellow (Inazuma). Beginners can simply tip over the toy, let it flip, and catch it with their fingers or flip it to draw a triangle or square. Mokuru masters can use five Mokuru at once with one hand. Claimed to help focus and concentration, imagination, and alleviate stress, Mokuru fits easily into a pocket. The consumer launch in July received much national media coverage and product was sold out within a week. Peterkin has warned customers to be on the lookout for fakes, and to ensure that they order genuine Mokuru.

Milly&Flynn 01242 241 765 | www.millyandflynn.com The colourful Peppa Pig Wooden Clock helps little ones learn to tell the time with its movable hour and minute hands and 12 shaped number pieces to count, sort, and place. Also new to this ever-popular range are the chunky Peppa Pig Wheeled Vehicles, which are supplied in a CDU to be sold individually and make the perfect till-point pick-up, stocking-filler, or party gift. This September also sees Milly&Flynn launch two new In the Night Garden toys â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a set of beautifully illustrated cardboard Stacking Blocks and a wooden Magnetic Play Set. The play set includes a double-sided wooden play board and lots of magnetic pieces for children to use to create their own magical scenes with Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, and friends.

Timberkits 01650 521 635 | www.timberkits.com Timberkits are mechanical model kits featuring all sorts of characters, creatures, and contraptions. Within their structures are an intriguing collection of cogs, wheels, and wagglesticks all cunningly designed to bring creations to life. When the handle is turned, the gentle clickety clack sound of wooden workings can be heard; the drummerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toe tapping, the octopus tentacles waving, and the traffic driving over Tower Bridge. Assembly requires a methodical step by step process, following photographic instructions, with a few glue-drying pauses - not a process to be rushed but to be savoured. Putting together a build is so absorbing that upon completion, the user may not have noticed all sorts of details along the way and lessons are unwittingly learnt, such as how a cam or a linkage works. There could be more creativity yet to explore, as builders can then go on to customise and decorate their model. Timberkits are made of a natural material that is warm and soft to touch. Kits include a Drummer, a Pirate, and a London Cityscape.

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A .B.Gee of Ripley Ltd, Asher Lane Business Park, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3SW. Tel: 01773 570444 www.abgee.co.uk Email: sales@abgee.co.uk

Wooden Toys

A.B.Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee has recently rebranded and re-launched its comprehensive range of Wooden and Traditional toys, with the quality and bright new packaging designed to stand out in any shop or retail display. The Wooden & Plush range brings together A.B.Geeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core values in play; best quality for the best pricing, when compared like for like with competing brands or product lines. New lines include the Activity range, featuring cubes, bead mazes and stacking toys, and a popular line has been the multi activity Space Rocket. New for Q3 is a rocking Unicorn, which is expected to be popular in the run up to Christmas. With more than 40 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience, A.B.Gee offers a range of retail focused products, backed up by excellent customer service and low carriage paid charges.

Melissa & Doug 0800 731 0578 | www.melissaanddoug.com Known for its wide range of puzzles, classic skill builders, and pretend play toys, Melissa & Doug offers thoughtfully designed toys with sturdy wooden construction across many of its play categories. One of the first products Melissa & Doug introduced nearly three decades ago was a wooden touch-and-feel puzzle, and the company has continued to build on its puzzle category with items for every age and interest. The large wooden peg puzzles give children ages one and up an easy-to-grip knob to latch onto as they learn how to put the pieces in place. From there, children can move up to wooden chunky puzzles, where the thick pieces can stand up and often double as pretend play figures. Chunky jigsaw puzzles with a few more pieces offer the next challenge. Peg puzzles that help build fine motor skills and engaging sound puzzles round out the wooden puzzles category. Melissa & Doug wooden toys feature durable construction, inviting, vibrant colours and patterns, and beautiful artwork. Classics such as the wooden Shape Sorting Cube, Stacking Train, and various block sets make excellent first toys to help kids exercise their fingers and their brains. Popular with age three plus, the assortment of wooden trucks, trains, and vehicles includes special touches like the magnetic arm that lifts cars off the flatbed of the Magnetic Car Loader or the solid-wood play people included with the Fire Engine, providing endless opportunities for imaginative play.

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Goula, from Jumbo Games, encompasses fun and engaging play through fundamental learning skills, to help children alongside each stage of their early development. With over 170 wooden puzzles, construction, and ability toys and educational games in the range, Jumbo has every stage of learning covered. The Goula wooden range puzzles include brightly coloured Butterfly and Rabbit Peg Puzzles, Magnetic Character, and Animal Puzzles. They are suitable from preschool ages and are designed to develop motor skills, colour and shape recognition, holding, and placing pieces, all of which are fundamental skills for early learning. Larger puzzles, such as the Extra-Large Jungle Animals Puzzles, are aimed at older children and stimulate their imaginations through discovery and exploration. Construction and Ability Toys help to develop manual and coordination skills, with eye-catching and engaging constructions to build and play with. Wooden construction toys such as the Goula Geometric Shape Sorting Farm encourage children to explore and express their creativity, balancing and stacking skills, handeye coordination skills, and to let their imaginations become a physical realisation. Other key products in this category include the Stacking Forest Cubes, the Tiki Musical 3in1, and the new Pull-Along Caterpillar. The Goula My First Games range combines all of the fundamental aspects of fun and education and has been specially designed to be easy enough for young children to enjoy, whilst learning new skills at the same time. One of the most popular games in the range is the Goula Fishing Game that teaches young children to socially interact with others during playtime, whilst learning how to recognise colours, develop hand-eye coordination, and hone spatial awareness skills.

