Toyworld july 2016

July 2016 volume 5 issue 10

July 2016 volume 5 issue 10

The business magazine with a passion for toys

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The NEW interactive learning system that’s PERFECT FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS!

The Team...

CONTENTS July 2016 volume 5 issue 10

John Baulch

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

30 Tech Toys

44 Educational Toys

Mark Austin

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

Graeme Thomas

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

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher

16 B&M interview

30 Tech Toys

06 News

22 NPD column

32 Company Profile: KD UK

14 Industry Moves

25 Talking Shop

34 Brand Profile: Teksta

18 Marketing World

56 Touching Base

36 Worlds Apart

20 Licensing World

70 Viewpoint

44 Educational Toys

98 Allegedly

58 Dress-up and Role-play 74 Construction Toys 86 Stationery

Anita Baulch

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

94 Wheeled Toys

Contributors David Ripley | Andy Clempson | Ruth Clement | Lutz Muller | The NPD Group | Martin Doyle | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes

Clarabel Jones

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

74 Construction Toys

94 Wheeled Toys

Jonika Kinchin

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

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elcome to the July issue of Toy World. As we enter the second half of the year, the all signs are encouraging – according to NPD, sales numbers have remained on an upward curve in the first six months of 2016, continuing the toy market’s strong performance of the past two years. A number of new ranges have got off to a promising start, though nothing appears to be racing clear of the pack at this stage: that said, it means that the market growth is spread across a number of different ranges and companies, rather than being concentrated in the hands of the few suppliers lucky enough to have the latest craze or hot licence.

Likewise, retail results have - in the main been positive across the board. In particular, toy suppliers will have breathed a collective sigh of relief at the news that Toys R Us has reached an agreement with noteholders to refinance approximately 50 per cent of its $850m debt.

The debt has been hanging over the retailer like the sword of Damocles for some while, and this latest move will undoubtedly be welcomed by toy companies across the globe. Toys R Us still has its challenges, arguably nowhere more so than in the UK, but at least it can now focus on its trading issues without the worry of the debt burden exacerbating the situation. Admittedly, to some extent it has simply kicked the can down the road, but that is surely a far better outcome than the alternative. Whatever challenges it faces, the global toy industry is undoubtedly richer for Toys R Us continuing to play a vital part in it.

As I write this column, a few days before the UK decides whether to remain as part of the EU or leave the organisation, one can but hope that - whatever the outcome - the referendum doesn’t derail the economic progress that has been made in recent years. UK PLC is in a relatively robust state at the moment, and the toy trade reflects that admirably: I’m sure we are all hoping for more of the same over the coming months and years.

As ever, we’ve curated a wealth of great content for you in this month’s edition, including an exclusive interview with B & M’s Simon Arora, looking at what the retailer is aiming to achieve over the next few years and the role that toys will play in its plans. I found Simon to be a refreshingly

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 10th September 2016

open and honest interviewee, and he has plenty of interesting things to say on B & M’s store count and its expansion plans, not to mention a final comment about contingency budget that has specifically been held back for the pre-Christmas period which I am sure many suppliers will be keen to follow up on.

In addition, our excellent roster of contributors covers a wide range of topics, including a review of first half trading; the relative paucity of toy-related marketing in the summer months; the growth of influencer marketing and the how to make the most of retail promotional initiatives. Our American correspondent Lutz Muller looks at the potential ramifications of the VTech acquisition of LeapFrog, while Generation Media’s Martin Doyle assesses the growing importance of Netflix and offers a handy comparison with the viewing figures of free-to-air and paid-TV channels. Like me, I’m sure that many of our readers will be interested to read an expert’s view of the relative merits of the different broadcast platforms, especially as more and more children’s shows are making their debuts on Netflix these days.

This month’s product features cover a multitude of disparate categories, including Construction Toys, Tech Toys, Stationery, Educational Toys, PreSchool Wheeled Toys and Role Play & Dress-Up. Encompassing everything from the latest cuttingedge technological developments through to the most traditional play patterns, there is literally something for everyone in our product round-ups.

So the toy business is healthy and our recent office move went as smoothly as we could have hoped for: all in all, it’s been a pretty good month, apart from hearing the devastating news that Paul Lamond Games’ Richard Pain had passed away.

Richard was a genuine character: charismatic, quirky, erudite and a man who clearly knew his business inside out, both in terms of the overall games market (he predicted numerous developments in the category to me long before they occurred) and also how to build a successful, sustainable games company. I learnt an awful lot from him over the years, as I have from many other successful business owners in the toy market. I still find it hard to believe that when I spoke to him recently, it would be for the last time. He was no age really, and he is gone far too soon. Paul Lamond Games will continue under the highly capable stewardship of Richard Wells, who has spent the past eighteen years working alongside Richard – but I am sure that he, like many others, will miss Richard’s indomitable presence.

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Toys R Us announces plan to refinance

The company has announced an agreement involving noteholders of approximately 50% of its $850m debt. These noteholders have agreed to support the company’s refinancing by participating in an exchange offer to extend its debt maturities. The company intends to refinance up to approximately 89% of these existing notes via the exchange offer, which ultimately involves the trading of its existing debt for newly issued debt maturing in five years.

Additionally, a third party has also agreed to purchase up to $50m of new debt, subject to the successful completion of the exchange offer. The debt is scheduled to mature in 2017 and 2018.

Dave Brandon, chairman and chief executive officer at the company, commented: “We’re pleased to have reached an agreement to refinance our debt. We believe this represents a significant step forward in our efforts to create a strong financial foundation and pursue long-term growth. I also want to extend my thanks to the individuals and teams who have worked tirelessly over the last several weeks on this deal.”

The company also announced preliminary estimated same store sales, net sales and adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter ended 30th April 2016. Consolidated net sales for the first quarter of 2016 are estimated to be $2,319m compared to $2,325m in the prior year period.

Consolidated same store sales for the first quarter 2016 are estimated to grow 0.9% compared to the prior year period. The company estimates first quarter 2016 adjusted EBITDA will be approximately $79m, an improvement of 13% from the first quarter 2015 adjusted EBITDA of $70m.

Cathay Capital recapitalises K’Nex Cathay’s recapitalisation of the company was completed with CEO Michael Araten, who brings almost a decade of experience running the family business.

The strategic partnership between Cathay and the K’Nex team was forged by Jerry Welch (former CEO of F.A.O. Schwarz) and John Lee (founder of Learning Curve Toys) from Bambini, strategic advisors to K’Nex. Bambini introduced Cathay as a partner to address the company’s desire to become a global company. The transaction was also structured to assist the founding family with a successful generational transition plan. Cathay has provided capital to the business and access to its global network for distributing K’Nex in China, Europe and other parts of the world.

Along with the senior management of K’Nex, the Araten and Talley families (next generation Glickmans) will continue to have significant ownership in K’Nex’s new holding company, Smart Brands, which was formed to acquire the interests of K’Nex and build the business into a global entity. Smart Brands will also seek to make complementary acquisitions in North America, Asia and Europe, primarily within the construction and educational products space.

Currently, K’Nex has a strong management team and retail presence in the UK, and this platform will now address the market’s broader desire for K’Nex products across Europe. The China roll-out of K’Nex products has already commenced with the hiring of two distributors, introduced to the company by Cathay.

K’Nex’s managing director UK Paul Fogarty told Toy World: “This is great news for the company. We needed a plan to help us grow the business and we believe we’ve found the right partner. The move will make more funds available for the UK business, which we can put behind marketing and promoting the brand, as well as product development. K’Nex has performed well since the dedicated UK operation was established, and this move will help us to take the brand to the next level. We’re anticipating strong growth across Asia, America and Europe over the coming years.

The fact that the family is still very much involved with the company is also really important.

facebook.com/DKL.Toys twitter.com/DKLtoys

DISTRIBUTING AND MARKETING QUALITY CHILDREN’S BRANDS FOR OVER 25 YEARS. tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing Ltd, 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK

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Kidtropolis partners with Guinness World Records, Hasbro…and Toy World

Toy Fair 2017 bookings showing strong progress

Toy Fair has once again received a high returnee rate with more than 80% of returning exhibitors, excluding those new in 2016, having already rebooked their stands for 2017.

This year, the show will return to its usual midweek dates of Tuesday 24th to Thursday 26th January in Kensington, London. With seven months still to go, the show has also welcomed a number of new exhibitor applications. New exhibitors for 2017 include Bachmann Europe, Hippychick, Great Pretenders International, Legler, Indigo Jamm and Tasma Products, amongst others.

The Greenhouse Area, dedicated to start-up companies looking to break into the industry or those exhibitors requiring a smaller space, is now 75% full. A number of this year’s Greenhouse exhibitors are now looking to move out of the area and onto the main show floor to expand their stands following a successful show in 2016.

Majen Immink, head of Toy Fair operations and sales, commented: “We’re thrilled with the current amount of rebookings, especially after what was a challenging year for the show in 2016. The high returnee rate reflects the endless support given to the show and demonstrates how important Toy Fair is to the industry. We are looking forward to welcoming exhibitors back in 2017 for another successful and vibrant Toy Fair.”

Potential 2017 exhibitors are encouraged to submit their online applications via www.toyfair.co.uk sooner rather than later, to avoid disappointment in what should be another buoyant year for Toy Fair and the toy industry.

Guinness World Records Live! will enable consumers to immerse themselves in a series of activities and attempt to break records. Simon Pilling, MD at Kidtropolis, commented: “I can’t wait to see how many records are broken at Kidtropolis. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for children and mums and dads from all over the UK.” The third annual ToyTesters.tv Awards will be held at Kidtropolis, and is now open for entries.

Shifting location in order to maximise consumer, press and blogger coverage in the run up to Christmas, the awards will honour toys as voted for by children only. The winners will be unveiled at Kidtropolis on press day.

Hasbro is the first partner to reveal plans for the show, confirming the involvement of My Little Pony, Nerf and Transformers. Activities will include the My Little Pony Friendship Bus, the Nerf Vault and a Transformers trailer, plus an original Peterbuilt 360 Optimus Prime truck.

Toy World will be publishing the Show Guide for the event. Publisher John Baulch commented: “Not only will the guide act as a comprehensive round-up of activities at the event, but visitors will also take the guide away with them, giving exhibitors the opportunity to target them with specific messages or promotional offers to help drive post-event sales.” For further details of how to be part of the show guide, contact Mark Austin or John Baulch at Toy World.

Coiledspring Games wins Best Family Game with CVlizations

The award was won at the UK Games Expo, where visitors were encouraged to vote for their favourite games.

The Best Family Game went to CVlizations, which is distributed by Coiledspring Games in the UK. CVlizations is developed by Jan Zalewski and features Granna’s distinct illustration. With a playing time of 45 minutes for ages 10 and up, it’s a perfect gateway game for families and friends.

Roger Martin, managing director, commented: “We were delighted to win. Not only is it a fabulous game but it also means we continue our winning streak. We’ve won one or more awards at UK Games Expo each year for the past seven years.”

CVlizations is available now from Coiledspring Games.

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Sainsbury’s Argos takeover faces investigation Competition regulators are taking a look at the retailer’s planned takeover amid competition concerns in a move that could potentially jeopardise the £1.4bn deal.

Its initial assessment considered comments on the tie-up before the first phase of the investigation kicked in. The watchdog said it must decide by 25th July whether the case then warrants a full probe, which could delay the deal’s expected completion.

The CMA said it must determine whether Sainsbury’s plans are likely to result in a “substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services”.

Toy Trust extends support to all registered UK children’s hospices

Following an unexpected and extremely generous personal donation from toy industry stalwart Richard Beecham, the Toy Trust will now be able to support every children’s hospice registered in the UK. The Toy Trust made a strategic decision to provide specialist play equipment to UK children’s hospices in 2016, many of which have huge running costs with little funding available for play equipment. The dedicated Toy Trust funding this year will provide crucial play experiences for children with life-limiting illnesses and their siblings.

Foye Pascoe, chair of the Toy Trust Committee, said: “Through Richard’s generosity, a lasting legacy will be left with many more children and their families through the Toy Trust’s initiative.”

In addition, overseas charity East African Playgrounds will receive a grant of £60,000 to build 13 new playgrounds in refugee camps, local early childhood development and nursery centres and government schools in Uganda.

newsanalysis All the Fun of the Fest

The second FunFest Blogger Summit will take place on Saturday, 10th September at Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire. The event provides bloggers with the opportunity to learn from their peers and leading media experts, be introduced to some of the top brands in toys and the pre-school market, as well as attend masterclasses and conferences on how to make the most out of their blog or site. It is the only blogger event where people are encouraged to bring their children, and entertainment will be provided for them by the brands and toy companies attending. Jonika Kinchin spoke to Kirsty Barr and Jonathan Rose from MiPR Global, to find out more about this year’s event.

Q: What makes this year’s event different to the last?

A: After a successful launch last year, we have made a few gentle adaptions to 2016’s event. This year we will be holding the conference in the morning, and the expo will begin at midday. We have also arranged for children to be looked after by childcare professionals, if parents wish. There will also be a member of the MiPR Global team present in each of the rooms to make sure everything runs smoothly, and to help start conversations when needed, although companies are invited to bring their own PR representatives with them. Vicki Psarias is the headline speaker at this year’s event. She developed a successful business out of her blog and is looking to share her experience with the blogger community.

Q: What makes FunFest different to other blogging events?

A: One of our main USPs is that we invite bloggers to bring their children along, where others don’t allow this. Exhibiting brands will once again be supplying entertainment areas, which will allow bloggers as well as the brands to see how children interact with the products, which will in turn give them the opportunity to see what will work for their blog.

Q: What opportunities does the event offer to brands and suppliers?

A: As well as meeting influential bloggers to potentially work with, we have opportunities for brands to sponsor and support certain rooms, such as the networking room and the children’s room. FunFest offers a direct and pleasant atmosphere for brands to really find out how bloggers can help boost business. We also offer a budget to suit everyone, we understand that smaller products don’t necessarily need to have huge display or activity areas, so we are able to cater for whatever may be required.

Q: Which companies are already on board?

A: We have a variety of companies from the toy industry taking part, including Topps, JCB, Falk, The Entertainer, Addo Play, Kids@play and Jumbo. Sam Johnson from JCB will be speaking at one of only two brand spotlight sessions to pitch directly to all the bloggers in a 10 minute session. The other space isn’t yet filled and is open to any new exhibitors who want that option as part of their package. More brands attending will be confirmed in the near future.

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Toy World 10

R O L E P L A Y F A V O U R IT E S Mr Tumble’s Textured Spotty Bag

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Lego to open flagship store in Leicester Square The Lego Group’s new London location is currently planned to open in late 2016. Following the recent unveiling of stores in Paris and Shanghai, the new landmark site will be the Lego Group’s 37th store in Europe, covering 5,420 square feet over two floors in the prestigious Swiss Court redevelopment on Leicester Square.

A recruitment drive commenced last month, creating approximately 45 permanent jobs in central London.

“Our new venue is in a fantastic location for visitors to the capital. It will feature innovative interactive technology not yet experienced in a Lego store, and will be a fun and engaging encounter for all the family,” said Ward Van Duffel, vice president of direct to consumer EMEA at The Lego Group. “We are confident that the Lego Store in Leicester Square will provide residents of and visitors to Central London with a must-see destination in a unique environment.”

To celebrate the city of London, The Lego Group has also announced a Creator Expert scale copy of Big Ben and the Parliament buildings. The completed build will stand over 60cm high and features a detailed façade with statues, shields and windows and a clock tower with four adjustable clock dials.

The set will be available through shop.lego.com and Lego stores from 1st July.

KD UK selects Import Services as logistics partner

Import Services will provide supply chain services from product sources in the Far East and Europe to supply its customers in the UK and Ireland.

KD UK has a significantly enlarged product portfolio and a new strategy to add domestic supply alongside established FOB trading. The partnership with Import Services Southampton will combine both a container port location with knowledge, systems and great experience in KD’s retail sector.

Seth Bishop, managing director at KD UK, commented: “We are bringing greater product and operational choice to our customers, and this business expansion needed a credible and experienced partner. KD UK is pleased to have appointed Import Services and looks forward to operating from their Southampton facilities.”

Mike Thomas, client services director at Import Services, commented: “We are delighted to be selected by KD, which now partners with us as another forward thinking client, managing strong brands within the toy and kids play retail sectors.”

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UKTI funding granted for 2017’s Hong Kong Toy Fair

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has once again secured UK Trade & Investment grants for eligible UK pavilion exhibitors for the 2017 show. The development follows the tremendous success of the UK pavilion in 2016.

Stuart Whitehill, account director at Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, commented: “Retaining our location at the front entrance to level three will undoubtedly see a superb repeat performance with a steady flow of visitors over the course of the four-day show. We have also managed to increase our area with the organisers, so will be looking to attract even more companies to join us and experience this truly fantastic show.”

In addition, and exclusively for the UK pavilion exhibitors, the organisers are offering free customised business matching and publicity worth $390.

To find out more about joining the show, the UK pavilion and how to apply for a £2,500 UKTI grant, please contact Stuart Whitehill either by at email stuart@ overseasfairs.co.uk or phone on 01564 784 999.

Argos unveils top toy predictions for Christmas 2016 According to Argos, the toys set to feature on children’s wish lists this Christmas are: Zoomer Chimp, Paw Patrol Air Patroller, Lego City Volcano, VTech Toot Toot Drivers Goldmine, Nerf Modulus Tri-Strike, Tiny Treasures Baby Doll, SelfieMic, Design a Friend Tiffany, Snuggles My Dream Puppy, Fisher Price Codeapillar and BB-8.

Linzi Walker, chief toy buyer for Argos, commented: “This year’s list shows just how much toys are evolving – lots of our top toys have their roots in parents’ Christmas past. Now they’ve truly moved on, with more sophisticated tech, realistic lifelike functions and up-to-date pop culture references. We’ve progressed from the toy caterpillar that toddlers could pull across the floor, to one that starts infants on the road to coding, and while past Christmases might have featured a karaoke machine, this year kids will be making and sharing their own pop videos with a SelfieMic.” Argos also polled 1,000 children aged five to 13 for their insight into what toys will star on Christmas wish lists in a decade’s time. Almost a quarter predicted self-building Lego (23%) and one in five toys that can tidy themselves away. They also predict more virtual reality games (41%), conversational robots (40%) and toys that never run out of batteries (37%).

The poll also revealed that construction toys are the most played-with toys (72%), with Lego being named the favourite toy ever by 19% of kids. Over a quarter of parents (27%) use science-based toys to set their little ones on a tech career path.

Pinarello Bikers present £264,000 to Alder Hey Children’s Charity Sambro’s Nikki Samuels and his team have completed their charity bike ride across France, smashing their £250,000 target.

Nikki, Naresh Abrol, Simon Showman and Bobby Arora from B&M completed the 600km cycle to raise money for much-needed neurosurgery equipment. Presenting a cheque for £264,000 to the hospital, the team were delighted to meet Benedetta Pettorini, one of the consultant neurosurgeons at Alder Hey. Benedetta is one of the surgeons who will be using the new equipment purchased with the donation, leading the research to help make surgery even safer and less invasive for young patients.

Nikki Samuels commented: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone in the toy industry who donated to this amazing cause. This generosity really spurred us on throughout the bike ride as we saw the funds increasing by the day. We are really proud that this money will be used to help patients at Alder Hey - a brilliant hospital that leads the way in neurosurgery for young patients.”

Toy World 12

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industry moves Simba Smoby appoints new head of marketing and licensing

MGA promotes Nicola Mellor

Jim Procter-Blain is to take on the new role, joining from Hornby Hobbies where he was head of marketing. He replaces Alex Kovacevic, who is leaving to undertake an MBA at Duke University in the US. Jim commented: “I am delighted to be joining Simba Smoby at such an exciting time. The business is clearly on a real upwards trajectory, and I’m really looking forward to being part of that growth.”

Richard Belford, sales director at Simba Smoby, added: “It’s a huge pleasure to welcome Jim to the team, and to bring onboard someone with his experience, not only of brand building, but also of working in some of our key retailers.”

Kidicraft completes its sales team Kidicraft has completed its new sales team with the addition of Brian Sage as agent for the North of England.

The company’s full list of agents now reads: • Brian Sage (07787 108 453) - North of England • Andrew McCormick (07802 626 517) - Ireland • Karen Muircroft (07788 590 711) - Scotland • Mike Harrison (07778 035 047) - The Midlands • Raymond Nedas (07733 361 898) – London, South East and East Anglia • Stephanie Stewart (07702 884 388) - South Wales and the South West.

• Terry Hicks (07976 707 838) - The Isle of Wight.

Richard Greaves, business development manager for Kidicraft, commented: “We’re pleased that these top agents have chosen the Kidicraft range as part of their portfolio, and it just goes to show how highly they regard our products.”

Kevin Jones to join RP2 The former head of Spin Master Europe is joining the RP2 Global team as a consultant.

Kevin will be working on the global rollout of the Oddbods toy line. The range will be launching in the UK this month through Golden Bear, which has secured strong retail support for the brand. This will be followed by several other EMEA markets.

Kevin commented: “The initial strategic focus will be to work with the team to secure and develop new IP opportunities with global or multi-national rights, and to harness the strength and experience of the team across content, media and toy innovation.”

The company has promoted Nicola from brand manager to senior brand manager. MGA’s UK MD, Andrew Laughton, commented: “Nicola was instrumental in the relaunch of Bratz last year, working closely with colleagues across the globe to ensure a coherent, joined up strategy. We’re delighted to announce her promotion to senior brand manager, a testament to her commitment and ability.”

In addition to working on the Bratz range, Nicola will now be responsible for new collectible property, Num Noms, as well as GelA-Peel, an arts and crafts brand set to launch later this year.

New appointment for Paul Lamond Fraser Kirkwood will head up Paul Lamond Games’ Art and Craft division. Joining the company from Eurowrap, he has been brought on board with the objective of expanding the businesses’ art and craft market specifically amongst specialised art and craft retailers throughout the UK. He has over two decades of commercial sales experience and extensive expertise in the retail sector. As national accounts director with Chroma Europe for over 10 years, Fraser was responsible for maintaining and achieving sales growth in key accounts and will now be looking to champion Paul Lamond’s Crafty Kids division amongst specialised retailers.

Grossman director retires Caroline Brotherton has retired after 20 years at the company. With her fiancé Wallace at her side, she plans to use her retirement present, a motor home, which is a personal gift from the Grossmans, to travel.

She commented: “I’ve had 20 years doing my dream job. Grossman is an extension of my family and there is no doubt I will miss everyone very much. Martin and I were the Ying and Yang of the business, with different ways of working and a totally different idea of what was a priority, but that difference in personalities and skills combined to make a really successful team.”

Martin Grossman commented: “Of course it’s sad to see Caroline retire from the company and we wish her nothing but the best. Caroline has the respect and loyalty of everyone inside the company and many people in the toy industry - we all think the world of her.”

HTi announces new appointments Michelle Dalziel has been appointed to the role of licensing manager and Linsey Sykes to the role of licensing and marketing assistant.

Michelle has worked for HTi for two years, having previously held the position of UK national account manager.

She will be responsible for identifying and developing new licence opportunities for the company, as well as managing existing licensing business relationships.

Linsey has recently graduated and has held marketing positions with other firms, bringing valuable experience to the newly created role. She will be assisting with various trade and consumer marketing and PR activities, Michelle Dalziel trade shows and showroom origination as well as licence management.

Toy World 14

Linsey Sykes

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Feature

Face to face

b loomin’ m arvellous

Following the unveiling of a stellar set of results for the past financial year, John Baulch spoke to B&M Bargains’ Simon Arora about the company’s expansion plans for the coming year, and the role which toys plays within the retailer’s overall product mix.

JB: You must be absolutely delighted with the 2016 results?

SA: It’s been a strong year for us, we’re delighted to have grown the revenue by 24%. For a business that only 10 years ago consisted of 20 or so shops in Lancashire, we’ve been on a rollercoaster ride.

JB: It’s a fantastic achievement getting to 500 stores – what’s the realistic limit? Are you going to reach a point where you run out of suitable outlets to open, or start to cannibalise existing stores?

SA: We have a publically stated target of 850 stores for the UK, so we have some way to go yet. Large parts of the country don’t currently have a B&M store in their catchment area: we’re particularly under-represented in the south of England, where less than 20% of the population has access to a B&M in the locality.

Essentially, at the moment we’re a regional retailer on a journey to becoming a national retailer. I always say that the people of Southampton are no different to the people of Northampton: everyone loves a bargain.

JB: You opened 79 new stores last year – how many are you planning to open this year?

SA: We’re quite disciplined when it comes to our rate of growth. We only aim to open 50 stores a year. That means we can be choosy about the sites we’re considering, and only pick the best in terms of location, the size of store, parking and all the other key factors which are important in ensuring a successful and profitable outlet. I’d rather have seven years of steady, ongoing growth than trying to rush it all through in a couple of years and sometimes ending up in unsuitable locations. Landlords think we’re creditworthy and we’re happy to sign a 10-year lease, so in turn they are prepared to offer or even build stores that meet our ideal criteria. That way, we’re not just waiting for other retailers to vacate their premises, we’re pro-actively building a store estate to our specification. So to answer your original question, we’re looking at opening 50 stores this year and a further 50 stores next year.

JB: What role will consumer advertising play in your future growth?

SA: We posted sales of £2 billion last year, yet the TV advertising budget to date has been zero. It’s a business which has been built on word of mouth. However, as we grow our presence nationally, it makes sense to look at a national ad campaign at some stage. In fact, we are taking the initial steps as we speak, so watch this space.

JB: What percentage of your turnover currently comes from toys?

SA: 10% of our overall turnover comes from toys, but obviously that figure is very seasonal. For our key price category - £30 and below – we are now very much a destination for toys. We have at least four million

people coming through our doors every week. Half of our stores are in town and half are out of town: with the out of town stores in particular, people have to make a conscious effort to come and visit us, so that shows how much of a destination store we’ve become.

