Toyworld jan 2016

January 2016 volume 5 issue 5

January 2016 volume 5 issue 5

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The business magazine with a passion for toys

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The Team...

CONTENTS January 2016 volume 5 issue 5

John Baulch

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

34 Tesco Interview

98 Nuremberg Preview

Emily Ansell Elfer

Deputy Editor emily@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 407

Mark Austin

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

News

Opinion

08 From the Publisher

24 Arena Azure/Childwise

10 News

47 Talking Shop

18 Industry Moves

56 Andy Clempson

20 Marketing World

58 Lutz Muller

28 Licensing World

60 NPD column

52 Indie World

62 Viewpoint 238 Allegedly

Graeme Thomas

Production Manager graeme@toyworldmag.co.uk 07792 889 919

Contributors David Ripley | Andy Clempson | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | The NPD Group | Arena Azure/Childwise

Anita Baulch

Circulation Manager anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

118 New York Toy Fair

120 Big Potato

Clarabel Jones

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

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Alakat Published by

Symbio Place, Whiteleaf Road Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 9PH

www.toyworldmag.co.uk

Jonika Kinchin

Editorial Assistant jonika@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

@toyworldmag @baulchtweet

toyworldmag

Toy World Magazine

The Team...

John Baulch

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

Emily Ansell Elfer

Deputy Editor emily@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 407

CONTENTS Toy Fair Preview

Toy Fair Profiles

Features

123 Toy Fair 2016 Preview

142 Character Options

26 Generation Media

126 Exhibitor List

144 Flair

34 Tesco Interview

130 Maps

146 Hornby

64 Worlds Apart Q&A

136 Touching Base

148 VTech

68 Mattel Q&A

142 Toy Fair A-Z

150 Spinmaster

70 Jazwares Q&A

152 Vivid

73 Hot Properties

154 Tomy

98 Nuremberg Preview

156 Lego

114 Magformers Q&A

158 Tactic Games

116 Hasbro

160 The Games Gang

118 New York Toy Fair

Mark Austin

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

22 Diaframma

120 Big Potato 134 Chicco Q&A Graeme Thomas

Production Manager graeme@toyworldmag.co.uk 07792 889 919

Anita Baulch

Circulation Manager anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

123 Toy Fair 2016 Preview Clarabel Jones

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

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Jonika Kinchin

Editorial Assistant jonika@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

See us at Toy Fair stand GH37

Making a splash in 2016...

Stand

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VTech is excited to launch Toot-Toot Splash at the 2016 London Toy Fair.

With developments to much loved ranges as well as brand new additions in other categories.

Visit our stand to see more!

Toyworld Toy Fair advert 1115 v3.indd 1

25-11-2015 09:53:37 AM

A from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

belated Happy New Year and welcome to our bumper Toy Fair Preview edition. As ever, it is comfortably our largest issue of the year, packed with a wealth of information to help you make the most of the impending Toy Fair season.

Indeed, by the time this weighty tome arrives on your desk, Toy Fair season will already be in full swing. I’ll be in Hong Kong for the first of five Toy Fairs in a six-week period, taking in the delights of London, Nuremberg, Birmingham and New York along the way. Hopefully retailers of all sizes will be able to look back on a positive 2015 festive trading period, and will be enthusiastic about starting the selection process afresh for 2016. Data released by NPD just two weeks before Christmas suggested that the toy market was on course to post a very healthy 5% year-on-year increase for the second year in a row. If the predictions prove correct, it will certainly mean that 2016 will start on a positive note.

As you would expect, this edition focuses heavily on the forthcoming toy shows, and in particular the UK industry’s beating heart - Toy Fair at Olympia. In addition, there is a separate pull-out supplement devoted to the children’s gifts, toys and gadgets area of Spring Fair and the second part of our guide to the Spielwarenmesse – and that’s just for starters. Each preview section will give you the opportunity to see a selection of the exciting new products which will be unveiled at the respective shows, allowing you the chance to plan your trips and assess which companies need to be added to your ‘must-see’ lists for each event. The best-selling toys for next Christmas are almost certainly contained within these exhaustive round-ups, so I hope you enjoy working your way through and spotting the potential winners.

In addition to the preview sections, you’ll notice that some exciting new faces have joined the Toy World roster of contributors, and I’m delighted that they will be sharing their valuable expertise and perspective over the coming months. We’ve partnered with the industry’s two most influential media companies – Generation Media and Arena Azure – to bring you information about the rapidly changing media landscape, while former Mattel and Hasbro

For updates & more information visit www.funfestuk.com or email info@miprglobal.co.uk the UK’s leading family-friendly blogger conference and brand ambassador exhibition

Saturday 17th September 2016

sales director Andy Clempson will be writing a new regular column focusing on the sales side of the toy business. Starting with this edition, we will also be expanding our coverage of the independent toy sector in 2016 with the creation of a new section - Indie World – where you’ll be able to keep up-to-date with developments from this vital part of the trade.

As well as all of our regular columns and the invaluable show preview sections, this issue also includes an interview with Tesco, whose toy buying department has been through a major restructure over the past twelve months.

Tesco has always been a hugely important player in the toy arena, but it is no great secret that the company has had some significant challenges to address in recent years. Thankfully its tribulations appear to be well and truly in the past: I was given what could almost be described as unprecedented access to commercial director John Driscoll and head of buying Dawn Lavalette, and the result is what I believe to be a very honest picture of where one of the UK’s largest toy retailers is heading, and how it intends to get there. No question was off limits, which I have to say is extremely refreshing for a journalist. Turn to page 34 for what I hope you will agree is a fascinating insight into one of the UK toy industry’s biggest players.

All that remains to say is that I hope you enjoy this jam-packed issue, and myself and the Toy World team look forward to catching up with you over the coming weeks. We’ll be out in force at Olympia, where you can catch us on our usual stand situated on the main aisle, GH37. If you’d like to arrange a meeting with us during the show, feel free to get in touch - the whole team will be at the show for its entire three-day duration and you can find our contact details on the contents page. I have said before that Toy Fair is arguably the most important and productive three days of my working year, and this year of all years - I really hope it receives the support it deserves from the whole of the UK toy community.

Toy World will be back in the first week of March with an issue which will roundup our experiences from each of the major domestic and international Toy Fairs. In the meantime, you can log on to our website – www. toyworldmag.co.uk – for daily news updates over the whole of Toy Fair season, as well as my own personal take on the shows in the Friday Blog. Happy Toy Fair season and I look forward to seeing you along the trail.

news

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BTHA announces 2015 Toy Retailer of the Year finalists

Halilit acquires distribution rights for new ranges

The shortlist is as follows:

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year:

General Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year:

•Aladdin’s Cave •Toy Hub •Toys N Tuck

•Argos •Sainsburys •Tesco

Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 5 stores):

Department Store Toy Retailer of the Year:

•East Midland Toy Company •Just Williams Toys •Toytown (Seaford)

Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 30 stores): •Kids Stuff •SMF Toytown •Toy Barnhaus

•Jarrold, Norwich •John Lewis •W J Daniel & Co

Online Toy Retailer of the Year: •Shop Direct •Smyths Toys •The Entertainer •Toys R Us

Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (over 30 stores):

Halilit has announced that it has been awarded exclusive distribution rights in the UK and Ireland to two of Battat’s hottest new ranges; Lori dolls and Terra collectible horses.

Judith Stark, managing director, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be launching these ranges. We are aware of the success of Battat’s Our Generation Dolls in the UK and following early discussions with key UK retailers, we are confident that Lori is also going to be in high demand with some spring launches already confirmed.”

Lori and her friends are 15cm fashion dolls for the younger child and come with accessories including additional outfits, an Urban Living Dolls House, Furniture sets, Glamper sets, Ballet Studio and a Convertible Car complete with a working radio.

Terra by Battat is a range of hand painted collectible horses, sea life, farm and wild animals along with realistic playsets and dinosaur models designed by enthusiast’s hero Dan LoRusso.

National account manager, Amy Wildman, said: “These ranges are an extension to the traditional nursery and pre-school toys that Halilit is known for and will enable us to reach out to a broader customer base.

Both Terra and Lori offer exceptional quality, great value for money and both have their own dedicated websites where retailers and consumers can find lots of information: www.loridolls.com and www.terrauniverse. com. We are really looking forward to introducing these at Toy Fair where we will have special launch offers available. We already have stock on order and hope to begin to fulfill orders from February.”

•Smyths Toys •The Entertainer •Toys R Us Nominations were invited from BTHA members’, toy agents and national account managers, as well as toy stores who were also invited to self-nominate.

Shortlisting was done by a panel of 20 people from across the industry, including members of the BTHA Council, strategically based toy agents, national account managers from around the UK and representatives from the toy trade magazines.

The winners of the Toy Retailer Awards will be announced at the annual Toy Industry Awards held at Olympia, London on 24th January, the first evening of Toy Fair.

Market & Distribute Quality Brands

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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT 01628 500 303 © 2016 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Horizon Hobby to unveil new lines in Nuremberg

newsanalysis It’s a Small World Toy World spoke to Cuckoo’s Tony Eves about the company’s distribution agreement with Small World Toys TW: How did the partnership come about?

TE: Whilst visiting the Hong Kong Toy Fair last year, I was introduced to the people from Small World Toys, who were looking for the right distributor for the UK market. We found that we had so much in common and their products fitted into the gap we had in our collection.

The company has such a huge range that it took us a while to get the right mix of product selected, but once we had, everything gelled very quickly. We launched the range at the Harrogate Home and Gift Fair in July and also showed the new collection at the Autumn Fair in Birmingham, and on both occasions we had help on the stand from representatives from Small World Toys, who have been extremely supportive.

TW: Which lines have worked particularly well for you in 2015?

TE: Some of the best sellers include the Haute Couture Fashion Studio Sewing Machine, Tip Top Pottery Wheel, inflatable Dinosaurs, Glitter Tattoo Artist, Nail Designer Device, and Build a Pirate Ship.

TW: Where can toy retailers see the new range for 2016?

TE: We will be unveiling the new Small World collection at Spring Fair in Birmingham. We will be adding new lines from all the key categories which Small World Toys specialises in, including fashion, science, nature, learning and creative. Also, Cuckoo will be running promotions throughout the year as we introduce new products on a regular basis, details of which will be highlighted on our website cuckoo.ltd.uk. In Nuremberg you can find us on the Small World Toys stand, Hall 12 A06, and at Spring Fair we will be in Hall 5 on stand L02.

Horizon Hobby is entering the toy market after 30 years of success in the hobby sector.

The company manufactures and owns all of its brands and pioneers its own ground-breaking technology. Another key initiative which the company believes will appeal to toy retailers is its dedicated customer service team – if a consumer has a problem with a part, they can contact Horizon directly rather than going through the retailer.

Managing director Mark Divito told Toy World: “We only have a 1-2% replace rate, but on the rare occasions where there is a problem, we have a 48 hour turnaround. We also support our dealers with technology assistance and backup: all they need to do is stock the product, everything else is taken care of.”

Horizon Hobby carries over 24,000 lines of RC product, covering everything from micro quads to petrol cars and drones, and there are many licensors, including Audi, which work with the company on exclusive ranges.

Many of the products are geared towards toy retailers, including a range of light-up minis, which offer affordable RC action for beginners.

The company will be unveiling its new range for 2016 at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, where it triumphed in the Best Teenage and Family category of the 2015 Toy Awards.

For more information on Horizon Hobby, or to make an appointment to see the 2016 range in Nuremberg, contact Mark Divito on 01279 636353 or 07920 453990, or email mdivito@horizonhobby.com

Hover boards withdrawn from sale over safety fears

By mid-December, Amazon had stopped selling hoverboards on its UK and US sites, and Argos and John Lewis no longer stocked the popular item.

Estimates suggest around 500,000 hoverboards were sold in the UK as Christmas gifts, but there have been safety worries connected to the products. Three leading American airline groups have banned them, saying their batteries present a fire hazard, and authorities in the UK seized more than 15,000 of them at ports and airports.

The London Fire Brigade issued a warning in October after a rideable board that was on charge caught fire.

Trading standards warned that the demand for hoverboards had led to a big increase in cheap and dangerous imitations, including unbranded imports from China. However, it has emerged that a hoverboard made by Swagway, one the leading brands, caught fire in New York in December.

John Lewis said it would consider refunds outside its normal 14 day returns period on a case by case basis while Argos said customers with concerns about its Nevaboard products, which have been re-submitted for stringent testing, could obtain a full refund. Amazon customers with models suspected to be faulty were promised automatic refunds and customers advised to take the hoverboards to a local recycling point for electronic equipment.

Toy World 12

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On The Instructions of a Corporate Client

LARGE SURPLUS STOCK OF NEW TOYS Located: Co. Kildare, Ireland

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Top Brands Including; Lego Fisher Price Disney Playmobil Barbie CAT Numerous Other Brands

TENDER DATE, Friday 6 February 2016 by 12.00 Noon Viewing: Thursday 5 February 2016, 10.00 – 16.00 & Morning of Sale 9.00 – 12 Noon Or by prior appointment

For Further Information Contact: McKay, Dublin, t. 003531 490 3130 e. info@mckay.ie View Photos & Download a Full Catalogue from Our Website

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT 01628 500 303 © 2016 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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The Irish Fairy Door Company expands range

newsanalysis Going bananas January 2016 marks 10 years since Rena Nathanson launched Bananagrams at Toy Fair. Clarabel Jones got in touch to find out how the company will be celebrating and to hear how the last decade has been.

How did Bananagrams start out?

First and foremost, Bananagrams is a labour of love and the creation of three generations of my family.

My father loved wit, wordplay and silliness, but most of all he loved to see people having fun. Armed with a passion for games, he was without doubt the driving force behind Bananagrams. His energy and enthusiasm saw the seed of an idea grow to become an international phenomenon.

As a family, we loved to play almost any word game that we could find, but nothing out there satisfied our urge for something a bit faster and more fluid. We wanted something competitive that the whole family could play together. It had to be portable with no superfluous pieces or packaging, and simple enough that it could be played while waiting in a restaurant or airport.

After playing and experimenting, we finally hit the target. My father declared: “This anagram game will drive you bananas!” and Bananagrams was born!

We made a few games and gave them to extended family and friends as gifts. Someone suggested we share it with the general public, and eventually we did and it took off from there.

We launched in January 2006 at Toy Fair and have since sold almost 7 million copies.

How has the company grown in 10 years?

Bananagrams is now available in seven different languages and is sold in more than 30 countries globally. Plus, we have added a number of new games to the bunch over the past decade, such as PairsinPears, Appletters, Fruitominoes and Zip It. We’ve also carefully created new versions of the Classic Bananagrams, including a supersized edition ideal for the garden or classroom, Jumbo Bananagrams and Bananagrams WildTiles, which includes a set of monkey tiles to be played as any letter.

How will you be celebrating the anniversary?

As well as some major plans for later in the year, we’re kick-starting the celebrations at Toy Fair by sponsoring The Bananagrams Lounge. This is a cool and comfy meeting place where visitors can discover if their own name is actually a playable word in our game. Deej Johnson, author of The Little Book of Bananagrams, has painstakingly researched the name/word definitions of more than 17,000 monikers from around the world and created a giant word grid by hand, which will be on display in The Bananagrams Lounge. Visitors to The Bananagrams Lounge can tweet their names with the hashtag #MyNameIsAWord to discover the definitions of their names.

Also at Toy Fair, we’ll be unveiling the two fantastic new games that we’re adding to the bunch: the silly and energetic Bananagrams Party and My First Bananagrams. There are 10 curriculum-based mini games and challenges which grow in difficulty as the child’s skill level advances, plus a simplified version of Bananagrams to introduce children to the classic game that started it all.

What have you enjoyed most about the Bananagrams journey?

It’s impossible to pick just one thing as so much of this journey has been an incredible experience, from the amazing people I’ve met along the way to launching The Bananagrams Challenge last year, which saw more than 15,000 primary school children playing the game in classrooms across the UK. We’re running The Bananagrams Challenge in the US too now, which I’m really excited about. I love seeing the ideas, partnerships and campaigns spreading globally.

What have you got planned for the future?

There’s so much in the pipeline. We’ll continue to bring to market our own games under the Bananagrams umbrella, and we’ve recently moved into distribution for other brands in the US. In 2015, we took on North American distribution for the trivia game, Linkee, which was a first for us and is proving to be a great partnership, so we’ll be exploring that route further.

In other areas, we’re doubling capacity at our primary school tournament in the UK this year, which means that around 30,000 kids will be getting to grips with the game in The Bananagrams Challenge.

Toy World 14

The company has launched two new accessory packs, new wall decal designs and a branded floor-standing display unit.

Aimed at children whose fairies have green fingers, the new Garden Accessory Set comprises a wooden garden bench, potted plant, rake and watering can. The company has also released the new Playtime Accessory Set, which contains a fairy-sized see-saw, swing, ladder and bicycle.

The range of colourful wall art available for children to embellish the space around their door has been expanded to include a new rainbow and hot air balloon design, as well as a seasonal pack with decorations relating to Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. Both designs complement the doors and existing accessories such as the Fairy Washing Lines and magical Irish Fairy Dust Pots.

The new FSDU enables stores to display the range of red, blue, pink and purple arched doors alongside the new accessory packs and wall art. Available free of charge with qualifying orders, the FSDU is delivered on one pallet with the stock.

Airfix to advance on the board games market

Hornby Hobbies is introducing a roleplay board game, The Airfix Battles Introductory Set. Airfix has been producing kits for the mass market including figures, aircrafts, vehicles, ships and dioramas since 1952. According to the latest NPD data, Hornby Hobbies’ sales are up 19% year on year, driven by strong sales across every brand category including Airfix. The company now plans to build on this success in 2016 with a new line-up including its first board game.

Developed by Modiphius Entertainment, The Airfix Battles Introductory Set is fully playable with all existing Airfix figures and vehicles. It comes with everything needed to re-enact thrilling World War Two battles straight out of the box. The set includes Normandy maps, die-cut counters of scenery, objectives, tanks, vehicles, guns and infantry as well as cards, dice, a rulebook and mission book full of fun narrative missions.

Jim Procter-Blain, marketing controller for Hornby Hobbies, commented: “Airfix Battles brings the wonderful world of Airfix to a new audience. What is more, anyone who enjoys making and painting Airfix models can now enjoy the board game.”

Airfix Battles Introductory Set will launch in April 2016.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT 01628 500 303 © 2016 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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MIPR Global confirms date for Dicey offers visitors chance to FunFest 2016 win £6000 at Toy Fair Anyone who can roll six sixes at the stand will instantly win the money.

Dicey is a fast-paced dice game suitable for all the family.

The unique shaped dice come in an array of neon colours. Players take it in turns to try their luck in collecting or losing counters. There is also a solitaire variant for solo players.

To coincide with the launch at Toy Fair, Andy Jewson, inventor of the shaped dice, has thrown down a challenge to retailers placing an order at the show: try your hand at Dicey and anyone rolling six sixes will instantly win £6,000.

To find out more about Dicey, place an order and try your luck at Stand GH4.

Stargazer Lottie doll becomes first doll in space

The doll, designed by a six-year-old girl, has travelled to the International Space Station with British ESA astronaut Tim Peake.

The special edition Stargazer Lottie doll is a creation of Arklu, and is a collaboration with the European Space Agency, and winner of the space.com Little Scientist Space Age Award at the New York Toy Fair 2015.

Six-year-old Abigail is the star of a short film about the girl who has designed the first doll to go into space. Stargazer Lottie will visit the International Space Station along with British ESA astronaut Tim Peake in December, travelling ahead on board Orbital ATK’s S.S. Deke Slayton II Cygnus cargo spacecraft.

Abigail’s idea for an astronomy themed doll to help other kids learn about space was the inspiration behind the Stargazer Lottie doll. During her time on board the ISS, Stargazer Lottie will fulfill her mission to get kids interested in space. Supplemental materials are available to download from the lottie. com website, including biographies of notable women in astronomy, and educational activities created by UNAWE, the global science educational outreach programme.

The video shows Abigail at home with her brother and mum Zoe in Comox, British Colombia, Canada, talking about her passion for space.

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Following the success of the first FunFest blogger summit in September, MI PR Global has confirmed the event will return on Saturday 17th September 2016.

FunFest was the first blogger event of its kind which welcomed all members of the family, especially children. The 2015 event, held at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire, combined a conference for both wannabe and pro-bloggers with key speakers. It also incorporated an all-day Exhibitor Expo featuring blue-chip brands, enabling bloggers to speak directly with some of the best names in the toy, games and entertainment industries.

The morning conference will again feature four keynote speakers with a focus on the future of digital and a variety of brand case studies, whilst children are entertained and catered for in a dedicated children’s zone run by professional child minders. In the afternoon bloggers will have the opportunity to network and meet the exhibitors in an informal and friendly environment. Next year’s event will end with a tea and drinks reception for delegates and exhibitors.

Kirsty Barr, director of MI PR Global, said of next year’s event: “We are looking to build on the success of FunFest’s first year, bringing in more outdoor brands, products for teenagers, tech toys and also broadening the number of nursery and pre-school brands at a new venue which will be announced in January.”

For updates and exhibitor information visit www.funfestuk.com or email info@miprglobal.co.uk.

VTech hires FireEye to secure systems after hack

The company says FireEye’s Mandiant forensics unit is helping the company secure its systems after data on 6.4 million children was exposed.

VTech is cooperating with law enforcement worldwide to investigate the cyber-attack, which surfaced in November.

Mandiant helps victims of cyber-attacks identify the extent of hacking, clean up networks and restore systems. It has handled some of the largest breaches, including the 2013 holiday attack on Target Corp and last year’s attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. Mandiant will now review all aspects of how VTech handles customer information to suggest ways to strengthen the security of its user data.

Alistair Tonnison seeks new role The experienced toy sales and marketing professional is looking for a new challenge.

After 16 years as national account controller at Hornby, together with many years’ experience in sales and marketing with other Blue Chip companies, including 10 years with his own toy and gift business, Alistair is looking for a new challenge. As Toy Fairs approach, he is happy to consider being employed by the day or on a short term contract if a toy company requires support over this busy period.

Throughout his career in the toy and gift industries, Alistair has been involved in selling and marketing a broad selection of products, not only through the mainstream toy business, but also many other retail channels, and has built up good relationships with all of his customers.

Alistair can be contacted on 07939 584714 or by email at: atonnison@ btinternet.com

Toy World 16

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT 01628 500 303 ©2016, MEGA Brands Inc. © 2016 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

industry moves HTI announces extended role appointment Alison Downie has been promoted to global licensing and brand director.The new role will see Alison heading up the HTI product development and UK marketing teams in addition to being responsible for the firm’s global licensing function.

Colin Houlihan, HTI executive director, commented “We are thrilled to have promoted Alison to this new role. This extension to her remit will enable HTI to benefit from Alison’s wealth of experience and expert knowledge in the children’s toy market. Her knowledge and capabilities in the product development process, as well as in the marketing and licensing arenas will be invaluable in assisting HTI to take the business to the next level.”

Vivid hires Crayola EMEA commercial director The company has promoted Leon Jarmolowicz to the position of Crayola EMEA’s commercial director. In his new role Leon will be responsible for Crayola’s export sales, strategy formulation and execution, on top of his current marketing responsibilities for the Crayola brand in the EMEA. Prior to his internal promotion, Leon held the position of Crayola Europe’s head of marketing where he worked for two years. Eric Rossi, Vivid Group’s CEO, commented: “Leon has been instrumental in building the Crayola brand through his marketing excellence, and has also been instrumental in driving our Crayola business across EMEA territories. He brings a wealth of experience to his new role, and will play a key part in the further development of our Crayola business in EMEA.” Leon Jarmolowicz commented: “Crayola is a fantastic brand with massive potential and one of those rare brands that can truly have relevance in all markets. I look forward to expanding the business further into Europe.”

Funrise unveils its new regional sales team Funrise UK has unveiled details of its new regional sales force as five agents join the team under UK director David Martin.

The new team includes some of the most experienced and respected sales professionals in the toy industry.

Starting with immediate effect the new appointments and their areas are: • Dave Glicksman – London and South East England • Stuart Nicholas – Midlands and the North • Hugh Burnett – Scotland and the North • Andrew McCormick – ROI and Northern Ireland • Andy Robertson – South West and Channel Islands David commented: “Our new regional sales force will primarily cover Toymaster and the independent sector, and I am delighted with how the team is developing. Dave, Stuart, Andy, Hugh and Andrew are some of the most valued in the industry and will be a cohesive addition to our national sales drive. 2016 is promising to bring with it many new opportunities for Funrise and our retail partners, both for existing brands such as Gazillion and My Little Pony with the addition of heritage brands such as Tonka. We are all looking forward to showcasing them at Toy Fair.”

Toy World 18

Papo UK appoints new account manager Damien Leahy has been appointed as the company’s new account manager for central northern England.

Philip Morris, UK country manager, commented: “With many new and exciting products coming through for 2016, this is an ideal time for Damien to be joining the Papo team.

Damien brings a wealth of experience to the company and he is looking forward to meeting and working with all of our Papo partners within his territory. Hopefully he will have the opportunity of meeting many of you at the forthcoming London Toy Fair and Birmingham Spring Fair.”

Re:creation appoints new sales agent The company has bolstered its sales team with the appointment of Karen Muircroft as its new sales agent for Scotland.

Karen has extensive experience in the toy industry having been a partner in her father’s business, Bob Black Agencies, for a number of years before taking over the business upon his retirement.

Re:creation’s generation sales manager, Adrian Mayes, commented: “The buzz around our evergreen brands such as Razor and Lego Lights keeps getting better and better. As these brands continue to grow and we add innovative new ones to our portfolio in 2016, we have brought together a team that will put us in the best possible position to meet the needs of independent toy stores. Karen’s appointment will ensure we continue to deliver the high levels of service and expertise our customers expect.”

K’Nex UK appoints head of education sales K’Nex UK has announced the appointment of Lynne Swatton-Reed as head of education sales, effective as of 11th January.

In 2014, K’Nex reestablished itself in the UK as a key player in the construction toy category with a dedicated UK sales and marketing team. With the toy retail business thriving, the company recently announced that its team will begin distributing the brand’s education range from January 2016.

Lynne has a wealth of sales management experience gained working on both toy and education brands, including Mattel, Hasbro and Franklin Electronic Publishers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT 01628 500 303 © 2016 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

marketing world The toy trade’s no.1 resource for marketing news and opinion

Annual Toy Trust Media Auction opens for bids Advance bids are welcome ahead of the final auction, which will take place during the Toy Industry Awards on 24th January.

As the second largest fundraising activity for the Toy Trust each year, the annual Media Auction is a classic win win scenario for all. Members can bag themselves a media bargain, and all funds raised go to help the chosen Toy Trust charities during the year.

Last year more than £80,000 was raised and with some highly prized lots once again, it is hoped that this year will be just as successful.

Airtime and printed media spots have been donated from leading broadcast, online, print and trade journals, plus major retailers have also added valuable promotional slots in catalogues. The result is a colossal £150,000 of media space to bid for. Lots have been received from Toy World, Sky, Disney, Nickelodeon, Turner, CITV, Channel Five, SuperAwesome, Toy News, Toys n Playthings, Progressive Pre-School, Toymaster, The Entertainer, Argos, Toys R Us and Redan. Details of each can be viewed on the Toy Trust Media Auction page, which will also be updated at intervals with the current highest bids.

Foye Pascoe, Toy Trust Committee chair, commented: “The Toy Trust Committee would like to thank all our media partners for their generous donations.

Without them we would not be able to support so many causes that directly benefit children. I’d also like to give special thanks to Arena Azure’s Jeff Taylor for his dedication in helping us creating another superb list to bid for.”

If you would like to make an advance bid for one or more of the Media Auction Lots please email Matt@btha.co.uk.

Funrise appoints Evolution PR 2016 will see Funrise ramp up its support for retailers with a schedule of marketing, including TV advertising and strategic PR with industry specialists Evolution PR, with Gazillion Bubbles and Tonka being a primary focus.

Recently appointed UK director David Martin has assigned the Evolution team to take care of children’s print and digital campaigns, implement a parental social media programme and create retailer focused experiential events. This will be in addition to a solid TV schedule for the firm’s principle brands.

Speaking of the move, he commented: “I am delighted to have the Evolution team on board. Their in-depth knowledge across the children’s sector will be an asset to myself and Funrise in 2016, where we aim to heighten the support for our retail partners as much as possible to ensure the success and popularity of the Tonka, Gazillion and other key Funrise lines.”

Characters and toys came to life to celebrate Christmas and Hamley’s 255th birthday Christmas came early on Saturday 28th November, as Regent Street was closed off for Hamleys Toy Parade.

Giant inflatables, floats, a marching band, TV and toy characters and even Father Christmas made an appearance at the celebration, which began at 10:30am, and started from the Glasshouse Junction and made its way down Regent Street. The event was free to attend.

Characters such as Peppa Pig, Hello Kitty, The Gruffalo and Ben and Holly were present to greet children and families when the parade had ended.

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Jazwares and Coiledspring Games hire Playtime PR Jazwares and Coiledspring Games have both hired Playtime PR to handle their key campaigns in 2016.

Jazwares has handed the UK trade and consumer-facing PR campaign for the new Danger Mouse toy range to Playtime PR. Jazwares will unveil the range at Toy Fair in January.

“We were really impressed by the Playtime PR team and their obvious enthusiasm for Danger Mouse,” comments Jonny Taylor, UK managing director at Jazwares. “We’re excited to have them on board and they’ve already hit the ground running as we prepare for Toy Fair season.”

Coiledspring Games has chosen the specialist toys and games PR agency to work across both the Worry Eaters and Schmidt Spiele 1,000 piece Jigsaw brands in 2016.

Roger Martin, owner of Coiledspring Games, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Playtime PR. We gave them a difficult challenge; PR-ing a traditionally staid product. Lesley and her team produced a proposal that was innovative, exciting and engaging. We’re confident that with Playtime on board we will have a very successful jigsaw-making, worryfree year.”

Playtime PR’s managing director, Lesley Singleton, adds: “I couldn’t be happier that both Coiledspring Games and Jazwares have asked us to work on such important campaigns for them, and we’re massively excited about the ideas we’re getting to put into action. Although we’re growing pretty rapidly, our ethos remains the same: to work hard with people, brands and products which we can truly get passionate about.”

The Playtime PR roster also includes Bananagrams, Accentuate Games, Big Potato Games, Flying Gadgets and The Irish Fairy Door Company.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT 01628 500 303 © 2016 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. © 2016 HIT Entertainment Limited. © 2016 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

marketing world

The Italian Job Toy World spoke to Diaframma’s Duccio Abolaffio about the advertising production company’s long-standing relationship with the toy market and what it can offer UK toy companies TW: Can you tell us a little about the history of Diaframma.

Diaframma has been producing toy TV commercials for over 30 years. During that time, we have worked with many the major global toy companies, and have developed and perfected all the key skills required to provide unique commercials which can be adapted to every category and territory.

TW: What are the main services that you offer toy companies?

We offer a full service from initial creative concepts through to production, post-production and, finally, providing the appropriate broadcasting material. Every time we undertake a new project, we assign a dedicated team of creatives, account managers and directors who are constantly present through every stage of the commercial’s development, while always paying close attention to the clients’ needs and requests until final completion.

TW: What do you see as your main competitive advantages over other agencies?

Toy commercials seem beautifully easy once they appear on television. However, their production requires a specific knowledge of many different fields. From technical expertise to a strong grasp of local markets’ needs and requirements, be they linguistic or regulatory, and of course, a thorough knowledge of toys and the specifics of the category. This knowledge gives us the advantage of being able to anticipate any potential problems from the start.

TW: What are the key benefits for a UK toy company in forming a partnership with Diaframma?

Not only are we highly competitive in terms of pricing, but also have a dedicated UK team of professionals working from our headquarters in Italy with a strong understanding of the UK market and its toy industry. This understanding also extends to the UK’s regulations covering broadcasting toy commercials.

TW: At which trade shows can toy companies meet up with you to discuss potential collaboration?

We attend all of the main global toy fairs, which helps us interact with clients directly and gives us the chance to work on projects from one fair to the other.

TW: What are your core values and how do you think you stand out?

Our main advantage over other agencies is our passion and experience. We love toys and the industry that makes their creation possible. We really enjoy finding ways to make them look their best. Our company’s structure is also a great advantage in that we are one united team, made up of a great variety of talents, all specialising in different fields. Collaboration is the key to our success and dedication, but our diversity makes our work complete in every aspect.

For more information visit www.diaframma.com or email duccio.abolaffio@diaframma.com

Protect yourself from cyber attacks

Cyber-attacks are likely to be a growing threat to British businesses in the coming year. Companies increasingly face new risks, including first and third party damage, business interruption and regulatory consequences.

Bruce Brooker, Commercial Director, of Securus Global, a leading security business whose personnel have over two decades of government experience in this field, states: ‘There is a huge education effort going on in businesses across all industry sectors to try and prepare executives for the threat posed by hackers.”

Increasing interconnectivity, globalization and commercialization of cyber crime are driving greater frequency and severity of cyber incidents, including data breaches. Data privacy and protection is one of the key cyber risks and related legislation will toughen globally; in the UK, the Information Commissioner can fine companies up to £500,000 for data breaches.

Business Interruption, intellectual property theft and cyber - extortion (both for financial and non-financial gain) are on the increase. Attacks by hackers dominate the headlines but there are many gateways through which a business can be impacted by cyber risk.

The recent hacking of toymaker VTech, where the personal data of customers was affected, has raised a number of questions regarding the security of smart based toys that connect to the Internet. Businesses do need to be aware of a criminal’s motives in order to protect themselves. A look back at the VTech hack points to profit as a key driver. In this case, the hackers’ motive was to steal names, email addresses, telephone and

bank details, possibly to sell to the highest bidder.

The target was VTech’s valuable customer data.

Monitoring tools, improved processes and greater employee awareness can help companies be more prepared. Securus Global offers cyber security software that detects persistent adversaries, unidentified cyber threats and emerging anomalies that by-pass all other security controls in real time, before a crisis strikes.

The fact that the solution is able to detect threats in realtime allows organisations to take appropriate actions to mitigate threats and stay ahead of a rapidly changing threat landscape.

Securus is currently offering prospective clients a free four- week proof of concept trial of the cyber solution, which will allow companies to evaluate the software

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within their own environment. The trial integrates real threat intelligence from Securus Global advanced threat detection and analytics reporting service.

For further information and to schedule a demonstration, please contact Bruce Brooker at Securus Global. T: 0845 862 7001 E: info@securusglobal.co.uk

marketing world

YouTube; It’s their channel go talk to them!

Children’s media agency Arena Azure has teamed up with Toy World and youth research agency Childwise to bring you a regular column discussing the latest media trends based on Childwise data. For marketers, being ahead of the curve on what’s happening right now has never been more important or challenging due to the pace of change. This column will aim to make some sense of what’s happening today in the world of children’s media and why certain channels are becoming increasingly important.

Tristan Brooks, client services director at Arena Azure (tristan.brooks@arena-azure.co.uk) Data from the CHILDWISE Monitor provided by Simon Leggett, research director at CHILDWISE (simon.leggett@ childwise.co.uk)

A

s the 2016 campaign planning season kicks off, the usual discussions about how much budget should be invested, and where it should be allocated, are taking place. Choices include maintaining the investment in tried and tested media channels, or evolving and testing something new, but often unproven.

This month the growing behemoth of YouTube will be in focus. With the recent launch of the Kids App, the timing couldn’t be more relevant. YouTube is such a huge topic that we’ll only be able to scratch the surface in this article, however this may get you thinking about whether it should be part of your marketing tool kit. The likelihood is it’s only going to grow in influence and reach as more tablets and smartphones get sold and passed down this Christmas.

Generation swipe The children of “generation swipe” have grown up in a world in which they’re increasingly in control of where, when and how they want to watch and interact with media. If anything, they’re at the coal face of change. They’re creating new content channels, ways of interacting, uploading and feeling connected. They are the kingmakers of today’s superstars in this new democratic world order, where they choose who to follow, subscribe to, like, share and discuss. They feel part of something that’s genuine, authentic and real to them. You Tube is their platform, more so than any other, and that’s why it will continue to grow in our opinion. If brands can tap into, become part of, or even enhance this relationship, there is considerable potential for marketers. Conversely there is the risk of looking clichéd or out of place.

The numbers…

48% of children aged 5-6 years old watch YouTube every day (Childwise; The Monitor Report 2016). Breaking down further, of boys and girls aged 5-10 years, 82% and 79% of them respectively visited YouTube in the last week (Childwise; The Monitor Report 2016). This phenomenon is truly mobile with 53% of children accessing via mobile, 50% via tablet and only 35% via laptop (Childwise; The Monitor Report 2016). This may in part explain why TVs in children’s bedrooms are in decline (down from 61% in 2013 to 56% in 2014; Childwise; The Monitor Report 2015) because children increasingly want to access media on their terms and tablets and mobiles provide this. In October, 20 of the 50 most popular YouTube channels were aimed at children generating more than 5.2bn video views that month alone (Guardian online).

It’s not just over-fives who are watching YouTube either; it’s the leading on-demand service for pre-school children, with 39% of 3-4s using YouTube regularly and CBeebies coming second with 33% (Childwise Pre-school Report 2015). UK pre-school channel LittleBabyBum was No.4 on the global list of top 100 channels with 428m views in the month of October alone. The sheer breadth of pre-school content and it’s accessibility through mobile devices make YouTube an increasingly important part of pre-schoolers media. YouTube is part of children’s lives at an ever younger age.

So what are they viewing?

Chart showing YouTube usage by age (916 respondents).

Childwise: The Monitor Report 2016

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The answer is lots of different content, more diverse than any other media currently provides. YouTube is their one stop media destination. What’s important to pick out from this chart is that as children get older, they see YouTube less as a place to consume TV programming (from 45% of 5-6 year olds to 23% of 15-16 year olds). Current data indicates Netflix is now on the rise and starting to take increasing programming share of on demand services. 50% of children aged 7 to 16 viewed Netflix content in the last week (Childwise; The Monitor Report 2016) which is an interesting trend for a platform that doesn’t currently run advertising.

Viewing ‘Unboxing’ channels remains fairly consistent across 5 to 16 year olds from the data on the chart. These channels offer both opportunities and challenges for advertisers. There are a growing number of UK unboxing/ review channels, however the challenge for advertisers is being able to justify their reach verses the investment.

However these channels offer engagement beyond a branded TV ad and therefore should be judged differently.

They talk to children at length on their terms, in their channel, creating a conversation rather than shouting at them, as some TV ads feel.

Rise of the Vlogger There has been a dramatic rise of video and vlogger (video blogger) content since 2011.. Video and vlogger websites (i.e. YouTube) are now favoured by children over all others, including social media and gaming sites. This ascendance is strikingly fast.

Zoella, Stampy and Pewdiepie are just a few of the hugely influential established vlogger household names and licensed brands in their own right. They’re the tip of a growing iceberg and there is a legion of YouTube stars following in their wake. There is a whole industry of management agents, rights companies and creative content agencies helping advertisers try and navigate this particularly niche space. Our view is you have to live it to understand it, not just dip in and out according to the brief, which is why expertise is crucial in getting campaigns to work and pay back.

In summary With the well overdue launch of the YouTube Kids App in November, this should only shore up YouTube’s position as no.1 website. Providing a safe “walled content” version (aimed at children 3 to 8) of the main site is something many parents have been waiting for, addressing concerns of harmful content being only a couple of clicks away. Our view is that children will be spending an increasing amount of time on this platform, supplementing their TV viewing, but by no means abandoning TV as the naysayers have been saying – TV is certainly not dead by any means.

Advertisers leading in this space tend to be global players with significant digital budgets, a constant stream of product and content to support it. This should not put off other advertisers. It doesn’t cost the earth to start to move into this space, often just the cost of a great idea and a video camera to get sales moving; Razor’s CrazyCart Ken Box viral being a great example.

With TV still the most efficient channel to deliver mass reach, YouTube often gets discarded into the “if we had enough budget we’d love to do something” pile which is entirely understandable. However, it can’t be overlooked for much longer, even from a licensing perspective. A growing number of children’s brands are becoming famous via the YouTube route; Oddbods being a prime example.

Increasingly YouTube should be considered as part of an integrated marketing plan, but you need to think about how to get the most out of this uniquely personal channel. It’s not just about uploading your TV ad to a branded channel; think bigger!

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Face to Face

Generation Gap Toy World spoke to Generation Media’s managing director Lisa Morgan about the current media landscape and the range of services which the company offers toy suppliers TW: Can you tell us about the Generation Media group?

LM: Generation Media is the UK and Ireland’s number 1 specialist in advertising communications to kids, youth and families.

We manage around £1 in every £3 spent within toys and games advertising in these territories. This volume allows us to provide our client-base with not just market leading advertising prices, but also quality planning and buying delivered by an empowered team of experts in their field.

As we enter the next stage of our journey, we have expanded our offer by developing a group of companies and divisions, each focused on our kids, youth, families and digital specialisms.

nGen – With digital online becoming an increasingly important part of the communications mix, our specialist team assists our clients in the navigation of this expansive, complex market place. With seemingly infinite options available and a lack of standardised industry tools and metrics, it is our role to ensure we are filling the communications gaps to deliver effective campaigns, within a multimedia framework that everyone can understand.

Our newest Joint Venture association, specialising in paid search, social and mobile marketing alongside a host of other online service. Complementing our nGen offer, Mangostorm media is an exciting and valuable addition to our coms armoury and is likely to be a strategic growth area for 2016.

TW: What makes your group different from your competitors?

LM: Our specialism and independence is what makes us unique. By having such a strong focus we are able to deliver a level of service and insight that perfectly fits with our client requirements. Not being part of a large international group allows us to make decisions that are right for our clients’ business. We consistently invest heavily in our team, training and resource, and we are recognised for this by both industry and clients. In 2015 we achieved our second consecutive gold award for the continuous professional development of our staff and this translates into happy customers, demonstrated by our outstanding track record for client satisfaction.

TW: What has the team been up to in 2015?

LM: It’s been a busy year for us and our clients. We are increasingly being challenged with talk in the media of kids no longer viewing TV and turning to digital devices for their screen time fix. Through industry standard data, coupled with us speaking directly to our key markets, we can report that TV is very much still in rude health. In fact, we are seeing growth in the portion of viewing time being given to kids’ commercial stations.

Despite the well documented fragmentation, no other medium can rival TV for reaching a large number of kids at any one point in time, and this is set to remain the case for some time to come.

We are, however, documenting a rise in second screening widening the attention deficit, and this is

The Next Generation Media Exchange - Our international confederation of independent media agencies working under one name. With the assistance of our network of partners we are able to centrally manage campaigns directly from the UK, whilst leveraging our partners’ local expertise and tools. iGen Insight – Our partner company in qualitative and quantitative research projects, from testing creatives and product concepts to measuring brand awareness and purchase intent. The insight team, whilst operating as a separate entity, helps fuel Generation Media’s planning process and strategies through desktop and on the ground research.

GMX - run by toy industry veteran Mike Frost. Through connectivity with the retailers and distribution lines we can ensure the advertising process is relevant to the consumer world and consult with clients to ensure best return for their marketing investment.

where we are utilising digital online to bridge the gap.

With digital online (and offline) infiltrating all media, the team works collaboratively to develop proprietary strategies, such as the TV/Online tipping point, and generate bespoke measurement systems. One such system is our own ‘online virtual ratings’ (OVRS). These tools allow us to support our clients in their justification for spending beyond TV, both internally and to retailers.

TW: What’s new for 2016?

LM: We are continuously evolving our approach to meet client demand. Two key areas for us are return on investment and the digital space.

Return on Investment In this arena it’s always been about short term return on investment and demonstrating what immediate effect every pound deployed on advertising will have at point of sale. We have, however, recognised a shift toward longer term strategies with the value of brands and life time customers taken into consideration.

The rise of online has also changed the way we measure success. No longer are recommendations made purely on cost per thousands. We are now able to measure the cost per engagement, acquisition, sale etc. and where we lack available data we use our market knowledge and expertise to predict the outcome and set real world key performance indicators upon which we can measure success.

Toy World 26

Digital Online With new platforms for communication and buying points cropping up on an almost daily basis, the nGen team works tirelessly to stay ahead of the game. Testing new formats and approaches, measuring results and refining our recommendations in our on-going learning loop, ensures we can provide solutions that best match the communications objectives in a cost structured approach. We will also be rolling out new tracking technologies in 2016 allowing us to more effectively measure and react to viewability and brand safety data, further enhancing online campaigns. This is something we’ll be exploring with our new monthly column focusing on the digital arena, which will be appearing in Toy World, starting from the March issue.

TW: Do you enjoy your role as a key player in the kids’ media space?

LM: It’s important to have fun. Whilst we take our responsibilities to our clients very seriously, we must not forget that kids and entertainment are at the heart of our business. We have a number of internal initiatives that keep our staff attuned to the target market whilst ensuring we support their own professional development. The aforementioned investment in recruitment, personnel and training equips and motivates the team to deliver a market leading service, an unparalleled expertise and implementation designed to become a valuable extension of any marketing team.

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licensing world The toy trade’s no.1 resource for licensing news and opinion

Golden Bear acquires Messy Goes to Okido licence for 2016

Mattel and DHX Media launch partnership on kids content Mattel and DHX Media have announced a new long-term partnership for the development, production and distribution of a range of new, multi-platform content inspired by Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Little People and Polly Pocket.

“The announcement is a major step forward in our ongoing strategy to dramatically accelerate content creation and distribution on a global scale,” commented Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, chief content officer at Mattel.

“Importantly, this relationship also creates the potential for future content, licensing and franchise development collaborations between Mattel and DHX.” Under the terms of the partnership, Mattel and DHX Media will fund, co-develop and co-produce new short-form and long-form content for the Mattel properties, designed for a variety of traditional and digital platforms. With Mattel’s additional expertise in brand franchise management, strategy and consumer product licensing, and with DHX’s strength in global content distribution and creation, the companies will drive new production and growth for select Mattel properties.

Autumn/winter 2016 will see Golden Bear launch a range of soft toy, talking and feature plush based on the Messy Goes to Okido TV series from Doodle Productions, which is currently airing on CBeebies.

The programme originated from the original Okido magazine and depicts a host of colourful science-based adventures led by monster Messy and his friends. Each episode of Messy Goes to Okido is designed to fire up the imagination and understanding of art and science across children aged 3-5.

“The creativity and characterisation explored within the TV series has given us the opportunity to develop a themed plush range, which will enable children to bring the cute and curious Messy to life in tactile and huggable form,” comments Katherine Pierce, senior licensing and marketing manager at Golden Bear. “With fantastic stories, engaging concepts and programme content, Messy goes to Okido will form a natural extension to our expanding portfolio for 2016.”

BLE 2016 changes show opening times

Topps launches Merlin Official Premier League Sticker Collection

UBM Advanstar has analysed the feedback from a survey that provided options on possible changes to BLE’s show hours. Taking into consideration all the feedback and comments they received, it has been announced that the following changes will be made to the opening times for 2016’s event: • Tuesday 11th October: The show will open to visitors one hour earlier at 8.00am. The show will close at the usual time of 5.00pm.

• Wednesday 12th October: The show will open to visitors at the usual time of 9.00am. The show will close at the usual time of 5.00pm.

• Thursday 13th October: The show will open to visitors at the usual time of 9.00am. The show will close one hour later than usual at 5.00pm.

Extending BLE’s opening hours on Tuesday and Thursday will allow those individuals unable to attend on Wednesday, due to Yom Kippur, to still fully participate in 2016’s event.

UBM Advanstar has apologised for the inconvenience this situation has caused.

The Merlin Official Premier League Sticker Collection will hit shelves on 17th December, featuring more detailed player information, upweighted team stats and over 500 stickers.

The new collection is the second to be launched

by Topps under the Merlin brand since the company reinstated the trademark last year. It is the 23rd edition dedicated to the Barclays Premier League since the first official sticker album launched under the Merlin brand back in 1994.

The 2015/2016 season’s album features all 20 Barclays Premier League teams, with new look portraits and infographics for players bringing a new dynamic to the popular collectible. Team stats, including club records and special player and captain stickers, are other new additions to the latest album.

Rod Pearson, marketing director for Topps, commented: “The new Merlin Official Premier League Sticker Collection offers something for football fans young and old, with the nostalgia of Merlin appealing to those who remember the brand from their childhood, and new design features and stats giving the collection a fresh feel for our newer supporters. With the ongoing success of Merlin, the launch of the UEFA Champions League sticker collection last month and the upcoming unveiling of our new Champions League Match Attax trading card game in January 2016, our football portfolio is the strongest it has ever been.”

Starter packs for the Merlin Official Premier League Sticker Collection contain an 88-page sticker album and four packs of stickers.

Licensing World 28

M O R F E G N A R W 6 E 1 N 0 2 G R N O F T R EXCITI A P A S D L R O W

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Cartamundi scores with Shuffle Subbuteo card game

It’s alright at Copywrite

Cartamundi has announced the launch of the Shuffle Subbuteo card game, licensed

by Hasbro. Available in January 2016, this brand new version is part of the Shuffle range, which combines playing cards and digital technology for an enhanced way to play card games with support from tablets and smartphones.

Like the table-top game, Shuffle Subbuteo card game allows you to pass, tackle and beat the goalie (or try to save the ball). The game comes with easy-tounderstand instructions and the Shuffle digital extra. The free Shuffle Subbuteo app (available through Apple iOS and Android) adds a digital twist, with a scoreboard timer and stadium sounds which bring the game to life.

Shuffle Subbuteo joins a wide range of games in the Shuffle range, including Twister, Monopoly Deal, Disney Monopoly, Monopoly Junior, Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit, Guess Who?, Pictureka, Disney Cards, Transformers Robots in Disguise, My Little Pony, Boggle Slam, Littlest Pet Shop, Play-Doh, and Battleships – with more titles on the way soon.

Paul Lamond gets Boj-ing

Confirming its move into the arts and crafts category, Paul Lamond will be introducing a series of Boj make-and-do craft kits inspired by the popular CBeebies character. The Let’s Get Boj-ing range will make its debut in spring/summer 2016.

The three Boj-ing kits contain everything a child needs to create something Boj inspired. Each kit is based on items commonly found in the child’s home, such as cardboard tubes, cereal boxes, and paper plates. After completing their Boj creations, kids can expand their creative play by discovering more things around the house to upcycle into new toys. Alongside the craft kits, Paul Lamond has developed a 4-in-1 puzzle set, a giant floor puzzle and a picture card game which features all five of the show’s Giggly Families.

Since launching on Cbeebies 18 months ago, Boj has aired on every regular weekday and has succeeded in more than doubling audience share. A newly-ordered special-length episode will see Boj programming continue on the BBC until 2022. The new partnership with Paul Lamond follows on from the news that Redan Publishing will be launching a Boj magazine in 2016, while plans for Boj World, a soft play visitor attraction at West Midland Safari Park, are also at an advanced stage.

