Toyworld may 2015

May 2015 volume 4 issue 8

May 2015 volume 4 issue 8

The business magazine with a passion for toys

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The Team...

CONTENTS May 2015 volume 4 issue 8

John Baulch

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

Emily Ansell Elfer

38 Dolls and Girls Collectibles

22 Character Licensed Merchandise

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

Daniel Rich

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

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher

35 Talking Shop

21 Thomas & Friends 70th

06 News

56 Lutz Muller

14 Industry Moves

60 NPD Column

16 Marketing World

62 Viewpoint

38 Dolls and Girls Collectibles

18 Licensing world

68 Touching Base

61 Tomy Interview

90 Allegedly

66 Toymaster show Preview

Anniversary

22 Character Licensed Merchandise

Mark Austin

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

Contributors David Ripley | Jim Hawker | Lutz Muller | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | The NPD Group

Graeme Thomas

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

56 Opinion: Lutz Muller

21 Thomas & Friends

Anita Baulch

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

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

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his can sometimes be a tricky time of year for a toy journalist. Pages, Blogs and newsflashes need to be filled, preferably with compelling content. But the toy trade cycle doesn’t always lend itself to the most fascinating stories at this stage of the year- everyone returns from Toy Fairs across the globe, where all the big announcements and reveals have been made. Collectively, the industry hunkers down: suppliers work on their quotes and forms, buyers on their selections. There is an awful lot to do and everyone is focused on getting the essential work done so that the rest of the year can proceed according to plan.

Understandably, disseminating stories to the media temporarily takes a back seat, and the journalist occasionally has to fall back on his or her ability to stretch or embellish the available material into something approaching interesting reading. Thankfully, 2015 is not one of those years. Instead, this is one of those rare times for a journalist when high calibre stories come thick and fast. There has certainly been no shortage of major developments to write about and comment on: my ability to waffle or fill space has mercifully not been required.

First we had the unfortunate situation with regard to next year’s Toy Fair dates. We covered the facts extensively in last month’s issue, and as far as I can tell, the solution reached by the BTHA has found favour with the vast majority. Of course, the proof of the pudding will be in the re-booking of space by exhibitors, but I sense that a major issue has been averted.

As if this wasn’t enough to fuel the notoriously voracious toy trade gossip grapevine, last month was dominated by events which unfurled at several major retail accounts. First it was announced that Toys R Us would be centralising its European head office operations, resulting in a significant reduction in the head count of its UK buying and operations team. The news was revealed by the American team at a press conference to unveil its annual results. With no concrete information forthcoming from the UK organisation, the rumour mill went into overdrive. When we finally – and exclusively – revealed which buyers would be leaving the UK team on our website, the spike in our daily traffic went through the roof, such was the lack of communication from the retailer itself.

As we go to press, suppliers remain concerned at how effective the restructure will be, and what effect it will have on their trading pattern. Inevitably, those who have lost the buyer with whom they been discussing this year’s selections are particularly fearful. By all accounts the buyers who are staying have been told which areas they will now be responsible for going forward: it seems unavoidable that the remaining buyers will be handling a broader range of categories.

As I understand that TRU buyers also allocate stock to individual branches as well as select product, it sounds like their workload has just increased significantly.

Perhaps more importantly, just about every supplier I have spoken to is deeply sceptical that the European market can be harmonised in the way Toys R Us appears to be proposing. The huge variances in taste across Europe are well documented, and companies with multiple offices throughout the continent have been quick to point out that what sells well in Spain, for example, doesn’t necessarily work here in the UK, and vice versa. In short, as one supplier suggested: “Trying to buy centrally for Europe is like herding cats.” Time will tell if he is right or if Toys R Us can crack it, but there appears to be little faith amongst suppliers that it will be an easy task. So why has the company chosen this course of action? Given Toys R Us’ legendary reluctance to engage with the press I can’t give their side of the story, but I’ve written a piece – which appears on page 64 – suggesting some of the factors which I believe are behind the move.

It’s not just Toys R Us either: Tesco announced last month the whole team currently based in the Cirrus C building in Welwyn Garden has been put under consultation, which includes the buying department.

As we go to press, Morrisons has just revealed that it will be cutting over 700 head office staff, equivalent to a third of the head count. While all of this is great material for a magazine which makes its livelihood writing about the toy market, it’s clearly devastating for the people involved. I just hope that the old adage about one company’s loss being another company’s gain turns out to be true: some very experienced buyers will be coming onto the job market shortly, and I am sure that other retailers will be monitoring the situation with interest.

As well as keeping you up-to-date with all the latest news, there is plenty more great content in this month’s issue. We have a major feature on the dolls and girl’s collectibles market, an extensive preview of the forthcoming Toymaster show and our annual ‘Have you Considered’ supplement, which takes a look at some non-mainstream product categories which toy retailers could take advantage of. I bumped into the Toy Barnhaus boys at the recent AIS show: they had made the trip not so much to see toy suppliers (which they’ll do at Toymaster), but more to seek out new gift companies. It was fascinating to hear them talk about how well products such as licenced cookie jars and sunglasses have done for them: they seem to me to epitomise what it is to be a progressive, 21st century toy retailer, open to possibilities and happy to take a punt.

So if you fancy supplementing your main toy ranges with a few different lines to entice your customers, hopefully the supplement will present you with a few good ideas.

We’ll be back next month, hopefully with lots more exciting news, analysis and new product information and no need to waffle!

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Austins expands toy department

Toys R Us to centralise European head office operations

2014 was a transition period for Devonbased department store, Austins, due to a planned overhaul of the store. The work commenced in March and was finally completed in December, just in time for peak trading.

Debra Maloney, senior manager for the store and buyer for the Toy Department, commented: “We achieved a sales increase of 2% last year, but expectations are high for 2015, as we have an enlarged toy department, which now occupies approximately 5,700 square foot of trading space. With the increase in footage, we have expanded all of our toy ranges. We have also installed a new Aurora soft toy area and have had two new Sylvanian Families stands fitted in store, which makes an impressive statement for this perennially popular collection.”

The extra space has enabled a stronger presentation for all the toy ranges stocked by Austins, which has already resulted in an impressive uplift in sales. Debra commented: “The brands which are standing out for us at this time are Lego, Sylvanian Families, Shopkins, Paw Patrol, Care Bears and also Minecraft.”

Toys R Us is looking to save $23 million by implementing a Pan-European structure with shared service centres, outsourcing back office finance functions and streamlining reporting.

These savings are part of a number of cost-cutting and other measures that form part of the company’s TRU Transformation plan. The measures are likely to result in numerous head office posts being made redundant in European countries as the company moves away from managing each country in Europe as its own autonomous region.

A new European Management Board will be set-up to take overall responsibility for the region. Existing management teams will continue to handle all issues local to its territory, however, large cost-savings could be made by ordering own-brand and FOB merchandise in larger quantities for a greater number of stores across Europe, rather than allowing each national office to place its own orders.

The potential savings Toys R Us may include reduced manufacturing and cost prices for own-brand and FOB merchandise. There would also be a possible reduction in head office staff as the specifications and negotiations for these goods would be dealt with by fewer people.

The company recognises that attempting to increase market share as a toy retailer against the likes of Amazon and Walmart is unsustainable and therefore it will concentrate its efforts on profitability rather than gross sales.

In 2014, the company benefited from holding back on discounting and plans to do the same this year, as well as spending less on marketing through print and television advertising.