JB: Is toys a growing sector for B&M? SA: The toy category is definitely a growing part of our business model. As we become better established nationally and grow our store count, the volumes we deliver are significant, so it makes absolutely no sense for suppliers not to be working with us. It’s at the heart of our business model to keep our SKU count tight. So when we select a line, we shift incredibly high volumes.

We buy deep rather than broad, which is very attractive to suppliers. Another of our key strategies is that the monetary benefit of buying high volumes is passed on to the consumer, rather than keeping it ourselves in additional margin. It’s simple: the more affordable we make a product, the more we sell. Ultimately we offer suppliers a very efficient way of getting product to market: we’re not greedy on margin. So if suppliers don’t have product on our shelves, that spend is going to their competitors.

JB: Do you work with suppliers to maximise cooperative advertising opportunities?

SA: Increasingly, we’re finding that suppliers are adding our logo to their TV ads – it all comes back to the four million people that visit us every week.

Suppliers can see the benefit of making them aware that their products are available in our stores. We’re one of the few retailers in the UK that is increasing its store count – others are retrenching from the online onslaught. But we’ve demonstrated that there is a model that still works in bricks and mortar.

JB: What is your approach to product selection?

SA: Our philosophy on product selection is very much ‘keep it simple stupid’. We make fast decisions, usually within 24 hours. So suppliers can have an order within a day of showing us a sample and giving us a price.

Some larger retailers can become bureaucratic and

Toy World 16

Simon Arora suppliers can wait months for a decision – by contrast, we’re not buying by committee, there is no drawn-out decision-making process: we give immediate feedback and suppliers can have their product in our warehouse within a week.

JB: In hindsight, do you regret the Pie-Face situation which occurred last year?

SA: Of course. Unfortunately, there was a supplier in the market place with rogue, unlicensed product which found its way onto a number of retail shelves, including our own. We were very pro-active in helping trading standards to close that supplier down. That company has now ceased trading and we were instrumental in helping to bring that about. It was a hugely regrettable incident, but it’s a chapter which is now very much closed.

JB: Given your buying flexibility, are there still opportunities for toy suppliers to get product into B&M Stores for this autumn winter period?

SA: We have a policy of keeping some ‘open to buy’ budget back for the all-important festive season.

We’re hungry for stock, hungry for deals. We have a buying budget of £7 million left open, so we hope toy suppliers will get in touch with some great offers for us to consider.

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

Fireman Sam launches summer safety campaign The annual initiative, run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), aims to raise awareness of childrelated accidents and how they can be prevented.

Launching alongside Child Safety Week, which took place from 6th to 12th June, the campaign is aimed at teaching children and parents about summer safety using Fireman Sam’s Top Ten Summer Safety Tips.

Bringing these important tips to life, Fireman Sam and his team also feature in fun animated videos that will ensure all members of the family are aware of the potential hazards that can cause accidents during the summer.

Helen Genia, consumer products category manager of Mattel UK, commented: “Fireman Sam is a great role model who champions action, bravery, community and safety within everyday life. The Summer Safety campaign is a relevant and fun way to relay key safety messages to children and parents during the summer, and what better way to kick it off than by teaming up with CAPT around Child Safety Week.”

Yvolution pilots safety programme The campaign took place at the end of June and was designed to educate children and parents about the importance of safety when taking a first foray on wheels.

Nurseries and pre-schools were recruited for the activity through a recent awareness week on www.UKMums.tv.

Each setting received a Y Velo Balance Bike, safety helmets and pads plus instructions on how to hold one-on-one sessions with the little ones in their charge.

The emphasis was on safe fun, with cones and other items to create a course to practice on. In addition interactive balance activities, cycle mazes, certificates and take home materials furthered the experience and awareness for the Yvolution Junior brands of Y Velo and Glider.

Analei Samaseia, Yvolution’s senior marketing manager, commented: “2016 is a year when we’re ramping up activities across our entire portfolio. The Yvolution scooters and balance bikes make the ideal first step into wheeled fun and we take the quality of our bikes and scooters very seriously, as well as the safety of those who own them. Our aim was to pilot this programme for 2016 with a view of making it wider reaching for next spring.”

Interplay’s Disney TV sponsorship on the go The company’s new My Fairy Garden range is sponsoring the Fairy Tale Hour on Disney Junior for three months during the summer holidays.

The Fairy Tale Hour features some of the most popular shows on the TV channel such as Sofia the First and Disney Fairies, meaning the campaign is going to deliver a considerable level of awareness for the My Fairy Garden brand.

Interplay’s UK marketing manager, Meric Pekcan-Butcher, said: “We identified Disney Junior as the perfect platform for us to reach our target audience. This sponsorship campaign will enable us to emotionally engage with the children, and we believe this is an important step towards building the brand.”

My Fairy Garden has been developed to help encourage children to interact with nature. The brand is being promoted with a multi-channel marketing campaign to ensure a high level of brand awareness.

Character Options to launch Talkative Teksta Toucan Character Options is to launch its Talkative Teksta Toucan with the help of one of the UK’s top child YouTube stars Tiana, creating a series of chat shows under the banner Teksta TV which will air later this month.

The Teksta TV series will be hosted on Tiana’s Toys AndME YouTube channel which boasts almost 1 million followers and has achieved 750 million views in just over 12 months. In the series, Tiana will use her own style of talking to her audience with a special co-presenter, the Teksta Toucan. Features will include her favourite unboxings, plus humorous snippets of news and gossip. The new Generation Teksta Puppy will also be a star, making his own presence felt in the shows.

Mark Hunt, Character Options’ marketing manager, commented: “Tiana is one of the big stars of YouTube, and while we have worked with her all year with unboxing, it’s great to create a specific campaign that will capture her unique ability to engage with her audience.

The Teksta TV videos will also be available to view on a far-reaching digital campaign with SuperAwesome, and news of the series will also be highlighted in a number of children’s press ads. On top of this will be a heavyweight TV campaign, media visits, plus a personal appearance of both Teksta Toucan and Puppy at the Gadget Show Live at Westfield during October half term.”

Toy World 18

Living in a digital world

This month, Martin Doyle shares his musical tastes as he examines whether a kids’ show can have the same impact via digital as it can on TV, and whether the former can ever replace the latter.

S

ometimes my music taste betrays my age. Despite the band going their separate ways well over a decade before I was born, I’m a huge fan of The Beatles. Perhaps it’s innate; I’m from that part of the world. I’m still pursuing my mission to collect hard copies of all the band’s albums and must admit that for music, digital is not always my preference.

So naturally, I’m very excited about the launch of Beat Bugs – a new cartoon featuring the songs of the Fab Four; I’ll definitely be tuning in. I read in last month’s Toy World that the show will be launched on Netflix “…with free to air to follow”. It’s something that I’m increasingly asked about by clients – can a kids’ show have the same impact via digital as it can on TV, and can the former ever replace the latter?

The number one issue we have with Netflix is the lack of transparency. VOD services don’t yet disclose anything like the wealth of TV data that we can access through industry standard tools. But we can work it out: Netflix has 5.2m subscribers in the UK, according to Statista. Using government data, I calculate that a maximum of 6.1m kids have access to Netflix – and we’re assuming here that 100% of them are using the service. The UK kids 4-15 TV universe is 8.9m. If we look at it in this way, Netflix actually has quite a low penetration in comparison to free-to-air TV, although not too dissimilar to paid TV penetration. So technically, Netflix has the scope to provide a good launch platform for a licence.

Of course, there are other digital routes, such as YouTube. Many shows have taken this option: one example being Masha & the Bear. Masha gained a cult following through its original

Russian YouTube channel, having launched in around 2011. Its big success on YouTube led to Turner picking up the episodes as a Cartoonito show. So digital platforms can clearly be a good barometer of public opinion.

Google Trends tells us that whilst the internet helped to build a following, it was only when the show debuted on TV in July 2014 that search interest really began to build. So TV was arguably contributing to digital success.

Furthermore, when the official, English language YouTube channel launched, search index rose to its highest level to date, and has sustained the high level of interest for the show and brand.

From a different perspective, the official Masha YouTube channel has 873,000 subscribers worldwide with seven-minute, English language episodes. One video had cleared 50m views at the time of writing, having been available for three years. I’ve totted up that new videos uploaded to the Masha YouTube channel in the past year have garnered around 100m views worldwide.

Making a liberal assumption that one in four of those views came from the UK, that’s around 25m impressions for Masha in the UK. A runaway success, right? In comparison, Masha on Cartoonito has generated 34m individual impacts via the TV medium. Peppa Pig totalled 1.48bn impacts in the UK in 2015 (468m kids aged 4-15) and SpongeBob SquarePants managed 200m impacts (119m kids 4-15), again purely through TV. So whilst popular YouTube videos may seem like they generate big numbers, when held up against TV broadcasts, they’re actually not as blockbusting as first

Martin Doyle - Head of digital Tel: 0207 307 7098. martin.doyle@generationmedia.co.uk thought.

Whilst Netflix, YouTube and equivalent platforms have a role to play in seeding and supporting content, the traditional TV set is still critical in reaching mass market audiences.

Too often TV and digital are seen as either/ or, or at least ring-fenced financially, when it’s actually about both mediums working side by side to maximise brand potential. Our advice is to use the strengths of both – digital/online is great for fixing a hole; making content available when a TV show is off air, in a fast, low cost way, and TV for achieving mass-market coverage in a quality environment. Masha and The Bear demonstrates that both can contribute to overall brand awareness and commercial success. To get back to Beat Bugs, I expect a similar rise to prominence. And, if I’m very lucky, another Beatles revolution.

Nickelodeon and Toys R Us Europe announce partnership The partnership with Toys R Us Europe will bring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to select Toys R Us locations in Europe throughout the summer. In tandem with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Nickelodeon will have a strong presence at Toys R Us in the UK, Spain, Portugal, France and Poland, including special in-store feature shops and digital experiences, as well as an exclusive sweepstake.

Customers will be immersed in all things Turtles, including a dedicated space in the front of store honouring the crime-fighting reptiles, as well as special designated store meet and greet appearances by Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have also taken over the Toys R Us Europe ecommerce site, social media channels and more.

Additionally, Toys R Us Europe will exclusively offer its customers new Turtles products from Playmates Toys, including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Mask, which is available in-store now. All Toys R Us stores will also feature the new Mega Bloks range across movie and core animation products.

“At Toys R Us, we’re intently focused on delivering an enhanced customer experience, leveraging our global footprint and position as the toy authority to bring kid-favourite characters and stories to life in our brick-and-mortar and web stores,” said Richard Barry, global chief merchandising officer at Toys R Us. “Our partnership with Nickelodeon allows us to bring these cherished heroes to children across Europe, providing them with opportunities to experience this brand in new ways.”

Toy World 19

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

Tomy enjoys record sales for Pokémon’s 20th year Tomy, the master toy licensee for Pokémon, has reported record-breaking figures for its range of action figures and plush. The UK YTD Pokémon EPOS sales are up 144%, while the first quarter results doubled in comparison to January to March 2015.

Tomy is celebrating the property’s milestone 20th year with a range of limited edition action figures and plush. The company is committed to creating individual product programmes for each of its major retail partners. Throughout the year retailers will release exclusive products, allowing fans the opportunity to collect unique and limited edition Pokémon characters.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Tomy will be building on its core figure range with the introduction of new characters in proportionate scales.

New products also include the Throw ‘n’ Pop Poké Ball Assortment. There are four to collect in a range that consists of Pikachu & Poké Ball, Chespin & Premier Ball, Fennekin & Great Ball and Froakie & Ultra Ball.

Tomy has also paid tribute to Pikachu by interpreting the Pokémon as a huggable Feature Plush, complete with sound animation and illuminated cheeks.

Camilla MacQueen, UK brand manager, said: “We’ve launched a targeted communication strategy for the Pokémon range across TV, YouTube and online to ensure that we appeal to consumers all year round.

We’ve also brought the Pokémon range to life in store, with engaging online videos to drive conversion, alongside Pokémon character events.”

Talking Tom to take over TV

After racking up 3.6 billion app downloads, and reaching out to 250 million active monthly users from more than 230 different countries and territories, Outfit7 has announced that Talking Tom and Friends is now ready to take over TV, launching on Turner’s channel, Boomerang in the UK in late 2016.

This is a new milestone for the brand, which has already become a YouTube sensation with over 514 million views of the animated series. Outfit7 has also announced that the new app, Talking Tom Gold run, will be released this month.

Beano announces launch of multiplatform children’s entertainment offer

Beano Studios will create content including new film and TV programmes, a digital platform, live theatrical experiences, consumer products and the much-loved comic and annual.

The heart of the offer will be a new digital entertainment network launching in autumn 2016, packed with content true to the spirit of The Beano.

Launching in autumn with Beano.com as its new hub, and working across YouTube and PopJam, the network will be available on all devices.

Beano Studios is also working with global broadcast partners to create a new take on the character of Dennis in the new Dennis and Gnasher – Unleashed! Launching in autumn 2017, this new 52 x 11” series sees Dennis and Gnasher in CGI animation for the first time.

JNH Europe extends range

A selection of Angry Birds furniture has recently been added, and is proving extremely popular.

JNH’s product range is expanding constantly with new furniture pieces and designs. These are all in addition to the current range which includes a foam flip-out sofa, beds, playhouses, table and chair sets, moon chairs, outdoor patio sets, folding chairs and much more. These also feature other current licences including Disney Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Princess, Cars, Avengers, Spiderman, Doc McStuffins, Winnie the Pooh, Sofia, Star Wars, Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with Blaze being the newest addition.

All of JNH Europe’s products are suitable for either bedrooms, playrooms or outdoors. They are easy to clean and are made with lasting and durable materials.

Licensing World 20

NPD Column The value of a craze The NPD Group’s Rory Partis looks at the effects an unexpected craze can have on the industry.

T

he “latest craze” is a term that gets used a lot these days to describe anything from a new type of music, a new way of exercising to a new healthy eating fad. For the toy industry, it is a welcome phrase as it usually means a healthy boost to the market. The toy trade sees a number of crazes in any given year, depending on what is going on and also depending on your definition of a craze. For the purposes of this column we are going to define it as a playground craze or pocket money craze, something that wasn’t really expected to happen or came as a bit of a surprise. Importantly, they only usually last a few months before petering out. These crazes can have a significant impact on the market in any given year and for that reason they can be very important, the difference between an average and an exceptional year.

Looking back, we have had some fantastic examples of crazes in the toy market over the last few years: one of the best examples was the loom band craze in 2014. This was a product that was very simple, inexpensive and captured children’s imaginations for the summer months, before rapidly disappearing. Loom band products brought in around £20m in 2014 and added 8.5m units to the market, that’s a huge number and helped the yearend figures to be +5% in value and +12% in volume.

In fact, 2014 is a great example of a year having a couple of big crazes as we also had the World Cup in 2014 and therefore experienced sticker mania. World Cup items amassed a total of £21m in value for the year, of which most was sold from weeks 14-28; a huge sum over a period of just 14 weeks. Having both those crazes in the same year added over £40m to the toy market. If we were to take away those crazes from the overall figures, then the trend for the full year would have dipped under +3% growth. As I mentioned before, these crazes can be the difference between a very good year and just a decent year.

The downside to crazes is that they are often short lived, raising the issue of what will replace the value the year after; hence the need for another craze. In 2015 there was no particular craze as such, but the

industry had such a strong year for movie related product Euros 2016 sales just as high as that the market Millions £ actually grew £12 more at +6% in £10.6 value. However, £10 the impact is still seen in terms of £8 volume, where the market £6 was down -5%; stickers alone sold 16m units in £4 £3.1 2014, which is a large volume to £2 replace.

Looking at £0 2016, we should YTD May 13 YTD May 14 see football stickers add The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential good value to the market once again. 2014 was one of the best performances we have seen from collectible stickers, and this year’s Euros should add a similar value with four home nations competing. At the time of writing, with May data just released, it is clear that Euro 16 soccer properties have brought in a similar value to those of the World Cup in 2014, around £8m, so we’re on track to match the £21m figure we saw back then.

And who knows, if one of the home nations has a decent run in the tournament, then we could see sales soar even higher.

Collectibles look set to be one of the big themes of 2016: Shopkins has remained one of the best performing properties so far this year for girls, while for boys we’ve also seen strong sales from both Star Monsters and Fungus Amungus in the action figure collectible category. Thus far in 2016, we haven’t witnessed an unexpected craze, something to rival loom bands from a couple of years ago. But that’s the thing with a craze, you can never be sure just when it might happen.

Cards/Collectable Stickers Sales same stage for World Cup 2014

£10.0

£4.6

YTD May 15

Document classification: Internal Only

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

Toy World 22

YTD May 16 Source The NPD Group | UK EPOS Data

1

Rory Partis

executive director

Feature

Face to face

Pilgrim’s Progress Toy World spoke to HTI’s global licensing and brand director Alison Downie, née Pilgrim, to find out how 2016 is shaping up for the company What is the main product focus for HTI this year?

The strategy for HTI is to concentrate on the key categories for which the company is known and has an excellent track record: Wheeled Toys, Dolls Prams & Pushchairs, Role-Play, Vehicles and Everyday toys. Our focus remains on product development, which has been integral to the success of the business for many years. Licensing, together with our own IP and also retailers’ own label ranges, all continue to grow within our current portfolio.

What does your role consist of?

In addition to being responsible for the firm’s global licensing function, my new role also entails heading up the HTI product development and UK marketing teams – areas of the business that are exciting to be involved with.

HTI has always been known for having a strong bond with its employees – how important is that?

The company’s culture is a vital component to its success. HTI has a large number of very loyal employees: the company runs ‘Five and Ten-Year Clubs’ to reward their loyalty and give something back to them. These people play a hugely valuable role in the ongoing success of the business, and it’s important to recognise and acknowledge their contribution.

So where will you be focusing your efforts now?

We believe in keeping it simple; delivering and striving to exceed retailers’ expectations and providing the right solutions. Each of our core categories has a diverse selection of product, spanning all the key price points from introductory to seasonal purchases, across a number of popular licensed brands. The important thing is to ensure that our new product development is relevant to the DNA of each of the core licences: we always do our best to add detailing which reflects the values of the property and really brings it to life for the consumer.

What role does licensing play across your product portfolio?

Licensing will continue to play a pivotal role across all of our key categories. We want to work with all the major licensing companies which are active in the kids’ market, and we’ve made some great strides in this area in 2016. One of our biggest new partnership is with Nickelodeon – we’ve signed deals for Paw Patrol,

Blaze & the Monster Machines and Shimmer & Shine.

We’ve also signed a multi-territory deal to manufacture Chicco dolls’ prams and pushchairs for EMEA, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The other big news is that we’ve signed an expanded two-year deal with Disney for the Wheeled category. Increasingly, licensors are seeing us as a wheeled specialist, able to offer a broad range of wheeled products across different age groups, rather than purely a supplier of toy wheeled products.

Do you also see non-licensed product having a key role to play in the growth of the company?

In addition to developing our licensed portfolio, we also want to grow and develop our own IP. Teamsterz, our very successful die-cast vehicles, track sets and play sets range, is a key focus for us. The Teamsterz range was actually originally introduced into our portfolio 20 years ago and has grown consistently year on year. In 2015 it was the number two brand in the Mini Vehicles and Playsets category according to NPD. The range offers great value for retailers and additional margin opportunities.

What is your retail strategy?

Channel management is crucial: every child from every demographic should be able to buy into a licence. So undoubtedly the value channel retailers have a role to play, as do the majors, the specialists, the grocers and online retailers. As a licensee, it’s important to manage the brand and adapt the ranges so that we have products which are suitable for each channel and individual retailer. That way we keep our retail customers happy and we also keep consumers happy, as they can buy into the range at whatever price point is appropriate.

How important is the international side of the business?

Our international business makes up a significant part of company’s turnover. One of the key strategies is to continue to grow the international side of the business.

When we’re looking at which licences to sign, we’re ideally not just looking to sign a UK deal, but preferably one which covers a good portion of the international market. Anthony Grimaud has done a fantastic job

Toy World 23

setting up the international operation: he has put some great teams in place in key territories across the globe, and we believe there is plenty of scope to grow our business in these areas.

Do you feel that the business is in good place?

Absolutely - people internally are focused on our key strategic company goals. Retailer reaction to our new product development and recent licensing deals has been positive. Licensors relationships continue to go from strength to strength. We’re in a strong place and are looking forward to driving the business forward.

How important is it to develop those licensor relationships?

Relationships are so important in the toy and licensing business. I worked with many of our licensing partners in my previous role, but my remit is quite different at HTI: the number of licensed properties I handle has increased fivefold from my previous role. We will be introducing over 350 brand new products for 2017 alone: that’s a huge investment, but we believe it’s important to be able to offer that breadth of product.

It’s essential, with such prolific development, to maintain great relationships with our licensors and to keep the lines of communication flowing freely.

Do you feel that the scale of HTI’s Far East operation gives you an advantage?

The facilities which HTI has in the Far East are incredible. We employ 92 people in our Hong Kong operation, including 19 internal designers. We own a number of 3D printers, so we can design and make our own samples and packaging. Along with our extensive Quality Assurance team, we believe this type of investment is crucial to offer what licensors and customers require.

We’re also growing the design team which is based in the UK. I believe having that level of resource inhouse adds huge value to the company and increases the scope of what we can offer retailers and licensors.

It also makes us much more flexible, we can react incredibly quickly: if a licence suddenly takes off, we can respond and bring it to market, which gives us a tremendous competitive advantage.

talking shop May the workforce be with you Jonika Kinchin speaks to independent retailers about the impact their staff have on their business and how 2016 is going so far for them, in terms of sales.

Ginette McKee Owner, ToyTown Seaford Probably the most crucial part of running a toyshop like Toytown is putting together a great team of staff, or elves as they seem to prefer to be called. It’s been by far the hardest part of the job, and we’ve made some horrendous mistakes along the way, but we currently have as close to a perfect team as I could hope for. There are a range of ages and backgrounds across the team of 15, from Saturday staff of 16 years old to full and part-timers up to the age of 56. Some have young children, some have grandchildren, and some even shopped with us as children themselves when we first opened seven years ago. The qualities they all share are a love of toys, a passion for promoting Toytown, and the amazing ability to appear in my office bearing a mug of tea at just the right moment.

One thing I always ask at interviews is “do you like shopping?” It’s surprising how many people hate shopping but apply for retail jobs. I believe you have to love being in a store environment: the last thing I need is people wishing they could sit at a desk all day. I also ask what their favourite childhood toy was, to see how excited they get when they talk about it. If they can’t be enthusiastic about their beloved Action Man, they’re going to have a tough time selling something like a YoKai Watch. I believe that if they cross those hurdles, they’re almost there.

We have various means of keeping the staff up to speed on product knowledge throughout the year, beginning with Toy Fair at Olympia. I aim to have all the key members of staff join me in London for a day each, to see the products in all their glory. I also value their feedback from the show: they have spotted several gems that I’d have easily missed, and have also talked me out of a few unwise choices. Back in store, I’ll often show them catalogues and samples to get second opinions. As new toys arrive, they make sure that each elf has a clear understanding of how the toy

works and who it is suitable for. Copies of Toy World are kept in the staff room and they are encouraged to read up at quiet moments. The elves would probably say that a popular way to gain product knowledge is our games nights, which are really just social nights at the store, we clear some floor space, set up some tables, crack open some bottles (squash for the younger elves obviously) and play any new games we have in. Many suppliers are happy to supply a demo copy, but even if they don’t, I’m so convinced that experience helps to sell games that I’ll quite happily sacrifice a game for the store. Having an elf describe or demonstrate a game they’ve actually played is what makes the difference between a Toytown and a supermarket or catalogue store.

Many of my elves have been with me for a number of years now, and they’re quite a social bunch; they’ll use any excuse for a night out together. This summer we have our first Toytown wedding, so we’ll all helping celebrate; one of the elves is currently painting a Playmobil bride’s bouquet to match Linda’s flowers when it sits atop the cake.

The year so far has been up and down; up at our main store, and down at our new one since we had some serious competition move into town. March was good, as Easter was early, but surprisingly April was good too. As I write this, the referendum seems to be playing havoc with

Toy World 25

people’s confidence, just as it does at general election time; people don’t like spending in uncertain times, so I’m looking forward to it being over, whatever the outcome. New ranges are starting to arrive; Brio has started off well, and our new hand puppets from Trudi are proving very popular. Magformers has just arrived today, which is one range the staff specifically requested, so should be sold with enthusiasm. Zootropolis has been a little disappointing; I have more faith in Secret Life of Pets doing well. Just need to arrange a staff cinema trip now...

Tom Russell Owner, R.S Currie & Co London We currently employ two full time staff in our store and two full time staff on our children’s birthday party planning business. It is crucial that staff have product knowledge, particularly in this industry. We make sure we go to Toy Fair in January to see all the new products in action. We also encourage staff to get samples out of boxes in store, to familiarise themselves with the products and to see them in action. It’s very important to me that staff are enthusiastic about the products and are able to have fun with them and convey that to the customers, after all we are selling toys. Without our employees, we really wouldn’t have a business at all. The best things about our staff members is without a doubt their level of commitment, their dedication and their passion for constantly coming up with new ideas. The first half of this year has been a case of so far, so good for us; but the second half of the year is really when you can judge the level of success overall.

Among the lines that have surprised us in doing well this year are the Seedling products, which have become part of the core ranges we offer.

In regards to the summer period, unfortunately the area we are in tends to be quite deserted in August, and so we use the time to take holiday,

take a break and wait for the madness that is the build up to Christmas to start. However, fortunately for us we are on the route for the Notting Hill Carnival, and so we set up a stall outside the shop especially for that event.