David Hodgson, Pesky founder and Boj co-creator, commented: “We continue to grow a truly innovative Boj licensing campaign. In Paul Lamond Games we have found the perfect partner to embrace Boj’s passion for creative play with this series of Boj craft kits, plus some lovely puzzles and the must-have Giggly Families card game.”

Toy World’s Jonika Kinchin talks to International Greetings’ group licensing director Helen Webster about 2015 highlights and key licences for 2016.

How has 2015 been overall?

Copywrite Designs/Anker International is part of the International Greetings plc group of companies and results from 2015 have been extremely pleasing.

Copywrite Designs has continued to build its reputation for a strong licence portfolio supported by innovative product and design while the IG group’s gift packaging and greeting card company, IG UK, has further demonstrated its market-leading position as a supplier of gift-wrap, gift bags, Christmas crackers and greeting cards to the UK’s top retailers.

What was the highlight of 2015?

There were actually three major highlights for Copywrite Designs in 2015.

Disney’s Frozen garnered a fantastic response at retail. Copywrite launched Frozen in October 2014 and so far has sold over five million Frozen items across the UK market. This, plus the fact that Frozen continues to perform strongly in all product categories, is a testament to the appeal of this licence across all age groups.

The second highlight was, of course, Despicable Me and the Minions movie.

We produced a great creative play range for January 2015 followed by a tight colouring/activity and sticker offering for the Minions movie release in the summer and both were a big hit. Interestingly, our retail listings for this brand are firm well into 2016 so Despicable Me has definitely morphed seamlessly into a major franchise and all bodes well for the release of Despicable Me 3 in 2017.

Last but by no means least, the build up to the release of Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens on 17th December was phenomenal, mainly because the movie trailers look fantastic and the public’s interest in the return of Han Solo et al was so huge. Copywrite launched a colouring and activity and sticker product range in September and sales began to grow immediately.

What are your key new licences for 2016?

Copywrite’s licensed portfolio includes Disney Junior staples, Marvel’s Spiderman and Avengers, Star Wars, Despicable Me, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig and Thomas & Friends, so we have a very solid array of quality licences to offer retailers for 2016 and will be concentrating on maximising everyday and seasonal opportunities with these brands.

Copywrite’s stationery and sticker offering to tie in with Marvel’s much anticipated new movie Captain America: Civil War will be another major launch for us. Due to hit UK cinemas on 29th April followed by a DVD release in August, the movie will feature everyone’s favourite Marvel characters and Spiderman.

Another major launch for Copywrite in 2016 will be The Secret Life of Pets, a stationery, creative play and sticker range. The Secret Life of Pets movie will not hit UK cinemas until June 2016, but Copywrite is already getting a positive response, so this is one to watch.

Another major hit for 2016, both at the box office and at retail, will be Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory. Copywrite’s offering is sticker-based and will feature some great new novelty formats.

The final major release for Copywrite in 2016 will be another sticker offering, this one featuring Dreamworks’ Trolls movie.

What products do you expect to be particularly successful in 2016?

We don’t reveal much about our bestselling products as that would be giving away too much to our competitors, but our novelty products do really well at retail and our passion for ensuring we deliver genuine value-for money, added value features, print finishes and add-ons really drives sales with our retailers and consumers.

Licensing World 30

TOY WORLD ROSE PETAL copy.pdf

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97 million Youtube views 7 consumer & trade awards 5 star customer reviews TV advertising Heavyweight digital marketing campaign

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Face to Face

Every little helps Tesco is unquestionably one of the most important retailers within the toy market. After a year which has seen the company reorganise its toy buying department, Publisher John Baulch spoke to John Driscoll, category director general merchandise, and Dawn Lavalette, head of buying UK and Central Europe, about the recent changes and how the company is planning to grow its toy business. structural changes we went through earlier this year, yes.

John Driscoll

Dawn Lavalette

category director general merchandise

head of buying UK and Central Europe

JB: Presumably the staff changes are all finalised now?

JD: Pretty much. We’re always looking to develop the talent that we’ve got and evolve the team internally, but in terms of the

JB: While the changes were being implemented, do you feel that they had an impact on the toy division from a trading perspective?

JD: I’m not sure that they did actually. We tried our best to minimise the impact. Given the level of change we went through, we still had a strong first half, and were well supported by the team internally, as well as by our suppliers. We tried to keep the same people in broadly the same jobs, working with the same suppliers where possible. Some people’s areas have expanded, some people’s areas have changes slightly but overall we were aiming for a minimum amount of change to take us on to the next stage. We feel that we’ve made some major strides from

Toy World 34

how we were managing the toy business the previous year. We’ve had positive feedback from our supplier partners and we are keen to keep that momentum going.

JB: Do you feel you’ve performed to expectation this year – or beyond expectation?

DL: So far I would say beyond expectation.

Tesco has been on a bit of a journey over the past couple of years, as has the toy sie of the business in particular. Since John took up his role, the company has really started to take toys seriously and look at the category as part of the foundation for where we want to take general merchandise. Most of the team have been buying toys for quite a few years and I think that has really helped. They can feel now that the company is behind them; all the way from the top, everyone sees the

potential that toys can deliver. We all know that there will be years when there are underperforming licences and new licences coming through to take their place, but the team is starting to be able to read what’s going on and that makes a big difference. The start to the year was very good; we’re now trading over what was actually a very good second half last year, so we have to work harder to raise the bar in the run-up to Christmas.

JB: Which products have worked well for you this year?

DL: The collectibles sector has been on fire, Shopkins in particular has been phenomenal.

We have around 20 million customers coming through the doors each week, and the impulse side of the business has done really well, particularly in spring summer when we have started to get behind toys more. We have also continued to do well with Frozen: obviously it has dropped off in the second half of the year, but we anticipated that happening. The whole Lego range has worked really well. Action figures is another area that has performed really well – everything from Avengers to Minions. When the Minions movie was released, the share we took instore over the peak weekends was over 40%.

“We need to be bigger and bolder. Fail and fail fast is my view.” emphasis in future: engaging customers within the stores. Food shopping isn’t necessarily the most exciting experience, so with the toy aisles we want to make sure that customers are having fun. Organising events such as the Minions weekend works really well for us. We had a similar response to the Frozen event we organised last year.

JB: So I assume you’ll look to organise more of these events going forward?

DL: We’d love to, definitely.

JD: They are not easy to plan and execute, but they are very worthwhile from a customer experience point of view. One reason that the toy department is so important to Tesco is that a large percentage of our customer base is families. Making the shopping experience interesting is a perennial challenge in the

“I don’t think we need more space at the moment. I think we just need to make our space work harder.”

JB: Was that as a result of the heavy promotional activity?

DL: I think that when we have too much stock on certain lines and it’s not going to reach the potential that we’d expected, we have to take price action – although the price reduction wasn’t across everything. We launched Minions long before the movie was released - while we had space available we made the most of it. The range was trading at full price six weeks before the movie launch, which worked really well. However, it didn’t sustain its momentum as well as we’d hoped and we had to take action where necessary.

It’s not to say it was bad at all: sales overall were phenomenal and the licensing team did a great job of running the Minions event in-store. That’s where we want to put more

grocery business, and these events give us the opportunity to get behind something which crosses a number of categories, with toys right at the heart of it. It’s also great for the team to be part of a big piece of activity like this: to go to the store and see the reaction and the impact it has is very rewarding. The store teams love it too, because it’s something they can really get behind.

JB: Are these events organised with the licensor or the master toy partner – or is it a combination of the two?

DL: Rachel Wakeley heads up the licensing team. She works with the licensors to put the main arrangements in place and the toy buying team liaises with suppliers to make sure we pull it together from all angles.

Everyone needs to be engaged with it to make

Toy World 39

sure everything aligns. We’re learning each time and we’ll get better at it. It’s also a big point of difference for Tesco: no-one else is doing it in this way apart from specialists, who do a great job. If you look at what is doing well in the market, the specialists who are creating the theatre and driving people into stores are doing a great job. Those that aren’t tend to have pretty empty and archaic looking stores.

JD: These events are new for us, part of our journey and something we can do to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

We see ourselves as being unique as a multichannel, multi-category retailer offering this sort of opportunity, and the suppliers and licensors have been fantastic with their support. How we make it scalable and repeatable is our next big challenge. It’s definitely something we want to be talking to more people about.

JB: Would you consider taking a similar approach for Black Friday, or is that predominantly a price-driven opportunity?

JD: We’re less focused on Black Friday and more focused on building a strong toy proposition which we can take to market between the back end of October and December, when customers would traditionally gravitate towards the specialists.

Our biggest player at that time of the year isn’t actually Black Friday, it’s our Clubcard Boost event. We offer Clubcard customers the opportunity to get double the value on a number of categories, and toys is right at the heart of that.

DL: We need to build a solid foundation for toys and we need to give it longevity. What we don’t want to do is get into the habit of going through Black Friday every year. We’ve already got the footfall: our peak footfall comes through in the run-up to Christmas, yet that’s when we lose market share, in the sense that we don’t have the same percentage of the toy market as we do in the summer months.

What we need to think about going into the Christmas period is how we encourage those customers to engage with the toys we’re selling. Our goal is to do that in the right way; if we just pull sales forward, that’s not ideal for the long-term.

JD: It’s more important for us to have the right range for our customers at the right time of year. Having a consistent range, consistent availability and consistent pricing is the key. We don’t have elastic walls, so we

at exactly the right time. That’s definitely something we’ll be doing more of.

JD: We need to be flexible because we need to deliver what customers want, when they want it from us – and also because we need to work more collaboratively with our supplier partners and take advantage of what’s happening in the industry. It’s quite a big change, but it’s exciting – it means we’ll be doing smaller pieces of activity more frequently.

DL: Of course, we don’t always get it right.

We wanted more stock from someone today and the supplier said “We’ve already given you double your forecast.” But the team has built up strong relationships with suppliers and they’ve been great in terms of partnering with us. We need to change; we need to build supplier partnerships which are long-term.

In the toy industry, companies will have good and bad years, it’s all cyclical. It’s important that we support each other as we go through.

The Minions weekend event was a huge success need to select the right range, back the right propositions and really get behind what we think our customers will want – and make sure we have the right amount of stock.

Sometimes we’ve taken an optimistic view of things and found ourselves not trading in the way we had hoped – Minions would be a good example. Other times suppliers come to us and say “It isn’t performing as well as we thought it would.” Coming into the industry a couple of years ago, it was immediately apparent just how fashion and trend driven it is. Take Frozen as an example: this time last year, everyone was chasing stock. This year it has been far flatter. Whether it’s a licence or a toy range, we’re constantly trying to manage different stages of the life-cycle at any given time.

DL: It’s a challenge for the buying team in a supermarket environment. We can’t say to the store managers, “Sorry, we’ve got this wrong, you’re going to have to keep the stock out the back.” So we have to work with stores to get the balance right. One of the biggest changes I’ve seen over the past few months is that we’re becoming nimbler. We’re able to react to what’s happening out in the market, rather than saying “We’re Tesco, our ranges are due to change this week; therefore, we will stick to this particular week and the product will stay in for 26 weeks, and after that it will change

again.” We need to be a lot more flexible in the way we work; we need to think about how the market is developing and come up with a plan to make the most of it.

JD: Do you think that suppliers are able to be that reactive?

DL: Some are, some aren’t. When I say reactive, it’s important to plan. So, for example, when a supplier tells us they are launching a range in November, rather than saying “We’re due to change our range in September, so we can’t do anything,” we’ll aim to build that into our plans and work with them. Most suppliers are actually very supportive – we’re trying to be a bit more flexible so we can incorporate their strategy into ours. If we can do that far enough ahead, it’s better for everyone.

JB: There was a time when the lack of flexibility of some of the major accounts wouldn’t have allowed them to fully capitalise on certain releases – I’m thinking of movies such as Frozen and Star Wars with December launches.

DL: Absolutely, all the way from movies launching in the middle of the year to Lego launching new ranges in January, our hands have often been tied in the past. If we’re going to be viewed as a major player in the toy space, we need to have the stock out there

Toy World 40

JB: That’s laudable. As a supplier, the stability of a long-term partnership must give them confidence and reassurance.

DL: That’s why we want to establish joint business plans with the key suppliers going forward, to make sure that they’re feeling comfortable and we’re feeling comfortable.

We’re building those plans together, having open and honest conversations. They’re not going to like everything we want to do, and we’re not going to like everything they want to do, but it’s about meeting in the middle and making sure we’ve got the best joint plans.

If we do that, the idea is that we grow both businesses profitably and everyone is happy.

JB: Does this apply to both domestic and FOB suppliers?

DL: Absolutely. We have many Far East suppliers that are really important.

Occasionally one of them will say “We need to win the business for next year.” But it’s not necessarily about winning the business, it’s about making sure that we have a long-term plan in place so that we can both get to where we want to be.

JB: Essentially it sounds like a more strategic approach to partnerships than a pricingdriven negotiation. In the past, there was a belief that a supplier could win or lose a piece of business from a major account by being a couple of cents cheaper….

JD: If everyone is in it for the long-term, which we absolutely are – and I believe our suppliers are too – then you take a longer term approach. My personal view would be that a couple of cents here and there, in the grand scheme of things, is less important than having the right relationship, the right supply chain and the speed to market we need to do the right thing for our customers.

There is more than one way to skin the cat when it comes down to how you make the

economics work. That said, we’re under no illusions, and our suppliers are under no illusions: business may naturally ebb and flow depending on the strength of certain licences and what’s on trend. The size of our business, to a degree, is driven by how on trend we are.

The diversity of the toy market is probably greater than it has ever been, there are lots of opportunities coming up.

DL: Of course, we will still maintain some transactional relationships – if someone comes to us with a great deal, we need to be able to react if it’s right for us.

JB: So I guess toy suppliers must be very happy with the changes you’ve implemented?

DL: We held a supplier conference a few weeks ago, where we were able to share some of our plans with our suppliers and talk to them about what we’ve been doing.

We haven’t had a chance to stand up and celebrate success for a few years, so it was gratifying.

JD: Back at the 2014 conference we talked about the plans we were about to put in place and how we intended to implement them. So this time round it was good to be able to share some good news about how things turned out; that, by working together, we’d achieved results that were better than we anticipated when we set the plans out. We were also able to talk about how we are going to take the plans on to the next level.

DL: It wasn’t just about us being brave, suppliers had to be brave with us as well.

Some of them probably thought “It hasn’t been great for the past twelve months, are you really going to deliver what you say you’re going to deliver?” So now it’s good to see the team getting recognition for pulling it all together. We’ve still got a long way to go, which is good because it shows there is more scope for us to grow.

JD: The suppliers have been brilliant. Dawn mentioned earlier about suppliers’ fortunes ebbing and flowing; we’ve been on that journey ourselves, so we really appreciated the support from suppliers when the business wasn’t growing in the way we wanted. It required a leap of faith from some of them; as our business declined for a period of time, some of their businesses were heavily

impacted. We had to have some very open conversations about how we intended to reverse those fortunes. We’ve also encouraged suppliers to be open and honest with us about what we need to do differently. It is a two-way street – as you can imagine, we get a lot of feedback! But we asked for feedback and we definitely don’t want suppliers to stop giving it. We believe we’re getting quicker and nimbler, but it’s good to have that reinforced by our supplier partners. If that’s not a shared opinion, we want to know – we want suppliers to have the confidence to continue to work with us and invest in us. We want to be first to market with new ranges and to be at the cutting edge. In order to do that, we need those partnerships.

DL: We need to give customers a reason to shop at Tesco. That is partly about customer engagement and getting them to enjoy the shopping experience, and partly about how we differentiate ourselves within the market.

That’s not just about the odd exclusive dotted here and there – it’s thinking about what it means to be first to market and what we are able to do to support that. We know we’re going to win on collectibles: we’ve got 20 million customers. But how do we make sure we win on some of the big box pieces that come along at the back end of the year – what are we going to do differently to make that work just as well.

JB: How do you view the online channel – is it a viable battleground for you, or will you put most of your effort behind in-store initiatives?

DL: We have the second or third most visited website in the UK, which is a great starting point. However, we acknowledge that it needs to do more. If you look at the way the toy trade is has been going, online sales are predicted to outstrip store sales by 2019. So if we’re going to be serious about toys, we have to compete in that area. We’re learning a lot at the moment about the best way to do it; we’ve still got a lot to learn, but I believe our growth over the next three years will be driven more from online than stores.

JD: Online is very important for our customers, therefore it’s a massive priority for us. It’s a very different way of retailing; exciting in many way, because it is so

“It wasn’t just about being brave - suppliers had to be brave with us as well.”

Toy World 42

immediate. As the year moves through, we see customers shop between the channels, looking for different things in some cases. So our job is to get the right range in the right channel at the right time. But both channels are equally important.

DL: Stores are still our heartland, but online has grown so much over the past few years, we need to make sure we’re looking after our customers’ needs across the board. That is something we have which is going to be true differentiator; if we don’t play in all the fields, we would be cutting out part of the target market we need to work with.

JB: You’ve made great strides with the toy business this year – does that have an impact on the aisles? Will you have more space to play with next year?

DL: To be honest, I don’t think we need more space at the moment. I think we need to make our space work harder. The 80:20 rule very much applies to our business; the proportion of sales that goes through 20% of the product range is phenomenal. I think we need to work with suppliers to make sure we get that right first. We’ll definitely be doing more around promotions and events, pulling it out of the toy aisle and working with the licensing team and other categories. But it’s important for us to get our core range right: I don’t want to be walking up and down the aisles dusting anything. I do think that, sometimes, when you look at the rate of sale being delivered, we can work harder – but that’s good because it gives us an opportunity.

JD: If you launch product and customers don’t buy it, they’re telling you something. At that point you have to learn the lesson and change it. It goes back to being nimbler and responding quicker. If we fully optimise the space we’ve got, we’d have a bigger business.

DL: We need to be bigger and bolder as well.

Fail and fail fast is my view. If we’re going to try something, believe in it. If it doesn’t work, we cut it and move on. Not everything is going to work. But we need to give the team the courage to want to try new things; that’s how we’re going to transition the way we think as a toy business. I think you’ll see us churn the space a little bit quicker. As new ranges are launched, that’s when the customer wants it, that’s when we see if it’s going to work. It’s better to do that than pick it up at its height, not having backed it from the start and struggling to get the stock. It’s better to be brave upfront and cut our losses on the things that don’t work.

JB: How are your plans for 2016 taking shape?

DL: We’ve been planning next year for the past couple of months, working on how we’re going to deliver further growth. I would love us to get to number one in the UK toy market, which is a big challenge. But we can definitely be number one across Europe: we’re number

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one in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, and making sure we have harmonisation between Central Europe and the UK will help simplify things for suppliers.

We’re actually quite a complex business to deal with, the systems aren’t easy. The more we can simplify things, the better it will be for our supplier partners.

JB: Are you optimistic about next year?

DL: Yes, I am actually – I think it’s going to be a great year. There’s a lot coming next year; it’s going to be an exciting year from a product perspective. It will be fascinating to see how the Star Wars phenomenon works in 2016.

It needs to be a faster start for us in January, and I’m confident that the team will land that.

JD: I’m excited and optimistic. We’ve had a good 12 months, but equally we’re clear about the opportunities we could have made more of. The buying team have chosen their partnerships and ranges well. The industry is in a good place and we’re in a good place within it.

DL: The film releases for 2016 look fantastic.

JD: For the next two years in fact. In many way, 2017 could be even bigger, which is a great place to be. We’re getting good line of sight of projects we think are going to be exciting, both from a product and execution perspective.

DL: The interaction between toys and licensing is getting stronger, which is only going to help the toy industry. Providing we can pick the winners, we’ll be in a really good place. Working closely with the licensing team is something we do well at Tesco: the better we are at making sure we’re aligned, the more benefit we’ll see. Going back a few years, we

wouldn’t have had that opportunity, and it’s an exciting development.

JD: Through close relationships in the licensing community, we’ve probably got better visibility than some other retailers.

But it’s what we do with that visibility which is important. The toy team and the licensing team sit and work closely together. While the licensing team covers a far broader area than just toys, the importance of toys to our licensed range is paramount.

JB: You seem to have a settled toy buying team at the moment. In the past, some major accounts developed a reputation for moving buyers around frequently, often just at the point when they were really beginning to understand the toy sector….

DL: We’ve always got to look out for the individual and what’s right for them. If they’re moving on to a bigger and better opportunity, we shouldn’t stand in their way. What we have tried to do is give them a solid training base, and I’m pleased that most of the team have come through the ranks. When you’ve got a fully-fledged team across all the categories, the odd change here and there isn’t too disruptive.

JD: We’re trying to strategically plan the way we evolve the team rather than making wholesale changes. Dawn has changed jobs and expanded her portfolio this year. I came over from the food business two years ago and expanded my portfolio this year. The great thing about the size and scope of the business is that there are huge opportunities for people to go on and develop their career with Tesco. That’s a bigger challenge for a lot of our competitors, because they don’t have

the breadth and diversity. It’s important to maintain the consistency of the team to help manage our supplier partnerships, alongside bringing in new people with fresh ideas. Some of the people who have joined the team this year have come in with some great ideas.

DL: The Central European piece has helped as well. I thought the territory would be just like the UK, but it wasn’t; it’s almost like the UK is in a bubble. There are very different ways of trading in Poland and Hungary, which gives you a whole new perspective, which I’ve found very useful.

JD: It all comes back down to what customers want from us – that’s the key to everything we do. Two years of looking after toys has gone in the blink of an eye. I feel very positive about where we are, but looking to next year there is still a lot to do.

JB: How important is the toy department within the overall Tesco business?

DL: Four years ago, we wanted to be number one in the toy market and, as a consequence, we went too hard at it – we were buying to be number one. As a result, we ended up with far too much stock, which we had to mark down over a period of 12 months, and we suffered as a business because of it. The leadership team is now 100% behind toys and it’s going to be a pivotal part of the general merchandise business moving forward.

JD: Families are at the heart of our customer base, and toys is a hugely important category for them. We are being very well supported internally by the directors and the board to continue to grow the business. It brings with it a responsibility to do a great job, but that’s a great place to be.

Meet the senior buying team

John Carlow

Gary Lawford

senior buying manager vehicles, boys and construction

senior buying manager girls, plush, creative and games

Sunny Walia

Toy World 44

senior buying manager outdoor and pre-school

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talking shop A toy-rrific new year Toy World’s Jonika Kinchin talks to independent toy shops about the busy Christmas season and discovers what their plans are for the year ahead.

Nigel Kemp Owner, Halesworth Toy Shop, Suffolk Trading for the first eight months of 2015 was a few percentage points up on last year which is pleasing of course. However there was a bit of a slowdown from September up until the end of November, possibly because of the unseasonably mild weather we had, which meant any thoughts of Christmas shopping and spending were a long way from our customers’ minds When I first took over Halesworth Toy Shop 15 years ago, a good number of people started putting toys away for Christmas from early September, and we would have 200-300 orders put away by the end of October. This was in the fairly early days of internet shopping, and they were good times for us as a local shop. Over the last few years however, the main Christmas spending has got later and later, and now really only kicks in from early December and after Black Friday which appears to be gaining momentum. I also believe that some people leave their toy shopping right up to the last week before Christmas in anticipation of price reductions among the larger retailers.

The main seller for us this Christmas, as always, was Lego (Ninjago, Mixels, Mini Figures and Star Wars in particular). The other standout ranges were Shopkins especially for the first half of the year - Paw Patrol and Ty Beanies. The standout game was Pie Face. Later on, the 3D pen from Flair was selling well, as well as Character’s Nail Bar. VTech is also consistently popular at Christmas, especially the Toot-Toot range.

Ty Beanies is a product that surprised me last year as it sold much better than expected. We started to stock these a couple of years ago and sales during 2014 were amazing. However, 2015 has been even

better. They are a massive craze around here with both boys and girls and we have a waiting list for all the latest ones.

Perhaps surprisingly, this has been a bigger and much longer craze for us than Loom Bands ever was. The success is down to the cuteness and collectibility factor, together with good price points.

Due to the success of Lego, I may extend it even further, or build another floor to stock it all on. I would also like to expand the preschool section more and make more space for VTech. As I mentioned earlier, this is a good seller, the packaging is eye catching, and I think it deserves more space in the shop. I always try to stock a new range every year, and I’ll see what my two trusty assistants think after they have visited Toy Fair.

Toy World 47

I used to be a regular visitor to Toy Fair, but now I send two members of staff there who report back to me and carry all the catalogues back with them. I go to the Toymaster Show in Harrogate which is always enjoyable and easy to walk around.

By May, I have a reasonable idea of how business is for the year and know when it’s the right time for Christmas ordering with all the toy companies’ ranges in place.

Our aim for 2016 is to increase turnover and profit and to buy better. Any slow selling ranges will be culled. I will also aim to cut costs even more if possible. I intend to follow my head and instincts when buying rather than my heart.

Jade Oliver Owner, Boomerang – The Toy Shop, Devon The period of trading in the run up to Christmas has been great, and much busier than last year.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Christmas shopping period started no later than last year, but I did notice more people having a look around and browsing in the shop, then actually coming back to buy the items a few days later. The products that stood out to me were My Little Pony, the Shopkins range, Airhogs, Minecraft and Lego.

We had a visit from Father Christmas on 5th and 12th December, where children got to meet him and fill out their Christmas wish lists. We also had a special letter box for children to post their letters to Santa. Boomerang also took part in a local Edwardian evening, where there was a special shopping event and we gave each child a packet of reindeer food to give to Rudolph and his friends on Christmas Eve. In terms of next year, I plan to work closely with new suppliers to ring the changes. I will be meeting with several of them at Toy Fair. I’ve not had the opportunity to go to any trade shows before, but I will also be going to the Kayes of Cardiff show in January.

I know that certain toys do better than others year in year out, and I predict that Orchard Toys and Lego will do particularly well in 2016.

I am also in quite a lucky position geographically, as the nearest bigger toy retailer, Tesco, is 18 miles away and Sainsbury’s is 30 miles away.

My main aim for 2016 is to become known as the onestop-shop for children’s toys and gifts, as well as being known for selling good quality and unusual toys. I am also launching an after school club, where children can come and play with various toys, and can give their thoughts on that particular toy, giving us and other retailers genuine feedback. Next year will also see us bringing new and developed ranges and brands into the toy shop. I can’t always promise but I will certainly do my best to stock what children are asking for. We are also going to be launching a Facebook page in January.

We’ve not touched upon social media before as word of mouth usually works for me.

I originally started out at the shop just working on Saturdays whilst pregnant, then returned to work part time after my son was born. I learnt more and more about the toy industry, my customers and my suppliers, and was invited to become the manager of the shop. I then took over ownership and have really enjoyed it since.

My son is the reason I have so much passion for children’s toys and I enjoy helping both children

and parents choose that special toy, whether it’s a birthday present, a treat, or a reward.

Area Sales Representative – North of England

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Salary: c£25,000 up to £30,000 (negotiable pending experience) + car + commission + healthcare + pension Job Ref: TBO 2362 (www.tinderboxconsultants.co.uk) The Company DKL Marketing www.dkl.co.uk is a distributor of Children’s Products and quality brands supplying retailers across toy, nursery, gift and stationery.

The Opportunity An opportunity for an Area Sales Representative in the North is available. The area covers from Derbyshire up to the Borders and will sell into Toys, Gift, Craft, Garden Centres and Department Stores.

The Candidate You will be responsible for account maintaining and identifying new business opportunities. You will be confident with cold calling and undertaking dropins. A bright and enthusiastic personality will be key, with plenty of stamina to increase sales and distribution of product. Experience of selling into the toy, gift, garden centre, nursery or stationery retailers will be beneficial. You must be living in the northern area to be considered for this role.

How to apply for the role Please submit your CV to Rowena Shorey at Tinderbox Consultants Ltd – Rowena@tinderboxconsultants.co.uk | t. 01590 674212 Tinderbox Consultants are the sole appointed recruitment agency handling this role and any CV’s sent directly to DKL Marketing or submitted to DKL Marketing via another agency will be passed to Tinderbox for consideration and selection.

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Talk to Rowena by emailing rowena@tinderboxconsultants.co.uk or call on 01590 674 212 and build your magnificent team.

Toy World 48 tin001-toy-nursery-superhero-client-100x138-v2.indd 1

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Michael Kilburn Director, Toys at Wetherby, West Yorkshire We had a great trading period up to Christmas, with great demand in store and online. The online sales took us by surprise and we have averaged out 15 online sales per day, which is a success for us seeing as we’ve only been open for just over a year.

Our location in the heart of Wetherby town centre is a great selling point, as everyone has to walk past us. Before taking over the business in 2014, I had worked as a librarian and had worked in sales in the hotel industry, but had no experience in the toy industry. It just so happened that Toys at Wetherby came up for sale at the right time. The hardest thing about reopening the business was definitely day one, however, as it was the start of December, we had an influx of Christmas shoppers.

We tend to have a traditional Christmas selling pattern. We have only been open a year and our anniversary has just passed as we opened on 5th December 2014. In terms of special promotions over the Christmas shopping period, we had a 20% off offer if you spent over £20 in-store which we did on Black Friday weekend. This went down well as people ended up spending more when they got to the till. We also have a reward card for customers so every time they spend in multiples of £10 they get a stamp. When they reach five stamps we donate £1 to Martin House Children’s Hospice, and once they get to 10 stamps they can either have a £10 gift voucher or £10 off their bill. Post-Christmas, we ran a 50% sale in store, which started on Boxing Day. We also held a number of late night, adult only openings as well as contributing to Christmas fayres and charity events.

Star Wars, Shopkins, Monopoly, Bing and Irish Fairy Doors have been massive for us this year, and we are still expecting this to grow with the new Star Wars film, as well as Shopkins releasing series four, along with the new accompanying toy ranges.

I will concentrate on further Irish Fairy Door products as the doors have been doing really well for us. Lego Nexo Knights also looks like another strong brand for us along with Shopkins. We are also going to increase our children’s books range in 2016, we already have a fantastic range but we are now ready for it to grow.

For 2016, we predict that Shopkins series four will be very successful, if series three is anything to go by, and anything to do with Star Wars will do well, as well as the new Lego Nexo Knights.

Our focus for the New Year will be to continue delivering great toys for the kids and value for money for the adults while offering brilliant service to everyone. We are continuing to make ourselves known in the community and online. Social media is a massive outlet for us, as we do a lot of interacting with customers and promotions on Twitter and Facebook. We’ve gained just over 1,000 followers on Twitter in the past year. We will be visiting Toy Fair at Olympia and have all our appointments booked.

If you would like to get involved with next month’s Talking Shop, please get in touch with Jonika: 01442 502 405, jonika@toyworldmag.co.uk

indie viewpoint

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

O come all ye playful

W

e were glad to breathe a sigh of relief as we received all our deliveries 10 days from Christmas, and then the question of selling came along, but thankfully, our Mount Everest high stacks came down. November trade was good in the end, even allowing for the distorting effect of Black Friday. We did a lot of planning for it, and started it a day early to ensure it was all set up. It was noticeable that there were a lot less people around on the Friday compared to last year. Whether this was down to all the bad press and problems from last year, it is difficult to say. However, over the weekend as a whole, trade was up on last year.

December so far has been good, even up against Frozen from last year. However, at the end of 2014 we had a large drop of Snow Glow Elsas, so the figures are quite scary compared to the same week of 2015. Luckily, a large dose of Splat from Halsall this week has helped sales. There will certainly be a lot of squirty cream on faces this Christmas.

After what seemed like an endless build-up, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was finally released last month. We had our seats booked for the Thursday evening, as we were not quite avid enough to do a midnight showing. However, due to security concerns, cinemas were not allowing any masks or weapons from Star Wars in, so we thought we should have just had a stand outside the complex selling toys, rather than in the screen. Before the film was released, from a product perspective the toys had sold ok, but had not yet hit any major heights.

However, this was always to be expected given the level of secrecy about the film and characters.

After this, our thoughts turn to the New Year, and all that may bring. We already have a full diary for Toy Fair, and being on a Sunday, we are looking forward to a full roast at lunchtime. The show seems to get bigger and bigger each year, and is the best place to see all the products for the coming year in one place. After that, we will move on to Spring Fair, which is a good place to pick up with suppliers who we did not see at Toy Fair, and also for more of our associated products, such as dress-up and kids accessories.

For us, it is going to be a busy start to the year even without the toy fairs; we never like to be bored. We are finally planning to roll out EPOS across all our stores, which will be a massive change to how we run our business. We have done very well over the last few years without, but it is a necessary investment for our business, will give us a lot more control over our buying, and should help increase our margin. We also have plans in the pipeline to upsize a couple of our stores. As those who know us well, we never sit still.

Looking back on 2015, it was always going to be tough after the year before of Looms and Frozen. However, it has been a very successful year for us, with lots of good products, and most of them being in good supply. Looking forward to 2016, we are eager to see what will be the best sellers for the year, and what else it will bring.

Happy trading.

Toy World 50

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indieworld

State of independents Emily Ansell Elfer speaks to independent toy shops about the pros of cons of running one store versus multiple branches.

T

oymaster has announced that D & J Toystop has been purchased by Kids Stuff. Junners and Langleys are also changing hands. Although retirement is the reason for all these one-branch retailers selling up, the news prompted Toy World to look into the difficulties and benefits of running a single store operation versus a multiple branch company.

To gain some perspective on life running a onebranch business, we spoke to Sarah Hanson, owner of Hoiti Toyti toy shop in Bromsgrove.

She said: “I should imagine managing one shop is much easier than managing multiple stores as everything is in one place, meaning logistics aren’t an issue and you can put all your time and attention into getting things right for that one location.

“As an independent it’s really important that you put your own stamp on things and don’t become too commercialised. You shouldn’t try to become a mini Argos or Smyths. Although we sell popular lines such as Lego and Paw Patrol, we focus on stocking high quality educational toys, wooden toys and products that help with children’s development. There are a lot of grandparents in the area so we aim to provide products that will appeal to them. We don’t stock great big boxes of Playmobil and Lego as we find that lower price point and gift items work best for us.

“I would like to open another shop but it’s important to find the right location. The feel of our shop and products suits market towns rather than big towns and cities.”

Toy World also spoke to two toy retailers with multiple stores, Ginette McGee of Toytown Seaford and co-owners of Toy Barnhaus Stephen Barnes and Mark Buschhaus, to find out why they decided to expand.

Ginette said: “Seaford is Toytown’s original store, as it is in our home town.

It was originally set up to keep people shopping locally, which worked; Seaford survived the recession pretty well. At the time, our children were very small and one shop was more than enough to keep us busy. However, as they got older and the youngest started school, more and more people asked ‘where are you opening next?’ And bit by bit it started to sound like a good idea. Of course, once you’ve done it once, it’s a lot less daunting, and you feel you have the opportunity to get things right from the start, rather than making all the inevitable mistakes you make first time round. And then, the third one just seems obvious.”

Ginette says there are pros and cons to having a second or third store.

Some of your overheads will simply double (e.g. twice the rent, wages and rates). Some will rise, but not by so much: for instance, utility providers can offer better rates for multiple accounts and accountants and insurance will cost more but nowhere near double.

“The biggest difference financially is in the stock purchasing,” Ginette added. “All of a sudden, you have twice or three times the number of potential customers, and so that game or toy you hesitated about because of a daunting pack size is not so much of a problem; your range increases and so does the chance of a sale. This also gives more opportunity to diversify, and have that unusual new range that may not be appearing at the large multiple down the road. Buying in larger quantities will usually lead to better prices, so margin can be increased. Some suppliers such as Hasbro become more accessible once you are purchasing for more than one store and hit their minimum commitment, and buying direct from the manufacturer will usually be more economical than through a distributor.”

Ginette’s day to day work life is very different now that the company has three stores. Staffing the stores becomes a major task; it’s no longer feasible to pop down and cover someone’s lunch break when they’re 20 miles away. For

this reason, having reliable staff with the same work ethic as yourself is vital. Most tasks take longer too – from the buying to dealing with deliveries, payroll, rotas and maintenance.

Like Sarah, Ginette believes finding the right location is key when considering opening a new store: “Most towns now have either a Toymaster member or an Entertainer and, if they don’t, it begs the question why not? We have recently opened in Haywards Heath, and we have the Entertainer opening down the road next year, so we will have to work hard to make Toytown a destination where Ginette McGee people can find a different offering and shopping experience,” she said.

However, Stephen from Toy Barnhaus says he actually finds running seven shops much easier than running one branch.

“Once you have a format that works, it is relatively straightforward to transfer it to somewhere else, Stephen Barnes and Mark Buschhaus assuming logistically it is easy to do,” he explained. “The challenges of a single store are often with buying and being able to meet minimum order requirements from suppliers if you only want a couple of different lines. However, the advantage to being a sizeable independent with only one store is that it is your single focus, so you can put all your effort into that one store, making it the best it can be and ensuring you personalise it to your customers’ needs in a far greater way than a large chain can.”

Toymaster’s managing director Ian Edmunds also gave his opinion on the subject. He said: “It is difficult for any independent retailer, no matter what their size. They face the same challenges as larger stores but it’s harder for them to tackle those challenges. It becomes easier if you join a buying group where you can share your expertise and knowledge with others and support each other.”

Ian reasserts that one advantage to being a one branch independent is that you can really focus on individuality: “Chains offer the same stock everywhere. Indies can be malleable and find what the consumers want in their individual area. It’s easier to pay attention to this if you only have one shop. Independents also offer far better service as they have more information on the products than an assistant in a supermarket or chain store.”

Interestingly, Ian says that the majority of Toymaster’s members, a surprising 80%, only have one branch. “And they have no ambition to have more than one,” he added.

Toy World 52

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indieworld Terry Smith retires from The Entertainer After 49 years in the toy industry, Terry Smith has retired from his role as senior supervisor at The Entertainer’s Beaconsfield store.

Terry began his career at the age of 15 at Cliftons in Buckinghamshire. In 1973, Cliftons changed hands and when the new Maidenhead branch opened in 1986, Terry managed both stores for 10 years.

Terry later went on to join The Entertainer in Beaconsfield as a sales assistant and then senior supervisor, where he worked and supported the store manager for nine years.

Terry commented: “I am delighted I stayed in the toy industry which I love, but I’ve decided now is the time to see friends and family and do all the jobs I haven’t managed to do while at work. I will really miss the run up to Christmas after so many years selling toys to families.”

Gary Grant, founder of The Entertainer, commented: “Terry has been a huge asset to the toy industry over the years and will be sorely missed by both staff and customers alike at our Beaconsfield store. I wish him all the very best on his retirement.”

Toycraft in Chester celebrates 50th anniversary

Monchhichi stars in Arnotts’ Christmas window

Founded in 1965, the shop offers more than 6,000 product lines and sells online.

To celebrate its anniversary, Toycraft ran a competition which offered one customer a £100 gift voucher.

Toycraft is one of the region’s top stockists of Brio toys including its wooden train sets and stations complete with drivers and ticket office staff. The store also stocks Lego, Playmobil and Sylvanian Families as well as art and craft items and educational toys.

Bev Lucas bought the business after spending her childhood pocket money in the shop. She said: “I used to love visiting Toycraft as a child. Every day we meet parents and grandparents who shopped here as children and now bring their young ones in. The shop has never lost its Aladdin’s cave appeal and it’s wonderful to see children’s faces light up when they find so much to choose from.”

A festive window display of Monchhichi dolls greeted shoppers at Arnotts department store in Dublin this Christmas.

Visitors to the store on Henry Street saw a variety of different sized and themed Monchhichis in the window.

The display was the idea of head of creative Damien Byrne, and was conjured up following a meeting with Bandai and Toytown in the summer. Damien’s festive spectacle of moving models and Monchhichi houses has brought back many childhood memories for customers, many of whom have taken to social media to share photos and videos of the display.

Vicki Elmer, product manager at Bandai, commented: “It’s been so rewarding working with Arnotts and Toytown on the Monchhichi window and we would like to thank them for bringing Monchhichi to life in such a spectacular way this Christmas.

Monchhichi sales are incredibly good so it’s had the desired effect of driving people to Toytown on the second floor.”

Sarah Williams, head of PR and communications at Arnotts, added: “As soon as the Monchhichis arrived in our office we all just fell in love. We have gifted journalists, run in-store treasure hunts and photographed Monchhichi enjoying the delights of different departments so we’ve had plenty of fun with our new friends. They are certainly proving to be very popular with our customers this Christmas.”

Monchhichi also appeared on the Late Toy Show on RTE and has featured on national radio in Ireland where listeners were invited to call in with their childhood stories to try and win a Monchhichi from the 2015 collection.

Boomerang – The Toy Shop changes hands Jade Oliver has recently taken over ownership of Boomerang – The Toy Shop in Okehampton, Devon.

Jade started working on Saturdays for the previous owner whilst she was pregnant and then returned to work part time in the shop, after her son was born. As she continued to learn more about the toy industry, her customers and her suppliers, she was invited to become the manager of the shop. This in turn led to her taking over ownership from the previous owner, and she has been delighted to meet new customers, as well as welcoming her regular ones.

Jade commented: “I know my suppliers, and I know what my customers and their children want. I recently invited my loyalty card holders to a special evening which was just for them. It was to thank them for supporting me through the year, offer a late night shopping experience and invite them to enjoy complimentary refreshments. It was also a way for me to let my loyalty card holders know that I was the new owner of Boomerang – The Toy Shop.”

Toy World 54

Toy Fair Stand 119

Andy Clempson has spent the last 15 years in the Toy industry in Sales and Commercial Director roles in the UK and Europe with both Mattel and Hasbro. He has also sat on the BTHA Toy Trust Charity Committee Board.

Andy Clempson Twitter: @clempsa1 https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ andyclempson

T

hese days the preview and Toy Fair season extends across the full year but as we are heading fast into the purple patch of Hong Kong, London Toy Fair, and Nuremberg, here is a personal perspective and some observations on how suppliers may be able to improve their chances of getting a better result from customer meetings and this does not even take into account the brilliant meeting content and incredible product range…

The Appointment.

You request, customer confirms and into everyone’s diary it goes. Several calls and e mails later you may get a response along the lines of “it should be ok, will let you know”. The reality is that you will need to be the proverbial dog with a bone - always chasing for that final confirmation.

Always make confirmation calls on your meeting day. Not only call your key customer contact or meeting organiser but also call their secretary or assistant to check. The customer’s life is busy, reactive and ever changing and so is their diary.

Always plan that your customer will be on time but absolutely don’t expect it.

Never book the last appointment of the day. If six prior meetings in the day all run over by just ten minutes, then your meeting will be minimum one hour late, or at worse cancelled all together.

The Guest list: Never plan that the number of people attending will be as you were told – invariably it will be more. Bosses, assistants, local office support people and some new faces without business cards claiming to be from the customer’s marketing team may invite themselves to your buyer meeting. Those fresh faces from “marketing” often turn out to be from the private label development team…

Life through the supplier’s lens…

Never rely on your boss to attend the meeting. The phrase “I’ll come and join the meeting to say hello’’ is legendary, as is “sorry I missed them, I got caught in another meeting.” Always manage your customer expectations and never commit to them having an audience with the MD that then never happens - in MD’s defence they are much in demand.

Location/location/location: Always send a meeting or stand location map, not just an address, and add it to the body of your meeting e mail.

Always book a meeting room even if your meeting is planned as “just a quick look at product”. Nine out of ten times you & the buyer have other business you need to get sorted and some privacy is required.

Presenting or negotiating in a public place, struggling to be heard above the noise of a toy fair doesn’t work.

Always block book several meeting rooms - from my experience rooms are like gold dust. In a trade show setting it is a fact that someone else will steal your meeting room, so always try to have a few in reserve.

Always check the meeting room. How many times have I been assured that “the executive meeting room seats 12 comfortably and has all the equipment you will need” to then find it’s just about worthy of being called a cupboard with only four chairs and someone has pinched the flip chart?

Always test electrical equipment. Equipment can be like Tottenham (inconsistent) and has a nasty habit of letting you down. How many times have we heard the comment “Oh, it worked earlier today when I tried it…”?

Use of the facilities: Always offer to store your customers’ coats/bags for the day. It can be a good way to get yourself two bites of the cherry to push your business with the customer – once when they drop off and then when they collect at

Toy World 56

the end of the day. Just make sure you don’t mislay said coat .This once happened with a particularly senior Argos executive and her very expensive looking fur coat actually went missing -a sure way of testing your “strategic relationship.”

Always have the WIFI code. This is probably now the first thing the customer will ask for, even ahead of reduced costs and better margin.

Always prepare reception for sign in and visitors badges. Telling your reception clearly what customer to expect, and their position, helps speed and efficiency and makes the customer feel good with a little bit of red carpet treatment when they arrive.

Make sure you check the spelling on badges –it has been known for a Mr Toy Retailer to be turned into a Mrs, due to a typo. This of course may be temporarily hilarious, but is not great customer management.

Always offer refreshments. Alongside your fantastic product ranges, offer some great and timely food which will further enable trade time and business opportunity. Always over cater. Always cater for veggies. Always have both white and brown bread.

Never make it all hot (customer will be late) and always remove left overs promptly.

Always check that weekend office facilities are the same as in the week if you have a weekend appointment. Is the usual entrance access the same?

Is the office heating or air conditioning working on a Sunday? (Think Hong Kong in July - a bit oppressive!)

Does the lift service all floors at weekends or does it only go to the 10th when your office is on the 15th?

Never assume. Spending a solitary couple of hours stuck in a HK lift on a Sunday afternoon is not pleasant - and it has happened at least to one individual I know.

Some of these observations may appear a little incidental on their own, but - in my experience putting them together absolutely increases your strike rate.

Good luck!

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Opinion

It’s time to say a new ‘Hello’ to Barbie

F

or decades, Barbie reigned supreme in the Fashion Doll world. That is, until 2001, when Bratz exploded on to the scene. Bratz was an immediate success and by 2004 had reached market share parity with Barbie. All efforts by Mattel to stop this competitor in the market place failed.

So, in 2004, Mattel decided on a new approach. Rather than trying to beat Bratz in the market place, Mattel chose to face off against its rival in the court room. Mattel filed a case claiming copyright infringement and theft of its trade secrets by MGA and Bratz designer, Carter Bryant. Mattel calculated that this strategy, regardless of the merits of the case, would force MGA Entertainment to spend inordinate amounts of money on lawyers and hence deprive the brand of the funds needed to carry out the most basic of marketing efforts.

Mattel had much deeper pockets than MGA and the approach worked.

Bratz’ market share in the US fell from its 50% peak to below 40% by 2009.

It declined further to 25% the next year and to under 10% by 2011. By 2014, Bratz had disappeared altogether.

Conversely, Barbie got a new lease of life, if only temporarily. The brand went from a 35% market share in the USA in 2010 to 43% by middle of 2012.

However, this success was temporary; by 2014 Barbie’s market share had fallen below 20%.

Barbie’s decline was partly due to the introduction Monster High, which was launched by Mattel in 2010. Mattel recognised that MGA had created a totally new niche in the Fashion Doll market place and the decline of Bratz had created a vacuum which Monster High was designed to fill.

In 2014 Mattel was told by Disney that it would lose the rights to the Princess range, including Frozen, to Hasbro on January 1, 2016. At the same time, it became increasingly clear that MGA would win the decade long legal battle started by Mattel, which culminated in the relaunch of Bratz in 2015.

Given this background, Mattel decided to change course. The first step was to initiate a major product development programme for Barbie. The second step was to terminate its Chief Executive, Brian Stockton, and the third step was to launch two major new ranges, Barbie Princess Power and Barbie Rockin’ Royals, with some real muscle behind them.

National buyers at the major US retailers thought that both new product ranges were a change for the better, as did consumers. All indications are that the Barbie brand is gaining strength in the US and also in Europe. This is how market share developments in the US looked on November 1, 2015:

However, the real test for whether Barbie is turning around rests on Hello Barbie.

Hello Barbie is equipped with artificial intelligence – she learns from her owner and talks to her intelligently. Hello Barbie is the first of its kind and buyers think that it could be a game changer. While recommended for kids six years and up, there is little doubt that the below-five age group will be a very important consumer group. Hello Barbie was released on November 10 and is carried by all major retailers in the US The reception was tremendous and WalMart was sold out within days and ToysRUs limited sales to a maximum of five per customer. Hello Barbie’s recommended retail price in the US is $74.99 but Toys R Us already lowered it to $60 – probably on a short term basis. It is not yet for sale in Europe, at least not officially. Amazon, however, offers it in France, Germany, Spain and the UK at about four times the recommended US retail and buyers there tell me that sales are phenomenal despite the high price.

However, national buyers at the major retailers – both in the US and in Europe – have two reservations about the product. One is that the consumer groups that attack the doll as a potential invader of the child’s privacy could gain momentum against the backdrop of Vtech’s recent data breach by hackers. The second is that Hello Barbie’s success in bonding with the child could also limit the doll’s potential long term. Hello Barbie is unlike any other toy and is much more akin to a pet for the child. This could present a challenge for Mattel when it launches successor products. As a child would be reluctant to get rid of a pet because a new and prettier one comes around, would she want to discard her Hello Barbie friend for a new one? There is, however, one way to work around this issue – by giving the new doll all the knowledge the old one had via transferring the data resting with the original doll to its successor.

In the final analysis, the buyers believe that the first issue – privacy – will not gain traction and that the second will be resolved in good time.

Hello Barbie is definitely expected to invigorate the entire Barbie franchise and to facilitate the introduction of a whole range of related Barbie products designed to interact with it.

The buyers intend to give the doll all the support and shelf space that the product needs as long as they see that Mattel fully provides the financial and innovative underpinnings necessary to make the doll - and with it the entire Barbie brand - the success it deserves. This is very likely to happen since Mattel management has begun to recognise that Barbie is much more than just a provider of cash, but one of the cornerstones on which Mattel’s future success rests.

By Lutz Muller

CEO of Klosters Trading Corporation, a provider of competitive insights in the mass retail space in the USA and Europe.

Source: Klosters Retailer Panel

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NPD Column Optimism abounds for 2016

The NPD Group’s Rory Partis assesses some of the surprise hits of 2015, and looks ahead to the new year Star Wars should Top Performing Super Categories help this trend in Value (£m) – YTD Week 49 2015 v 14 2016. This year we have seen some really excellent 120 Action Figures 19 143 growth in the YTD 2014 82 Plush 13 92 category; Avengers YTD 2015 231 is still going strong Building Sets 12 258 and has amassed 140 Games/Puzzles 6 148 over £30m this year, 248 5 Dolls 261 another figure that 313 3 is ahead of what Outdoor & Sports 324 108 we forecasted.

3 Vehicles 111 Entertainment 399 3 Infant/Toddler/PS 409 driving growth has 128 -0 Arts & Crafts been a big theme 128 73 of 2015 and Action -5 Youth Electronics 69 Figures is where 112 -7 All Other Toys 104 that has been most evident, with movie licences like Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential 1 Avengers, Minions and Big Hero 6 being joined by digital properties NPD will certainly be doing that at our London Toy such as Minecraft, and more traditional TV licences Fair presentation (no spoilers yet though). But maybe like Power Rangers still performing well. The Action after such a good year we should take a little time to Figures category is +19% at the moment in 2015, and say “That really was a great year!” and have a wellalthough the fact that the category is growing is not in earned rest. There will very likely be more surprises to itself a surprise, the strength of that growth possibly help the market next year so let’s hope for an excellent is. Hopefully with another excellent movie line up in 2016.