Market & Distribute Quality Brands

Toy Barnhaus revamps Crawley branch

Toy Barnhaus has refurbished its Crawley store, five years after it first opened.

The project included an extension of the sales floor and the addition of new low – power LED lighting, which is twice as bright as the old lighting. The store also benefited from new window displays and branding, as well as a brand new ceiling.

Co-owner Stephen Barnes commented: “It is definitely worth investing in the shops every few years to keep them looking fresh and up to date. We chose the week after the Easter holidays to complete the work, as it is a relatively quiet time. For the opening, we had Toby the Toymaster Puppy visiting, and lots of free giveaways. Trade so far has been brisk, and customers love the shop.”

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Toymaster to rebate members £250,000

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After a successful 2014, Toymaster has allocated £250,000 to be shared amongst the membership through its Brand Enhancement rebate scheme.

Managing director Ian Edmunds commented: “Toymaster is a mutuality so, when the company has a successful year, we return some money to our members. 2014 was a very good year, so we’ve been able to make provision to give back this amount, which equates to around 25% of the average member’s fee. They can spend the money on anything which will enhance their business.”

On Cloud b Toy World’s Emily Ansell Elfer talks to Cloub b’s CEO Linda Suh about the how the company evolved and her plans for its future.

How did the Cloud b adventure start?

Back in 2002, when my first child Madeleine was a newborn, I received a sleep bag from a friend, which was a part of her sleepy-time routine and kept her secure and comfortable through the night.

It eliminated night-time wakings and reduced some of the risk factors associated with SIDS. It was a parent’s dream come true. I imagined how much happier and healthier families would be if they could have the same experience. The idea of Cloud b was born. Coming from the fashion industry, I took my sewing machine, and started making some samples focusing on safety, usability, quality of fabric, comfort and got my first sleep bag design patented.

What message are you trying to pass to consumers through your brand?

We’re not just selling products, we’re trying to instill a lifestyle. Our aim is to transform simple sleep aids into opportunities for human connections.

Good sleep impacts the wellness of the entire family. Our products accompany children and parents at key moments of transition in their lives and create the ultimate sleeping environment that soothes, reassures and helps build self-confidence.

Tell us more about your new London office. What do you hope to accomplish in Europe within the next year?

Our award-winning products have been successfully selling in Europe in the past three years. By having a team in London, we are now focusing on brand expansion in the UK as well as the rest of the world. The UK is a key market on the international scene. Our mission is to spread the message of the fundamental need for good sleep for each family member and offer customers a range of high quality products based on the recommendations of our Advisory Board of pediatricians, parents, teachers and sleep specialists.

Toys R Us to open in Ireland

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Toys R Us is planning to launch up to half a dozen outlets in Ireland.

It is believed that the expansion will be handled by a franchisee which has targeted a number of stores in Dublin and other cities.

The firm originally looked at the Irish market a couple of years ago but decided against opening. The company has more than 1,500 stores in 33 countries.

Jennifer Mulholland of Bannon, which acts for Toys R Us, has said that it would be “premature to say anything at this stage.”

Enter a new world with Lego Dimensions

Lego, TT Games and Warner Bros. have announced an upcoming Lego Dimensions game.

The game merges physical Lego brick building with interactive console game play and follows the toys-to-life concept, where players take a collectible figure, place it on a tray and see it come to life in a video game as a playable character.

Lego Dimensions launches on 27th September and features characters from entertainment franchises such as DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings and Back to the Future as well as The Lego Movie.

The game allows players to customise their experience with additional Level Packs, Team Packs and Fun Packs that provide new buildable characters, vehicles, gadgets, mission-based levels and in-game abilities.

Jon Burton, founder and creative director, TT Games, commented: “When kids play with Lego bricks, they build beyond the singular brands, intermixing all of their favourite characters and universes, and we have come up with a way for players to experience that in games. Now for the first time in a video game, Lego fans can play in the virtual world and in the real world—combining everything without restrictions.”

A new chapter at Carterbench

Rob Kay, co-founder and managing director of Carterbench, is to retire after 40 years in the Toy Industry.

Rob Kay will remain in a consultant role at Carterbench. Ross Worthington will step into the role of managing director, with co-directors Suzanne Robinson, Simon Gidion and Jim Keenan joining the senior management team.

Ross Worthington commented: “Life will certainly be very different without Rob’s day-to-day involvement; he has contributed so much over the years both at Carterbench and to the toy industry in general. We all wish him well as he starts a new chapter and are of course delighted that he is going to remain an important part of the team. I am really pleased that Suzanne, Simon and Jim are joining the board, all three of them have over 25 years’ experience in the business and are passionate about taking Carterbench to the next level. Combined with our southern team lead by Mary Danby, Carterbench is as vibrant today as it has always been.”

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Toy Hub celebrates Andy Murray’s wedding in style

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Toy Hub prepared for Andy Murray and Kim Sears’ wedding at Dunblane Cathedral on Saturday 11th April with a wedding themed window display.

The Dunblane-based store, renowned for supporting its local tennis star every year during Wimbledon with window displays, used stock from Melissa & Doug, Top Model and TY Beanies to mark the occasion.

Helen Gourley, owner, Toy Hub, said: “There was certainly an increase of footfall in the run-up to the wedding and on the day itself. Toy Hub provided a welcome stop for many families.

“We had to stay open later than normal to accommodate people as they wandered back to the train station after seeing the happy couple arrive for the wedding. There was a surge in sales, primarily as children were rewarded for their good behaviour. The items that sold well were of course the cuddly toys displayed in the window, but also lots of arts and crafts and games were popular, as people travelled from far and wide and wanted the children to be entertained on the return journey.”

Casdon appoints Evolution PR

Casdon has appointed Evolution PR to implement a year round digital marketing strategy for its portfolio of roleplay toys.

The new awareness drive includes a revamp of the company’s social media sites, outreach to parental influencers and implementation of an online kids club all combined with a digital advertising plan.

Phil Cassidy, joint managing director, Casdon, said: “When buying Casdon toys, it is primarily the parent or grandparent that is the purchase decision maker. Once bought the play experience for the child is huge and we always get great feedback. We therefore want to share the positivity with other parents.

“With this in mind the time is right for us to ramp up the awareness of the comments and excellent reviews we receive. Our focus will be all that’s new like our Annabel Karmel collection, together with our favourite lines such as Dyson, Henry, Morphy Richards and Kenwood. By working with Evolution we aim to bring greater demand for our products which in turn will directly benefit our retailers.”

A spooky success Toy World’s Daniel Rich caught up with Magic Box’s UK director, Ben Harper and discussed the success behind popular pocket money toy, Zomlings.

Zomlings series 3 was a great success – what do you put this success down to?

What drove the market? What’s the appeal?

First and foremost, Zomlings is a genuinely collectible range. They are squishy, colourful, tactile and there are more than 100 to collect in each series. There are rare gold and silver characters too, which play an important role in any collectible. It’s about more than just the figures though, the towers and houses add extra layers of collectibility and gameplay. Towers can be stacked and houses can be combined to allow children to create their own town. In series 3, we have added trains which add a new play option. Every element of the range is complementary to the other with our aim being that kids can constantly expand their own town.

Each series of Zomlings has performed better than the previous one so far. Series 3 has really performed strongly and we think it is a combination of growing awareness, together with some really fun and collectible new features.

Series 3 introduced new houses that are bigger than our series 1 and 2 versions, as well as new ghost trains. The ghost trains have been a massive success.

They are great fun to collect and play with and the rare gold version has been a highly desirable item.