Ian Melville, Toy buyer, Ink Spot and Dazzle We currently employ 30 members of staff between our two stores, Ink Spot and Dazzle, and they range in age from 16 to 65, which is a good mix. We have regular briefings to make sure everyone is up to date, staff training where appropriate as well as staff appraisals to see how everyone is getting on and resolve any issues. For the staff to have product knowledge is key. We encourage staff to try and keep up with, and look out for, any new toy trends through social and mainstream media. We put a high emphasis on staff being knowledgeable about the products as well as enthusiastic, as it reflects in the sales. The best thing about our employees is their collective knowledge, and I’m proud to say that we have over 200 years of combined retail experience in the team. Our staff members are also very loyal and extremely hardworking, which is vital. They are highly valued and it is very important that they are happy in their employment. They are the face of the company, and this in turn reflects on the whole business.

The first half of this year has been quite encouraging on the whole.

Crazes such as Shopkins and the Lego Disney Minifigures have been bringing customers in regularly. Once they are in store it gives us a chance to show off all the other fantastic toy ranges we have in store. We are really looking forward to the rest of the year and recently launched ranges such as Yo-Kai Watch and Pom Pom Wow! have started strongly. We always expect the products we choose to stock to do well, however the biggest surprise this year has to be the Chewbacca mask. Most of our stock sat in our warehouse for half a year, and then sold out overnight thanks to the now infamous viral video. We always knew it was a great product and just needed to be demonstrated which Candace clearly did, and more. With Pie Face last year and now the Chewbacca mask it just shows the power of social media. The key for retailers like ourselves is reacting to videos such as these quickly.

If you would like to get involved with next month’s Talking Shop, please get in touch with Jonika: 01442 502 406, jonika@toyworldmag.co.uk

Toy World 26

Steve Mohabir Owner, The Toy Box, Godalming I currently employ three part time staff, one person in their 40s and two teenagers. All three of them are extremely valuable to my business and I couldn’t be without them. I believe it’s really important for them to be knowledgeable about the products, as some customers do come in knowing exactly what they’re looking for, but some need just that little bit of inspiration and extra help.

I like to get the team involved in everything that goes on in store; I let them know what we’re ordering and what we’re expecting and I encourage them to open and check out the products for themselves. We also do a lot of demonstrations of products such as Nanoblocks from Marbel, where the team get the product out and build it themselves and encourage customers to have a go.

The best things about my staff members is that they are all polite, which is so important in customer service, they are always up for a laugh and they like to have fun, which builds great team morale and relationships. They have an abundance of product knowledge and are enthusiastic about the business. It’s vital in such a business as toys for staff to make customers feel comfortable; personally, I want parents to come into the shop and feel like a child again themselves.

As an employer, I believe it’s important to reward staff for their hard work and motivation, so I make sure to do things such as going for a Christmas meal and giving a Christmas bonus. We have excellent team morale and I like to make sure my staff enjoy and look forward to coming to work.

In Godalming, we are very community focused and I believe this carries on to my store. We have strong relationships with the rest of the community and with other businesses who we always help out when we can, and vice versa. We are not here to hike prices up and make the most money as possible, we help out charities and have close relationships with local schools. We always take part whenever there is a local event, and like to make our presence known.

The first half of the year has been quite quiet for us as we are constantly up against bigger retailers, but we are still raring to go.

Products that are doing well for us at the moment are a bit of a mix. We do consistently well with brands such as Lego, as well as more traditional products such as the wooden trains from Brio.

Seasonal products are also selling encouragingly in the recent good weather, with sales up on items such as hula hoops, water guns and bubbles. We also often see a hike in travel products such as games around this time, as we have quite a few private schools in the area that break up much earlier for the school holidays than state schools. We are quite lucky to be in a position where we can order and get stock in very quickly if there shows to be a demand.

indie viewpoint

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Come rain or shine…

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s we write this, it is the middle of the half term holidays, finally arriving a week later than last year. Trade has been very good so far, with the inclement weather certainly in our favour. With all our shops being based in malls, it can be up to 50% busier when it is raining in the school holidays compared to when it is sunny. Overall trade throughout May has been steady, although it is one of our quietest months of the year. 2016 continues without there being any standout new lines so far, but there are lots of very strong sellers, and as the weather starts to get warmer, our focus moves onto outdoor. Phlat Ball from Vivid continues to fly out for the third year running.

We remember it as a great seller from our Woolies days, and credit to Vivid for keeping the price competitive. Demand for the Euro 2016 stickers is starting to pick up, although by the time you read this England will probably be out; fingers crossed for all the home nations.

The major event for the month of May, and one of the most important for us in the calendar year, was the Toymaster show. Again, it was a fantastic show, brilliantly organised by Ian, Yogi and the team at Toymaster. It was slightly surreal to see Christmas trees placed all around the hotel in May, but when we got into buying mode, we soon walked past them without even noticing.

It was good to see the final versions of some of the products we glimpsed at Toy Fair, and look over the selections for the rest of the year. There were a few new launches as well, including one from Character Options that we aren’t allowed to mention yet, but predict to be a huge success. Last year, everything was dominated by Star Wars, while this year there was a much wider spread of licensed offerings, with Secret Life of Pets and Finding Dory looking like good bets for the summer. Along with the buying, the show is as much about networking (not just eating and boozing as our staff seem to think). We were lucky enough to be treated to dinner by suppliers when we were there; our reputation must proceed us. Harrogate is such a great place to visit, and we are already looking forward to going again next year.

The one category that continues to grow for all independent retailers each year is construction, with the main focus on one company. Lego continues to do very little wrong with its ranges, and is consistently our biggest supplier.

One thing that stands out for us is the amount of larger sets we sell - Lego is one product where the price point does not seem to matter. Over the past few years, we have made sure we keep a wide range of all the larger sets in stock, and it has certainly paid off. We have just taken delivery of the new June launches this week, and have already seen very strong sales on the new Star Wars and Superhero large lines. We have managed to build up a reputation with our local adult collectors as the best place to come, and it has certainly paid off in sales for us. We stock other construction lines in the run up to Christmas, with Meccano and K’nex selling well then.

That is enough from us, here’s hoping our teams surprise us in the Euro Championships, and that we finally see some sight of summer soon…

Toy World 27

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Tech toys

Tech it up a notch This rapidly evolving technological era inevitably opens up many challenges for retailers and suppliers working in the tech toys category. Clarabel Jones looks into the latest innovations to find out what makes a good tech toy, and what products will be dropping jaws this year.

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nybody living in what is now deemed the Information Age, will be more than aware of the fast-growing technological developments that are so prevalent in every aspect of our day-to-day lives. Whether it be through the emojis we use or through the latest talking toys, technology is surrounding us, with 21st century children now proving to be more tech-savvy than their parents.

This poses the question: how exactly do companies working in the category ensure they’re always up to date with the latest technological advancements?

VTech, a company at the forefront of the tech sector, believes that it’s important to keep an eye on trends and developments in the adult tech market, as well as the children’s. “At VTech, we’ve identified that adult trends in tech filter down to children’s categories too, so we develop products with features just for them,” explains Rebecca Lazarus, senior brand manager. “We believe a good mix of tech and toy is when an adult trend is transferred into a children’s toy, and VTech has done just this with its Kidizoom Selfie Cam, which is coming out this year. Knowing that children see adults taking selfies, or quite often take their own using their parents’ cameras, we’re bringing out a camera so that children can take part too. Using the included selfie stick and rotating lens, kids can capture every moment.”

Statistics have shown that connected toys are a huge area of growth at the moment, both worldwide and in the UK. “According to Juniper Research, revenue from connected toys is forecast to hit $1.2bn in the UK by 2020,” Anki’s Shelly Pearce told Toy World. “Toys-to-life is one example, which has become the buzzword in the gaming and toy industry as the bridge between these two worlds. The toys serve as a prop to unlock a character in the game, with the interaction and play still focused on the TV screen.”

With this in mind, it would appear that such developments in technology are altering the ways in which children interact and play with one another, with videogames arguably spawning a new generation of kids that like to play in entirely virtual worlds. “We’ve lost a sense of the physical world and the satisfaction of touch; even though videogames provide immersive, virtual environments, one could argue that children may have lost a bit of creativity and imagination in their day-to-day play,” Shelly continued. “For that reason, a good tech toy needs to combine both the hardware and software elements to deliver the best of both worlds. At Anki, we aim to deliver a videogamelike experience in the real world. Anki Overdrive allows players to control physical supercars via handheld mobile devices to compete against friends, family or AI commanders. But as a software driven product, we’re also able to repeatedly introduce new features at no

Anki

extra cost to players, which keeps players engaged over a long period of time.”

Artificial intelligence is a trend which is becoming increasingly prominent in the tech toy sector, with many companies using products packed with unique and ingenious features which impress parents, whilst preparing children for the tech-fuelled world that awaits them. WowWee is one company which is embracing this with CHiP, the new robotic dog with an AI personality, and COJI, an EDU robot that teaches kids programming. “CHiP is a piece of technology that contains so many of WowWee’s secret ingredients,” explains Sydney Wiseman, brand manager at WowWee Canada. “Normally we’ll put one or two of these features in a given item, but we’ve fully loaded CHiP up with a number of special features to give it that extra wow-factor. We also have plans for new accessories for him next year, so stay tuned.”

Another company embracing the educational crossover that tech toys often provide is LeapFrog, which is currently gearing up for the launch of its LeapStart tablet. “LeapStart already has great backing from retailers and consumers, so we’re excited to watch how that becomes a key tool in helping kids prepare for and succeed in their early years of school”, said LeapFrog’s Sam Wilson and Emily Brown. “We’ve also invested in our infant, toddler and pre-school portfolio this year with eight new lines, launching for autumn/ winter. They cover a nice mix of curriculum, play patterns and characters, so present lots of incremental opportunity for our retail partners. Despite how the landscape has changed, tablets still represent a huge opportunity, so we continue to stay committed to offering safe, tough and smart solutions for families choosing a child’s first tablet.”

However, such clever feature-full products usually

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come with a high price tag, an issue that has been raised by independent retailers who are sometimes wary about the risks that high end recommended retail prices present. Toy World spoke to one retailer, Toytown, which currently stocks a range of smart electronic toys, to uncover the factors that influence its selection process. “We don`t have a specific policy when buying any toy from any supplier - if we feel the item or range has appeal and is reasonably priced then we’ll give it a try,” manager Brian Simpson explained.

“It does dishearten me to see some tech toys coming out that essentially waste parents’ money through clever marketing. On the other hand, there are items such as the Fisher Price Beat Bo from Mattel that sell really well and use technology effectively to appeal to young children. I feel our approach is right in that you can’t write off a product without taking everything into account. I’m a believer in imaginative play, and if there’s technology built into that then brilliant, but if it’s a gimmick toy we will usually stay away from it.”

On the other hand, Sam Wilson and Emily Brown believe that as long as there is a high demand for tech products, there is little for retailers and suppliers to lose: “72% of three to four-year-olds have or want a tablet, so that’s a huge percentage of a huge market that shop in toy stores, and it is important to make sure you have what they’re looking for,” they said. “We’d also encourage retailers to look at the blended margins; a lot of tech toys require additional purchases such as cartridge games and accessories, which often deliver more favourable margins than the base product.”

All in all, there’s no escaping the fact that technology will continue to progress, astound and innovate as we head deeper into the 21st century. Over the next few pages, Toy World presents some of the newest and most exciting tech products on the market.

Tech toys

Smart Kids

Toy World spoke to KD UK’s managing director Seth Bishop about the latest introductions to the company’s Kurio brand, as well as the recently-signed distribution agreement for the Philips Lighting range What do you see as the strengths of Kurio and how are you positioning the brand now?

The DNA of the Kurio brand is the same today as when it was first launched. Kurio is a dedicated children’s consumer electronics brand, delivering adult quality interactive experiences, but on hardware and software platforms conceived with kids in mind. That means robust electronics with the best available protection for internet use and advanced parental controls. Every Kurio product incorporates great curated content for kids; both entertainment and educational, including unique motion control games developed by KD. The evolution over the last few years has seen more accessible price points and significant improvements in hardware performance. On the content side, our award-winning Kurio Genius protection and parental control software now monitors and filters over 1.8 billion websites in real time.

There is a significant activity currently taking place in schools across the UK which is reinforcing the importance of safe use of internet enabled devices. The Kurio brand very much stands for responsible use of technology by today’s digital generation, and the continued growth of the market for children’s specific devices demonstrates the increasing number of parents that identify the difference between a fully open device and one built with children in mind.

How do you feel the Kurio range fits into the toy market in 2016?

Our core retail stockists include both toy and consumer electronics retailers and the brand belongs in both areas. Tablets in particular are now accessed by over 80% of children over 5 and, even at ages 2-4, over 60% of children will have use of a tablet. It’s now the most popular way for children to consume media after TV, and retailers who serve these target ages should recognise both the opportunity and the responsibility to present devices that offer protection that adult hand-medown devices do not.

It is reminiscent of the launch year of Kurio, when sales demand was boosted by the high average price of adult tablets. Toy retailers have a great opportunity in 2016 to enjoy the same success with the Kurio Watch, which gives kids the tech they want at a price parents will accept. Kurio Watch will launch at £79.99 srp this August.

What makes the Kurio Watch different?

Kurio Watch is the first fully featured smart watch conceived to really give kids what they want. We’ve included comprehensive functions including customisable watch, calendar and alarm functions, music and video storage and playback, an onboard speaker, camera, messaging and other communication functions - plus of course great gaming, including motion activated games through the onboard accelerometer. The Kurio Watch is Bluetooth enabled for connection to external speakers, headphones and other devices. It uses a unique Kurio operating system and will interface with other Android devices.

Kurio Watch is not a toy and it’s also not a device for parents to track and monitor their children. It’s simply the ultimate smart watch for kids.

You’ve recently taken on the distribution of the Philips lighting range for the toy market – how do you see that complementing your other tech-focused lines?

For KD UK the fit is perfect; electronics for children remains a core of what we offer for both

What opportunity does the launch of the new Kurio Watch present for toy retailers?

There is a point in time when new tech launched for adults creates a high interest and demand from children, especially when adult devices are expensive. This is happening right now following the launch of smart watches such as the Apple iWatch.

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older children and our pre-school range. That said, we also have ambitious plans for a wider toy line beyond electronics, which we will start to launch this year.

What can a toy retailer do to boost sales of lighting products?

Visibility and impact in store remains a key part of driving consumer awareness of the product line.

We are helping that challenge by introducing new open box, try-me packaging and are investing in an enhanced consumer media plan to raise awareness.

The range has already proven its credentials as a strong seller and now is a great time for toy retailers to enjoy what home, lighting and gift retailers already know.

What are the key licensed properties in the lighting range?

The range features 3D wall lights with characters from Star Wars, an exclusive Marvel collection, Frozen and Cars. We also have some compelling new items such as the Disney Princess figural table lights featuring Elsa and Rapunzel. These will be key items in the toy channel.

Voice Recognition Teksta Toy World Full Page June.pdf

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Tech toys

Two-can play at that game

This month sees two new Teksta toys unleashed in the market, and despite three continuous years of tech success with the toys, Character Options is promising to take its Teksta youth electronics portfolio to a whole new level.

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he popularity of Character Options’ Teksta Robotic Puppy is to set to grow even further with the fifth generation voice recognition technology. This life-like robotic puppy responds to a child’s voice, physical gestures, touch and sounds. With 10 voice recognition commands built in, Teksta Puppy can sit, walk, cry, sing and perform a backflip. With over 100 physical and interactive play features, Teksta can also be programmed with an Apple iPad or tablet for Android to perform more tricks.

Joining the Puppy is the most talkative Teksta to date, the Teksta Toucan. This ultra-intelligent electronic bird listens and understand questions, does impressions, tells jokes, plays games and performs magic tricks. It can also sit on its perch and act like a real bird, ruffling its feathers, flapping its wings, and moving its head, body and beak when it talks. Kids can either use it as a standalone toy with the multiple pre-programmed features, or alternatively with further content downloaded from a free app, which will lead to more comprehensive responses. There is no need

for Wi-Fi, as Teksta Toucan works without any internet connection.

Toy World asked marketing manager, Mark Hunt, how the company plans to make not one, but two, new and very different Teksta toys a success this autumn.

“With two new additions, we have had to think outside of the box when it comes to the marketing, and we are taking the main PR drive to the online arena,” Mark told Toy World. “Teksta Toucan is to have its own online chat show with one of the UK’s biggest child YouTube stars, Tiana Wilson from Toys And Me. The Teksta TV series will be hosted on Tiana’s own channel, which boasts over a million followers and has achieved 900 million views in just over 12 months. In the series, Tiana will use her own unique style of talking to her audience with the Toucan.”

“Our TV campaign is essential to the success, and we have two special TV commercials that will underpin the whole campaign. The Puppy’s voice recognition technology comes across in a big way and goes on air from 16th July. Toucan’s commercial is packed full of fun, and features him telling jokes, playing games and demonstrating his room defender mode. Both 30” spots will deliver over 250 TVRs during the launch campaign period. We will also be delivering a substantial print campaign. Across both toys we expect to reach over 6.1 million children with print alone.”

“Added to Tiana’s online exposure will be special Super Awesome campaigns for both the Puppy and Toucan, taking the support from late August through to November. Each campaign will fully engage the target audiences and capture the essence of the toys, plus kids will have the opportunity to play games, watch video content and win prizes.”

“Finally, as Christmas approaches, consumer interaction is key; October half-term will see a joint appearance at the Gadget Show Live in Westfield, London. Toucan will be there to chat to the crowd, while the Puppy will steal the show with his acrobatic

Toy World 34

performances. This will be echoed in a media tour aimed to draw the Christmas press and toy features.”

“There is a huge admiration for the Teksta Puppy at retail; as a former Toy of the Year in 2014, it’s an iconic toy, but the fifth generation with its voice and hand gesture technology is far superior to the original, so we’re very excited. The Toucan is unique; his features are remarkable and we can’t wait to see the reaction of kids when it hits stores this summer. Our Teksta category will grow substantially year-on-year; we have strong distribution, and both toys are expected to feature within our retail partners’ Christmas lists and corporate advertising.”

For more information on the Teksta campaign contact Character Options on 0161 633 9800.

TOY WORLD Headphone Hats June 2016 2 copy.pdf

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Tech toys

Hats off to Worlds Apart Clarabel Jones spoke to Logan Stone, senior brand manager at Worlds Apart, about the company’s decision to merge tech and audio toys, and at what makes its Headphone Hats and SelfieMics so successful.

What are the opportunities for merging tech and audio toys?

There’s no escaping the fact that tech plays an active role in the everyday lives of children, so there is plenty of opportunity to embrace that by merging tech and audio toys. In relation to Headphone Hats in particular, we felt there was a gap in the toy market for child appealing headphones that embraced the characters of each licence and felt more like a toy.

Similarly, with SelfieMic we know karaoke machines are very popular with girls, but we felt there was an opportunity to create a synergy between traditional karaoke/audio toys, with an on-trend tech item to create a

completely new product that is appropriate for today’s child.

What are the key elements that make crossover products, such as Headphone Hats and SelfieMic, successful in the toy market?

It’s a combination of merging the hottest trends or licences with what children are engaging with and what they love doing.

Whether it’s adding innovation, novelty or characterisation to create a crossover product, essentially it’s about always having the child at the centre of it all.

How do the Headphone Hats sit in store?

Headphone Hats sit within Youth Electronics both in-store and online.

Who is their key target market?

Headphone Hats are for children aged between 3-8 years. This is from a perspective of licence appeal and also the core age which children are using headphones, and a need to protect their ears. We know that from around the age of 3 upwards, headphones are a staple for children who are using tablets and mobile devices on a daily basis.

What can retailers do to push sales?

‘Kids headphones’ is a term which is highly searched for online, with over 160,000 average monthly searches, so optimising online search is a key tactic to push sales.

Google Trend information also shows that searches are steady throughout the year, but peak in November – highlighting a key period to push for Christmas gift sales.

To push bricks and mortar sales, we have produced colourful, eye-catching FSDUs for impactful point of sale that allows Headphone Hats to stand out from the crowd as a great gift purchase.

Toy World 36

Tech toys

LeapFrog 01702 200 244 www.leapfrog.co.uk Last summer, LeapFrog added LeapPad Platinum to its family of children’s tablets. Platinum is the company’s fastest high performance tablet, providing children with a combination of performance, durability and safety in their first tablet.

With a 7” high resolution and multi-touch capacitive screen, Platinum has 8GB of memory, two mega-pixel cameras, video recorders, and comes with 10 apps.

Featuring LeapSearch, the kid-safe browser that lets kids explore online content, Platinum enables children to browse age-appropriate content, handpicked by LeapFrog’s learning experts.

Platinum also has access to LeapFrog’s Learning Library of 800+ apps, games and videos. With a shatter-safe screen and a built-in wrap-around bumper, Platinum has been drop tested, impact tested and compression tested.

With Platinum comes Imagicard, a new type of content experience that combines LeapFrog learning games with interactive collectible cards featuring licensed characters. Kids can photograph one of the 30+ cards with LeapPad Platinum to bring characters out of the screen and into the game.

Imagicard has launched with three interactive games that feature characters including LeapFrog’s Letter Factory, Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each game features LeapFrog’s Just For Me learning technology, which personalises each child’s experience by adapting automatically and offering tutorials.

Last year, LeapFrog launched Epic, the kids’ tablet with an operating system based on Android 4.4. This tablet was built to adapt as a child grows, delivering access to personalised learning experiences that auto-level with a child’s progress.

Epic provides children with a kid-safe browsing experience through its LeapSearch browser. The tablet features a quad-core processor, 7” multi-touch capacitive LCD screen, front and back camera, video recorder, 16GB of expandable memory and six hours of battery life.

Epic provides a new homescreen where children can personalise and interact with features which grow and change as they do. The tablet will include LeapFrog games, apps and ebooks.

Every piece of content included in the LeapFrog Epic App Centre is approved to ensure there are no in-app purchases or harmful third party ads, and only age-appropriate experiences.

Just Play 0208 643 0320 The new Lion Guard collection from GP Flair’s Just Play division offers a tech twist with the Leap N Roar Kion, launching this month.

Kion, a key character from the programme, is available as an interactive plush with many different features. The Leap N Roar Kion has 10 character sounds, including his trademark roar. Kids can pull Kion back onto his hind legs to make him pounce forward. With a motion sensor included in his nose, Kion will roar as kids pass him by.

GP Flair is supporting the range with a heavyweight marketing campaign including TV, PR and digital support.

VTech 01235 555545 | www.vtech.co.uk VTech continually identifies adult trends and transfers the technology into children’s toy categories, ensuring they have the durability required for this sector.

The company’s Kidizoom Selfie Cam comes complete with a rotating lens, which kids can twist 180 degrees to take photos and videos, and a selfie stick.

Kids can also use the fantasy effects to add different backgrounds, frames or collages onto their photos. The make-up studio can be used to create different hair styles, to add accessories to pictures, or to play built-in games. The Kidizoom Selfie Cam will be supported with an extensive marketing campaign and will be TV advertised throughout peak season.

VTech’s three new Kidifluffies are soft, interactive pet friends. Kid can choose from either a cat, dog or horse, and can discover each of their emotions, expressions, phrases and sounds.

Children can interact with the toys by talking to them and listening to them repeat what they say, with fun reactions.

The Kidi Super Star is a new karaoke microphone and stand. Kids can simply plug in any external music player and sing along to their favourite tracks. Using the music magic mode, the main vocals are lowered from the song so kids can become the lead vocalist. Kidi Super Star can also change the sound of one’s voice with its built-in microphone effects. Kidi Super Star comes with lots of interactive features, including different lighting styles, rhythmic games and tricky tongue twisters. Kids can also record themselves singing and add in sound effects, such as an audience’s cheers and applause. A competition will be announced soon, and a heavyweight TV campaign will support the launch.

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Tech toys

Worlds Apart 0800 389 8591 | www.worldsapart.com Worlds Apart is blending trends with tech this year with two new lines, Headphone Hats and SelfieMic, launching this autumn/winter.

The product is the ideal accessory for today’s tech-savvy kids, who on average now spend up to 7.9 hours a day using digital devices.

These soft, safe character headphones are limited to a maximum of 85 Db, meaning children’s ears are protected. The beanie is made from soft breathable fleece fabric, keeping kids cool and comfortable. Licences available include Paw Patrol (Chase and Skye), My Little Pony, Star Wars and Frozen.

Available from this summer, Headphone Hats will have a comprehensive digital and social media marketing campaign with video content throughout autumn/winter 2016. The line has already got off to a strong start on online pre-sell, having secured international distribution and launching with a DRTV campaign in the US. SelfieMic is another audio product from Worlds Apart, with an imminent launch this summer. Having received overwhelming praise following January toy fairs, this tech toy has received rafts of press coverage in the US and UK, strong global distribution and marketing campaigns to run throughout the year.

SelfieMic allows kids to create their own music videos. With a worldwide patent in application, the product features a selfie stick with a working karaoke microphone, ear piece and music app. Children can record their own voice, lip sync to their favourite songs and create music videos on their smart phone, which they can share with their friends. The free StarMaker app features thousands of tracks to perform to, including songs made famous by Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and more.

SelfieMic was recently named one of Argos’ Top Toys for Christmas, and has gained UK press coverage including BBC Breakfast News, ITV News, Daily Mirror, The Sun, Huffington Post and more. US coverage highlights include USA Today and the Today Show.

SelfieMic will launch throughout the UK this summer, with a heavyweight marketing campaign including TV advertising, PR, YouTube advertising and digital marketing.

MGA Entertainment 0844 561 1899 | www.mgae.com Set on bringing a new proposition to the boys’ toy and drone market, MGA’s Air Wars Battle Drones take aerial combat to the next level. With two drones in a pack, players can take to the air to knock their opponent to the ground and remove their weapons.

The robust quad zone copters, packaged together in red and silver, are easy to fly and come with programmed flight attack patterns and a range of weapons.

Air Wars Battle Drones come complete with two drones, two controllers, batteries and customisable weapons.

A TV advertising campaign is planned for autumn 2016, alongside ongoing strategic PR and social media support to engage with boys and their parents.

Anki sales@anki.com | www.anki.com Anki Overdrive is taking its battle-racing game to the next level with the introduction of robotic Supertrucks. The new battle rigs, Freewheel and X52, expand the racing experience with an intimidating frame that’s almost triple the size of other Anki Overdrive Supercars. Beyond their size, Supertrucks will also introduce new weapons and game modes that will put players’ skills to the test.