2016 that trend can continue.

The next best performing category in 2015 has been Plush, and for me that is a real surprise. It is the Special Feature side of Plush that has really grown this year, with licences doing well too and Club Petz from IMC being the number one property. Looking at some of the top properties in the total Plush category highlights a real mix of old and new, with Peppa Pig, TY and Frozen being joined by the likes of Bing and returning Care Bears. Another category being influenced by entertainment and showing strong growth, definitely a theme there…

So with 2015 about to draw to a close, the toy market is looking as strong as it has done for many years, which is great for everyone involved. As stated above, traditionally we instantly turn to trying to predict what’s going to happen in the year ahead and Yr/Yr

S

o as the year draws to a close, our thoughts instantly turn to what 2016 has in store for the toy industry.

And the instant thought, as it often is after a good year, is how are we going to replicate that? At the time of writing (YTD week 49), the toy market is +5% versus 2014, a fantastic performance that few had predicted at the start of the year. NPD had forecast a +3% growth for the UK in our annual presentation back in January, which was met with a reasonable amount of scepticism at London Toy Fair. For the market to then be ahead of that figure really is an impressive result; the 2015 performance has been put together from a mix of sure fire hits, blockbuster properties, manufacturers putting in solid performances and some interesting surprises.

As we all know, the toy market can be somewhat unpredictable, so it is these surprises we will look at it in a bit more detail - they are especially significant when we look ahead to what might be happening in 2016.

So with the +5% increase on this stage in 2015, we are just over £92m better off than at the same stage in 2014. The first thing that really jumps out of the data is that the number one property is Disney Frozen, not exactly a surprise. However when you consider that Frozen was an absolute phenomenon in 2014 and was the number one property by some margin, then the repeat of this performance is rather impressive.

In fact it hasn’t replicated that performance, it has smashed it. For the full year of 2014, Frozen took £63m, the best toy licence we have seen. In 2015, with 3 weeks still left to run, the licence is currently at £68m. When we forecast the +3% figure back at the beginning of the year we actually predicted Frozen to be flat, the fact that it is already ahead of its full year 2014 total shows what an excellent year the licence has had.

The strength of the Frozen licence in 2015 has to be taken into account when considering the year ahead; just what could Star Wars achieve? Considering the film comes so late in 2015, it would be safe to assume that 2016 will be the year of Star Wars, and the figure for full year 2016 will be hotly anticipated. Action Figures has been the stand out category of 2015 and

Rory partis

executive director

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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Another year over and a new one just begun

2015 will be remembered for a number of reasons by the toy industry, several of which occurred in the final three months of the year, as sales reached a crescendo and a flurry of activity lifted the toy trade to new heights, commercially and otherwise…

After a strong start to the year, the industry had a tough summer of like-for-like challenges as a result of the strength of loom bands in 2014, with sales recovering just in time to register a

Toy World shares insight and opinion

very respectable year-on-year growth figure. Sales were tracking at +5% at the start of December, the healthy performance reflective of a mix of positive macro and micro economic conditions, a recovering economy and a stellar year for licensed consumer products generally.

Christmas came a whole week early for many kids and adults with the cinematic launch of the seventh instalment of the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens, on the 18th December and was hailed by critics and fan-boys alike. Critical acclaim is highly unusual for sci-fi movies generally but Star Wars Episode 7, for once, matched the hype and expectation that only an endearing 38 year old franchise can.

I am confident that 2016 will be just as exciting, and hopefully another record breaking sales trend will emerge to drive the toy market alongside the rapid growth of key licences such as Paw Patrol, Shopkins and Star Wars. After an incredible run, which saw it recapture the top licence spot from Star Wars in October and November, Frozen may at long last start to thaw.

Disney’s master schedule of releases across its cornerstone franchises of Core, Lucasfilm and Marvel will likely see all licensing records tumble. The countdown has already started to Star Wars Episode 7.5 in December 2016, the first

interstitial between the main movie years. Even Harry Potter will make a comeback in Q4 2016 with the Fantastic Beasts movies, billed as episode 9 but technically another Episode 7.5 – who’d have guessed two episodes 7.5s in the same year?

Other toy related movie franchises that went sequel crazy include James Bond, which now boasts 24 movie sequels. Pink Panther had eleven sequels, Planet of the Apes and Batman each reached eight movies and Superman is up to 10 if you include the Supergirl movie – both Warner properties will add another to their respective tallies with the Batman V Superman movie pencilled for release early next year.

James Bond aside, these other franchises do not come close to the highest number of sequels for a movie franchise with Godzilla notching up a huge 29 full length features to date and counting, the perfect boxset for a long weekend.

My licensed toy predictions for 2016 are that Star Wars will be the first movie franchise to reach £100m in licensed toy product sales in a calendar year and that The Secret Life of Pets will be yet another Universal movie launch that falls into the “missed opportunity” bracket for licensed consumer products at retail.

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Face to Face Refreshingly worlds apart John Baulch spoke to Worlds Apart’s brand and marketing director Emily Maclennan about the company’s plans for 2016 and learns how a “toy company that doesn’t really sell toys” has enjoyed enduring success in the market.

How has 2015 been for Worlds Apart?

2015 started quite slowly in outdoor products during the early part of the summer, but the core ranges of ReadyBed & GoGlow have continued to perform well, and the relaunch of Rose Petal Cottage has been particularly successful. Add to that our continued growth in the Home sector & with our international business, then we are broadly happy and very well positioned for further growth next year.

What have been your stand-out products this year?

GoGlow has done fantastically well, with the new sub £10 licensed lighting products also showing significant growth. The refreshed range of ReadyBeds continues to outperform expectations, but the real stand-out product has to be Rose Petal Cottage, clearly demonstrating the value of traditional role play.

The outdoor sector has always been an important category for Worlds Apart – how are you leveraging your expertise in this area to grow the Active Games range in 2016?

Worlds Apart has always been strong in the outdoor sector; the company is the leading supplier of junior and pre-school trampolines, play tents and ball pits in the UK. Over the last 12 months, we have invested heavily in R&D for the Outdoor sector and this Spring, in partnership with Change4Life, we are launching three great new activity products. In a category that generally sees little innovation, the new products have been very well received and we already have extensive listings on the back of a heavyweight TV campaign.

Can you tell us about your partnership with Change for Life?

Change4Life (C4L) is an initiative by Public Health England to encourage everyone to eat well, take more exercise and improve their health and wellbeing – more than 2.7 million families have joined C4L, and a million mums say they have changed their families’ behaviour as a result. This year, Worlds Apart is partnering with C4L by way of endorsements, referrals and the sharing of marketing assets and databases to reach out to these families and to encourage them to get active.

How important is it to encourage kids to get active?

Every professional in the field of kids’ health is highlighting the long term damage that inactivity and poor diet can cause. Our aim is to make activity really fun for kids, both indoors and outside, as that’s a key way to encourage them to take exercise – and the health benefits will inevitably follow.

What are the key new launches in the Active Games range for 2016?

Limbo Hop is a completely new concept in indoor/ outdoor play, combining two well known game-plays, for single or multi use.

As the limbo bar revolves down the central pillar, players limbo-dance under the bar until it’s too low – then they hop over the bar, scoring as they go. Supported by a heavy weight TV advertising plan, as well as extensive conventional and digital marketing support, we hope to establish this as a perennial activity product.

We’ll also be launching the worlds’ first Instant Assembly Fold Away Trampoline. Imagine a trampoline that takes less than 10 seconds from opening the box to your first bounce - we estimate that you could assemble about 240 of our Instant Assembly Tramps in the time it takes to assemble any other trampoline on the market – that’s an incredible benefit for the consumer who struggles with normal assembly according to most reviews.

Fully patented, it also folds flat for easy storage and carrying.

Finally, there is Football Challenge, a metrewide digital electronic goal which hangs on an inside or outside wall, responds with sounds and keeps scores when hit by the football supplied.

What marketing support will you be putting in place for the range next year?

We have a fully integrated marketing plan that includes a heavyweight year round TV campaign for LimboHop supported by a dedicated microsite and a multi- platform digital advertising campaign starting in January. This will be combined with Change4Life activities, PR and social media support across all of our active play lines.

Are you pleased with the reception you received to the re launch of Rose Petal Cottage in 2015?

The success of Rose Petal Cottage over this

Toy World 64

Christmas has been phenomenal, with five consumer Awards including Loved by Children, Loved by Parents, Mum’s Choice & Toy Verdict.

The product reviews on retail websites have been fantastic and it reminds us how much kids, parents and grandparents value traditional role play. The mix of conventional TV advertising alongside SEO, PPC and blogging has clearly worked well, and the range will be extended for the Autumn.

How is Worlds Apart further developing its core toy range for 2016?

Worlds Apart has been very successful in the past in bringing lifestyle products into the toy sector – not exactly toys, but great products with great licensing, and with much longer lifecycles and wider consumer appeal than most toys. A great example is ReadyBed, which has been selling for over 15 years in Nursery, Outdoor, Girls and Boys Toys, Camping and Bedding – no “toy” could achieve that. With this successful formula in mind, the R&D team have been very busy creating four new licensed lifestyle toy ranges for 2016, putting us firmly in the toy aisle again for 2016.

What new additions to the toy range are you most excited about?

We’re really excited about Headphone Hats, which are licensed characterised beanies with built in headphones.

These 3D character headphones are fun Paw Patrol to wear and built with limited Db levels, meaning that ears are protected whether watching a movie on a tablet in the car, or listening to tunes in the bedroom. Licenses include Paw Patrol, My Little Pony Frozen, My Little Pony, Star Wars and Avengers.

The GoGlow brand goes from strength to strength and is another example of Worlds Apart successfully bringing multiple Home and Lifestyle products into the toy aisle,

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Face to Face with the introduction of the best licences and toyetic features.

New for 2016, GoGlow FlashCaps are 3D character beanie hats which feature a hands-free head torch, offering a wearable nightlight Disney Princess that can be taken anywhere. From reading in bed and finding their way in the dark, to camping trips and sleepovers, FlashCaps empower the child and banish fears of the dark.

Licences include Star Wars R2D2 Disney, Star Wars and Minions.

The new GoGlow My First Torch is the only soft, safe & small-hand friendly torch on the market the plush product is designed for toddlers, and Pre School licenses include Peppa, Thomas, Cars and Teletubbies.

Peppa Pig Soft Torch GoGlow Character Light FX demonstrates our commitment to take novelty bedside lighting further into the toy aisle; the hero 3D character transitions from a torch to a night light and projector through just touching the rechargeable base unit.

You’ve always enjoyed a strong reputation for your in-house product development capabilities - what advantages does this offer Worlds Apart in the mainstream toy market.

Remembering that we have to differentiate ourselves from our competitors with unique products, speed to market and excellent retail support, there are a number of strong commercial reasons for maintaining our in-house graphic and development capabilities, together with our impressive bespoke project management systems.

Whilst we welcome product ideas from outside inventors (with three inventor concepts launching in 2016), our internal expertise and experience provides Worlds Apart with the best opportunity to develop more diverse products than would otherwise be possible.

In addition, early fusing of consumer, retail and licensor insight into the R&D process would be difficult to achieve with an external agency.

Our in-house department also offers us speed of concept validation from both a consumer and engineering standpoint, including prototyping and packaging mock up facilities; fast and cost effective application of graphics across a wide portfolio of products; fast execution of page layouts for key catalogue and online retailers, and finally, it’s the bit that’s most fun, so why externalize it?

Would you consider yourselves to be the market leader in the home category?

The category has been a major focus over the last few years, as we see real future value in building a significant presence with our own brand HelloHome in the home category, both here in the UK and overseas. We use both a licensed and nonlicensed platform to create bedrooms that kids love, and the sales profile is much less seasonal than toys. But it shares the same consumer base as toys for cross marketing and it also allows us to leverage our great licensing relationships. We have also built an exceptionally efficient development and manufacturing facility within our primary factory in Asia with the latest technology and workflow systems, which gives us a competitive edge.

How do you see the Home range fit into the toy retail channel?

Our ambition is to create great home and lifestyle products that kids actually prefer over toys, and to get more visibility both in the toy aisle and on the toy page. Which kid wouldn’t want a full size Frozen Sleigh Bed or a massive X-Wing Fighter Bed in their bedroom?

This year we are launching three feature beds that really capture the essence of the characters, and already the Frozen Sleigh Bed has been voted Best New Product to Market in 2015 in the “Loved

by Children” Awards. This is quite remarkable as this bed was chosen by children above all other toys, so a perfect example of lifestyle products offering a clear choice over traditional toys for that primary event purchase.

What steps have you taken to make the Home range appeal to toy retailers?

The key is to make the product appealing to kids – all our products have a very useful primary function, but we spend a huge mount of time building in as many fun-factors as possible, either through realistic 3D character license interpretation, or additional toyetic features.

What are the key new releases in the Home category for 2016?

The Disney Princess Carriage Bed features a builtin shelf system and removable canopy for extra role play fun, while the Frozen Sleigh Bed includes both under bed storage & shelving at the foot of the bed.

The X-Wing Star Wars Bed provides an opportunity for the child to both pilot and sleep in their very own X-Wing fighter, while the Star Wars At At Desk is a great example of fun meeting function.

Toy World 66

Star Wars X-Wing Bed

Do you think that children and parents perceive Home products in the same way as toys, or do they view them as something different?

One of our main successes has been to blur the definition between home and toy products, and Frozen Sleigh Bed our primary objective has always been for dual siting in both home and toy – if the Frozen Sleigh Bed can win a Loved

by Children Award, then it follows that the product Disney Carriage Bed will find its way onto Christmas wish lists.

Where do you feel all these new developments will take Worlds Apart in 2016 and beyond?

Worlds Apart has always been difficult to categorise – a company active in the toy sector that doesn’t really sell toys. Always keen to avoid the sharp seasonality and short lifecycles of typical toys, the company has crafted a unique approach to its product development strategy.

We fuse insight, fun and functionality together to create lasting lifestyle product solutions for young families. Over 30 years, we have built a unique parental and child insight into home, bedrooms, sleep, lighting and travel, active play and role play – we have brought award-winning products from all these diverse sectors into the toy aisles by adding real kid appeal and often with the best licensed characters.

We are constantly looking for new and better ways to create great products, and we judge our success by the output – in 2016, we have more new product launches than ever before across Home, Outdoor and Toy, and with our much widened international distribution, we are confident that more success will follow.

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Face to Face

Everything is possible Toy World spoke to Mattel’s VP and country manager for UK, Ireland and Nordics Dominic Geddes; brand activation director Wendy Hill and director of consumer products Simon Price about Mattel’s performance in 2015 and what to expect from the company in the year ahead

Dominic Geddes, VP and country manager for UK, Ireland and Nordics TW: How is the battle between the top three toy companies panning out?

DG: We’re not judging ourselves on that to be honest.

The key metric for us is delivering shareholder value.

There’s also the question of what motivates you: I think there is an excitement to being a challenger. The job satisfaction is far greater – that’s when you feel you’re adding real value to the business.

TW: How have you found the UK toy market this year?

DG: What’s encouraging is that toys is a strong category – a growth category. It’s not growing due to inflation; it’s growing because the consumer wants to buy toys. In the past, people have talked about the threat to the toy market from video games, tablets and mobile phones.

All of those categories are still proving to be successful, but the toy market is very much alive and thriving. It’s also good for retailers to see the toy sector performing so well; it will give them the confidence to continue to invest in the category.

TW: How has Mattel’s UK business fared in 2015?

WH: The business is in solid shape. We have a really strong portfolio of brands; we’re growing in the boys’ category and our infant & pre-school business is growing very nicely too. Barbie is also experiencing a resurgence – we’ve seen double digit growth in the last eight weeks in the UK, which is very encouraging, particularly as the fashion doll sector has been an extremely competitive arena over the past few years.

We’ve felt that with Monster High: it went up with a huge spike and it’s been a real challenge to maintain that momentum. But there is a lot happening next year, which we believe will reinvigorate the brand.

TW: What has contributed to the strong performance this year?

DG: We’re really starting to see the impact of Richard Dickson’s signature on the business. He’s been in his

Wendy Hill, brand activation director

new role for eighteen months now, and we’re seeing the benefits of his creative talents, and also those of his team, filtering into the range. We’ve introduced some great new products and signed some hot new licences, and that has been creating genuine excitement amongst retailers during our recent previews.

TW: Can you tell us about the Toy Box initiative and what it offers Mattel?

WH: Toy Box is an important development for Mattel.

It was born from Richard Dickson’s belief that it is important to handle individual brands in different ways within the business. The formation of the Toy Box division answers some of the key challenges faced by a major corporation, such as how to maximise creativity, innovation and speed to market. You’ll see two mid-year launches from us in 2016, which will be the first fruits of this new approach, and I’m sure it will offer us some great opportunities moving forward.

TW: What have been the stand-out performers for you in 2015, and which ranges are you excited about introducing in 2016?

WH: The boys’ category has been great for us in 2015.

Hot Wheels has enjoyed a strong year: the track sets are selling ahead of expectation, and the new Star Wars and Marvel licences have made an important contribution as well. The WWE range has also been reinvigorated.

Looking ahead to 2016, I’m particularly excited about our infant & pre-school offering. Beat-Bo has been a phenomenal success this year, as has Bing, which we see as very much a long-term proposition. We’re adding a number of exciting new ranges next year, including Go Jetters, which will arrive mid-year; Bob the Builder, which will be launched for autumn winter and Blaze and the Monster Machines, which is shipping now. We had a great reaction to the range when it launched in the States, and we’re anticipating similar success when it hits shelves here. We’re also adding Power Rangers

Toy World 68

into the ever-popular Imaginext range, and we’ve also had a strong reaction from buyers to DinoTrux, which launches in spring summer.

TW: How important is licensing to Mattel?

WH: It remains a crucial area for us. In addition to the new pre-school licences, we continue to work closely with both Disney and Warner Bros. We’re very excited about the new Batman V Superman movie, and the launch of DC Superhero Girls will offer a whole new dimension to the girls’ market. The timing couldn’t be better: it dovetails perfectly with the whole gender neutrality debate and it has the potential to really disrupt the girls’ category.

TW: What response have you had to your key marketing initiatives this year, especially via social media?

WH: We have put a lot of work into establishing a rapport with mums. Social media offers us a whole new way to reach the consumer and it gives us an additional platform to tell our story directly to parents. We’ve enjoyed huge success with the Barbie ‘Imagine the Possibilities’ campaign this year, which really resonated with consumers. We released the video through online channels before it was seen anywhere else, and it received very positive consumer feedback. It worked so successfully that there will certainly be a lot more to come on that front in 2016.

TW: How have Mattel’s key franchises performed in 2015?

SP: We have a fantastic portfolio and we were really pleased with the performance of our key licences in 2015. The HiT portfolio is doing well, with Fireman Sam and Thomas & Friends continuing to go from strength to strength, while September saw the launch of the exciting new, refreshed Bob the Builder series on Channel 5’s Milkshake.

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Face to Face

And all that Jaz Toy World speaks to Jonny Taylor, UK managing director at Jazwares, about the company's appointment as master toy partner for Danger Mouse.

How has 2015 been for Jazwares?

2015 has been our first real year of domestic business trading and was a huge growth year for Jazwares. We’re poised for continued growth in 2016 with a number of exciting new launches to look forward to.

What have been your stand-out products this year?

The key categories for us in 2015 were those linked to virtual worlds – we saw the most significant growth coming from our Terraria and Tube Heroes licences.

With kids spending increasingly more time on the internet watching videos and playing video games, we’re at the forefront of the trend of bringing those digital worlds, characters and stars to life in the form of toys such as our Tube Heroes action figures and playsets.

Toys connected with the digital word are becoming increasingly popular, a trend we expect to see only growing in popularity over time.

You’ve recently been appointed as the master toy partner for Danger Mouse – what impact will that have on the company in 2016?

We were really thrilled to be appointed master toy partner for such an iconic and well-loved brand as Danger Mouse. We’re launching the range in the UK to begin with and we see this as a clear signal of Jazwares’ commitment to further establishing and growing its presence in the UK toy market. We’re confident that Danger Mouse combined with the rest our portfolio will help propel the business to its most successful year to date.

What attracted you to the property?

Danger Mouse is such an iconic, British character property and this really appealed to us. FremantleMedia Kids & Family and CBBC have done a fantastic job with the reboot, capturing the magic of the original while bringing it right up to date. Viewing figures have been outstanding – it’s the best performing new kids show of 2015 among CH 6-12, and we know that demand for the toy range will be high when they hit the shelves in spring 2016.

How have you approached product development for the new Danger Mouse range?

Key for us was the need to find a balance between bringing a blend of the action and the humour of the show to life in toy form, whilst creating a range that would appeal to fans and enable them to immerse themselves in the international secret agent’s world.

I’m confident that we’ve achieved this with the launch range.

What will be the key lines in the range?

The range brings Danger Mouse, Penfold and all the

favourite characters to life in a collection of figures, vehicles, plush and role-play. We have Danger Mouse’s Mark IV Vehicle and 3” Figure Set – featuring pop-out wings and functioning boot. There’s also a fully articulated 10” Danger Mouse figure, plus a glow in the dark i-Patch and removable jet pack accessory complete with authentic sounds. Kids will be able to role-play as their favourite secret agent with The Shrinkatiser – Danger Mouse’’s gadget of choice when faced with monstrous monstrosities. An assortment of plush featuring three individual character phrases and a collectible figure range are also available. Further lines for 2016 include Professor Squawkencluck’s Lab playset as well as new vehicles and figures.

When will you be launching the new Danger Mouse range, and what advertising plans do you have for the brand?

We’re showcasing the range at Toy Fair. Our initial launch will be in toy specialists in spring 2016 before we roll into the mass market for autumn/winter, when we will naturally be adding to the toy line. We will be powering the brand with a robust TV campaign and PR campaign.

What initial reaction have you had from retailers to the range?

The reaction from retail has been incredible – it’s been fun seeing just how many of the buyers have grown up with Danger Mouse, and to see their excitement about the range’s potential. We know they’re going to be phenomenally supportive of the entire range.

What are some of the other highlights of next year’s range plan?

National Geographic’s Animal Jam is the number one online social game for kids. The multiplayer game has over 40 million registered users across the world, nearly three million of which are in the UK. Animal Jam’s popularity has skyrocketed across the globe, and continues to stand out from its competition by providing a safe, social media experience based around customisation, exploration and learning.

The exciting news for this ever-growing and highly engaged audience happens in summer 2016, as we bring the adorable and colourful world of Animal Jam to life. Jazwares’ new product line will feature an extensive

Toy World 70

range of customisable and colourful animal figures, pets and destinations representative of the game.

Feeding kids’ ever-growing appetite for YouTube sensations and the rapidly-rising cult of celebrity that’s inspiring kids everywhere, we will grow our already popular Tube Heroes range in 2016. Collectibles are being added to the figures and plush that emulate the biggest YouTube stars, such as DanTDM, Ali-A, LittleLizardGaming, CaptainSparklez and AtlanticCraft.

Kids can collect 19 different online heroes in the form of a Mystery Tube, plus there’s a new key line for the hottest Tube Hero of the moment – DanTDM – which lets kids re-enact scenes from the Diamond Dimension: the DanTDM Diamond Dimension Pack. It includes 2.75” DanTDM and exclusive Dr. Trayaurus figures, a minecart with rolling action, plus a bow and quiver.

In addition, there’ll be a DanTDM role-play set which includes his goggles and pick-axe.

The Terraria toy collection, based on the actionpacked sandbox video game that sees players dig, fight, explore and build in a scrolling virtual world, heads into 2016 with an even more extensive offering for fans. Helping to bring that virtual world to life are new armoured figures with accessories, additional role-play items including the Terrablade sword and Paladin’s Hammer, and new pixel-decorated plush. All of which encourage kids to re-enact moments from their 2D adventures IRL with friends, away from the screen.

Where do you feel these new developments will take Jazwares in 2016 and beyond?

We anticipate 2016 will be Jazwares’ most successful year of trading. We are establishing ourselves as a player in the UK toy market, tapping into what will be some of the biggest online and playground trends of the year.

We’re committed to growing our existing ranges too, meaning retailers can continue to offer their customers our latest and greatest new products.

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Hot properties

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© Viacom. SpongeBob SquarePants created by Stephen Hillenburg. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES © Viacom Overseas Holdings C.V. PAW PATROL © Viacom International Inc. Nickelodeon, Simmer and Shine © 2015 Spin Master. All Rights Reserved. Lily’s Driftwood Bay™ © Copyright Sixteen South Limited 2015.

Represented in the UK only

Hot Properties Boys Popular wisdom suggests that the boys licensing category will be dominated by Star Wars in 2016. The latest movie has spawned possibly the most in-depth licensing portfolio ever, with tens of thousands of products available. But licensing has never been a ‘one size fits all’ category; whilst Star Wars will inevitably shift huge volumes of product, there is no shortage of strong boys’ properties to offer choice and diversity to both retailers and consumers.

Nitro Circus Brand owner: Lisle Licensing

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Brand owner: Nickelodeon

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles consumer product range spans a broad range of categories, appealing to all age groups, from infant to adult.

Season three of the animated show currently airs on both Nicktoons and Channel 5 in the UK. In 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles achieved a global viewership figure of 261 million, which is expected to grow with the UK launch of season four on Nicktoons in February 2016. With the Turtles now in Space, the new Metal Mutants toy range, set to hit shelves in 2016, sees the Turtles toys in space suits for the first time. In addition to master toy licensee Flair, there are currently over 50 licensees in categories ranging from apparel to food, health and beauty, homeware, publishing, home entertainment and consumer electronics. This year has seen the property expand into the pre-school market with the HalfShell Heroes toy range. Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products has also extended the property beyond the core kids market; the success of adult-skewed ranges such as the Forbidden Planet retro range has proved that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has scope for a variety of licences across multiple categories.

NVCP will be planning a number of experiential activities, retail activations and campaigns across all key retailers to support the launch of new consumer products lines alongside the second installment of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which is due to premiere in June 2016. Iconic characters from the original cartoons such as Casey Jones and villains Bebop and Rocksteady feature in the movie and in the consumer products range. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will continue to advance into the world of fashion, with soon to be announced collaborations with designers and fashion brands that will extend the reach of the property into new demographics.

Nitro Circus is the world’s leading action sports media entertainment company, led by extreme sportsman Travis Pastrana, and other action sports athletes.

Featuring freestyle motocross, BMX and skate, Nitro Circus appeals to adults and kids alike.

As a multi-disciplined action sports show with an extremely wide appeal, Nitro Circus lends itself to broad category licensing and retailing opportunities, including; bikes & ride-ons, apparel and headwear, toys and play sets, home décor, and video gaming to name a few.

Some of the many consumer touch points include that it is a live event tour in 2016, featuring over 100 different cities, including multiple sell out shows in the most prestigious arenas and stadiums in the world, such as The 02 Arena in London, Manchester MEN arena and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. There will also be regional events in the UK in cities such as Bradford, Cardiff, Exeter and Belfast. 2017 will feature even more global shows.

The property has a multi-year partnership with broadcasting company NBC Universal, featuring 50 hours of new original content and nine premiere features. Early broadcast success for Nitro Circus content on NBC in the USA has prompted a larger strategic partnership, with first time events Nitro World Games and Nitro Night of World Records to be broadcast live on NBC, which is a first for action sports.

Nitro World Games will be occurring for the first time in July 2016, and promises to revolutionise action sports competition. Broadcast live in primetime on NBC and featuring athletes from every corner of the globe, there will be three hours of action, which will conclude with seven different gold medalists in FMX, BMX, Skate, Inline and Scooter being crowned on the night.

In October, the Night Of World Records will see five different distance jump world records attempt to be broken The above events, and Nitro Circus’ rapid expansion in the youth media space mean that the demand for licensed consumer products is at an all time high. Nitro Circus is keen to kick off 2016 with its first ever licensing and consumer products range around the world.

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Hot Properties

Sonic The Hedgehog Brand owner: Sega

Thunderbirds Are Go Brand owner: ITV Studios Global Entertainment

ITV Studios Global Entertainment’s Thunderbirds Are Go made its highly anticipated UK broadcast debut in April 2015. Since its launch, the new boys’ action adventure series has taken the UK market by storm, garnering strong broadcast ratings while enticing a new generation of fans to the Thunderbirds franchise. Best in class partners continue to come on board and now the TV series is set to broadcast in over 40 countries, and the brand has over 70 licensees signed internationally.

The first season’s second batch of 13 episodes began airing in the UK in October and is already proving to be a hit with fans. ITVS GE is now preparing to roll-out the show in a raft of new markets and launch the second series in 2016.

Given the show’s key themes of adventure, action and rescue, toys are the driving category for the consumer products programme closely supported by apparel and accessories, publishing, FMCG, homewares and digital categories. Led by Vivid’s master toy line, Thunderbirds Are Go merchandise began rolling out at UK retail in summer 2015. Products are primarily targeting boys, with secondary appeal to girls, adult fans and dads.

The toy range from Vivid Imaginations is already celebrating sales success.

With all key categories and price points covered, Vivid’s range consists of playsets, figures, vehicles and role-play. The Interactive Tracy Island Playset is the hero product of the range and is receiving significant praise from UK retail giants including Tesco, Hamleys and Argos, all of whom nominated Tracy Island in their Top 10 Toys for Christmas 2015 lists. Due to the popularity of the new female character, Kayo, Vivid will launch a Kayo figure alongside the FAB 1 vehicle and many other exciting new lines in 2016.

Bolstering the toy category, Spin Master is on board for a Thunderbirds Are Go line featuring Meccano, Stomp Rocket and Titan Glider products.

The range launched in UK retail in October and has been met with great enthusiasm from retailers and consumers. Adding Meccano construction play to the brand’s toy offering, Spin Master has launched a Thunderbird 2 set allowing fans to build a replica of the vehicle from over 650 coloured metal parts. Spin Master will add new toy products to its range in 2016.

This year will see Sonic celebrate his 25th anniversary. Racing onto videogame screens in 1991, Sonic continues to evolve as a leading entertainment brand. With the continued roll out of the new CG series Sonic Boom, as well as new games and anniversary celebration events throughout the year, 2016 is set to be the best year yet.

Sonic Boom is the first ever CG animated TV series for Sonic.

The show is packed with action, adventure and comedy. Leading TV channels are snapping up the rights for pay and free TV, and the series is already a ratings hit with broadcasters across many markets including Boomerang and Cartoon Network in the UK, Gulli in France and Cartoon Network in the Middle East. Key markets such as Spain, Turkey and Russia are set to launch on-air in the coming months.

Sonic Boom licensing is anchored by master toy partner Tomy with the initial range focusing on action figures, plush, vehicles and role play. Other partners signed up include TVMania Fashion Lab for apparel, Hachette for publishing, OTL for electronics, PMS for gift & pocket money toys and Winning Moves for Monopoly & Top Trumps.

The Classic Sonic licensing programme is a celebration of the brand’s heritage as the most popular and most iconic video game character of all time. Graphics span across multiple iterations from pixel Sonic to comic book Sonic. Key partners include Bioworld for apparel and accessories, Archie Comics for publishing and First 4 Figures for collectible resin figurines.

Sega has already secured strong partnerships for the Sonic franchise across a diverse merchandise programme from toys, publishing and apparel, right through to limited edition collectibles and is looking to further expand on this.

2016 will be a celebration of Sonic’s 25th birthday throughout the year. New style guides and new collaborations across toy, gift, apparel, branded events and bespoke retail initiatives will be on offer throughout the year.

Power Rangers Brand owner: Saban

In early 2016, Saban’s Power Rangers Dino Super Charge will premiere on Nickelodeon, marking the series’ 23rd season. In the new season, the Rangers will continue their quest to unite all 10 Energems by tapping into brand-new battle gear, Zords and Megazords to save the universe. In December 2015, global master toy licensee Bandai will debut a new toy line for the season.

Highlights include the Deluxe Morpher collection, Dino Charger Power Packs, Deluxe Zords and Megazords, new figures, Ranger Battle Gear and Ranger Hero Sets. Bandai will also premiere new collectible segments in its Legacy line.

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FOR LICENSING QUERIES, PLEASE CONTACT: EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: Jason Rice Email: jason.rice@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4568

US, CANADA & LATIN AMERICA: René Flores Email: rene.flores@sega.com Tel: +1 415 701 3935

REST OF WORLD: Yukari Takeuchi Email: yukari.takeuchi@sega.com Tel: +81 3 6871 7122

www.sonicthehedgehog.com @sonic_hedgehog /sonic

© SEGA and OuiDo ! Productions. All rights Reserved.

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Hot Properties

Pokémon

Brand owner: The Pokémon Company International Pokémon has sold more than 275 million games worldwide. More than 21.5 billion TCG cards have been shipped to 74 countries in 11 languages. There are now more than 800 episodes spanning 18 series of the animated TV show, and more than 450,000 players take part in Pokémon events every year.

2016 will be a landmark year for the Pokémon Company International, as February will see Pokémon celebrate 20 years since the first game launched in Japan.

New video game titles are slated for release during early 2016. Pokkén Tournament arrives in spring 2016 for Nintendo’s Wii U, Pokémon Rumble World in January and Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon in February for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

An additional release has been timed to coincide with the anniversary of Pokémon on 27th February. On that day, the games that started it all, Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow, will be relaunched on the Virtual Console for systems in the Nintendo 3DS family.

Finally, numerous collectible Pokémon characters will be distributed to owners of Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire on a monthly basis.

Pokémon fans can look forward to a programme of promotional events with broadcast and VOD platform partners screening the animated series to celebrate the anniversary. New products include the launch of an exciting new Pokémon 20th range by master toy licensee Tomy.

2016 will also see the release of Pokémon GO, a game for mobile devices which was announced in September 2015. The project is a collaboration between The Pokémon Company, Niantic and Nintendo. It is a mobile game designed to encourage fans to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon. Pokémon GO will be available for download at no charge on the App Store and Google Play in 2016.

JCB

Brand owner: JCB Digger giant JCB continues to celebrate its 70th anniversary year into 2016. The licensing programme, now in its 20th year, builds on the tough, bold and simple appeal of the authentic earth moving machines which carry the initials of British founder Joseph Cyril Bamford.

My First JCB is the entry point for young preschoolers. This year, master pre-school partner Golden Bear will launch its biggest ever vehicle toy – the Stacking Stanley Mega truck. Stanley is an articulated six wheeled dump truck with five brightly coloured stacking blocks that can be stacked or toppled over to satisfy any young digger fan’s desires.

HTI delivers its biggest ever JCB line up in 2016 covering vehicle toys, wheeled toys and role play.

The star new line in the role-play range is the Pop Up Workbench, with innovative pack-away system that allows the workbench to be built and put away in one go. Also fresh to the line-up are the Metal Dump Truck and Wheeled Loader. Rolly, Bruder and Tomy also support the JCB licensing push with toys aimed at the hobby and collector children’s market. A full marketing programme will create awareness across the consumer and trade audience.

Danger Mouse Brand owner: Fremantle Media

2015 saw the return of Danger Mouse to UK television and into the public eye, 34 years after he first made his original screen debut.

The series was a success on CBBC, becoming the best performing new kids’ show of 2015 for children aged 6-12 and 4-15, based on average figures for the first 15 episodes (BARB).

To date, there have been over 3.5 million views on the BBC’s iPlayer catch-up service. This bodes well for the international launch of Danger Mouse with Netflix and other free-to-air broadcasters rolling out the show globally from spring 2016. This will be complemented by new episodes on CBBC early next year.

Danger Mouse also brought his brand of British style to the licensing market.

FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment announced the signing of Jazwares as the global Master Toy partner for the brand and several key UK licensees, including TVM Fashion Lab for daywear and outerwear, Cooneen and Misirli for nightwear, underwear and swimwear, Misirli for socks, and Dreamtex for bedding. The product ranges will roll out in the UK throughout 2016 with further international territories following in 2017.

Danger Mouse was also kept busy with a range of character appearances and with Brand & Deliver appointed to build UK brand partnership campaigns promoting Danger Mouse throughout 2016, the promotional activity looks set to continue apace.

Classic Danger Mouse also continues to grow in the licensing market with new deals for the iconic figure, including Wow! Stuff as the master gift licensee, TVM Fashion Lab for apparel, underwear and nightwear, Misirli UK for socks, Paul Lamond for puzzles and card games, and Casa Chicos for a retro babywear range.

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Hot Properties

Classic Brands While the mainstream toy market is always looking for ‘the next big thing’ in licensing, there are many retailers and licensees who like to balance their portfolios by incorporating a selection of timeless classic properties as part of the mix. Often, these perennially-popular brands can surprise people by just how well they perform, year-in, year-out.

The Sooty Show Brand Owner: Redan

Playing daily on CITV in the UK and in an ever popular simulcast spot on both CITV and ITV at the weekends, the latest episodes continue to grow in popularity. Having launched in Australia on Channel 9’s Go! and on TVNZ’s TV2 in New Zealand this autumn, BBC Worldwide will be looking to expand its licensing programme as brand recognition continues to grow.

Award Publications has created a new range of Sooty puppet books, which will complement Golden Bear’s toy range.

With the books launching in the UK in 2016 and production planned for the Sooty movie, it’s going to be a busy year for the little bear and friends.

With a strong adult and primary school age following, Redan Alchemy is looking to develop the pre-school audience for Sooty in the coming year. Golden Bear will be developing its puppet range to highlight the brand’s themes of music, magic and mayhem, while TVM Fashion Lab continues to make inroads into the babywear sector following the success of Tesco’s two pack of baby pyjamas.

Fungus the Bogeyman

Brand Owner: The Copyrights Group A new adaption of Fungus the Bogeyman launched Christmas 2015 as a three part series on Sky 1.

The series featured a mixture of live action and CGI and introduced this classic character to a new audience.

Fungus was the centrepiece of the Sky 1 Christmas programming schedule and was supported by TV advertising, a PR and marketing campaign including OOH posters/digital ads, print ads, radio, online, social media, competitions and special limited edition Now TV and Sky boxes. Further series of Fungus the Bogeyman are in discussion.

Fungus is particularly well suited for novelty products, confectionery, apparel, accessories, apps, posters, personalised gifting and paper items, ideal for April Fools, Father’s Day, Halloween and Christmas.

SpongeBob SquarePants Brand owner: Nickelodeon

Seen in more than 170 countries and in more than 35 languages, SpongeBob SquarePants is the most widely distributed property in Viacom International Media Network’s history. 32 million viewers tuned in to SpongeBob SquarePants between 1999 and 2012 and the property’s global appeal shows no sign of slowing down.

In the UK, Nicktoons is the home of SpongeBob SquarePants with episodes airing every day. The last decade has seen the property succeed in every one of its license categories. Current key licensees include Simba and Sambro from a toy perspective, and the recent Asda 3DME partnership demonstrates SpongeBob’s scope for new licensing opportunities. NVCP has continued to grow the property’s presence in the retail market by expanding into infant clothing and adult apparel. Fashion collaborations include the YR Store collaboration and Beatrix Ong’s SpongeBob-inspired clothing collection. The recent partnership with Hype on a SpongeBob capsule collection has cemented the brand’s place in contemporary fashion, the new collection has been extremely popular with many items selling out. New core toy product lines are due to launch in SS16 with wider roll out in AW16.

2016 will also see Nickelodeon embark on a year-long, 360 marketing campaign on air and at retail called ‘Laugh Your Pants Off’, celebrating SpongeBob’s laugh and all things funny with promos, stunts and experiential activities throughout the year. Furthermore, Nickelodeon will be celebrating the 200th episode of SpongeBob SquarePants marking the legacy of the animation.

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’s top rated children’s show! www.goldenbeartoys.com

For more information, contact emily@redan.com ✆ 01743 364433 www.redanalchemy.co.uk

Hot Properties

Film It wasn’t very long ago that buyers were concerned at the short window of opportunity offered by movie releases; however, the huge success of a selection of high-profile films has seen the pendulum swing back the other way, making movie-related merchandise very much back in vogue. There are a number of eagerly- anticipated new movies slated for 2016, with even more to follow in 2017: here is a sneak peek at a handful of this year’s blockbusters.

Paddington

Trolls

New international product launches and refreshed ranges for Paddington for 2016 include toys and plush, apparel, footwear and accessories, nursery goods, books, adult bags and accessories, a household paper range, collectibles, social stationery, QSR promotions, confectionery, arts and crafts and more.

A new Paddington for Baby initiative launches this spring.

With a style guide featuring soft colour palettes, the Paddington for Baby range will include plush from Rainbow Designs, wooden products from Orange Tree Toys, a buggy book from HarperCollins, infant apparel, an infant travel seat from Totseat and a range of cotton wool and wipes from UP Global.

A robust publishing program from HarperCollins sees new book formats and special editions launching this year alongside a new audio book coming in spring, narrated by Hugh Bonneville. A second movie is also in development.

The Trolls will make their motion picture debut in the UK on 21st October 2016.

Directed by Mike Mitchell, co-directed by Walt Dohrn and produced by Gina Shay, the team behind Shrek Forever After, the film tells the story behind Trolls and their gravity defying, colourful manes. Setting out on an adventure that takes Poppy and Branch far beyond the only world they have ever known, their quest will test their strength and reveal their true colours, with no shortage of comedy and musical mash-ups along the way.

The Troll doll phenomenon was born in 1959 when Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam, too poor to afford a Christmas present for his young daughter Lajla, carved a doll for her based on the legendary Scandinavian troll. This modern-day Geppetto couldn’t have imagined that the Troll dolls would soon become one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1960s. The Trolls experienced a resurgence in the 1990s and their endearing faces and shocks of colourful hair continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of fans around the world.

DreamWorks Animation Consumer Products will be launching a vibrant range of products through a full cross-category licensee base for autumn/winter 2016.

Brand Owner: The Copyrights Group

Brand owner: DreamWorks

Angry Birds Brand owner: Rovio

In this 3D adventure, it will finally be revealed why the birds are so angry. The Angry Birds Movie takes place on an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red, a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck, and the volatile Bomb have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green pigs, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.

The brand is primarily targeted at children and families, then secondly at millennials and adults.

Its key partners in the UK include Lego for construction toys, Spinmaster for plush, figures and playsets and Hasbro for board games.

The other key categories include apparel, home textile, stationery, party and gifting.

The movie will be marketed all over the world by distribution partner Sony Pictures Entertainment, and will also be tied in with a mobile gaming experience.

Batman v Superman Brand owner: Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA

The hugely anticipated release of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in March kick starts a line-up that includes nine more DC Comics films that will launch by 2020.

Global partners such as Mattel, Lego and Rubies ensure a steady stream of new yet iconic products, including action figures, wheels, and dress up – products that underpin DC Comics Super Heroes’ status as a childhood rite of passage.

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CONTACT: Emmanuelle Cadet-Yamazaki: emmanuelle.cadet@rovio.com | Rob Corney: robc@bulldog-licensing.com

Hot Properties

Pre-school Perhaps the most competitive sub- category for licensed merchandise within the overall toy market, 2016 will see the return of Teletubbies to challenge perennial favourites such as Peppa Pig, Thomas & Friends and Fireman Sam. Licensed merchandise continues to grow its share of the overall infant and pre-school category, with a huge array of properties vying for shelf space.

Boj

Brand owner: Pesky Productions One secret to Boj’s success is family viewing. Its values are gender-inclusive and attract parents with kids of all ages.

Boj has aired on every regular weekday since its launch on CBeebies. In the first 18 months, Boj achieved more big audiences than any rival character brand and succeeded in more than doubling audience share. A newly ordered special-length episode will see Boj on the BBC until 2022.

The Boj licensing campaign continues to grow. In Paul Lamond Games the company has found the perfect partner to embrace Boj’s passion for creative play with a series of Boj craft kits, puzzles and a card game. At BLE, plans were revealed for Boj World, the soft play visitor attraction at West Midland Safari Park, generating a range of product from plush and merchandise licensees. In response to young readers voting it one of their most loved characters, Boj is to get his very own magazine by Redan. Demon Records is also releasing a Boj-a-BOOM album sung by Jason Donovan.

Pesky Productions aims to bring in more top quality licensees to join in exploiting Boj’s appeal across multiple categories.

There are at least two major marketing events for Boj this year, the first is promoting Boj World, as West Midland Safari Park plans a year-long Boj-focused TV ad campaign. There will also be a partnership with Discovery Education to deliver Boj’s Aussie Safari, a live webcast into over 1,000 schools, taking UK reception classes on a virtual fieldtrip to meet Boj’s real-life bilby cousins.

This is just the beginning for Boj, with more developments on the way, including a new twist on the Let’s Get Boj-ing outreach programme and the first ever bilbies outside Australia coming to zoos soon.

Paw Patrol Brand owner: Nickelodeon

Since the launch of the consumer products range in 2014, the success of Paw Patrol has been highlighted with the Paw Patroller vehicle featuring on a number of retailers’ Christmas wish lists. In addition to its success at retail, Paw Patrol has been a hit on TV. It launched as the number one show in its first month on Nick Jr. and is currently Nick Jr.’s most watched show. The show has continued to be a ratings success on both Nick Jr. and Channel 5’s Milkshake! with 10.5 million viewers, including 3 million kids, tuning into Paw Patrol across Nick Jr. Channels and Milkshake! since launch.

Season three is due to air on Nick Jr. next March with new storylines, characters and vehicles, notably the addition of new pup Tracker and the debut of the air patroller plane which will translate into new consumer products launching in the latter half of 2016. Spin Master is the master toy licensee and Sambro is also a key licensee partner. Paw Patrol has expanded quickly over the last year and for next year, NVCP will continue to drive growth in toys in addition to expanding secondary categories including food, car accessories, health and beauty. Paw Patrol has also increased its presence in the publishing market with Paw Patrol magazine soon to launch in 2016. NVCP will be working with partners on the launch of new campaign Stay Safe with Paw Patrol, which aims to focus on social responsibility, and helping parents to teach kids about fire, water and road safety. Following a year of growth, 2016 promises to see Paw Patrol continue to develop in the pre-school market.

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Hot Properties

Fireman Sam Brand owner: Mattel

New for Fireman Sam in 2016 is the exciting launch of series 10 featuring an animal rescue theme that introduces new uniforms and a brand new specialist vehicle.

Fireman Sam goes digital with the all new Fire Station which is bigger and more up-to-date for today’s tech-savvy kids. Key broadcast partners include Milkshake and Cartoonito in the UK and key licensing partners include master toy licence Character Options in the UK and Simba in Europe.

Toy partners are driving the consumer products programme forward across EMEA and in Germany, Sam is now the number one character property in pre-school toys. Across the region, Sam ranks easily within the top 10 in UK, France, Italy and Spain in the same category. Sam also now has 95 licensees with more onboard for 2016. New and exciting hardlines for 2016 include Ravensburger and Jumbo for puzzles, and softlines feature categories ranging from apparel to home, footwear and BTS.

Bob the Builder Brand owner: Mattel

Building on the successful launch of the new look Bob the Builder on Channel 5’s Milkshake!, 2016 sees the introduction of the second phase of enhanced new content with a brand new season of 52 x 11 minute episodes featuring three new and dynamic vehicles.

Bob the Builder will also expand with the launch of a range of toys rolling out in autumn bringing construction and teamwork to life for preschoolers through exciting vehicle play, action figures and role-play toys.

The Fisher-Price range will create a truly engaging construction experience for pre-schoolers as they interact with Bob’s world above and beyond the on-screen content with exciting new characters, relatable locations and an aspirational hero while maintaining core values including teamwork, positivity, empowerment and learning. The launch will be supported by an unprecedented marketing campaign.

Other broadcast partners for the TV series outside the UK include Super RTL in Germany, PBS in the US and Televisa in Mexico, offering a strong foundation for success for the brand and in early 2016, Bob will be on RTE in Ireland as part of its RTE Jr strand.

Thomas & Friends Brand owner: Mattel

Thomas & Friends continues to go from strength to strength in the UK, in addition to exciting opportunities for European growth in 2016 including Russia, Poland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

In 2016, the brand will communicate to pre-schoolers the value of friendship, teamwork, participation and determination through the theme of racing. Friendship remains at the heart of the brand campaign deepening engagement and relevance to preschoolers.

Content continues to be king as the year kicks off with mini tentpole DVD Start Your Engines, including six exciting episodes featuring Thomas & Friends racing on the rails. The new content will see the clock ticking for Thomas, Bertie and Spencer to get to the castle on time, while Philip shows Gordon how fast he can go, slow Stephen proves he can save the day. James and Thomas are on opposite tracks when the Big Game comes to Sodor, while Caitlin gives Emily an unexpected boost in this all new DVD. September will see the release of the DVD feature-length special The Great Race, an exciting new adventure where Thomas wants to go to the Great Railway Show. The special will include an extensive range of tie-in products including toys, publishing and apparel. Series 20 will also launch on-air in 2016 introducing all-new characters.

The successful key categories that bring the brand to life include wheeled toys, ride-ons, electronic learning devices (ELA’s), party, publishing and apparel.

Softlines continues to grow in the UK with the category also rolling out across Europe, with strong licensee partnerships and DTR programmes, and the brand is also extending its range in nightwear and underwear.

Thomas’s storybook heritage continues to engage children and 2016 sees an increased range with sound books, 1001 stickers and the UK award winner Amazing ABC.

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© 2015 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Who says you can’t be curious?

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Hot Properties

Noddy

Hey Duggee!

With over 250 million books sold in 39 markets, Noddy has a rich heritage and over 90% awareness around the world.

This much loved British children’s character returns to television with a new series, Noddy Toyland Detective, which will debut in the UK in spring 2016. The show will bring a new look to Noddy and the residents of Toyland in 52 brand new 11-minute episodes.

The new CG-animated series is produced by Gaumont Animation in association with DreamWorks Animation Television While Noddy remains immediately identifiable, his iconic look – from the tip of his blue hat to the soles of his red shoes – has been given a contemporary makeover to suit the more adventurous and clever Noddy for a new generation. Big Ears, Bumpy and Noddy’s car will also receive updated looks. The series marks the first time in Noddy’s TV history that his car, Revs, will come alive with his own unique personality. He eagerly races around as Noddy’s sidekick and communicates through a variety of honks and car noises.

Noddy’s newly established role as Toyland Detective shows children how to investigate their world and make their own discoveries, as he looks for clues to mysteries in each episode. The world of Toyland will expand, taking audiences on adventures through new lands like the fantastical Fable Fields, Animal Acres and the busy metropolis of Brickabuild, introducing new characters along the way.

CBeebies show Hey Duggee! is a place for children and parents to have fun and be energetic. The show is based around a children’s playgroup called The Squirrel Club run by a big friendly dog called Duggee, where the children have adventures and earn badges for their accomplishments.