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Wooden Toys

Le Toy Van 0208 979 2036 | www.letoyvan.com Le Toy Van’s biggest dolls house is 92cm high with four-storeys, adorned with a floral motif. Each room is decorated differently to define room space. It features numerous window styles, including functioning shutters and back windows to allow light to shine through. It also includes chimney stacks and staircases with banisters that function as room dividers. Dolls and furniture are sold separately, and customers can choose from the extensive collection of Le Toy Van’s dolls house furniture sets, which are scaled to the Le Toy Van Daisylane Dolls House Collection.

Tobar 01603 397 105 | www.tobar.co.uk Mini Wooden Golf Set is a fun, traditional garden game complete with two wooden golf clubs and a variety of wooden obstacles, and is suitable for the whole family. Tobar’s new wooden activity set includes everything children need to showcase their artistic flair; white board, chalk board, magnets, alphabet and mathematical blocks, white board pen, chalk in five colours, and an eraser to wipe it away and start again. The Unicorn Classic Pull-along has vibrant colours and variations, and is suitable for children looking for a friend to pull along on their next adventure. A Dragon is also available. The Classic Wooden Pirate Ship playset is a painted natural wood playset that includes masks, rigging, crows’ nest, dinghy, felt sea, anchor, pirates, and even a shark. When children have finished hunting the treasure, they can simply place everything underneath ready for their next adventure.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Rainbow Designs has a range of high quality wooden toys available for some of its most renowned classic ranges. The Illustrated Wooden Blocks sets encourage creative building as well as number and letter recognition. Available in Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar designs, the wooden blocks feature letters of the alphabet and numbers 1-10, alongside brand illustrations. Also available in these renowned brands are the fun and educational wooden Peg Puzzles. Featuring illustrations from the classic properties, the puzzles encourage number and shape recognition, as well as helping to hone fine motor skills. To keep toddlers entertained, Rainbow Designs also features Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny Pullalong Toys and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Wooden Pullalong Caterpillar in its collection.

Gibsons Games 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Manufactured from reforested rubberwood, the Gibsons wooden games range is not only great fun to play but is also forest friendly. The rubber trees are only cut down once they are no longer producing rubber and are immediately replaced with another tree. The range consists of a selection of classic games, including Cribbage, Chinese Chequers, Solitaire, and four mini travel games. Each of the mini games act as storage for the pieces, making them the perfect travel companion. Presented in smart contemporary packaging with cut-out holes in the box, encouraging shoppers to feel the high quality wood for themselves, these games are as good to look at as they are fun to play and make a suitable gift for both casual and serious gamers.

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We’re at Autumn Fair! Hall 4 Stand 4A02-B03

2017 DHX Worldwide Limited. In the Night Garden and all related characters, titles and logos are trademarks of DHX Worldwide Limited. All Rights Reserved. Peppa Pig © Astley Baker Davies Ltd/Entertainment One UK Ltd 2003.

MillyandFlynn @MillyandFlynn MillyandFlynn sales@millyandflynn.com www.millyandflynn.com

Wooden Toys

Juratoys 0208 878 2133 | www.janod.com A leader in the wooden toy category, French company Janod offers the Zigolos Pingoo Russian Dolls. The five solid wood nesting auk dolls are ideal as both play toys and decorative objects, and the cold transfer printing process ensures that the colours on the penguins wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fade or rub off. The nesting nature of Russian Dolls helps teach kids spatial awareness, and the take-apart element improves hand-eye coordination and dexterity. The smallest penguin is 2.5 x 4.5cm, while the biggest is 10 x 16cm. Used separately, the hollow dolls can also be utilised by kids for storing small treasures and keepsake items. The Zigolos Pingoo Russian Dolls come in a window colour box with blister packing, displaying all of the penguins in size order.

DKL 01604 678786 | www.dkl.co.uk Scratch Toys, distributed by DKL Marketing, offers wooden toys in design led packaging, taking the traditional packaging to a new look that attracts adults and children with its colour, fun, and humour, made to the highest quality at a very competitive price with original concepts. The Furniture Collection has become the best-seller from Scratch, with themed tables and chairs such as Cars, Owls, Fish, and more. There is also a Circus Truck that allows children to develop their spatial awareness through putting the circus animals in the wagon Shape Sorter. A unique touch is the seal that has a magnet on the bottom, so it can ride along on the roof while children pull the circus wagon. DKL also offers Pull Back Cars, Colourful Shape Sorters, and Pull Alongs with Nodding Heads. Scratchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wooden musical instrument range includes a wide variety of instruments with fun designs, crazy names and great sound, from maracas to ukuleles. The 3 in 1 Musical Fish Bench includes a drum, cymbal, and a xylophone for pre-school children, and there are also guitars and drums in various colours. As with all DKL brands, Scratch Wooden Toys are supported by a full instore marketing programme including dedicated planograms, and extensive social media activity to drive consumers into stores.

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com Children can enjoy hours of role-play fun with the new police themed playset and accessories from Brio. Combining high-quality FSC certified wood and strong durable plastic, Brio has created a range of toys for pre-school and older children. New for this season are six police themed toys. The Police Transport Set includes a wooden railway track which is compatible with all other Brio World sets, a train, and a wagon transporting gold, a railway crossing, a policeman, a thief, and a magnetic crane to lift the gold from the wagon. Children can continue the fun by adding the Police Station with light and sound, and by using the working elevator, children can help transport the prisoner to his cell on the second floor. The Brio Police range is available now.

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A.B.Gee

Company Profile

Easy as A.B.Gee Toy World spoke to Alex Minchin, marketing manager at toy wholesaler A.B.Gee of Ripley, about the company’s expanded product lines, its own brand ranges and the recent rebranding of the company’s website, logo and packaging In addition to the extensive portfolio of distribution lines you carry, how important are your own proprietary ranges within the overall A.B.Gee product mix? Without doubt our own direct import lines are hugely important to the way in which A.B.Gee continues to grow the business. We have already seen wooden and traditional toy sales almost double year on year, with strong growth in our pocket money, plush and outdoor ranges. We have great plans for the future development of the brand, with a wide range of new lines to complement our portfolio of official distribution lines from Mattel, Hasbro, Hornby, Character Options, Flair, Vivid, Funskool, MGA Zapf, and other respected manufacturers.