The Supertrucks are bigger, rougher and more dominating on the track than the current Anki Overdrive Supercars. Each Supertruck comes with new weapon options including X52’s exclusive Pulse Ram and Freewheel’s Gravity Trap, which will disable opponents’ Supercars, causing them to lose all control.

The Supertrucks can be used in any of Anki Overdrive’s open-play game modes and come with their own exclusive game, Takeover. Players start each match in their chosen Supercars. Anyone that can break through a Supertruck’s defences will take control of the vehicle to wreak havoc on their opponents until another player disables them and takes command of the big rig.

The launch of Anki Overdrive Supertrucks will be backed by a marketing campaign that includes TV advertising, a digital campaign running across key kids’ websites, plus a YouTube influencer campaign and PR support to reach the core audience and their parents.

Supertrucks Freewheel and X52 will be available in the UK from 3rd October. Anki Overdrive Starter Kits and expansion Supercars are all available to buy now.

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Learn More / Request a catalogue. www.wiltonbradley.co.uk • Email: sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk Tel: 01626 835400

Tech toys

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Flair’s brand, Atmosflare is set to launch this autumn with the 3D drawing pen, which allows users to draw creative projects in the air or at a 90 degree angle. The Atmosflare 3D pen is heat-free, and the ink transforms to solid plastic instantly. The pen comes complete with two ink cartridges, which can make up to 10 different projects.

Atmosflare will benefit from strong TV advertising, extensive PR campaigns and social media support.

Technological advances are also made by Boombot, the robotic buddy which offers a new interactive and responsive experience for kids, with eight interactive modes of play. Launching this autumn, the robotic toy is programmed with Tarzan, Rumble, Boxing, Tumble, Handstand, Boogie, Zen modes, and a built-in Room Guard ability.

The aim is to train Boombot to be fit for battle. With the Rumble Mode, it can throw punches, and in Boxing mode, kids can press the button on his back and Boombot will continue to throw punches until they let go. During Tarzan mode, Boombot will perform a swinging action, and in Handstand mode, Boombot will complete a back and front flip. In Boogie mode it’s time to dance, and in Zen mode, the toy will go to sleep.

Media visits, consumer shows and experiential marketing will be added to the traditional marketing levers of TV and digital pre-roll.

Wilton Bradley 01626 835 400 | www.wiltonbradley.co.uk Wilton Bradley’s range of tech toys consists primarily of two brands: Force Flyers and JSF Tech. Force Flyers consists of a range of drones and RC vehicles which are controlled by patented motion-controlled glove technology. Force Flyers are distributed exclusively in the UK by Wilton Bradley. JSF Tech is a tried and tested range of affordable and on-trend tech toys from drones to balance boards, all owned and distributed by Wilton Bradley.

Force Flyers’ drones are controlled by a glove which allows users to fly the drone using hand motions. The glove technology makes flying the drones much easier, more exciting and intuitive.

The new JSF Tech range consists of drones, balance boards and other on-trend tech toys. Wilton Bradley is aware of the importance of having all the correct safety testing and certification. The current JSF Tech range of balance boards has been tested in the UK by Intertek and is also expected to complete UL 2272 testing.

WowWee 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk WowWee has a line-up of new products for 2016. The company is introducing CHiP, a new robotic dog with an AI personality, and COJI, an EDU robot that teaches kids programming.

The company’s new Gamified Flight range pushes the limits of hi-tech robotic technology, combining flying drones with gaming features with LUMI and R.E.V. AIR. The CHiP dog is the latest in robotic pets. Featuring advanced mechatronics technology, CHiP recognises its master and responds to commands using the SmartBand, a rechargeable wearable controller. CHiP also plays fetch and other games with the SmartBall, interacting the ways a real dog would.

COJI is the new coding robot pal which sees STEM come together to teach children basic programming skills, using the language of visual emojis. Kids can test their problem-solving skills and play games using the free app to control COJI’s actions.

LUMI is a dancing drone which can fly whilst performing to sequences of flashing lights and music, challenging players to beat the moves to win the game.

With R.E.V. AIR, players can battle it out with a flying AI quadcopter battle drone pitched against an AI ground vehicle.

WowWee is supporting its 2016 launches with marketing, TV and PR campaigns in the UK. Activity will also include exhibiting at social media events to demonstrate WowWee’s robots and drones to families, targeting influential YouTubers and securing high-level awareness.

WowWee’s products will be distributed in the UK by Trends UK.

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Tech toys

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK has announced the newest addition to its Kurio range, the first fully featured Smart Watch built for children, the Kurio Watch.

The Smart Watch is adult tech for children that delivers gaming, education and social communication through a multi-functional touch screen. The technology allows multi-player gaming via Bluetooth within a 20 meter radius, and comes with over 20 preloaded apps to choose from.

Users can customise the interface, take selfies using the forward facing camera and listen to music.

Children can also send messages to their friends through text, photos, emoji, drawings and voice. The watch is available in blue and pink and features an SD card slot, giving users the option to add up to 32GB of memory.

Other lines from the range include the Kurio Smart and Kurio Tab 2, both of which were built with child safety in mind and include Microsoft Parental controls and Kurio Genius software.

This technology allows parents to set up simple to advanced safety measures to protect their child. In-depth safety features include internet filtering, which monitors and checks over 1.5 billion websites daily, blocking inappropriate content and app installation. Parents can also control the amount of play time per day/week.

Also new is the Disney Philips lighting range, and KD has taken over distribution for the UK and Ireland. Featuring the latest key licences such as Star Wars, Marvel, Rapunzel, Frozen and Cars, all lights are battery powered and built with power efficient LED technology.

Vivid Imaginations 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk Version 2.0 of Pixl, the digital emoji creators, enables kids to create 100s of emojis in seconds on-the-go using only their Pixl character, with no need for Wi-Fi. There are also new colourways.

Celebrating its 100th year, Crayola lines include the new Easy Animator. Crayola Easy Animator gives kids all the tools they need to create and share custom animations quickly and easily. They can create animated videos up to 12 times faster than traditional stop motion animation. Kids can also colour their character, pose the mannequin and capture it on their device with the free app. The app’s motion capture technology easily guides kids to results that they can show off and share with their friends.

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Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk This year Meccano Tech has something to suit all interests and all pockets. Meccano’s Micronoids are a new range of three different characters: Socket, Switch and Basher, each equipped with a Meccabrain and moving parts. The three Micronoids can be programmed to dance, sing, navigate obstacle courses and interact with each other. Micronoids’ activities can be programmed via Meccano’s LIM technology or through its built-in D-PAD. The Micronoid also has a yes/no feature, which means it can give kids a simple answer to any question.

For those looking for a bigger challenge in robotics and construction, the Meccanoid 2.0 and Meccanoid XL 2.0 are successors of the Meccanoid G15 and G15KS with twice the memory, faster processors and lots of new content.

The Meccanoid 2.0 will stand two foot tall when built and the XL 2.0 at four foot tall. Both products include over 1,000 phrases, with the ability to tell jokes, stories, give lectures and respond to natural language. It also has three programming functions via an app: LIM, Ragdoll, and Motion Capture.

The additional robot intelligence, faster voice recognition, fun interactive features and additional programming capability make it an ideal choice for youngsters dedicated to the pursuit of more intricate computer programming and engineering challenges.

This autumn, Zoomer will introduce two innovations: Zoomer Hedgiez and Zoomer Chimp. Zoomer Hedgiez are baby Hedgehogs with soft fur bodies which can roll 360o, react to a tummy tickle, giggle and perform tricks. The Zoomer Chimp uses voice recognition to be trained and perform tricks. This lifelike primate also has an animated face, light-up eyes and tracking abilities.

Tech toys

Hornby Hobbies 01843 233 500 | www.hornby.com Hornby Hobbies is expanding its Scalextric portfolio this year with the award-winning Track Day set.

Scalextric Track Day is the first set that incorporates the Arc Air app, allowing users to take racing to the next level. The state of the art gameplay presents drivers with the option of recreating adverse weather conditions and race incidents along with the added ease of lightweight wireless controllers. The two super cars featured in the set are the Jaguar C-X75 and McLaren P1.

The Scalextric Track Day set is due for release in October and has been well received within the industry, winning a Best New Toy award at this year’s London Toy Fair.

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Recently unveiled from Character Options is the newest Little Live Pet, My Dream Puppy. First in the range is Snuggles, the floppy-limbed puppy with lifelike features.

Each new puppy must be named by its owner and adopted as their own, with a certificate in each box to prove it. Responding to the lightest of touches, the toy moves and feels just like a real puppy, and its soft fur and floppy ears can be groomed.

When the puppy is hungry, it will feed from its bottle and when it’s tired its eyes droop and close. As it lies down to sleep, the puppy’s tummy will move up and down.

A new evolution of Teksta pets will also arrive this year with a next generation Voice Recognition Teksta Robotic Puppy and a new talking Teksta Toucan in late summer, both adding to the current line-up of Jumping Teksta Newborns which includes a blue Puppy and pink Kitty.

Both Teksta and My Dream Puppy will be supported with impactful marketing from their launch. Adding to the heavyweight TV will be media tours, kids press, plus full digital campaigns targeting the core market. October will also see both brands appear at the Gadget Show Live’s winter showcase, bringing with it the opportunity for hands-on interaction with thousands of visitors.

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Feature

Educational toys

Live and learn

The term ‘educational toy’ has come to mean so much more than just something that teaches numbers, colours and letters; they encompass so much more than infant & preschool toys. Dedicated ranges span nursery and juvenile from birth upwards, through to electronic entertainment aimed at seven year olds and older, and a whole lot in between. Jonika Kinchin reports.

T

he main requirement of adults buying educational toys for children is that hopefully they will learn something from them. Whether it’s how to read, how to walk, or how to make friends, they should serve a purpose. Toys that are purely for educational purposes often have that purpose camouflaged to children, yet their advantages should be obvious to parents, which isn’t always the simplest of tasks. They must appeal to the parent, or the buyer of the toy, as opposed to the child, but the child must also be willing to use and play with the toy.

“The main aim of the toy should be educational; education should be in its DNA rather than being added later,” comments Dennis Blackmore, managing director of Learning Resources. “At Learning Resources, every new product starts life as a way of giving a child an educational experience. We identify the learning and then design the toy around it”.

The category of educational toys now covers so much more than something that teaches numbers and letters.

The category has evolved into crossing over with other sections, and covers a vast age range. Emily Brown, senior brand manager at LeapFrog emphasises that educational toys are not just for teaching facts. “They are valuable tools for developing skills with a much broader landscape, be they physical skills such as fine and gross motor, or social skills such as manners, sharing and understanding feelings. Then there are skills we are unwittingly seeking to develop in children all the time, such as object permanence which is the understanding that when an object disappears, it doesn’t cease to exist”.

Emily added that toys have also evolved to cater for the array of 21st century skills that new technology offers.

Parents are also conscious of the National Curriculum, and take interest and notice of what their child is learning in school, and will happily look out for products that will assist them with what they are focusing on at that time.

Therefore, retailers can benefit from stocking products that are also used in schools, or have a lot of similarities to those used in schools. Learning Resources designs products for use by teachers in early years and primary education, and others which are designed to be used in the home by parents or other carers.

When assessing the educational content of a product, the company’s first reference point is the National Curriculum. It is important to know how certain things are being taught, and to make sure that products align with that. Dennis states that obtaining the crossover of products has been challenging, and the whole idea was initiated by customers. “Very educational products sell to the retail market, and very retail products sell to schools”, he said. “It can be challenging to speak to both markets, but if you can find the common language and information required by both sets of customers, it can

Learning Resources be done”.

Being able to convert products that are used in schools to make them consumer friendly is an key selling point as children already have a relationship and a recognition with the product. David Allan, managing director at DKL does exactly that with the Miniland range. “We have a distinct advantage as we know the subjects that schools are working with. We look at themes in schools and then develop smaller versions adding a fun element and attractive retail box”. Keeping up to date with trends is important in all areas of retail. David explained that the Miniland range also incorporates work done by experts working on curriculum subjects including the new STEM subjects, which is integrated into retail products, keeping them bang up to date. Emily Brown agrees that having education experts is essential to the development of learning toys. LeapFrog’s Learning Team consists of experts with PhDs. “Every single product that we put our name to is nurtured by them, which ensures that whether it’s the ergonomic design of something destined for small hands, the way an equation is broken down and taught to a four year old versus a six year old, or the amount of colours, numbers or phonics a toy teaches, it’s always appropriate, flexible and offers genuine value”, she commented. “We also work with teachers and experts in the UK to ensure that our products are genuinely complementary to what and how they teach, and how their children learn. Validating our products with parents, children and teachers ensures that we are doing right by all three, and carving out a place for educational toys in the landscape of parenting and schooling”.

It is widely believed that play is vital to a child’s development and how they learn, no matter what the skill. Anna Taylor, research assistant at Fundamentally Learning, believes that using similar methods at home, that children can recognise from using at school, makes it easier for children to build on what they have learned.

“They can take an idea and experiment with it in their

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own time, giving more opportunities for ‘lightbulb’ moments that really open up their learning”, she commented.

In a category which isn’t always the most appealing to children, and is more likely to attract the attention of parents and adult buyers, what can retailers do to highlight the products? People who buy educational toys want their child to do well in school, and Dennis Blackmore believes that the aim should be to explain how these educational toys will do just that. “It comes down to simple features/benefits and problem solving. Stating that the child’s reading, spelling or maths will improve if they play with this toy, or if that child is struggling then this product will help them is very important”, he comments. “In my experience schools are happy to work with local retailers, and such partnerships can be mutually beneficial”. Having a dedicated area to the category would also be an advantage, so children can reach out and try product.

David Allen would also advise retailers to put on demonstrations, “so consumers can have a choice and understanding of the benefits of these ranges.

Educational products offer extra sales as parents, grandparents and other relations want the child to learn and be educated in an easy to follow way”, he said. One of the main issues with actually selling educational toys is that they deliver more than they can ever communicate from the shelf, which means a consumer can often walk away from the very product they are searching for without realising. “A streamlined shopper journey and knowledgeable staff will make opening and closing sales a lot easier than expecting customers to navigate on their own”, advises Emily Brown. She also believes that retailers should find out what their customers are looking for, e.g. specific age or skill, then work with brands and suppliers to make sure that the answers they are looking for are signposted.

Over the next few pages, brands and companies have displayed their newest and best in show products.

2016 is bursting with NEW arrivals!

SUPPORT

SUPPORT

Introducing eight NEW infant, toddler and pre-school lines, available from July 2016.

Order now 01895 202 840 Or visit leapfrog.co.uk

Educational toys

Brainstorm 0120 044 5113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk New to the Brainstorm Toys brand this year is the Rocket Projector and Room Guard. Complete with a table-top or wall-mounted launch pad, the 35cm model rocket has 24 space-themed colour images of planets, astronauts and spacecraft to project onto the walls and ceiling. It also includes a secret code to unlock online facts.

The Rocket Projector and Room Guard will be launched later in the year, supported with TV in the final quarter.

Aqua Dragons are real live aquatic creatures that can be hatched and grown at home using the all-inclusive kits. Brainstorm has committed to more TVRs throughout the rest of 2016 and the launch of two new products, which will include an invite to download an Aqua Dragons Investigator app. The new Sea Friends branded range includes a double-sized tank featuring one of the Aqua Dragons characters as its centre-piece.

There are new additions to Brainstorm’s projector torch range, including the Most Deadly Torch and the Fairy and Unicorn Torch.

Each of these pocket-money torches are supplied with three discs to project 24 colour images, up to 1 metre wide.

The company’s new 30cm diameter inflatable Animal Globe is designed specifically for kids, and with the included fact sheet and game suggestions they can learn more about animals and geography.

To accompany Brainstorm’s projector torches there will be a new Natural History Museum branded Creepy Crawly Torch and Projector.

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk DKL offers a range of educational toys from brands such as SmartLab and Miniland Educational.

The SmartLab range of science kits all come complete with activity books for extra educational play value.

New from SmartLab is the Crash Test Lab, a kit which includes a crash test dummy which can measure the force of the crash.

Also new is the Squishy Human Body which comes complete with squishy organs, bones and muscles, and a 24-page activity book which guides kids as they dissect and pull the model apart. Also included is a poster which helps children get to grips with all the different parts which make up a human body.

Children can collect other kits from the squishy range, which include the Inhuman Squishy Zombie, the Squishy T-Rex and the Squishy Brain.

Miniland Educational’s best-selling Electrokit now has a 198 experiments for children to test out. All parts are designed for quick and easy assembly with components connected together with press-studs. The electronic science set is packed with value and is also competitively priced.

Another option from Miniland is the Discover Science CDU, a collection of foldable, magnetic games which are ideal for learning on the go. Themes include Evolution, Check Up Scanner and Sea Mystery and Space Trip.

DKL supports SmartLab and Miniland Educational with a full marketing campaign, including everything from bespoke planograms to extensive social media and PR activity.

Fisher-Price 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Fisher-Price is introducing the new Think & Learn range, which encourages development, critical thinking and experimentation through interactive hands-on play.

Set to be the next generation in pre-school learning toys, the new line teaches key foundational skills such as coding, sequencing and encouraging STEM learning. The Code-a-Pillar and the Counting Colours Chameleon will be the first additions to the range.

The Code-a-Pillar is a caterpillar that encourages experimentation and inspires a child’s natural curiosity and independent thinking as they develop coding, sequencing and critical thinking skills. Pre-schoolers can arrange Code-a-Pillar’s light-up segments in endless combinations.

By connecting the segments to create a journey, children can learn sequencing and how to reach targets, and directing Code-a-Pillar introduces programming and problem solving.

The Colour Change Chameleon develops problem solving and sequencing as well as teaching numbers and colours through interactive play. Pre-schoolers can place the Chameleon on any object in a room; as it scans its surroundings, the chameleon detects different colours and changes its own colour accordingly.

The Chameleon comes with 10 paint splats, a colour detecting paintbrush and three different learning modes for a variety of activities with the talking Colour Change Chameleon.

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Educational toys

Global Opportunities 01905 831 919 | office@globalopportunities.co.uk For more than 40 years, the Lisciani Group has successfully carried out research on learning strategies for children. The Lisciani Centre for Training and Research was set up to help elevate the quality of education in schools and it has designed and produced books and educational games to support this initiative.

For the first time in 2016, much of the Lisciani game range is available in English and core parts of its range include the Piccolo Genio scientific games and the Baby High Tech electronic educational toys. A wide selection of games is now available from UK stock, offering hands-on experiences.

The Great Learning Farm is part of Lisciani’s range of scientific games.

The Build Your Own Farm allows children to build their own 3D scene that includes a farm house, a silo, hay bales and a windmill. Using tools, pots, earth and seeds provided, kids can see various fruit and vegetables grow.

The kit also includes a Farmer’s Guide.

Baby Laptop is one of Lisciani’s early years electronic educational toys.

Baby Laptop has a simplified educational keyboard and an illuminating display that doubles as a mirror. Accompanied by Carotina Super Bip, children can learn to identify baby animals by listening to their names in English, their cries and rhymes about them.

Lisciani’s products are available exclusively in the UK through Global Opportunities.

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

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear is increasing its offering of the Mr Tumble Something Special range of educational toys, which are suitable for children of all abilities. Leading the plush collection is the Mr Tumble with Lights and Sounds. Complete with his spotty bag, Mr Tumble features lots of textured fabrics and a light-up spotty bow tie. The plush also plays lots of Mr Tumble phrases from the CBeebies show.

Also joining the range is the Mr Tumble with Fun Tumble Tapp. Sounds and phrases from the show are activated when each of the five icons on the plush Tumble Tapp are pressed. The product also features two songs and a light-up nose.

With Mr Tumble’s Fun Sounds Musical Car, kids can push the colourful car to hear engine sounds and watch it wobble, and can also press the red nose to make it flash. The car also features a Mr Tumble character figurine, songs from the show and phrases from Grandad Tumble, Aunt Polly and Mr Tumble.

Part of the current In the Night Garden collection is the Explore & Learn Musical Activity Table, which features three In the Night Garden characters plus a host of interactive features such as stories, songs and imaginative play, all packed into a standing base and multi-purpose play table/storage unit. The removable activity station can also be placed on the floor to accommodate even younger children.

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The Uncle Milton Star Wars Spacecraft Flight Lab will be released in autumn.

Children can build and launch their own motorised Star Wars paper spacecraft whilst also getting to grips with key scientific concepts such as aerodynamics and force.

The new BB8 Force Spinner lets children perform experiments in magnetism and physics as they learn to control the 6cm droid. Understanding plasma energy will also be easy with the Force Lightning Energy Ball, which lets children harness the power of force lightning.

The Death Star Electronics Lab includes over 20 electronic experiments, and everything kids need to build and complete the electronic capabilities of the Death Star. Once completed, it will also double as a room light and room guard.

The new Uncle Milton Star Wars products will join the range of Light Saber Room Lights, which includes the Kylo Ren three blade version. Children must build each wall mounted device for themselves.

With the Star Wars Force Trainer II, children can download the hologram experience app, and Yoda will guide them around the challenges.

The Wild Science range will see an extensive packaging and content makeover this autumn. The new Lava Lamp and Glitter Tube Lab for girls will be added to sit alongside the Bath Bomb and Perfume Factory.

Girls can also make cupcake-shaped soaps with the new Cake Soap Factory. The soap in this kit can be melted, moulded and whipped to create a stable foam that can be piped onto the soap creations.

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Educational toys

LeapFrog 01895 202 840 | www.leapfrog.com The Number Loving Oven is the first pre-school toy to take early maths into play focused on cooking and sharing, giving toddlers a first glimpse into how numbers and maths skills are a part of everyday life. The Number Loving Oven talks, sings and gets number skills cooking through 30+ songs and phrases and 16 ingredients.

The oven’s number slider allows children to practice number recognition and learn about the value of numbers through cooking times and temperature.

Scout’s Build & Discover Tool Box lets toddlers interact with Scout, as he introduces them to their first step-by-step building project through counting, measuring, and colour-matching. Children will get a chance to see how these concepts apply to the grown-up world through pretend play as they construct Scout’s house, talk with Scout, sing along with songs, or tinker around with the five included tools.

Word Whammer triggers phonics skills as children spin, push and twist the handles to identify letters and build words in three funfair-themed games and five learning levels that adapt as they play. Children can push the toy’s handle to blast a rocket into letters and to spell more than 100 words. Kids can also match uppercase and lowercase letters by spinning the handle to bump a car into the correct answer. The learning adapts automatically as children play, keeping them challenged, motivated and engaged.

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK’s 2016 pre-school ELA offering focuses on several new additions to the Paw Patrol range.

Paw Patrol Learning Blazon encourages both fun and learning with four different ways to play: learning, discovery, quiz and lights.

Pre-schoolers can learn about shapes, numbers, colours and facts about their favourite Paw Patrol pups from the show.

Ryder will then test little ones’ knowledge with a quiz, and there is also a game to stimulate hand-eye coordination and memory by following the lights and remembering the sequence, which children can play alone or challenge their friends.

Using training toys is proven to improve the speed and effectiveness of learning, keeping children alert, invigorated and optimistic throughout the day. KD UK is committed to the ongoing development of high quality electronic educational toys, featuring top pre-school licences.

In addition, KD UK is launching the Paw Patrol Fun & Learn Projector Torch and Paw Patrol My First Camera, for children to set off on an adventure whilst they learn about numbers, colours and more.

KD UK will continue to offer its other licensed learning products including Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam, In The Night Garden and Disney Princess.

Marbel 0845 6000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk Quadrilla is Hape’s range of marble runs. The range offers a world of colourful possibilities for three dimensional thinking and creativity through the construction of a wooden marble run. All the sets are combinable and interchangeable, enabling children to create their own bespoke marble run.

There are blocks, tunnels, bridges and musical pieces which can be combined from various sets to accelerate the speed at which the marbles travel, making music as the marbles hit the musical xylophone keys within the run. Using level rails, the marbles can change direction easily, whilst the child can watch the marble make its full journey down the run.

Due to its design, children can build high, stable structures and replace pieces as they go without the need to take it apart and start the build again.

Complete marble run sets within the range start with the Roundabout and the Music Motion, which are the smaller sets, progressing to the larger sets which include the Cyclone and the new addition for spring/summer, the Space City Set. The Space City marble run includes accessories such as glow in the dark stickers, space vehicles, glowing marbles, glowing marble pools and a special dome.

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FUN, EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS Each product comes with educational guide

Packed with key learning activities

DKL MARKETING LTD 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk

facebook.com/DKL.Toys twitter.com/DKLtoys

Large range of popular themed products

Educational toys

Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com

Learning Resources 07872 377 302 | LearningResources.co.uk The STEM range from Learning Resources features five hands-on activity sets that bring learning to life across science, technology, engineering and maths. Activity sets include Force and Motion, Magnets, Sink or Float, Simple Machines and Robot Mouse. Each focusing on a different skill, the sets encourage an approach to learning that asks children to solve real-world problems through enquiry-based problem solving and hands-on experimentation.

Activities range from measuring the impact of speed on motion to testing which objects will sink or float.

The STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set provides an introduction to basic programming concepts, and has recently won the Education Resources Award for Best Primary Resource (including ICT). Judges stated that the STEM Robot Mouse Activity Set would encourage children to build hands-on coding skills in an enjoyable way. It was very easy to construct and represented excellent value for money.

Paul Lamond Games’ new titles include Balance Beans, Pathways, Laser Maze Junior and Dr Eureka.

These new strategic games are set to challenge minds, both young and old. Balance Beans will put youngsters to the test as they try to balance the see-saw. With over 40 challenges to complete, this game helps teach powerful maths and physics principles to young learners.

A great new game for budding scientists is Dr Eureka. Players must solve the scientific formulas by mixing the molecules from tube to tube without touching them.