Zomlings has clear price differentiation from the rest of the market. We have an entry price of just 50p for a single figure. The ghost trains cost £1 and the houses are £2. This gives retailers a great range of products, all at genuine pocket money prices. We have also expanded our offering to include blister packs and other toy items at slightly higher retail prices.

What are your plans for the brand for the next couple of months?

Series 3 will continue to sell throughout the summer and into the autumn.

We like to introduce a new series more or less every six months to keep things fresh, but also to allow collectors sufficient time to conclude their collecting for the previous series.

Can you tell me about Zomlings series 4?

The next series could be our best yet. The Zomlings themselves will come in a new transparent finish. The ghost trains from series 3 will be replaced by a new range of Zom-Mobiles – there will be different vehicles to collect and even rare versions with a metallic paint finish. Series 4 will also introduce brand new buses, which will replace the houses. It’s a really fun new collection and the items will help kids to grow their Zomlings town even further.

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news Toy shop inflates sales with balloons

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Located in the Wulfrun Centre in Wolverhampton, Batteries Not Included is a traditional toy shop owned by Iain Ashbourne and his wife Coco. The family business opened three years ago and offers a variety of wooden and licenced toys. Recently, the shop has been enjoying the success of a newly installed Qualatex Balloon Boutique.

Iain and Coco first learned about Qualatex at the Spring Fair in 2014, where they met Qualatex team members and witnessed a balloon demonstration by Keith Stirman, CBA (Certified Balloon Artist) and began learning all they could about balloons. Coco attended the Qualatex Fundamentals course, which showed the important and useful skills needed to start in the balloon business.

They decided to include balloons as a way to expand services and gain a competitive advantage in the market. The balloons initially focused on children’s birthday parties, but Iain and Coco saw an opportunity to expand to other milestones and holidays as well.

Batteries Not Included has since grown its balloon sales and has expanded its offering by adopting the Qualatex Balloon Boutique concept. The eight-foot wall of Qualatex balloons and professional balloon displays in the windows had an instant effect on sales.

Balloon sales are increasing and calendar events like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day keep the shop busy.

Iain and Coco’s business has grown, and they are taking advantage of the in-store employee training offered as part of the Qualatex retail programme. They are also planning to attend Sue Bowler’s Wedding Series course to expand and offer balloons for weddings.

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Another award winning night for Century Logistics

Century Logistics was presented with the SME Operations Award at the SHD Logistics Awards.

The awards celebrate excellence in the logistics industry, across 11 main categories. Century Logistics was chosen against five contenders within the SME Operations category.

The judging panel looked for a logistics company which demonstrated that its operation is finely tuned to support its customers, provides excellence across all aspects of the supply chain and is flexible, future-proof, efficient and proactive. Each shortlisted contender had to supply supporting data and testimonials from customers as part of the judging process.

The judges’ comments, read out by host Romesh Ranganathan, said: “Century Logistics was described as ‘first class’, ‘proactive’, ‘professional’ and ‘entrepreneurial’ by its partners, who recognise this company as one which extends well beyond warehousing.”

Stephen Basey-Fisher, managing director, Century Logistics, said: “If I’m honest I was slightly shocked we won, given we were up against such strong contenders.

We always strive to do the very best for our customers and delivering excellence is bred into everything we do. We’re particularly proud of this award because this is our industry acknowledging our commitment and hard work.”

Fiesta Crafts celebrates 25 years

Fiesta Crafts celebrates its 25th anniversary last month and is moving to a new office.

Founder Andrew Bacon launched the company with just a handful of handmade soft toys brought over from his travels in Asia.

Since then, the company has launched over 1,400 different products. Many of them have been award winners, including Hamleys Best Toy, and puppets have been one of the most successful areas. Fiesta Crafts’ products are now sold on five continents.

Customers have been taking advantage of a special offer to mark the anniversary and the company has been sending out a desktop calendar pen tidy as a souvenir of the occasion.

Fiesta Crafts will be moving its office from Enfield to Waltham Abbey and the warehouse function will be outsourced to a company in Suffolk.

Hornby encouraged by digital team’s progress

Hornby has invested in improving its engagement with consumers and developing its e-commerce function by hiring a team of digital specialists, which is operating from Hornby’s dedicated e-commerce office in Shoreditch. Since opening the office, transactional levels have surpassed the Group’s initial expectations.

The digital team has already introduced an enhanced forum functionality for the Hornby brand and this is now being rolled out to Scalextric, Airfix, and Corgi. The company has responded to its consumers’ interest in learning more about the product development process with the launch of “The Engine Shed”, a new blog which is sharing news on forthcoming developments. In addition, following the success of the ‘Simon Says’ blog section of the Hornby website – written by industry expert Simon Kohler- it has been announced that Michael Clegg, a lifelong aviation enthusiast, will be joining to develop an aviation – focused interaction with fans on Airfix.com, and Corgi.com.

Chief executive Richard Ames said: “Our digital team based in Shoreditch, London is a major investment and key initiative for the group’s future. We are delighted with the progress that has been made to date. As part of our strategy to drive the improvement in the Group’s performance, we have worked hard on improving how our brands engage with our customers and enthusiasts at every opportunity. Much of this is being driven by modern marketing initiatives, including increasing our reach via social media. This is giving us very accurate feedback about our products and the new initiatives that we are launching.”

Toy World 12

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Toys R Us UK staff changes start to take effect

The downsizing of the UK Toys R Us buying team has begun in earnest.

While we are yet to receive official confirmation from the company itself, Toy World understands that Paul Mitchell, Chris Ashton, Lesley Whitehouse and Mark Bolton have already left the business, while Fiona Murray Young is thought to be leaving within the next few weeks.

Additional personnel will also be moving on from a number of support departments as part of an ongoing restructure which will see Toys R US adopting a centralised European buying organisation. With a number of experienced buyers coming onto the market, it has been suggested that other toy retailers may well benefit from the changes at Toys R US. However, the moves are causing significant concern to UK based toy suppliers, both in terms of the short-term impact and the overall long-term strategy. Although no-one wanted to be quoted on the record, a number of senior people who spoke to Toy World have expressed serious reservations about the nature of the changes, with few having faith in the concept of a toy retailer buying centrally for the whole of Europe.

industry moves

Christopher Sinclair will remain chairman at Mattel having been interim CEO since January following Bryan Stockton’s resignation. He has been on the Mattel board for about 19 years and was a former executive at PepsiCo. Mattel also promoted president, chief brands

officer Richard Dickson to president and chief operating officer. He rejoined the company in 2014 after leaving four years earlier for clothing company The Jones Group.

Mothercare has appointed its first chief information officer and a new retail operations director to its management team. Chief information officer Michelle Barkess, who joins from Matalan, will oversee Mothercare’s IT programmes and systems. James Graham has joined

as retail operations director. He will overseeing Mothercare stores in the UK and will be involved in its ongoing store refurbishment programme. He was previously head of director of retail operations at Specsavers and held various management positions at Tesco.

Jumbo has announced the appointment of Chris Sermanni to its team. He has a background in toy sales dating back to 1996, covering the whole of Scotland and its islands and started his new role with the brand on 1st April.

John Crane began a partnership with the sales agency OSS on 1st May to improve the company’s service to the independent toy trade.

OSS has taken over the sales of John Crane’s brands in the North and South West of England as well as Scotland.

OSS already covered these areas within the UK selling Simba, Smoby and Schleich, so has an understanding of this channel of distribution.