The show continues to do well on BBC iPlayer views with more than 21 million downloads to date. Master toy partner Golden Bear has developed a toy and plush range that has performed well at retail, as does the publishing range from the Penguin Group under the Ladybird imprint. BBC Worldwide and mobile games developer, Scary Beasties, has also launched the first pre-school app and official game, Hey Duggee: The Big Badge App. The app is aimed at children from the ages of 18 months to four years, and features six creative and fun activities with an array of gameplay styles.

Brand owner: BBC

Brand owner: DreamWorks

Blaze and the Monster Machines Brand owner: Nickelodeon

Nick Jr. pre-school CG animation show Blaze and the Monster Machines has been a huge success since its launch on Nick Jr. in March 2015 and has gained a new set of pre-school fans since its recent debut on Channel Five’s Milkshake! with a total of 5.8m viewers tuning into the series across Nick Jr. Channels and Milkshake! since launch.

Blaze and the Monster Machines follows a boy named AJ and his monster truck, Blaze, on their fun-filled adventures. The show is jam-packed with fast-paced monster truck action combined with humour, fun and an educational STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) curriculum.

The huge success of the show on-air has increased excitement around the highly anticipated product range launching at retail in SS16. With a broad range of themes within the show and diverse characters each with unique personalities, the show has universal appeal for preschoolers. Fisher Price is the master toy licensee for Blaze and NVCP will be announcing new licensing partnerships in the coming year. There is a significant consumer product expansion plan scheduled over the next year which will focus on launching the toy, apparel and publishing categories, followed by new licences in categories including construction, stationery, party, arts and crafts, games, bags, accessories, home, outdoor and novelty. With a robust retail launch planned for SS16, There has already been a UK consumer demand for Blaze and the Monster Machines consumer products.

Toy World 86

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Hot Properties

Cirque du Soleil – Luna Petunia Brand owner: Saban

The upcoming preschool property from Saban Brands and Cirque du Soleil Média will also be a Netflix original series for kids and is set to premiere in autumn 2016. The series debut will kick off with a full franchise roll-out, including a comprehensive consumer products line, interactive digital content and a potential live tour. Inspired by the world of Cirque du Soleil, the new series will chronicle the adventures of Luna Petunia, a little girl who lives in the world and plays in a dreamland.

Olly the Little White Van Brand owner: Start Licensing

Start Licensing is representing Olly the Little White Van. Shown on Channel 5’s Milkshake, it has developed a significant following. New episodes were recently announced, taking the episode count to over 100 episodes. Coin operated ride company Kiddy Rides has had a lot of success with an Olly ride and the series is an ideal one for toy companies looking to create wheeled toys, vehicle based ranges and role-play toys.

Go Jetters Brand owner: BBC

Go Jetters is an animated series that first aired on CBeebies in October 2015, and was an instant hit for the channel, consistently winning its time slot amongst all multi-channel broadcasters in the UK and achieving over 2.4 million downloads across the series on BBC iPlayer.

Go Jetters follows four plucky heroes, Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz, as they travel the world with their teacher, mentor and friend, Ubercorn, a discogrooving unicorn. The first toys from Fisher-Price, the global master toy licensee for the show, will launch autumn/winter 2016, alongside publishing from Penguin, magazines from Immediate Media and puzzles and games from Ravensburger.

Sarah and Duck Brand owner: BBC

For award-winning animated series Sarah & Duck, Posh Paws International’s range features plush, including Sarah & Duck soft toys, a small talking Sarah, and a small duck who quacks just like in the programme. Also available is a 16-month planner from Carousel Calendars, bedding from Dreamtex as well as DVDs and books. BBC Worldwide has already launched the first Sarah and Duck app, and the second one is in development. Available to download from the App Store, Google Play and Amazon, pre-schoolers and fans of the series are invited to join Sarah & Duck for a fun-packed day at the park.

Toy World 88

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KEY PARTNERSHIPS

Hot Properties

Girls Frozen fever continues to have a significant effect on the girls’ licensing sector. Although the brand has inevitably experienced a drop from its 2014 peak, the impact has largely been felt by secondary merchandise, with the core lines continuing to sell well. GP Flair’s Shopkins range was the real winner in the girls’ aisle in 2015, and this year will see a range of associated merchandise hit the market. A number of other key brands will be hoping to secure a space in the girls’ aisle - some established, some brand new and some making a welcome return to the market.

Barbie

Monster High

In 2016 Barbie will celebrate girls’ imaginations, reminding girls, mums and society that Barbie allows girls to imagine themselves as anything from a mermaid to a movie star, a fairy to a fashionista and a princess to a president.

Barbie will play with purpose and create a connection with mums by demonstrating and showcasing the benefits of open-ended play. Through captivating content and real life experiences, Barbie will engage and inspire girls of all ages, letting them know that with Barbie ‘You Can Be Anything’.

Barbie will have new reimagined content, fashion news with halo collaborations as well as high street brand partnerships. Get ready for girl power as Barbie will take on another bold and disruptive entertainment theme, and bring another cross category opportunity for licensees.

Building on the Be Super campaign of 2015, Barbie will take a bold approach in 2016. Talking directly to girls, it will inspire them by unlocking their imaginations, a great opportunity for licensing partnerships in role-play.

Barbie will kick off the year with a new fantasy range to appeal to younger girls, followed by another bold and disruptive entertainment theme that continues to deliver a message of empowerment. This will follow with exciting innovations in the fashion and family range, with even more possibilities expanding the world of Barbie in the autumn.

Fans can look forward to three new specials in 2016, each featuring original storylines, music and adventures to engage Barbie enthusiasts from around the world. In spring 2016, Barbie and her best friends Teresa and Renee transform from hardworking gymnasts to undercover secret agents in the new action-packed adventure Barbie Spy Squad. This will be followed by tent pole event, Barbie Starlight and the new adventure featuring Barbie and her sisters, Barbie in Puppy Pursuit in Q4.

A pop culture phenomenon and a massive global franchise in over 60 countries, Monster High is ranked as the third biggest fashion doll brand, a $1bn franchise annually and a top five global property for girls. Monster High empowers girls to express their individuality and form friendships that last a lifetime.

2015 has seen the brand celebrate with its brand campaign, We Are Monster High. The campaign was supported by strong marketing plans, engaging with girls, giving them ownership of the brand and asking them to celebrate their inner monster.

Now entering its sixth year in the market, in 2016 the brand will embark on a new chapter to maintain its relevance to the ever changing consumer.

As an evergreen brand, Monster High will continue to represent what it means to be different and unique, empowering girls to be themselves.

The key elements that make the brand disruptive will remain but will be infused with more play in the product, whilst adding renewed focus on the core characters and stories as well as marketing what the brand stands for.

Entertainment will still be a key focus with the successful tent poles, as Monster High is ranked number 2 in children’s direct to video franchise. In spring, children can join Monster High in a new aquatic adventure, Great Scarrier Reef, and in autumn fans will be able to see the untold origins story of Monster High and the Monsters that live among us.

The brand will also launch a new multiyear brand campaign, How Do You Boo?, encouraging consumers to embrace what makes them unique. Working with celebrities and brands spokespeople, the campaign will communicate what it means to be yourself, starting a movement encouraging girls to do the same. This will also be brought to life through an empowering new Monster High Anthem launched through a music video that will be amplified through social media and PR. This will be supported with an extensive marketing campaign across multiple touch points, and will be localised in key countries across the EuRoMEA region.

Brand owner: Mattel

Brand owner: Mattel

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Hot Properties

Alice the Forgetful Elephant Brand owner: Redan

Alice the Forgetful Elephant is a series of stories and poems for the youngest of learners from award-winning children’s magazine publisher, Redan Publishing. The simple rhymes, homespun look and classic themes are designed to bring learning to bedtime reading.

Alice the Forgetful Elephant is currently featuring in Redan’s Fun to Learn First Friends magazine, with the potential for added exposure across the Fun To Learn range. Redan Alchemy is actively looking for book publishing and plush toy partners to kick start the licensing programme.

Glitter Force

Jacqueline Wilson

DC Super Hero Girls

Start Licensing represents The Jacqueline Wilson brand, which has been extended into other media activities, including a monthly magazine from DC Thomson. There is also a Jacqueline Wilson Annual from DC Thomson. Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather have been developed by the BBC into live action drama series. Hetty Feather is part of a series of books that include Opal Plumstead and Battersea Sapphire. Licensing activity includes a calendar from Flametree Publishing, a friendship bracelet kit from Top That Publishing, stickers from Fun Stickers and T Shirts from Spike Leisurewear. The books have strong listings in a range of retailers, with many shops having dedicated space for them. In terms of toys and games, Paul Lamond has created a bespoke board game with input from Jacqueline and illustrator Nick Sharratt. The board game, titled Dreams, Dilemmas and Divas is a full of trivia and facts that will appeal to Jacqueline’s fans. Paul Lamond is also developing jigsaw puzzles.

WBCP is about to launch the consumer products programme to support DC Super Hero Girls, an entertainment world that inspires girls to be their own hero. A collaboration between Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and Mattel, girls now have their very own Super Hero world where they can play, watch, read and be inspired to discover their full super power potential alongside legendary DC Comics female Super Heroes, including Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl, in this new universe that was created just for them.

Animated shorts have started to roll-out on the new DCSuperHeroGirls. com website and products including toys from Mattel will launch later this year.

Brand owner: Start Licensing

Brand owner: Saban

Glitter Force, a new Netflix original series for kids, premiered on 18th December, 2015 for members worldwide, excluding Asia. The series follows five pre-teen girls who learn that they are a legendary superhero squad and must defend Earth from evil fairytale villains.

Brand owner: Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA

Toy World 92

Hot Properties

The Goblin Princess Brand owner: Redan

Popples Brand owner: Saban

Popples, the new Netflix original series for kids, premiered worldwide on 30th October, 2015. Signature plush toys from global master toy licensee Spin Master are available in the US at Walmart.com and in Walmart stores, including the Bubbles and Lulu Talk and Pop Plush and the Pop Open Plush available in all five Popples characters. Products coming in 2016 include girls’ pyjamas from Komar, girls’ bedding, bath and beach goods from Jay Franco and girls’ room décor from Idea Nuova, to highlight a few.

Bratz

Redan Publishing’s girls’ property The Goblin Princess will see its first books from Faber & Faber launched this year.

The series of stories following Matty’s adventures in the Goblin Kingdom looks set to bring the Goblin Princess to the attention of a wider audience of young readers.

The series of stories, created by the team at Redan Publishing, appears in Sparkle World magazine, the UK’s multicharacter magazine for girls, alongside brands like Rainbow Magic, Barbie and Winx Club.

Reaching over 200,000 each month, Sparkle World has a higher audience reach than many of today’s children’s TV channels.

The licensing programme will reflect the quirkiness and creativity of the Goblin Princess brand and Redan Alchemy are currently seeking partners in multiple categories including broadcast, toys, apparel, accessories and stationery.

Masha and the Bear

Brand owner: MGA Entertainment The Bratz brand relaunched globally in 2015 with full TV advertising, PR and social media campaigns. A comprehensive licensing programme will roll out during 2016 including all key categories; apparel and accessories, health and beauty, electronics, home, arts and crafts, stationery, confectionery and gifts.

Brand owner: Lisle Licensing

Masha and the Bear is an animation property which has been growing steadily In the UK. Master toy; apparel, publishing and vending plush signings have all been secured, but with broadcast platforms across Cartoonito and a global top five YouTube channel, there are still licensing opportunities available for the brand.

Toy World 94

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Feature

Nuremberg Toy Fair

The Spirit of Play Publisher John Baulch looks at what the world’s largest toy fair has in store in 2016

T

he Spielwarenmesse - or Nuremberg Toy Fair as it is colloquially known to visitors from across the globe – remains the world’s largest Toy Fair. The show continues to strengthen its reputation as an international event: over 50% of the 70,000 annual visitors now come from outside the domestic German market.

The UK is nestled in the top five territories for visitors; only Italy, France, Spain and Holland are ranked higher, and none of these countries holds its own Toy Fair.

The UK also ranks highly in the table of international exhibitors: only China - with 290 companies - is above it in the list. In all, over 2800 exhibitors will be present at the show, 90% of which rebook from the previous year. Nevertheless, planning for the event remains a challenge according to Spielwarenmesse marketing director Christian Ulrich: “It’s like a gigantic puzzle.

2857 exhibitors mean 2857 special requests.

The challenge is exacerbated by the simple

fact that there is not enough space at the Nuremberg showground to satisfy existing and potential new exhibitors.”

Planning starts as soon as the previous show finishes, when the 60 strong Spielwarenmesse team meets to assess the event and look at what worked well and what could be improved.

Initiatives such as the Trend Gallery, the Toy Award and the Toy Business Forum have all been successfully introduced in recent years, helping the show to continually reinvent itself.

Over the next few pages we bring you details of some of the new ranges which will be unveiled at the show which we didn’t

feature in our December issue preview of the event. Toy World will once again have a presence on the British Pavilion in Hall 12, where you can pick up extra copies of this issue. If you would like to meet up with the Toy World team during the event, feel free to get in touch by emailing john@toyworldmag.co.uk

Toy World spoke to distributor Steve Richardson about Turkish supplier Dolu and the range it offers UK retailers TW: How long have you been working with Dolu?

SR: I have been representing Dolu for more than six years, although the first two years were spent working closely with the company to improve the packaging and colours, in order to make the range more suitable for the UK Market.

TW: How do you supply the range to UK retailers?

SR: The range is sold in GBP direct from our factory in Istanbul and all items conform to all EU standards, with testing done every two years.

TW: How extensive is the selection of products which Dolu offers?

SR: Since we introduced the range to the UK market, it has grown significantly, with more than 40 new items being added. Dolu is also now producing under licence for many EU Companies. For 2016 we will be introducing more than 15 new items including play houses, sand and water clam shells, three new desks and a brand new kitchen. The company also produces a broad selection of Fisher Price items under licence for the Turkish market and a number of other EU countries, and we are hoping to make an announcement about being able to make the range available to UK buyers in the very near future.

TW: What are the strengths of the Dolu range?

SR: The quality is second to none and our highly competitive pricing means that more than 70% of the range can be landed in the UK at better prices than similar product from China, without the MOQS and lead-times required by Chinese factories. For example, the kitchen featured in this article lands at less than £6.

TW: Where can UK buyers see the range?

SR: We will be exhibiting at the Nuremberg Fair in Hall 5 on stand D50. Any buyers who wish to arrange a meeting can call me on 07850 779797 or they can email sales@sjr-associates.co.uk

Toy World 98

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Mondo UK Ltd.

LOCK 50 Business Centre Oldham Road - Rochdale OL16 5RD - UK Tel. +44 (01706) 75 11 55 - Fax +44 (01706) 75 11 54 e-mail: sales@mondo-uk.com

Nuremberg Toy Fair

Mattel Hall 12.2 P-15

01628 500 111 | www.mattel.com Fisher-Price continues to lead the way in early childhood development in 2016 with new product launches, new licences and marketing campaigns.

With its strong heritage and brand philosophy encouraging natural discovery and learning, this year sees the evolution of the brand campaign with a marketing initiative that will connect with today’s parents through a digital and social programme putting real mums and dads at the heart of the brand.

Innovation and play value continue to lead FisherPrice product development with the expansion of the baby gear and toddler ranges, including the new Fold ‘n Go Bouncer and newly refreshed Rainforest Jumperoo, providing unique solutions for babies and parents. New launches in the Laugh & Learn ranges in the summer include new toys featuring Smart Stages technology which adds a further proposition to FisherPrice infant toys.

Thomas & Friends builds on its busy 70th anniversary with a new brand campaign based on racing, teamwork and friendship themes. New spring launches in the popular toy lines include the FisherPrice My First Rolling Melodies Thomas, the Take-nPlay Jungle Quest Set and the TrackMaster Close Calls Cliff playset as well as new engines based on characters from dynamic new content.

Building on the successful launch of the new look Bob the Builder on Channel 5’s Milkshake!, 2016 sees the introduction of the second phase of enhanced new content with a brand new season of 52 x 11 minute episodes. This will be followed by the highly anticipated launch of the new Fisher-Price toy range bringing construction and teamwork to life for preschoolers through vehicle play, action figures and role-play toys. The launch will be supported by an

unprecedented marketing campaign.

Zooming onto the scene in Q1 is the new FisherPrice toy range based on the Nickelodeon series Blaze and the Monster Machines, including hero item The Transforming Blaze Jet. The range delivers a fresh take on a category for boys, as well as championing STEM learning and focusing on vehicles driving collectibility alongside speed, stunts and storytelling. This will be followed by the arrival of the Fisher-Price Go Jetters licensed range in the second half of the year.

Fisher-Price’s Bing range saw great success at launch and this is set to continue with the expansion of the playset and figures offering as well as the launch of role-play items such as Bing’s Phone and Brenda the Blender Shape Sorter.

Imaginext continues to put action into the hands of pre-schoolers with the new launches in the DC Super Friends range, including the Batman and Superman Battle Armour Figures and Batwing vehicle in spring.

In 2016 Barbie will celebrate girls’ imagination, empowering them to dream big and believe in their dreams. Barbie will remind girls, mums and society that Barbie is the only brand that allows girls to imagine themselves as a mermaid to a movie star, a fairy to a fashionista and a princess to a president.

Barbie will play with purpose and create a connection with mums by demonstrating and showcasing the benefits of open-ended play. Through captivating content and real life experiences, Barbie aims to engage and inspire girls of all ages along their journey of self-discovery.

There will be new reimagined content and fashion news with halo collaborations as well as high street brand partnerships, as Barbie takes on more bold and disruptive entertainment themes.

Toy World 100

Building on the Be Super campaign, Barbie will take a bold approach in 2016, with the With Barbie You Can Be Anything campaign talking directly to girls. It aims to inspire by unlocking children’s imaginations.

Barbie will kick off the year with a new fantasy range to appeal to younger girls, as Barbie Fairytale launches the magical world of Barbie Dreamtopia, supported with a toy range including a new hair segment which will feature Barbie Twist ‘N Style Princess, Barbie Unicorn and Long Hair Chelsea Dolls, plus mermaid doll Rainbow Light Mermaid.

This will be followed by another bold and disruptive entertainment theme that continues to deliver a message of empowerment with You Can Be a Secret Agent. Barbie and her best friends Teresa and Renee transform from hardworking gymnasts to undercover secret agents in the all new action-packed adventure Barbie Spy Squad, supported by a toy line, including the Secret Agent Lead doll. An extensive marketing and retail programme including a TV campaign, PR activation and eye catching POP aim to make this a major release for spring.

The You Can Be Limitless range introduces Barbie Made to Move dolls. With 22 joints, these dolls can mimic realistic action for an incredible range of movement. Barbie Fashionista continues to excite in ever-evolving ways, remaining committed to its focus on diversity and up to date trends.

Barbie is also breaking the glass ceiling by launching a new Career of the Year with Barbie Game Developer showing girls that You Can Be Anything.

With even more developments to come in the autumn, 2016 is going to be full of possibilities.

Monster High continues to be a brand that celebrates the individual, whilst inspiring girls to

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Nuremberg Toy Fair be themselves. In 2016 the marketing campaign will support both existing and new fans to create long lasting emotional connections. Storytelling around monsters at high school remains a key element of the aspirational setting girls love about the brand. To heighten brand awareness, the new brand message How Do You Boo? will be launched, as a fun, memorable way to encourage girls to embrace their unique differences and show how they Boo. The campaign will be brought to life through multiple touchpoints and high visibility call-to-action messaging.

In spring, Monster High will also focus on strengthening girls’ connections with the core characters and boo-rific origins of the ghouls, encouraging girls to meet the students, and through new DVD tentpoles.

The first DVD tentpole of the year follows our core ghouls on a trip down under to Lagoona’s hometown in: The Great Scarrier Reef! Lagoona, Draculaura, Frankie, Clawdeen, Toralei and Ghoulia transform into mermaids and take on an underwater adventure where they meet three new characters. All leading characters will be brought to life with Mattel’s Fashion Doll line, where each ghoul will have tail curl or fins so they can stand on their own, extra detailing and glow-in-thedark features.

The second half sees the continuation of Mattel’s collaboration with Warner Brothers, with the launch of DC Super Hero Girls! This powerful collaboration addresses the celebration of girl empowerment, with a purpose to inspire girls to take action by unleashing their inner super hero by promoting everyday heroism and team work. Mattel who is the master toy licensee will launch three categories at launch with action dolls, action figures and role-play items.

These brand new products are all about empowering girls, and reflect their desire to experience the strength, action and optimism of super heroes by offering a diverse array of strong female characters in a fun and action-packed universe.

Ever After High has a new consumer message in 2016, which concentrates on empowering girls to take a lead in their own stories, by changing what it means to be a princess with Ever After High, Where Princesses

are Powerful. This new messaging will be brought to life with the continuation of re-told classic stories featuring the sons and daughters of famous fairytale characters in the new content: Dragon Games, which will be launched on Netflix in spring with further support through webisodes, new apps and social media initiatives.

The highly acclaimed new View-Master will be launched in spring, including collaboration with Google to reimagine the iconic toy, offering an immersive, virtual reality experience for children in an interactive learning environment. A technologyadvanced range includes the View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack and three Experience Packs, including Destinations, National Geographic Wildlife and Space, encouraging children to use their

imagination. Autumn/winter sees the launch of even more experiences.

Hot Wheels is set to have a strong year in 2016 as the brand empowers kids to Make It Epic by challenging them to go even bigger, faster, and higher with Hot Wheels. A multi-platform brand campaign will include a range of exciting activations to create memorable moments for children including a collector programme, experiential activities and content seeding. Toy Fair sees the launch of the Split Speeders range including a Vehicle Assortment and Blade Raid Trackset. Other popular lines include the Track Builder Starter Kit and Hot Wheels Star Wars range and a range of large-scale tracksets are to follow in autumn/winter.

Mega Bloks will be supported with an extensive brand campaign throughout 2016 that will build an emotional connection with parents. A fantastic toy range for pre-schoolers will drive children to create their own collection of rolling friends with the colourful Lil’ Vehicles Assortments. Thomas & Friends introduces young engine drivers to a world of numbers with 1-2-3 Count with Thomas Train, with more buildable fun into follow in autumn/winter.

For older builders, Mega Bloks sees the launch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles construction range ahead of the feature film release in June. The movie range features the Turtle Van and Sewer Hideout.

Other lines include Half Shell Heroes, featuring the Roll and Destroy Villain Assortment, Junior Small Vehicles Assortment and Turtles Chopper. The junior range sees the launch of the Mikey Pizzeria Showdown, Donnie Turtle Racer, Party Van and Turtle Sewer Lair with further figure assortments and playsets to follow in autumn/winter.

WWE introduces new scales to the portfolio and the Defining Moments Figure Assortment launches new special limited edition figures. The popular Create a Superstar range also continues to offer endless play with new additions.

New from Disney Pixar’s Cars is the Drop and Jump Gray Transporter, allowing children to recreate stunt magic from the Disney Cars movies.

NEW

NEW

Nuremberg Toy Fair

LeapFrog

01895 202 840 | www.leapfrog.com Hall 12.2, Stand P-19 The autumn/winter 2015 season saw the company reveal its new LeapFrog Ahead campaign, which was created to address the evolution in the needs and wants of millennial parents and is the start of a new age of LeapFrog marketing communications and product development.

LeapFrog’s heritage remains a key driver and the 2015 20th anniversary celebrations were kicked off with a campaign which highlighted this.

LeapFrog also launched its 30 ways in 30 days guide, which offered parents solutions to tackle reading with their child at home as part of their everyday family routine. The campaign was led by a robust PR, social media and ECRM programme.

2015 was also a pioneering year for LeapFrog in the world of product development with the launch of its first Android based tablet, Epic. The family of pre-school tablets was expanded in 2015 with the launch of the 7” LeapPad Platinum and three Imagicard games.

Number Loving Oven and Scout’s Build & Discover Tool Box round out the role-play range, and Word Whammer encourages word building skills to help get four-year-olds ready for school. To celebrate the launch of Number Loving Oven, LeapFrog used PR and social media and partnered with family favourite food guru, Annabel Karmel, for its kitchen kids campaign.

Cheatwell Games Hall 10, Stand A03 0239 252 4098 | www.cheatwell.com New children’s games include a twist on a classic – the Wonder Trumps.

Never before have players been able to compare a Shark with a Superbike, but now they can. 54 cards packed with facts join the best-selling Trumps stable of Plop Trumps and Plop Trumps Extreme.

The Family Fun range has had a refresh with both Chattabox and Kids Charades sporting a fresh look. More play value, a bigger box and more shelf appeal make this range stand out from the crowd and strengthens the selection of children’s games.

The new board game Get The Picture involves communicating the picture on the card by miming, posing or describing it, and it’s up to everyone else to work out which picture it is and grab it before anyone else. There is no language dependence, making for a quick and easy localisation.

The adult fun range has been reworked with refreshed graphics and new content. Consistent best-sellers, all three titles have been brought up to date with added play value and new challenges.

The original remove and replace building game Keel Over is back with a twist – each brick has a hidden forfeit. Sporting new retro inspired packaging, the new version includes a gift-inspired set of shot glasses.

For essential pick-up lines, Cheatwell offer games in a tin. Nine themed games in a pre-stocked 36 item CDU, this year sees Table Top Teasers and Drinking Games added to the collection that already includes Bite-size Games for kids, After Dinner Games and Festive Fun.

Horizon Hobby Hall 7A, Stand B-165 01279 636 353 | www.horizonhobby.co.uk Leading RC company Horizon Hobby is unique in the toy industry, designing and producing its own products and brands whilst also specialising in distributing and importing its own technology.

Having been a major player in the hobby sector for 30 years, the company has now entered the toy arena with its range of high-tech and easy-to-use products. Carrying over 24,000 lines of RC product from micro quads to petrol cars and drones, the company works with many licensors, including Audi, that refuse to work with anyone else in the market.

The company keeps on top of trends in all its product categories, releasing three to five new products a week to meet changing and rapid demand. Its dedicated customer service team also means that if a consumer has a problem with a part, they can contact the company direct rather than the retailer.

Horizon Hobby uses the same technology in its toy products as in its hobby models.

The tech has been reverse engineered so that children can easily access the products and experience a few crashes along the way. Its toy products also have an educational factor, whereby kids can open all the cars up to see the mechanics.

The company’s range of light-up minis offer affordable fast-paced RC action for beginners. This particular range includes the ECX Outburst 1/14-scale Motorcycle, the ECX BeatBox Monster Truck, the ECX Outburst 1/14-scale Motorcycle, the ECX 1/36 KickFlip Desert Truck V2, The Blade Inductrix Drone, the HobbyZone ZUgo ZMP Camera Quad and The HobbyZone Faze Ultra Small Quad.

The Hobbyzone Sport Cub S RTF RC Airplane with Safe Technology is another standout product which scooped first place in the Teenager and Family Category at this year’s Nuremberg Toy Fair. It can take numerous crashes and the parts and components are available separately.

The company is currently working with over 400 hobby retailers in the UK and is expecting to build a similar number of toy accounts.

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Nuremberg Toy Fair

Hauck Toys Hall 2, Stand B05 - C04

Sambro Hall 12, Stand G12

07770 608 858 | www.hauck-toys.com

0845 873 9380 | www.sambro.co.uk The Bratz range comprises a Bratz Electronic Secret Book, a Bratz Hair Beader and a Hair Braider, and the company’s Alice in Wonderland collection will also launch for the first time in 2016.

Sambro will also launch the new Tsum Tsum collection of arts and crafts products which will include the Colour your Own Bag Set, Paint your own Figures and 3D Tsum Tsum Character Erasers. Character based games will also be available including the Pyramid Challenge Game and the Tsum Tsum Stack it High game.

Frozen continues to be one of Sambro’s most popular licences. The Frozen Mould your Own Light Up Creation Dressing Table and Frozen Colouring Wheels are just two of the new products added for 2016. The popular Minions range will now feature a Canvas Painting Set and a 3D Minions Puzzle Eraser 10 pack. Pokémon will be returning in 2016 and Sambro will introduce a wide selection of products designed to attract a legion of new fans.

Sambro has a collection dedicated to one of Disney Pixar’s new Finding Dory movie.

The range will feature a Shaped Finding Dory Magnetic Scribbler in different sizes, as well as an Eva trolley bag, novelty items and more.

Paw Patrol continues to be a favourite with pre-schoolers and the 2016 range will include a selection of bags including plush character bags, alongside arts and crafts products and wheeled toys including scooters and bikes.

The Little Tikes brand comes to Sambro and features a range of arts and crafts products dedicated to the characters associated with Little Tikes including the Turtle and the Little Tikes Car. Sambro’s Play-Doh range will also be expanded.

The Star Wars Episode VII pocket money and novelty range includes Glow Sticks, Disc Shooters, Light up Yo Yos and more. An arts and crafts collection comprises items such as the Crazy Cords Kit, Tattoo Sticker Set and a Shaped Art Case. The Star Wars bag collection is also not to be missed. Boys will also love the new Batman V Superman range as well as Spiderman, Captain America and the Avengers products.

The new Half Shell Heroes range comprises a wide range of products including character bags, arts and crafts and games.

With leading character brands such as My Little Pony, Nerf, Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles joining established top sellers such as the Classic Pram, i’coo, Lightning Go-Cart and EZ Rider balance bikes, Hauck’s 2016 range is its strongest ever.

Hauck’s new My Little Pony range is extensive and offers everything from doll buggies and strollers to prams, playsets and more. In addition, there are many new non-licensed girls’ toys.

The company is also launching a host of new go-carts.

Hauck’s ride-on selection covers all ages and features both licensed and non-licensed trikes, balance bikes, go-carts and a wagon.Creating a stir worldwide is the Nerf Battle Racer, which carries up to four Nerf blasters and a large supply of Nerf darts.

This go-cart has ball bearing hubs for friction-free running, forward and reverse gears, automatic freewheel, handbrake and a tool-free adjustable seat.

To celebrate Batman’s two major film releases, Hauck will also be unveiling its new Batmobile. Joining Batman with a new movie out next year is TMNT. The turtles feature on four Hauck ride-on toys, two go-carts, a big wheel trike and a new child’s first go-cart. This go-cart also comes in a non-licensed version.

Jazwares

Hall 6 Stand C-39 0771 1080 866 | www.jazwares.com With over 3.6 million viewers in its first six weeks and a ratings winner, the new series of Danger Mouse has seen a triumphant return to CBBC. Helping the humour leap from the screen, the new Jazwares range brings Danger Mouse, Penfold and other characters to life in a stunning new collection of figures, vehicles, plush and role-play.

Kids big and small can immerse themselves in the international secret agent’s world with Danger Mouse’s Mark IV Vehicle, featuring pop-out wings, and a functioning boot as well as an exclusive 3” figure. There’s also a fully articulated 10” Danger Mouse figure that features a removable jet pack accessory and five authentic show sayings. Kids will be able to roleplay as the secret agent with The Shrinkatiser, Danger Mouse’s gadget of choice when faced with trouble. Further lines for 2016 include Professor Squawkencluck’s Lab playset as well as new vehicles, figures and plush.

Animal Jam, a digital playground for kids who love animals and the outdoors, is a new online social game for kids. Jazwares brings the world of Animal Jam to life this summer, which will feature an extensive range of customisable animal figures, pets and destinations representative of the game. Each Animal Jam toy will further enhance the game play, coming with secret codes to unlock exclusive in-game features.

Jazwares will also grow its Tube Heroes range in 2016. Collectibles are being added to the figures and plush that emulate the biggest YouTube stars, such as DanTDM, Ali-A, LittleLizardGaming, CaptainSparklez and AtlanticCraft. Kids can collect 19 different heroes in the form of a Mystery Tube, plus there’s a new key line for the hottest Tube Hero of the moment, DanTDM, which lets children re-enact scenes from the Diamond Dimension: the DanTDM Diamond Dimension Pack.

The Terraria toy collection, based on the action-packed sandbox video game that sees players dig, fight, explore and build in a scrolling virtual world, heads into 2016 with a more extensive offering for fans. The range includes new armoured figures with accessories, additional role-play items including the Terrablade sword and Paladin’s Hammer and new pixel-decorated plush.

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Nuremberg Toy Fair

Maps Toys Hall 12, Stand A-04-2 01483 776 006 | www.mapstoys.com Maps Toys will unveil several new ranges in 2016, and will use Nuremberg to showcase them for the first time. The new lines fit seamlessly into the Maps Toys portfolio, as the company continues to expand its arts and crafts and outdoor and space collections.

The Aeromax range of space costumes and toys continues to be a huge success for the company and was featured in the prestigious Sunday Times Style Christmas Gift Guide.

Maps Toys will continue to add more products for space fans with the launch of a 1.5m Inflatable Astronaut. This life-sized spaceman is also accompanied by a 36” Inflatable Astro Globe and a 36” Inflatable Moon featuring an LED light.

Also new to the range is the Aeromax Sky Blasters, a rocket and launcher in one.

The Sky Blaster can fly up to 120 feet and whistles as it speeds through the sky.

Micro-Fuelers are the world’s smallest powered boats. A collectible line that uses no electronics, these highly detailed miniature boats can be played in any shallow water. Each boat performs completely differently and requires skill to master. Children can also race their Micro-Fuelers against their friends to win their collector coins.

With Maps Toys’ new Bo-Po Digi-Nail Studio, girls can download the free DigiNails Studio app wand can create designs using the drawing tools or lift images from the internet or use their own photos. Children can then print their nail design on the vinyl sheets to then stick onto their nails, creating nail-art that is completely unique.

The Ann Williams craft collection is targeted at wannabe crafters. Loopdedoo is a way of quickly crafting accessories using the patented Loopdedoo Spinning Loom, which can be used to create necklaces, friendship bracelets and more. With the Loopdeloom, girls can weave themselves a scarf or add a second interconnecting Loopdeloom for bigger projects. The Craft-Tastic Yarn Tree Kit allows kids to create a tree made of colourful yarn on which they can display and store all of their jewellery.

The Pop Badge D.I.Y Kit allows children to create their own badges. Unlike many other badge making kits, the Pop Badge D.I.Y Kit doesn’t feature any pins. The kit includes stickers, crayons and 20 brightly coloured pop badges.

Shopkins Radz are characters that come with a clip, meaning they can be used to decorate backpacks or as a keychain. Children can simply slide their hair back to reveal candy in four flavors, strawberry splash, radzberry crush, orange burst and apple smash. There are lots of different characters to collect so kids can also swap with their friends to build their own individual Radz collection.

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Mondo

Hall 8, Stand B01 - C18 01706 751 155 | www.mondotoys.com Mondo will be showcasing its full European range of products at Nuremberg this year, including the whole of its Hot Wheels Remote Control range. Retailers which have stocked the products have since reported fantastic sales, with 1:28 and 1:16 vehicles flying off the shelves, leading to items being carried forward from autumn/winter to spring/summer 2016.

With all the company’s major customers attending this year’s Nuremberg toy fair, Mondo chose to exhibit at the show in order to reach out to all key retailers.

The company will be launching its new Ultra Drones range through the Mondo Motors division. The range will feature a vast array of products from small helicopters, drones with cameras which can be used to take photographs and to record live video, to larger aircraft models.

The Mondo Motors division will also launch a considerable number of new products at the show. These will include die-cast remote control products with new licences from all the world’s most famous marques.

New additions will also be added to the company’s outdoor range, with new licences added for 2016.

Learning Resources Hall 5, Stand B-06-C-05 01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk Learning Resources will be unveiling its new 2016 collection along with its highly anticipated new brand look.

The company develops award-winning educational products designed to meet the needs of teachers, providing endless opportunities to inspire a child’s learning through hands-on active play. 2016 will see the strengthening of existing lines with over 100 new products, covering all the key areas of the curriculum from pre-school through to age 12.

The company is set to launch a selection of toys and games to promote STEM learning that will support a child’s development of skills such as engineering, problem solving and programming.

Five new activity sets will fall under the STEM category and include; Sink or Float, Simple Machines, Magnets, Force in Motion and Robot Mouse. The Robot Mouse Activity Set requires users to programme a robot mouse to find the cheese. The maze can be customised for endless possibilities and is an introduction to the concepts of coding, step programming and logic.

Learning Resources will also be introducing two Build and Spin construction sets that provide an early introduction to the more advanced award-winning Gears! Gears! Gears! range. The new sets, Ocean Wonders and Flower Garden, contain large gear pieces that are suited to little hands. The chunky play pieces fit easily onto large gears, providing endless mix and match play and aiding the development of fine motor skills. Designs spin with the turn of a handle, helping a child understand the relationship between cause and effect.

THE NEW BATTLE RACER

Contact: Malcolm Cook malcolm@mc-international.co.uk Preview Show in Hong Kong Mobile: +44 7770 60 88 58 by appointment only www.hauck-toys.com Jan. 04 – 10, 2016

Nuremberg Toy Fair Hall 2/B05-C04 Jan. 27 – Feb. 01, 2016

For all your Toy Testing needs: üAdvice and Consultancy üAccredited Testing to European, US ASTM / CPSIA and China – GB standards üSpecialists in chemical testing and requirements üEC Type Examinations Contact: Judith Russell Tel: 0161 868 7600 Email: toys@eurofins.co.uk www.eurofins.co.uk/product-testing Visit us at the Toy Fair this January: Stand GH6

Your industry is our focus

Nuremberg Toy Fair

Winning Moves Hall 10, Stand G-16

Eurofins Hall 11.1, Stand G-02B

0207 298 9507 | www.winningmoves.co.uk

0161 868 7604 | www.eurofins.co.uk Eurofins focuses on providing solutions that add value to business. It works on a service comes first ethic, and aims to exceed expectations. Placing a high priority on quality assurance, it is ethical in all aspects of testing. It has a global network of laboratories, and has an unparalleled breadth of testing capability.

As a leader in the field of toy safety, Eurofins offers authoritative advice on appropriate, cost-effective testing as part of a due diligence strategy.

Eurofins is active in the development and revision of international safety standards, making it ideally placed to offer in-depth advice, not only on product compliance with current standards but also on future changes to the standards. This enables it to support clients with qualified guidance regarding legislation, and how to comply with the minimal cost, whilst at the same time minimising time to point of sale during pre and post manufacture.

With Eurofins’ background in the scientific sectors, it is ideally placed to offer assistance on the chemical parts of safety directives. In the everevolving world of chemical legislation, the company partners with clients to provide understanding of the requirements and to provide cost effective testing plans. It also has specialist facilities for the microbiological testing of toys which is required for toys containing water.

In 2016 Winning Moves will release the Finding Dory Top Trumps pack. The company will also be launching the new Paw Patrol Top Trumps collector’s tin, where fans can discover all of the character’s different skills, gadgets and vehicles.

Winning Moves will also be joining forces with Star Wars to bring customers the highly anticipated Episode VII Top Trumps pack, where fans will be able to see all the new Star Wars characters from The Force Awakens movie as part of the classic card game.

Players can also join Max and friends with Winning Moves’ brand new Secret Life of Pets Monopoly board.

Customers can battle against family and friends to discover who should claim the Iron Throne with the Game of Thrones Deluxe Risk. The awardwinning US fantasy drama series has been immortalised in this special licensed collector’s edition of the classic game of Risk. Players can command one of seven houses of Westeros and Essos as they battle across two maps using skilfully crafted armies.

Orchard Toys Hall 10, Stand H1-3 01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com Orchard Toys will be showcasing six new lines plus a completely new product range at Nuremberg this year.

Following on from the successful launch of the best-selling Giant Road Jigsaw in 2012, Orchard Toys has extended the range to include the Giant Railway Jigsaw, plus extension packs Junctions, Station and Airport. All of the products are compatible with the Giant Road System, allowing children to mix and match the jigsaws to inspire creative play and learning.

Orchard Toys has also created two completely new lines, Woodland Party, an intricate 70-piece jigsaw featuring woodland animals, and Where Do I Live?, an animals of the world habitats lotto game.

Orchard Toys has extended its much-loved characters and illustrations to a range of six educational colouring, sticker and activity books. The colouring book range is a practical, travel-friendly addition to Orchard Toys’ educational games and jigsaws.

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Face to Face

Building Magformers in the UK Toy World spoke to Magformers’ new UK managing director, David Kelly, to hear about his plans for the company.

What are your immediate plans for Magformers?

Magformers is a really exciting new magnetic 3D construction toy with a strong educational focus, so the first thing to say is that it has enormous appeal and this is something I want to communicate and build on very quickly. In a very short time, we already have some incredible retailer success stories and I want to make sure this continues at an even greater speed.

I’m undertaking a recruitment drive to expand and restructure our sales team to give Magformers even greater territory coverage, with a dedicated and focused team.

Where do you see the brand going?

Magformers has global ambitions to become the world’s leading magnetic construction toy brand, so our first job is to achieve that goal in the UK toy sector.

Magformers is huge in Korea, Russia and the US, so we are able to draw on a lot of experience to make sure the UK becomes part of the success. The company certainly has the energy, drive and resources to do that and the products speak for themselves – they’re fantastic. We want to build strong partnerships with UK retailers and consumers alike, so we will be looking at bespoke FSDUs, demo days and inventive PR and marketing strategies to help build strong brand recognition and support our trading partners – whether they are an independent or national toy/gift retailer.

What do you think Magformers is capable of achieving?

One of the major selling points of Magformers is that our products sit in so many different categories within the toy industry. We’re magnetic, we’re a construction

toy, we have a strong educational proposition, we have a scientific and mathematic angle and we have building sets that range from those suitable for pre-schoolers right up to pre-teens – so this gives retailers total flexibility when looking at categories in which to place Magformers into their store plans. There are no limits to what can be achieved.

What makes Magformers special?

Magformers is a unique product. For a start, we use Neodymium barrel magnets, which are the strongest magnets in the world and five times more powerful than other magnets used in the toy industry. The magnets are encapsulated, but free-spinning, in a super-strong, toughened ABS plastic so all the geometric shapes always connect. However, if two pieces are brought together, they never repel. We also have a 100% safety record globally.

This unique system gives children the chance to connect shapes in any direction and the pieces will always connect and fit together unlike any other system. Magformers also allows children to create 2D geometric shapes and then convert them to 3D shapes in one simple movement. It’s magical to see the faces of children who physically witness the change from a simple 2D shape into a 3D figure by simply lifting up their structure and watching the magnets pull it together. We include accessories with our more advanced sets so we have wheels, powered engine blocks, R/C, LED and gears and therefore create some truly inspirational kits and models. Our products are vigorously tested and all products carry the EN71 and CE certifications. Connecting the different shapes is easy even for little hands, and many of our products are suitable for age 18 months and above.

Will you be recruiting?

Yes. We will be looking at recruiting for certain strategic territories to help with the demand and rapid growth already being witnessed so it’s essential we help support that growth and our existing team.

What do you think the most popular product/range will be?

Our WOW Set from our vehicle line is a top seller already.

This set contains magnetic shapes, wheels, 20 kinds of set cards giving examples of planar figures, and model instructions for the build of up 20 different mini cars.

At £29.99 it’s great value. We invest massively in R&D so we are always creating new products. We have a strong entry-level line for consumers. Our My First collection has some great new products like My First Ice World, My First Tiny Friends and My First Buggy which will be popular, and all priced at £19.99. I am particularly excited at the new launch of our new Hi Tech collection – like the Walking Robot and Walking Dinosaur sets.

These are incredibly impressive.

What can you tell us about Magformers’ international performance?

Magformers is growing rapidly on the international

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scene. We now supply to over 42 countries and we are particularly strong in the US and Korea where we work with Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Hamleys, to name a few.

We now have over 50 international toy awards and a 100% safety record, so the foundations are solid as we now enter the next chapter of growth and development.

Already in the UK we have been awarded the Practical Pre-school Gold award for our standard 62pc line. Our My First 30 set has also been shortlisted in the Mother & Baby magazine awards.

How important is the educational aspect of the toy?

It’s critical. Children learn and develop at an advanced rate when they are engaged and having fun and this is why we have so many differing products and colour schemes – but the educational benefits of Magformers are massive. Our products are not just toys, they foster 3D brain training and that is organically connected to developing essential skills for growing children – including modelling, reasoning, sensory development, curiosity, creativity, imagination, mathematical and scientific thinking, all from an early age.

Is this something you’ll be focusing on?

Absolutely, yes. Educational development is an integral part of our philosophy and our R&D team always design new products with these elements in mind. It’s always challenging growing a brand from grass roots level up but it’s a challenge that we embrace. There are great opportunities for Magformers in both the retail and educational sectors.

Are you at Toy Fair?

Yes. We’ve booked a 60sq metre stand. One of the highlights on our stand will be live building demonstrations from the man in the famous Magformers videos. I urge retailers to take a look on www.magformers.co.uk/video/ and watch them, the videos are stunning. They always provoke an amazing reaction. Or go to our Magformers Brand Channel where we’ll be staging daily, live construction shows.

They can’t be missed.

Brand profile

Hasbro - brand and deliver Play-Doh celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016, while My Little Pony goes from strength to strength Play-Doh is a key player under the Hasbro umbrella of brands. With licensing for Frozen and Marvel Avengers, as well as the upcoming launch of Play-Doh Town, the brand continues to grow year on year whilst maintaining its position as the UK market leader in the art and craft category. Sold in over 90 countries across the globe, the Play-Doh brand provides fun and handson creative exploration, allowing children to create whatever they can imagine. Over the years, the Play-Doh brand has expanded and evolved from its classic Play-Doh can to a variety of colours and engaging play sets.

New segments introduced to the Play-Doh brand include food role play, incorporating a range of playsets including Cupcake Celebration and Ice Cream Swirl and construction-themed play, where Diggin’ Rigs allows children to create their own construction world, as well as a selection of licensed products which expand the Play-Doh world.

New introductions for 2016 include the Play-Doh Town Firehouse, which will allow children to build an emergency rescue scene by making a burning house with the fire stamper, roof and building-themed Play-Doh cans. The set comes with moulds to help decorate the fire house and create accessories such as an axe, a fire extinguisher and animal friends. Also new for 2016 is the Play-Doh Cake Party, which will give children the opportunity to make a selection of pretend cakes for all occasions. The set comes with colourful confetti compound.

My Little Pony Friendship Club Having launched in August 2015, the My Little Pony Friendship Club (www.MLPclub.com) is the first online platform where fans can immerse themselves in the My Little Pony brand.

From friendship lessons, games, videos, downloads, treasure hunts and surveys to the chance to win prizes, the My Little Pony Friendship club offers everything a fan could want with the COPPA compliancy security that parents depend on. With each sign up requiring full parental approval, the portal is designed and managed by SuperAwseome networks, who ensure each child is safe-guarded whilst using the Friendship Club portal.

Upon sign-up, fans of the club are given a free welcome pack, along with a My Little Pony gift, a personalised letter from Twilight Sparkle and additional information about the service. In addition, the child will also receive a bespoke My Little Pony Birthday card on their special day.

During play, fans can explore the site whilst earning friendship points and badges to get themselves on the leader-board. There are many different ways to earn points and badges, such as playing games, watching videos, taking part in friendship lessons and downloading activity sheets.

Following the launch of the Equestria Girls fashion dolls range in 2013, My Little Pony Equestria Girls will take new mini forms in spring summer 2016. Containing the same favourite characters, including Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, The Equestria Girls Minis range consists of four different SKUs centred around a sleepover scene from the three movies. The Equestria Girls Minis range includes the character assortment, accessory pack, story pack and a sleepover playset. Each pack contains a mini doll figure with different expressions and outfits, together with a selection of accessories.

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tel. +44 (0)1628 488944 email sales@interplayuk.com

...toys and gifts designed to inspire

See us at London Toy Fair 2016 on Stand No G10

Discovering t e h Magic of Nature through Play !

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Feature

New York Toy Fair

Back in the New York groove Toy World looks ahead to the North American International Toy Fair

N

ow entering its 113th year, New York Toy Fair annually draws nearly 30,000 play professionals from 100 countries, who come to seek out the upcoming year’s hottest trends and most innovative toys and games.

More than 1,000 toy companies – from start-ups to well-known global brands – will unveil new products at the show.

Toy Fair will also host an array of special events and seminars designed to help visitors build new contacts and learn about the future of play, youth trends, licensing, independent retailing, entrepreneurship and more.

Friday, 12th February The night before Toy Fair opens, hundreds of toy executives and industry guests will attend the 2016 Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY) ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History. In addition to honouring the year’s most successful toys and games, the awards programme will include the induction of Bob Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. The event will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), which was founded in 1916. Visit www.TOTYAwards.org to purchase tickets.

Saturday, 13th February Toy Fair kicks off at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Crystal Palace, featuring a parade of costumed characters and special guests. TIA’s Licensing Content Connection, an educational programme tailor-made for those with an interest in licensing, will begin on Saturday with two afternoon seminars presented by Advanstar and the Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association. Independent Thinking’s free, expert-led sessions targeted to specialty toy store owners will also begin on Saturday, with a presentation on advertising, marketing and instore promotion plans.

Also on Saturday, families, toy collectors and media can attend the inaugural Play Fair – a consumer event that will allow toy fans of all ages the opportunity to touch, feel and interact with their favourite toys, games and entertainment brands in a family-friendly setting that is separate from the Toy Fair marketplace. Hosted

by TIA and LeftField Media with presenting sponsors Lego and Nickelodeon, Play Fair will take place at Javits Center North from 13-14 February. More details about this event can be found at www.PlayFairNY.com.

From 6 to 7:30 p.m that evening, international

attendees, exhibitors and media are invited to a special International Welcome Reception, where they can unwind and connect with other global visitors.

Sunday, 14th February On day two of the show, companies looking to grow their businesses internationally will benefit from TIA’s exclusive Global Market Research programming, with sessions focusing on market entry obstacles and opportunities in Canada and the UK. On Sunday afternoon, TIA will also host its annual Toy Trends Briefing, free for all show attendees, to unveil the Association’s top toy trend predictions for 2016.

Monday, 15th February TIA will host its annual Toy Safety Update to provide industry stakeholders with updates on important changes in state, federal and international toy safety requirements and introduce emerging issues under consideration by legislators around the globe.

Also on that day, toy companies, media brands and mobile developers will gather to strategize and collaborate on the ever-changing nature of the children’s entertainment and educational industries at the 10th annual Digital Kids Conference, taking place alongside Toy Fair at the Javits Center from 15-16 February.

Throughout the show, Toy Fair’s Creative Factor programme will host free drop-in sessions for inventors and designers. The sessions will highlight a range of topics, including female entrepreneurship, gender in toy design, and successful crowdfunding campaigns, as well as additional topics relevant to entrepreneurs in the toy and youth entertainment industries.

Just for international attendees …

This year’s show will include special resources to help international visitors conduct business in North America. This year, Toy Fair is participating in the US Department of Commerce’s (DOC) International Buyer Programme Select, aimed at increasing US export sales. Australia, Chile, Germany, Mexico and the UK are participating in the programme; buyers from these

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countries are encouraged to contact their local US Embassy or Consulate and ask to join an International Buyer Programme delegation to attend the show. There will also be DOC trade specialists on-site at Toy Fair to help international buyers locate US toy companies that are export-ready.