Which categories do your ranges cover? With more than 15,000 lines, A.B.Gee covers almost every category. We are the first choice in toy and hobby distribution with the most comprehensive range of indoor and outdoor toys and models you can find anywhere from one source. We cover the whole of the UK and Ireland with a combination of our sales force and agents.

Every category and product is available to order 24/7 on our website www.abgee.co.uk, with new lines, special offers and news stories.

continually develop and evolve our own brand ranges to keep up with any new trends in the market.

What do you see as the key strengths of your own branded ranges?

How does A.B.Gee support its retail customers?

Our key strengths and core brand values include being best quality for best pricing when compared like for like with competing brands or product lines. We believe this has contributed to the outstanding growth of our ranges and we intend to keep the retail prices we suggest as low as possible for the consumer. Moreover, retailers can achieve 40% POR or greater, depending on order volumes. We are able to bring new lines into our range quickly. An example of this would be the fabulous rocking Unicorn coming in at the end of Q3.

Several of your own brand ranges have undergone a significant refresh this year – what changes have you made and why did you feel the time was right to make these changes? This is all part of a comprehensive rebranding and updating of the company’s profile. Toy Fair 2017 saw the introduction of a strong new visual identity for A.B.Gee, with a completely new logo design and focused colour scheme rolled out across our own brands and website. This also gave us the perfect opportunity to refresh our own packaging designs. The bright new packaging and premium quality of the products are sure to stand out in any shop or retail display.

What are the main benefits for retailers in stocking your own branded products? A.B.Gee of Ripley has more than 40 years’ experience, and offers a superb range of retail focused own brand products, all backed up by excellent customer service and low carriage paid charges. We listen to our customer feedback and

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From our 75,000 sq. ft. head office and distribution centre in Derbyshire, we can supply wholesalers, retailers, large high street and online stores quickly and effectively. We pride ourselves on being the only distributor who is willing to supply individual items, allowing the retailer to make up smaller, more precise orders (subject to carriage) without having to purchase in large quantities. We also supply a range of free trade brochures, including Mattel and Hasbro, together with our own wooden & plush, outdoor, pocket money, remote control, everyday and stationery. With Christmas approaching we have just launched our 100 page Joytasia Christmas Catalogue. This 100 page catalogue is packed with over 500 great value toys for all ages, with sections from early years, boys, girls, roleplay, wooden, craft, plush, puzzles, games, outdoor, remote control and technology. The catalogues are provided free of charge and allow the retailer to order direct without having to carry large stock volumes. We believe that we are perfectly placed to support both the independent and larger retailer alike.

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Playmats & Baby gyms

ROFL

Feature

(getting down with the kids)

Baby gyms are likely to be one of the first play products a baby receives, but alongside keeping babies amused and content, gyms provide a number of developmental benefits. Rachael Simpson takes a look at this category.

aby gyms offer a workout for babies’ cognitive and motor skills, and their senses too. Usually comprising a flat, soft mat with flexible arches that support mirrors, rattles and toys, gyms aid progress toward landmark developmental stages. To offer the best opportunities for babies to learn and develop while they play, the Taf Toys range, distributed in the UK by Halilit, offers a range of features to stimulate the senses. “We try to activate each sense - touch, sight and sound - with a variety of stimuli that are integrated into the gym’s hanging toys and the 3D features of the mat itself,” offers Judith Stark, Halilit MD. “This includes different textured fabrics, various sound features and colourful illustrations with high contrast for newborns.” Judith continues: “Some of our play gyms include music and light boxes that play music that has been specially edited or composed for Taf Toys. The toys on the gym are reachable and age appropriate, to ensure that babies have the opportunity to develop motor and cognitive skills.” Motor skills are an important part of a baby’s development, and opportunities for tummy time are presented by baby gyms. Tummy time helps babies build muscle tone and strength in the head, neck and arms, as babies start to lift themselves up and view the world around them. Taf Toys offers a wedge-shaped Developmental Pillow for use alongside its play mats and baby gyms, but all flat mats are appropriate for tummy time play. Baby gyms are usually bought by a parent or other close relative, so are designed and marketed to appeal to the adult buyer. Colour schemes that will fit into a playroom or nursery are considered important. Gemma Stokes, UK marketing executive for Skip Hop, agrees. “Even though our gyms are designed for babies, they’re bought by parents and grandparents so we need to make sure our designs appeal to adults too,” she explains. While modern parents may opt for a neutral or more classic colour scheme, bright, primary colours appeal to young children and aid the development of sight. Colour designs therefore should be balanced to offer the best of both worlds, something Taf Toys strives to achieve. “Taf Toys offers great developmental products for babies but we know that for parents it is also important they will look stylish in any setting,” says Judith Stark. “We use a soft yet colourful palette that creates a pleasant and fun appearance.