David Larter, of OSS, commented: “This is an excellent opportunity

for OSS and obtaining this fantastic brand to sell in our portfolio shows the progress we have made in becoming a major service agency to larger brands within the independent trade.”

Jonathan Thorpe, MD of John Crane, added that he is pleased that the company can now support the independent part of the industry to the aspirational levels they want to reach.

Claire Milner has joined iGen as research manager. She is an experienced research manager, with a background in kids, parents and teacher research. She is well versed in both quantitative and qualitative methods, from small to large multicountry projects across the UK and international markets.

Epoch has appointed Sarah Morris to its sales division as territory manager for the Eastern Region. She has over 10 years of experience within the sales and retail sectors of several companies including the Enchanted Wood Toy Stores. Her experience

Toy World 14

is enhanced by a vast knowledge of Epoch products, eight years management experience and 14 years customer services experience.

Kidicraft’s Kristina Holden has been promoted to operations director and will focus on customer service and supply.

Darren Todd has joined Ackerman as sales manager for the North West of England.

Darren will be representing Ackerman’s range of wood, retro, craft and pocket money toys – with a major focus being the UK expansion of The Irish Fairy Door Company range. The collection includes the handmade wooden doors, colourful wall decals, accessories and the new book, The Fairy Force.

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

Scalextric to headline at UK Slot Festival 2015 Hornby has announced that Scalextric will be the headline sponsor of the UK Slot Car Festival and will showcase the F1 Ultimate Race Track at the event.

Following the success of the first festival with over 3000 visitors in 2014, Scalextric is supporting the show as headline sponsor for the second time.

Visitors will be able to play for free on a host of tracks showcasing the Scalextric collection including rally stages, banger racing and digital layouts. As in previous years, there will be a meet and greet on the Scalextric stand.

Visitors to the show will also be able to experience The Ultimate Track designed by Martin Brundle which incorporates features from every circuit on the 2015 F1 calendar. Brought to life

by Scalextric, the track is the biggest layout it has ever created.

Jim Procter-Bain, Scalextric marketing controller, said: “We are delighted to once again be supporting one of the biggest slot car events in the world. We look forward to meeting fellow slot car fans and showcasing our exciting new Scalextric lines.”

The event will take place at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, in Warwickshire. The show runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May.

GP Flair launches TMNT microsite Following the launch of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutations collection, GP Flair has created an interactive microsite where fans can create their ultimate ninja hero.

The Turtles Mutations range is the most successful segment ever for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand. Fans can mix and match body parts and weapons from the action figures collection to create endless combinations of crime fighting heroes.

The new microsite, www.turtlesmutations.co.uk, means that the concept can now be played online where children can pick and choose their features, assemble the body parts and name their transformed hero digitally.

Anne-Marie Noon, boys’ marketing manager, GP Flair, commented: “This new range has an added play pattern that the Turtles audience really relate to. The site is not only great fun but by creating this digital and print campaign we have added to the awareness for the toys that is already out there from our TV and pre-roll activity.”

Argos launches Birthday Club for partyplanning parents Over 40,000 parents have signed up to Argos’ new Birthday Club, a scheme to help parents plan for their child’s birthday party.

By sharing their child’s age and date of birth, parents will receive personalised and exclusive party-related information in the run-up to their child’s birthday. Over 70,000 youngsters have been registered with the club so far.

Helen McIntyre, business development manager, Argos, said: “This is the first time Argos has requested customer information to send out timely and personalised emails. Now we know when birthdays are coming up and how old children are, we can send relevant product suggestions, offers and useful tips and advice that best match that child at the right time, making the communication far more helpful to parents.”

Parents will receive an email focusing on party themes six weeks before their child’s birthday, which includes a 20% off voucher, which is followed by an email four weeks before on gift ideas. Finally, two weeks before the big day an email will remind parents of all the last minute party essentials.

Helen McIntyre continued: “By receiving more relevant information and great deals, this should increase customer loyalty to Argos. Plus it opens up great opportunities to gather insight from our customers, such as by trialling toys with certain age groups.”

Let the #BionicleMaskHunt begin Lego has announced a mask-hunting competition where entrants have the opportunity to win a specially made 14 karat gold Lego Bionicle mask.

In order to participate in the Bionicle mask hunt competition, entrants are required to find an object that looks like a hidden mask, take a picture of it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #BionicleMaskHunt. It can be any object that gives the impression of a face or mask and within the water, stone, jungle, ice, fire or earth categories.

A Lego jury will draw winners and award a Lego Bionicle prize for the best image in each of the six categories. The final winners of the six 14 karat Lego Bionicle gold masks will be selected from the weekly winners.

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Winning Moves full page ad Toy World.indd 1

17/03/2015 09:28

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

Hit green lights second series of new Bob the Builder

Hit Entertainment has greenlit a second season and 60-minute special for its all-new CGanimated Bob the Builder series. The series has new episodes set for delivery in 2016 and the 60-minute special is set to follow in 2017.

Bob the Builder is also set to embark on new digital adventures, with the launch of short-form videos due to launch on YouTube in August 2015.

Christopher Keenan, VP global content and executive producer at Hit, said: “We are excited about the greenlight of a second series of Bob the Builder and particularly thrilled about bringing additional content to the many platforms on which children and families are currently engaging with entertainment.”

The all-new first series will hit screens later this year on Channel 5’s Milkshake!.

Asterix to return in new instalment

Le Papyrus de Cesar is the title of the 36th album of the adventures of Asterix the Gaul.

Writers Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad unveiled the new title at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The duo first collaborated on Asterix and the Picts in 2013, following an eight year hiatus for the brand after creator Albert Uderzo had decided to “put away his pencils.”

In a statement the writers confirmed: “There will be battles aplenty and new characters, including one really nasty individual.

There will be potions and Romans who get walloped. The plot will be complex and thrilling and there will be jokes about topical issues too. In short, it will be another Asterix just the way the fans like it.”

Le Papyrus de Cesar will be released on 22nd October.

Ruckley scrums down with Shaun

Pyramid International has launched its Rugby World Cup range, with a selection of pocket money priced key chains featuring Ruckley, the English bulldog.

There are two key chain designs with Ruckley “Let’s Play Ball” and the Ruckley logo. These are supported by a tactile and pocket friendly rubber key ring of Ruckley.

The Pyramid range also includes England rugby wall art with the English rose, along with a number of Ruckley designs, kitted out on posters and framed prints.

Shaun the Sheep features on two mug designs, festival wristbands made using high quality material with an easy-to-adjust tensioner and rubber keychains of a try scoring Shaun and a portrait version.

As well as the characters, Pyramid has a range of Rugby World Cup merchandise including the match wall chart in a free dump bin, mugs, travel mugs, All Blacks, WRU, Wallabies and Springboks livery.

Pyramid is also exclusively supplying a range of mugs and wall art using the Royal Mail First Edition stamps, to be released on 18th September, the day of the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony when England play Fiji at Twickenham.

Sooty scoops Mums Love award

Sooty’s latest foray into the world of pre-school education, Fun To Learn Sooty’s Alphabet DVD, has been awarded a Mums Love award from parenting magazine, Babyworld.

A Babyworld Mums Love award is given to products that parents think are truly great. A minimum rating of five stars is required from at least three registered parent reviewers, in three separate categories: ease of use, value for money and quality, to receive the award.

The DVD programme, produced by Redan Publishing’s Fun To Learn brand and Tivoli Media and released by Abbey Home Media, is the first time presenter Richard Cadell has linked the show’s content directly to the pre-school national curriculum.