A further new addition to Paul Lamond’s portfolio this summer is the Pathways game.

Laser Maze Junior is set to test young minds with 40 different challenge cards.

By using the mirrors to reflect the laser, youngsters can ignite their rockets on the launch pads. Circuit Maze Junior is the electric current logic game. Players must correctly complete one of the 60 circuit challenges to light up the beacon.

Magformers 08000 385 195 | www.magformers.co.uk

Orchard Toys 01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com Match and Spell has raced into Orchard Toys’ top five bestsellers in less than a year. This first reading and spelling game encourages letter recognition and teaches phonetic word building. There are two ways to play, increasing the level of difficulty as children develop in confidence and ability. Match and Spell can be used in schools and at home and is designed for both guided and independent word building for younger and older children.

The recently revamped Tell The Time is a learn the time lotto.

In the game, cards show everyday activities in analogue and digital times. Children are encouraged to say these aloud whilst matching the times to the pictures on their board, offering a fun way to develop time-telling skills.

Pop To The Shops is an Orchard Toys classic which helps children learn about handling money and giving change. Players move from shop to shop, using plastic money to buy lots of different items. The game is ideal for developing maths skills and inspiring imaginative play, as children role-play going to different kinds of shops including the newsagent, baker and greengrocer.

There are more than 80 Magformers sets currently available in the UK, with five sets designed with specific educational content and values. These include the Edu Puzzle Set for toddlers and younger children, Math 42 Set and Math 87 Set, Pythagorus Set and giant School Series 180 Set. The Math 87 Set contains a colour workbook and 87 Magformers pieces, and encourages children to solve puzzles, identify number order, sequences and bonds, find and make patterns and mirror images, and make solid 3D shapes and 2D nets (layouts) from the pieces supplied.

Additional slot-in number and dot tiles allow children to make dominoes and dice and learn about numbers as they play.

Magformer’s larger construction sets in the Deluxe Set Line contain special pieces such as power blocks, LED lighting, battery packs, compressed air tanks, pistons, pulleys, gears and angled connectors to develop skills in the STEM and STEAM fields.

Magformers has also launched a My First Set Line with colourful pieces and simple builds.

Every Magformers set contains various pieces in simple geometric shapes such as triangles, squares and rhomboids which connect easily using the built-in neodymium magnets. The magnets are safely sealed within all the edge surfaces of each Magformers piece, but can spin freely and always connect when two pieces are brought together.

Each Magformers piece is made from a specially-developed toughened ABS plastic, and ultrasonic welding means pieces cannot break when twisted by hand.

Carotina Baby Laptop The Carotina Baby laptop is the very first computer for the youngest or kids, being designed for children aged one year and older. The baby laptop has a simplified educational keyboard and an illuminated display, that doubles as a mirror. Children can learn to identify animals, by listening to their names, the sounds they make and rhymes about them.

Contact for Distribution: Global Opportunities Marketing Ltd Powyke House, The Village Powick, Worcester WR2 4QR Tel: 01905 831919 office@globalopportunities.co.uk

Carotina Baby Smart Tv Baby smart TV is a fun and extremely simple educational electronic toy that includes an illuminated screen and a real remote control with 5 didactic functions. Accompanied by Carotina Super Bip, children can use the remote control to interact with the screen and learn many new things.

The Lisciani group has over 40 years experience in researching learning strategies and creating motivational and educational games. It is a leader in scientific, preschool learning, creative and electronic learning games. www.liscianigroup.com

worldwide education

Educational toys

Fiesta Crafts 020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

Puzzles and Play 01354 669 733 | www.puzzlesandplay.co.uk Creative Educational Aids has been producing educational fun for the past 25 years. The catalogue includes games for the early years, pre-school and school ages, as well as games for the whole family.

Ending and Beginning Consonant Sounds Packs come in a plastic storage box, ensuring all parts of the game stay as good as new. Each pack contains 15 sets of self-correcting match-up tiles, six double-sided wipe clean practice sheets and an activity guide.

These sets help children identify and match cards which have the same ending/beginning sounds, play traditional concentration games and solve a variety of activities to practice phonic skills.

The Early Puzzles range covers subjects from farm animals, dinosaurs and vehicles to numbers and letters. Each box contains four or five jigsaw puzzles with varying numbers of pieces. The sets are designed to give the child hours of fun whilst improving their observational and motor skills and coordination.

The Read & Practice Pack helps children learn the beginning sounds of words and letters of the alphabet. Contained in the plastic storage box are 50 large word and alphabet flash cards, six activities and five games.

The Practice Maths range consists of four games which help to develop understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Each contains an activity book with activities.

With the new magnetic money board, children are presented with an easy to use visual aid, designed to help develop their basic numeracy skills.

This set comes with a double-sided activity board and activities for kids to follow to help improve money skills. Being magnetic, it’s also ideal for practice when travelling.

Children can use the magnetic money to work out how much to pay, how to pay the correct amount and how much change is needed by simply moving the money around on the board. The sturdy board comes complete with a dry-wipe marker, and the board and pieces are easily stored in the pack.

Gibsons 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Created in conjunction with child psychologist and play specialist Dr. Amanda Gummer, Gibsons’ My World products have been designed to be developmentally appropriate for little ones. The range ties in with the national curriculum and early learning goals, and is appropriate for various ages. Each box contains hints for parents on how to get the most out of each product.

My Body is a set of two puzzles. The first puzzle contains 36 pieces and shows the outside of the body, whilst the second comes with 50 pieces and shows what happens inside the body. The outer edges of each puzzle are packed with fun facts to help children understand how the body works.

There are eight products in the range, helping children build their vocabulary, numeracy, creativity, logic and motor skills.

Little Tikes 0845 053 3333 | www.littletikes.co.uk Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online. com 2016 sees the return of the Teletubbies brand.

A highlight of the range is the Pull & Play Giant Noo-noo, which makes an ideal toddler toy. The giant pull-along toy is packed with features and play options. Children can shape-sort, complete a 3D puzzle or enjoy playing the musical button game. The toy teaches cause and effect, develops handeye coordination, and promotes spatial awareness.

The interactive Noo-noo also promises plenty of laughs with its characteristic wobbly eyes and custard sucking effects.

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Bath time is also learning time with Bath Letters and Numbers from Little Tikes. These toys help little ones learn to spell and count with letters and numbers that stick to the tub wall.

Quadrilla Engineered in the future

Best Seller

WWW.HAPE.COM

touchingbase

Halfway there As we break into the second half of the year, Clarabel Jones spoke to a selection of suppliers to find out how 2016 has treated them so far, and to uncover their plans for the remainder of the year.

Simon Pilkington

Andrew Moulsher

John Adams

Peterkin

The first half of this year can be described in two words: extremely busy. Sales for the first half have been very good; we are seeing strong double digit growth against 2015 numbers, and all of the key indicators are moving in the right direction. What’s also very encouraging is that we are seeing this growth across all of our key retail distribution channels. In the meantime, we have also been managing a major refurbishment of our offices, showroom and warehouse in Leicester the first in over 20 years.

We have virtually finished the improvements and are looking forward to welcoming customers to Leicester to experience our new look. Rest assured, whilst the look may have changed, visitors will still be treated to a traditional, friendly Peterkin welcome.

This has been our first spring/summer season working with the Brookite brand, and it has been gratifying to see sales justifying the decision to acquire the brand last year. We are endeavouring to build on the fabulous heritage that we inherited from Mandy and Nick Harrison, and the reaction that we have had to the new branding we have introduced, along with the reaction to the addition of licensed kites, demonstrates that we are very much moving in the right direction.

We can’t wait to see the new Dolls World packaging hit the shelves. Retail reaction to the rebrand has been everything that we could have hoped for, and has resulted in significant gains in retail distribution for autumn/ winter 2016, and we are really looking forward to consumer reaction matching retail expectations.

The year has started well for us at John Adams, across all of our key product categories. NPD is showing us in a strong position year to date, and with our marketing plans now in place for our new launches for the rest of the year, we hope that this is set to continue.

We are really pleased with the reaction to our new range of eZee Beads craft kits. We have ensured that the range has something for everyone, covering a wide range of popular themes, and all key price points and initial sell-through has been very positive. Our range of Intex PureSpa inflatable hot tubs has had a strong year so far too. The Intex range has made the hot tub experience more accessible for the mass market, and we are seeing a strong demand year round which is great.

We have some great new games launching very shortly, including Silly Sausage.

The reaction to this has been fantastic so far, so we’re really excited to see how it is going to perform. We’re supporting the launch with full TV, digital, PR and social campaigns, including special appearances and street challenges with our new Silly Sausage character costume. Our other new kids’ action games, including Soggy Doggy and Splashy the Whale, will also be in store from July and will be supported by full marketing campaigns, which should continue to drive our growth and share within the games market.

Within our craft category we have some major Disney launches, including the Disney Princess Jelly Stickers Light & Sparkle Nightlight & Projector and the Jelly Stickers Light & Sparkle Fairy Lights. Kids can simply paint and decorate, then switch on the lights to see them magically sparkle and twinkle.

To continue driving our dominance within scientific toys, we have an exciting new Neon Science kit which is also about to hit the shelves.

The August issue of Toy World will include special features on STEM Learning Soft Toys Wooden Toys Plus an extensive preview of the Autumn Fair Editorial deadline: 1st July Ad deadline: 15th July For more details on availability and how to get involved, call Mark Austin on 01442 502405 or email mark@toyworldmag.co.uk

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Lauren Shipman

Katherine Pierce

Posh Paws

Golden Bear

We have had a strong first half which has been led by the Run-along Twirlywoos which launched at the beginning of the year. Golden Bear is currently the number one manufacturer of plush in the UK as well as the number one manufacturer in licensed plush (NPD, Full Year 2015), and a top toy manufacturer in the UK – currently number 15 (NPD, YTD April 2016), so we’re having a good year so far.

Our In the Night Garden range continues to sell well, year after year, which is fantastic. We’re extending the range further this year with new hero lines such as the Pinky Ponk, and Twirlywoos continues to go from strength to strength as a top pre-school licence. We are expecting good things in autumn/winter 2016 with new licence launches such as Oddbods and Thomas & Friends.

We’ve got some really exciting launches coming through across our whole portfolio. However, one which we’re particularly excited about, which is our own IP, is Sleep Tight All Night - an innovative, versatile 4-in-1 product that not only helps aid better sleep for children but can also be played with as a comforting, huggable daytime toy. The product has been developed in-house following extensive research into the effects of coloured lights on sleeping patterns, and has been designed to aid the transition from cot to bed for little ones with the added appeal of being contained within a cuddly plush toy. Our Oddbods range is also a key launch for us, which contains collectibles, vehicles as well as interactive plush items. We’ve also got new licensed toy ranges launching for Thomas & Friends as well as Messy Goes to Okido, so there’s a lot to get excited about.

The first half of the year has been great for Posh Paws; we’ve had a really strong start to the year, with products such as Tsum Tsum and Lion Guard in high demand. We’re also seeing brands such as Disney Princess, Marvel and Star Wars continuing to provide strong sales year on year.

On the backpack side of our business, we have also seen Minions continue to bring in steady sales, along the likes of Thunderbirds and Care Bears.

Frozen has been a bit of a surprise to the retail market in 2016, as I think a lot of people expected sales to drop dramatically, whereas with key retailers our product has remained a solid seller. I think this is largely down to our product being at a reasonable price point for presents and pocket money purchases. Also, whilst there is no movie, the brand still has a strong appeal for the key target audience.

Jungle Book has also been a bit of surprise, as we felt the live action movie would appeal to an older audience than the typical age group for plush, but our sales to date have proven otherwise, and the movie has been a box office success.

Obviously we’re very excited about our Finding Dory plush and Secret Life of Pets bags, and listings show that these products are likely to deliver strong sales for us this autumn/winter. Plus, personally I am very excited for these movies as I love animals, and who doesn’t want to see Dory return to the big screen. We’re also very excited about the release of Moana and Star Wars: Rogue One. Whilst there is not too much information released to consumers about these movies yet, we expect that with the theatrical releases timed just before Christmas, these brands will bolster retail sales at peak season.

Emma Fryer Tomy

We’ve had an outstanding first half of 2016 at Tomy. We moved up to number 13 in the UK in 1H (NPD EPoS), and we’re seeing strong performance from brands across our portfolio. Key brands including Pokémon, Aquadoodle and our Tomy toddler and bath ranges have exceeded sales targets. Additionally, our newly integrated UK sales and marketing team is up and running. We also have some great new people on board, and are seeing daily improvements in joint planning, integrated retail strategies and overall, we’re feeling a lot of positive momentum. Most importantly, we’re definitely seeing the results come through in sales.

We knew 2016 would be a strong year for Pokémon because of the 20th anniversary, but sales have exceeded our expectations – we are currently up a staggering 144%. It’s great to see the growth, and that even after 20 years in the market, Pokémon is still a firm favourite amongst consumers, continuing to attract legions of new fans.

The Foam Cone Factory in the Tomy Bath range has continued to perform beyond expectations after quickly becoming the UK’s number one bath toy after less than a year in market (NPD EPoS).

We are very excited about Lamaze as a whole as we are rolling out our new branding in the second half. Make sure to look for the new logo, new packaging and visual updates across digital channels and in-store. The relaunch will be supported with a comprehensive digital strategy including a Facebook page, which has just launched (facebook.com/LamazeUK), a BabyCentre partnership and more. Our autumn/winter heroes will be new activity toy Symphony Oscar, a musical penguin and the latest Clip n Go character, Munching Max. Following on the success of the Foam Cone Factory in 2015, we’re expecting another hit with the new remote control Rescue Boat. This innovative bath boat comes with a remote that lets little ones drive the boat and squirt water, and will be supported with TV and digital media.

Aquadoodle has been going from strength to strength following the colour innovation, posting double digit growth versus last year. We have big expectations for the second half of the year with the introduction of new Paw Patrol and Thomas & Friends licences. Keep an eye out for TV support, influencer home parties and an exciting partnership for our travel bag range.

Last but not least, we are eagerly anticipating the launch of our new game, Greedy Granny. This exciting game challenges players to steal biscuits from a sleeping granny without waking her up. We’ve had a fantastic response from trade, and are supporting it with strong plans for retail and consumer marketing including an autumn/winter TV campaign.

Toy World 57

Feature

Role-play and dress-up

Playing a role

Whist role-play is a fun activity, it is also a key component of learning. Children enjoy dressing up or pretending to do things that adults do, and in doing so develop their understanding of many different themes. NPD data reveals that in 2015, the role-play and dress-up category showed a sales increase of 18%, and since the period January 16 – May 16, the sector has already grown by 19%. Jonika Kinchin reports.

C

hildren have played with plastic food, plastic telephones and plastic doctors sets for generations. Traditional roleplay items are seeing a resurgence, according to Phil Cassidy, managing director at Casdon. The company has combined licensing with classic items such as cleaning sets that children have played with for years, wanting to copy their parents. “The Morphy Richards Kitchen Set is performing amazingly well, it’s a great value line with amazing play value.” Phil informed Toy World. “The Dyson, Henry, and Hetty lines continue to sell year upon year. The ironing set we have produced for over 10 years has had a real uplift in sales over the last two years”.

Another aspect of role play involves dressing up, and a wide range of outfits and accessories are available. Unlike fashion trends, many fancy dress themes are evergreen and are constant sellers; we’ve all been to a party dressed as a pirate, a witch, or a cat – no matter what age. Manufacturer and distributor Amscan states that some of the longest serving items in its range continue to perform “astonishingly well”.

Sales of traditional costumes can also be buoyed by national events such as the Euros and the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, as Jim Young, marketing manager explained. “Ever-green designs like the Queen and Friendly Dragon costumes seem to be essentially immune to the ups and downs of fashions and trends”.

However, watching out for trends and themes in children’s properties, TV and social media can also bring successful sales. Hasbro recently saw an unexpected surge in sales of its Chewbacca mask, due to Candace Payne’s Happy Chewbacca viral YouTube video, which has been shared nearly 2.5 million times on Facebook.

This sort of success is unprecedented and can happen literally overnight. Ian Melville, retail supervisor and toy buyer at both toy shop Ink Spot and fancy dress shop Dazzle, believes that is nearly impossible to pre-empt something like this, yet is vital to be able to react quickly.

“We had the stock before the video went viral, and overnight we had already sold dozens. We immediately ordered more product from Hasbro with ease, which is one of the benefits of being an independent retailer”.

For Amscan, traditional dress-up themes enjoy consistent and reliable sales. “Pirates, princesses, zombies and witches will always be on trend,” commented Jim Young. “However, licensed products can sell remarkably well, sometimes becoming ‘evergreen’ themselves”. Character licences are particularly in demand when it comes to dress-up, as children endeavour to become their favourite superhero or princess. Tom Russell, owner and founder of R S Currie & Co, stocks mainly traditional items such Policeman and Doctor outfit packs, but also stocks specific licences as they become on trend. “We take notice of trends that happen throughout the year, for example Star Wars did

particularly well at the start of this year”, he commented.

Traditional role-play items feature heavily in many fond childhood memories, and companies such as Casdon and Worlds Apart believe that tradition is still relevant and important today. Having relaunched the DreamTown Rose Petal Cottage after eight years with a redesign, Logan Stone, senior brand manager commented: “The product had a design overhaul to bring up to date, so it looks more like a cottage today’s child could relate to, whilst still feeling traditional. The DreamTown range has tradition at its core, so children won’t find any tablets or gadgets inside.” The company was cautiously optimistic about the relaunch, even though the market had changed since the initial release.

“In an age where digital is so prevalent in children’s lives, we feel there’s a real need for balance between online and offline play. It is still so important for children to engage in traditional role-play and use their imaginations”.

Dress-up specialists Rubies Masquerade has a wide range of licensed products which perform strongly: Tracey Devine, head of marketing EMEA at the company, reported that Star Wars, Disney Princess and My Little Pony are the key lines that go from strength to strength year after year. But there is always room for new characters. “Paw Patrol has been a huge success for us. These types of costumes do not always translate, so it is great to see the popularity of this brand grow. We are finding that 2016 without a doubt is the year of the Superhero, driven by the blockbusters Captain America: Civil War and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as the launch of DC Superhero Girls”.

Retailers state that the category is a steady one throughout the year, however Halloween is of course a particular sales peak for dress up items. Traditions have changed over the years so that, rather than sticking to “scary” outfits, a complete spectrum of costumes is now popular. Tracey Devine agrees that traditional dress-up items such as Policeman costumes are more in demand at Halloween. For dress-up retailer Ian Melville, Halloween completely replaces Christmas. “Halloween is without a doubt the busiest time of the year for us, we start preparing from Toy Fair onwards”.

Another important date in the calendar for the category has arisen with the growing inclusion of National Book Week in schools. This event can tie in both traditional and licensed items and is fast becoming a tent-pole event for the dress-up industry. “As the event continues to build in popularity, we’ll continue to invest in new costumes and accessories to meet demand”, commented Amscan’s Jim Young Retailers have a multitude of options and opportunities for creativity when it comes to display, POS and selling the products. Children are likely to want to touch, pick up and try on, and Rubies works with retailers to offer a tailored solution that works for their specific requirements, whether that includes hanging

Toy World 58

Amscan options, boxed options, suit carriers and more. Tracey believes that the ultimate dress-up shopping experience should be in a place where imaginations can really be ignited and inspired. Getting products out of the packaging and having at least one display item is always a benefit, as well as products that children can just pick up and put on, such as hats and accessories. Jim Young would advise retailers to display outfits on mannequins.

“Though they can be expensive and take up room, they are the obvious choice for costumes, but items out on rail can also be a good solution – we’re extremely confident of the quality of our products and know that a hands on tactile encounter with an Amscan costume is a superb way to boost sales. We always advise our customers to get product out of the packaging and on display”.

There are many ways to make the most out of the wide array of products that are available in the category, a selection of which are displayed over the next few pages.

08453 070707

www.rubiesuk.com

Role-play and dress-up

Out of this world

Jonika Kinchin speaks to Logan Stone, senior brand manager at Worlds Apart about the company’s successful relaunch of the DreamTown range, and how effective marketing and advertising has been in terms of the hero product, the Rose Petal Cottage.

Have the products been adapted at all to suit the children of today?

When we relaunched Rose Petal Cottage after eight years, we were mindful that it would need a design overhaul to be in-keeping with trends so that it looked and felt like a cottage today’s child could relate to, while still feeling traditional. Little touches like the cream wood burner, on-trend wood cladding and shabby chic styling make it feel more current. However, the DreamTown brand has tradition at its core, so children won’t find any tablets or gadgets inside.

What marketing support was used for the relaunch?

TV was always going to be a driving force behind the marketing for DreamTown, as this had proven successful in the past. However, we implemented a fully integrated marketing campaign around the relaunch to ensure we were at front of mind with today’s consumer where they are socialising and consuming media. The campaign involved targeting parents and children in different ways, including TV, digital marketing, online advertising, PR and social media.

We engaged with our child audience through traditional TV advertising, but also through YouTube advertising, as we know how children are increasingly watching TV online. We then targeted parents through

social media, remarketing, display advertising and national press coverage.

Do you think the success is due to the marketing and advertising of the product?

Marketing and advertising was certainly a contributor to the success of DreamTown. Had we not had a solid strategy and plans in place, with targeted activities, we wouldn’t have been able to build awareness and reach as wide an audience as we did, or engage with parents and children in the same way. The marketing also had a positive impact at retail, with digital marketing driving a considerable amount of traffic and conversions to our retail partners.

Has the relaunch of Rose Petal Cottage met you expectations?

We were always cautiously optimistic about the relaunch, because we knew how much of a success it had been in the past, but were equally conscious of how much the market has changed. Having said that, we were pleasantly surprised to see just how much children, parents and retailers still love Rose Petal Cottage and the DreamTown brand – despite it being out of the market for eight years.

In less than a year we’ve racked up over 10 million more YouTube views, bringing the total DreamTown

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Fans of Mr Tumble can dress just like him with the newly refreshed Mr Tumble’s Textured Spotty Bag, launching this autumn. Featuring brightly coloured textured fabric to stimulate senses, five Makaton word cards and a handy adjustable strap, it is ideal for encouraging imaginative play.

Children can also wear the current Something Special Waistcoat which comes complete with a spotty bow tie.

Joining the company’s Sooty collection in the autumn is the Sooty Mischief and Magic Set, which comes with Magic Sooty Hand Puppet, complete with magician’s hat and outfit, colour changing hanky and the classic whoopee cushion. A Book of Mischief and Magic is also included which features tips from the TV programme starring Richard Cadell.

For additional role-play, the company’s collection also includes replica Sooty, Sweep and Soo Hand Puppets, a Sooty and Sweep Hand Puppet Set, as well as the Pop-Up Sooty Puppet Show. Featuring Sooty’s own puppeteer box adapted from the packaging, the Pop-Up Sooty Puppet Show enables Sooty to pop out of the box with his iconic magic wand and water pistol.

channel views to104 million! We also won 9 x consumer and trade awards which we were really pleased with.

How have other products in the Dream Town range fared since the relaunch?

Rose Petal Cottage has and always will be the hero product in the DreamTown range. However, the accessory sets are also extremely popular as they make great add on gifts for the likes of grandparents to give, and allow us to offer products at a range of price points. The Rose Petal Kitchen set for example, is one of Worlds Apart’s Top 20 highest performing lines.

Why do you think role-play is still relevant/important today?

In an age where digital is so prevalent in children’s lives, we feel there’s a need for balance between online and offline play. While digital toys are fantastic, it is still so important for children to engage in traditional roleplay and use their imaginations with pretend play.

Casdon 01253 608 428 | www.casdon.co.uk With household licences such as Dyson, Morphy Richards and Numatic on board, children can emulate their parents through traditional play.

The Little Helper range boasts a strong portfolio including the Dyson Ball Vacuum Cleaner, Henry Vacuum, Hetty Cleaning Trolley and so much more. Added to the range this year are the Henry and Hetty Household Cleaning Sets; both feature a dust pan & brush, mop, sweeping brush and other role-play items with full Henry & Hetty branding.

With the Mr. Kipling Cake Stand & Tea Set, each stand comes with a tea set - cups, saucers, plates and cutlery, and is also available to purchase separately.

Also a favourite is the Morphy Richards Microwave Kettle and Toaster trio. This set comprises of an electronic toy microwave that has a realistic touch pad and lights and sounds, plus a kettle and pop up toaster.

Finally, the Little Shoppers range has everything needed for children to create their own imaginary shop. With items such as supermarket tills, shopping baskets, shopping trollies and more, children can create different scenarios time and time again with each role-play toy.

All of Casdon’s collections are supported with month by month outreach campaigns with mummy bloggers plus social media support including its very own Little Helpers Club.

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Order your Finding Dory party products in time for the movie release!

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Role-play and dress-up

KidKraft 0808 101 9297 | www.kidkraft.com KidKraft has 40 years of experience in the world of inventive and educational toys.

Play kitchens, doll houses, doll furniture and train sets are just some of the items the company is recognised for.

Items that do consistently well for the company include the Amelia Dollhouse and the Uptown Espresso Kitchen, which have won a number of prizes and choice awards. The Uptown Espresso Kitchen includes a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, oven and dishwasher with doors that all open and close.

Best-sellers for the year include the Deluxe Tasty Treat Pretend Play Food Set, the Kayla Dollhouse, and the Vintage Kitchen Pink. The Pirate Sandboat has also sold more than expected.

The company is also excited about its licensed category, which has opened many doors. Currently there is a Disney licensed dollhouse and kitchen. However, traditional products are still a focus.

KidKraft branded POS material is available to retailers for impactful instore displays.

Amscan International 01908 288 500 | www.amscan.co.uk

HTi 01253 775 544 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTi offers charactershaped cases featuring Avengers, Spiderman, Disney Princess Belle, Frozen and Minnie Mouse.

Character cases are also available with Thomas & Friends, Peppa Pig, Ben & Holly and Minions.

Each case contains toys relevant to each character, and all accessories pack away into the case.