At the same time we introduce elements with contrasting colours to stimulate babies’ visual skills during the first months.” For the garden theme on its 3-in-1 Playnest, Galt uses use fresh, slightly muted colours. “The colours we choose give Galt products a distinctive and recognisable appearance. The Galt First Years range includes bright, vibrant colours to stimulate baby’s vision and interest,” says Judy McNeil. Some baby gyms and play mats offer features that allow the product to grow with the child. Galt’s Playnest is an example of this. Suitable from birth, the Playnest provides neck support to a newborn baby with the shaped cushion and harness. Once the baby is ready to start sitting, the Playnest offers support during this stage of the baby’s physical development, and a range of features help capture interest and provide opportunities for play. Trends within the category include colour, material and function. “We see two different trends at Taf Toys,” says Judith Stark at Halilit. “Some baby gyms grow with the baby until toddlerhood, and offer multiple play functions for different ages. The opposite trend is for play gyms that concentrate on creating a soft and cosy environment that will satisfy the newborn’s emotional needs during the first months of life.” Meanwhile, Galt has noted that wooden, floor

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based gyms are making an appearance alongside transportable gyms which can travel with the baby. “We have also noticed new broader themes emerging, such as teepees,” Judy adds. At Skip Hop, notice has been taken of the popularity of different colour palettes. “Parents are seemingly moving away from the traditional, brightly coloured baby gyms and instead opting for gyms that complement their existing home interiors,” explains Gemma Stokes. “We’ve seen a move towards pastel colours and tones such as creams and subtle greys.” Toy retailers that offer baby gyms are seizing an opportunity to win new customers right from the beginning. “If a shop sells a baby its very first toy, the chances are that they will have the family as a customer for many years to come,” says Judith Stark. Skip Hop seconds this, explaining that some of its most successful baby gym retailers are toy shops. Baby gyms often sit in a higher price bracket than many traditional toys and can offer strong returns. “Customers view our 3-in-1 Playnest as an investment purchase,” says Judy McNeil. “It’s a product that will adapt as the baby develops, and is perfect as a baby shower gift or a birth present.” Toy shops may also want to consider placing play mats alongside their baby gym offerings, to encourage customers who may have children of different ages, or children for whom play mats might be more suitable. For smaller retailers, packaging is key. Although displaying an assembled baby gym provides a wow factor instore, for many this isn’t an option due to space restrictions. Packaging that explains a gym’s benefits without having to see it in action can aid purchasing decisions. Skip Hop provides packing through which the buyer can see the textures and colours of the products, and also includes handles to help shoppers transport large items. “Our packaging includes lifestyle imagery demonstrating the variety of ways babies can play and interact with our gyms,” adds Gemma. With experts the world over agreeing that stimulation and play are essential for healthy development, it is clear why baby gyms have become an important feature of the playroom or nursery. Over the next few pages Toy World takes a look at the baby gym and play mat offerings available from the leading suppliers in this category.

Playmats & Baby gyms

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com With more than 10 toys and activities, the Fisher-Price Rainforest Music & Lights Deluxe Gym keeps baby busy at home or on the go. The gym features music, lights and nature sounds that respond to the baby’s movement. During lay & play time, hanging activity toys and motion-activated music encourage babies to reach, bat, and play. The toys can be lowered or moved to the mat to encourage babies to push up during tummy time. A soft border and large crinkle leaf offer sensory development. The removable take-along toucan features up to 20 minutes of music in the long-play setting, as well as colour-changing lights. Little ones can reach big development milestones with the Puppy ‘n Pals Learning Gym, from gaining strength during tummy time to being introduced to first words, colours, and more. There are two musical settings: Look & Listen offers 20+ minutes of continuous music, including songs and instrumentals. Explore & Discover introduces action and reaction. Batting at the activation pad or the Puppy’s belly rewards babies with words, sounds and simple phrases, encouraging them to push up for tummy time. Six repositionable activity toys, including a self-discovery mirror and a kite rattle, keep babies busy.

Eduk8 Worldwide 01434 672 336 | www.eduk8worldwide.com Launched at Nuremberg and London Toy Fairs, the new Activity Play Mats from Eduk8 Worldwide are proving popular with consumers. The play mats saw a positive reaction from buyers at the trade fairs they have been exhibited at, and the company has received interest from major market players thanks to the product’s graphics and quality. The brightly coloured, water resistant, durable roll mats will stimulate a child’s imagination by creating a mini-world for them on the floor. The mats are available in two sizes – large (200 x 120cm) and standard (120 x 100cm) – and are available in Zoo, City, Construction and Farm designs. The smaller sizes also feature Mermaid and Candyland designs.

Vivid 01473 322 000 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk New to My First Crayola for this autumn/ winter is the Colour Pop Colour and Erase Mat, which allows kids to create and draw time and again, using colour pop pens and the colour eraser. The 90cm x 60cm drawing surface lets children draw and erase their artistic creations, before rolling up for easy storage. The Colour Pop Colour and Erase Mat will be TV advertised from launch, and throughout the autumn/ winter season.

Halilit 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk The Taf Toys I Love Big Mat has been a top-seller for many years, and 2017 sees an update with the introduction of the new I Love Big Mat – Soft Colours, which embodies the brand’s vision to offer design led, easier parenting solutions. Featuring a stylish colour palette, this extra-large mat measures 100 x 150cm, making it ideal even for twins and is thickly padded, providing babies with a safe yet entertaining space to play. The I Love Big Mat – Soft Colours comes with activities for babies to discover, such as the pineapple teether and detachable baby-safe mirror, alongside plastic rings, a squeaker and crinkling shapes for entertainment. Whilst the I Love Big Mat – Soft Colours encourages tummy time through engaging imagery, it can also be used with the Taf Toys Developmental Pillow for further tummy time support. Ergonomically designed, this wedge shaped pillow allows for natural arm positioning and movement, and aids in strengthening neck muscles. The pillow also features a detachable teether and ring toy. Taf Toys has also added the Musical Nature Baby Gym to its range for 2017. Packed with features, the padded gym offers a pull activated pinwheel, jittering owl toy and a hot air balloon themed babysafe mirror with teether. Furthermore, the Taf Toys Musical Nature Gym has a detachable toy which reacts to being pulled with music and lights, meaning it can also be attached to prams or car seats to make journeys easier for both babies and their parents or guardians.