“I’m constantly amazed at the wide age range The Sooty Show appeals to. My partners at Abbey Home Media and Redan Publishing and I all believed that we could make a show directed at the under six age group that would deliver all the sooty laughter and magic, but also have huge value in terms of educational content.

“The Mums Love award has topped off the hugely positive response we’ve had online to the new DVD. We very much hope that the second DVD, Learn Your Numbers, which will be released at the end of April, will have a similar response and that we can continue to grow and develop the early learning side of the brand.”

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Get ready for the ball with a Cinderella dress

by Rubie’s

© Disney

Phone us on 08453 070707

www.rubiesuk.com

licensingworld Centum Books secures UK master format licence for Minions

Shaun the Sheep descends on London

A series of giant sculptures of Aardman Animations’ creation Shaun the Sheep arrived in the capital on a tractor. Locals and tourists took pictures of the convoy as it navigated across and through Tower Bridge, London Bridge and the City of London before stopping at More London.

The giant versions of the character which have been dotted around London since Saturday 28th March and will remain until Monday 25th May, form a special arts trail, Shaun in the City, that will benefit thousands of children in hospitals around the UK. The sculptures, which have been designed by artists, designers and celebrities including David Gandy, Zandra Rhodes and Cath Kidston, will be auctioned later this year.

The charity behind the project, Wallace and Gromit’s Children’s Charity, will also see 70 different sculptures installed across Bristol from 6th July to 31st August in a second trail. Shaun in the City, an interactive app, which shows all the sheep on the trail is now available to download from all main providers.

Nicola Masters, director, Wallace and Gromit’s Children’s Charity, said: “After a successful trail of Gromit sculptures across Bristol in 2013, which raised £2.3 million for the charity at auction, we wanted to bring our next project to the capital. Shaun the Sheep is a timeless creation with real international appeal. He is loved in the Far and Middle East almost as much as here in the UK so to host this trail in one of the most international cities in the world made perfect sense.”

Sambro wins Hasbro award for product innovation

Sambro was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for product innovation and development at the licensee event which took place at Hasbro’s office recently.

Play Doh - filled backpackSambro currently create cross – category ranges featuring Play Doh, My Little Pony and Transformers, with brand new products scheduled throughout 2015.

Nikki Samuels, licensing director at Sambro, commented: “We are extremely proud of the relationship we have with Hasbro and to be recognised for our product innovation is a fantastic achievement. This award illustrates the company’s commitment as a licensee not only to Hasbro, but all the licensors we work with. Our design team has grown rapidly and we employ some of the best in the business. They all work hard to create exciting products and this year’s new ranges will be our best yet.”

Centum Books has been awarded the UK master format licence for Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions, the next film in the Despicable Me franchise.

The licence was awarded

by Universal Partnerships and Licensing, and the contract comes hot on the heels of Centum Books’ work with the studio on Despicable Me 2 and Jurassic World.

The range of titles is set to include a Minions Junior Novel, a Picture Storybook, Sticker Book, Activity Book, Poster Book and Annual.

Fiona Macmillan, publishing director, Centum Books, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the UK master format for Universal and Illumination’s Minions, and we believe this is a reflection of the titles we have previously produced for Despicable Me 2. This contract extends our working relationship with Universal and Illumination and we look forward to creating a range of titles that will be loved by the dedicated Minions fan base.”

Hoho Entertainment and Totallytween join forces for new show

Hoho Entertainment has joined forces with new digital platform TotallyTween for animated show Mimi & Bibi.

TotallyTween was launched in the UK on 27th March by former BBC Worldwide SVP Programme Marketing, Clare Vincent and her business partner Gina Walter, a former London Stock Exchange marketing executive.

TotallyTween is a site for tweens to discover, discuss and create in an eclectic online world covering film, books, music, fashion, health, fitness, animals, cookery, craft and social issues. The collaboration with Hoho Entertainment marks a pioneering move as each episode of Mimi & Bibi will be the result of tween input and interaction from the TotallyTween audience.

TotallyTween’s Clare Vincent said: “TotallyTween will help build the Mimi & Bibi brand by showcasing it to our tween audience who will help shape the concept. We will show exclusive clips, post surveys and use our TT Trending section to ask our audience their views on each topic discussed by the sisters. Basically Mimi & Bibi has the potential to become the perfect show because it’s actually developed by its audience.”

Oliver Ellis, Hoho, said: “TotallyTween is a new and exciting direct line into the hearts and minds of tweens today. So what better forum to use to help shape an animated show made for them? Our audience will then be able to see the end result and know that its voice is genuine and authentic.”

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70 years of Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is celebrating being 70 years young in 2015 and is as relevant today as he has ever been. Toy World reports….

T

homas & Friends began life as a collection of stories called “The Railway Series”, created by the Reverend W. Awdry to entertain his son Christopher when he was sick with the measles. First published in the UK in 1945, stories of Thomas and his friends have continued to evolve ever since, entertaining and teaching timeless life lessons to children across the world with stories of friendship, bravery, responsibility, problem solving and teamwork.

From the pages of a storybook to its live action UK TV debut in 1984, the adventures of Thomas have inspired and excited generations of youngsters. Today, Thomas is entertaining a third generation of children with a new series of Thomas & Friends; a theme park in Japan; countless games, books and toys; hundreds of Day Out With Thomas events; Thomas Land in the UK, and the US set to open a theme park in 2015, plus a brand new website www. thomasandfriends.com.

Watched in over 300 territories, Thomas’ 400+ episodes and seven movies based around the Island of Sodor have been translated into more than 40 languages. This year will see the arrival of a wealth of new content: as well as the launch of series 19, 2015 also sees the DVD movie release ‘Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure’ in the autumn.

The acquisition of Hit Entertainment in 2012 was a major transformative move for Mattel, which went from being a pure toy manufacturer to a franchise management company with a content engine, bringing new capabilities and expertise in storytelling, content development, production, distribution and live events on a worldwide scale.

Wendy Hill, UK brand activation director Mattel UK commented: “2015 is going to be landmark year for Thomas & Friends, with the overarching theme focusing on the core essence of the brand – friendship. Thomas shows no signs of running out of steam as he celebrates this milestone year, entertaining children with new content and engaging storytelling showcased by dynamic and compelling animation.

“We are very focused on developing our content strategy in both linear and non-linear platforms and formats, so we can share Thomas rich stories with more consumers. Today’s children and parents access content through many different touch points, so it’s important that Thomas & Friends is available to them wherever and whenever they want to engage with the content, through You Tube, DVD, broadcast or apps”.

Named the Best Classic Licensed Property at the Licensing Awards last year, Thomas & Friends had a great year in 2014 and is in significant growth.

Wendy Hill continues: “Thomas & Friends is up 14% YTD* in the UK and with such a milestone

year ahead, supported with an action packed retail programme and marketing calendar, we are looking forward to a very strong year.”

Continuing to bring its expertise in play to the brand, Fisher-Price is celebrating this special year with exciting new launches across all its Thomas & Friends ranges. Perfect for that first Thomas experience, Thomas and his friends become ‘rollers’ with the new My First Rail Rollers Spiral Station, while Remote Control Thomas remains a key focus in the popular My First collection. The Take-n-Play range welcomes the Daring Dragon Drop with exciting zip line action, while the hero item for TrackMaster is the unique Shipwreck Rails playset based on the latest CGI feature length special, Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure.