HTi is launching Teletubbies role-play toys for 2016. New role-play lines, with character tooling, sounds and light effects include a My First Kitchen and Tea Set, which is modelled on the Custard Train.

The company also provides a range of Peppa Pig role-play toys and dolls prams. The Peppa Pig House Kitchen is modelled on the character’s own kitchen.

With a multi-territory licence partnership with Hasbro for role-play sets, HTi’s My Little Pony range includes the new Tea Pot Palace.

The company also provides Mamas & Papas, Silver Cross and Chicco Junior collections. Inspired by the contemporary models available in the real-life nursery ranges and featuring stylish fabric designs, HTi provides little girls with an accessory for nurturing doll role-play. The Chicco 3-in-1 offers maximum versatility and play value. The toy features a detachable pram body, swivel wheels, an adjustable hood, soft grip height-adjustable handle, under seat shopping basket and comes with a matching shoulder bag.

In addition, HTi will launch new Disney Princess and Disney Frozen dolls prams for autumn/winter 2016, also offering ranges with evergreen brands such as Peppa Pig, Sophia the First, Doc McStuffins and Minnie Mouse.

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Amscan’s growing dress-up collection contains an extensive choice of costumes, role-play sets, costume accessories and face paint for children and adults of all ages.

The range of baby costumes has expanded for 2016 to include animal designs such as Jumpin’ Joey, Little Roar and Playful Pup. Also new are the little rebels-themed costumes featuring Baby Biker, Lil’ Law Breaker and Baby Buccaneer.

Amscan also has a collection of licensed Barbie costumes. New to the range this year is a Secret Agent Barbie Spy Squad costume, Princess and Mini Me styles complete with a matching Barbie doll dress and a Barbie Witch costume for Halloween.

In addition to Amscan’s selection of costumes there is also a range of wearable accessories and role-play sets. Other new costume accessories include police dresses and shirts, plus vibrant clown wearables.

From Amscan’s everyday costume collection there is also an array of styles for Book Week, from traditional story book characters, to historical designs, careers, fairy tales and more. New everyday additions to look out for include the Prince of Thieves outfit complete with hooded shirt, gloves, belt, quiver and boot covers.

To accompany costumes, Amscan also supplies face paint and accessories by Snazaroo. In addition to this a new exclusive range of face paints has recently been launched called Amscan Create. The items include colour creams and palettes, plus an array of kits and items to create special effects.

TOY WORLD ROSE PETAL copy copy.pdf

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Loved by mums kids; and adored by

9 Award wins in 2015/2016

The role play house every little girl wants for Christmas.

Supported by a heavy-weight TV and digital campaign with 104 million YouTube views, it's a must-have for all retailers. tradeenquiries@worldsapart.com

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Reviews

01637 882200

Role-play and dress-up

Little Tikes 0845 053 3333 | www.littletikes.co.uk Little Tikes has unveiled the new Cook n’ Learn Kitchen which features interactive accessories and an integrated app which has four modes of play, including recipes, free play, games and song and music.

The Cookin’ Creations Wood Kitchen is a pretend kitchen playset including pots and pans, a washing machine and dishwasher. It comes with 11 accessories including a basket, play phone, spatula, pots and pans and spice jars.

The Little Tikes Cook ‘n Store Kitchen comes fully assembled, and compactly folds up for easy storage. The kitchen comes complete with 34 accessories, which include utensils, pots, food and more.

The Cook n’ Learn Kitchen will be underpinned by significant TV investment with various commercials planned through the year and doubling year-on-year TV support. Major PR and social media activities will also support the launch.

Rubie’s 08453 070 707 | www.rubiesuk.com Rubie’s range of licensed superhero costumes has expanded further with new looks for Batman, Superman, Captain America, Iron Man and others. The company has seen a strong trend growing for girls’ superhero dress-up in sales of its Wonder Woman costumes, and is hoping its new range of DC Super Hero Girl’s dress-up launching in August, with its new take on Batgirl, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, will be a hit. The licensed range will be available in various sizes and at two price points for the Classic and Deluxe versions, which include more detail and added features.

Disney-licensed dress-up features strongly in the Rubie’s catalogue, and with the new sequel to Finding Nemo being released this month, Rubie’s will be introducing a new line of Finding Dory dress-up for young kids and toddlers. The range will include two tabards of Nemo and Dory, and two tutu dresses available in various sizes. The whole range became available from the end of June.

Rubie’s Disney Princess dress range is set to expand with a new Fairytale line, which features printed graphics of scenes from the movies. The new line is available to order now in three sizes.

New to the Rubie’s Additions Catalogue 2016, due out in August, are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costumes following the movie, and new dress-up from Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, including Hawkeye, Black Widow, Black Panther and more.

Dress Up America 0203 667 2721 | sales@dressupamerica.co.uk

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk

Highlighted products for this year include the Fire Chief Play Kit, which is an addition to the Fire Fighter Costume Set. It includes an axe, fire extinguisher, radio, wristwatch, whistle, shield, pry rod and binoculars.

Also featured in the firefighter range is the Pretend Play Kids Fire Fighter’s Megaphone with Siren Sound and Handheld Mic Toy in red. The product comes complete with a hand mic and attached shoulder strap. The multi-function microphone has talk, siren and volume control options. The Pretend Play Kids Police Officer’s Megaphone with Siren Sound and Handheld Mic Toy comes in blue with recognisable police symbols, with all the same features.

Scratch Europe offers a range of role-play toys.

Highlights include the Tipi Tent, which features two roll-up windows. The high quality tipi tent is suitable for inside, and outside in dry weather.

The Sword and Shield Set from Scratch Europe offers traditional charm, and features a dragon printed on the shield.

DKL supports all brands with a full marketing campaign, including everything from bespoke planograms to extensive social media and PR activity.

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KidKraft is now in

the

UK!

We’re excited to announce the opening of our UK warehouse on July 1, 2016.

Now you can enjoy

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faster shipping and

free carriage!

UK Toll Free: 0808-1019297 | Ireland Toll Free : 1800-901630 | europesales@kidkraft.com | www.kidkraft.com

Role-play and dress-up

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com The new Fireman Sam Utility Belt features fireman tools, including a working torch, a walkie-talkie, plastic axe and a firefighter’s jacket. The Fireman Sam Helmet helmet features a button which, when pressed, will play the theme tune of the show and the classic character phrases. The product comes in Try Me packaging to engage children and parents before they buy.

Recently launched as part of Character Options’ Teletubbies collection is the Tubby Phone, which plays various sounds including chats, giggles and a singsong.

Learning Resources 07872 377 302 | LearningResources.co.uk Designed to help children understand and mimic the world around them, the Pretend & Play range features a collection of products, durable enough to withstand years of role-play.

The Calculator Cash Register lets children play shop. Featuring a solar powered calculator display, large keypad buttons and a cash drawer with sound effects, young learners can develop early maths skills.

Pretend credit card and HM treasury-approved UK play money help to develop financial awareness, and fit into the cash tray compartments.

With the Post Office Set, youngsters can weigh, sort and stamp letters and parcels as customers exchange travel money, apply for licences and check the notice board.

This set features over 150 pieces, as well as a tri-fold structure that can be wiped clean after use and folded away for easy storage.

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

Fiesta Crafts 020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

Just Play’s Trolls collection includes the Poppy Style Station which allows budding hairdressers to get creative using the hairbrush, hair clips and accessories included to fashion a Trolls hairstyle.

Alternatively, kids can create their own Trolls look with the Trolls Wig, complete with hairband. Kids can also accessorise with the light-up Trolls Hug Time Bracelet, which plays the lead character Poppy’s favourite phrase.

Launching in October is Just Play’s Shimmer and Shine dress-up range which will see girls emulating their favourite characters from the Nick Jr. show.

For a more classic dress-up option, there will be the Sheriff Callie’s Howdy-Do Hoedown Dress, the Sing-Along Microphone and Musical Guitar.

Girls can also pretend to be a stylist with the new Disney Princess, Disney Frozen and Barbie Styling Heads. With the Barbie Colour & Crimp Styling Head, girls can create different styles with the hair stamper with interchangeable plates.

The Fiesta Theatre and Shop is a colourful floor-standing theatre that turns around to become a traditional play-shop. On one side it’s a theatre stage, complete with tie-back curtains, star-print front cloth and ruffled valance with detailed theatre-masks motif.

On the other side is a red and white themed traditional shop front. Easy to construct, the product stores easily into its compact box with a plastic carry handle.

On the theatre side, the stage area comprises a wooden stage and curving satin backdrop that hides the performer. The curtains also open and close.

The product is sturdy but light, making it easy for a child to carry from room to room to instantly convert any space into a theatre.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Launching this autumn, Flair’s Trolls beauty and make-up collection features themed eyeshadows and nail polishes. The Colour Combs transform hair into bright Troll colours.

The Doc McStuffins collection is set to grow with the new Toy Hospital range adding to the Pet Vet theme. The Toy Hospital series, which is due to air in September in the UK, will be accompanied by a range of role-play toys. These will include Doc’s Magical Toysponder, which allows Doc to communicate with her friends in the show, and the Care Cart, complete with lights and sounds X-Ray machine.

Flair’s strong retailer support and marketing strategy will ensure consumer awareness and demand for DreamWorks’ Trolls and Disney’s Doc McStuffins.

Toy World 66

Be inspired with costumes from Amscan

From themed costumes, role play sets and fun wearable accessories; Amscan has a varied dress up collection to delight children of all ages.

Take a look online to view the full range of over 12,000 party products, costumes, balloons and accessories.

TEL: +44 (0)1908 288 500 E-MAIL: sales@amscan-uk.co.uk WEB: www.amscan.co.uk ŠAmscan 2016, ŠAnagram 2016 All rights reserved

Role-play and dress-up

Marbel 0845 600 0286 | www.marbel.com

Pioneer Europe 0800 251 215 | www.qualatexeurope.com As Finding Dory opens in cinemas this month, Pioneer Europe is bringing a new collection of Finding Dory tableware and balloons to the UK market.

Tableware items, manufactured by Procos, include coordinating party plates, napkins, cups, table covers, party bags and banners, plus the essential party invitations and envelopes. The company’s balloon range includes exclusive Qualatex Bubble balloons that are bright and colourful, and the Very Best latex balloons which come in 25ct and 6ct bags.

Balloons and tableware are available to pre-order now.

Pink Poppy, a jewellery and hair accessory brand from Australia, specialises in creating pretty things for children. With themes of princesses, butterflies and fairies, the range consists of various styles of necklaces, bracelets and tiaras.

From plain tiaras and bracelets to sparkly glittery necklaces and hairclips, there is a price point for all budgets.

Pretend to Bee 0115 921 5690 | www.pretendtobee.com

Vivid 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk

Pretend to Bee has its roots in traditional dress-up and offers a range of generic role-play items. All products and accessories adhere to strict toy safety standards as well as being robust, hardwearing and machine washable.

The collections include firefighters, nurses, police officers and doctors as well as animal costumes featuring lions, elephants and zebras. The history costumes and boys and girls costume collections are also popular, and include Greek, Victorian and Viking costumes as well as princesses and cowboys.

The company’s licensed portfolio is being added to constantly, and currently includes the Thunderbirds are Go range as well as the Natural History Museum collection and pre-school property, Cloudbabies.

Laser Battle helps kids battle like their heroes, Batman and Superman.

Children can simply slip on the adjustable chest plate, arm the hand blaster and attack. The light-up chest plate counts down the number of ‘lives’, and there are sound effects to indicate when a player has fired a shot or been hit.

Plum 0344 880 5302 | www.plumplay.co.uk The Plum Three-In-One Cabin Kitchen has folding panels which allows it to incorporate a shop, role-play kitchen and puppet theatre, as well as a funny-face photo wall. The Cabin Kitchen features clicking knobs, an oven, storage, a laundry room and a clock with movable hands.

Plum is also revamping its existing role-play range, with updated lifestyle images and clean cut-out images to demonstrate the products’ features and benefits.

All lines in Plum’s role-play range are made with sustainably sourced timber and are supplied in colourful retail packaging, with wooden accessories included.

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Children have been growing up with Casdon for

70 years!

Inventors of Fun & Play!

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

Just like the real thing!

viewpoint Toy World shares insight and opinion

Ruth Clement Full Steam Consulting

School holidays – a missed opportunity?

Let’s face it, with Britain’s unpredictable weather and six weeks in which parents seek ways to occupy, supervise and enjoy their time spent with the nation’s youngsters, (seven or even eight weeks for independent school

David Ripley Groupon

The Hangover Part 7

As the year steadily ticks past the half-way point, most UK toy retailers will have been committed for several months to millions of units of autumn winter orders from the Far East. Those orders start to appear in warehouses in June/July, with some early launch retailers receiving stock close to a full six months before the traditional sales peak.

The nature of this very crowded intake window means that, even when the stock is ready for delivery, many retailers are trying to fit a large amount of stock volume into finite capacity - whilst still trading large, space

kids), demand for toys during the summer holidays should, in theory, extend far beyond trampolines, paddling pools or scooters. It’s a time for board games on a rainy day; dolls, action figures and playsets to break up the heavy holiday diet of screen, screen and more screen and building sets to absorb children for hours whilst mum, dad or the grandparents try to get on with the normal demands of everyday life.

Why is it, then, that summer holidays are eagerly anticipated by outdoor toy companies but so often omitted from the marketing plans of companies selling toys more traditionally associated with indoor play?

Yes, children may well be outside, playing out of reach of a TV set, with the result that TV viewing falls below the norm in colder, wetter months. But these same children are dipping in to mobile media with increasing frequency, regardless of the weather or their whereabouts.

Mobile apps and digital marketing remain a valuable communication platform to reach kids, including in the summer months.

And whilst shoppers (parents, grandparents, carers) are faced with the daunting challenge of how to keep children occupied in worthwhile activities over the course of six weeks, some retailers and brand owners appear to be backward in coming forward to promote the whole array of toy categories as a solution.

I encourage toy marketers to shout it from the roof tops and leave parents in no doubt: school summer holidays are the perfect weeks in which kids can get down to the serious business of play! They are uninterrupted by the usual constraints of timetabled learning, homework and after school clubs, giving them more time to become deeply engrossed in the imaginative, creative play which traditional toys generate.

hungry, outdoor toy ranges.

This year feels flat, and notable for the absence of a key property leading the sales charts, with most movie launches to date performing steadily but not spectacularly. The lack of a clear lead craze item is adding to this non-event. It is simply business as usual in the true sense of the phrase, with a more than welcome partial boost from the current range of Euro 2016 merchandise.

However, the Euro 2016 event also feels untypically subdued from a consumer products angle; retailers might have finally cracked the art of managing commercial risk by keeping their ranges and stock levels tight. I am sure that the early departure of the England Rugby team as hosts in last year’s World Cup remains as a recent reminder of just how challenging forecasting demand for these ‘spike’ events can be. Whatever happened to the days when a large proportion of cars carried multiple flags of their respective country’s team?

The George Cross was displayed on literally thousands of cars in each town and city with many more littered around roadsides and verges; the plastic flag attachment not quite up to the task of remaining on a car travelling above 40MPH. The summer schedule of movie blockbusters may offer some hope and lots of potential to produce a spike in sales, but it is not easy to call any stand-out property with great confidence; both

TRU and The Toy Store backed TMNT for their feature walls, but I am yet to see the product fly off the shelves at retail.

Will The Secret Life of Pets be this year’s Despicable Me – and if so, which version? The original Despicable Me movie was woefully under supported at retail, and as a brand new property with no track record it will be interesting to see how The Secret Life of Pets will be backed. Alternatively, it could potentially be over-exposed in a way that subsequently the Minions and Despicable Me franchises came to be. We will soon know how this one pans out with the movie’s imminent release. I am backing Finding Dory to be Disney’s stand out release of 2016, based purely on the success of Finding Nemo and the thirteen years that has lapsed since the original movie, bringing the Nemo franchise to a new generation.

I can’t fully put my finger on reasons for the feeling that this year has been a non-event for the toy industry so far, but I can possibly link it to a hangover from the Star Wars Ep7 hype that landed last December and only subsided after the DVD landed in April. It might even be the unpredictable events around the Brexit vote that are keeping things low key. Whatever it is, I hope that the excitement starts soon and the toy industry awakens well ahead of the Q4 madness.

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Andy Clempson Toy industry sales and commercial expert

This month’s special offer…. it’s promotion time.

By the time you read this, the European 2016 football Championship will be down to the last few teams and let’s hope at least one of the home nations is still in the competition. This means that we will probably all have overdosed on wall to wall associated promotional offers, encouraging us to part with our hard earned cash.

These “special” events provide elevated marketing and promotional opportunities for the consumer, retailer and supplier, but promotions in general have long since become embedded in our day to day lives. BOGOF, BOGSHP,3-4-2s, Mega Deals, Pay Day Deals, 2 for £15, % off, Weekend Spectaculars, Price Crashes, Black Friday, new loyalty schemes - we are constantly bombarded with many different flavours of promotional message. We all like a deal, but my daily inbox is so full of promotional offers that I sometimes wonder if we have now reached promotional inertia?

For suppliers, promotions are an important part of the marketing mix, as a way to introduce new products or ranges, drive new sales and grow market share. Retailers meanwhile will always look to increase footfall to their stores, as well as visits on line, and are always reviewing their strategy to do this more effectively. Market dynamics, such as the

Jim Hawker co-founder of Threepipe PR and digital marketing agency.

Under the influence

Why is it suddenly becoming fashionable to talk about influencer marketing? Because at first glance, it looks an easier way to build brand recommendation far more quickly than creating branded content on owned social channels such as Twitter or Facebook. It also allows a brand to get in front of an engaged audience that hangs on every word and recommendation from their influencer of choice.

The reality, however, is that influencer marketing is not a quick fix. There are lots of challenges in creating effective campaigns and lots of variables to think about.

rise of discounters and the impact of the juggernaut that is Amazon, have recently driven Sainsbury’s to announce the end of multibuys and Tesco to ditch double loyalty points, as they battle for share of wallet while protecting profit.

The toy industry is no different as it continues to be hugely competitive, and not just at peak selling times such as Christmas, Easter and school holidays. Some specialist and independent retailers do try hard to position themselves away from the promotional noise and sell on a much wider proposition than purely promotional activity and price; a strategy echoed by a number of toy suppliers. However, the reality is that the toy market is selling more product on promotion every year and we are living in a world of price deflation. It is a very brave supplier or retailer that chooses not to promote in some shape or form.

So, if there is an acceptance that you have to participate in some way, what are some guidelines for effective promotions?

1. Know what you want to achieve from running the activity in the first place. If you don’t have clear objectives, then why are you getting involved.?

2. Keep it Simple: for shoppers to understand, for retail operational staff to execute and for suppliers to manage.

3. Think about your consumer message. We expect customers to know what a 3 for 2 on Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master, Character Options etc. really means. What the consumer understands in the main are the brands involved and not the parent companies.

4. Offer an immediate reward - instant gratification always wins over protracted collector schemes.

5. Be different and stand out from the crowd.

Whilst there are examples of real promotional creativity, like the Argos charity Toy Exchange

link with Barnados, it is still not that common in my opinion and every year we seem to see pretty much the same repeat mechanics in the market.

6. Timeliness is key - running activity for too short a period means limited impact and poor execution and running the same activity for too long leads to shopper boredom and limited take up.

7. Ensure promotional displays are effective: drive an impactful statement in the right location and hit the shopper between the eyes. Having a display unit stuck in a remote corner of a store is a recipe for failure. Expecting store staff to place these units and fill them with stock is also often optimistic.

8. Utilize point of sale material: powerful, clear shelf barkers will attract attention. Calling out even the standard price or a “new” message can generate extra sales, and at full margin. Although too much on shelf can become bewildering and messy.

9. Suppliers should always ask the retailer to match with some additional investment. A strong piece of supplier funded activity should be rewarded with extra space and support.

10. Communicate your plan as far in advance as possible and align key people so the right stock is forecast, ordered and delivered on time.

11. Ensure that the on line promotional message matches the in store message and hits at the same time for maximum impact 12. Measure effectiveness and return on investment and share the learnings.

Great product and great service are a basic necessity in business, whilst promotions can be seen as either a great tool or necessary evil. If you can’t beat them, you have to join them - but make sure you do it for the right reasons and in the right way.

Choosing the correct influencer is key. Knowing how engaged and interested the influencer’s community will be in a brand is critical. Having a huge number of followers potentially means a less targeted campaign, which is why many brands are choosing to work with a higher number of influencers with a lower but more engaged and appropriate audience. Working with celebrities that have large social followings does not mean that all of their audience will automatically be interested in your brand.

Managing contracts and dealing with agents is also a challenge. Many influencers now not only charge to collaborate with brands, but also have agent representation. Brands now sign contracts and have to give up a degree of control about what the creative output looks like – it’s not advertising.

There are also now guidelines from the Advertising Standards Authority to deal with, and influencers must declare when products have been provided by the brand and whether they have been paid. Google and the ASA both frown heavily on not declaring a paid relationship. The impact of this is that the influencer’s own following could now view the recommendation of products as being less authentic, which negates the “independent” value of the influencer recommendation in the first place.

Then we come on to the tricky subject of measuring the return on investment of influencer programs. Increasingly this is becoming a paid channel to work within. This means that the budgets will sit on a media plan and need to be considered alongside the ROI of other channels. At the moment, this can be problematic, as there is little consistency between influencers in how they are charging programs, and in the main, influencers focus far more on the actual content creation than its commercial impact.

An additional challenge in getting an influencer program off the ground is that many media buying agencies will look at the work that needs to go into managing an influencer program versus running a Facebook or Instagram campaign and shudder at the necessary time required.

I have focused on the challenges, but have also seen the benefits of running influencer programs and being able to measure their effectiveness versus other channels in driving quality traffic and sales conversion.

There are still many influencers that brands can work with by just supplying product but those days are coming to an end. It’s worth getting up to speed and looking into this so that you can adjust your marketing budgets in the coming year.

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Lutz Muller

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

VTech and LeapFrog – where are they going?

Most of us are familiar with the LeapFrog saga that led to the sale to VTech, its major competitor. For those that are not – LeapFrog was created by Mike Wood, who invented the concept that preschoolers could benefit from electronic educational tools. After a fantastically successful run between 1994 and 2004, he was ousted by a combination of short sighted lenders and a misguided CEO. The company never really recovered from this and sales continued to decline until VTech, its primary competitor, bought the company for a song.

This is how sales of the two companies developed (in the case of VTech, the sales shown are for VSmile only, the company’s entry into the electronic learning products category):

Source: Annual Reports Whilst the two companies pretty much had 100% of the electronics learning products market between them for most of the time, this began to change about two years ago when children-oriented tablets began to invade the space in earnest. The most successful, at least for a while, was Fuhu’s Nabi, a tablet which was adapted for use by children and included a selection of apps designed to provide educational content. Unlike the LeapPad 3, which was very restrictive as to what you could access on the web, the Nabi was also not only WiFi, but also Bluetooth, enabled. Company sales reached an estimated $250 million by 2014, of which Nabi is estimated to have accounted for at least 40%. Then the company hit a wall: its primary supplier, Taiwan-based Foxconn, initially delayed shipments, then stopped them altogether during the second half of 2015. Sales plummeted to less than $100 million and the company went bankrupt later that year.

Mattel subsequently bought all the rights in January 2016.

Others came into the same market and continued what Nabi had started by taking an increasing share of the electronic learning market. Today, these newcomers account for an estimated 43% of the U.S. market according to the Klosters Retailer Panel. Internationally,

LeapFrog and VTech still have a market share around 75 % but a couple of competitors are making significant inroads – particularly the Paw Patrol tablet, which is doing exceptionally well in Mexico, U.K. and Italy. Paw Patrol is also beginning to get traction in the U.S. on the back of its very strong general toy presence.

The outlook for VTech in combination with LeapFrog is basically dependent on three factors – pre-school toy market growth, competition; and the company’s efforts to re-establish LeapFrog’s educational credentials.

• The pre-school toy market has been significantly affected by economic factors: negatively following the 2009 meltdown and then positively by the recovery beginning 2014. What basically happened was that families with yearly incomes of less than $50,000 went down the price scale and substituted, nowhere more than in the pre-school category. With employment, working hours, and minimum wages picking up, this trend at least partly reversed itself and there is every expectation that this will continue as long as the economy remains strong. Given this assumption, the outlook for VTech/ LeapFrog is positive.

• The era of the VTech/ LeapFrog oligopoly is over and competitive pressures are expected to increase over the next few years, particularly given the forthcoming re-entry by Fuhu’s Nabi under the Mattel umbrella. Given Fisher-Price’s dominant position in the pre-school toy market, and given Nabi’s excellent technical properties, this competitive threat is expected to be formidable. However, it is also expected that Mattel will first concentrate its fire on the easier generic targets that today hold about 40% of the U.S. market, rather than going after the VTech/ LeapFrog heavyweight. Also, due to its strong presence in the telecommunications industry, VTech has a clear edge over any of its competitors on the technological front, which should enable it to be the first to come up with the next generation product range.

• The third point – re-establishing LeapFrog’s educational credentials – is probably the most important one. Early learning products differ from other toys in two major aspects. One is that the primary purchase motivation is educational, rather than play. The second is that it is the parents who decide what product to buy rather than the child. Mike Wood, the founder of LeapFrog, understood this very well. From the onset, his philosophy was that LeapFrog products were educational devices masquerading as toys and not the other way around.

He understood that mothers would be willing to pay a premium for any product that credibly promised their children a head start in life. So he embarked upon a three-pronged effort – he advertised LeapFrog products as educational aids to the parents; he invested in formal research to prove that they delivered what they promised, and he worked closely with schools to recruit teachers to his cause, and through them, the kids themselves. When he was ousted from the company, these programs were cut for cost reasons. VTech, on the other side, continued to fund research and showcases a continuous stream of education-oriented research reports on VSmile products written by leading and independent experts from top universities and distributed amongst the educational profession.