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bandana buddies activity toy

silver lining cloud activity gym well-curated smartly designed essentials for parents, babies and toddlers

amazing arch activity gym

camping cubs activity gym

We have an activity gym to fit every lifestyle from trendy to tech-savvy. Keep the fun going with our collection of Bandana Buddies Plush Activity Animals! To talk about becoming a stockist contact our UK office. WWW.SKIPHOP.COM

Email: ukoffice@skiphop.com | Tel: 01582 434250

Playmats & Baby gyms

Melissa & Doug 0800 731 0578 | www.MelissaAndDoug.com

Bladez Toyz 02392 658259 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk The inflatable water filled playmats from Bladez have been a popular choice with parents since launching at the end of last year. The no splash, no mess puddle is easy to inflate and fill and is ideal for therapeutic tummy time for babies, and jumping fun for toddlers. Each tactile playmat includes stimulating floating characters which kids can pat and follow around in the water whilst aiding their sensory development. The inflatable Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle and Teletubbies Tubby Time playmat have been praised for encouraging active play and enabling children to play independently and mess free. Due to the popularity of this concept, more inflatable playmat designs will be introduced in 2018 to offer greater choice to retailers and families.

Melissa & Doug has created an assortment of activity rugs that define a play space and give kids room for imagination. The rugs feature skid-proof backing and reinforced binding to prevent fraying. Each vehicle play rug includes working wooden vehicles, while the animal-themed rugs (Horse Rug, Farm Rug) feature flocked animals. Game rugs, including the Hopscotch Rug and the 4-in-1 Game Rug, come with play pieces included. The Rescue Rug comes with four rescue vehicles - a fire engine, police car, ambulance, and helicopter. The 100 x 91 cm woven rug features a cityscape complete with hospital, fire station, helipad, and more.

Skip Hop 01582 434250 | www.skiphop.com

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk

Skip Hop’s Silver Lining Cloud Activity Gym offers hours of plush playtime. It features a soft colour palette to complement modern décor along with bright colours to stimulate babies’ sight. Five celestial-themed hanging toys will engage babies with lights, music and other stimuli while the oversized mat offers comfort and multiple textures for sensory development. Developmental activities include a musical sheep which plays You Are My Sunshine, a colourful LED light-up star, a cloud squeaker, a bird rattle, and a baby-safe sunshine mirror. The Silver Lining Cloud Activity Gym also includes a cloud-shaped tummy time pillow with a plush surface on one side, and a fun print on the other.

New this autumn, the Peppa Pig Play Mat from Trends UK features fun graphics and activities for young fans to enjoy. Little ones can join Peppa and explore fun activities with the interactive floormat. Specially designed to encourage children to be active whilst playing, it has four modes including Peppa Says…, a numbers game, a Where is…? game, and a singalong mode. Playing with Peppa on the interactive floormat helps build coordination and muscle function, and also encourages early number and colour recognition plus speech and communication skills.

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Playmats & Baby gyms

Galt 01614 289 111 | www.galttoys.com The Galt First Years range includes a selection of Playnests and Play mats which encourage babies’ physical and play development. The Galt Playnest provides multi-sensory stimulation whist supporting baby during rest and play. The playnest features a fabric covered inflatable ring, shaped to support a baby learning to sit. The eight features on the playnest cover help stimulate touch, vision and hearing, and the raised sides provide a safe and comfortable area for playing whilst exploring the different textures and sounds. The Playnest & Gym has a colourful gym with four toys which can be rearranged according to baby’s ability to focus. The inflatable can be easily deflated for storage, and the covers of both the Playnest and the Gym are machine washable. The Galt 3-in-1 Playnest is double-sided and incorporates a Rainbow Gym. The velour resting area with harness cradles a young baby over the inflatable ring and the rainbow gym helps to stimulate babies’ vision and hearing with the three gym toys. Once babies begin to sit, it can be turned over to reveal a padded seating area to support an older baby in a sitting position. The playnest cover is machine washable and the gym is sponge clean. The Galt Farm Play Mat is a large padded mat with six farm animals for babies to play with. Each animal has a different feature to explore, and the mat itself incorporates textures, sounds and a farm scene.

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com Tomy’s Lamaze range is carefully designed to engage with infants’ vision, auditory and motor skills from cot to toddler and beyond. As babies play and grow, they will discover new sounds, colours and textures before exploring role play fun, at home and on the go. Lamaze’s collection of activity toys includes the popular Freddie the Firefly Gym, a 3-in-1 activity mat starring best-selling character Freddie the Firefly. This gym offers three different positions to follow baby’s growth: lay and play, tummy time play, and sit and play. The flexible arch features colourful toys and textured teethers, each adjustable so they’re always within reach. The large discovery mirror helps babies learn how to focus, track images, and explore their facial expressions. A multi-coloured cushion wraps around babies’ heads, offering protection and support from birth. The mat is ideal for sit and play as the babies grow. Textured, crinkly fabrics encourage babies to explore, and stripes, checkers and a variety of contrasting patterns stimulate focus and vision. The soft, padded mat folds flat, and the toys detach for play on the go.

make your own dough mix, make, shape, bake and paint

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Come see TrueDough along with Halilit’s other ranges at Autumn Fair, Hall 5, Stand D31

Feature

Role Play

Great pretenders As the role-play category continues to develop, Casey Goodman finds out about the latest trends and what retailers and suppliers are doing to stay up to date.