Mattel also continues to partner with the best in class to expand the Thomas & Friends franchise across key categories including toy, apparel, dress up, publishing, creative play, outdoor play, home furnishings and sporting goods.

Wendy adds: “We have over 45 licensees working closely with us to ensure that Thomas & Friends remains relevant to today’s children, yet still protecting Thomas’ heritage and timeless

Licensing World 21

values. We have some exciting new partnerships, from ELA’s, which has historically been a really strong category for us, to the launch of the first ever Thomas & Friends picture book”.

Mattel is committed to building on the brand’s unprecedented pre-school heritage. Wendy Hill concludes: “The values of Thomas & Friends are as relevant today as they have ever been, and continue to resonate with children and parents alike. We will continue to work hard to make sure this continues to be reflected in everything we do, to bring to life those stories that Reverend W. Awdry wrote so many years ago. The emotional connection and strength of this brand still resonates with each generation of children and parents and we have a responsibility to continue that heritage for many more generations to come”. * NPD Data February 2015 YTD

licensingworld Over the next few pages we highlight a selection of some of the hottest new character licensed ranges which will be hitting the toy market over the coming months...

Vivid 01473 322 000 | www.drumondpark.com To accompany Thunderbirds’ return, 50 years after the original series, is the new toy range which will be launching in July. The range includes 9.5cm articulated figures of all the Tracy brothers and the Hood, each character comes with its own bespoke accessories. The range also consists of Thunderbird vehicles with sounds and features. All four vehicles will also be available in the Vehicle Superset. Also, with the International Role Play Uniform anyone can be a Tracy Brother.

The range will also include two playsets; Supersize TB2 with TB4 which is equipped with interactive sound technology which detects when TB4 is or isn’t in the central pod. Supersize TB2 has over 20 actions and sounds and includes two miniature Virgil and Gordon figures. The Interactive Tracy Island is complete with features and intelligent story telling. With a unique launching experience, all the vehicles with sounds fit inside Tracy Island and boys can replicate the amazing launch sequences from the TV series. As a craft prepares to launch, the “five, four, three, two, one… Thunderbirds are go” phrase commences and starts an International Rescue mission. At the centre of controls is John Tracy who can be heard through the communication device that is included with the playset. Tracy Island has over 50 lights, sounds and features, including the pool which slides back into the island, the folding down palm trees which part in preparation for TB2’s take-off, as well as Brains’ lab.

Tracy Island has its own dedicated marketing campaign. This island will be heavily promoted on TV from launch. Tracy Island will also be joining the Toy Testers tour this summer across three locations. The print and online PR campaign targets boys and original Thunderbirds fans.

Hero product “We hope the new Thunderbirds Tracy Island toy will be equally popular with fans new and old. The playset retains the character of the original but with added technology to make it exciting for today’s child. Kids can recreate the launch sequences that they see in the show with interactive launch stations for TB1, TB2 and TB3.

To extend the play further is the wearable International Rescue communicator which contains rescue missions from John.”

Kerry Paternoster, marketing manager Vivid Toy and Drumond Park

GP Flair 02086 430 320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com

Building on the success of Disney’s Doc McStuffins, a School of Medicine themed range has launched to tie in with new spring episodes. At the heart of this are two new Specialist Doc dolls, Dentist Doc and Eye Doctor Doc, each with its own interactive features. Dottie’s Eye Doctor Bag is part of the new Doc Mcstuffins Pet Vet Series. The range includes the interactive Pet Vet Doc McStuffins doll and Find and Fetch Findo, the interactive dog. There will also be new accessories such as the Vet Bag playset and the Pet Vet desk.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutations range includes Mix ‘n’ Match action figures. Each figure comes with interchangeable arms, legs and heads.

Mutations Deluxe figures, which change from pet Turtle to Ninja Turtle, and Turtles Mutations vehicle and figure sets make up the range. In Q3 the Mutations Giant Leo playset that stands 24” tall is released. The classic figures will see the launch of four figures while the Hand to Hand SFX figures produce ninja action sounds. Additionally, the Half-Shell Heroes collection with action figures, an electronic Shellraiser and the Super Sewer HQ are available.

Disney’s Frozen also makes an appearance in the portfolio with the Magic Ice Sleeve which allows the user to spray snow and ice from their hand. In addition, creative sets have a Frozen theme under the Cool Create banner, with Shaker Maker, Cool Cards and Fun-Tiles all part of Flair’s umbrella brand.

Character has released a number of Peppa Pig holiday themed toys. The collection includes Holiday Jet, Camper Van playset and Sunshine Villa. Adding to this in autumn is Peppa’s Once Upon a Time collection. Figure packs of Peppa and friends will also come in fancy dress.

New playsets include Coachman George with a Pumpkin Carriage, and a Story Time Tea Party playset. Little brother George’s Dragon Flyer has a light up flame and makes dragon noises. The semi-transparent Peppa’s Enchanting Tower playset completes the range.

The Spring launch of the new Scooby-Doo line features articulated 5-inch scale action figures. Autumn sees the release of Crazy Legs Scooby-Doo. This Scooby-Doo has 360 degree rotating legs.

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licensingworld Zeon 0800 214 633 | www.zeonltd.co.uk

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Fisher-Price celebrates Thomas & Friends’ 70th birthday with the launch of My First Rail Rollers Spiral Station, while remote control Thomas also remains a key focus. The Take-n-Play range welcomes the Daring Dragon Drop, while the standout item for TrackMaster is the Shipwreck Rails playset based on the CGI feature length special Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure.

Inspired by the CBeebies series Bing, Fisher-Price launches its new Bing Bunny toy range including interactive My Friend Bing, and a series of figures, vehicles, playsets and bath toys.

A new Dora & Friends range features a Dora doll and Dora and Perrito alongside Dora’s Smartphone and magic charms bracelet accessories.

The Octonauts range continues to grow with the introduction of the Speeders playset while the arctic theme remains strong with the launch of the new Gup I, Gup Y and Talking Gup E. The Disney Princess partnership continues with a range of dolls and accessories. Building on its success, Disney’s Frozen, continues with a range of dolls and playsets including the Frozen Action Elsa, and Frozen Singing Anna doll.

Disney Pixar’s Cars introduces the TV advertised System Mack Transporter as well as a supporting character car assortment and Ice Racers range this spring/summer. Autumn/winter will see the arrival of Gear Up McQueen.

Zeon’s Minions range includes watches, clocks and ceramics. The Minions flying discs watch features the characters in an all-over print strap, a digital watch display and interchangeable character discs that fly. The Minions mini twin bell alarm clock is also available.

The Frozen range includes analogue and digital clocks, wall clocks and alarm clocks, ceramics and projection torches all featuring snow flake patterns and characters.

The Frozen and projection torches come with a stand six interchangeable caps and interchangeable artwork for children to trace and colour.

Zeon’s Smartphone operated desk Dalek and K-9 can both be controlled on a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth.

The Dalek’s controller-app has directional commands that drive the toy around a desk. Its motion sensors detect any objects in its path, stop it in its tracks, and activate a light on the gunstick. An autonomous navigation function guides the Dalek through its environment without assistance.

When it meets an obstacle, the Dalek repeats popular catchphrases.

The interactive K-9 is controlled from any Android or iOS device. It has user-specified features including full motion, voices, moving ears, flashing key pad buttons and an extending gun. The App can be updated to add new voices and features to the physical K-9 toy.

Posh Paws International 01268 567 317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Posh Paws has announced the introduction of a new range of character licensed plush. The DreamWorks Evergreen Plush collection features characters from the franchise’s animated movies, from Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar to the Shrek trilogy.