Given all this, I would be reasonably optimistic about VTech’s long term outlook. At the end of the day, the success of a company is founded on three major drivers – leverage, expertise, and focus. As the largest early learning company, VTech most certainly has the first; as provider of high-tech products and services, it has the second; and by dint of its extremely solid and stable management team, is by far and away the most focused. In LeapFrog, VTech’s management has a very strong brand on which they can build. I would hence expect them to continue to dominate the early learning market for many years to come.

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AAFF trade press fit&fun tr.pdf

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Feature

Construction toys

Big build up One of the largest and most competitive sectors in the toy market, the construction category is still largely dominated by Lego. Clarabel Jones uncovers what alternatives competing companies are offering, and how retailers can benefit from broadening their construction offering.

A

t the moment there seems to be little chance of Lego weakening the hold it currently has over the construction category, but that doesn’t mean that other companies working in the sector aren’t continually delivering innovation and competition.

The broad and diverse nature of the category means that construction ranges often share as many differences with one another as they do similarities, meaning that retailers have a lot to gain from stocking a wide selection of products. K’Nex has a broad offering, with engineering qualities and STEM principles which continue to attract both children and parents. Paul Fogarty, managing director, believes that it is this which ultimately separates the brand from others in the market: “Although K’Nex is in the same category as Lego, our products and our ethos are both very different,” he explained. “The main thing that differentiates us from other construction brands is that our products have a lot of movement to them; we have sets which come with motors and wheels for kids to build into fullyfunctioning vehicles and models, meaning that our end products are always very interactive and engaging.

Many parents have found that their kids play with our builds more as a result of this, as they find playing with the toy they’ve made very rewarding. K’Nex is very much designed for after-play, just as much as it is for the building part.”

Magformers is another company which is striving to bring something different to the market with its range of magnetic construction sets. David Kelly, managing director, believes that the company’s products make an impact on shelves through their broad appeal and additional educational qualities. “Magformers may be in the same category as Lego, but we both have completely different products,” he began. “Magformers suits all ages and inspires creativity, problem solving and reasoning. Our products don’t constrain children to only build a single model and then leave it gathering dust on a shelf. Because Magformers uses revolving neodymium magnets in every piece, children can create and dismantle models in seconds and go on to create numerous other builds.”

Another construction brand building up a strong reputation for one-of-a-kind building sets at competitive prices is Engino, whose range offers kids up to 120 models to build in just one set. “Engino’s products are fully modular and allow kids to build anything, in any form and direction, that their imagination can dream up,” explained Fred Halliwell, the company’s UK sales manager. “We also pride ourselves on being able to bring products to market at very competitive price points, meaning the consumer gets a high quality toy without breaking the bank. We always include everything in the price, including motors, which traditionally the consumer has been required to

K’Nex

purchase separately.”

With so many companies competing for shelf space, how can retailers and suppliers make sure that products stand out on shelves? Whilst many parents choose Lego as a trusted option, retailers are beginning to notice that helping children engage with alternative brands means they come back for more. “K’Nex is a brand that, once children test it, they realise how much they enjoy playing with it and always return to buy more,” explained Sian Ridge, manager of Just Williams toyshop. “We’re quite a small store so we can’t always promote everything as much as we’d like, but we put on a lot of demonstration days and special offers with K’Nex, which gives kids a chance to get into the brand.”

“K’Nex offers retailers a lot of in-store support, whether it be through display models, demonstration days or in-store displays,” Paul Fogarty commented.

“Obviously Lego is a popular choice for parents, but K’Nex demonstration days aim to show parents that there are other, more educational, options and to show kids how rewarding our products can be.”

Retailer Steve Mahibir, owner at The Toy Box, agrees that the key to getting customers to try new things lies in suppliers providing support through in-store events, accompanied by relevant social media marketing.

“Marbel’s Nanoblocks is a perfect brand to promote through our Facebook page, where we regularly post pictures and videos of kids creating models in-store. We also do a lot of demo-days and challenges, where kids see who can build their models the quickest. These are great opportunities for chatting to parents about the brand. On top of this, we work closely with local schools, featuring in their newsletters to get the information out to the community about the benefits of the brand.”

In-store events are just one way for companies to ensure high brand-awareness. Amongst other marketing strategies, Magformers has revealed its plans to utilise TV advertising and impactful POS to ensure it reaches its target audience. “Later this year, Magformers has a significant TV advertising campaign booked for both

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terrestrial and satellite broadcasting channels – a first for us,” David told Toy World. “We also have a very strong in-store POS programme – we’ve completely distributed all of our first run of FSDUs and shelf media players, and we’ve had to start a new production run to satisfy demand following the Toymaster show. These include 15” monitors preloaded with step-by-step building videos which showcase the products brilliantly.”

Likewise, Engino has also invested heavily in a TV advertising campaign, which will be hitting channels at the end of July and through August. “Engino’s TVRs will highlight our flagship Inventor range, and will show off our patented construction system,” Fred explained.

“With this campaign in place we aim to cement Engino as a well-established brand in both the construction and educational toy categories. At store level, we’re also rolling out our bespoke POS displays including interactive tablet devices which includes our KidCad app for children to come and try out. Eye-catching display models such as our London Eye and Eiffel Tower sets are also being offered to retailers to get more consumers through the door asking about Engino.”

With innovations cropping up left, right and centre, the construction category appears to be in excellent shape, but what does the future hold for this fiercely competitive sector? “The future is certainly very bright for the category,” Fred continued. “With so many new and exciting construction toys coming to the market, it’s clear that consumers can’t get enough of construction toys. I think everyone has a soft spot for them, be they young or old, and long may this continue.”

“I think it’s probably going to be the most innovative and competitive toy category going forwards,” added David Kelly. “STEM and STEAM are very important to us at Magformers, and construction toys have proven capabilities to help and challenge children to learn and develop through play; every single parent should see those positives.”

Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a selection of new construction products.

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Construction toys

Geomag 07831 886 997 | www.geomagworld.com/en

Engino 0800 988 7065 | www.enginotoys.co.uk Engino continues to build on its success in the construction market in 2016, with further expansions and a TV advertising campaign on the horizon. The Engino 30-in-1 motorised model has been expanded further in the form of an Adventure-themed 30 model kit. This offers further choice for the consumer and features a deep purple theme with 30 adventure motorised models to build.

The popular Inventor range has also developed by introducing model kits aimed at girls. The new Inventor Girls series features lilac, fuchsia, light green and sky blue colours enhanced with sparkling elements. The sets start with five models and build up to the 30-in-1 models which feature motorised models. To help launch the range, Engino is offering deals for retailers with POS displays and demo models.

Included in the Robotics ERP Mini line, the Mini Pro allows children to build six robotics models which can be programmed in two different ways: through the control panel, and also through the patented ERP software which comes included. Also included in the set are two infrared sensors and two motors. As this falls under Engino’s popular Discovering STEM range, retailers will also get a comprehensive booklet with the set, which features theory, quizzes and experiments.

Engino will also be on a wide spread of TV channels from July going into August. The company is committed to building the brand even further by investing greatly in this TV advertising campaign to maximise the benefit of the brand for retailers.

Geomag’s products are manufactured to the most stringent safety and quality standards at the company’s factory in Switzerland.

Geomag has renewed the classic magnetic construction platform, using longer magnetic bars and steel spheres. This new platform allows children to create an unlimited number of structures, including larger and more stable models, that develop their imagination without limits.

A TVC will run from week 48 to week 51 of this year, supporting the key period for consumer purchases. This will also be supported by trade and social media campaigns, which will run throughout the year.

The Geomag Color line is the best way for kids to enter the Geomag world.

Consisting of moving creations, bright colour bars and magnetic forces, this line allows the construction of many forms. All products come with plastic platforms, which will become the basis for many constructions.

Geomag Colour 64 allows children to develop constructions using its 30 bright colour bars, 30 steel spheres and four platforms.

Magnetic forces and geometrical shapes bring the Geomag Panels to life. The bright transparent panels make kids’ creations stronger and help them take shape with coloured triangle, square, pentagon or hexagon-shaped panels.

A new line, Geomag Mechanics, has also been launched. Extending the Classic platform, this line adds new mechanical elements which provide movement to models by using a mechanical trigger to start chain reactions caused by magnetic attraction or repulsion. Geomag Mechanics, the magnetic construction system, with the Geomag Mechanic 86-piece box, shows how to build a compass to generate rotating movement, and also shows the interaction between big models built with Geomag pieces.

K’Nex 01189 497 000 | www.knex.co.uk With a host of new product launching in autumn/winter 2016, K’Nex is showcasing its qualities of scale, movement and creative play possibilities.

K’Nex Thrill Rides sees the addition of five new rollercoaster building sets. Every item in the line is packed full of play value, with exciting features and huge piece counts. New additions include Electric Inferno which has 640 pieces, a motorised chain lift and can be built 2.5 feet tall.

K’Nex K-Force will be refreshed with multi and rapid fire action features 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.

K’Nex Mighty Makers, a line offering girls STEM learning experiences inspired by aspirational careers, will also be refreshed. New additions include Mighty Makers Director’s Cut, which allows girls to explore the world of film making.

The K’Nex Beasts Alive line will introduce new buildable beasts this year, including a Shark and Gator, both of which feature motorised movement and two alternate builds.

At the heart of the range remains a collection of K’Nex Building Sets and treasure chests with dozens of inspiring creative building ideas. New additions tap into the popular play 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.

K’Nex will also continue to offer a new way to play some of the world’s most favourite video games, working with Mario Kart, Super Mario and Plants Vs Zombies.

Mystery figures and playsets will be refreshed to reflect the latest game play from each licence.

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Construction toys

Magformers 08000 385 195 | www.magformers.co.uk Magformers has added the House Set line, the new magnetic building construction range, to its 2016 product line-up.

Boxed sets such as the Build Up Set with 50 pieces, Sweet House Set with 64 pieces and Village Set with 110 pieces feature lights, windows, roof tiles, balconies, doors and chimneys which contain a press and click clip inside the magnetic pieces. This allows children to make a number of buildings and outdoor garden features. The Village Set enables kids to build a whole community, complete with Bakery, Post Office and Clock Tower.

The idea of combining magnetic and non-magnetic pieces has also extended into the Inspire Set line, with the 78-piece Princess Castle Set. This set encourages children to make fairytale structures with easy-tofollow colourful guides.

While each Magformers set carries an ideas book or set cards to demonstrate what can be built, the company’s ethos is built around children training their brains to create their own 2D and 3D structures.

Every Magformers set contains various pieces in simple geometric shapes such as triangles, squares and rhomboids, which connect easily using the built-in neodymium magnets. The magnets are safely sealed within all the edge surfaces of each Magformers piece, but can spin freely and always connect when two Magformers are brought together. Each Magformers piece is made from a specially-developed toughened ABS plastic which is strong, and ultrasonic welding means pieces cannot break when twisted by hand.

Larger construction sets containing special pieces such as power blocks, LED lighting, battery packs, compressed air tanks, pistons, pulleys, gears and angled connectors enable children to develop thinking in the main STEM and STEAM fields.

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

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Following a year which saw the brand make its mark in the construction toy sector with its new offering in tech, 2016 is set to be bigger as it expands on both its tech range as well as its core offering.

For young constructers, there are two new emerency servicesthemed sets in the Meccano Junior range.

The Police station playset includes vehicle play and comes complete with basic gearing, and the Fire Engine playset has realistic features including lights and sounds.

The Meccano 25 Model Set 4x4 Truck includes a motor, and will be TV advertised together with the 15 Model Set ATV and 20 Model Set Helicopter.

Meccano’s Micronoids are a new range of three different characters: Socket, Switch and Basher, each equipped with a Meccabrain and moving parts. The three Micronoids can be programmed to dance, sing, navigate obstacle courses and interact with each other. Micronoids’ activities can be programmed via Meccano’s unique LIM technology or through its built-in D-PAD. The Micronoid also has a yes/no feature, which means it can give kids a simple answer to any question.

For those looking for a bigger challenge in robotics and construction, the Meccanoid 2.0 and Meccanoid XL 2.0 are successors of the Meccanoid G15 and G15KS with twice the memory, faster processors and lots of new content. The Meccanoid 2.0 will stand two foot tall when built and the XL 2.0 at four foot tall. Both products include over 1,000 phrases, with the ability to tell jokes, stories, give lectures and respond to natural language. They also have three programming functions via an app: LIM, Ragdoll, and Motion Capture.

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The Stickle Bricks brand was created in 1969, and has enjoyed decades of success with its bricks that make it easy for children to stick, stack and construct. Now it’s back, and this heritage construction brand is a major focus for Flair in 2016.

For children from 12 months, Stickle Bricks promote the best in development of dexterity and imagination with their easy to hold bricks that stick together easily. The brightly coloured bricks in familiar and abstract shapes can be built into cars, robots, houses and more, providing a way for children to start expressing themselves before they can speak.

The 2016 range includes a Big Red Bucket filled with assorted bricks, which also doubles as a storage container.

Alternatively, the Stickle Bricks Beginner’s Box is the ideal start to a toddler’s collection. The stickled lid doubles as a play base, and also acts as a platform from which to build the assorted bricks.

For launch this month, Stickle Bricks will be supported with a multi-platform marketing plan including parents’ press, social media outreach with influential mums and a full sampling campaign with 100 UK nurseries.

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

Construction toys

Hornby Hobbies 01843 233 500 | www.hornby.com The Airfix brand is focusing on recruitment into the brand this year with Airfix Quick Build and the Airfix Starter Sets.

Airfix Quick Build is a range of simple, snap-together models suitable as an introduction to modelling for kids, encouraging recruitment into the Airfix brand from a young age. Quick Build was supported by extensive TV advertising in 2015, resulting in it being the fastest-growing section within the Airfix brand last year.

The McLaren P1, Lamborghini Aventador and Bugatti Veyron were particularly successful.

The whole Quick Build range is manufactured in the UK and features some of the most iconic aircraft and vehicles ever constructed, including the BAE Hawk, Spitfire, Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador, VW Beetle, McLaren P1, Harrier, Apache Helicopter, Eurofighter Typhoon, Messerschmitt Bf109e and Mustang P-51D. Airfix Starter Sets are ideal for beginners, with small and large Starter Sets to choose from depending on skill level. Each small Starter Set includes glue, brush and four acrylic paints, and each large Starter Set includes glue, two brushes and six acrylic paints.

The new Airfix Starter Sets include the Jaguar XKRGT, MINI Countryman WRC, Hawker Hurricane MkI and Aston Martin DB5.

Mattel 01628 500 111 | www.mattel.com Mega Brands continues to show positive momentum as the number two manufacturer within the Junior Building Sets category.

The product range includes collaborations with Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Collector series, including Kubros, Halo and Call of Duty.

The pre-school line, part of the Fisher-Price family, is ideal for building early development skills. The Mega Bloks pre-school range includes the Big Building Bag, Build ’n Learn Table and the Block Scooping Wagon.

The Mega Bloks Thomas & Friends range introduces young engine drivers to a world of numbers with the 1-2-3 Count with Thomas Train.

Also new is the Thomas & Friends: The Great Race playset.

The company’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles construction range supports June’s film launch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. The range features the Turtle Van and Character packs, including micro action figures. Other lines include the Half Shell Heroes Small Vehicles and Figure Assortment and the Half Shell Heroes Street Assortment.

The Mega Bloks Collectors portfolio introduces Kubros, a range of pop culture icons from franchises such as Halo, Star Trek, Assassin’s Creed, Terminator Genysis and Masters of the Universe.

Key for Halo this year is the Micro Action Figure Assortment, while Call of Duty introduces the Tactical Unit Assortment featuring micro action figures which come with detachable armour, authentic weapons and accessories.

Playmags 020 3667 2721 | www.playmags.com Playmags are magnetic building blocks with magnets which attract on all sides, even when flipped around. The building blocks inspire creativity, brain development, patterning and shape recognition, whilst also building children’s motor skills. The combinations can form many different shapes and structures, from houses and airplanes to cars and fish, which prompt children to move from flat designs to constructing two and three dimensional creations.

Playmags offer hours of fun, as children can build various projects and can let their imaginations run free. Through creative play, kids can effortlessly learn about geometric shape, symmetry and basic math concepts such as counting, addition and subtraction through the manipulation of the colourful pieces.

Children can place the pieces on a flat surface to make designs.

When building a cube with six squares, the first two pieces placed next to each other create instant support and allow additional pieces to be added easily.

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Construction toys

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Launched this spring, Character Options’ range of Peppa Pig construction sets consist of larger bricks for small hands.

There are 11 lines to choose from at varying price points.

The Deluxe House Set is a large brick construction set that has all of the classic styling to make it instantly recognisable as part of a Peppa Pig range.

The School House Set with four articulated figures is another classic play pattern integrated into the range. Also featured is the free-wheeling Grandpa’s Train.

This new offering will sit both in the licensed cross-category space and the pre-school construction aisle. Other sets in the collection include Playground Swing and Slide sets, Grandpa Pigs Boat and a Family Car. Peppa stickers are included with many of the sets, and all are compatible with other first building bricks in the construction sector.

Learning Resources 07872 377 302 | LearningResources.co.uk New for 2016, the Design & Drill Power Play Vehicles range from Learning Resources features a Helicopter, Race Car and Monster Truck.

Young engineers can build their own vehicle by snapping pieces together and adding bolts using a motorised mini-drill. Children can customise their designs using colourful decorative stickers, and can then use kid-power to take them on an adventure.

Ideal for STEM learning, these colourful sets encourage the exploration of patterning, matching and counting, as well as creativity and fine motor skills.

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Constructo offers construction fans a range of high quality wooden replica ships to piece together.

Kits range in ability from the Junior H.M.S Bounty to the H.M.S Victory, which is suited to the more skilled and adept modeller.

Each Constructo kit in wood and metal is offered in a presentation box, in which each construction part is classified and organised for easy location and build.

The sets also include a detailed set of instructions along with step by step photos of the assembly process.

Revell 0845 459 0747 | www.revell.de/en

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Demand for the new range of Shopkins Kinstructions toys from The Bridge Direct, distributed by Trends UK, has been phenomenal, with product flying off the shelves.

Featuring Mix and Match buildable Shopkins figures and iconic scenery from the brand, the Shopkins Kinstructions range enables children to build their favourite Shopkins scenes and sets, including the supermarket checkout, bakery, café and town centre.

The sets can be added together to create the ultimate Shopkins world.

Trends UK is supporting Shopkins Kinstructions with PR and marketing activity throughout the year, including competitions in magazines including Shopkins and Sparkle World.

Revell’s Junior Kit introduces modelling to young craft makers, bridging the gap between playsets and construction toys. Once completed, each robust model kit transforms into a functioning toy.

The launch range of Fire Truck, Cabriolet, Racing Car, 4x4 Vehicle and Police Car develops motor skills through the use of plastic screws and screwdrivers.

The newly packaged Revell model kit range features colour-coordinated packaging and colour manuals. Structured into five different skill levels, the range comprises Junior Kit, Easykits and newly tooled Model Kits. This is spearheaded with a Star Wars: The Force Awakens range. The car range includes the Citroen 2CV, Porsche Boxter, VW T-1 Samba Bus and McLaren 570S, all in 1:24 scale, plus the BMW Isetta in 1:16 scale.

New aircraft model kits include the BAe Hawk T.1, Boeing 777 and a newly tooled Avro Shackleton. Special editions include Dinosaur Gift Sets, a Star Trek 50th Anniversary Gift Set and the limited edition Boeing 747-400 Ed Force One Iron Maiden The Book of Souls World Tour 2016.

Toy World 82

BIG MAGNETIC NEWS FROM GEOMAGWORLD! Geomagworld SA, the magnetic toys specialist, is a company where creativity is always at work.

We are launching new products in the Classic lines, Color and Panels and also in the recently introduced Mechanics range. Let yourself be “attracted� by our drive to innovation, quality and excitement.

Four week TV campaign running across November - December and key dates including Black Friday and Cyber Friday.

TV Campaign will be seen by c. 2.5m Kids 4-15 at least once.

Activity to utilise key stations such as Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Pop, Kix & Nick Junior.

YouTube campaign to be seen at least 500,000 times.

www.geomagworld.com

Construction toys

Marbel 0845 6000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk Nanoblocks are micro-sized building blocks which enable fans to construct realistic 3D animals and famous landmarks.

The blocks fit securely together to create models of varying size and complexity.

There are four different series, from an entry level range in the Mini Collection through to the Challenger series and Deluxe series. The Mini Collection starts with around 70 pieces, and the more complicated models come with 5,000 pieces.

The complete collection consists of different themes including animals and musical instruments in the Mini Collection, and famous landmarks and destination themes in the Sites to See collection.

Spring/summer saw the release of a dragon and a unicorn, and in the Sites to See collection there is Buckingham Palace, Notre Dame and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Due to be released this autumn/winter will be a range of animals, space and American-themed models, plus more within the paper Nanoblock collection.

Lego 01753 495 000 | www.lego.com Lego Duplo launched five new sets in June featuring toddlers’ favourite TV characters and recognisable pre-school themes, such as construction work, designed to stimulate children’s appetite for learning through play. The bigger, sturdy bricks are a great introduction to basic construction for young ones.

Lego Duplo begins to develop a toddler’s hand-eye co-ordination as well as other social skills. As children begin to master simple construction, Lego Juniors ensures a smooth transition. Pre-built elements from the new Marvel Super Heroes, Disney Princess and Lego Ninjago playsets are designed to encourage storytelling and independent construction.

Also launched in June is the new Amusement Park for the Lego Friends girls, with new rides and attractions. The growing world of Heartlake City also introduces new animal-themed playsets, allowing girls to take care of horses and puppies.

Fans of Lego Elves can play out magical stories with dragons. These new sets feature collectible mini-doll elf characters, dragons as well as fun fantasy scenarios to capture the imaginations of kids.

Toy World 84

Playmags Magnetic Building Blocks is brilliant for constructing 3D projects - hours and hours of fun creating houses, airplanes, cars, ďŹ sh and so much more!

www.playmags.com

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0203 667 2721

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sales@playmags.co.uk

Feature

Stationery

A case for stationery

The latter end of the summer holidays is renowned for the prepping of pencil cases as the new school year approaches. Clarabel Jones looks into the benefits of toy retailers ensuring they are a one-stop-shop for every youngster’s classroom essentials.

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ith each new school year comes a collective pledge to write more neatly, to work harder, and of course, to own the trendiest stationery set. As children from all over the country wipe their slates clean for a new and improved school term, parents will be on the look-out for the most innovative pens and pencils on the market to provide their kids with much-needed motivation for the year ahead.

DKL is a company which has tapped into the collectability that more creative stationery items provide, with Scentco’s line of scented items. “The Scentco scented stationery range offers retailers a different type of product,” said David Allan, sales and marketing director at DKL. “Scentco is a classic pick-up line at till points. The best part, however, is the ability that the range has to quickly become a craze, as the scents are all so different. We find that consumers often return for other items in the range, creating a real point of interest in store.”

The originality of such products makes them stand out on shelves, and the wide range offers plenty of choice. “Popular lines include Smencils, Gel Pens, Smarkers and the Scratch and Sniff Pads,” David continued. “We’ve also just launched Scented Paper Clips and Gel Crayons, which sold out on their first run. Licensed products are also key to the range: we have introduced Disney’s Finding Dory at the recent Stationery Show to add to the Princess, Frozen and Tsum Tsum lines.”

Many toy retailers see such innovative stationery items as pivotal in drawing in a wider age demographic than their usual customer base. Pete Healey, manager at Howleys Toys in Weymouth, rates his store’s stationery products very highly as a result of this: “At Howleys, we tend to focus on the glittery, fun and creative items which are mainly targeted at tweens, as opposed to your bog-standard stationery sets. We stock a whole range of toys for all ages, but we find that when children reach a certain age they start to think they’re too cool for toy shops.

Our stationery items extend the age range of our customer base, as we find that they draw slightly older children back into our store, where they’ll invariably find something else they like.”

However, there’s no denying that classic, wellestablished brands also hold a significant amount of value in the stationery market. Gray Richmond, managing director at Helix, believes that retailers venturing into a stationery range for the first time should initially concentrate on tried and trusted brands. “The Helix brand is synonymous with back to school, especially with children ages 8-14, and our Oxford maths set has probably been bought by most

people over the years,” he said. “Heritage brands such as Helix give consumers the confidence that, even if they aren’t buying from a specialist stationer, they are buying a trusted brand.”

That’s not to say that the company’s products are lacking in imagination and creativity. “The products we’re most excited about for the second half of the year at Helix are the innovative children’s products under our Maped brand. We have the Croc Croc Bunny sharpener which nibbles away the pencil until it’s sharp, and our multi-award winning Jungle Innovation felt pen set, which opens out into a colourful display with pen lids fixed in to the base to allow kids to easily select colours.”

Licensed stationery is also one to watch at the moment, with its collectability driving both linked and add-on purchases. Sambro’s licensing director, Nikki Samuels, explained: “Toy retailers have long been stocking lines which wouldn’t traditionally be perceived as toys and stationery is one such line. If retailers are looking to offer fully licensed ranges, they can complement their offering with stationery items which make perfect impulse purchases for shoppers. We launched our 3D Erasers at London’s Toy Fair with great success, and have since added to the number of licences. As well as Minions and Tsum Tsum, we now have Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a wide variety of Disney characters.”

So how else can retailers capitalise on the expansion, or creation of, their stationery aisle?

It’s no secret that stationery items, with their affordable price tags and high collectability factor, make great add-on purchases, something which Richard Greaves from Kidicraft has recognised: “Many stationery products, such as Kidicraft’s range of 3D postcards and children’s notebooks, are low priced and therefore are often picked up as impulse buys when customers call in to stores to buy toys. Most stationery products also offer a very high profit margin,” he said. “To ensure they’re correctly merchandised in store, we always offer retailers counter display units and spinners for these products.”