he fundamental principle of role-play toys has always been to allow children to replicate what they see in everyday life. In the main, the basic classic play patterns of cooking, cleaning, shopping, DIY and nurturing are still as popular today as they have ever been. HTi offers a vast range of role-play toys for boys and girls. Leonie Buckley, role-play product manager at the company explains: “As technology continues to advance, manufacturers are integrating smarter technological features into role-play toys to enhance the realistic play experience. New applications for technology in everyday life also provide new role-play toy opportunities as children aspire to copy Mum as she shops on her iPad, pays for her groceries using contactless bank cards, and makes a latte on her state-of-the-art coffee machine.” Leonie also explained how popular character licences can add to the appeal of pretend play products: “Peppa Pig continues to be an evergreen brand for us, with an

extensive range of role-play toys we are looking forward to some strong performances for Q4. In addition, the My Little Pony brand continues to grow globally and excitement builds for the fulllength movie release in October.” Melissa & Doug is another company that offers a wide range of popular role-play products. Sue Barratt, UK and International sales, commented: “For Melissa & Doug the traditional play patterns and core products are still the strongest. Our food and accessory sets continue to perform exceptionally well. They are realistic, great quality as you would expect from Melissa & Doug, with multiple play patterns and all at a good price.” Learning Resources’ Pretend & Play range also continues to be a strong seller in this category. Chris Beardmore, UK trade retail sales manager, commented: “The range features colourful, hands-on sets that help children understand and mimic the world around them through imaginative play. The awardwinning School Set remains a bestseller with a unique tri-fold structure that can be easily wiped clean and stored after use. Role-play has always been a strong category for us and we have continually introduced fun new additions to our Pretend & Play and New Sprouts ranges. Our imaginative play sets are built to last and designed specifically for little hands.” One of the challenges that roleplay toys presents,

HTi

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especially to independent retailers, is the size of the products. Many of the products available take up a significant amount of shelf space, if they can even fit on the shelf. HTi has addressed this, and come up with a solution, as Leonie explains: “The larger role-play items such as kitchens, workbenches and dressing tables need to pack into as small a box as possible to ensure mass distribution and allow retailers to merchandise efficiently in store. When designing packaging for these larger items we always work together with the retailers to ensure we work to their specific shelf space.” Melissa & Doug has tackled the issue by taking advantage of online sales. Sue explains: “We find that a lot of our retailers sell some items online only and with the continuing growth of online sales, and the fact that they are often difficult items for the consumer to get home, this seems the easy solution for everyone.” Another challenge that this category presents to suppliers is to ensure that the products are not gender-specific. It is important that items are designed for both girls and boys, so as not to risk stereotyping. Leonie said that HTi always makes a conscious effort to ensure colourways used have a generic appeal. “In this day and age, it is very important that items are not gender specific. Stereotyping is a thing of the past and there is no reason why any role-play item shouldn’t be able to be played by both boys and girls. HTi’s own in-house range of Smart role-play toys uses a mix of bright, primary colours that ensure a wide spread appeal to both girls and boys,” Leonie commented. Similarly, Sue explained how Melissa & Doug uses specific imagery on its packaging, in addition to specific colour schemes, to avoid gender stereotyping. Sue commented: “We try to include boys and girls on all of our product packaging, to encourage a choice of play patterns, themes, and colours.” Learning Resources is also conscious of the risks of gender-stereotyping when designing roleplay products, and so uses a wide range of themes to avoid this. Chris commented: “Our sets appeal to both boys and girls with themes spanning from cooking and baking to pets and gardening.” Over the next few pages, Toy World displays a range of the hottest new products in the role-play category.

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Role Play

HTi 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk From cooking role-play toys to dolls prams, HTi provide some of the biggest licensed brands, taking inspiration from real life to encourage imaginative play. HTi provides a range of Peppa Pig role-play toys from kitchens, doctor’s cases and tea sets to cash registers and big band sets. The new Peppa Pig Kitchen features an oven and fridge with opening doors, hob, sink, and blender. It comes with a host of cooking accessories to encourage imaginative play, coordination and social interaction, allowing little chefs to familiarise themselves with cooking appliances and utensils. Also new for autumn/winter 17 is the Peppa Pig House Tea Set; modelled directly from the house in the TV series, kids will know and instantly recognise it. The interactive teapot plays the theme tune and features various brand sounds and light up windows. Nurturing play is a classic and enduring role-play pattern largely driven by children observing mum and dad with their real-life nursery prams and pushchairs and aspiring to be just like them. As a leading manufacturer in the dolls, prams and pushchairs market, HTi’s portfolio includes nurturing doll brands Baby Annabell, Baby Born, babycare marques Chicco and Mamas & Papas, and licensed brands Peppa Pig, Disney Princess, and Frozen. With designs inspired by the contemporary models available in real-life nursery ranges, HTi’s dolls prams provide kids with an important nurturing role-play accessory, their very own set of wheels.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Two of the most exciting additions to the Just Play portfolio are Mickey and the Roadster Racers and Minnie’s Happy Helpers role-play ranges. Based on the new hit Disney Junior TV series, the toys offer role-play opportunities for young fans who want to join Mickey and Minnie’s adventures. The Mickey and the Roadster Racers collection allows pre-schoolers to re-enact the excitement of fixing, building, and customising cars just like their favourite mouse mechanic. The star of the range is Mickey’s Custom Car Kit, which lets kids transform Mickey’s rover into his hot rod and comes with over 20 inter-changeable pieces to mix and match, and help fix the deluxe race car. Budding mechanics can use the working car lift and the spinning impact wrench to change the tires. The set features Mickey phrases and realistic sound effects to enhance the play experience. There’s also the mega Mickey’s Roadster Racers Pit Crew Workbench. This role-play station has kidpowered gauges, a drill press, and several tools including a mallet, screwdriver and wrench. Moreover, the light and sound engine lets kids check the air filter, battery, and oil, just like a real racer engine. With Just Play’s Bowtastic Pastry Playset, children can bake a birthday cake just like Minnie and Daisy do in the show. The set features lights and sounds, a working whisk, a light up oven and a cake with colour changing icing.