The range initially introduces six characters from the DreamWorks films with Marty and Alex from Madagascar, Po and Shifu from Kung-Fu Panda and Shrek and his sidekick Donkey.

Popularity of these characters is set to build as the London attraction Shrek’s Far Far Away Adventure opens this summer. The attraction will feature a Shrek interactive walk-through adventure and a character courtyard where visitors will be able to meet Shrek, along with characters from Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda.

The launch of this attraction will boost the popularity of the merchandise. The plush collection is currently available in 7” and 10” assortments and Posh Paws will also be launching an extralarge plush range later on in the year. The company will also be releasing more characters from these franchise films throughout 2015 and 2016.

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licensingworld Enesco 01228 404 022 | www.enesco.co.uk

Pyramid International 0116 2843 640 | www.pyramidinternational.com Pyramid is to release licensed merchandise to coincide with movie and television content in 2015. In March the company released merchandise for the movie Home from DreamWorks Animation which is performing well in retail. Pyramid’s full Avengers Age of Ultron range hit shelves in April ahead of the cinema release. The range includes posters, canvas wall art and prints and accessories such as wristbands, badges, stickers and keychains. The Marvel retro stationery backs up the movie projects with a new look for autumn/ winter 2015.

Pyramid will launch its new Star Wars ranges across all aspects of retail in September. The company’s new Star Wars Rebels TV product is now on sale and performing well at all levels of retail.

Minions is set to be popular this summer. The characters are now fully established in toy and gift market and Pyramid is putting together a range of products which will launch in May for the movie.

This will include stationery, posters, accessories and mugs.

Pyramid’s Frozen sales benefitted from the March release of the Frozen Fever short and the company believes the franchise is set to grow and sustain interest for some time.

New for 2015, Gund is expanding its range of plush by introducing a new character, Squirrel Nutkin (available in small, medium and large). The plush features the red squirrel holding an acorn and is set to join Mr. Jeremy Fisher, Hunca Munca and Baby, Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Benjamin Bunny, which were launched last year.

The new Jumbo Peter Rabbit is 90.0cm tall and features a branded gift tag label.

Also new is the interactive Peter Rabbit Peek-A-Boo. Press the footpad and the plush will play peek-a-boo with baby; hiding and giggling behind his red handkerchief.

Also from Gund is the popular Itty Bitty Boo soft toy collection. Made by hand in Gund’s trademark style using soft and tactile plush, four new Itty Bitty Boos are to join the range. Superhero Boo comes with red cape and mask, while Boo-Rex is in prehistoric mode in a hooded green costume. Boo in T-shirt with British flag reveals patriotic spirit, whilst Nerdy Boo comes complete with tie and glasses.

Tactic 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Distributed by Trends UK, the new Hacker T. Dog puppets have been created

by Kid Kreations, capturing all of Hacker’s features. Both authentic and high quality, this new hand puppet will allow kids to recreate some of the mischief that Hacker gets up to on his show.

Hacker T. Dog Puppets will be available from July and will be launched with active PR, retailer support options and awareness within the children’s press.

Also available is the new Disney Sheriff Callie’s Wild West toy range. It includes collectible soft plush toys and figure playsets, plus a new musical microphone.

The Sheriff Callie Callie-oke sings the theme tune, dances and says well-known phrases from the TV series. The May release comes before series 2 airs on Disney Junior in the autumn.

Tactic Games has a significant licensed range of products for retailers to take advantage of this year.

The SpongeBob Squarepants games range is performing well and has enjoyed a boost subsequent to the Sponge out of Water movie release in March.

The Minions Hit Them Out action game is set to be popular with the Minions movie release in June.

The Thunderbirds 50th Anniversary game is a 1000 question trivia board game based on the 36 Thunderbirds episodes first aired on television in the 1960s. In addition to the trivia game Tactic is launching a high end chess game with die cast Thunderbirds playing pieces.

Tactic’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle range is performing well, especially the Kimble game with sculpted 3D Ninja Turtle playing pieces.

The company’s Skylanders action game has proven a successful addition to the range.

The Moomins movie is due to be released in the UK at the end of May. The Moomins has a strong heritage and established worldwide consumer base and Tactic has a range of puzzles, games and craft items in stock ready to dispatch.

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licensingworld Tomy

01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com

HTI

01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s range includes wheeled and pocket money toys as well as the TV advertised Frozen Colour Match Snowflake bag. The snowflake shaped bag can change colour to match over 100 different colours.

HTI presents a range of My Little Pony toys. Based on the rainbowheaded Pegasus pony from Hasbro’s My Little Pony stable, the Rainbow Dash Style n Groom is a full body, 3D sculpt of the character.

It comes with lots of styling and accessories that can be used on the pony and also the girls themselves, including colourful Cutie Mark stickers, gems and hair beads, a comb, clips and bobbles. Girls can also create a Rainbow Dash Cutie Mark beaded necklace for Rainbow Dash or wear as a bracelet themselves. The range also includes cases containing jewellery and hair care accessories based on the Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie characters.

The brand offers a selection of Peppa Pig role-play, musical, wheeled and pocket money toys and dolls prams. The floor-standing multi-feature Peppa Pig House Kitchen includes a fridge, cooker, rotating cooker hob/toaster, pan and flipping pancake as well as electronic cooking sounds and the Peppa Pig theme tune.

HTI’s Barbie role-play toys offering includes the Barbie Sparkle and Shine bag complete with light up bow charm and accessories. There’s also a new Barbie Sparkle and Shine Light Up Secret Locket with bracelet and charms to decorate.

Asobi

01628 200 077 | www.asobi.co.uk Asobi has a range of Disney licensed character merchandise with its Orb Factory range of sticky mosaics.

It brings together a product that children find appealing, fun to do and rewarding in terms of an exceptional finished result. Featuring Disney characters from the likes of Frozen, Disney Princess and Disney Fairies, it offers a range of price points and delivers strong sales and profitability as well as repeat purchase.

The extensive licensed pocket money range from Tomy offers a collectible range of quality toys at a pocket money price that appeal to both boys and girls.

Licences include Disney Cars and Disney Planes, Marvel, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, Hello Kitty, Transformers, My Little Pony, Disney Princess, Furby and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Suitable for all forms of retail channels including grocery, specialist toys, convenience stores and high street retailers, these multinational licence properties offer global consumer appeal.

Each product line includes a minimum of five different packs so there are plenty to collect and from 2015 onwards, collections are being refreshed every quarter meaning there will always be new items to search for. There are different concepts to choose from such as buildable figures and pull backs, buildable vehicles, keyring danglers, Phone Jakx and ring and bracelet collections.

One of the biggest licences currently is Disney’s Frozen and Tomy has launched a range of Disney Frozen Olaf key chains. For added play value, these packs include an A5 activity sheet.

2015 also sees the introduction of Marvel Figure Mascots and Disney Princess Cute Buildables.

Golden Bear

01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com As master toy licensee, Golden Bear’s Twirlywoos range showcases the characters Chickedy and Chick, Toodloo, Great BigHoo and PeekaBoo from the new CBeebies series. The soft and cuddly characters feature individual signature sounds with a gentle squeeze and come in various sizes.

The pull-a-long big red boat is packed full with electronic learning activities including character songs, sounds and moving elements to reveal hidden features.