This is a selling pattern which Pete has capitalised on at Howleys, where stationery items have proved popular impulse purchases when given their own dedicated section in-store. “Our stationery products sell particularly well at till-points, as their low price points make them a perfect pick-up item, which are worth their weight in gold for us independent retailers,” he told Toy World. “However, we also display our stationery products in two other places in-store. If we have character-based toy ranges, we’ll put the complementing character licensed stationery items alongside them, and we also have a specific stationery area which customers head to if

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Kidicraft

they already know what they want. Surprisingly, we sell the most stationery from this section, meaning that people know that we sell these products and now step through our doors especially for them.”

With this in mind, the amalgamation of stationery and toys seems like a natural mix for many toy shops, as parents clearly appreciate the ability it gives them to shop for multiple items at once.

Independent retailers are delighted to benefit from the boost in footfall that stationery provides, from customers stocking up during the back to school period, to replacing products all year round.

Jean Hodgins, manager of Hopkins Toymaster in Wicklow, explained: “We decided to stock stationery as we find that you can’t survive as a toy shop in a small town without branching out from toys, and stationery certainly helps footfall, as children are always needing to stock up on the essentials.

We don’t display our stationery items in the same section as the toys, as we feel they’d get lost amongst them, so we have our own specific section for stationery items. Amongst the brands which do well for us are Helix, Crayola and Scentco.”

Helix’s Gray Richmond highlighted to Toy World that selling stationery during the back to school period also helps retailers transition into the most important selling season of the year. “The great thing about stationery is that the peak back to school period is August and September, just before the Christmas toy rush starts. This is why stationery is such a good option for toy retailers, as it gives them a chance to put money in the till and improve cash flow before the massive investment in toy stock for Christmas,” he explained.

Over the following pages, companies working in the sector have presented a selection of their newest stationery products and ranges.

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

www.kidicraft.com 10/06/2016 06:42

Stationery

Maped Helix 01384 286 860 | www.mapedhelix.co.uk Maped Helix is a global stationery brand with a reputation for producing products with unrivalled design and quality. Helix has been a trusted brand for over 125 years, and now part of the Maped family, has become a world leader in the design and production of school supplies.

This year’s latest additions to Helix’s range are the Themed Maths Sets, which feature one of three designs. Each set includes a ruler that incorporates themed stencil designs; kids can choose from Xplorer, Gamer or Diva. The new Helix range also includes a selection of fashion pencil cases.

The Oxford brand has been used by children for generations, and is most recognised for the Oxford Maths Set. The brand has since evolved to include everything kids need for school, from pencil cases and scissors to fountain pens and drafting equipment.

Maped’s range of stationery features the Bunny Sharpener, which teaches children how to sharpen pencils, and the multi-award winning Jungle Innovation, a felt pen set and stand which is compact enough to fit into a pencil case. Maped’s Color’peps is an extensive range of colouring items that includes other items such as Duo felt pens, which feature different colours at both ends, and Gel crayons that glide and slide across the paper.

In 2017 Maped’s new range of paint will be available in a range of bright colours. The paints come in individually characterised superhero bottles, with no mixing required.

Marbel 0845 6000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk

Kidicraft 01282 505 988 | www.kidicraft.com

New to Marbel’s portfolio this year is the Italian stationery brand, Carioca.

The Carioca range consists of different sized felt tip pens, colouring pencils, poster paint pens and magic eraser pens. The pens are produced under the global safety standards, and Carioca makes all of its own ink, therefore guaranteeing full control and traceability of the felt tip pens.

The ink is made from food dyes, and through heavy testing Carioca has been able to achieve amazing colour and washability results. The ink can be washed off hands with just water.

All of the Carioca range is suitable for children from three years upwards. From fine to thick to single and double-ended felt tips pens, triangular to hexagonal wood-free pencils, magic erasable pens and poster paint pens, there is something for every child.

The Carioca range is designed to empower kid’s creativity through brightly coloured, clean and safe stationery products.

Kidicraft’s Super 3D Magic Motion postcards and children’s 100-page A6 notebooks are a recent addition to the company’s range of puzzles.

The postcards, notebooks and puzzles feature images from the National Geographic library. There are 12 designs of postcard, and 12 different images on the notebooks, from chimpanzees, lion cubs and meerkats to sea turtles and sharks. All products are designed to appeal to both children and adults.

For easy display in-store, Kidicraft has counter display units and spinners available for both product ranges. Orders for the notebooks, postcards and puzzles have come from all sectors of the market including toy stores, gift shops, visitor attractions, garden centres and animal parks.

In addition to this, Kidicraft’s range includes two children’s stationery sets featuring either baby pandas or lions. Each set contains a Super 3D A5 notebook, a Magic Motion pencil case, a 3D ruler, four colour markers, 2 Push Pencils and an eraser.

Primo is a range of high quality products with everything from chalks, wax crayons, coloured pencils and watercolours to washable beginners’ paints and fibre-tipped pens. Standard Primo Fibre Pens have a five-day cap-off period and come in packs from twelve to 120. There are also Jumbo versions of these items. Painting by Numbers Kits come in a CDU of 18 pieces with six different sets, each containing six designs.

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3D ERASER PENCIL

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©Disney/Pixar Visit the Finding Dory website at www.FindingDory.com

Stationery

Blue Sky Studios 0113 387 9670 | www.blueskydesigns.co.uk Blue Sky Studios is looking forward to a bumper summer this year with the launch of its Finding Dory stationery and activity range.

The company has 25 products that will be hitting the high street this month to coincide with the film’s release.

The range of liquid filled stationery for Finding Dory has created a lot of interest at retail, and Blue Sky Studios also has notebooks with floating characters, a liquid filled pencil case and light-up liquid filled feature pens.

Star Wars continues to go from strength to strength, and Blue Sky Studios has added a range of novelty desktop products into the range, including a USB mug warmer, a BB8 USB light and a gadget pen with multiple functions, all of which sit alongside the company’s hero product: the Bluetooth Storm Trooper speaker.

The company’s Rogue One range, which is currently in development, is looking strong, with some new product formats coming through.

Pyramid International 01162 843 682 | www.pyramidinternational.com

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk One of the best-selling collections from Scentco is Smencils: a selection of scented pencils in various themes, scents, colours and merchandising options. The graphite Smencils are available in a cylinder of 40 pieces, a CDU of 20 five-packs or refill packs of five. There are several scents for kids to try from Cola and Strawberry Cupcake to Jelly Bean and Watermelon. As with the rest of the range, the scents in the Smencils last for two years and all materials are biodegradable and/or recycled.

The newest addition to the Disney Scentco range is Finding Dory, and includes Smencils, Smens, Smarkers and more. The products are fun and vibrant, with scents including Blueberry Pie, Bubblegum and Cotton Candy.

Scentco also offers other Disney licensed characters including Disney Tsum Tsum, Disney Princess and Disney Frozen.

Another Scentco collection is Smens. Black Ink Smens are available in a CDU of 25, whilst Glitter Gel Smens and Metallic Smens can be purchased in a CDU of 25 or a CDU of five-packs. Each pen comes in attractive tube packaging.

To complement the pens and pencils, there is a range of accessories including Smencil Buddies pencil cases and Sketch & Sniff notebooks.

DKL supports all of its ranges with high-profile marketing campaigns which include in-store support, dedicated planograms and extensive social media and PR activity.

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Licensed stationery is now recognised by Pyramid International as a year-round category, with notable peaks in trade during the back to school period and Christmas.

The company’s ranges no longer only represent traditional stationery formats, but now also crossover into gifting and pocket money impulse purchases. For retailers, having the latest licences with parentally endorsed products is key to incremental sales.

The company’s pencil case continues to be a primary purchase, but when combined with its lenticular notebooks and six colour pens, the purchase becomes more than just a functional necessity.

Merchandising is straightforward, and where space permits using the company’s customer made display units keeps everything located together.

When space is limited, all of Pyramid’s ranges are sold in shelf ready displays, making retailing simple and effective.

All scents last for 2 years!

DKL MARKETING LTD 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk

facebook.com/DKL.Toys twitter.com/DKLtoys

Super washable.

Super safe.

Non-toxic ink.

www.marbel.co.uk sales@marbel.co.uk Growing Great Brands

0845 6000 286

Stationery

Sambro 0845 8739380 | www.sambro.co.uk Sambro is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of character licensed stationery, and has some of the hottest properties within its extensive portfolio.

Popular licences in the company’s stationery range include Disney Princess, Disney Frozen, Minions, Tsum Tsum, Half Shell Heroes, Star Wars, Marvel Avengers and more. There is a wealth of lines including notebooks, pencil cases, erasers, crayons, colouring pencils and pens, each at a range of price points.

Sambro’s 3D erasers are a new product created by the company’s talented in-house design team, and are currently available in Minions, Tsum Tsum, Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as lots of Disney characters.

The 3D erasers come in packs of either 10 or 20, and the characters can be pulled apart and swapped with other character erasers, extending the collectability factor.

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Fiesta Crafts 020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Henry VII are all joining Fiesta Crafts’ popular range of over 50 wooden character pencils. Firm favourites with stores around the UK, these pencils are brilliant for children who want to bring some fun to their writing.

Also joining this royal trio are Boy and Girl Christmas Elves, Napoleon, Marie Antoinette and Musketeer, which are all hand-painted.

With these new characters, kids can make learning about history more enjoyable, and kids can also use them to perform miniature puppet shows on the go.

Feature

Wheeled toys

Wheelin’ good With the warmer months hopefully approaching, parents are looking for ways to get their kids outside. Jonika Kinchin speaks to suppliers and retailers about how to get the best results out of the wheeled toys category for under five-year-olds.

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ith the ever expanding selection of tech toys, TV content and social media available to even the youngest consumers, parents are constantly seeking new ways to promote an active lifestyle to their children. “We see a trend for millennial parents leading more active and healthy lifestyles, which has positively impacted the sales of our ride-ons category,” commented Michelle Lilley, marketing manager for Little Tikes, MGA Entertainment UK. “We’re continuously investing in research and development across all our categories. We added the 5 in 1 Deluxe Ride n’ Relax Trike at the end of 2015 to our growing ride-ons portfolio, which offers consumers a premium purchase”.

Such development is just one example of how the category is expanding rapidly. According to NPD data, the pre-school vehicles category has seen a unit change of 12% in the year January – December 2015, rising to 25% January – May 2016. With the increase in unit sales having already doubled with not even half of the year gone, this suggests a very positive outlook for the sector.

Another reason for the increase is that the development of wheeled toys is changing; they now often offer a lot more than being just a bike or a scooter. New features include inventive storage, as well as different ways of folding for easy carrying and putting away. “Models which adapt or convert in order to extend the life usage of a product play a big part for this age group”, commented Phil Ratcliffe, managing director of MV Sports. “Products such as Balance Bikes, 2-in-1 bikes, convertible trikes and ride-ons that convert to scooters have all come through over recent years and are now sought after by parents of pre-schoolers”.

The warmer months tend to see a rise in popularity of wheeled toys, but this is not the only time of year when the category enjoys an uplift. For Little Tikes, the Easter school holiday tends to kick off the start of the outdoor season, as parents make sure they’re ready for the odd warm weekend and that they get maximum play value from purchases throughout the spring and summer seasons too. This category is also a classic choice when it comes to birthdays, the higher price point making ride-ons an ideal special occasion buy. Michelle Lilley adds: “The Christmas season never fails to surprise us, as parents opt for the big purchase toy for year-long fun”.

Being anywhere near an infant or primary school at the start of the school day, it is impossible to ignore the amount of parents trudging home carrying scooters and bikes under their arms. This tradition continues throughout the year, with the back to school period in September often bringing unexpected sunshine. Phil Ratcliffe commented: “If the sun is shining, the back to school period can see the category do quite well. Kids

MV Sports

like to go to school on a scooter or a bike, and you often see parents lugging a scooter around”.

Character licensing is particularly prominent in this category. Independent store owner Pete Healy, of Howleys Toys believes that character licensed products make the category even more popular, and increases the likelihood of children being attracted to products featuring their favourite, familiar characters.

Certain properties are particularly suited to the products, as Phil Ratcliffe explains: “A child who has a Fireman Sam ride on battery operated wheeled toy can role-play their favourite character adventures on an authentic looking product. MV has had huge success with battery operated cars and bikes based on the Batmobile, Thomas, Lightning McQueen and many more. This year our Paw Patrol battery operated Quads will deliver a touch of authenticity to kids’ playtime, as will our realistic Teletubbies Po Scooter”. Martin Grossman, managing director at H Grossman, advised: “Character licensing is a massive contributor to the market, and luckily most licences work with outdoor products. Despite it being a bit of an older licence, Ben 10 has done amazingly well for us. Every category sold, and then some”.

The Little Tikes Trikes range features character licences such as Bratz, with eye catching artwork.

Michelle highlighted how additional features can also enhance cross category purchase: “Looking to launch in 2017, Num Nom licensed wheeled items will have features which also tap into the collectible toy range, such as storage compartments for Num Nom toys”.

Although wheeled toys can be space hungry instore, the benefits of stocking ranges for under five-year-olds is that they don’t take up nearly as much room, or cause as much hassle to display, as those for older children. Pete Healey of Howleys Toys explained how he puts one of

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each product out on display, in order to encourage kids to get on them and have a go for themselves. “Having things such as the scooters and ride-ons out on display creates such a great buzz in store and it’s easy to see that the kids are enjoying them. We tend to put the character licensed products, such as Thomas or Peppa Pig with the rest of its range as children are automatically drawn in when they see their favourite character”.

All stores should have the opportunity to get involved with the category, and the challenges they may fear can often be overcome. Instore display has been a big focus for brands such as Little Tikes, with new items being specifically designed in space efficient packaging to support on-shelf display. “Alongside POS solutions and our new catalogues, all accounts should be able to get involved in such a key season. Our products quickly catch the eye of our customers and showcase key USPs clearly and easily. This means that retailers with even the most challenging of spaces can inspire their customers through creative stands and attention grabbing window displays”. Emphasising product innovation and features can also help attract attention. “Little Tikes also creates video content which retailers can use too. This helps bring the product to life, plus we have content-rich POS showing all the product benefits,” went on Michelle.

Many wheeled items are now designed with storage in mind. Phil Ratcliffe advises that these days, they often pack down into very compact boxes, and some price points are so low that in many cases they have become impulse purchases. “My advice is to focus on the top brands and licences and pick a limited range to cover the whole spectrum, such as a ride-on, trike, scooter and skateboard”, he commented.

Over the following pages, wheeled toys suppliers have presented a selection of their latest products and ranges.

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TELETUBBIES and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of DHX Worldwide Limited. © 2016 DHX Worldwide Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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Wheeled toys

Re:creation 0118 973 6222 |

Little Tikes 0845 053 3333 | www.littletikes.co.uk

www.recreationltd.co.uk

The company is adding the 5-in-1 Deluxe Ride and Relax Trike to its portfolio. This has all the features of the 4-in-1 trike with extras including a three-position reclining seatback, height adjustable canopy and technology which means the seat is movable with the flip of a switch.

Little Tikes’ latest Cozy Coupe has scooped a total of four industry awards in the past year, including being voted Best Buy in the Independent’s 11 Best Outdoor Toys Spring 2016. With over 10 variations to choose from, the item is completed with a working horn and a contained storage area.

The Lean to Turn Scooter is a three wheel design, with easy-touch brakes and soft rubber handlebars. These scooters have an extra wide base for better control, a low to the ground deck for easier balance and a quick release handle for easy storage. They are available in six bright colours, including four new colourways of orange/blue, red/yellow, blue/pink and green/blue.

The Razor Jr. portfolio grows this year with the introduction of the T3 three-wheeled scooter. The new T3 range of scooters offers the opportunity to actually see the technology in action with its window bubble. Available in two colourways, it has also been designed to offer great ride-ability as children grow.

With the Razor Crazy Cart continuing to drive media coverage, Razor Jr.’s Lil’ Crazy offers younger riders the chance to get in on the drifting action. This electric ride-on is suitable for children from age three, and sees riders enjoy drifting, turning and spinning at speeds of up to 2mph.

Re:creation will support Razor Jr. lines with extensive PR support, online activity and partnership programmes.

Wilton Bradley 01626 835 400 | www.wiltonbradley.co.uk MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk MV Sports’ Paw Patrol range includes an authentic Ryder Ramp Helmet, a basic and deluxe ride-on, 6V battery powered mini quad and a 12 inch bike.

The company’s pre-school wheeled toy range based on Thomas & Friends has been redesigned; the extensive line-up includes the Engine Ride-On and Battery Operated Train & Track Set. In addition to Thomas there is also the Fireman Sam range, incorporating foot to floor and 6V Jupiter Fire Engine models.

MV’s Teletubbies range features an authentic Po Scooter complete with lights and sounds. In addition, there is a character ride-on, a Trike and a 2-in1 10 inch bike.

Fans will also be able to pick up a selection of Finding Dory products from MV including helmet and safety sets, skates, ride-ons, tri-scooters, trikes, bikes and hoppers.

My Little Pony has seen exponential growth this year, and MV’s wheeled range is inspired by character favourite, Rainbow Dash.

The company’s pre-school girl’s licences are spearheaded by Disney Princess and Peppa Pig. This range is complemented by pink, duck egg blue and yellow colorways across the range and includes helmets, skates, rideons, trikes, scooters, battery ops, bikes and hoppers.

Batman and Avengers Assemble are fighting for first position with boys, with a selection of bright bold colourways; both ranges feature helmets, triscooters, bikes and battery operated vehicles.

Wilton Bradley has added a whole host of new brands and products to its portfolio this year under the Toyrific and Xootz brands, with lot of new products to highlight in the wheeled toys category.

The new Electric Fire Engine ride-on features a bubble blowing nozzle on the front, as well as forward and reverse movements, sounds and lights. On top of this there is a licensed Electric Mercedes ride-on, Electric Go-Kart and pedal-powered Digger and Tractor ride-ons, all under the Toyrific brand.

Also under the Wilton Bradley portfolio is the new Xootz brand, which has brought a fresh twist to wheeled toys to the UK for 2016. Offering safe, quality products for active children, there is a comprehensive range of trikes, balance bikes and three wheeled scooters.

The Xootz brand is owned and distributed by Wilton Bradley, which has a wealth of experience when it comes to sourcing quality wheeled toys for its action sports brand, Osprey. From adjustable Quad Skates to Folding Scooters with LED wheels, and from Racing Go Karts to Large Skate Ramps, Xootz has developed a strong range which offers good margins for retailers.

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Wheeled toys

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk Each Scratch Balance Bike features inflatable tyres and a comfortable seat to spare a child’s joints during extended use. The range is available in two different sizes, and each bike also has an adjustable seat.

There are eight designs to choose from, and latest additions to the range include the small taxi balance bike and the small owl balance bike.

Each bike comes flat packed in high quality packaging, and features easy assembly instructions.

Scratch Europe is supported by a full in-store marketing programme including dedicated planograms and extensive social media activity.

Kids@play 01291 429 006/7 | www.kids-at-play.com Kids@play has launched two new battery operated ride-on cars. The Diamond White Sports Car MK III is powered by a 6V motor with rechargeable battery, and has forward and reverse gears allowing a top speed of 2mph.

Also available is the Black Panther Sports Car, a more streamlined model with sports style lift-up doors, forward and reverse gears and a powerful 12V motor. It has a foot-operated accelerator with electric brakes, forward and reverse gears and can reach speed of 2.5mph.

HTi 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTi’s wheeled toys offering featuring Blaze and the Monster Machines includes a 3 Wheel and Move & Groove Scooter, a pedal-less Balance Bike, 10” and 12” Bikes as well as Helmet and Protection Gear. There is also a Battery Operated Quad Bike for all terrain use.

The range of Bing pre-school wheeled toys from HTi provides little ones with a way to learn balance and steering whilst staying safe with protection gear. The brightly coloured range features bold character graphics.

HTi’s pre-school wheeled ranges also include brands such as Twirlywoos, Care Bears, Ultimate Spiderman and Disney favourites Frozen, Sofia the First, Disney Fairies, Doc McStuffins, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The firm has also just announced a new licensing deal with Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products to manufacture and supply wheeled toys for the new CG-animated TV series, Shimmer and Shine. The range will be available to retailers for spring/summer 2017 across the UK and Ireland.

H. Grossman 01416 132 525 | www.ozbozz.com Grossman and the Ozbozz brand offer the My First Scooter, the Trail Twist and the Cosmic Light, all of which have been revamped for this year. My First Scooter is designed to grow with the child and is available in many different colourways. This year the folding system has been improved and the packaging redesigned.

The Trail Twist has a rear brake and soft coordinating hand grips, and is available in multicolours and across popular character licences including The Secret Life of Pets.

The Cosmic Light Scooter has three PU wheels which provide extra balance and stability for the younger kids as they develop coordination and balancing skills.

Marbel 0845 6000 286 | www.marbel.com Hape has a variety of wheeled and ride-on toys, from first walkers and push-along toys to ride-on scoot-arounds. The scoot-around, the red rider and the bug about are all made from wood but each offers something a little different.

The scoot-around is a child’s first ride-on. The handlebars allow the child to steer the bike left and right. It has rubber on the wheels to prevent it sliding. The little red rider is more of a one directional ride-on.

It also has rubber on the wheels to prevent sliding and has a little storage area under the seat. The little bug about is a multi-directional push-along with antennae for handles and a storage compartment in the bug’s belly.

The bug about also comes with a comfy seat.

Allegedly

Last month’s Distoy Show was, as ever, a juggernaut of an event. One attendee described it on social media as being the equivalent of the Bilderberg group for the toy trade. Indeed, elements of the show remain clandestine, however I also sense that the show is opening up on a number of levels. As well as distributors from across the globe, I saw many other people - retailers, licensors, media – who once upon a time would not have been encouraged to attend, but probably wanted to be there all the more because of that. I hear that the El Corte Ingles buyer was sent by his director simply to find out what the show was all about; he had no appointments but was going to brazen it out and knock on a few doors, just like many others I suspect. Everyone I met with talked in glowing terms of a successful and productive event, and credit should go to organiser David Potter and his team / family for continuing to push the show forward while retaining its special – some would say unique – quality. Next year’s event will take place from 30th May – 2nd June: given that Toymaster is taking place two weeks before and the Las Vegas Licensing Expo is taking place the week before, it looks like May is going to be the new January from now on (hopefully with better weather). It could have been much worse though, at least there are no direct date clashes to contend with….

Justin Mcgiffin has parted company with MGA, while Trudi Bishop has moved on from her role at Carta Mundi. Given their experience and contacts, I’m sure they will both be back in new roles in the toy / licensing field in no time….

A mixed set of retail results made headlines last month. Argos was arguably the pick of the bunch, posting what it claimed was its best quarterly set of results for two years – evidence that the impending takeover by Sainsbury’s hasn’t been too much of a distraction. Sainsbury’s own results were satisfactory if unspectacular, while Asda’s continuing slump, along with very public criticism of its performance from parent company Walmart, has led to the imminent departure of Asda chief executive Andy Clarke.

Walmart International’s chief executive Dave Cheesewright (great name) has spoken of further price cuts to protect its market share in the UK: it will be interesting to see if that approach purely affects grocery lines, or whether they’ll extend it to non-food….

However, all of the financial ups and downs in the retail sector pale into insignificance when placed against the ridiculous sideshow that took place in the House of Commons, as a procession of buffoons attempted to outdo each other to prove they made the worse decisions in the BHS debacle. If you thought Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley’s appearance the day before was embarrassing, Sir Philip Greed (not a typo), Dominic Chappell and various

other BHS cohorts took things to a whole new level of preposterousness. There isn’t room here to detail the hilarious but chilling accusations which flew from all sides, but if you didn’t read the transcripts, I promise you that it’s worth it.

Apart from the fact that literally no-one emerges with a shred of credit, the sad thing – and the real point of interest to a gossip column covering the toy market - is that all this nonsense will do no favours to the retail community as a whole: shareholders, investors, bankers, credit insurers and everyone else whose support is essential to retailers will surely be more cautious than ever after what has happened at BHS….

Elsewhere in the toy retail community, the Toy Store’s Geoff Sheffield has left his role at RM Retail in Dubai and will be returning to the UK with his family this summer to pursue new challenges. My understanding is that he’s already in talks with a number of interested parties, and I’m sure his experience will see him snapped up in no time. I also hear that things are changing at John Lewis: former toy buyer Ian Ellis has moved over to Haberdashery (sounds thrilling), and the suggestion is that the toy buying will be linked in or merged with sports going forward, although that hasn’t been officially confirmed by John Lewis (albeit I have it from a good source). Moves like this can sometimes arise when someone in management (or worse, a consultant) looks at the sales graph, sees a huge spike in Q4 and wonders what the buying team are doing for the rest of the year. Of course, this completely misses the point: it is precisely all the work put in across the year that leads to success in Q4. I’m not suggesting this is what’s happened in this particular case: perhaps John Lewis is just going to focus less on toys moving forward? I just know that in our own field, publishing only one title – and thus being the undisputed toy market specialist – gives us a huge advantage over our competitors, and I perceive that level of focus as being equally important to the success of a retail buying team….

Argos was the first retailer to unveil its predictions for top toy this Christmas, releasing the top 10 list in the middle of June. There will always be a debate about how early is too early, and with the launch of the autumn winter catalogue still some weeks off, it seems this move was all about being first out of the traps. However, it most definitely paid off; the list achieved massive coverage across national media – garnering almost 350 separate pieces of coverage, including BBC Breakfast – and I’m sure Argos and its new toy PR representative Playtime PR were absolutely delighted. There were no great curveballs on the list, though it was nice to see Worlds Apart’s Selfie Mic - a product Toy World has championed since first seeing it in Hong Kong in January - make an appearance among the usual suspects such as Lego, Hasbro, Mattel, VTech, Character Options and Spin Master.

Learn… Grow… Go! Steer your sales with our Trikes range Our trikes: • Are designed to develop physical, balancing, and steering skills.

• Adapt from a parent guided stroller to infant powered trike.

AWARD WINNING

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Visit www.littletikes.co.uk to find out more Call us: 0845 0533 333 | Email us: Uklittle.tikes@mgae.com MGA Entertainment UK Ltd, 50 Presley Way, Crownhill, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ES