Additionally, foreign buyers are encouraged to make use of Toy Fair’s Buyers’ Lounge/International Business Centre, where they will enjoy free Wi-Fi, refreshments, private meeting space, comfortable seating, a masseuse, multilingual hostesses and commercial trade specialists. The 2016 Export-Ready Exhibitors guide will also be available, which is a valuable resource for visitors looking to connect with US-based exhibitors that export products overseas.

With additional seminars and special events being added to the Toy Fair schedule each day, www.ToyFairNY.com provides up-to-the-minute details about events, exhibitor listings, educational sessions, hotel reservations, and more – or download the free Toy Fair mobile app, available on iTunes and Google Play.

tel. +44 (0)1628 488944 email sales@interplayuk.com

...toys and gifts designed to inspire

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Insight

Big Potato opens The Chip Shop’s doors Games distribution company Big Potato is on a mission to help independent retailers access new games from around the world. Jonika Kinchin finds out more…

T

he Chip Shop is a new games distribution company launched by the team at Big Potato. The company hopes to “disrupt the games market” by offering independent retailers access to new and unusual games from around the world.

The Chip Shop’s mission is to bring great games to UK indie stores looking for something different; something retailers can recommend to their customers, and something that customers may not have seen before. As well as offering the entire Big Potato suite of games, including Bucket of Doom, Obama Llama, Qwordie and Mr Lister, The Chip Shop will represent games the team unearths on their travels and which they feel should have a presence in the UK. With a focus on quality, each game will be handpicked before being added to The Chip Shop’s portfolio of titles.

Co-founder Dean Tempest told Toy World: “The idea is to be an alternative indie games distributor with a simple guiding philosophy: if we haven’t made it ourselves, we wish we had.”

All games will be exclusive to The Chip Shop.

Dean continued: “We’ll be incredibly selective and will only be offering games we’ve fallen in love with and would recommend whole-heartedly.

Retailers won’t find hundreds of titles in The Chip Shop, instead it’ll be a quality showcase of unique and unusual games they can’t find anywhere else.”

The Chip Shop, which launched last month, has been shaped by feedback from more than 250 indie retailers: “We asked them what they’d like from a new distributor and we’ll be using those learnings to help evolve The Chip Shop over the coming year. There is nothing else like this, specifically targeting indie retailers and helping cater to their needs, and we want The Chip Shop to be the first place retailers turn to when they want something a bit different,” Dean explained.

Numerous independent retailers have expressed enthusiasm up to the initiative. Ian Davis, owner at specialist games shop Rules of Play in Cardiff, said: “There have been so many great new Kickstarter games released recently, but as an independent shop owner, it’s hard to commit the time to going through the process of looking at, choosing, ordering and doing the admin work for these games. As a specialist boutique games shop, we still stock traditional games such as Monopoly and Cluedo, but our main selling point is the quirky, Kickstarter games. Customers are always looking for something new.”

Ian explains that as an owner of a specialist games shop, he is always on the lookout for fresh and exciting new games, and that he believes that Kickstarter games such as Exploding Kittens create a big hype. He says that the process of obtaining independently published games often creates more work, and as a shop owner he doesn’t have the time.

“I see the Chip Shop initiative almost as a distributor for the indie world, instead of cutting out the middle man - they’re putting one in and it’s going to be a great help,” said Ian. “I’m hoping there will be more choice of products, as well as an ease of access to them. I’m looking forward to being able to purchase smaller amounts of a particular product, so I can see how successful it will or won’t be without losing time or money, and just order off the back of this. I’m also looking forward to dealing with things like postage costs and distribution on a much lower level, compared with bigger retailers.”

Ian Tranter, owner of online store Fridge comics, is also supportive of the initiative. “I’ve always backed things on Kickstarter, as I like trying out

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new games and things for myself. When I heard about the Chip Shop initiative, I instantly jumped on it. I already stock and sell games such as Bucket of Doom and other products from Esdevium Games, and I believe smaller titles deserve their time in the spotlight.”

Ian agrees that the amount of admin work that goes into locating, trying out, ordering and buying Kickstarter and independent game titles is often too much to handle for independent shop owners.

“It gets to the point where I want to buy it, but I simply can’t justify it financially. It can often be a big risk to order these games, as they’ve had hardly any publicity or any time in the spotlight,” added Ian. “With Big Potato acting as a mini-distribution company, I’m looking forward to being able to stock Kickstarter games without taking too much of a risk.”

The Chip Shop is now open for business. A beta version of the site launched with some exclusive games on the menu from German games company, Zoch. Retailers can register now at www. chipshopgames.com

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Toy Fair 2016

Toy Fair - be there!

It’s all change for Toy Fair in 2016, with new opening dates and times. Publisher John Baulch reports.

T

he UK is one of the few European countries that continues to hold a successful domestic Toy Fair; while Paris, Milan, Valencia and other European Toy Fairs have all disappeared over the years, London is still going strong. The show is also a pivotal part of the British Toy & Hobby Association’s activities, providing valuable funding to allow it to offer its members ongoing support across many different areas.

Ultimately, Toy Fair is part of the fabric of the UK toy community, and will remain so for many years to come.

Without wishing to sound over-dramatic, 2016 is a hugely important year for the Toy Fair. Not since the latter years of the show’s tenure at ExCeL, when visitors and exhibitors alike had lost faith with the venue, has the event faced a challenge of the magnitude it faces this year.

The decision by the organisers of the Nuremberg Toy Fair to hold its 2016 show

from 27th January – 1st February came to light just days before last year’s Toy Fair opened, necessitating a change of date for the UK event in 2016 to avoid clashing with the world’s largest toy exhibition.

After lengthy negotiations with the Olympia management team, Toy Fair successfully managed to secure a new slot which will see the 2016 event open on Sunday 24th January, two days before it was originally scheduled to start. The new dates mean that the show will finish on Tuesday 26th, the day before the Spielwarenmesse opens its doors in Nuremberg. Whilst this schedule still provides some significant logistical challenges for exhibitors, it certainly mitigates inconvenience for visitors, who will be able to spend time at both shows, without having to make a choice between one exhibition or the other.

Other changes to this year’s Toy Fair format include an extension of opening hours for the first two days, which will see the show start at 8.30 and finish at 6.30, giving those buyers who need to fly off to

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Germany the opportunity to spend extra time at the show on the first two days. The final day will see the show close at 4.00, which I suspect will be a popular move all round and may even become a long-term initiative.

Even with the new arrangements in place, along with support from both the BTHA and the organisers of the Nuremberg Toy Fair to help exhibitors cope with the challenge, some toy companies have taken the decision that the complexity of the global toy calendar precludes them from exhibiting in London this year and have made alternative plans. While this means that some major names will be missing from this year’s exhibitor list – including Hasbro, MGA and LeapFrog – the show remains a sell-out, giving attendees no shortage of companies to visit and exciting new launches to see at the event.

The new Sunday opening schedule has led to debate within the industry, with some people questioning how many buyers will take advantage of the weekend opening

Toy Fair 2016 times. Historically, Toy Fair opened on a Saturday for many years, with the five day event finishing on a Wednesday; during this period, Sunday was always one of the peak days for attendance. However, the toy trade was a different place back then; there were a lot more independent retailers around, while Sunday opening for retailers was not as prevalent as it is now. The change of dates was brought about when toy companies began to notice that some major buyers were reluctant to work over a weekend, and eventually this resulted in the show being moved to a weekday slot. While the Nuremberg Toy Fair still runs over a weekend, it moved its opening day forward to a Wednesday a few years ago, principally to give non-domestic buyers the chance to spend an additional day in Nuremberg before the weekend.

However, 2016 is – we all hope – a unique circumstance, and it is to be hoped that the UK toy community will respond accordingly. Back in April, Toy World revealed that Gary Grant had taken the decision to shelve his long-term commitment to not work on a Sunday and attend Toy Fair. This was by no means an insignificant decision from a man of strong principles, who firmly believes in ‘keeping Sunday special’, to the extent that The Entertainer is one of the few High Street

chains that doesn’t open on a Sunday. If Gary is prepared to put aside his long-held personal beliefs in order to support the Toy Fair in its hour of need, hopefully the rest of the UK toy community will also do its best to rally round and show its support for this much-loved event.

This year, perhaps more so than any other, Toy Fair needs the support of everyone from the world of toys – so whether you are an independent retailer or a major buyer, a licensor or one of the many other businesses which partners with the toy industry, we hope to see you at Olympia to show that the UK Toy Fair can overcome any obstacles which are put in its way.

As Oleta Adams once sang, “I don’t care how you get there, just get there if you can.”

Toy World spoke to head of Toy Fair operations and sales Majen Immink about this year’s event TW: Do you feel that you’ve been able to address the challenges which exhibitors and visitors will face with the crossover of dates with the Nuremberg Toy Fair?

MI: Obviously the date change was not ideal and involved quite a few adjustments in order to mitigate the impact on exhibitors and visitors. We have had to shift forward by two days to avoid an opening day clash, but thankfully we have been able to maintain the same number of build hours. We have amended the opening hours to ensure visitors have the same amount of time to complete their meetings and peruse the show, whilst being able to get away slightly earlier than usual by finishing at 4pm on the Tuesday. For some, the logistical issues created by the clash have been insurmountable, but we look forward to welcoming these exhibitors back in the future, as we expect show dates to return to the traditional Tuesday to Thursday format in 2017, with no overlap with any other shows.

TW: How many new exhibitors have joined the Fair this year?

MI: We have 70 new exhibitors joining the Fair in 2016, which always helps to bring a new dynamic and fresh faces to the show. We very much look forward to welcoming them all, as well as our numerous returnees. The Greenhouse Area has once again proved popular, hence we extended the zone to accommodate the growing demand for units in this area.

TW: How do pre-registration numbers compare with last year?

MI: Visitor numbers are looking positive and on a par with the 2015 show. The main influx of registrations will come in January, but we expect another great turnout from the industry.

TW: What make the Toy Fair a ‘must attend’ event for major and independent retailers?

MI: Toy Fair really is the place to be for anyone involved in the toy industry. For buyers, it is a chance to see thousands of product launches in their final versions, as well as those soon to hit the market. The show attracts not only the large renowned manufacturers and distributors, but also a huge range of up-and-coming brands and individuals looking to make their first foray into the market and introduce new products and concepts to the industry.

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Exhibitor

Stand Number

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E109

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F66

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E35

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E66

Happy Horse

B90

HENES

F101

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D11

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G110

Hutter

B156

icommerce Now

GH6

iDance

D19

Idoll UK

GH18

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H42

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D20

Intelligent Retail

GH21

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G10

Intertek

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Gallery 144

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D99

JNH Europe

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John Adams Leisure

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John Crane

E20

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E46

Juratoys

F50

Just Play

B22

Kapla

Gallery 143

Keel Toys

B60

Keycraft

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Kiddimoto

H44

Kidicraft Ltd

GH28

Kidkraft

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Theo Klein

B25

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F1

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H40

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Stand Number

Le Toy Van

E10

Learning Resources

D36

LEGO

Gallery 550

Les & Lou

B92

Lexibook

B18

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B115

Little Concepts

GH51

Lottie Dolls

B135

Lulu Jr

Gallery 615

M V Sports & Leisure

B30

Magformers

Gallery 540

Marbel

B50

Marvin’s Magic

H65

MEL Science

Gallery 149

Mele & Co

GH53

Melissa & Doug

F40

Micro Scooters

B45

Mightymast Leisure

Gallery 141

Milly & Flynn

B115

Miniland Educational

E66

Mookie Toys

E149

Morning Family

GH7

Music for Kids

GH16

Nicko Toys

GH63

NPD Group

Gallery 146

Orange Tree Toys

B100

Orchard Toys

B12

Oriinokards

B72

Oskar & Ellen

B90

Oxford Diecast

Gallery 195

Padgett Bros A to Z

F15

Papo UK

Gallery 128

Paul Lamond Games

E50

Pedigree Dolls & Toys

GH59

Peterkin UK

Gallery 110

Playmags Toys

GH32

Playmais

E66

Playmobil UK

Gallery 210

Posh Paws International

D89

PowerUp

Gallery 618

Premier Licensing

Gallery 415

Premium World

B65

Press Office & Best New Toys

Gallery 158

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E16

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B156

Puzzles and Play

Gallery 200

Rainbow Designs

E120

Ravensburger

E140

re:creation

E125

Relaxation Garden

Gallery 175

Revell

Gallery 100

Robbie Toys

F90

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C55

Rory’s Story Cubes

B156

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F100

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E21

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E66

Schleich

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Science4You

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GH45

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E66

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GH13

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E135

Visit stand E90 to see our brand new range!

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Exhibitor

Stand Number

Sindy

GH59

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D91

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B49

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F36

Smartlab

E66

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E131

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E99

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Gallery 520

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Gallery 177

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Gallery 160

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The London Room

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E2

Toys n Playthings

E1

Toy World

GH37

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GH46

Travis Designs

G50

Trefl SA

H30

Trends UK

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C45

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Gallery 130

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D95

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B149

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GH48

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E100

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H20

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G119

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E89

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H52

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E115

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E66

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B156

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West Hall Lounge

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E149

E140

B135

E131

E135

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E129

B130

E130

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E120

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B95

B98

D91

B90

D89

D99

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F66

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Info Desk

B70

E69

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STAIRS TO/FROM GALLERY

180

B65

B60

G63

C55

F60

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178 Chaperone Lounge

177

B56

H52

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C50

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Toy Trust Coffee Lounge

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Press Office & Best New Toys

158

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Café UL

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Bananagrams Lounge

E125

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G120 Bananagrams Lounge

G119

G110

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BTHA Exhibiting Members Lounge

100

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H95

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H92

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H90

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Chicco focuses on the fun of development

Toy World spoke to Chicco’s managing director Mitch Levene about the company’s ambitious plans for its growing toy range in 2015 We have also seen significant success from focusing on the integration between digital and traditional forms of advertising, with digital often allowing us to maximise the reach obtained by print.

Mitch Levene managing director Are you pleased with Chicco’s performance in the UK in 2015?

2015 has been a great year for Chicco, and we are incredibly proud to have achieved a 19% increase in year on year sales from January to October in the toy market, with a 32% increase across all sales. The fact that we have performed consistently well across all sectors throughout 2015 is testament not only to the ongoing support and investment in the brand, but also the hard work and dedication of the Chicco team. We have literally seen growth in every sector that we operate in, which is an amazing achievement and further reinforces our position as the UK’s most trusted and loved baby brand. To sum up the past year, it has been a story of phenomenal growth and our vision moving forward is to continue to build on these strong foundations, taking both the Chicco brand and product range to the next level.

What have been the highlights of this year from a product perspective?

Our popular Fit & Fun and Move & Grow toys have performed consistently well over the last 12 months.

These products occupy a unique space within the pre-school sector. Designed to develop early physical and motor-co-ordination skills, they can be used either indoors or outside, making them exceptionally versatile.

We have also had great success with the launch of our two licensing products, Fiat 500 and the Disney Princess Collection. In particular the Fiat 500 R/C car, launched last year, regularly appears in the top ten best-seller lists for radio controlled cars and has proved to be a massive hit with both children and adults alike.

How important were the marketing campaigns in driving the growth you’ve experienced in 2015?

2015 was a landmark year for Chicco as we launched our first TV advertising campaign, featuring our Next2Me crib, in a multi million deal with Sky. We are extremely pleased with the success of the campaign and as a result we will be introducing a toy focused advert in Q3 of next year.

What plans do you have to build on the marketing activity for 2016?

Along with our return to TV screens, we have big plans in place for the launch of our “Fun of Development” concept. We will continue to utilise the digital realm, investing in both online advertising and social activity, and will team this with a strong in-store presence, including high quality POS display units to support retailers and drive the concept into the minds of consumers.

Which categories do you see as offering real scope for growth for Chicco in the toy market?

“Fun of Development” provides Chicco with the opportunity for growth across a range of categories, by highlighting the way in which different product groups can promote different areas of development.

The licensing category is another place, which offers Chicco the scope to grow and we are extremely excited about the expansion of our licensing partnership with Disney next year.

What are the key focuses of your toy range in 2016?

We will be introducing a number of new products this year, which highlight different areas of ‘fun’ within the “Fun of Development.”

Firstly, we will be introducing a new product to our Fit & Fun range in Jungle Rugby; a 3-in-1 toy which encourages motor and socialising skills through three different play modes. The rugby match format, training mode session and stacker toy function work together to create a fun filled toy that any budding rugby fans will love.

Another exciting launch will be our new 3-in1 Shopping Trolley - the perfect toy to help get your little one on the move. The removable shape sorter helps to develop their cognitive skills and the interactive scanner offers melodies and phrases to keep them entertained for hours. It also features a removable basket, which means they can always take their shopping with them on the go.

Finally we are introducing our first transformable radio controlled car in the preschool range. Robo Chicco converts from a car into a futuristic looking robot in three simple steps, encouraging co-ordination and social skills, as well as developing imagination.

How did the new licensed ranges fare in 2015? Will you be expanding them in 2016?

Both our Fiat 500 and Disney licensed

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products have proved extremely popular with customers and consumers alike this year.

As we expected, our Disney range of licensed products is going from strength to strength. It has been an extremely solid year in terms of sales and we have received great support from our retailers. Building on the success of the existing range, we will triple our number of lines on the market between Disney Baby and Disney Princess, including a collection of soft textile princess dolls, which also signals a move into the plush sector for Chicco.

Can you tell us a little more about the idea behind the ‘Fun of Development’ initiative and how you’ll be leveraging the concept to grow your business in the toy sector.

“Fun of Development” has been built around the key categories in which Chicco can offer something unique. It is an umbrella concept that expresses the very essence of Chicco – to create products, which promote fun and happiness at every developmental stage. The introduction of this concept will offer Chicco the potential to position itself as a key provider of toys, which promote both fun and growth simultaneously.

In addition, highlighting the different areas of development, which Chicco toys can stimulate, gives us clear direction for product innovation in the next few years.

In 2016 we will be launching the “Fun of Development” with a bang, which will involve a fully integrated media plan and clear execution in stores.

We are very excited about the next few months and Chicco’s future in the toy market.

For information on Chicco products, visit www. chicco.co.uk or connect with Chicco on Facebook at www.facebook.co.uk/chiccocompanyuk.

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First steps into Toy Fair Toy Fair 2016 is finally upon us, bringing with it a whole array of new exhibitors. Clarabel Jones spoke to the show’s first-timers to find out their reasons for joining, and what they’ll be bringing to this year’s event.

Michael Herman

Rachel Bradshaw

Ashram

Suncrest

Suncrest has been trading since 1989 and is based in Wigston, Leicestershire. Over the years we have designed and manufactured in many baby and toddler categories for numerous high street retailers. In 2014 we launched our own branded items which include bedding, activity toys and change bags. Whilst we continue to work alongside the UK high street in designing and manufacturing private label items, we are also forging ahead on our own branded items and building strong partnerships with licences.

At the show we will be launching Funberry Farm, our activity toy range, our newborn Tiny Tatty Teddy plush toy range and a brand new concept, Meiya & Alvin. Meiya & Alvin are cute characters which mix natural rubber heads and plush bodies. They are great for teething babies and are perfect for cuddling and comforting. We are excited about this range and we are sure it will be a hit with retailers and consumers alike.

We chose to exhibit at Toy Fair this year as we would like to connect and showcase our products to all toy retailers, as I’m sure there are many retailers who haven’t heard of Suncrest yet. It is a great window for us to get some feedback on our products and to hopefully gain some distribution. We would also like the industry to know that we are serious about toys and that we’re supporting the industry by making this investment.

Kevin Wesley Mele & Co

Mele & Co is privately owned and has been manufacturing and designing jewel cases for all ages for over 100 years. We currently have three bases, one in New York, one in Cardiff and one in Hong Kong.

Our main products which we will be showcasing at this year’s Toy Fair will be our children’s musical jewel cases, our money boxes and our storage boxes in a wealth of designs.

We chose to exhibit at Toy Fair this year as we are doing more and more business in toy shops, and we feel that the show presents the very best opportunity to meet possible new clients in this retailing section.

Ashram enables the development of the original and high quality patented game, Gimatriks. As the owner of the company, I developed, designed and improved Gimatriks over many years, consulting the finest scholars in the fields of education, linguistics, mathematics teaching, design and communication.

The moment I had an English Gimatriks version carefully developed in my hands, I looked for the right place to introduce it to British game lovers. I was told and warmly recommended by game specialists, that the best place to do so was the annual Toy Fair in London.

Gimatriks will be our only product to be introduced at the show this year. Being concentrated on Gimatriks only and with a modest budget, I will be at the Green House Booth Number 23, where visitors are more than welcome to visit and join in on a game of Gimatriks.

Matthew Du Gay Premium World

Premium World is based in Godalming in Surrey and specialises in the production and development of gifts and promotional items for a range of industries. However, for the past couple of years we’ve been developing a new board game which we’re now looking to release. It’s our first venture into the world of board games and we’re really excited to be branching out into this industry.

The main product we’ll be highlighting at Toy Fair this year is Super 11: The Ultimate Football Strategy Game. This brand new football-based board game combines exciting elements of skill, tactical thinking and just a hint of luck - similar to a real football match. Players assume the role of a player manager, as they try to outscore their opponent to emerge victorious at the end of the game. The game is suitable for players of all ages, and will appeal to both football fans and board game fans alike. The dice rolling and bonus cards which make up the gameplay also ensure that no two matches are the same, which means Super 11 can be played and enjoyed time and time again.

We chose to exhibit at Toy Fair this year as the show provides a fantastic platform on which to showcase our new game. The mix of industry professionals, media and international visitors make Toy Fair a fantastic event, and one which we’re really excited to be a part of.

As Super 11 is a brand new product, we’re looking to make useful contacts to expand the reach of the game. Ideally we’d like to meet retailers and distributors who can help us push the game to a global audience.

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Designed by girls for girls Their colour pallet, their building ideas, their aspirations Girls don’t just want to walk the runway or act, they want to design the store, build the stage set and travel the world.

The Mighty Makers range from K’NEX allows girls to use their imagination and inspire their future.

Supported by TV, Online and Digital Campaigns across 2016.

K’NEX Mighty Makers Fun on the Ferris Wheel Finalist for Best Educational Toy TOTY Award

SALES HOTLINE 01189 253270 KNEX.CO.UK 04 Come and see us at London Toy Fair Gallery 510 and Nuremberg Toy Fair Hall 12.0, Stand F04

Toy Fair 2016

Phil Nelson

David Kelly

Little Concepts

Spotting a gap in the retail distribution landscape in the UK and Ireland, Little Concepts was born in 2015 by two friends who had the idea of doing something different. The ethos is simple, we’re on a mission to create a new precedence in retail distribution. With over 27 years of combined experience operating in the toy and gift market, we know the value of brands and brand identity. We offer a focused approach, working with a small number of non-competing brands which are all passionate about design and innovation.

We really value working closely with retailers to maximise product exposure and to drive footfall into stores. Our major strength is our relationship with retailers, as having a strong connection with the end consumer is key. This is something which all of our retailers provide.

Little Concepts represents three toy and gift brands in the UK and Ireland, including PlanToys, Avenue Mandarine and BrickStix. Each brand is unique, but all are linked by their innovative and passionate approach to creating magical products for children.

Quite simply, Toy Fair is a must-attend event for any brand operating in the toy market. The number of high quality visitors speaks for itself and the event attracts retailers from all different market segments. We love this crosssection of buyers and it is of course the only Toy Fair in the UK to attract this diverse mix.

We are looking to build our customer base at the show where we will also be launching stunning new products from PlanToys and introducing new brands Avenue Mandarine and BrickStix.

Andrew Jewson Dicey

As an Oxford based inventor, I have always had a slight fascination for numbers and probabilities. One day, I started considering how to remould a dice that would behave differently when it was thrown, and the result is Dicey.

Dicey is a box game of chance which comprises six demon dice, a book of fast and furious challenges and a host of counters. The dice come in a high-vis line-up of neon colours, and the box comprises counters, a set of challenges for 1-6 players and a travel pouch.

Toy Fair is the ideal platform to launch Dicey. We are hoping to talk to and take orders from retailers looking for an upfront dice game with a modern spin and a devious edge.

Magformers

Magformers is a new magnetic educational construction toy brand.

Over 80 different construction sets foster brain development by using colourful magnetic geometric shapes such as triangles, squares and rhomboids, which connect easily using the power of the built-in and safe neodymium magnets.

All the magnets are encapsulated within the edges of each piece but rotate freely to any direction.

Therefore the pieces always connect to each other, regardless of their position when two Magformers parts are brought together.

Children can make thousands of flat 2D plan shapes or can cleverly transform their builds into 3D geometric structures, recognising the scientific principles of magnets as they play. We have a 100% worldwide safety record, and have won more than 50 international awards. We are now considered by many to be the leading magnetic construction toy brand in the world.

At Toy Fair we will be showing all the UK available stock, including 15 products new to the UK and 14 brand new global lines which have never been seen before. There are some really exciting new products from our My First Line which introduce all the fun of Magformers to toddlers. The line will feature bright pieces and instantly recognisable simple 3D models to build, including butterflies, cars, birds, planes and more.

In our more advanced Hi-Tech Line, the new Walking Robot Set and Walking Dinosaur Set include battery-powered units to make the built models walk. We also expect a great response to our Sweet House Set as we have created brand new accessory pieces like windows, lights, bricks, stairs and trees so kids can now play like real-life architects and make buildings by following set cards and plans, which explain different elevations and designs.

There is a real buzz of excitement around Toy Fair, and for Magformers this is the first opportunity from which to launch our story and the products behind the brand. I see this as an extremely important start to our plans for 2016.

Magformers is a very tactile product which needs to be played with to fully understand its high-quality design, manufacturing and also its appeal to children. For this reason, we want as many people as possible from our great industry to come to our stand, look at what we are doing and to engage with our products.

My goal is to start building brand awareness here in the UK which can only be achieved by forging strong partnerships with the very best toy and gift retailers, and Toy Fair is a major step in achieving this. Magformers has everything going for it to find its place in the hearts of every child and parent in the UK, and the retailers at Toy Fair will be vital in helping us to establish the brand here.

James Garton Premier Licensing

Premier Licensing is one of the leading suppliers of licensed gift and sports accessories in Europe. We have the exclusive distribution rights for the UK and Ireland for the US phenomenon, Bleacher Creatures.

Bleacher Creatures are uniquely true-to-life plush, collectible figures that turn the greatest athletes and entertainment icons into characters, and friends with whom fans can hang out anytime, anywhere. From Manchester City to Marvel, Batman to Barcelona and Warcraft to World Cup Rugby stars, Bleacher Creatures are the perfect way to put passion into play.

An elite roster of athletes across a range of professional sports have been transformed into Bleacher Creatures plush figures, including the stars of Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer. Other Bleacher Creatures have taken their inspiration from the world of movies, TV and comic books, with plush figures dedicated to Superman, Wonder Woman, Hulk, Captain America, Avengers, Spiderman, Antman, Guardians of The Galaxy, Batman, Man of Steel, The Italian Stallion, Heroes of Middle Earth and many more.

We are excited about the new Warcraft Bleacher Creatures, to coincide with the film release in 2016, as well as new unique figures from Batman V Superman.

Toy Fair is the biggest show of its kind, so what better way for us to showcase the exciting Bleacher Creatures range and connect with all key buyers from all the key retailers in one place.

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Get ready to scream to the extreme with five all new Thrill Rides under £50 for 2016! With lower price points kids will now be able to collect and build: Clock Work, Infinite Journey, Electric Inferno, Cobra’s Coil and Revolution Ferris Wheel to create their own theme park.

Supported by heavyweight TV, Online and Digital Campaigns across 2016.

SALES HOTLINE 01189 253270 KNEX.CO.UK Come and see us at London Toy Fair Gallery 510 and Nuremberg Toy Fair Hall 12.0, Stand F04

Toy Fair 2016

Editorial Index Company

Page

Company

Page

Company

Page

Company

Page

A.B.Gee of Ripley

194

Dicey

206

K’Nex

182

Revell

232

Accentuate

168

DKL

164

Kiddimoto

222

Sakar International

184

Alpha Toys

224

Drumond Park

224

Kidicraft

224

Sambro

166

Amscan

230

Eduk8 Worldwide

226

Learning Resources

200

Schleich

170

Arklu

222

Epoch Making Toys

208

Lego

156

Smart Toys and Games

190

Artstraws

218

Esdevium Games

184

Little Concepts

200

Spinmaster

150

Ashram

230

Fiesta Crafts

230

Magformers

166

Suncrest

232

Asobi

194

Flying Gadgets

186

Marvin’s Magic

204

Tactic

158

Bananagrams

176

Funrise

174

Mele & Co

204

The Games Gang

160

Bandai

174

Galt Toys

192

Milly & Flynn

190

Tobar

204

Big Potato

198

Gibsons Games

208

MV Sports

214

Tomy

154

Bluw

220

Golden Bear

168

Orchard

172

Trefl

232

Brainstorm

186

GP Flair

144

Papo

226

Trends UK

178

BuddyTag

230

GP Flair Just Play

210

Paul Lamond Games

202

TY

212

Cartamundi

188

H. Grossman

216

Peterkin

226

Underground Toys

235

Casdon

192

Halilit

220

Posh Paws

176

University Games

218

Character Options

142

Hornby Hobbies

146

Premier Licensing

234

Vivid Imaginations

152

Cheatwell Games

216

IMC Toys

198

Premium World

214

Vtech

148

Chicco

182

Interplay

228

Puzzles and Play

222

Winning Moves

178

Clementoni

206

Jazwares

196

Rainbow Designs

170

Wooky Europe

164

Click Distribution

196

John Adams

188

Ravensburger

202

Coiledspring Games

180

Jumbo Games

210

Re:creation

212

500 PIECE DOUBLE SIDED PUZZLE IN A REPLICA MARMITE JAR

G3800 Marmite Jar: (h)170mm x (w)150mm x (d)110mm ®Marmite is a registered trademark of Unilever PLC and is used under License.

All Rights reserved. ©Unilever UK copyright 2016

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Toy World 140

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Toy Fair 2016

Character Options Stand E119

0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Characters Options’ 2016 brand portfolio holds much to discover across all industry sectors including girls, boys and creative play. Also not to be missed for any visitors is the Teletubbies collection and the new line-up of electronic pets.

At the heart of the World of Teletubbies collection is plush, with 6” Supersoft Collectibles and a signature plush line of 8” Talking Soft Toys both available as all four Teletubbies. The Talking Soft Toys each have their own sayings and phrases.

Feature plush is also high on the agenda with Tickle & Giggle Po and Laa-Laa, a Jumping Po plus a Lullaby Laa-Laa night-light toy.

For playsets and accessories, the Superdome Playset is modelled on the Home Dome where the Teletubbies live. The feature filled playset has a working lift, light and sound phone, pop up Tubby Toaster, moving Noo-Noo and spinning seats, as well as loads of sound effects and music. Other playsets include a Pull-Along Custard Machine, a Music Day Playset, a Drive & Steer Noo-Noo with sound effects and a Giant Pull and Play Noo-Noo Activity Centre.

As the number one pre-school licence, Character’s Peppa Pig collection is to enter 2016 with a classic range of figures, vehicles and playsets that reflect the most popular themes within the show. Grandad Dog’s Pull-Along Boat, Miss Rabbit’s Train, plus many more playsets will be featured. The Holiday range will also continue with the addition of a Holiday Big Wheel, and a Princess collection for autumn/winter 2016. There will also be the Peppa Pig construction range, with newly moulded figures.

Character’s Weebles collection will wobble to new heights with the arrival of Paw Patrol. Also for pre-school is the launch of The Storytime Theatre which brings bedtime stories to life on the wall or ceiling. Children can learn to read with their favourite characters, and can project photo slide shows and downloaded films too.

With the success of Little Live Pets and Teksta over the past three years, Character is pleased to announce the release of even more electronic pets for 2016. For Teksta there will be a new ultraintelligent Toucan who can tell jokes, play games and perform numerous magic tricks which will keep children guessing. With the addition of a free app, children will be able to download further content and more comprehensive responses. He will feature an interactive eye pattern, realistic sound effects and voice recognition programmes.

Following on from the success of the iconic Teksta Robotic Puppy which received the Toy of

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the Year award in 2014, Character will be unveiling the new voice recognition G5 Teksta Robotic Puppy. Featuring multi-coloured LED eyes and realistic ear movements, the puppy also has super sensitive voice control, new applications and multiple command led features.

With two million Little Live Pets sold to date in the UK with mice, turtles, birds, butterflies and Sweet Talking Friends to choose from, Toy Fair will be the place to see what’s in store for this top children’s brand. For collectors of the birds, there are six new feathered friends to collect plus a Sweet Talking Duck and Baby. There will be new Sweet Talking Friends including Sbark the Dalmatian and Marshmallow the Bunny. The popular mice collection will grow with six new musical mice, a mouse wheel and multi-featured Play and Fun Park Trails which can be used alone or can be connected to the existing mouse house and playsets. Swimstar turtles are amphibians that can be played with in the water as well as out and will be joined by a new collection of Little Live Pets Frogs that swim in water and hop on land.

Like the turtles, the frogs come on their own or with their own tank.

The creative play division will also grow with a number of new brands to launch. Pom Pom WOW! will open up a whole new style statement for girls, who will be able to decorate any accessories and items in an instant. The popular Stretch Armstrong heritage toy will also be returning with his original styling, new packaging and classic play pattern. The famous body builder with the malleable limbs is an icon for fathers across the globe and now their children can stretch their own figure to four times its original size.

Toy Fair 2016

GP Flair Stand E39

0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk GP Flair has an abundance of award-winning and new collections to discover at Toy Fair.

Flair’s Cool Create division is the destination for creative play. IDO3D makes 3D drawing easier for kids, as it allows them to build their own colourful 3D pictures using special inks that set like plastic with the help of the UV spotlight. Each kit contains IDO3D pens, an instruction guide and a UV spotlight to help create 3D models.

Mr Frosty is also to return to the creative play scene with new contemporary styling and components, making the creation of ice treats simpler. Parents will be able to introduce their children to this classic toy from their own childhood.

Kids can make their own treats simply from ice and juices or cordials. Also included are ice lolly moulds and trays for treats to be enjoyed at a later date.

Flair’s Cool Cardz has proven successful over many years but now new Cool Cardz are on the way, including a set that allows secret messages and secret patterns to be revealed. Top secret messages can be created by adding special secret stickers to the cards, stickers can then be scratched off to reveal the messages. Each Cool Cardz set includes a laminating unit, cards, pens, stampers, stickers and gems.

Shopkins will move from series three to series four. Garden and party time themes can be discovered, plus the Shopkins Pet Shop aisle will introduce new Petkins collectibles. New playsets and accessories will include a Sweet Spot playset that has a working gumball machine. Big news for Shopkins fans will be the introduction of the Shoppies Dolls. The Shoppies are fashionable dolls, each with their own personality, outfit and accessories. There are three food themed dolls to collect, Popette, Bubbleisha and Jessicake. Each doll comes with two exclusive Shopkins characters, accessories and a code to download special features.

Licensed plush is also high on the agenda within the Shopkins portfolio, with the introduction of five new characters to collect for spring including favourites such as Poppy Corn, Toasty Pops and Dum Mee Mee. Also within the girls’ portfolio is a new fashion doll range called U Hugs. This brand brings together creative play and encourages girls to express their style, mood and personality. The initial launch will introduce six dolls to collect, all of which have quirky traits of their own. Each doll is made from soft plastic and has holes around its body ready for pins and personalisation plus 12 pins to start each unique transformation. There’s Sassy Fashion who’s the oldest of the bunch, a fashion guru who can’t live without her phone and Sweety Rock, with her rock chick style and determined personality. Screamy Queen, Scratchy DJ, Scary Baby and Starry Fairy will complete the line-up. Fashionistas can change and switch their character’s style and look each day, either to match their mood, look or alter ego.

Aiming to retain the top spot in the action figure

U hugs

market, Flair will continue to grow its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection with new waves of action figures from the animation series. From spring, fans can swell their ranks of Ninjas with new figures including not just the four brothers but other notable friends and foes from the series such as Lord Dregg, Fugitoid and Mozar. The Half-Shell Heroes range sees the addition of a Turtles and Dino theme for younger fans. This new theme will see the foursome travel back in time and encounter prehistoric action figures and vehicles. The hero of the range will be the T-Rex and Donnie playset that includes an exclusive Donnie figure. Pushing down the neck of the T-Rex will see his bottom jaw open to sweep up enemies. The second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Out of the Shadows, will be a key event for Turtles fans, who can be assured of a full range of figures, vehicles, playsets and role play to go with it.

The popular World of Warriors toys will continue to grow in 2016 as Flair unleashes its wave two range of collectible toys from Mind Candy’s gaming community. The intricate series of mini warrior figures echoes the heroes from the action packed world and will see boys continue to build their collections. The World of Warriors Battle Fortress has recently been added to the range.

Flair’s portfolio of pre-school brands will continue in 2016, with the extensive range of Pet Vet toys from Disney’s Doc McStuffins Pet Vet series. Helping Dottie to care for her pets this spring is the new Findo Vet Kit; a glittery carry bag that includes a Findo plush plus accessories. Autumn also sees the return of a classic brand, Stickle Bricks, with fresh new styling. Stickles make it easy for children to stick, stack and build and the Beginner Box is ideal to start off any Stickle Bricks collections.

Mr Frosty

Shopkins Shoppies

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Toy Fair 2016

Hornby Hobbies Stand D11 01843 233 500 | www.hornby.com Hornby Hobbies will be exhibiting at Toy Fair with a focus on Corgi’s 60th anniversary in 2016, with a themed birthday cake on the stand to kick the celebrations off. The unveiling of two limited edition Corgi models launching in the New Year will also be a focus for Toy Fair, alongside a Corgi 60th range display of 11 models.

Plans for the show also include an appearance by Sylvia Anderson’s daughter, Dee Anderson, who will be on the stand to run a series of media interviews around the new Corgi Classic Thunderbirds range.

Key range launches for 2016 include the new Corgi Thunderbirds models based on the original classic series. The iconic selection includes International Rescue’s fast action-response vehicles, Thunderbird 1, 2 and 3 as well as the pink customised six-wheel Rolls Royce owned by International Rescue agent Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward.

The Hornby Hobbies stand will provide an interactive backdrop to the year’s new range releases including a fully working Hornby model train layout, which will feature some of the new Thomas & Friends locomotives. Scalextric will be brought to life on the stand via a championship race off competition running across the three days, where the person who masters the track and achieves the highest lap score by the end of the event will win a Scalextric hamper.

2016 sees Hornby Hobbies building on its success with more recently announced licence partnerships providing the scope to appeal to new and existing audiences.

Consumers can recreate some of 007’s most famous car chases with the Corgi DB10 and a 1:36 miniature of the Aston Martin DB10, as featured in the Spectre movie. Also available is the new Corgi Thunderball Aston Martin DB5, in limited edition retro style packaging.

Hornby will be relaunching the Thomas the Tank Engine collection of train sets, locomotives and rolling stock for 2016. Three new Hornby train sets will also launch during 2016, including the Downton Abbey Train Set, Country Flyer Train Set and The Platinum Digital Train Set. Launched for Q4 2015, the themed Santa’s Express Hornby train set will be refreshed for 2016 and includes a model steam engine, a wagon full of presents and a closed van complete with reindeer. Included within the set is a 1600mm by 1180mm oval track and mat.

The Scalextric brand has helped drive year-onyear growth for the company through the release of the new Spectre set. Sets for younger drivers will be extended for 2016 to include new race enhancement systems, plus recruitment driver sets to introduce new consumers to the thrill of slot racing.

Mid-December saw the company hold a successful media showcase in London where a number of key UK tech, kids and motoring press journalists were invited to preview the new Air and ARC Pro race enhancement kits. The new Scalextric

ARC Air Powerbase is designed to enhance the racing experience when added to any existing Scalextric track. With an app that can calibrate the cars teamed with vibrating wireless controllers, the new system adds a new dimension to track racing by recreating wet weather driving conditions to test racing skills.

Scalextric ARC Pro is a new ARC Digital racing system being introduced in 2016, allowing for up to six cars to race with lane changing and different modes from the app. For younger racers, Scalextric Micro Mania will challenge juniors with loops, banked curve and other special track features.

Airfix has been producing kits for the mass market including figures, aircrafts, vehicles, ships and dioramas since 1952. The company now plans to build on this success in 2016 with a new line-up including its first board game. Developed by Modiphius Entertainment, The Airfix Battles Introductory Set is fully playable with all existing Airfix figures and vehicles.

Visitors to the Hornby Hobbies Toy Fair stand can also experience a host of new categories under the Airfix brand umbrella for 2016, including a series of new Quickbuild themes. Airfix

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Engineers’ new line-up of working models are also set to launch next summer.

New licences within the Corgi range for 2016 will include Corgi Downton Abbey and Corgi Top Gun. The company will also be showcasing a selection of Humbrol items including a work station, cutting mats, spray paints, brushes, glosses and weathering powders.

A TASTE

OF WHAT’S TO COME IN 2016 LONDON TOY FAIR 2016 Stand: D109, Grand Hall

BIRMINGHAM SPRING FAIR 2016 Stand: 5G06, Hall

YOUR TRUE COLOURS!

Don’t drop the dishes, Spin, Spin, stack stack and and pull! pull!

TACTIC GAMES OY T/A TACTIC GAMES UK Phone: 01483 332070 / 332071 | info@tacticgames.co.uk | www.youtube.com/TacticBoardGames | www.tactic.net

Toy Fair 2016

VTech Stand Gallery 500

01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk VTech entered the doll market for the first time in 2014 with the introduction of its Little Love Baby Talk. The doll received a great response following its launch, and 2015 saw the range increase with two new additions, Little Love Baby Peek-a-Boo and Little Love Learn to Walk, further increasing its presence in the doll category.

Now two years on, VTech will be unveiling its new arrivals to the Little Love family at Toy Fair 2016, with the launch of Little Love Get Better Soon and the Little Love 4-in-1 Carrier. Little Love Get Better Soon comes complete with six medical accessories and various sensors on the doll, allowing children to develop nurturing skills through pretend play and encouraging essential motor skill development while learning through role-play. Caring for the baby also fosters imaginative play and problem solving. Parents are also able to connect to the learning lodge via their Smartphone to program the child’s name, the doll’s name, health tips and important events such as a birthday or holiday.

Little Love 4-in-1 Carrier has four ways to play allowing children to transform the interactive carrier from carrier to rocker, floor seat to cradle as well as including a detachable rattle and electronic panel. All Little Love Baby dolls, which are sold separately, and most other baby dolls up to 36cm fit perfectly within the carrier and encourage motor skills, language development, role-play and imaginative play. The company plans to continue to expand and develop the Little Love range, and will be introducing exciting new products and accessories so customers can continue to add to their current collection.

2016 will mark a new progression for VTech

with a new addition to the award-winning Toot-Toot family, Toot-Toot Splash. This bath toy range combines interactive features and fun sound effects with VTech’s unique closed-cell technology.

VTech is always looking to enhance its offering and the company feels that the new Toot-Toot Splash additions will continue to captivate young children just as Toot-Toot Drivers have proven to do.

The Toot-Toot ranges have helped VTech secure its number one infant and toddler position for another year, partly due to its continued growth and development year on year. The company is now offering a number of different playsets and a huge selection of individual items, and VTech is hoping to take this success into the bath sector.

VTech invites all the show’s

Toy World 148

visitors to its stand to play with its new products and to learn about the company’s exciting plans for the coming year. Visitors will be able to see the new Toot-Toot Splash collection and over 100 new toys.

Toy Fair 2016

Spinmaster Stand E131

01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Paw Patrol was the number one contributor to Nick Jr. in October with 37% of the channels ratings, and over 8.1 million viewers tuning into Paw Patrol across the Nick Jr. channels since its launch.

Season two episodes are now airing on Milkshake! and season three is already in production to air in 2016. The new season will feature new locations, themes and characters which will be reflected in Spinmaster’s product mix throughout 2016, being TV advertised from spring onwards.

Chubby Puppies has had a successful year since launch, and 2016 sees the introduction of further puppy breeds along with fashion accessories. The introduction of Chubby Puppy Friends sees a new range of Kitties and Bunnies with the same features.

The Ultimate Dog Park and Playtime Packs will also carry forward. The range will be TV advertised in spring with the new interactive website giving details about breeds and activities.

The award-winning Bendaroos is now back in 3D. The traditional sticks will be available in three sizes alongside 3D wax shapes for free play, and two theme kits where Bendaroos can be moulded and applied to create 2D scenes. The range will launch with a DR campaign which created over $45m sales worldwide in its first year.

2016 sees a brand expansion of Kinetic Sand Build, a newly developed compound which has the fluidity and tactile feel of Kinetic Sand, helping the sand to hold its shape whilst children play. Children can also mix the colours to create even more colours to build with. There will be four dual-colour refill sets alongside the Bakery Boutique and Crash ‘Em Car set. Both sets include two colours of sand along with multiple moulds and accessories, whilst the packaging works both as a play space and storage.

The core Kinetic Sand range will be developed further with new playsets such as Ice Cream Treats, the popular Sandbox Set that is expanding to three colour choices and a move into licensed playsets.

The Paw Patrol playset offers three colours of sand and pup moulds whilst the Frozen Olaf Shimmering Snow and Frozen Character playset contains

moulds and shimmering Kinetic Sand which looks like snow. For late spring, and to coincide with the film release, the Finding Dory playset will contain different colours of shimmering sand and character moulds.

Air Hogs will be introducing the Hoverblade 360 for spring 2016. This remote controlled boomerang is made from high density foam with a slider controller that makes it simple to operate.

Children can press the throttle to then watch it spin and soar, flying back like a boomerang and doing tricks and stunts.

Hoverblade 360 will also be TV advertised.

March sees the release of the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice film, and a range of four Batman themed Spy Gear products are being introduced in 2016. There will be three low priced Micro Bat Gear items focusing on detection, distraction and illumination that can be attached to the Utility Belt which comes with a Sensor Alarm. The Batman Night Scope gives 3x zoom and has a pop up night light which illuminates in the shape of the Batman logo. The Batman Night Vision Goggles are also shaped in the iconic Batman logo.

Two entertainment licences for Spin Master in 2016 are The Secret Life of Pets and Angry Birds.

Both ranges will feature plush, collectibles and playsets, which will be on sale in time to support the film launches in late spring.

Meccano continues to inspire kids to build and

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play whilst learning real mechanics. 2016 will see an elevation in the build experience and an expanded range of junior, metal and electronics based Meccano.

The new 10 Model Set has a dinosaur theme and features an articulating spine joint, polycarbonate hip joint, moving jaw and lenticular eyes giving realistic movements. Throughout the year, a number of licensed Meccano products will also be introduced, the first of which is the Ducati Monster 1200cc motorbike. The model has working steering, coil spring suspension and multi-piece wheels.

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Toy Fair 2016

Vivid Imaginations Stand B70 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk Off the back of a stellar autumn/winter 2015 performance, Vivid’s Thunderbirds Are Go range is being added to in 2016. Kayo will join the figure range along with Brains and his robot helper Max, and FAB1 and Thunderbird S vehicles will also be added. A Thunderbird 5 vehicle will also be out in autumn/winter 2016. New categories include diecast models as well as games and puzzles, and new for autumn/winter 2016 will be the 50cm Supersize Thunderbird 3 Playset which will come with three different play modes, lights and sounds as well as launch smoke.

For fans of the Batman V Superman movie, the new Laser Battle Set comes with sound effects, lights and automatic scoring.

Fungus Amungus includes over 100 figures to collect. Funguy figure packs, the Toxic Chamber and ExGerminator will be launching in spring.

Vivid’s Real FX 2.0 introduces new adjustable traction control and new car colours.

In 2016, retailers can look out for Nocto, the lightup bat which boasts over 50 interactive features including six different moods, each with associated lights, expressions, sounds and movements.

Children can aim and fire virtual arrows at their opponent’s bow or can do target practice against the free app on a tablet with Laser Arrow.

They can also create their own emojis with Pixl, where they can then bump their characters together to swap and share with friends and unlock secret animation.

Zippeeez are collectible characters which will hit shelves in autumn. The range comes at a variety of price points. Oodlebrites is the new plush range which magically changes colour when children tap them.

Charm U is a new wearable collectible with attachable character charms.

Following the success of the Chocolate Pen in autumn/winter 2015, Vivid’s Real Baking range will

be extended in autumn/winter 2016 with a range of easy-to-use baking equipment for kids.

The Care Bears brand is set to grow further with the introduction of figure assortments in spring and new Care Bears Cousins for autumn/winter 2016.

Kitty Club, the stylish collectible kitties each with flocked fur, blinking eyes and interchangeable hat accessories, will also launch in spring.

Animagic returns for 2016 with a range of new items including the cuddly Feed & Care Pets and Patch My Pretty Puppy. Vivid’s Scruffies range is alsolaunching autumn/winter 2016.

Animagic Rescue Hospital starts the year with the launch of new series three collectible figures, alongside new action-adventure vehicle SKUs. New for pre-schoolers this autumn is Chuckle Ball, a motorised ball which encourages development of gross motor skills as it rolls and bounces around, making sounds as it goes.

2016 sees Crayola celebrating its 100th birthday in the UK with a full-year of special Crayola experiences. Responding to the trend of adult colouring, Crayola is launching a range of colouring books and stationery. Also new for 2016, Crayola Games will be launching three games for all the

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family, 3,2,1 Draw, the quick draw game with endless possibilities, Scribble Scramble and Doodle Delirium, the doodling, modelling and guessing game.

The new Cling Creator lets kids create clings that stick and peel on many surfaces. For hours of fun doodling, the new Twirl & Whirl Turtle allows children to stamp, stencil and Spirograph drawings and children can use the Marker Maker with Emoji Stampers to make their own colours and markers with the added fun of Emoji stamper nibs. Also new within the Color Alive portfolio is the Easy Animation Studio which allows anyone to easily create animated movies.

Creations has a new look for 2016, showcasing its partnership with Tween trend leader Fashion Angels.

Also new for spring/summer 2016 is the Harry Kane range of football inspired toys to help young footballers develop their ball skills and includes the Skills Ball, Volley Blaster and Goal Blaster.

A proven winner in the outdoor category, Phlat Ball will be available in new fusion inspired colours as well as neon colours in the junior range.

Finally, Vivid’s new ADX Launcher shoots paper planes and can achieve over 30m flight lengths.

SEE ALL THESE BRANDS AT

LONDON TOY FAIR

STAND E66!

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Toy Fair 2016

Tomy Stand 520

01271 336 155 | www.tomy.co.uk With over 30 years of experience in developing toys that spark surprise and imagination, Tomy will be sharing its new ranges and products with the toy industry at this year’s annual Toy Fair.