Casdon 01253 766 411 | www.casdon.co.uk Casdon combines pretend play with household names to bring replica kitchen appliances and role play accessories to the play room. Children can feel grownup as they play at keeping house with their friends, using toys that mimic items used by their parents. As times and models change in the real world, Casdon keeps on top of the trend. The Casdon Morphy Richards range is an ideal partner to any pretend play kitchen. The Microwave, Kettle and Toaster Set comprises of a microwave with a realistic looking touch pad and lights, plus a kettle and pop-up toaster. Each set is ideal for children looking to pretend making their own breakfast, and looks just like the appliances mum and dad use.

Chicco 0208 953 6627 | www.chicco.co.uk Recognising the huge surge in street food popularity over the last year, Chicco has introduced the Food Truck 2-in-1, combining two massively popular playtime concepts; the play kitchen and play vehicle, to create a kitchen that is on wheels. The first toy street food kitchen on the market to transform into a vehicle, the Food Truck 2-in-1 is an activity centre that appeals to a child’s inclination for role-play whilst also promoting the importance of socialisation.

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Inspiration for Imagination!

0800 731 0578 | info@MelissaAndDoug.com MelissaAndDoug.com

Role Play

LeapFrog 01895 202 840 | www.leapfrog.co.uk LeapFrog has announced the expansion of its successful role-play range with two exciting new introductions for 2017. The Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart has a range of buttons, lights, sound effects, music, and fun phrases. It also features eight scoops of ice cream, three toppings and three flavours of syrup to teach kids ten colours and flavours. An order card is inserted into the slot on top of the till, then the customer’s order built in the correct sequence to help build memory and sequencing skills. A magnetic scooper serves the ice cream and helps to teach colours, then the order is completed by adding toppings and pretend syrup. Kids will love pressing the pump to add pretend syrup as they count along from 1 to 10. Once complete, the ice cream made must match the image on the card. Then the customer’s order is rung up using the till. The cart can be pushed around to hear fun learning songs. The Sweet Treats Learning Cafe teaches numbers, shapes, colours, listening and memory skills. With four original songs, ten touch points and 12 pieces including magic tilting cups, little baristas in training will have hours of fun and pretend play, pretending to froth the milk, grind the beans and brew the coffee ready to serve up espresso, hot chocolate, and babyccinos. In Order Up Mode, children can listen to each order then pick the right drink, choose the correct sized cup and set the right temperature.

Learning Resources 01553 819 386 | www.learningresources.co.uk

Melissa & Doug 0800 731 0578 | www.MelissaAndDoug.com

Designed to help children understand and mimic the world around them, the Learning Resources Pretend & Play range features an extensive collection of hands-on sets, durable enough to withstand years of realistic role-play fun. The Pretend & Play School Set has everything young learners need to create their own pretend classroom. Containing 145 pieces; detailed resources such as double-sided maps, calendars, and hand pointers help children to build confidence about starting school as they roleplay classroom scenarios. The unique, tri-fold structure features wipe-clean materials for quick clean-up and storage after use. Awarded a Gold Right Start Award in 2016, testers commented that the product is a great preparation for starting school, it is educational and creative and is highly recommended for rainy day play, as everything tidies away neatly when not in use. Learning Resources also offers a language-free, international version of the set that features maps and activities that focus on teaching the continents of the world and the countries of Europe. New for 2017, Pretend & Play School Stamps make a suitable companion for school themed imaginative play. Encouraging children to share positive feedback from a young age, the set includes ten colourful stamps with phrases such as “nice work”, “smart cookie” and “super star”, and a two-colour stamp pad with washable inks. Designed with children in mind, stamps feature an indent for little hands to grip and are stored in a sturdy apple-shaped case for safe keeping.

At Melissa & Doug, realistic play sets, play food, and accessories are designed to inspire kids to create stories, make connections, and practise life skills. At the centre of the company’s pretend play line is the Chef’s Kitchen, a modern play kitchen available in charcoal and pink. The beautifully designed wooden kitchens are the perfect place for budding chefs to hone their craft. The easyto-assemble kitchen includes a refrigerator/ freezer with innovative working ice maker that dispenses two ice cubes, an oven and stovetop with dials that turn, microwave with turning plate, sink with moving faucet and handle, grocery check list, movable hooks, and ample shelving and storage. Many additional play food options abound to build out a delicious pretend play experience. The clever Pasta Play Set, a 50-piece pastamaking set, makes a great complement to the Chef’s Kitchen but can also easily stand alone. Felt ravioli pockets can be hand-stuffed with felt spinach, meat, or cheese fillings. An assortment of other pastas, cookware, and utensils adds to the realistic food play and lets kids create countless imaginative pasta meals from start to finish. In addition to kitchen play, Melissa & Doug offers a sturdy wooden workbench to keep little builders tinkering and thinking. This set includes a functioning vice, tool rack, wooden tools, hardware, and a storage shelf, as well as ideas to spark imagination.

H. Grossman 01416 132 525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk 2017 saw H. Grossman introduce a range of wooden kitchens at London Toy Fair, this range has now been refined into a selection of four brightly coloured kitchens, and is being very well received. The wooden kitchens come complete with accessories and are designed to retail at a cost effective price. This is a new move for H. Grossman, and MD Martin Grossman is delighted with the response so far.