Tomy will be sharing the new identity of leading infant brand Lamaze with packaging that reflects Lamaze values. The new range amplifies Lamaze’s strengths which will appeal to expectant parents and babies. Tomy is looking forward to sharing the strong marketing plans and the brand’s A List celebrity ambassador.

Retailers can expect to see the new Lamaze brand identity reflected on all levels, from product to pack to the company’s integrated marketing campaign.

In addition to babies, Tomy will continue to create surprises for toddlers with new products to complement the Tomy toddler range. Amongst them, toys that amuse children during bath time is an area which Tomy will continue to focus on, particularly following the success of the company’s Foam Cone Factory.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to preview Tomy’s latest acquisition with Disney, ahead of the release of the Zootropolis film in March. The Zootropolis toys range will include the duo Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, vehicles and lots of characters. Tomy will also exhibit new additions to its successful range from the 2015 released The Good Dinosaur, which is expected to increase in demand following the film’s DVD release in early 2016.

With a strong legacy, Tomy will be at the

forefront of the games category this year. Pop Up Pirate will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016, and this year will see new pop up additions.

Another game set for release at Toy Fair this year is Tomy’s Greedy Granny. Visitors to Tomy’s stand will be able to see the game revealed for the first time.

Tomy will also mark another milestone early in the year as Pokémon celebrates its 20th anniversary. Tomy will be paying tribute to the franchise as it launches a range of new action figures.

Following the announcement of new members to the UK commercial and marketing department

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at the end of 2015, Toy Fair will also provide the opportunity for visitors to meet the new team and discuss the activity Tomy has planned for the year ahead, as well as its vision of the future.

As one of the top five global toy brands, Tomy is renowned for its diverse ranges. With lots of new faces and a huge breadth of experience, Tomy is excited to unleash the company’s full potential this year. As the most important event in the toy industry’s calendar, Toy Fair will allow the company to showcase its hard work which is reflected across all of its new ranges.

Toy Fair 2016

Lego Stand 550

01753 495 000 | www.lego.com

In the first half of 2015, sales for the Lego Group were driven by double-digit growth across all geographical regions and strong product innovation on themes such as Lego Ninjago, Lego Elves and Lego Creator.

For 2016, new independent properties and licences have been introduced to further increase sales, and drive both the construction category and growth within the business.

Lego City is the largest and longest running brand for The Lego Company. For the first half of 2016, Lego City will see expandable play themes including Fire, Prison Island, and the Great Vehicles concept to target treat and loyalty purchase opportunities.

Ninjago is supported by a successful TV series showing on Cartoon Network and Netflix. Now an evergreen property within the portfolio, 2016 will see the introduction of a new storyline and playsets reflective of this plot.

New IP Nexo Knights will bring a new way to play by bridging the gap between physical and digital play. The concept and adventures of the futuristic

knights will be brought to life through playsets, a TV series, digital content and a free app game.

Pocket money collectible brand Minifigures will continue to launch three range waves throughout 2016. Themes will include own IPs along with a new licensing deal for the Minifigures brand.

Somewhat differentiated from the core brands, Technic is a classic evergreen, delivering vehicles with authentic features and functions. Spring/ summer 2016 introduces models across varying price points including a Heavy Lift Helicopter, and pull-backs Police Interceptor and Getaway Racer.

Build to play or display, the Lego vehicles actually work like the real thing. Q1 will see more of the low price point pullback action vehicles, which use pull back motors to create a simple function and build for a quick, achievable success.

The Lego Friends brand is introducing a whole host of new playsets in 2016, making Heartlake City the go-to destination for role-play. These sets will allow users to follow the new stories as well as create their own in engaging ways.

Pre-schoolers can learn, play and build with new

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Lego Duplo sets in 2016. Offering story starters, the latest additions provide a wealth of opportunities for developmental learning, with additions to My First and the Duplo Town ranges amongst others.

These sets will allow children to create stories inspired by easily recognisable, classic pre-school themes, imitating everyday life and learning through pretend play. Along with additions to the portfolio of vehicles and city related lines, a new collection will introduce the world of wild animals and their habitats to toddlers.

Introduced in 2015 and already hugely popular, Lego Elves will see a new story added to the collection in 2016, allowing fans to explore new areas of Elvendale with new characters.

Following on from a successful second year, Lego Juniors will launch a further collection of playsets next year, featuring children’s characters.

Lego Juniors is a gateway to building for younger children.

There will be further product extensions to the popular Lego Star Wars, Super Heroes and Disney Princess ranges.

LIGHTING UP THE MARKET IN AW16 LOOK OUT FOR THE OODLEBRITES SHINING BRIGHTLY ON YOUR SCREENS WITH A HEAVYWEIGHT TV CAMPAIGN PLAY A GAME OF CATCH WITH THE OODLEBRITES AT STAND B70

Toy Fair 2016

Tactic Games Stand D109 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net Having established increased market presence with the company’s generic and licensed core lines, Tactic Games’ design and development team have been challenged to come up with innovative and affordable new games which have a strong appeal for a wider audience.

During this year’s Toy Fair, Tactic Games will be unveiling new games such as Crazy Café, The Little Train Game, Junior Kimble, BowTilz, Colorology and many more. Crazy Café is a game for the family which requires dexterity and skill for the more competitive players, but can also be won with a bit of luck.

Tactic Games’ Kimble Pop n’ Play game has been a core line for the company since 1967. Kimble has been available in many licensed and generic variations over the years, and now the company is launching a new version called Junior Kimble for a younger age demographic. Now youngsters will be able to play the game, which has been redesigned employing a colour recognition game mechanic opposed to the standard counting format.

BowTilz is a twist on the traditional dominoes game. The domino tiles are shaped with four possible colours on each tile. Players can match one shape and colour, or in some cases multiple shapes and colours, to increase the amount of dominoes they can place on each turn.

Tactic Games’ The Little Train game is a children’s board game with colourful wooden trains and a story line in the game mechanic. The game includes a free application which speaks to the children playing as part of the games mechanic. The players have to stop at the stations along the way to collect passengers and luggage. The game combines the social and educational elements of board games with an optional free digital enhancement.

In addition to the many new games that Tactic will debut at Toy Fair, several of the existing core lines have been refreshed. These include the Draw Out,

Trivia and Alias ranges which will all have a new look with updated questions and images.

Alias is an evergreen range of products, which has sold over 5 million copies worldwide of its original version since its conception in the 1990s.

The Alias product family consists of games for kids, grownups, families and friends, but the core concept remains the same across the range, bringing people together in a socially interactive way. Testing people’s vocabulary and imagination, players explain words from the cards to the other players and move forward for each correctly guessed word.

The target group for the game is large, as the different versions of Alias games are aimed at both families and groups of friends of all ages. The first purchasers of the games are usually active and social

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adults who want to play board games with their families and friends.

The UK Alias range consists of Original Alias, Junior Alias, Family Alias, Dice Alias and Party Alias.

The Alias playing pieces have evolved into individuals with their own characters as can be seen in the Alias YouTube video or the Alias dedicated website: www.alias.eu.

NEW ACTION PACKED P CKED RANGE FOR 2016 PA JOIN THE ADVENTURE AT AT STAND STTAND AND B70 * In total market value (£) Ytd Nov 2015 NPD. ** for boys 4-9 in the time slot. Source: BARB, Oct-Nov 2015

© ITV Studios Limited / Pukeko Pictures LP 2015 All copyright in the original Thunderbirds™ series is owned

by ITC Entertainment Group Limited.

THUNDERBIRDS.COM

www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Toy Fair 2016

The Games Gang Stand H46 01473 735 711 | www.thegamesgang.com The Games Gang offers a new approach to the design, packaging and playability of games with the introduction of its patented Six Fold games board and Switch and Move dice.

The company’s Six Fold board allows for a more conveniently packaged box with the same front profile as a DVD, and a spine just like a book. Inside each compact box there is a full sized games board and everything expected with a quality board game.

The Games Gang’s classic games range has been adapted from well-loved and recognised games to its new Six Fold games board with enhanced graphics.

All games can be played traditionally or can be played with the company’s Switch and Move dice.

If a player rolls a Switch, they can switch their token for one of their opponents tokens, or can turn it over to make it their own. If they roll a Move, they can move any of their tokens to a connecting empty space, either up, down or horizontally. In just one round players can go from a position of weakness to a position of strength, meaning the game isn’t over until the last roll of the dice.

All of its classic games contain two games in every box, with the Six Fold games board having one game printed on each side. Each game also comes with extra dice and playing pieces.

Titles in the classic games range include Snakes and Ladders/Ludo With A Twist, Extreme Tic Tac Toe/ Noughts or Crosses, Draughtsmen/Outnumbered and Hexi-connect.

Letterbox is The Games Gang’s new word game which uses new lower case letters. Offering both single and double letter tiles, the game is easy to score and also contains special dice. Certain tiles can also be flipped to better one’s chances. The dice

allows players to push tiles off the board to make new words, and tiles can be swapped on the board for new ones.

HangMen is a board game based on the classic game of Hangman, and can be played by two to four players.

JigpiX is a 300 and 520-piece jigsaw puzzle, each with great subject and graphics which claim that one picture makes a million. This claim is made possible as a result of the design concept which combines a physical jigsaw puzzle and sophisticated software hiding within an app.

Each JigpiX piece has the same uniform shape with varying levels of coloured gradations on one side and distinct emoji symbols on the reverse.

When the pieces are put together on an included layout grid sheet it allows almost any image to be created. The key to it all is the JigpiX app, which is available both on iOS and Android. Players can take a photograph on their phone or tablet to upload it into the app. The app quickly assesses the coloured jigsaw puzzle pieces available to it and produces an emoji symbol map illustrating where each of the pieces must be placed on the layout grid sheet to bring the photograph to life. The symbol map can be shared across social media, email and printed out. This process can be repeated again and again enabling kids to create millions of images.

Optical Illusions is a range of games and puzzles that makes unique use of mirrors and reflections to challenge and work the brain. The first two titles within the Optical Illusions range will be Mirror Mirror and Three Cube Challenge.

Mirror Mirror is an abstract strategy board game where half the games board is physical and the other

is a reflection in the mirror. Each opponent has five single colour pieces and five hybrid colour pieces.

A player may only move pieces of his own colour.

However, hybrid pieces may be moved by both players once they have been put on the board. The goal is to connect exactly five pieces of a colour, either horizontally, vertically, diagonally, on the board, in the mirror or even partly through the mirror.

Three Cube Challenge is a set of three cube mirror puzzles, each consisting of four individual cubes which, when placed on an included mirrored surface, creates eight cubes in total. Each cube presents a separate challenge and can be taken on as single challenges or as speed tests between one to three players.

The Games Gang’s children’s activities range, CleverBox, is inspired by children playing with packaging rather than the product inside. The range includes CreativeBox and StoryBox titles and all boxes come with stand up play characters, stickers, texture sheets and props enabling children to create their own 3D play scenes.

StoryBox is designed to be compact so that children can take it anywhere. Inside StoryBox there is a booklet introducing the characters and alternative story options. There is also a blank storyboard/copy book in which children can write or draw their own story.

CreativeBox contains larger stand up characters, stickers and much bigger pre-cut and creased boxes printed on both sides. Inside, children will also find a number of texture sheets that can be used to easily change the nature and intent of the structures built.

All of the structures provided can be joined together to make one large structure.

Toy Fair 2016

DKL

Stand E66 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing is returning to Toy Fair 2016 with products from across nine leading brands, Hama Beads, Scentco Scented Stationery, SmartLab Science Kits, Scratch Traditional Toys, Wonderworld Wooden Toys, Breyer Model Horses, PlayMais Crafts, Miniland Educational and Anamalz Wooden Figures.

Launching at Toy Fair is the Finding Dory scented stationery range from Scentco. Available as Smencils, Gel Crayons and Smarkers, the scented designs are available in display units.

Hama, the bead brand, returns with more product for 2016. It will be displaying the new Diamond Animals Gift Box featuring new pegboard shapes, the Friendship bracelets set and the Dinosaur Large Gift Box. Hama is also launching the Maxi Stick collection. Also making its debut at Toy Fair is the brand new Hama Beads app, Hama Universe.

From the Scratch range of Traditional Toys, visitors can expect to see new retro tin toys including the Circus Tin Top and Pinball game. Also launching from Scratch is a collection of mini wooden vehicles and wind-up Elastic Planes available in a counter display.

New from Wonderworld Wooden Toys is the role-play all-in-1 Coffee Shop, complete with cookies and other accessories.

Miniland Educational will be returning with the Educational Corner range. Visitors can also test out the Play Miniland collection of digital games for smartphone or tablet.

Breyer Model Horses will unveil the new Pocket Box Dogs, a display of 24 collectible mini dogs. The traditional scale Best Friends models also come with a friendship bracelet.

On display at E66 will be the Anamalz FSDU which features a total of 216 Anamalz models.

The PlayMais craft brand will introduce new packaging and concepts, including the new Fire Truck set and the Trendy Mosaics range.

From SmartLab Science Kits, the bestselling Squishy Human Body will be showcased along with other Squishy lines and the new Mini Kits.

In 2016, DKL will continue to provide marketing support across all its brands, including dedicated planograms and extensive PR and social media activity.

Wooky Europe

Stand Gallery 180 0151 494 3821 | www.wookyeurope.com After a year of product development, Wooky’s i-loom has gone from concept to reality. This piece of kit transforms most tablet computers into a jewellery creation station. Clipping over the face of the tablet and working with a downloaded app, young designers can make, create and share their designs. Kids can follow step by step instructions or can choose to design their own, sharing it with an online i-loom community. Starter packs, set up tools, specialised creative kits and tote cases further extend this range.

Charmazing is Wooky’s Design-It-Yourself jewellery craft line for young designers. Style Me Up!’s Charmazing lets children design expandable and stackable bangle bracelets that can be charmed-up with style. Children can make their own custom charm bracelets with colourful threads, beads, gems, chains, pearls and much more.

Charmazing offers a cross between craft, social media and fashion, and this year it is offering an additional 60 new charms across six new themed collections.

Girls can also scan their energy cards to enter a virtual Charmazing world where they can trade charms with friends and connect with other fans via the Charmazing free app. The app notifies users of other’s Charmazing activity so that children can see when a new charm is added to their collection. Also new for this year is the Charmacrush mini game which unlocks virtual charms.

For young artists looking to create innovative fashions that reflect their own style, Style Me Up! offers a new range of Splash of Colour kits. These fairy, dance and fashion themed deluxe sketchbook kits include watercolour line drawings, stickers, a watercolour guide, paints, pencils and paintbrushes. There are also new additions to the Disney sketchbooks which include Frozen and The Descendants. The Style Me Up! cosmetic and jewellery range has lots of new additions including the Candy pop collection, a sweetie inspired fashion collection and everything from hair chalks, bangles, beads, sketchbooks and nail paints in candy coated colourways. Style Me Up! sees new additions in braiding and crochet with its Off the Hook collection, which is just one of many new lines covering sketchbooks, cosmetics, creative fashion and craft in this range for creative kids.

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Includes Makaton cards

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HEY DUGGEE (word mark and character logos) are trade marks of Studio AKA Limited and are used under licence.

HEY DUGGEE logo © Studio AKA Limited (2014). Licensed by BBC Worldwide Limited.

BBC is a trade mark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996.

For more information please contact your sales agent.

MR TUMBLE SOMETHING SPECIAL logo mark™© BBC 2015.

BBC logo © BBC 1996. Licensed by BBC Worldwide Limited.

Toy Fair 2016

Magformers

Stand Gallery 540 01582 545 330 | www.magformers.co.uk Magformers, a new 3D magnetic construction toy brand, will be exhibiting at Toy Fair for the first time this year. Its interactive stand will showcase its award-winning products and every order placed will qualify for a free Magformers set, plus an extra discount off invoices.

For many retailers, Toy Fair will be their first experience of Magformers, so the show is essential for the company to effectively launch in the UK market. Launching 15 new SKUs for the UK market, the company will also be showing off 14 new global launches.

All current UK lines will be available to view at the show alongside new launches such as My First Buggy. This is a set with solid-colour shapes in blue, yellow, pink and red. Each piece has one colour on one side with white on the other and includes wheels, as well as set cards giving design ideas on buggy builds. However, the emphasis is very much on children using their imagination to build vehicles in their own way.

Retailers should also look out for the EDU puzzle book, a book with different magnetic story cards included. Children can complete the storyboards using the Magformers pieces included in the book.

Three kits from Magformer’s Hi-Tech line will also be on show, the Magic Space, Walking Dinosaur and Walking Robot sets. These sets bring 3D model builds completely to life with the addition of LED lighting, power blocks and walking feet which mean that the models can actually move and walk.

The new 2016 range includes 14 new product launches and one of the most anticipated is the Sweet House Set. Just like an architect, who creates buildings by looking at blueprints, children can build their own Magformers house using the magnetic pieces and various accessories, including stairs, windows and trees.

When you combine the various House Set accessories with the Magformers’ basic shape pieces like squares or rectangles, children are able to build many structures. Other eagerly anticipated releases include the Village Set, Space Traveller Set, Space WOW Set and the Mini Tank Set. Over the coming months, Magformers will be re-structuring and growing its sales and marketing teams with an ambition to become the leading fun, educational construction product in the UK toy sector.

Committed to building strong partnerships with UK retailers and consumers alike, Magformers will be looking at bespoke FSDUs and interactive retail POS, demo days and inventive PR and marketing strategies to help build strong brand recognition and support for retailers.

Sambro

Stand Gallery 400 0845 873 9380 | www.sambro.co.uk Sambro is to return to Toy Fair this year with its biggest stand and its largest product selection to date. As well as a raft of new licensed ranges, the company will also launch a wide selection of lines to be TV advertised in 2016.

Sambro will launch the new Tsum Tsum collection of arts and crafts products which will include the Colour Your Own Bag Set, Paint Your Own Figures and 3D Tsum Tsum Character Erasers. Character based games will also be available, including the Pyramid Challenge game and the Tsum Tsum Stack it High game.

Frozen continues to be one of Sambro’s most-popular licences, and line extensions continue to feature even more character inspired products across lots of categories. The Frozen Mould Your Own Light Up Creation Dressing Table and Frozen Colouring Wheels are just two of the new products added for 2016. The Minions range will now feature a Canvas Painting set and a 3D Minions Puzzle Eraser 10 pack. Pokémon will also return in 2016 and Sambro will introduce a wide selection of products designed to attract a legion of new fans.

Sambro has a collection dedicated to the Finding Dory movie release in 2016. The range will feature a Shaped Finding Dory Magnetic Scribbler in different sizes as well as an Eva trolley bag, novelty items and more.

Paw Patrol continues to be a favourite with pre-schoolers and the 2016 range will include a selection of plush character bags.

Sambro’s Play-Doh range will be built on to include even more arts and crafts products featuring Play-Doh. Products will include the 2-in-1 Play Doh Activity Tray, Play-Doh Shaped Backpack and a Chunky Scribbler.

Sambro licences for 2016 include Bratz and Shopkins. The Shopkins range features umbrellas and bags while the Bratz collection includes a Bratz Electronic Secret Book, a Bratz Hair Beader and a Hair Braider. The Alice in Wonderland collection will also be launching for the first time at Toy Fair.

The Star Wars Episode VII collection comprises products for fans of all ages. The extensive pocket money and novelty range includes Glow Sticks, Disc Shooters, Light up Yo Yos and more. An arts and crafts collection comprises items such as the Crazy Cords Kit, Tattoo Sticker Set and a Shaped Art Case. For boys, there is the new Batman V Superman range as well as Spiderman, Captain America and Avengers products.

The famous Little Tikes brand comes to Sambro and features a range of arts and crafts products dedicated to the iconic characters associated with Little Tikes including the Turtle and the Little Tikes Car. Sambro is committed to more TV advertised ranges throughout 2016 and will launch several new lines at Toy Fair including Frozen Impact. Popular games lines continue after enjoying a successful Q4 2015, and new games will include Spitting Feathers and the adult game Escape Room. Kawaii Cubes are cuddly cushion cubes which come in characters such as Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and more.

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Toy Fair GH51

Spring Fair 5M10

littleCONCEPTS

www.littleconcepts.co.uk hello@littleconcepts.co.uk

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STAND GH04

Dicey is the new demon dice game. Rascally shaped dice make a mockery of throwing a six in this fast, fun and furiously tricky game of chance!

WIN £6,000* INSTANTLY To set the dice rolling Dicey have put £6,000 cash up for grabs to anyone rolling six Dicey 6s during the show! t: 01869 244 774 e: andrew@diceygames.co.uk *£6,000 cash competition - open to retailers placing an order during the Toy Fair 24 - 26.1.16 only. Visit website for full competition rules.

Dicey Games ©2015 Jackpen Limited, Bicester, OX25 3PD

www.diceygames.co.uk

Toy Fair 2016

Golden Bear

Stand E69 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear is heading into 2016 with new additions to its Twirlywoos collection. This year’s toy range will be headed up by the Run-Along Fun Sounds Twirlywoos, which will be available in four different characters, Great BigHoo, Toodloo, Chickedy and Chick, with each character saying their signature sounds as they run along. The line will launch in January and will be supported with an extensive campaign across TV and digital platforms, as well as PR activity. The Twirlywoos range will also see new introductions in the form of the Quacky Bird Soft Toy and the Fun Sounds PeekaBoo, complete with warbling sounds and textured fabrics.

The company’s In the Night Garden range will continue to expand with new products including the Explore & Learn Musical Pinky Ponk. Heading up the plush collection is My Best Friend Igglepiggle, which has two modes for day and night play with open and close eyes. Igglepiggle’s Bedtime Boat offers an array of features including music, stories, light show and a soothing night light.

Super Duggee joins the autumn/winter collection, dressed in his superhero outfit and cape, and featuring superhero sounds. A further Duggee Talking Soft Toy is being introduced, as well as a smaller size Duggee along with Enid the Cat. New items for autumn/winter include the Push and Go Fire Engine, which comes complete with a Duggee figure. The Squirrel Club Activity Set features all five Squirrels, Duggee, work benches and a playmat.

The Go Mini range will see the launch of the Light up Twin Turbo Raceway, the massive loop lights up from the cars as they go upside down and race around the track in the dark.

New vehicles will also be introduced to the range in the form of the Key Racers and the Stunt Racers Twin Pack.

The company will also be launching a new in house development, Sleep Tight All Night. Designed to teach children when to sleep and when to wake up, the innovation within the product is centred around scientific studies on sleep and the colours associated with either aiding or inhibiting sleep.

The Mr Tumble Something Special brand will see the 2016 collection refreshed, with a new look Mr Tumble. Feature plush includes Mr Tumble with Tumble Tap and a Mr Tumble car joins the range with its many features.

My First JCB will see the Stacking Stanley Mega Truck join the range in summer 2016. Measuring 44cm long, the truck is the largest vehicle in the company’s popular Big Wheeler range. Also new will be the Big Wheelers Action Team pack, which includes popular characters Joey, Doug and Freddie.

The new Oddbods toy range consists of plush, collectible figures, vehicles and playsets, and will launch summer 2016.

The Golden Bear stand will feature all key licensed products including firm favourites Woolly & Tig, CBeebies Bugbies, Sooty and Forever Friends. New licences for 2016 will also be showcasing at the event.

Accentuate

Stand G65 0330 400 4162 | www.accentuategames.com The new and improved edition of Accentuate is launching at Toy Fair.

The guess-the-accent party game now features 90 different quotes from famous films. Team-mates have just 30 seconds to guess the accent, and can now earn points also by identifying the movie (one point), and the film’s year of release (two points) – so there’s the potential for a triple whammy if they guess all three elements correctly. There are 30 different accents from around the globe, a third of which are home-grown British accents.

Players might recite “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti” in a strong Birmingham brogue, or “Say hello to my little friend” in an out-of-context Cornish. To keep the game challenging and to appeal to as broad an age range as possible, the quotes have been taken from a spread of movies spanning eight decades, including My Fair Lady, Ghostbusters, Jaws, The Graduate, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Casablanca, The Devil Wears Prada and Back to the Future.

Accentuate is also compatible with the new Song Lyrics Expansion Pack, which also launches at Toy Fair. The musical add-on to the main game extends game-play, featuring 90 different lyrics from an array of famous songs spanning six decades, and also enables more points to be won through guessing the artist, song and year of release.

Just six months ago, the brother-sister duo behind the game secured the financial backing of Peter Jones on BBC Dragon’s Den. They went on to launch an American edition of the game and also recently confirmed Esdevium Games as its UK distributor. Accentuate landed a highly sought-after sport on ITV’s This Morning as part of its festive and timely Best Board Games feature in November 2015, triggering an increase in sales in the run-up to Christmas. In December, the team launched a new mobile app version of the game, which they’ll be on-hand to demonstrate at Toy Fair, along with the main game and expansion packs.

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THE GAMES GANG PUTTING THE FUN BACK INTO BOARD AND ACTIVITY GAMES

A two player abstract strategy board game where half the board is physical and the other a reflection in the mirror. Be the first to get five identical colour pieces in a row. But careful, some pieces are not as they first appear.

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Three challenging mirror puzzles each comprised of four cubes that become eight when placed on the included mirror. Direction, addition and re-assembly, play by yourself or challenge two friends to see who can finish first

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Not a normal jigsaw puzzle! Jigpix’s pieces can be rearranged again and again to create new images of yourself, pets, famous landmarks, the list goes on!

Unlike anything else in the puzzle category Jigpix’s puzzle pieces have varying colour gradients on one side and distinguishing symbols on the other.

The key to it all is the advanced Jigpix app.

Choose an image within the app or take one of your own and the app will produce a unique emoji symbol map that shows where each jigsaw puzzle piece should be placed on the lay down assembly grid to bring the image to life, then stand back and admire.

Connect your coloured hexagonal playing pieces from one side of the board to the other.

To win you’ll need skill, a good memory and the luck of the dice roll. The hexagonal pieces have two different coloured sides and there are two dice involved one for colour and the other to dictate the method of play; switch, play, move, remove. ™

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Transform the CleverBox™ perforated and easy to shape boxes into over thirty bright and colourful structures. Each themed box comes packed full of stickers, sheets, props and more to let your child’s imagination run wild.

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VISIT US AT: HONG KONG SHOW ROOM - ROOM 70, 1ST FLOOR (TOWER 2), TOY CENTRE, SOUTH SEAS CANTRE, 75 MODY ROAD, TST, KOWLOON, HK. VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT. UK TOY FAIR, OLYMPIA, LONDON - STAND H46 NUREMBERG INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR - HALL 10, STAND H.03 SPRING FAIR, NEC, BIRMINGHAM - HALL 5, STAND M71 The Games Gang Limited, Pilings House, Grundisburgh Road, Clopton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 6QB. 01473 735711 info@thegamesgang.com www.thegamesgang.com 01885 TOYWORLD 240x315 ADVERTS.indd 2

18/12/2015 10:38

Toy Fair 2016

Schleich

Stand B121 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com/en Schleich will be highlighting new additions to its play worlds at Toy Fair with its showcases of DC Comics, Farm and Wild Life plus new introduction, Horse Club.

For DC Comics, from January new DC Comincscharacters will be presented as single figures together with a selection of scenery packs. Batman vs Superman will lead the way in the first half of the year, along with Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg. Following suit, July will see the superheroes meet more of their arch enemies as Batman vs Bane and Superman vs Lex Luthor scenery packs become available.

Farm Life is one of Schleich’s evergreen collections, and for 2016 it will receive a major overhaul, as for the first time the horses will move out of the Farm Life collection to form a range known as Horse Club. This new brand will offer a standalone range that includes all the favourite breeds, accessories and playsets such as the Horse Stable in new branding and colouring. The brand will be supported by extensive marketing and PR support which will include a collector’s club where members can further engage with the brand.

The pre-school offering from Schleich will also be a key focus for the year ahead, as both the Farm Life and Wild Life collections will focus on this younger age group. The Wild Life collection will now be split into Safari, Jungle, Forest, Ice and Ocean rather than continents.

The Dinosaur range shows impressive sales season after season and will strengthen its offering even further in 2016 with many new dinosaurs to collect plus a new Mini Dinosaurs with Puzzles range. In addition, a Giant Volcano playset will explode onto the scene in the second half which is the first playset for the dinosaur portfolio.

Schleich’s major range extensions plus new branding are added to with POS and trade marketing, all of which will be supported by a full and extensive PR plan.

Rainbow Designs

Stand E120 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk The company’s collections for 2016 will include Air Puppy, Paddington, Peter Rabbit, Peppa Pig for Baby, Guess How Much I Love You, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Miffy, Shaun the Sheep and The Snowman and The Snowdog.

This spring Rainbow Designs will be launching a new plush collection of some of Roald Dahl’s most famous characters including Matilda, The BFG and Willy Wonka. This year is also the centenary of Roald Dahl’s birth, and to celebrate Rainbow Designs will be launching a new Whizzpopping BFG feature plush.

Following on from the hit movie Paddington and the success of the company’s talking Paddington last year, Rainbow Designs will be launching two new Paddington feature plush items in 2016. The My Name is Paddington Soft Toy talks and roars when his tummy is squeezed and the new Talk to Me Paddington is able to say five different phrases and also comes with a recording function so youngsters can record a message and hear Paddington repeat it back.

Within the nursery category, Rainbow Designs will be launching a new product category at Toy Fair, where it will be showcasing its new Activity Playmats for the first time.

The Character Playmats are suitable from birth and have been packed with activities to help stimulate babies’ senses as they grow. The Activity Playmats include activities such as a detachable mirror, removable shaped teethers and a peek-a-boo flap as well as a multitude of textures and sounds designed specifically to encourage babies’ early development skills. The Activity Playmats will be available in Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You, Peppa Pig for Baby and The Very Hungry Caterpillar collections.

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Trends UK Toy World Dec 2015:Layout 1 15/12/2015 09:54 Page 1

on 20 us B e D Fair Se AN Toy ST at

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To place an order please contact:

+44 (0)1295 768078 salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk www.trendsuk.co.uk For Media/PR enquiries, please contact Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu © 2015 Moose. All rights reserved. Peppa Pig © Astley Baker Davies Ltd/Entertainment One UK Ltd 2003.

Discovery Kids - © 2015 DCL. FairyLane Sparkletopia - © Colorific Australia 2015.

Toy Fair 2016

Orchard Toys

Stand B12 01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com Educational games and jigsaws manufacturer Orchard Toys has announced the launch of six new lines, plus a brand new introduction to its award-winning range.

Giant Railway is a railway-themed jigsaw which interlinks with Orchard Toys’ bestselling puzzles Giant Road, Giant Town and three new expansion packs.

Children can build multiple railway tracks with the 22 interchangeable track, railway, train and character pieces.

The Giant Railway jigsaw can be combined with any of the other five products in the Giant Road System to inspire a world of imaginative play. Children can add to the play value by playing with their own toy trains, characters and wooden track pieces.

The Giant Railway jigsaw is also supported by the launch of three interchangeable expansion packs, which are all compatible with the Giant Road System: Station, Junctions and Airport. Varying from between 8-10 pieces, the expansion packs contain add-on pieces to the Giant Road, Giant Town and Giant Railway jigsaws, extending the play value and providing opportunities for imaginative play.

Woodland Party is a colourful 70 piece jigsaw puzzle depicting an enchanted woodland with lots of children and animal characters. Once the jigsaw is complete, parents can use the included talkabout guide to encourage discussion and imagination.

Where Do I Live? is an animals of the world lotto which allows children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world by matching animals to their habitats. Double-sided boards feature interesting animal and habitat facts to encourage educational discussion and learning.

Orchard Toys has also announced that it has extended its characters and illustrations in a range of six colouring, sticker and activity books. Designed with education in mind, the range features bold, engaging illustrations of familiar Orchard Toys characters, uncluttered pages for children to work through step-bystep and clear learning goals and activities.

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Introducing two fresh bananas to the bunch!

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Still driving people bananas—10 years later!

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Stand #E115 +44 (0) 207 298 9500 sales@winningmoves.co.uk www.bananagrams.com

Toy Fair 2016

Funrise

Stand G90 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com With the return of Tonka to Funrise for 2016 and new product launches, the Funrise stand will be displaying new additions to its range.

Gazillion Bubbles has been the bubble brand of choice for kids, with its solution and many blasters machines and more to choose from. 2016 will see many new Gazillion Bubbles gadgets to unveiled including the Bump N Go Robot. Also available will be handheld blasters such as the Handheld Hurricane which will add to the mega bubble blowers such as the Gazillion Tornado and 3D Bubble Blaster.

This year Gazillion will benefit from TV advertising and a full marketing plan of digital and kids press, ensuring brand awareness is at its height as the warmer months approach.

Taking Tonka to a new level is the plan for the Funrise team with a choice of tough vehicle options for retailers to choose from. High on the agenda will be the launch of the new Tonka Climb-overs, the 4x4 motorised off-road vehicles that climb over almost anything. There’s a number of playsets to choose from, all of which interconnect using a Click N’ Climb track system to configure obstacles. With TV advertising, the new Climb-over series has many sets for children to get to grips with such as the Snake Pit Pass and Ripsaw Summit.

Also added to the line-up will be a range of Tonka Metal, miniature die-cast vehicles to collect which offer entry level purchase at a pocket money price. All the Tonka collections will also be available, including the Tonka Steel and Lights and Sounds series.

There’s a chance to see the new plush Sing-a-ma-lings and Stackins.

Sing-a-ma-lings are singing characters, with moving mouths in time to the tune. Stackins have over eight different animal characters to choose from and once children have more than one the stacking can begin.

Finally the range of My Little Pony feature plush continues to grow, and will be available in many options, ranging from 3’’ Ponies with clips to 20’’ large ponies.

Bandai

Gallery 600 01489 790 944 | www.bandai.co.uk All new episodes of the Power Rangers TV series will air this summer. The colourful new toy range covering action figures, role play and the Zord Builder range will be unveiled for the first time at Toy Fair. The launch of Dino Super Charge will be supported by a dedicated marketing and PR campaign, and will be a major priority for Bandai this year. 2016 will also see anticipation rising for Lionsgate’s Power Rangers theatrical movie, which will be released worldwide on 13th January 2017. Bandai will launch a range of movie-based toys from late 2016.

Bandai is the new home of Famosa’s collection of fashion and nurturing dolls, and has also taken over the sales and marketing of the collectable mini doll brand Pinypon. A new series of interchangeable Pinypon figures will be released in January as Bandai encourages a new set of fans to mix, match, customise and accessorise a variety of characters. New to the range will also be a fairy tale themed collection of figures and playsets, plus a Pinypon Palace full of accessories.

New doll sets for Nenuco include a highchair that attaches to the dinner table, and a medical playset which alerts carers to why their baby doll is crying so they can make them better. A Newborn doll with sounds is also being introduced into the nurturing range.

Bandai will be unveiling the fashion doll Nancy. Toy Fair is the first opportunity to see the stunning collection of pretty dolls which covers hair play, travel and winter activities. Bandai will support all of Famosa’s brands with TV advertising, digital and press and PR activity.

Those seeking out pocket money collectibles should look no further than the ever-expanding Hatch n’ Heroes collection. Intended for children to play with their favourite Disney characters, these articulated figures turn from egg to hero in a few simple steps.

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Asobi Full Page ToyWorld Dec2015 ad:Layout 1 09/12/2015 12:17 Page 1

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Toy Fair 2016

Posh Paws

Stand D89 01268 567 317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Posh Paws’ range continues to expand at a fast pace, and at Toy Fair the company will showcase kids’ plush, backpacks and accessories.

Zootropolis, which is out in cinemas in March, is a comedy adventure movie for all the family and product will target both girls and boys. As UK Disney plush licensee, Posh Paws’ plush showcases key characters Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Ele-Finnick, Bellweather and Finnick. Made from super-soft fabric with key details, the range will vary in size from 18cm to 50cm. To coincide with the movie launch, the Zootropolis plush collection will arrive in February 2016.

Finding Dory, the long-awaited sequel to Finding Nemo is out this summer. At the upcoming fair, Posh Paws will reveal its whole cast of Finding Dory plush characters that will be available ahead of the movie, in cinemas in July 2016.

Posh Paws will bring back all of The Jungle Book’s favourite characters from Disney’s 1967 original animated feature as Disney gears up for its re-release. The plush collection from Posh Paws will include Baloo, King Louie, Bagheera, Kaa and Shere Khan.

Illumination Entertainment’s The Secret Life of Pets is a comedy adventure which will appeal to all the family. Posh Paws has created a range of back to school bags and novelty plush bags which feature key characters from the film.

The Minions and will continue to pop up all over the place in 2016. Posh Paws has been working on a new range of innovative backpacks that include creative lenticular designs and bags with sound. The new collection comes in a variety of sizes and styles to suit the brand’s wide audience and features characters from the Minions movie, as well as characters from the Despicable Me franchise such as Agnes and Fluffy the Unicorn.

In 2016, the Star Wars saga will continue and Posh Paws expects the appetite for merchandise to continue well into the New Year. Posh Paws’ Star Wars plush range includes classic characters such as Darth Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, the Ewoks and Darth Maul. In addition, the new The Force Awakens collection includes BB-8, Captain Phasma, Kylo-Ren and the all new Storm Troopers.

Posh Paws will also introduce two new plush brands for the pre-school market, Lion Guard and Miles from Tomorrow. Lion Guard is new to Disney Junior in 2016 and follows Simba’s son Kion and his team of new characters that join together to protect the pride lands. Posh Paws will have a full range of plush characters from the new TV show. The successful pre-school show Miles from Tomorrow has had proven success at retail and on TV in 2015. Ahead of the lauch of series two in spring 2016, Posh Paws will be bringing to the market a range of different sized plush from 18cm to 50cm.

Tsum Tsum, the collectible craze, will continue throughout the year with Posh Paws releasing new characters each month. Available in mini, medium and large, the 2016 Tsum Tsum range will include new collections that will coincide with new movie releases such as Zootropolis and Finding Dory, as well as releasing classic characters such as Rapunzel, Lion King, Aladdin and many more.

Story Telling Princess is a new addition to Posh Paws’ existing Disney Princess collection. The range puts a fresh spin on the plush princess with new dresses that feature iconic scenes from the films and a more ragdoll look and feel.

Bananagrams

Stand E115 0207 298 9500 | www.bananagrams.com Bananagrams is celebrating its 10th anniversary at Toy Fair 2016, as well as unveiling two new word games, Bananagrams Party and My First Bananagrams.

The brand will also be sponsoring The Bananagrams Lounge, which will include a giant word grid display featuring 814 given names that are also playable words in the game. Visitors to the lounge can tweet their names with the hashtag #Mynameisaword to discover their definitions.

Bananagrams Party is the new edition featuring 13 Party Power tiles. Each player races to complete their word grids, but now face challenges and forfeits throughout the game. From balancing the pouch on top of the head, to completely destroying an opponent’s word grid, the all-new Party Power tiles add a new dimension to the classic game.

My First Bananagrams is a new title for the younger player. The banana shaped pouch is now a ripening green and, in response to customer requests, contains lower-case letter tiles. The collection of games within cater to a wide range of reading abilities. There are 10 curriculum based mini games for early learners, and word game challenges which grow in difficulty as the child’s skill level advances. This culminates in a simplified version of Bananagrams, and introduces children to the classic game that sees players racing to complete their own word grid. My First Bananagrams includes new double-tiles with vowel-teams, word families and digraphs, encouraging children to learn to read and spell.

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Toy Fair 2016

Winning Moves

0207 298 9507 | www.winningmoves.co.uk Stand E115 Winning Moves distributes a range of classic game brands such as Top Trumps, Regional Monopoly, Waddington’s Number One Playing Cards, PIT, Bananagrams and Pass the Pigs. The company is also the exclusive licensee in Europe, Middle East, Australia and Africa for limited editions of Hasbro games such as Monopoly, Cluedo, Risk and Twister.

July 2016 will see the release of Finding Dory, and Winning Moves is releasing Disney’s Finding Dory Top Trumps pack. With the cards, players can relive all the unforgettable moments of Dory’s quest to find her family.

Children can also accompany Firedog Marshall, police pup Chase, Skye and the heroic pups on their adventures with Winning Moves’ Paw Patrol Top Trumps collectors tin. Players will be able to discover all of the different special skills, gadgets and vehicles that help the characters on their rescue missions to protect the community.

Winning Moves joins forces with Star Wars to bring children the highly anticipated Episode VII Top Trumps pack, which will feature all of the characters from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie.

Children can join Max and his friends as they embark on a journey around Winning Moves’ brand new Secret Life of Pets Monopoly board.

Families can now battle to discover who should claim the Iron Throne with Game of Thrones Deluxe Risk. The multi award winning US fantasy drama series has been immortalised in this special licensed collector’s edition of the classic game of Risk.

Trends UK

Stand B20 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK will be working with eOne to develop a new range of Peppa Pig electronic learning toys for launch in autumn 2016. Featuring characters from the Peppa Pig TV series, the new range will help children develop early learning skills through interactive play features.

Available from summer 2016, Trends UK will support the launch with strong marketing campaigns, including TV advertising and a wide range of PR and social media activities targeting parents of pre-schoolers.

Trends UK will also be distributing a new range of licensed Shopkins construction toys in the UK from January 2016. Featuring scenery from the brand, the new Shopkins Kinstructions range will enable kids to build their favourite Shopkins scenes and sets. Each set includes a character which, separated into three pieces, can be taken apart and rebuilt.

The new FairyLane Sparkletopia arts and crafts range creates fairy themed characters, charms and jewellery creations, and will be available for spring 2016. The packs come with a selection of items that girls can decorate, admire and play with. Each set includes a choice of foam backed stencilled characters, colourful sparkle sheets and glittery sticky gems.

Trends UK is launching new Play and Put Away products from Perpetual Play Group ranges in the UK in 2016, and will be promoting the ranges with added value and competitive pricing solutions.

Products available through Trends UK will include leading brands licensed from Hasbro such as Play-Doh, My Little Pony and Nerf. The licensed Play and Put Away ranges combine play features with portability.

The Discovery Channel science toys range is also available through Trends.

Also new for 2016 are the Digital Walkie Talkies, which have an outdoors range of up to 3km. The products also come with three channels, a ringing tone to alert incoming transmissions and an LED display. There will also be the Digital Metal Detector and Night Vision Goggles with new features.

Trends UK will be launching a new Haynes First Tech Build Your Own range, which includes two sets featuring easy to assemble models and bigger parts that are ideal for small hands to build with, both in try-me packs. The products help children understand how basic engines and car parts work.

The Haynes First Tech Build Your Own Engine comes with 20 parts and accessories to build a motorcycle engine. With real working pistons operated by turning the crank and an ignition key that activates lights and sounds, the Haynes First Tech Build Your Own Racing Car set comes with 24 parts to build a racecar or street car.

January 2016 will see additions to the range of Air Storm toys for children and teenagers. Air Storm arrows can fly over 10 metres and can stick to surfaces. Also new to the range for January 2016 is the Air Storm Firetek Bow, which includes three light-up LED arrows.

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Coiledspring Games @coiledspring

Discover at Toy Fair The highest quality jigsaws EVER

Hogwarts: The Great Hall & The Astronomy Tower

Rory’s Story Cubes® Storyworlds

Sneaky Cards Play it forward!

For appointments at

See us at:

Toy Fair, Spring Fair, Hong Kong & Nuremberg please contact sales@coiledspring.co.uk

London Toy Fair – Stand E35 Spring Fair – Stand 5M04

www.coiledspring.co.uk Call 020 3301 1160 for more information HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JK Rowling. WB SHIELD: TM/MC & © WBEI. (2015) Rory’s Story Cubes®: Batman was developed under license with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment, and will be distributed in the UK by Coiledspring Games.

Toy Fair 2016

Coiledspring Games Stand B156 020 3301 1160 | sales@coiledspring.co.uk

Coiledspring Games is back at Toy Fair this year with new additions to the range.

Jigsaw stockists are encouraged to experience the new Premium Quality range from Schmidt, which is made so children can pick up a 1,000 piece puzzle by its corners.

As well as new images added in the Premium Quality range, there are new children’s jigsaw designs, including an image refresh on the bestselling John Deere range. Playmobil Puzzle and Play sets offer new pictures with an added collectible element.

Continuing to grow the bestselling Worry Eater brand, Coiledspring Games is welcoming five new characters to the range. Loyal companions for children and adults, Sita, Lily and Pat will bring vibrant new colours to the classic Worry Eaters while mini Schnulli and Pomm will join the juniors. The characters will come with new branding and Worry Eater logos. This new messaging will instantly communicate the concept of the Worry Eater and assist in growing the success of the popular range, which will be supported by ongoing consumer PR including TV advertising.

The company will display its latest licensed products, and encourages visitors to Toy Fair to visit the stand for the unveiling of three new licensed sets, following the success of the new Storyworlds range from the Creativity Hub, which has just sold its 45 millionth cube.

From Wrebbit 3D comes the Harry Potter series. Both the Great Hall and the Astronomy Tower will feature at the stand. Products include a 1,710 piece replica of the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry, standing at over a metre high. The 3D puzzle architects are also expanding the range to include a line of puzzles with smaller dimensions, a lower piece count and price point, including the 400 piece Orbiter Space Shuttle.

Coiledspring Games wants Toy Fair visitors to join the interactive scavenger hunt and play it forward with the new global game, and visit the stand to see Sneaky Cards. After being presented at Spirit of Christmas, this game has proven its potential. The Play It Forward deck comes in a flip box with a magnetic catch, all held in a CDU. For STEM related games, ThinkFun continues to support the national curriculum with Code Master, a coding adventure with a Minecraft feel.

Looking for great NEW games? *

Get The Picture

...come and see us at Toy Fair Stand F20

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Pass The Pen Tell-a-Tale: Story-telling Game

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

* We are launching 25 new products at Toy Fair. We also have cake.

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The first dinosaurs roam in 2016!

Visit us at London Toy Fair, stand B121 or Nuremburg International Toy Fair, Hall 6 stand C-21, to find out more about the fantastic new collection of Dinosaurs joining Schleich in 2016.

Schleich UK, 4 Stansted Courtyard, Parsonage Road, Takeley, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 6PU T: 01279 870000 E: schleich@schleich-s.co.uk W: www.schleich-s.com

Toy World Toy Fair Issue 2016.indd 1

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Toy Fair 2016

Chicco

K’Nex

Stand Gallery 120 0208 953 6627 | www.chicco.co.uk Chicco will unveil its new range of pre-school developmental toys, as well as additions to its popular lines of licensed Disney Princess toys and First Dreams sleep time range.

The Fun of Development is a new concept for Chicco’s range of preschool toys, which includes new product introductions for 2016.

Two of Chicco’s most popular ranges, which now fall under the Fun of Development theme, are Fit and Fun and Move and Grow. Both lines focus on helping to develop physical skills and motor coordination, whilst also encouraging social play and interaction.

New to Fit and Fun is Jungle Rugby, a 3-in-1 electronic toy that encourages motor and social skills through three different play modes. The rugby match format, training mode session and stacker toy function create a fun filled toy for budding rugby fans.

Also new to the range is the bright and cheerful 3-in-1 Shopping Trolley. It has a removable shape sorter that helps to develop cognitive skills and the interactive scanner offers melodies and phrases.

Chicco’s Rodeo completes the new collection and can be used as a rocking horse, sit and ride toy or interactive activity centre. Rodeo comes to life thanks to interactive sensors, which activate moving eyes, neighing sounds and create the illusion of chewing when children feed Rodeo his carrot.

The latest addition to Chicco’s Turbo Team family, a collection of toys designed to encourage a love of racing and social play, is Robo Chicco. The first transformable radio controlled car in the pre-school range, Robo Chicco converts from a car into a futuristic looking robot in three simple steps, encouraging co-ordination and social skills, as well as developing imagination.

Chicco will also be launching its first collection of app toys at this year’s show.

Chicco’s new app toy building blocks merge traditional building blocks with interactive digital technology, via a downloadable app on a tablet, creating magical worlds of play and helping to develop a happy, healthy imagination. Vehicles, animals and pirates all come to life thanks to the augmented reality provided by the app.

Building on the success of its existing licensed Disney Princess range, Chicco has announced further additions for 2016. Two new Cinderella and Snow White stroller dolls have been added to the growing range and clip easily to strollers and prams, featuring key themes from the classic fairytales.

The new Disney Princess range also signals a move into the plush sector with the launch of three iconic electronic soft textile princess dolls. Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel all feature real fabric princess dresses for sensory stimulation and each doll has sweet melodies and sound effects. The final addition to the 2016 Disney Princess range is Cinderella’s Carriage, a push along walker featuring a twirling Cinderella, melodies and twinkling LEDs. Chicco is also building on its First Dreams sleep time range with the introduction of two new soothing light projectors. Next2 Stars features a plush teddy bear and can be attached to a cot or travel cot with a universal attaching system. With three melodies and light projector, Next2 Stars is designed to encourage self-soothing techniques.

Designed to comfort and reassure, First Dreams Baby Bear has a projection tummy that activates a goodnight message for baby. Soothing melodies and a light show are activated at the touch of the button and after 20 minutes of playing, the product automatically turns to stand-by mode.

Stand Gallery 510 01189 497 000 | www.knex.co.uk K’Nex will unveil new innovation showcasing the building system’s unique qualities of scale, movement and creative play possibilities.

2016 is set to become the year of Thrill Rides, with five new rollercoaster inspired K’Nex Thrill Rides building sets. Every item in the line is full of play value, with exciting features and huge piece counts. New additions include Electric Inferno which has 640 pieces, a motorised chain lift which can be built 2.5ft tall, plus Clockwork Coaster which has 280 pieces and an hour hand inspired car lift. TV advertising will support the range throughout the year, alongside activity in kid’s press and strategic partnerships.

K’Nex K-Force will be refreshed with multi and rapid fire action features in 2016, with four new buildable customisable blasters at a range of price points. The K25X Rotoshot features new rotating blasting action, while the Flash Fire Rapid Fire has a 10 dart, quick fit clip for ultimate speed. K-Force will be TV advertised in both spring and autumn, driving purchase throughout the year.

Last year saw the introduction of K’Nex Mighty Makers, a line offering girls STEM learning experiences inspired by aspirational careers. Innovative new additions include Mighty Makers Director’s Cut, which allows girls to explore the world of film making. An adjustable clip that fits most smartphones enables girls to film and watch back their creations.

K’Nex Beasts Alive will also be refreshed with some new buildable creepy critters for 2016. Last year’s dino and dragon inspired beasts will be joined by new Shark and Gator building sets, both of which feature motorised movement and two alternate builds.

At the heart of the K’Nex range remains a collection of building sets and treasure chests with generous piece counts and dozens of inspiring creative building ideas. New additions will tap into the popular theme of transportation, including a Jet 2-in-1 set which doubles as a heli-plane, and a Racecar 2-in-1 set which transforms into an all-terrain vehicle.

Licensed product continues to bolster the K’Nex portfolio, bringing to life the gameplay of Mario Kart 8, SuperMario and Plants Vs Zombies in a new way. At Toy Fair, K’Nex will reveal the new series of Super Mario Mystery Figures and Plants Vs Zombies Mystery Figures, allowing young fans a pocket money friendly way to build their favourite characters.

The K’Nex UK team will distribute the brand’s education range for the first time from January 2016. Aligned to STEM standards, K’Nex Education Sets are designed to encourage hands-on 3D STEM learning. K’Nex will partner with Thorpe Park in 2016 to engage education professionals, offering pupils an on-site workshop exploring the physics of rollercoasters using K’Nex products, before enjoying the theme park’s real life rides.

The K’Nex UK team will be on hand at Toy Fair to reveal a robust 360 degree marketing programme including TV advertising, kids’ press campaigns, strategic partnerships and online activity.

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Esdevium Games

Stand E109 01420 593 593 | sales@esdeviumgames.co.uk Esdevium’s range of Disney-licensed games will see a number of new additions unveiled at Toy Fair. Introduced in 2011, Dobble has been a hit for Esdevium, and fans will be delighted to hear licensed versions for both Star Wars and Cars are soon to be available, with the latter being a development on the younger Dobble Kids format. Esdevium will also reveal a brand new Star Wars version of the 2015 hit game, Disney Pictopia. Star Wars Pictopia will closely follow the award-winning gameplay of Disney Pictopia, quizzing players on their knowledge of images from the legendary movie franchise.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game saw record-breaking sales across 2015 with NPD data recording 52% growth from 2014. This year, Pokemon celebrates its 20th anniversary with a collection of exclusive new products to excite collectors and TCG fans alike. Esdevium will showcase all available new products at Toy Fair, including the hotly anticipated February release of XY-BREAKpoint.

In addition to the aforementioned releases, a number of new products are still under embargo, but will be unveiled to the trade for the very first time at Toy Fair. This includes a new secret collectible from the creator of Zomlings, Magic Box Int. Retailers will need to visit the Esdevium Games stand to see them and the exclusive show special offers.

Sakar International Stand F100 02476 518 500 | www.sakar.com

Sakar International has expanded its successful line of Frozen Karaoke Machines to include a new karaoke system inspired by Elsa and her ice castle. Because music plays such an important part in the Frozen film, and with the karaoke line being a natural extension of the brand, careful consideration was taken into the design of Sakar’s Frozen Ice Castle Karaoke Machine. Elsa’s performance of Let it Go takes place in front of her frozen ice castle, and Sakar’s Karaoke Machine works to recreate that experience for young fans. The machine features a colourful light show and also comes with music from the movie on a CD+G. Sakar’s new Frozen Ice Castle Karaoke Machine comes alongside an extensive collection of Frozen branded headphones, speakers, digital cameras and more, bringing the hit movie to life.

Sakar International is also introducing a line of Shopkins toys for girls, including plush headphones, night-action walkie-talkies, flashlights, microphone stands and selfie accessories all featuring children’s favourite characters such as Strawberry Kiss, Apple Blossom, Kooky Cookie and more.

The new high-quality Shopkins plush headphones are compatible with all portable devices, including mp3s, smart phones and tablets, and the walkie-talkies feature all favourite Shopkins characters. A built-in flashlight can light up the dark or send light signals.

Sakar International has introduced a line of Shopkins microphone stands, which come with an additional built-in mp3 output which lets kids plug in their mp3 player or smartphone. The company has also unveiled its new line-up of Shopkins moulded selfie sticks, photo props and selfie accessory kits.

This year, the company will also be launching an expansive line of youth electronics based on DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 release, Trolls. The new line-up is to include headphones, karaoke machines and walkie-talkies designed specifically for kids.

The new line of kid-safe headphones allows kids to safely listen to and enjoy music anywhere and everywhere. The ear-cups are lightweight and feature padded comfort with an adjustable headband, complete with troll hair, for a universal fit. These headphones are compatible with all portable devices, including mp3 players and smart phones.

Sakar International’s new line of Trolls karaoke sets feature docking stations, a monitor to display song lyrics, a hand-held microphone, flashing lights and vocal effects. The company’s walkie-talkies feature a push-to-talk button and flexible safety antenna allows for crisp, clear sound quality.

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Brainstorm Stand D2 0120 044 5113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk

2016 sees Brainstorm launch a raft of new products from its existing stable of brands such as Aqua Dragons, Brainstorm Toys and The Original Glowstars Company. At the same time it is adding new prestigious names and products, many available from January and heavily supported by TV. Following another record year for Aqua Dragons, Brainstorm has already committed to more TVRs in 2016 and the launch of two new products, which will include an invite to download an Aqua Dragons Investigator App for Android and IOS. The app will enhance the consumer experience through augmented reality, games and educational content. The new Sea Friends branded range includes a double-sized tank featuring one of the Aqua Dragons characters as its centre-piece, and features an egg pouch and bubble pump.

StikBots is a toy with the same basic appeal as Magno-Z. Older children can enjoy the social-sharing element using the pose-able figures and the free app to create fun stopframe animations. Following the launch in the USA, there have already been nearly two million YouTube views.

Addict A Ball is the 3D maze puzzle with 138 numbered stages of spirals, drops, swinging arms, flips and slides that challenges dexterity, hand-eye coordination and patience. With two sizes to choose from these five star consumer-rated pieces hit great price points, and are suitable as year-round gifts or for selfpurchase. Both StikBots and Addict A Ball will be available in January with TV commitment to these new brands kicking off with a heavy weight two week campaign incorporating February half-term.

Another TV supported line from Brainstorm Toys is the new Rocket Projector and Room Guard. Complete with a table-top or wall mounted launch pad, the 35cm tall model rocket brings space travel to the bedroom with its 24 space-themed colour images to project onto walls and ceiling with sound and light-up affects. It also includes a secret code to unlock online fun space facts.

There are new additions to the Brainstorm Toys projector torch range, including the Most Deadly Torch and the Fairy and Unicorn Torch. Each of these popular, pocket-money torches are supplied with three discs to project 24 colour images, up to one metre wide. The ever-popular inflatable globe range also has a new star with the 30cm diameter inflatable Animal Globe. The globe is designed specifically for kids and with the included fact sheet and game suggestions, they can learn more about animals and geography at the same time.

To accompany the Brainstorm Toys projector torches there will be a new Natural History Museum branded Creepy Crawly torch and projector further strengthening this highly successful category for the Brainstorm team.

Flying Gadgets

Stand F101 0844 209 2626 | www.flyinggadgets.com The Big 1 from Flying Gadgets is an all-terrain 28mhz radio-controlled monster truck, ready to take on surfaces that other remote control toys shy away from. With a range of over 50 metres, users can have large scale fun at the wheel, and get creative with driving courses. Users can set up ramps and jumps outdoors and not have to worry about mud-riddled puddles, as The Big 1 thrives on tackling these tasks as a serious R/C that’s suitable for beginners and experts alike.

Now that drone technology has established itself firmly in the consumer market with a plethora of models available, Flying Gadgets has revealed the X-Ca. The sizeable quadcopter comes with ultra-responsive flight controls and a built in camera to capture the user’s piloting skills.

The market for palm-sized flying machines saw a marked increase in the past 12 months and, by incorporating the best available technology, Flying Gadgets has managed to add a camera to one of the smallest quadcopters yet. The NanoCam Quadcopter is easy to fly and operate.

The BMW Mini ride-on is a fully licensed product, aimed at younger motor fans, with the sleek and sporty lines you’d expect from one of the world’s most iconic car brands. Powered by a 12V battery, kids can harness the impressive power, with own control steering, brakes and accelerator, or it can be switched into parental mode. The latter control lets younger kids enjoy the ride without too much concentration. Adding to the fun are realistic ignition sounds, working lights and a horn, as well as a built in MP3 player.

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Toy Fair 2016

Cartamundi

Stand H1 01268 511 522 | www.cartamundi.co.uk The company is celebrating new additions to the Shuffle family of games, with its combination of playing cards and digital technology. Cartamundi is also previewing a number of new game box releases, and there will also be colourful new card decks for Snap, the UK’s best-known children’s card game, and Carta Magic — the exciting Cartamundi range that highlights the continuing popularity of card tricks.

Shuffle Disney Monopoly and Shuffle Disney Pixar’s Cars bring together Cartamundi’s card-making expertise with some of the most famous names in the Disney list of classics, and, like all Shuffle releases, combine compelling card games based on popular brands with an optional free app that adds a whole new dimension to the card-playing fun.

To coincide with the July 2016 release of Finding Dory, Cartamundi is bringing out a two-in-one Finding Dory game box that offers a Pairs & Donkey game and four puzzles, illustrated with the stars of the film, which can be played with in the bath, as all cards are waterproof. There’s also a brand-new Disney Princess game box, which includes six perfumed Princess cards for its guessing game and a Disney Pixar’s Cars game box, which includes four buildable cards. All three Disney favourites will also be getting together with the UK’s most popular card game when Cartamundi highlights new Finding Dory, Disney Princess and Disney Pixar’s Cars snap games at the show.

The Finding Dory, Disney Princess and Disney Pixar’s Cars game boxes will appear in toy shops, gift shops and supermarkets from late spring 2016. The three Snap games, as well as the Zootropolis deck, will launch at the end of January 2016.

Stand H1 will also be highlighting a strong existing Cartamundi range across the Shuffle line, including Monopoly Junior: Shuffle card game, Shuffle Frozen and Trivial Pursuit: Shuffle card game, the Carta Magic series of cards dedicated to magic card tricks, the slightly eerie but very cool Pitch Black, Death Poker and Calavera card packs and the traditional Royal Flush range.

Zootropolis — a modern mammal metropolis like no other where animals from every environment live together arrives on screens on 25th March 2016. The Zootropolis card deck includes rules for both a Happy Families and an action game, and includes many characters and scenes from the animated adventure comedy.

John Adams

Stand G100 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk Within its creative play craft range, John Adams’ portfolio boasts over 20 new and refreshed product lines.

Leading the new introductions is eZee Beads, a line of bead picture making kits, which stick together with water.

Sands Alive, the super-soft modelling sand is also expanding with a new themed Sweet Dreams kit, plus a Glow-in-the-Dark set. These join the existing range which includes starter, classic, animals, castle and the super sets, ensuring all key price points are covered.

The Disney Princess collection is being extended with a range of glow and light-up products to make and display, under the Snow Glowbz and Jelly Sticker brands.

Bangle Blitz, the collection of make your own bangle kits had a great 2015, and this year sees the range growing with new Neon and Glam kits.

The successful BloPens range will also see new introductions in the form of a new Disney Princess Creative Case set, which turns the packaging into a handy mini easel, plus a new Star Wars activity set. The animal and super activity sets are also being refreshed.

As a UK manufacturer within the science category, the company will be showcasing new lines joining its science portfolio, which teaches boys and girls the fundamentals of science.

John Adams’ range of Ideal branded games and puzzles continues to grow in strength and volume. New for 2016 is the Rubik’s Spark, an electronic cube with six different games that can be played on both single and multi-player versions. Joining the Action Games category is Soggy Doggy and Splashy the Whale. The popular Total Action Football will be getting a fresh new look ready for the 2016 European Championships.

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Toy Fair 2016

Milly & Flynn

Stand B115 01242 241 765 | www.millyandflynn.com 2015 was a good year for Milly & Flynn, having now established itself as a major player in the licensed wooden toy category. The new range of Winnie the Pooh and Dear Zoo wooden toys was well received by retailers.

The company has recently announced that it has signed a new deal with eOne to develop a range of Peppa Pig wooden toys. The range will include a pushalong, shape sorter, skittles, play-trays, puzzle blocks and much more. The initial launch of product will be available for autumn/winter 2016. The range will be ethically sourced and beautifully presented, and will appeal not only to consumers as a self-purchase but will also be suitable for gifts.

In addition to Peppa Pig, Milly & Flynn will be launching The Snowman & The Snowdog wooden toys into its portfolio in 2016, as well as a collectors edition Peter Rabbit Game to celebrate Beatrix Potter’s 150th anniversary.

The offering at Toy fair will also feature further licensed character puzzles and games as well as nonlicensed product, all commissioned exclusively by Milly & Flynn.

Smart Toys and Games Stand F36 01903 885 669 | www.smartgames.eu

Smart Toys and Games has enjoyed a buoyant first year and is now looking forward to extending the award-winning range in 2016 with a number of new products.

Based on the award-winning success of Three Little Piggies, SmartGames will extend its Fairy Tales range in 2016 with Little Red Riding Hood, which is based on the classic tale. The game has a 24 page booklet with 48 multi-level challenges, 24 with the wolf and 24 without. It also comes with an illustrative picture story book with the original story.

In total there will be 10 new games including new IQ games, premium games, a new compact format and many new display initiatives.

The award-winning SmartGames range has multi-level challenges from the very easy to the very challenging. Each has a game mechanic with themes that appeal to both boys and girls. They come in travel, compact and table top editions with a premium wood range. The range starts at pocket money levels and includes top end quality with the wooden games as year round gifts.

SmartMax, which was awarded Best Toy Overall 0-3yrs+ at the recent Right Start Best Toy Awards, will continue to grow in 2016 with the introduction of new playsets, structures and accessories. This range is widely used in nursery schools. The play experience has been enhanced with new magnetic play tables.

SmartMax, the award-winning pre-school construction system, allows children to explore the world of magnetism in a fun and safe way. The products are safe and durable and made from the highest quality materials, and the magnets are incredibly strong with the ability to carry up to 60 times their own weight.

Each SmartMax magnetic bar features unique colour codes. The blue, green and purple bars attract while the warm colours of red, orange and yellow repel.

The giant parts are ideal for young children and allow them to easily create colourful supersized structures. The SmartMax range offers a whole universe of compatible building sets, vehicles and accessories.

Every SmartGames product comes with an extensive challenge guide and every SmartMax product comes with a colourful play guide.

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For more details on how you can obtain the new 2016 collection, please email : sales@papo-uk.com or contact PAPO UK Limited, 6 Hockley Court, 2401 Stratford Road, Hockley Heath, Solihull B94 6NW West Midlands. Tel 01564 784969 - Fax 01564 785582 The London Toy Fair stand : Gallery 128 - Birmingham Spring Fair stand : Hall 5, J69

Toy Fair 2016

Casdon Stand E30 01253 608 248 | www.casdon.com

Following a successful year of new additions to ranges across its extensive portfolio, Casdon will continue to build on its role-play collections for 2016 with further new introductions to tempt retailers, whilst heightened consumer marketing and social media will ensure shoppers are equally inspired.

Casdon combines pretend play with household names to bring replica kitchen appliances and role-play accessories to the play room.

Launching in January 2016 from the award-winning Dyson collection is the brand new Dyson Hand Held. The Hand Held Vacuum features real suction and the same cyclonic action as with a real Dyson. With spinning beads and the same colours as the real product, the Hand Held Vacuum will contribute to household role-play.

A further addition to the Little Helpers collection of role-play toys is the new Hetty and Henry Household Cleaning Sets. These sets includ everything needed to help tidy up at home. Henry’s set in red and Hetty’s in pale pink feature a dustpan and brush, mop, sweeping brush and more.

New to the Little Cooks range is the Mr Kipling Birthday Cake Set, which is easily sliceable and includes candles, plates and cutlery to help with serving. The Annabel Karmel cookery collection will continue to be a firm favourite in 2016. These real baking kits have all the attention to detail expected of the Annabel Karmel brand. The My Perfect Pastry Set has everything needed for a young baker with mixing bowl, cutters, measuring spoons and three separate tins.

The Morphy Richards Microwave looks just like the real thing. Designed with contemporary styling, the microwave features a rotating turntable, flashing lights and cooking sounds.

2016 is also a year where Casdon will expand its marketing support for retailers. This will include a strategic year round online campaign and social media schedule to further the awareness of all the company’s toys.

Galt Toys

Stand E9 0161 428 9111 | www.galttoys.com Galt Toys is launching the first 2-In-1 Playnest at Toy Fair.

The fabric covered inflatable ring provides a soft resting area for a young baby on one side and a self-contained play environment for older babies on the reverse. Suitable from birth, the soft velour resting area cradles a young baby over the inflatable ring. The baby’s head and neck are supported by the shaped cushion, whilst a soft harness keeps the baby in position. Users can turn the playnest over to reveal a padded seating area to support an older baby in a sitting position. This enables them to reach out and explore safely, with eight multi-sensory features to stimulate touch, vision and hearing.

Galt will add to the Ambi Toys range with the Ted in a Box, a handy-sized pop-up toy with a teddy hidden inside. Based on the original drawings of world-renowned British toy designer, Patrick Rylands, Ted pops up with a little squeak when the button is pressed. Push him down, close the lid and start again for a game of peep-o, to encourage hand-eye coordination and the learning of cause and effect.

Galt will also expand its marble product range with two new Glow Marble Runs. The florescent construction game lets children build a labyrinth of tubes, chutes and curves using the transparent coloured pieces. They can then turn off the lights, place the marbles in the glow starter tops, let them go and watch them glow.

All new products will be shown alongside Galt Toys’ full portfolio of products. This includes the iconic Ambi Toys product range, as well as new products in Galt’s First Years and Active Play ranges. With a focus on young art, new products will be added to the Activity Packs, Fairy Friends, Creative Case and Express Yourself ranges next year. New construction, puzzles, Horrible Science, and Play & Learn toys and games, with a focus on education and learning, will also be launched in 2016.

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New Wooden Toy Collection Coming Autumn 2016!

Puzzle Blocks

Magnetic Play Set

Also in the range: - Camper Van Shape Sorter - Skittles Game - Puzzle Tray and more!

Finger Puppets

Come and meet us at

Toy Fair Stand B115

Get in touch Facebook: MillyandFlynn Twitter: @MillyandFlynn Email:sales@millyandflynn.com PART OF THE

Artwork and packaging subject to licensor approval.

Toy Fair 2016

A.B.Gee of Ripley Stand B40 01773 570 444 | sales@abgee.co.uk

A.B.Gee of Ripley is undertaking the largest show presence it’s ever had at Toy Fair. With leading toy manufacturers Mattel and Hasbro not taking part this year, A.B.Gee has stepped forward as the companies’ exclusive show representative.

The company invites visitors to view the latest Mattel and Hasbro 2016 ranges, together with leading brands such as MGA Entertainment, all on one extra-large trade stand. It’s an opportunity for buyers to meet the sales team and see all the exclusive new products for 2016 for themselves.

The stand will have dedicated sections for each manufacturer and will include toys and games covering early years, boys, girls, role-play, wooden, craft, pocket money, puzzles, games, outdoor, remote control and diecast. Hornby, Scalextric and Airfix products will also be on show.

Amongst the highlights on the stand will be Mattel’s View-Master 3-D Virtual Reality Viewer – which allows visitors to be transported around the world and beyond with the help of a smart phone.

There will also be a dedicated product demonstration area, giving hourly demonstrations of the award-winning Science4you range.

Science4you comprises scientific games and experiments carefully designed to make learning science fun for all ages. The brand is backed by the University of Oxford and the Discovery Channel.

Products from licences and brands including Disney’s Frozen, Disney Princess, Sofia the First, Barbie, Peppa Pig, Fisher Price, Thomas & Friends, Shopkins, Little Tikes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Baby Annabell and Casdon will also be on display.

A.B.Gee is a leading distributor for toys and models and was founded over 40 years ago. Distributing for major suppliers as well as importing its own ranges, it ensures a smooth and consistent supply chain from the sourcing of products through to delivery. The company is privately owned by two directors helped by a team of 50 experienced staff. The 75,000 sq. feet head office and distribution centre in Derbyshire provides the base from where it supplies wholesalers, retailers, large high street and online stores.

The company covers the whole of the UK and Ireland with a combination of a sales force and agents. The competitive edge is a result of decades of collective knowledge and industry experience, which provides it with an on-going vision from sourcing products from the worldwide manufacturing base, negotiation of prices to pass on to customers through to processing of goods from the distribution centre. It is the official distributor for Mattel, Hasbro, Character Options, Flair, Creative, Freetime 4 Kidz, Hornby, Tomy, Zanzoon and Oxford DieCast and is the UK’s sole exclusive distributor for MGA/Zapf, Choon Designs (Rainbow Loom), Sunstar, Trofeu, and Greenlight.

Asobi

Stand G 124 01628 200 077 | www.asobi.co.uk Asobi will see the development and revamp of one of its top brands, Orb Factory, in 2016. As well as putting on show offers, the company will be showcasing new ranges of products.

Asobi will continue to grow its products from the Orb Factory, including Sticky Mosaics and My First Sticky Mosaics. New from the Orb Factory comes Fuzzeez, which will solely feature in Asobi’s first venture into TV advertising. Also new from the brand will be the MyDesign range, a selection of cuddly toys that can be decorated by the user, so they each have their own unique, self-made toy.

Tegu is a new range of magnetic wooden blocks with a construction theme that can be built into toys focussing on different themes, such as the jungle and vehicles. Each packs comes as a 14 piece set, and come with different coloured blocks to make a variety of creations.

Handlebar Heroes is a new way to dress up a scooter or a bike, with various character and animal heads that stick onto the handlebars of any wheeled toy. Sparkle the pink unicorn, Stardust the white unicorn, fudge the brown horse and a green dragon are among the variation of characters to choose from.

Mini Mondos is a stylish range of rag-dolls that come in various characters and sizes, as well as offering other products such as puzzles featuring the characters.

Micador is a new launch of pre-school arts and crafts items, designed specifically to attract younger children with playful faces and images on the products and packaging.

Products include gluesticks, pencils, pens, sellotape, paint, notepads, crayons, a stencil set, a marker mix set and more.

Asobi is looking forward to the start of a new year in the toy industry, and meeting clients and retailers alike at Toy Fair 2016.

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IN COLLABORATION WITH

Stand B135

The age appropriate relatable doll. lottiedolls lottie_dolls lottiedolls lottie_dolls

www.lottie.com

Arklu Ltd, Colab, Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, IRELAND UK: +44 2037 73 2726 / IRE: +353 74 91 165 91 sales@arklu.com

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Toy Fair 2016

Click Distribution

Stand Gallery 105 01604 858 480 | www.clickdistribution.com Click Distribution is looking forward to Toy Fair and, this year, there will be seven members of the team manning the stand to greet visitors and represent the company.

Click is the distributor for ranges that include Chrono Bomb, Disney, Lucy the Dog, Peppa Pig, Tsum Tsum, Shopkins, Star Wars, Thunderbirds and Minecraft, to name a few.

Click also distributes on behalf of Panini, and will release the official licensed UEFA Euro 2016 collectible cards and sticker collection at the show, which have been predicted to be the fastest selling and largest revenue generating collectible of 2016. There will also be a range of FSDUs on display for retailers to consider.

The company will also be exhibiting the new range of licensed Disney lucky bags, which will include Marvel, the Avengers and Star Wars.

The Disney Tsum Tsum range is also set to be popular in 2016, with new characters being released throughout the year. A new line of Disney girls’ toys will also be released by Jakks Pacific, including the 4.5” Basic Fairies Wave 4 assortment, featuring Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Zarina and Periwinkle, which all have individual sparkly dresses Annual favourites will also make an appearance this year, with Topps Match Attax, the official Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League trading card game included, coming in variations including a CDU, a starter pack, multipacks, tins, mega tins and more.

Jazwares

Stand D99 0203 598 5119 | www.jazwares.com Tapping into the hottest kids’ crazes for 2016, Jazwares will launch a raft of playthings at Toy Fair. It will be exhibiting properties from the number one TV show for boys in the UK right now, Danger Mouse, to the craze that’s set to sweep British playgrounds in 2016, Animal Jam, along with rapidly-growing brands Tube Heroes and Terraria.

With over 3.6 million viewers in its first six weeks and a ratings winner, the new series of Danger Mouse has seen a triumphant return to CBBC. The new Jazwares range brings Danger Mouse, Penfold and other characters to life in a new collection of figures, vehicles, plush and role-play.

Kids big and small can immerse themselves in the international secret agent’s world with Danger Mouse’s Mark IV Vehicle, featuring pop-out wings, and a functioning boot as well as an exclusive 3” figure. There’s also a fully articulated 10” Danger Mouse figure that features a removable jet pack accessory and five authentic show sayings. Kids will be able to role-play as the secret agent with The Shrinkatiser, Danger Mouse’s gadget of choice, when faced with trouble. Further lines for 2016 include Professor Squawkencluck’s Lab playset as well as new vehicles, figures and plush.

Animal Jam, a digital playground for kids who love animals and the outdoors, is a new online social game for kids, which will feature an extensive range of customisable animal figures, pets and destinations representative of the game. Each Animal Jam toy will further enhance the game play, coming with secret codes to unlock exclusive in-game features.

Feeding kids’ ever-growing appetite for YouTube sensations and the rapidly-rising cult of celebrity that’s inspiring kids everywhere, Jazwares will grow its Tube Heroes range in 2016. Collectibles are being added to the figures and plush that emulate the biggest YouTube stars, such as DanTDM, Ali-A, LittleLizardGaming, CaptainSparklez and AtlanticCraft. Kids can collect 19 different online heroes in the form of a Mystery Tube, plus there’s a new key line for the hottest Tube Hero of the moment, DanTDM, which lets kids re-enact scenes from the Diamond Dimension: the DanTDM Diamond Dimension Pack.

The Terraria toy collection, based on the action-packed sandbox video game that sees players dig, fight, explore and build in a scrolling virtual world, heads into 2016 with an even more extensive offering for fans. Helping to bring that virtual world to life are new armoured figures with accessories, additional role-play items including the Terrablade sword and Paladin’s Hammer, and new pixel-decorated plush. All of which encourage kids to re-enact moments from their 2D adventures IRL with friends, away from the screen.

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Toy Fair 2016

Big Potato Stand H22 020 3620 9495 | www.bigpotato.co.uk

Big Potato will be at London Toy Fair for the very first time in 2016. Turning its hand to everything from quiz games, to party games and toys, the team at Big Potato focus on bringing home-grown original concepts to the market.

Toy Fair sees Big Potato unveiling a brand new game created in collaboration with music man, Deejay Wheelie Bag. A re-spun version of his game, GoMozaic, the new game (the name of is yet to be announced), will be revealed at the show, musically accompanied by Wheelie himself.

Big Potato was created by the inventors of Linkee, and is responsible for a number of games including Obama Llama, created by national radio DJ Matt Edmondson and crafted by Big Potato.

Qwordie resembles a combination of Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. Part quiz, part word game, players must use letter tiles to spell the answer and win tiles, the person whose stack of tiles reaches the winning line first is the winner.

Mr Lister’s Quiz Shootout is based on an oldstyle Western shootout, where everyone faces a strange question, such as what are the ingredients in a Ginster’s Cornish pasty? Players must shout out a correct answer to stay in the game. Players can hit a Golden Answer to go straight through to the shootout, and play the Impossible Question to win a drink from Mr Lister’s bar for the team.

Bucket of Doom is a dark adult party game where the player must come up with the best escape plan out of a bad situation, using only seriously useless objects.

IMC Toys

Stand E12 01904 720 908 | www.imc.es IMC Toys is showcasing new characters in its Club Petz range, which has gone from strength to strength in 2015. For spring/summer, the company will launch the much anticipated new line Lola the Puppy. Lola is bestselling Lucy the Dog’s little sister, and responds to five voice commands. Key items such as Lucy the Dog and Blu Blu the Dolphin will remain in the range. As always, IMC Toys will invest heavily in TV campaigns and marketing support across the whole of the Club Petz portfolio.

As the new master toy partner for Mickey & Minnie, IMC Toys will be unveiling its new Mickey & Minnie product range. Capturing the imagination of the flagship Disney brand, the company is confident this new range will be a hit with both retailers and children alike. Some of the figures within the playsets will include a play feature called IMT (Interactive Magnetic Technology). This means that the magnet inside the figure creates a sound/light reaction when placed in the sets. The IMC philosophy is all about creating toys children will be excited by and want to play with.

In addition to the Mickey & Minnie offering, IMC will be expanding its Miles from Tomorrow product range. After a successful launch in autumn/winter 2015, the company will be introducing some new novelties which embody all the key attributes of the hit TV series, space, exploration and galactic gadgets.

As well as IPS and plush, IMC Toys has some new innovations within the games category. After a successful year launching Chrono Bomb, IMC has new interactive games which it will be unveiling at Toy Fair. Details are currently under wraps but all will be revealed on the stand.

In the girls’ category, the company will be continuing to support Disney Frozen toys throughout 2016. The autumn/winter Sing & Skate Elsa RC made it into Hamleys’ top 10 Christmas list and has been a resounding success. New to the portfolio is the DC Superhero girls range.

IMC Toys is encouraging buyers and visitors to come to stand E129 and have a play, and find out more about the product range and marketing plans for 2016.

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Toy Fair 2016

Little Concepts Stand GH51 07870 132 595 | www.littleconcepts.co.uk

Little Concepts is exhibiting at Toy Fair for the first time. The new toy and gift distributor will be representing the sustainable wooden toy brand PlanToys, the reusable building block accessory BrickStix and the French designed Avenue Mandarine arts and crafts range in 2016.

PlanToys continues to push the boundaries of sustainable wooden toy production with over 50 new products being introduced in 2016, including the Surf Ride On. Produced from sustainable rubberwood, the ride on features a stable base, handle grips and a storage compartment.

Alongside new products, the PlanToys collection features numerous timeless and iconic products, such as the Dancing Alligator, Solid Drum, Victorian Dollhouse and more.

PlanToys products are made from natural rubber wood trees that no longer produce latex. To keep the wood pure, no fertilizer is added to the soil three years prior to cutting the trees down.

The company commits itself to using the best eco-friendly material. The organic colour is not only good for children but also for the environment.

The Avenue Mandarine collection consists of a selection of puzzles, games, and arts and crafts products all designed in France. The attention to detail in design and the manufacturing process is plain to see, with standout products such as the XL Puzzles with simple forms and large scale pieces adapted especially for younger children. The XL puzzles help little people to develop their sense of observation and association, and come in two designs – Scaled Creatures or Hairy Animals. The Knights Castle puzzle for older children features durable pop-out puzzle pieces and when assembled together creates a large 3D Knights Castle. It also features three characters and come in a carry case.

BrickStix, a hit from the US, has been brought to the UK by Little Concepts.

BrickStix are reusable, removable and restickable decls which bring plastic brick build creations to life, leaving no residue when removed.

BrickStix is now available in 12 different designs, including; Zombie Apocalypse, WWII Mission and Space Galaxy. All packs feature 60 removable/ repositionable stickers, and are made in the US.

Learning Resources Stand D36 01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk

Learning Resources will be launching over 70 new toys and games at Toy Fair and the show will mark the unveiling of its new brand look.

Learning Resources designs and manufactures award-winning educational toys and games to support children’s learning both at home and in the classroom. From early years, through to the application of key STEM skills, literacy, exploration and critical thinking, its portfolio of brands engages active minds through hands-on play, unlocking a child’s potential and inspiring a life-long love of learning.

The company’s science ranges, including Nancy B’s Science Club, GeoSafari, GeoSafari Jr. and Primary Science will be expanding again for 2016 with new product innovations that introduce STEM learning and early science skills. Including four new additions to the popular Nancy B’s Science Club range, these science tools satisfy a child’s curiosity in the natural world with fully illustrated activity journals. New sets include the Mighty Microbes Lab, Garbage to Gardens Compost Kit, Bug Discovery Lab and the Way to Grow Hydroponics Kit, designed to encourage discovery and support children in the development of skills such as observation, recording data and using scientific equipment.

A favourite for mess-free play, the Playfoam range is set to launch four new themed packs. Designed for enhancing sensory perception and the development of fine motor skills, the sculpting material is nontoxic and doesn’t dry out. Its bead like structure provides open-ended play opportunities as children mix and match colours to sculpt designs over and over. New packs, Dino Magic, Fairytale Friends, Undersea Adventures and Vroom and Zoom feature themes to capture children’s imagination and spark design ideas.

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Publication:

Toy World

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Thomas Randrup

Toy Fair 2016

Ravensburger Stand E140 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com

Ravensburger is looking forward to welcoming visitors to its biggest ever trade stand at Toy Fair this year, where it will be unveiling its new range for 2016. Highlights include additions to its children’s puzzles, adult puzzles, 3D puzzles and its children’s games.

Ravensburger’s jigsaw puzzle range offers characters, themes, piece counts and formats suitable for any child. During 2016 the company will be adding 15 new properties to its licence portfolio which will include Teletubbies, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Lion Guard, Dora and Friends, Matt Sewell’s Birds, Zootropolis, The Secret Life of Pets, Emoji, Trolls, Moana, Spongebob Squarepants, The BFG, Angry Birds and Historic Royal Palaces.

Ravensburger will also be launching new products within established ranges such as Paw Patrol, Bing Bunny, Twirly Woos, Disney Princess, Frozen, Shopkins, TMNT Half Shell Heroes, Avengers Assemble, Spider Man and Thomas and Friends, as well as new generic titles.

Inspired and informed by years of research and consumer feedback, Ravensburger understands what consumers want and need from a jigsaw puzzle. Because local tastes and preferences are important to the company, over 75% of its range is developed in the UK. The company will be launching over 70 new titles during 2016, all backed by its Premium Puzzle soft-click technology.

Amongst the company’s new 3D puzzle launches for 2016 are the Big Ben 216 piece with clock, four shaped Minions designs, a 72pc sphere of Tsum Tsum and, for autumn/winter, a Night Edition Chrysler Building, a Disney Castle and a range of storage items for girls.

Sales of Ravensburger’s quality games grew by 40% in 2015. Amongst the big hits were Bugs in the Kitchen, Labyrinth and Scotland Yard, and the company’s new games will focus on the year’s major film launches.

Paul Lamond Games Stand E50 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com

Paul Lamond Games will be launching over 50 new games and puzzles as well as products from several new licences at Toy Fair. All of the company’s 2016 range of pre-school, children’s and family games and puzzles, and licensed football products as well as its complete craft selection will be on show.

The timeless classic brands Noddy, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and CBeebies star Boj will join Paul Lamond’s pre-school puzzle portfolio in 2016, kicking off with a Giant Floor puzzle and a 4-in-1 puzzle set launching in the spring for these characters.

Following the successful return of hot property Danger Mouse in 2015, Paul Lamond will be expanding its range to include 100 and 250 piece puzzles that are aimed at the new generation of fans. The puzzles feature the famous secret agent along with his comrades and the villains of the show.

New additions to Paul Lamond’s children’s portfolio, which already includes the games It’s a Chicken, Gobblet Gobblers and Charades for Kids, will be some new puzzles for both Where’s Wally and Jacqueline Wilson enthusiasts.

For the family there will be a host of new games launched including The Flippin Word Game as well as a special 25th anniversary edition of Who’s in The Bag and a new Murder Mystery Dinner Party Game: The Diamond, The Dagger and One Classy Dame, a sequel to the bestseller The Brie, The Bullet and The Black Cat. In addition to the recently launched licensed Liverpool and Arsenal Subbuteo Game Sets and the Chelsea and Arsenal 2015/2016 season 3D Collector Puzzle Balls, there will be new 3D stadium puzzles of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham’s grounds as well as Wembley Stadium added to the range.

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Another member joins our Dream Team!

NEW FOR 2016

687 Dyson Hand Held Just like the real thing, this replica of the iconic Dyson Hand Held is the latest role play toy from Casdon. Little Helpers will

IN1 3TOY

love pressing the button to hear the realistic vacuum sound effect, and using the working suction to clean up - just like the grown-ups!

Inventors of Fun & Play!

CASDON Ltd., Cornford Road, Blackpool, FY4 4QW Telephone: +44 (0) 1253 766411 Email: roger@casdon.com

www.casdon.com

Just like the real thing!

SEE US AT

UK Toy Fair - Sun 24th Jan - Tues 26th Jan: Stand E30 Nurnberg Toy Fair - Weds 27th Jan - Mon 1st Feb: Hall 12, Stand C-04 New York Toy Fair - Sat 13th Feb - Tues 16th Feb: Booth 1075

Toy Fair 2016

Marvin’s Magic Mele & Co Stand H65 01582 849 000 | www.marvinsmagic.com

It has been another great year for Marvin and the Marvin’s Magic team, having won a string of awards from two separate industries, including the British Magical Society’s Cup for Outstanding Contribution, the British Toy and Hobby Association’s top honour for Outstanding Contribution and the celebrated Magic Circle Maskelyne Award for services to British Magic.

Marvin’s Magic is steeped in magical heritage and is at the forefront of innovation, working with the most highly respected names in magic. The company aims to inspire the next generation of magicians through genuine products with the emphasis on quality professional magic made easy.

The latest addition to the range, Marvin’s iMagic, smart magic for smart devices, has been a hit in both the toy and hobby and magic industries. It has been awarded a gold medal in the electronic toys category at the Independent Toy Awards and the Toy Verdict Winner in the Magic Sets category. Receiving these awards is not only an indicator of how strong the Marvin’s iMagic series is, but is also an indication of how respected the Marvin’s Magic brand is within the industry.

Approaching its 30th year, Marvin’s Magic continues to run successful magic shops within some of the world’s most prestigious stores, as well as having great high street presence and expansion internationally. Recognising the importance of investing in people, its committed sales and marketing team is also expanding and will help it to create the best magical instore theatre around. They look forward to exhibiting at the Toy Fair and also Spring Fair this year, where visitors will be able to see what else is in store for 2016.

Stand GH53 029 2022 1331 | www.meleandco.com

Established over 100 years ago, Mele & Co is a privately owned business which manufactures and designs products for all ages. The company offers a range of children’s jewellery boxes that play enchanting music, a collection of storage boxes and a range of money boxes in a wealth of designs.

Toy Fair 2016 will be the first year that Mele & Co will be exhibiting at the show, and the company will launch many new designs and products in Mele & Co’s younger ranges. In the musical jewellery box section there will be three new major designs which include Princess Castle, Purple Fairy and Funky Owl. The Princess Castle design features a princess with her castle surrounded by pink and lilac hearts on a predominantly white background, and inside each box is a twirling princess figurine. The Purple Fairy is a design which features a fairy in a purple dress flying over a field of flowers with accompanying butterflies. The main background colour is pink and inside each box is a twirling fairy. The Funky Owl range is made up of three very different boxes, all musical and featuring the company’s two Funky Owls, Livvie which is pink, and Ollie which is blue.

The Funky Owl range also has a money box which shows Ollie flying around on the front when the music plays, a shaped drawer storage box with both Livvie and Ollie on a moving see-saw and a jewellery box with a twirling Livvie inside. Other ranges include floral designs, ballerinas, princesses, mermaids, butterflies and ballet shoes.

Tobar

Stand Gallery 305 0844 573 4299 | www.tobar.co.uk Among the products on show at the stand, Tobar has designed a pink wooden Cupcake Tea Party set and matching Cake Stand with eight wooden cakes.

Great Ormond Street Hospital, the company’s chosen charity, has worked with the team to develop exclusive Hop for Gosh Space Hoppers.

Also new will be the Thunderbirds are Go! range of Thunderbird Flexi Collectible Figures from the iconic show.

Zuru will launch its Seahorse collection and has also confirmed the official Dory and Dory Playset lines.

Tobar has also signed new distribution partnerships with Alley Oop and Regal Games which design fun and novelty children’s toys.

Pocket money lines will be boosted by the Dinosaur Hand Puppet. In addition, Tobar will stock best-selling lines from Maisto, Bburago, Syma, Blue Sky, Scentos and Schylling.

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Toy Fair 2016

Clementoni

Stand Gallery 155 0208 782 1134 | www.clementoni.com Clementoni is showcasing a host of new products for 2016, putting a strong focus on the infant market with Baby Clementoni, as well as the education and development category with science and puzzle product launches.

The two stars of the show for baby Clementoni will be Sandy Cuddle and Learn Bear, an interactive development plush, and a pink version of the popular Baby T’Rex. Sandy Cuddle and Learn Bear will be TV promoted and parents can also download an app which brings Sandy to life on screen. Children can learn the alphabet and numbers as well as develop their hand/eye co-ordination. Baby T-Rex has been a hit for Clementoni throughout 2015, and 2016 will see the new and improved pink version, which is also TV advertised, complete with a rattle which interacts with Baby T-Rex to make her move.

Also in the line-up is the Firetruck, designed to teach letters, numbers, shapes and colours, aimed at babies nine months and above. For toddler years, the Rally Tumbling Car is a fun RC which teaches numbers through rhyme.

The science category has always been strong for Clementoni and Create your Crystal has been a top seller throughout 2015. Added to the range for 2016 is the Cyber Robot, a programmable robot which is directly controlled via an app on smart phones and tablets with Bluetooth connection. Cyber Robot registers and executes all demands in real time and comes complete with sound effects and lights to add to the robotic experience. Children can also take photos and videos while Cyber Robot is in action, to capture their commands. Included within the four play modes is Self Learn where Cyber Robot will register all commands and reproduce the saved paths. Cyber Robot can also be played with offline in a manual programme mode.

The Mechanical Laboratory is a modular construction system with varying levels of difficulty offering strong play value. The kit includes with over 200 pieces with almost 50 constructions possible including a helicopter, car and crane.

Clemetoni Puzzles continue to be a strong foundation of the business and the adult category continues throughout 2016 with high quality offerings. New launches for children are tied into popular licences from Nickelodeon, Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks including key theatrical releases such as Finding Dory and trending properties like Tsum Tsum.

Dicey

Stand G50 01442 289 898 | www.diceygames.co.uk Dicey is a fast fixed dice game of chance, suitable for all the family. The styled packaging gives it shelf appeal and the game specifically targets teens, with a fast pace and simple to learn rules. Players take it in turns to try their luck in collecting or losing counters.

Comprising six oddly shaped dice produced in an array of neon colours, the dice shape means that the probability of rolling a six is sharply reduced. Players take it in turns to try their luck in collecting or losing counters, with the ultimate object of the game being to win all of the opponent’s counters either honestly or dishonestly. In addition to the signature game, there is a game for two players and also a solitaire variant for solo players.

The game has been extensively play tested, with contribution and approval from the Thirsty Meeples game café in Oxford, while it has also achieved healthy consumer sales at the 2015 festive Christmas show, NEC. The game has a low minimum order, attractive box design, and is easy to understand and easy to play. As a family game, it has an intriguing dice and roll movement, with no pen, paper, board or mathematics required. It involves any amount of players up to six, and has other games and challenges for one and two players. It transports well, with a travel pouch included, and an exclusive discount will be offered for Toy Fair.

To set Dicey in motion and just for the launch at Toy Fair, Andy Jewson, Oxford born inventor of the game has thrown down a challenge to retailers placing an order at the show. Visitors can come and try their hand at Dicey, and anyone rolling six sixes will instantly win £6,000.

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Toy Fair 2016

Epoch Making Toys Stand B130 0843 557 4062

Epoch Making Toys is at Toy Fair this year with its flagship brand Sylvanian Families and arts and crafts range Aquabeads.

Sylvanian Families’ life-sized Cosy Cottage structure, which won the Toy Fair’s award for best stand in 2015, will make a comeback, housing existing 2015 and new 2016 Q1 ranges. There will also be demo areas which demonstrate the connectable aspect of the products. Outside, there will be a Bluebell Seven Seater reception desk and a meeting area, with grass-textured flooring underfoot.

Outside of the Cosy Cottage, decorative plinths will be displaying the new highly anticipated expansion of the Sylvanian Village Life range, including the Brick Oven Bakery, reminiscent of the 1985 original bakery, which comes complete with a figure and over 52 pieces.

Also in this range is a Pizza Delivery Set, Doughnut Store and Hot Dog Van. There will also be the chance to see the new families and furniture ranges as well as the upcoming launches for March and June 2016.

Throughout the fair, Freya Chocolate Rabbit and Ralph Walnut Squirrel mascot figures will appear to show retailers the potential value of live events.

New licensed Aquabeads products, including sets from Star Wars, Frozen, Super Mario, Cinderella and Minnie Mouse, will also be on display inside the Cosy Cottage structure. Visitors can demo the products and see the new playsets available.

Epoch Making Toys will also expand the core Aquabeads categories with eight new core products, including the Beadtasic Set (complete range), Crystal Charm Set (theme refill range), Easy Trays (accessory range) and Mega Bead (refill range).

2015 saw the 30th anniversary year of Sylvanian Families, proving how well-loved the brand is. Epoch Making Toys will be showing the achievements from its birthday year, also anticipating the new licensed Aquabeads products, some of which will reach a new target group due to their appeal to both boys and girls.

Gibsons Games

Stand E40 0208 661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk This year, Gibsons Games’ Toy Fair stand will be full of products, including 40 new jigsaw puzzles, the Iconic Brands Collection, board games and puzzle accessories.

With a focus on promoting its Iconic Brands Collection, which features branded puzzles presented in quirky tins, Gibsons’ Toy Fair stand will display new lines inspired by brands adored all over Britain.

The Marmite Puzzle, a doublesided jigsaw in a screw top jar, will challenge the lovers and the haters alike, whilst The Love Hearts Puzzle represents all the fun of the classic catchphrases. The Iconic Brands Collection also includes two puzzles, featuring Little Miss Sunshine and Mr Grumpy from Roger Hargreaves’ Mr Men series, which has been running for almost four decades.

The iconic Volkswagen Campervan is due for release in puzzle-form this spring, and Gibsons will be giving visitors a sneak peek at Toy Fair. The new 500-piece jigsaw puzzle comes in a tin replica of the campervan, which can be kept and admired long after the puzzle is complete.

Another addition to Gibsons expanding gift range is the Emma Ball collection, which will launch at Toy Fair this year. The range includes nine 250 piece puzzles painted by the watercolour artist and features artwork from nine different regions of Britain in her signature style. The first launch sees montages of London, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Suffolk, Sussex, Derbyshire, North Wales and Highlands and Islands, presented in gift tubes and compact gift boxes.

As always Gibsons will showcase its extensive new range of traditional jigsaw puzzles. Amongst the range this year is a new addition to the Robert Opie collection, the Brands that Built Britain. This jigsaw celebrates many of the great brands that thrived during the first half of the 20th century and takes the puzzler on a trip down memory lane as they piece together the vintage packaging of brands such as OXO cubes, Kelloggs, Marmite and McVities.

Also on show will be the third instalment of the Our House Memory Lane range and a jigsaw that celebrates Her Majesty’s forthcoming 90th birthday.

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PUZZLES

GAMES

If you would like to see our whole products range – puzzles and games, please meet us at Toy Fair London, stand H 30, Grand Hall round.

Spielwarenmesse, Nuremberg, stand H 10.1, Hall F-36 Our contact in UK :

Stephen Richardson, SJR Associates Phone number: +44 7850 779 797 E-mail: sales@sjr-associates.co.uk Address: Romford, 45 Links Ave, Gidea Park, Essex RM26NH, UK

Toy Fair 2016

GP Flair Just Play Stand B22 0208 643 0320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk

GP Flair’s Just Play Division, includes the master toy range for Disney’s new franchise, The Lion Guard, plus a new option for fans of Disney’s Princesses.

The new Disney Junior animated TV movie Return of the Roar, from the Lion Guard series, will launch in spring and will be followed in autumn by a master toy line from Just Play. With Disney’s The Lion King behind it, these new small screen characters will appeal to younger children.

They can be collected in a variety of ways.

The entry level product is foil bag minis with eight characters to collect in wave one. From there, collectible figures and accessories will make ideal gifts and are also a suitable size to play with the Pride Land playset. The Pride Lands are the focus of The Lion Guard, and the playset has lots of features including a waterfall, vine lift and boulder launcher. A range of plush and feature plush with roar and pounce features will add to this collection.

2016 will also see the return of Puppy in My Pocket. Launching at Easter, the range will be subject to extensive marketing support including sampling, children’s magazine features, online activity and heavyweight TV. A new range of styling heads features favourite Disney Princesses. Available in two sizes, small and deluxe, girls can style the hair and make-up of Ariel, Rapunzel and Cinderella. The deluxe heads have colour changing make up and, as the heads come with arms and hands, children will be able to give them a manicure. This collection also includes Elsa and Anna versions.

The Just Play Division will also be the home of Puppy Surprise. With the concept of not knowing how many puppies the mother holds, Puppy Surprise has already been a successful brand. In 2016, cats and litters of kittens will become part of the range.

Kate and Mim-Mim launched on CBeebies in August and has been hugely successful, and the Just Play master toy collection will launch this year with collectible figures and plush toys. The Magic Twirl Mim-Mim comes with multiple phrases which are activated when it is twirled around.

The upcoming feature film Trolls will also appear in GP Flair’s Just Play line-up, with role-play and hair items that emulate the characters from the film. These include a Trolls Jewellery Box with lights, a Hug Time Bracelet and a Poppy Styling Head.

Jumbo Games Stand E46 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu

Jumbo is ready to kickstart 2016 with a host of new Disney puzzles and games across new and existing properties, including Disney’s Zootropolis, The Lion Guard, The Jungle Book, Descendants, Miles from Tomorrow, Frozen and Finding Dory for autumn/winter 2016.

To support the launch of Disney’s Zootropolis, Lion Guard and The Jungle Book, Jumbo has produced a range of 100XL, assortments, giant floor, 2-in-1 and 4-in-1 formats. Jumbo has developed its puzzle offering for The Jungle Book based on the classic animation, using artwork that is familiar to parents. The company’s Miles from Tomorrow puzzles include the same puzzle formats and take advantage of the futuristic artwork.

In Jumbo’s Disney Descendants range, the focus is on larger piece counts and puzzles, with a 100XL and 200XL puzzle.

Jumbo will also be showcasing its range of puzzles and games for the hugely anticipated release of Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory film. As well as a standard puzzle offering, the company will launch a bath time offering, consisting of 4-in-1 shaped bath puzzles and Bath Time Memo Game.

The new Disney Frozen Bath Time Memo Game, launching in February, is specially designed to offer a point of difference and drive impulse purchases. Jumbo has developed a range of gift boxes and gift bags which include lower puzzle piece counts that cover a wide range of popular Disney properties, among other licences.

Within Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom, Jumbo will be launching the hugely successful Puzzle & Colour in a new smaller, travel-size version, so that children can piece together the coloured jigsaw image and then turn it over to colour in the black and white picture on the reverse side.

The Peppa Pig puzzle range has been refreshed to feature new puzzle artwork, meaning that consumers can now add to their current collection of Peppa puzzles.

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the worldwide leader in multi-level logic games

LONDON TOY FAIR 24th Jan - 26th Jan 2016 Grand Hall - Stand F36

NUREMBERG TOY FAIR 27th Jan - 1st Feb 2016 Hall 3A - Stand H05

SPRING FAIR 7th Feb - 11th Feb 2016 Hall 5, Stand J50-K51

01903 885669 uk@smart.be www.smartgames.eu www.smartmax.eu

the award winning pre-school construction system

Toy Fair 2016

Ty

Stand Gallery 119 01329 829828 | sales@tyuk.co.uk Ty has introduced pocket-sized, stackable Teeny Tys. Teeny Tys come in 12 characters including Diggs the Dog, Mimi the Owl and Shuffler the Turtle.