Toy World 96

Allegedly

Several suppliers and retailers held media launch events for new products and Christmas ranges last month. Character Options really pushed the boat out for the launch of its cool new wearable-tech craze item, SoundMoovz. A well-drilled dance troupe put the gadget through its paces in front of retail buyers, media and celebrities at the swanky Oxo Tower restaurant. I haven’t been to such a glitzy launch in a long while: it took me back to ‘the good old days’, when no expense was spared and entertainment was suitably lavish – I wonder how many people know that Trivial Pursuit was launched at Stringfellows (then an upmarket night club, not the lap-dancing monstrosity it is today), while for the launch of Care Bears, Kenner Parker flew a gaggle of retailers and press to Amsterdam for a two-day junket. SoundMoovz is the perfect line to be driven by social media activity (have a look at Strictly star Katya Jones’ Twitter footage from the event @Mrs_katjones ), so it may well prove to be a highly successful launch strategy…

B&M’s first quarter results were released in July, and a stellar set of figures they were, the best first quarter for three years according to chief executive Simon Arora. Simon also spoke about B&M, and the discount channel in general, benefitting from Brexit, as he believes customers will seek out bargains in times of uncertainty. Few would disagree – I think there is a growing sense that most of us will be poorer after Brexit, certainly in the short term. In the light of all this, I am still amazed to come across the occasional supplier who claim they can’t work with B&M for fear of upsetting other customers. I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand that – B&M is here to stay, it is only going to grow its presence in the toy market and suppliers who work with them tell me what a joy they are to deal with – straight, to the point and commercially transparent (without the rebates, endless deductions and contributions and late changes to terms that many other retailers are now employing as standard trading practice). I think it’s a brave person who chooses to ignore them…

Tesco also ran its annual Christmas in July event, where I found two things particularly interesting: the first was the significant expansion of Tesco’s own-brand Carousel range, which has added vehicles, nurturing dolls and plush to last year’s core infant and pre-school ranges. You’ll see a far greater own-brand presence in-store come October. The other interesting thing was the selection of the top toys list; I noticed a significant number of lines that are exclusive to Tesco in the list, a strategy that I believe Argos employed last year. It’s canny: we all know that the lines which feature in these lists are the ones most likely to be subject to fierce price-cutting, so at least that can’t happen if no-one else has the line…

Last month also saw Amazon’s Prime Week take place, which, while growing in popularity every year, still seems to be a bigger deal in the US than in the UK. Intriguingly, other retailers have attempted to hi-jack Amazon’s big day, and I have seen research which suggests the tactic has proved successful to a point, with some achieving higher clicks and searches than Amazon on the day. Nevertheless, there have been media reports that Amazon now controls nearly 40% of online sales, which puts it well over the threshold of what is accepted to constitute ‘monopoly power’. Fair enough, its share of the toy market is nowhere near that figure, but it must still be a major concern for suppliers and retailers to see its relentless onward march…

The much-feared culling / merging of the Argos and Sainsbury’s toy buying teams isn’t going to happen – for now at least. The only merging of the department has apparently come at the higher echelons (directorial level), so I’m sure suppliers - not to mention the respective buying teams - will be hugely relieved…

It has emerged that, in future, not only will Wal-Mart be penalising suppliers for delivering late, it will also be punishing them for delivering early. Sending in goods even a single day early will earn you a nice little fine, as will - inevitably - delivering goods that aren’t packaged to Walmart’s liking (“Sorry, you’ve used blue tape on the box and we specifically said that only taupe would be acceptable. That’s a fine!”) The retailer is has openly admitted it is aiming to earn $1 billion from this new punitive regime, which will no doubt come in handy when the books are being balanced…

There has been a re-organisation at Mothercare, which has resulted in Brian Mclaughlin moving on. It also appears that, going forward, Mothercare will be placing greater emphasis on products aimed at the pre-school age group, presumably meaning that products aimed at older children will be far less of a focus for the retailer. Personally, I think this is an eminently sensible strategy, but there will be winners and losers amongst suppliers as a result, that’s for sure… Hamleys has requested an increase in its payment terms for FOB lines, from 30 to 90 days. Not only does this rather negate the whole point of FOB ordering, it also puts suppliers out of pocket to the tune of an extra 1% (the generally accepted figure seems to be 0.5% per month). I’m guessing that most aren’t happy to agree to the financial loss, yet alone with the timing – I know I have touched on this subject before, but is it fair and reasonable to request (impose?) penalties long after prices have been agreed and orders have been placed… Some suppliers have also been suggesting that they believe certain retailers - particularly cash-rich ones - are holding back initial order quantities in the hope / belief that they will get better deals from suppliers as the year unfolds. Naturally, suppliers are not exactly thrilled, but in fairness, I’m not sure I blame retailers for this tactic – there is a strong argument to say that is just playing the game. Of course, there are risks involved: if a line is in short supply (and I have already heard of a couple of big lines, including some which appear in major retailers’ top toy lists, that are going to be short), the chances are those retailers won’t get the level of stock they want. But for a lot of lines, perhaps the gamble will pay off…

Toy World 98

John Lewis has announced that it will be sending staff from its new Oxford store to theatre school in what has been described as “a bid to boost their confidence.” It has been suggested that newly-acquired vocal techniques and stage presence will impress customers and if the trial is successful, it could be rolled out across the country. Those who have been in the toy trade a few years will remember back to a time when going around Toy Fair stands meant encountering a procession of ‘resting’ (i.e. out of work) actors, leaping out at you to deliver a product presentation with manic enthusiasm. On the whole, it was ghastly – most buyers I know told the sales person they were pressed for time, so they would say to the actor “just the short version please.” I’m all for the concept of retail theatre, but I feel this could go one of two ways: “Put the jazz hands down chuckles, I’ve just come in for a browse…” Meanwhile, over in Russia, state TV has warned that the humble fidget spinner could make people susceptible to the messages of the political opposition (and we worry about the standard of journalism dropping at the BBC!). Given their fondness for meddling in international elections, I’m surprised the Russians didn’t offer to send a spinner to every child in America (if I have given any spinner suppliers a good idea, do feel free to pop a cheque in the post).

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