Children can stack them up and take them anywhere. These miniature pets are available at pocket money prices and make up a collectible range for all ages. Teeny Tys launched in January in three or four selected accounts and will be on general release in February.

Ty also unveils its twist on the tech accessories market with its Peek-ABoo range. The next generation of the plush toy brings smartphones and tablets to life by holding them upright for kids during game play. Peek-ABoos will be backed by Ty Warner’s first ever TV commercial campaign. The 12 Peek-A-Boo characters also feature a micro-fibre screen wipe.

Beanie Boos were first launched in 2009, and the original nine characters are highly prized amongst collectors, with Kiwi the Frog currently trading on eBay for £124. A total of 317 Beanie Boos have already been created, with 45 in the current collection and many more in the pipeline. One billion have been produced in the last five years and have proved to be a hit with eight new characters out in January.

Another release for collectors as well as newcomers to the brand is Ty’s release of the first new Beanie Babies characters for 2016. The eight new Beanie Babies are created from rich velvety fabrics and natural colours with finishing touches airbrushed by hand.

The announcement of the latest Ty characters alongside anticipated growth across the range will give retailers the confidence that their sale of Ty Beanies will continue to grow in 2016.

Re:creation

Stand E125 01189 736 222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation is set to reveal a raft of new brand and product launches as well as a new stand position.

Among the new ranges is a stellar line-up of products from Razor, the launch of Re:creatables creative portfolio and Pop Out Pets, a new plush line from the company’s Snuggables portfolio and Stretchkins.

Re:creation’s Electrify your Ride marketing campaign has continued to pay dividends as demand for Razor’s E90 and E100 has seen them remain in category top spots year round. Set to be unveiled at Toy Fair is a new generation of electric scooters with Power Core technology. The Power Core E90 and Power Core E100 feature hub motor technology developed in-house to create a ride with a new look and doubled run time.

Also from Razor is RipSurf, which employs 360 degree caster wheels to deliver the closest experience to real surfing on land. Styled like a real surfboard, RipSurf is a new development from Ali Kermani, the inventor of the Crazy Cart. Also joining the two-wheeled transport revolution is the RipStik Electric. With hub motor technology and powered by lithium battery, this lightweight ride enables riders to control the action using their body movement and a handheld remote. The RipStik has great portability thanks to its in-mould carry handle.

In 2016 Razor will add its own spin to wearable wheels with the launch of Jetts. These sparking heel wheels offer the benefit of one-size-fits-all practicality to both retail and consumer in an on-trend style that is delivered at a great value price point.

Razor Junior is growing in 2016 with a line-up of junior scooters including unrivalled tilt-to-turn technology for easy riding and turning. Pre-schoolers will not be missing out on the e-scooter revolution either as the company will introduce Lil’ E, the first electric scooter for tots as young as three.

Re:creation’s Snuggables plush portfolio has made a strong impact on the category in 2015 and a new brand joins the fold in 2016. Pop Out Pets offers three times the fun as each animal themed plush can be flipped inside out twice to provide three different animal characters. Four Pop Out Petz will be available at launch.

Stretchkins has continued to grow. A Pink and Purple Bear keeps the line-up fresh for the year ahead. Bright Light Pillow continues to capture children’s imaginations and this year a Princess Crown refreshes the range while the new Beatz Star will showcase a light display that pulses in time to music. Disney will cast its magic on transforming plush line, NeckNapperz, as Re:creation is set to capitalise on well-loved characters such as Frozen’s Queen Elsa, Spiderman and Darth Vader.

Make-a-Bar Chocolate Factory, new brands Rainbow Art and Spray Art will give arty minds new tools to fuel their creativity.

With the Christmas launch of Star Wars Episode VII, fans of the franchise will be pleased to see The Force Awakens themed Lego Key Lights on their way in 2016 as well as a Kylo Ren Desk Lamp. Lego DC Super Heroes continue to drive consumer interest and this year both Lego Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn make their debut as torches while Harley Quinn also joins the Lego Key Light line-up. The Ninjago Key Light collection grows with new character introductions and popular character Kai will also be available as a torch. As Lego prepares to launch NEXO Knights, Re:creation will roll out themed key lights and wall lights that will include exclusive codes for use with the online portal.

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Toy Fair 2016

Premium World

MV Sports

Stand B65 01483 429 119 | www.super11.co.uk

Stand B30 0121 748 8000 | www.mvsports.co.uk For 2016 MV Sports will be launching eight new licences, alongside refreshes to another seven properties and two completely new brand launches.

The company’s two flagship pre-school brands, Thomas & Friends and Peppa Pig are getting a makeover for 2016 to ensure that product stays fresh and relevant to each successive generation of fans. Disney Princess will also be strengthened with several new product launches.

Joining this trio in the pre-school arena are the return of classic kids’ favourites: Bob the Builder, Noddy and Teletubbies. Spearheading the new Teletubbies range is MV Sports’ new Po Scooter, based on the one used by the character in the show.

Accompanying these properties will also be a new range of bikes, ride-ons and inflatables based on the fastest growing pre-school property of 2015, Paw Patrol.

Fireman Sam completes the company’s line-up of essential ranges for pre-school boys.

MV Sports’ new licensed portfolio for 2016 also includes the launch of Finding Dory wheeled toys and inflatables. Water based product will be in high demand with the film release in July and Finding Dory is the ideal licence for pools, water slides and sprinklers.

Later in the year MV Sports will be launching a range of Trolls wheeled toys in anticipation of the new DreamWorks movie.

For older boys the trio of Star Wars, Batman and Avengers all have new additions based on the upcoming blockbuster film releases. All three licences posted massive growth last year and their trajectory is set to continue into 2016 and beyond.

MV Sports has two new own brand licences for 2016. Sitting alongside Stunted will be the new Electrick and Twista ranges, two diverse ranges that between them encompass scooters, selfbalancing boards, powered urban vehicles and tripod scooters. Completing the stable of MV Sports’ own brands will be the new Hedstrom range of outdoor play equipment complete with new full colour packaging, the Kickmaster football range with new additions, plus new additions to the E-Moto battery operated kids’ brand.

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Premium World will be launching Super 11: The Ultimate Football Strategy Game. The game is the product of several years’ development and planning, and the company hopes that Toy Fair will provide the perfect platform to launch the game and generate a high level of interest.

Additionally, Premium World will use the opportunity to network with industry professionals, and to meet retailers and distributors who are interested in stocking the game. With football being such a popular sport in every corner of the globe, the company has high hopes that Super 11 will be an international hit.

Super 11 sees players adopt the role of player manager of their own football team, where they will try to outscore their opponent over the course of the game.

The fast paced, turn-based action and strategic gameplay means that Super 11 aims to appeal to both football fans and board game fans alike. Players take full control of their team, choosing which formation to start the game with, when they should pass, when they should dribble, when they should move and even when they should try their luck with a shot at the goal.

Player managers will roll the dice, and can then move their players and/or the ball around the pitch based on their dice roll. Landing on special Super 11 squares in their opponents half of the pitch allows players to pick up one of the attacking cards, which can give a player an advantage over their opponent through a shot at the goal, passing the ball or even having an opposition player red carded and removed from the game. The combination of skill, strategy and a hint of luck ensures that no two matches are the same, so Super 11 can be enjoyed over and over again by fans both young and old.

For more information, see Premium World’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Super11Game or follow the company on Twitter at @Super11Game.

Toy Fair 2016

H. Grossman

Stand E49 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk

Cheatwell Games Stand F20 0239 252 4098 | www.cheatwell.com

Toy Fair sees the launch of Tella-Tale, a creative play-together storytelling set designed to encourage creative thinking and imaginative play. A clever blend of storytelling and pretend play, each set includes a stage, interchangeable character and setting pieces that are introduced, repositioned and removed as the story progresses.

The four chunky wooden dice add structure to the play, offering a reassuring environment in which to explore the art of storytelling.

The three themed sets are based on Pirates, Farmyard and Fairytale adventures and are aimed at pre-schoolers.

For an older audience, there are two new family games where everyone plays at the same time. Get The Picture involves communicating the picture on the card by miming, posing or describing it, it’s up to everyone else to work out which picture it is and grab it before anyone else.

Pass the Pen involves a race against the pen. The nib retracts as the user sketches, whilst everyone tries to guess what it is they are drawing, but run out of time and the player has to reset and pass the pen to the next player, forfeiting the chance of scoring in that round.

Joining the best-selling Animal and Monster Popper ranges are the Atomic Popper guns that are suitable for indoor or outdoor play. These high performance shooters need no batteries as they’re 100% air powered, firing soft foam balls.

HGL is introducing a whole host of merchandise from the Ghostbusters movie. Toy Fair 2016 will see a comprehensive line-up of scooters, skateboards, pogos, helmets, bikes and a range of pocket money items from whoopee cushions to wobblers.

Continuing the movie theme for 2016 with the Secret Life of Pets, HGL has the licence for wheeled goods and pocket money toys, with a full selection from scooters to sand sets on offer.

The Ozbozz brand is renowned for great outdoor products, and this year sees a whole selection of new offerings including scissor scooters, speedy folding scooters which come with a speedometer in new colours, satchel scooters, light up scooters of all types, a new pro scissor scooter and lots of new styles across pogo sticks, hog trikes and the best-selling Nebulus, Torq and Elektra ranges. The award-winning My First Scooter range has been revamped with a new folding system and new colours. For older children, the new Mannix Stunt Scooter comes in a variety of colourways.

2016 will see even more introductions to the Megasaur range. The gift sets have always been popular with consumers, and 2016 will see the introduction of a Mega Megasaur set which will present 30 Megasaurs in one pack.

Car Trax and Train Trax have been award-winning best-selling lines in 2015, and will have a new line of extensions for 2016.

In total, HGL will introduce over 100 new pocket money lines for 2016 from water wrigglers and whoopee cushions to skipping ropes and slime balls.

ASHRAM is proud to introduce the unique game: “GIMATRIKS”!

We are looking for partners, producers and/or distributors

See us at Toy Fair, Stand GH23 mikiherman@gmail.com

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Š 2016 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

Great games for all the family!

NEW! Licensed by

Visit Cartamundi on stand H1 at the UK Toy Fair to find out how to order yours.

All your favourite board games as fast action card games – all in tough travel ready boxes.

sales@cartamundi.co.uk Ph: +44 1286 511 522 Shuffle FB: @cartamundiuk

Toy Fair 2016

University Games

Stand F10 03334 050 120 | www.university-games.co.uk University Games has original games for both kids and adults, with creative gameplay and quality components as its standard.

The company has just completed its sixth consecutive year of growth and will be further developing its portfolio in 2016 through a number of new product launches. These will include Googly Eyes, Red Herring and one new game launched exclusively at this year’s Toy Fair.

Googly Eyes, the family game that challenges players’ vision, comes with a pair of extra-large glasses, interchangeable lenses and a variable timer. Red Herring enables players to create funny definitions for obscure words direct from the dictionary.

Continuing the success of both the Pointless board and Pointless travel games, University Games has introduced a refresh of questions for both. 2015 also saw the introduction of an electronic scoring system compatible with iPhones and iPads, making it more interactive.

University Games will continue to promote its hero products during 2016, which include Seagull Splat, 5 Second Rule, Bunny Jump, Chicken Charades, Don’t Rock The Boat, Man Bites Dog, Great Explorations and the company’s Mini Games range.

Seagull Splat is a children’s game for two to four players.

5 Second Rule requires players to answer questions under the pressure of five seconds and Bunny Jump is a children’s game that will have kids waiting in anticipation to catch the bunny when the randomly jumps from his burrow.

In the fast-paced game of Chicken Charades, players use the rubber chicken to act out their word.

Don’t Rock the Boat is a balancing game where players take turns balancing the pirate penguins on the ship without making it tip.

Man Bites Dog is a board game for two or more players. Also available is the Man Bites Dog Card Game, compact enough to go on the road, which comes with 106 Headline Cards, three Exclusive Cards and an Instruction Card.

University Games’ Mini Games range includes some well-known titles, including Pointless, Smart Ass, Sort It Out!, 5 Second Rule, Spot The Difference and Who What Where Jr, all in a format to play anywhere.

University Games entered the arts and crafts market in 2014 with the launch of My Studio Girl. The range is designed to engage the creative side in girls from the age of eight, through fun sewing kits. The range offers numerous kits for girls to create, play and display. These keepsakes can be collected or given away as gifts.

Great Explorations, University Games’ range of glow in the dark planets, stars and the Milky Way, has been in the market place for over a decade. The range helps children discover the wonders of planets, stars and outer space, with many interesting facts to add educational value.

From Planets and Stars, Wonder Stars and Twinkle Stars to the Milky Way, these sets of stickers and stars enable kids to invent their own constellations or design new galaxies.

The 3D Stars in a Tube feature 30 glow in the dark 3D stars, and include 25ft of string and adhesive putty, allowing children to create a galactic cosmic scene on the ceiling.

The 3D Planets in a Tube feature the eight planets of our solar system with adhesive putty and 7.5 metres of string to hang the planets.

The 3D Solar System is an educational, large box set where children can put the planets in the right order. The box also contains 200 adhesive stars, 7.5 metres of string and a planetary guide.

The Colourful Stars and Wonder Stars Super Kits bring colour and light to children’s walls and includes 150 different sized glowing stars. The Colourful Stars Super Kit features glowing stars in orange, blue, pink, green and white whilst the Wonder Stars Super Kit comes with its own star chart.

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Artstraws

Stand Gallery 530 01792 796 151 | www.artstraws.com Artstraws’ award-winning Play & Discover products are designed to help children develop basic skills and the new Sit & Ride Animals have already proved a hit with children in nurseries and pre-schools.

Creation Station’s spinner display has been relaid with a number of new products to maintain its effectiveness of a footprint of just one square metre.

There will also be show deals and a competition at the stand.

Toy Fair 2016

Bluw

Stand B115 0203 384 7100 Bluw’s new Disney bike and scooter accessory range will help to keep children safe on the streets.

Children will be able to personalise their scooters with a range of stickers, slap bands and customisable number plates. A range of handlebar bags allow for hands-free storage, making sure that children’s hands stay firmly on the handlebars, while a range of sound makers and customisable bike lights are great for attracting attention on the street. All of the products are easy to attach and are adjustable to fit a range of handlebars.

A number of key licences are featured across the cycle and scooter accessory range. The selection of Frozen items includes two different designs of bike light, an Elsa sound maker, a customisable number plate, Olaf and Sven plush bags, a bottle bag, bike stickers, grip stickers and a slap band.

The Avengers range includes a customisable number plate, mini bag, bike stickers, grip stickers and a slap band, while the Star Wars range incorporates a bike light, a Darth Vader sound maker, a bottle bag, bike stickers, skateboard stickers, grip stickers and a slap band.

Halilit

Stand E90 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk Lori Dolls by Our Generation and Terra animals by Battat will make their debut on the Halilit stand at Toy Fair this year. Lori Dolls are a collection of 15cm soft-bodied fashion dolls for young girls, and each come with a fashionable outfit, shoes and a coordinating bag. In addition to Lori and her eight friends, there are nine ballet dolls each dressed ready for class as well as a group of dolls who come with their own pet friend. Separate outfits are available for added play value and the Lori World is completed by an Urban Living Dolls House with working lights, furniture sets, a Glamper that attaches to a Convertible Car complete with a working radio and a Ballet Studio with lights, music and a chalkboard.

Terra by Battat is a range of detailed, hand painted collectible horses, sea life, farm and wild animal figures along with realistic playsets such as dogs with a kennel and rabbits with a hutch. Dinosaur models designed by collectors’ hero Dan LoRusso are a highlight of the animal collections. Further accessories available include a realistic wooden animal barn and animal hospital, whilst sets of 60 figures in assortments of reptiles, dinosaurs, horses, wild animals, farm animals and sea animals are also available.

Both of these new ranges have their own dedicated websites where retailers and consumers can find lots of information: www.loridolls.com and www.terrauniverse.com.

There will also be special launch offers available at Toy Fair.

Alongside the two major new additions, Halilit will be showcasing its existing ranges of developmental baby and pre-school toys, Halilit Musical Toys, Taf Toys, Interstar, Edushape, Battat and Brik-a-Blok. Taf Toys are introducing lots of innovative new products in 2016 including new Taf Toys characters, Marco the Monkey, Obi the Owl and Ronnie the Rabbit, along with the Musical Boat Cot Toy, designed to provide entertainment from birth and encourage tummy-time play and crawling. New musical toys, sold individually and in gift sets, will extend the Halilit Musical Toys range. Edushape’s latest launch is the Fun Z Balls which are designed to introduce babies to logic and early science, as each of the three balls in the boxed set responds to gravity in a different way in terms of their direction and speed when rolled. Each ball is easy to grip and encourages tactile sensory development, along with hand-eye coordination, logic, reasoning and gross motor skills.

Halilit is hoping to follow on the success from 2015 when the Take-Apart Plane from Battat was chosen by child toy blogger Beau as his best new toy from all the toys at Toy Fair, and the whole Battat range is proving popular with retailers and consumers.

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Toy Fair 2016

Puzzles and Play

Stand Gallery 200 01354 669 733 | www.puzzlesandplay.co.uk Puzzles and Play has announced new Paw Patrol products, and will be showcasing the newest range at Toy Fair this year. The range comprises 12 playing cards and jigsaw puzzle based products. Playing card products include memory match cards, playing cards in a tin and a set of jumbo playing cards which come with instructions for playing some of the most popular card games. Other products in the Paw Patrol range include a 4ft foam puzzle, puzzles in tins and sets of multiple wooden jigsaw puzzles.

The Paw Patrol range sits alongside the company’s other new products which include dominoes, playing cards, marbles, jumbling towers and bingo games together with all the classics such as chess, checkers, snakes and ladders and backgammon.

Puzzles and Play will also be showing the latest releases in its Plush Heart DIY stuffed toy collection. New characters include a hippopotamus, duckling, various dolls and a mouse. Revamped packaging and instructions and a new FSDU add additional appeal to this range for 2016.

Kiddimoto

Stand H44 01749 871 175 | www.kiddimoto.co.uk The new u-Zoom scooter features flashing wheels and a folding handle. Steering has been made simpler with the sensitive easy lean mechanism and comfortable rubber grip handles.

The Super Junior Max bike range has had a makeover, with the introduction of three new designs based on its best-selling styles Skullz, Dotty and Jack.

The London Bus wooden ride-on doubles as a walker. It features built-in storage space and helps toddlers develop motor skills and balance.

The Kurve range of toddler balance bikes is available in a variety of colours and designs. These sturdy ride-ons are manufactured from birch ply sourced from managed forests and are completely recyclable. Each of the colourful styles, including the Pastel Dotty Kurve, the Union Jack Kurve and the Police Kurve, have matching helmets and gloves. The Kurve gives an upright posture similar to that of a regular bike and the seats are adjustable to offer longevity of use.

Arklu

Stand B135 00353 749 116 591 | uk.lottie.com 2016 marks the first time that Arklu will be exhibiting Lottie Dolls independently at Toy Fair, following a change in distribution in summer 2015 whereby the company brought UK/Ireland and majority EU sales in-house.

The doll brand has since launched two awardwinning STEM dolls, Stargazer Lottie and Fossil Hunter Lottie. Other new Lottie dolls at the fair will include Muddy Puddles Lottie and Rockabilly Lottie, as well as doll and pony combined set, Pony Club. Lottie has received press coverage celebrating her childlike body shape and relatable themes, and six of the products to date have been designed and inspired by real girls from the UK, US and Canada.

The STEM innovations and brand partnerships with the European Space Agency have led to some exciting events for Lottie Dolls including the winter #LottieInSpace campaign, which will be further celebrated at Toy Fair. Lottie Dolls is one of the key sponsors of Toy Fair, having provided #LottieInSpace branded bags for the event.

The brand has now accumulated 27 international awards, including a gold Loved by Parents UK award. Lottie Dolls are now on sale in over 30 countries and 3000 shops worldwide, most recently the Natural History Museum and Jo Jo Maman Bebe in the UK.

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Toy Fair 2016

Drumond Park

Stand B70 01473 322 000 | www.drumondpark.com

Kidicraft

Stand GH28 01282 505 988 | www.kidicraft.com Kidicraft is extending its range of the 3D lenticular puzzles under the National Geographic and Howard Robinson Brands.

Both the National Geographic and Howard Robinson ranges currently have 100 piece and 500 piece puzzles, but will also see the introduction of other sizes as well as the new National Geographic Historical Landmarks. These will include images of the Colosseum and The Great Wall of China, all of which are produced using the highest quality 3D lenticular printing.

Two new branded display units will also be available from spring, bringing even more impact at the point of sale to the 3D products.

National Geographic Super 3D Notebooks, postcards and pocket money stationery will also be launched at Toy Fair.

These pocket money items will complement the existing range with further items to be added for the summer.

The National Geographic Society has been inspiring people worldwide to care for the planet for more than a decade. It is one of the largest non-profit, scientific and educational institutions in the world and Kidicraft is eager to promote the many conservation initiatives of The National Geographic Society through its range of products. Using pictures taken from The National Geographic image library and combining this with high quality 3D lenticular printing gives a depth and movement to these scenes.

Kidicraft has also announced the addition of The Kevin Walsh Nostalgia collection of images into its Super 3D range of puzzles. Initially the range will consist of six images in the 500 piece, each puzzle measuring 61 x 46cm. These images include scenes such as The Flying Scotsman, Windsor Castle and the Queen Elizabeth.

New additions within the Mostaix range of mosaic craft sets include Orange Ribbon Series, My First Mosaic Art Mini and Make My Own Badge. These lines are supplements to the Mostaix collection and further widen the ages that the range can appeal to.

The Primo range consists of high quality products including chalks, crayons, pencils, fibre pens, modelling clays, brushes, craft tools and a wide range of paints from water colours through to oils. There are also sturdy floor and counter display units available with various ranges.

Primo has invested heavily in its quality, safety and environmental production from its Italian plant which is supplied by 200KW photovoltaic cells. Any further energy requirements are purchased from green sources.

Following another strong sell through across the children’s, family and adult game range in autumn/winter 2015, Drumond Park, a division of Vivid Imaginations, is set for an even better 2016.

With two more new games joining the company’s already strong children’s game portfolio, the aim is to further bolster Drumond Park’s presence in this competitive area.

Carrying forward from chart topping performances in autumn/ winter 2015 are Og on the Bog, Don’t Wake Dad and Barbeque Party.

In Og on the Bog, players must collect three of the ogre’s loo rolls to win. If players trigger a noise and cause the ogre to shout out, their turn is over. But if the bog explodes, players lose all of their loo rolls and have to start again.

Avoiding the howling cat, tinkling bell and hooting owl, players of Don’t Wake Dad must creep past the Dad as he snores in bed, to try to reach the fridge.

Barbecue Party is a simple game for younger children which helps aid their dexterity. Players take a card and either place the item shown on the grill, or if it’s there already, take it off and win that card.

New for autumn/winter 2016 is Crazy Claw, a game which everyone can play together. To become the winner, players must use the claw to pick up a ball from the arcade machine whilst their opponents are batting the paddles to bounce the balls out of reach. Players will then open the ball to reveal a symbol, and the winner is the first to match all the symbols on their playing card. Easy to understand, with high energy but simple play, Crazy Claw is set to be a winner for Christmas 2016.

Stoopido is Drumond Park’s game of 1,000 silly faces that plays into the hot trend of taking selfies. A simple game, it can be played by up to four players. Players must put on the glasses and then take it in turns to roll the dice. They then place one of the eyes, ears, noses or hats on their opponent’s glasses. The winner is the last person without a full face.

All new games will be supported by TV commercials and heavyweight TV advertising in the autumn/ winter period. The sampling programme that gets product into the hands of children, their families as well as gift givers, will continue across adult, family and children’s games, building on the success of previous years. An extensive programme of blogger and journalist reviews along with competitions will ensure that the awareness of all Drumond Park games is high and that the product is in demand.

Š & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd.

Think you know everything there is to know about the Star Wars original trilogy?

Stand

E109 visit us at Toy Fair!

Put your knowledge to the test with Star Wars Timeline!

Star Wars Timeline - Toy World.indd 1

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Toy Fair 2016

Eduk8 Worldwide Stand GH42 01434 672 336 | www.eduk8worldwide.com

Among all the tech-enhanced toys that feature heavily every year at Toy Fair, Eduk8 Worldwide is offering something new and different, with its range of traditional toys with an outdoor twist.

As well as the Belly Bump Balls, on the stand will be the wooden toy range including the new Wiggly Worm, a bright and colourful high quality toy with removable posts and shapes for developing hand eye coordination. Also on display will be the new range of large outdoor playmat games. Players can choose from Snakes and Ladders or Ludo, both with individual dice domes, ensuring players will never lose their dice again. The Crocodile Hop and Large Numbers Games are each supplied with large jumbo inflatable dice. All mats are water and heat resistant with UV protection so are ideal for outdoor play, and are suitable for 2-4 players.

The giant outdoor games also come as mini board games with dice domes that offer all the same features as the larger versions.

Also new at Toy Fair is the range of Premium Trikes, four types of Trikes in white. The Baby Trike has many features including full 360 degree adjustable seating position with a reclining facility. It includes a cantilever hood, seating and rear basket in hard wearing fabric, and is more suitable for the younger rider. The Twister Trike has a sliding action, and the rear 360 degree Caster Wheels enable quick turns and sliding moves. Finally, the Retro Trike is a more traditional Trike with shaped handle bars and a wide three position adjustable seat. The large, inflatable wheels and rear passenger footplate make the Trike versatile, suiting a wide range of children.

Papo

Peterkin

For 2016, Papo will continue to create and innovate. The next launch of new figurines reflects the detail, realism and creativity for which Papo has become renowned.

This year, Papo’s Wild Animals collection of more than 140 figurines will be increased with 22 new releases. These include the Polar Fox, a realistic Scorpion and a Tarantula.

The highly detailed Baryonyx is one of the latest introductions to the Papo Dinosaur collection. Papo has given full attention to the posture of this predator, which has an impressive degree of realism with its long low snout and powerful jaws. The new feathered Velociraptor is expected to be equally as popular.

To enrich the Mini Papo range and encourage game play experiences, a new Mini Dinosaur set will be launched in 2016 together with a Medieval set and Fantasy set.

Additionally, several new characters will be launched in 2016, ranging from The Medieval Era to The Enchanted World. One of the new 2016 characters is the Ice Queen which will appeal to girls.

Peterkin’s Dollsworld brand continues to grow in popularity and 2016 brings the next stage of development in the form of a complete packaging revamp, which will be showcased at Toy Fair.

Since acquiring Brookite, Peterkin has been busy working on plans to develop the brand in 2016 and beyond. The 2016 Brookite range will be relaunched at Toy Fair with a new logo, updated packaging and improved specification.

Existing best-sellers include the 3D Red Kite, the Harrier and Hunter Stunt kites and the Shark, Skyray and Spooky Bat fun kites.

The Harrier and Hunter are dual line stunt kites that will appeal to adrenaline seeking kite flyers. For those who prefer things to be a little more sedate, the Red Kite bird of prey is a 3D single line kite, whilst the Shark, Skyray and Spooky Bat are all single line kites. In addition, the Brookite range will also feature licensed kites for the first time.

Another highlight for Peterkin’s stand is the new additions to the Toy State range. A new licensing agreement for a range of DC Super Friends vehicles means the introduction of some Superman and Batman vehicles. A new Barbie Radio Control Car will also be a highlight, whilst there are some new CAT, Hot Wheels and Road Rippers vehicles with all of the lights and sounds expected from Toy State.

Stand Gallery 128 01564 784 969 | www.Papo-uk.com.

Stand Gallery 110 0116 254 3645 | www.peterkin.co.uk

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Toy Fair 2016

Interplay

Stand G10 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com Interplay is preparing for 2016 with the introduction of its new range My Fairy Garden, and innovative and fun products that have all been designed and developed in-house.

Interplay launched the first Indoor Fairy Garden product in 2014 under its CraftBox brand. The Indoor Fairy Garden has quickly become a best-seller in its category due to the unique play concept that helps children to develop a love of nature and care for the environment. The success of the first generation Fairy Garden led to the creation of a new brand name, My Fairy Garden, which currently features five new products including the refreshed and improved Fairy Garden. The other products in the range include Lilypad Gardens, Fairy Flowerpot, Secret Fairy Door and Woodland Fairy Door. All these products include interchangeable and collectible pieces and are designed to encourage children to learn more about nature. The TV commercial for My Fairy Garden will be on all major children’s TV channels from February half term.

Interplay’s myStyle range has seen a complete makeover. The new packaging design reflects this category’s shift towards more sophisticated products as trend analysis reports indicate that younger girls prefer non-toy craft kits with more grown up offerings. The myStyle craft range follows seasonal fashion trends. The kits are being developed by a professional jewellery designer to deliver high quality end results. This year’s additions to the range include the Keepsake Lockets, showcasing a new way to display miniature keepsakes and cherished items.

Another addition to the range is Dreamcatcher Jewellery, a quality jewellery making kit that creates the trendy boho look.

FabLab, which Interplay launched in 2015, has proved to be a great success and the products have become essentials for sleepovers and birthday parties. The heavyweight TV campaign last year built strong brand awareness, and the videos on social media created a high level of interaction. Invent-a-Scent Perfume has been a hit as well, leading the company to develop an even larger perfume-making kit, Scent Lab. Interplay will continue to reach out to a younger audience this year, with its CraftBox brand, which has three new lines joining the range. One of these lines will be Fuzzikins, featuring animal family members and 3D cardboard houses that can all be customised with pens, felt and card accessories that also come with the kits. Another line is Animal Selfie Studio, an app-supported creative kit that allows the users to create animal versions of themselves, and can then make six different objects using the image they have created.

toy fair 2016

suncrest 85 B d n sta

www.suncresttrading.com

emma@suncrest.uk.com Toy World 228

01162328800

Toy Fair 2016

Alpha Toys

Amscan

Stand 610 00353 676 3800 | www.alpha-toys.co.uk Alpha Toys will be exhibiting new and different ranges at this year’s Toy Fair. The Siku brand continues to go from strength to strength with a successful year’s growth in 2015, and a very positive outlook for 2016.

This success has been built on the back of an increasing number of stockists in the UK, as well as the new product releases, which lead to sales growth. There were four series of releases throughout the year with new items in the blister model series, 1:87, 1:50, 1:32 tractor and attachments. The world series of sets was also expanded to allow for further play value. This meant that all categories within the brand had something new to offer.

In addition to that, the Bugatti Gift Sets: version three and four were released (a UK and Ireland exclusive to Alpha Toys). Such has been the success of these sets that versions five and six are planned for release later this year, which will enhance the other new items for 2016. There will also be a Siku Control Fendt Tractor with loader in the first series of releases. There is something of a new departure in Siku Control coming in the September/October release, with more information to be released later on in the year.

To complement the Siku range, Alpha Toys also distributes the Wiking sister brand of Siku, the premium collectors brand aimed at older children, collectors and adults.

Alpha Toys also distributes the Kids Globe Farming (Wooden Sheds) and Traffic ranges which are ideally suited to be stocked beside the 1:32 Siku range for add on sales.

Stand B75 01908 288 500 | www.amscan.co.uk Amscan has a portfolio of over 70 licensed properties and there will be a variety of licensed foil balloon ranges on display at the show.

Visitors can look out for new additions to Amscan’s offering including popular characters Super Mario, Nickelodeon’s upcoming new property Blaze and the Monster Machines, Justice League, Ever After High, Paw Patrol and many others.

Amscan’s collection of Star Wars foil balloons feature classic characters from the likes of Darth Vader and Yoda, to new Star Wars designs from the new movie. The range includes six different balloon types, from a hand held InflateA-Fun to the Storm Trooper and R2D2 AirWalkers.

In addition to the array of balloons, there will also be a variety of new costumes for toddlers and children. New licensed Barbie costumes are in the pipeline and new animal costumes for tiny tots. Key themes such as pirates, history, storybook characters and careers complete the range.

Fiesta Crafts Stand F66 020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

Fiesta Crafts’ threading kit contains lots of pieces and five laces, enabling children to create their own collection of vehicles for hours of creative play.

The new Magnetic First Writing Set has been designed to turn education into a fun activity, and to make learning an interactive experience.The company’s Read and Write Letters and Words pack contains 30 doublesided letter/word and picture magnetic pieces which can be used repeatedly to help children learn to write the alphabet and construct words as they develop.

The First Maths set includes magnetic picture pieces, a sums board, numbers and a counting board. Children can count pictures of familiar items like bananas or cars using illustrations.

Ashram

Stand GH23 +9725 4455 0587 | www.gimatriks.com After over 2,000 years of using Gematria as a secret tool for kabbalists, numerologists and scholars, Ashram saw the need to produce a game for all those who want to become skilled in this area.

Gimatriks is the result, a game based around equations and the crossword system which deals with letters and numbers in both English and Hebrew.

Ashram’s Gimatriks encompasses the use of language, mathematics, emotion, intellect, competition and cooperation. Designed with both adults and children in mind, it can be played alone or in a group and in any location.

Although dealing with a digital generation, Ashram recognised a growing thirst for direct human contact and interaction. Gimatriks not only allows for these interactions but strongly encourages them, inspiring children to believe in themselves and to think outside the box.

Toy World 230

Exciting new range of licensed cycle, skateboard and scooter accessories

3rd Floor, 220 Queenstown Road London, SW8 4LP www.litebulbgroup.com

Toy Fair 2016

Suncrest

Stand B85 0116 232 8800 | www.suncresttrading.com Suncrest Trading has been designing and supplying the private label nursery and toy industry for many years now with bedding collections, cuddly toys and change bags. Whilst this continues to go from strength to strength, the company is exhibiting at Toy Fair for the first time, where it will use this platform to launch its current ranges and new collections.

Suncrest will be showcasing its three nursery bedding collections with coordinating accessories, Beyond the Meadow, Fetch the Engine and Jolly Jamboree. Within the bedding category, the company will also be unveiling the new Guess How Much I Love You collection. Customers can be inspired by the great British countryside with the arrival of the activity toy range, Funberry Farm, as Sunny Jim the scarecrow takes centre stage.

There will also be plenty of hot new licences in plush which include Tiny Tatty Teddy and the new concept, Meiya & Alvin. For the little duo Meiya Mouse and Alvin Elephant, Suncrest has combined soft rubber elements and plush with a story book to bring the characters to life.

The company will also be releasing its refreshed wall stickers from Fun To See which aim to add a bit of fun to children’s bedrooms, alongside its own range of change bags.

Suncrest’s new ragdoll doll range will also launch at the show.

Revell

Stand Gallery 100 0845 459 0747 | www.revell.de/en Revell Control’s Quadcopter Steady Quad Cam features an automatic height setting function and an on-board camera for high definition pictures and videos. The Quadcopter Pure for beginners comes with a crash-proof frame and the Quadcopter Nano Quad Cam is the latest evolution of the Nano Quad. There is also a range of offroad RC cars, pick-up trucks, rock crawlers and buggies, plus a licensed range of 1:24 scale RC cars including the Porsche 918, Audi R8 and BMW Police Car. Revell Junior Kit bridges the gap between playsets and model kits. Large parts are snapped together and connected by screws and tools.

The newly packaged Revell model kit range features colour-coordinated packaging and colour manuals. Structured into five different skill levels, the range comprises Build & Play, Easykits and newly tooled model kits. This new concept is spearheaded with a Star Wars range. Other iconic model kit releases include the Citroen 2CV, Porsche Boxter and VW T-1 Samba Bus, all in 1:24 scale. New aircraft model kits include the BAe Hawk T.1, Boeing 777 and a newly tooled Avro Shackleton.

Trefl

Stand H30 07850 779 797 | www.trefl.com Trefl’s range in 2015 includes over 500 SKUs in nearly 20 jigsaw puzzle lines. On top of these the company also has board games, playing cards and arts and crafts items. At Toy Fair 2016, Trefl will be focusing on puzzles, showcasing all of its bestsellers. It will also be showing off its puzzles that are targeted at adults as well as children, which are based on well-known and popular characters.

Toy Fair will also see the company present new lines, Fun For Everyone and Trefl Little Planet, which the company is currently working on.

The team at Trefl is flexible and is always open to hearing customers’ needs and expectations regarding its puzzles and games, so that it can improve them and create more exciting products.

Toy World 232

For Ireland enquiries please contact: Banaghan & Co. Ltd. · Co. Tipperary Tel. +35367 63800 · Fax +35367 63801 info@banaghans.ie

For UK enquiries please contact: Alpha Toys Ltd. · Phone 0035367 63800 Fax 0035367 63801 · info@alpha-toys.co.uk

www.siku.de NEUHEITEN · NEWS · NOUVEAUTÉS M·A·RZ · MARCH · MARS 2016

SIKUSUPER

1384

Bentley Continental GT V8

BMW 520i Touring

1487 7

Traktor mit Palettengabel und Palette Tractor with fork for pallets and pallet Tracteur avec fourche à palette et palette

39211:500

1483

1459 459

KTM 1290 Super Duke R

17261:14000 Mein Schiff 1

260x75x48 mm / 10.2x2.9x1.9"

360x115x72 mm/14.1x4.5x2.8"

LKW mit Container · Truck with container · Camion avec conteneur

SIKUFARMER

32871:322

Fendt 1050 Vario

67781:322 316x171x125 mm / 12.4x6.7x4.9"

370x172x210 mm / 14.5x6.7x8.2"

Fendt 939 Vario mit Frontlader und Fernsteuermodul with front loader and remote control avec chargeur frontal et télécommande

Toy Fair 2016

Premier Licensing

Stand Gallery 415 07941 227 847 | www.bleachercreatures.co.uk Premier Licensing, one of the leading suppliers of licensed gift and sports accessories in Europe, hold over 20 licences for UK football and rugby clubs and associations. The company has recently announced an extension of its Bleacher Creatures range of plush figures to include the stars of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Bleacher Creatures are true-to-life plush figures that turn the greatest athletes and entertainment icons into characters. Aimed at the gift and collectibles market, the plush figures have proved a success in the US. This success has been replicated within the UK, since Premier Licensing was awarded the distribution rights for the UK and Ireland.

Within four years, an elite roster of athletes across a range of professional sports have been transformed into Bleacher Creatures plush figures, including the stars of Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer. Other Bleacher Creatures have taken their inspiration from the world of movies, TV and comic books, with plush figures dedicated to Superman, Wonder Woman, Hulk, Captain America, Avengers, Spiderman, Antman, Guardians of The Galaxy, Batman, Man of Steel, The Italian Stallion, Heroes of Middle Earth and many more.

The next step for the company has been a move into the world of the Premier League, with the first Bleacher Creatures from the English top flight set to prove a big hit on the terraces at The Etihad Stadium, Anfield and Stamford Bridge. For Manchester City, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and David Silva are the first to be immortalised in Bleacher Creatures form, along with stalwart captain, Vincent Kompany.

Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho are the initial Anfield quartet to meet their plush figure matches, while for Chelsea, there will be fan favourites John Terry, Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and JosĂŠ Mourinho.

In addition, five of the footballing superstars spearheading FC Barcelona’s table-topping start to their latest La Liga campaign also now boast Bleacher Creatures doubles. These include Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jnr.

Toy World 234

Underground Toys Stand E130 01621 854 654 | www.underground-toys.com

Underground Toys will be showing new products from existing and new ranges. The company’s displays will showcase its impressive portfolio of licences which include Star Wars, Marvel, Ghostbusters, Yo-Kai Watch, WWE, Doctor Who and the popular POP! Vinyl Figures among many others.

The company revealed its Marvel talking plush range at Toy Fair in 2015 which included various sized characters such as the Hulk, Rocket Racoon, Captain America and SpiderMan, all equipped with famous character phrases.

Fast forward a year, and the company has another selection of Marvel plush to share with visitors at this year’s Toy Fair, one of which is the 24” Talking Plush Groot.

Groot, the tree-like character from Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy movie, has been developed into a stylised talking plush which is soft yet powerful and resilient like his character. With embroidered features on corduroy material, this high quality plush stands at 24” tall. The spoken phrase is “I am Groot”.

Underground Toys’ Star Wars talking plush range continues to grow with many new items now added to the existing range. New characters are based on the newly released Star Wars: The Force Awakens film and will include the astrobot BB-8, Kylo Ren and the 12” Death Star Premium Plush, which comes with green LED laser lights and sounds.

The company will also be unveiling a new range of Star Wars homeware products which will be available in the UK. Products such as Darth Vader oven gloves, a Lightsaber cutlery set and a Death Star kitchen timer will be on display at the show.

Underground Toys has also developed a host of Marvel Civil War talking plush to sit alongside its existing Marvel range, which will include Black Panther, Winter Soldier and Falcon.

Also new to the Underground portfolio, and to be shared for the first time at Toy Fair this year, is the Yo-Kai Watch range. Retailers will be able to get a sneak peek of the new gifting range at the stand. The collection will include drinkware, talking pens and keychains, alongside storage containers and throws, all to complement the popular animation series.

The company will also be unveiling the newly acquired Assassin’s Creed licence at Toy Fair this year, with a range including products such as ice trays, bookends and throws.

Finally, a large range of POP! Vinyl Figures will be on the company’s stand at the show, covering many popular licences such as Harry Potter and Doctor Who. New releases for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Marvel Civil War movies will also be revealed for the first time, and will sit alongside ranges such as Vinyl Dorbz, POP! Tees and Mopeez.

Toy Fair 2016

Advertiser Index

A.B.Gee

Page 69

Galt Toys

Page 219

Papo

Page 191

Accentuate Games

Page 172

Games Gang

Page 169

Paroh

Page 57

Alpha Toys

Page 233

Generation Media

Page 35, 36, 37, 38

Posh Paws

Page 161

Anker International

Page 96, 97

Gibsons Games

Page 140

Premier Licensing

Page 221

Arklu

Page 195

Golden Bear

Page 165

Premium World

Page 227

Ashram

Page 216

GP Flair

Page 126, 127, 141

Rainbow Designs

Page 235

Asobi

Page 175

Grossman

Page 223

Ravensburger

Page 53

Bananagrams

Page 173

Halilit

Page 128, 129

Re:creation

Page 45

Bandai

Page 189

Hasbro

Page 32, 33

Redan

Page 79

BBC

Page 83

Hauck

Page 111

Revell

Page 201

Big Potato

Page 185

Horizon Hobby

Page 67

Rovio

Page 81

Bluw

Page 231

Hornby

Page 2, 3

Rubies

Page 61

Boj

Page 93

Hti

Page 109

Sakar

Page 215

Brainstorm

Page 131, 133, 135

IMC

Page 41

Schleich

Page 181

Carta Mundi

Page 217

Import Services

Page 239

Sega

Page 75

Casdon

Page 203

Interplay

Page 117, 119

Smart Games

Page 211

Character Options

Page 4, 125, Back Cover

Jazwares

Page 43

Spinmaster

Front Cover

Cheatwell Games

Page 180, 236

John Adams

Page 143, 145

Start Licensing

Page 93

Chicco

Page 121, 122

Jumbo

Page 63

Suncrest

Page 228

Citv

Page 59

Kidicraft

Page 51

Tactic Games

Page 147

Clementoni

Page 115

Knex

Page 137, 139

Tinderbox Consultants

Page 48

Click Distribution

Page 162, 163

Leapfrog

Page 105, 107

Tobar

Page 237

Coiledspring Games

Page 179

Learning Resources

Page 187

Tomy

Page 65

Copyrights

Page 87

Lego

Page 213

Topps

Page 49

Cuckoo

Page 46

Lisle International

Page 89

Trefl

Page 209

Diaframma

Page 9

Little Concepts

Page 167

Trends

Page 171

Dicey

Page 167

Magformers

Page 151

TY

Page 55

Dolu

Page 113

Maps Toys

Page 102, 103

Underground Toys

Page 177

DKL

Page 10, 48, 153

Marvins Magic

Page 229

University Games

Page 197

Dreamworks

Page 85, 91

Mattel

Page 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23

Vivid

Page 155, 157, 159

Epoch Making Toys

Page 199

Mele & Co

Page 62

Vtech

Page 7

Esdevium Games

Page 225

Milly and Flynn

Page 193

Warner Bros

Page 95

Eurofins

Page 111

Mipr

Page 8

Winning Moves

Page 183

Flying Gadgets

Page 234

Mondo

Page 99, 101

Wooky

Page 205, 207

Fremantle Media

Page 77

Nickelodeon

Page 71, 72

Worlds Apart

Page 25, 27, 29, 31

Funrise

Page 149

Orchard Toys

Page 227

Full-Time Sales Representative - North West England Who are we?

We’re a well established Games and Gift company with a proven track record of publishing great games and discovering great gifts. You’ll find our products in major high street stores, as well as independent retailers including Toy & Gift, Garden Centres, Visitor Attractions and Independent Department Stores. We’re looking for a full-time sales representative to look after our customers in the North West of England.

Who are you?

You already have a great track record in developing a territory. Ideally, you’ll have some experience in Toy & Gift, but most importantly you’ll have the ability to learn and to communicate the benefits of our product range to your customers.

What we’re offering our customers As well as offering great products with excellent retail margins, we think it’s time that our retailers were looked after by someone who totally understands their store, their requirements and their customers. When we’ve filled this role, we’ll be offering them a rep who knows our products inside out and has the focus that’s needed to grow sales for them (and by definition - for us). We’ll be offering them someone who has the confidence to advise on product selection (and that means saying ‘no’ as well as saying ‘yes’) and who works hard to ensure our retailers receive only the best customer service.

What we’re offering you A generous basic salary with commission, company car and expenses. We’ll also support you with a structured sales program, trade and consumer marketing and a set of resources at your fingertips to make looking after your customers as easy as it should be.

Oh, and more fun at work than you’ve probably ever had before.

For an informal chat in the first instance, please email info@cheatwell.com No agencies please.

Toy World 236

Ray Gun

Introducing

Wooden Cupcake Watch

new products for 2016!

Owl Grasshead

Clockwork Mermaid

Slime Monster

We have many more additions to our range at the shows.

Come and find us!

b a copy Make sure you gra nt! me of our new supple

Toy Fair, Olympia, GALLERY 305, 24 - 26 Jan Spring Fair, NEC, HALL 5 E20-E21, 7 - 11 Feb 01603 397105

sales@tobar.co.uk

www.tobar.co.uk

Allegedly

After all the relentless cacophony in advance, Black Friday seemed to pass more with a whimper than a bang, at least as far as the toy trade was concerned. In advance of the event, there had been speculation that consumers had been holding back their spending in anticipation of incredible deals that some observers suspected might not live up to expectation, and reports released in the aftermath of the event suggest that view may not have been too far from the truth. There were some decent deals to be had in the toy arena, but nothing that particularly eclipsed the multitude of deals that had already been on offer for the past month or so. And while internet traders seemed to be the main beneficiaries of any upturn in sales, it’s not an exaggeration to say that consumer fatigue for the whole event appears to have set in already. Mind you, having seen yet more footage of appalling behaviour over in the USA this year, it is to the eternal credit of British consumers that this hasn’t been replicated in the UK on this occasion.

Whatever happens to the concept moving forward, let’s hope we don’t see a return to the almost primal behaviour that was witnessed in some stores last year – that was most un-British….

It was, however, entirely predictable that increased online sales on Black Friday led to delivery problems for a number of major retailers. Argos publically apologised after consumers took to its Facebook site to bemoan late deliveries, bad customer service and undelivered items, while Early Learning Centre tweeted that customers should expect deliveries to take between 10-14 days in the wake of Black Friday. It seems that despite having a year to prepare for the challenges provided by Black Friday, delivery companies are still struggling to cope with the massive spike in demand. It is unlikely this will come as a surprise to anyone in the retail or logistics field, but consumers still seem to be struggling to comprehend the scale of the challenge, or indeed the likelihood of orders being placed that day arriving when they expect them to. Reading some of the posts from consumers on the Argos website, sanguine they were not – and Argos can’t even blame third party delivery services, having boosted their own fleet of delivery vehicles only months ago….

There is a clear winner in the ‘monumental cockup of the month’ stakes: in fact, cock-ups (plural) would perhaps be a more accurate description.

Step forward B & M Bargains, scourge of the independents and a retailer which – let’s be honest – is no stranger to controversy. On this occasion, B&M has been caught selling a fake copy of the hugely successful Pie-Face game. Not a ‘parallelmarketed’ copycat version (Pudding Face, Splat or something along those lines), but a fullyfledged blatant knock-off, complete with a copy of the barcode and Hasbro’s address by all accounts. A brazen move and, frankly, a huge error of judgement. But it gets worse; reducing the price to £4.99 on Cyber Monday almost certainly helped to alert Hasbro to the offending item. It doesn’t even stop there. Apparently, when Hasbro told B&M to remove the offending product from sale forthwith, head office sent an email to the stores insinuating that the product was faulty and had to be removed; one store stuck up what should have been an internal memo so it was visible on the

shop floor and – naturally – a customer saw it and put it on social media. A catalogue of errors which you literally couldn’t make up. But if this all sounds farcical, there is a serious side to the tale: surely B&M chairman Sir Terry Leahy will be concerned about the damage to his reputation caused by his company being linked to such an unsavoury incident. And it’s unlikely that B&M’s relationship with Hasbro has exactly been enhanced by the whole sordid affair. One can only imagine how independent retailers have reacted….

When the B& M story first broke in the Friday Blog, it certainly struck a chord – a number of people got in touch to elaborate on the subject, with one supplier admitting that “keeping counterfeiters at bay is nigh on impossible.” Another suggested a visit to the Alibaba website, where typing in the words ‘Pie Face’ brought up 178 entries, presumably all knock-offs (as an aside, original Pie Face brand owner Graham Thornton was recently emailed by a Chinese manufacturer offering him the opportunity to buy copies of the game, with the website even featuring a picture of the product in his old Rocket Games packaging!). Obviously, it’s not just Pie Face that is affected: 11,000 entries come up on Alibaba when you type in the word Lego, and we can all take a wild stab at how many are genuine. One wonders whether the Alibaba name is deliberately ironic, although at least the original Alibaba only had 40 thieves….

The iconic Times Square branch of Toys R Us finally closed its doors on 30th December. There is still no news about a potential new venue for its Manhattan flagship store, nor on where the giant animatronic T. Rex that greeted visitors to the store will end up next. Allegedly’s money is on Martin Grossman making them an offer….

It was great to see the toy trade rally round to support the Toy Shop in Cockermouth, which once again fell victim to the Cumbrian floods. Having been through a similar situation five years ago, owners Jonty and Fiona Chippendale did at least have some previous experience of how to handle things and were up and running again in no time.

Toymaster asked for donations of stock to help them get back on their feet quickly, and it was great to see that suppliers were more than happy to help. It’s nice to see the toy trade supporting one of their own in need – but in fairness I would expect nothing less from such a close-knit, friendly community.

Keel Toys’ Richard Keel has succeeded Great Gizmos’ Ian Dayus as Chairman of the Fence Club for 2016. Following an enjoyable Christmas party in December, the Fence Club has two further key events in January: the Hong Kong Football match and the Toy Fair party.

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14/12/2015 16:00

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