Also airing on CBeebies is Hey Duggee. The line will include talking plush and collectible plush assortments with accompanying child-safe feature badges. Cuddly Woof Woof Duggee soft toy with badge-activated sounds and phrases from the show will feature alongside the Squirrel Club playset packed with accessories and Hey Duggee figure to encourage character-led role play.

The My First Forever Friends collection features soft-to-touch fabrics, lullabies and lights. The range also offers a baby-safe photo holder that allows personalisation. Also available are My First Forever Friends Bedtime Lightshow, multi-sensory Sweet Dreams plush and a Musical softie bear.

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licensingworld Copywrite Designs 01908 618 811 | www.theankergroup.com

First to launch is a Minions Movie range featuring colouring and activity formats. The UK movie release date is 26th June and Copywrite’s product range will launch in May. Also launching in May is a new creative play and stationery range featuring the Care Bears. Copywrite’s offering features 3D novelty erasers, a multi-colour pen with 3D topper and die-cut notebook and activity lines.

Copywrite will launch a range of Big Hero 6 sticker, colouring and activity items in May to tie in with that movie’s UK Blu-Ray/DVD release.

For the summer, Copywrite will launch new product ranges on Disney’s Frozen as well as Barbie and Monster High stationery ranges and some sticker formats for Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens.

Sambro

08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk This year will see the company continue its successful alliance with Disney as they add to popular licensed ranges including the Frozen range. The Olaf Slush Maker is a new addition to the collection which already encompasses arts and crafts, stationery, bags, novelty and wooden puzzles.

Sambro’s design team have worked closely with Universal to develop a Minions range of arts, crafts, bags and stationery which is receiving a great reaction ahead of the film’s release. Sambro are tying product launches in with a number of film releases in 2015 and are set to introduce new Avengers products as well as Jurassic World stationery.

The company has also signed a deal with Moose Toys to create a range of Shopkins products including bags and umbrellas.

Winning Moves

02072 989 507 www.winningmoves.co.uk Winning Moves is adding lots of new products within its licensed portfolio for 2015. The Minions Movie will have its own Top Trumps Tin, which will include cards. The Star Wars Top Trumps Tin will also include characters from the Episode 7 film released later in the year. These new introductions will join the already strong performing Top Trumps range including Big Bang Theory, and the number one selling Top Trumps pack; Disney’s Frozen. The Top Trumps collection will also include a new Breaking Bad pack for older Top Trumps fans.

The company’s Monopoly Collection will be expanding this year with multi award winning Game of Thrones and evergreen children’s characters from the world of Disney. Disney Classic Monopoly will be focused on classic retro characters and moments, including characters such as Pinocchio, Dumbo, Aladdin and Cinderella. There will be a strong focus on nostalgia within the product, angling it towards adults and collectors, with Genie’s lamp, Snow White’s apple and Cinderella’s slipper on a cushion being just some of tokens included in the set.

Gaming favourites Zelda and Assassins Creed, as well as science fiction favourite Doctor Who Regeneration will also join the portfolio.

The Trivial Pursuits offering will include the cult US sitcom Big Bang Theory, which joins the Radio Times Trivial Pursuit game. Halo Risk and Game of Thrones Risk will be added to the company’s growing collection.

Blue Sky Studios

01133 879 670 | www.blueskydesigns.co.uk Blue Sky Studios’ second line of Star Wars products will be launching late summer 2015. With the popularity surrounding the new Episode 7 movie out this December, demand for products such as the Bluetooth Storm Trooper speaker and the novelty gift stationery range are gaining real momentum.

The 3D Storm Trooper speaker with its Bluetooth technology and impressive sound quality has been a stand out success to date with significant listings for winter 2015. The extended range of novelty gift stationery features 3D collectable erasers, a droid manual, light sabre pens and the melting Storm Trooper. Blue Sky Studios has added sound chips and 3D tooling to this range.

Licensing World 30

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licensingworld Pioneer Europe

01279 501 090 | www.QualatexEurope.com The Marvel Avengers Assemble bubble balloon is made of stretchy plastic and has the appearance of a beach ball. When filled with helium it floats for up to 28 days. The inflated bubble balloon helps to promote other licensed merchandise by creating a in-store theatre highlighting the popular franchise.

Marvel’s Avengers heroes are also being featured on Qualatex 5” and 11” latex balloons that make ideal balloon décor and gifts. Avengers balloons were a good seller last year and Pioneer expects an even bigger increase this year following the new film release.

The Qualatex product range includes an extensive selection of latex, foil and exclusive bubble balloons, featuring best loved licensed characters. Recent additions to Pioneer’s portfolio are party products, including tableware, candles, badges, banners and confetti.

Star Cutouts

0161 344 5839 | orders@starcutouts.com The 23rd April saw the release of Avengers Age of Ultron. Star Cut-outs has the full range of the licensed characters from the film available as both life-size cut-outs and face masks. The range includes, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Thor, Vision and of course Ultron.

Star Cutouts is the home of licensed life sized cardboard cut-outs and the range is expanding. The appeal is tangible and the obvious addition to any themed party, collection or to decorate a room.

Star Cutouts is currently going through a period of growth, with extensions to its factory to deal with the demand for the wholly UK manufactured product. It now has around 700 licensed products with more due for release throughout the year.

Schleich

KD UK

Schleich has released a new DC Comics action figures collection. The Justice League, as the Heroes of DC Comics, along with their archenemies are included in the collection.

Both aficionados and new collectors will be able to find Batman vs. The Joker, Superman vs. Darkseid, plus other heroes such as the Flash and Green Lantern joining both Batman and Superman (each in three separate poses) as standalone figures. As a series, these figures can make up an impressive display complete with branded FSDU for a specialist retailer or can integrate into any store’s Schleich shelf-space.

In addition Schleich’s Smurfs collection and new Peanuts figures will add to the characters of Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

A Disney Frozen tablet will be launching in AW15. The new My First Frozen Tablet helps to teach children about colours, numbers and characters while developing observation skills.

For Thomas & Friends, there is a train packed with fun and learning, a tablet with LCD screen and 21 games plus a smartphone.

For new licence Paw Patrol, KD UK is offering walkie talkies, a projector and a camera. The camera and projector offer educational value with games to discover colours and numbers with help from Ryder, Chase, Marshall and other heroes from the show.

Peppa’s Play and Learn Smart Watch extends the range. The watch allows children to play, learn move and tell the time with Peppa with the help from ten games, a clock and a motion sensor.

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

01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk

H. Grossman

0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.com The HGL Minions range includes a whole raft of outdoor products, scooters, bikes, satchel skateboards, skateboards, trikes, inline skates, pogo sticks and balance bikes. There are even helmets featuring one and two eyed Minions. A whole host of pocket money items are also available including yo yos, bubble wands, keyrings, balls, wobblers and fingerboards.

Also from HGL, following on from the success of Shaun the Sheep – The Movie, is a full range of items for Shaun fans.

From Whoopee Cushions to yo yos and from Skipping ropes to Shaun the Sheep foot warmers there is something for everyone.

Licensing World 32

Trends Sheriff Callie TW 138x210:Layout 1 17/04/2015 10:36 Page 1

©Disney

EXPECT SO MUCH MORE!

To place an order please contact: +44 (0)1295 768078 salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk For Media/PR enquiries, please contact Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu

(*)Source: BARB Oct-Dec 2014 data.

Average Child 4-6 ratings.

peek-a-boo peter Press Peter’s foot, listen to him giggle, and encourage you to play peek-a-boo with him!

Enesco Limited, Head Office & Customer Services, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0EN Tel: 01228 404022 Fax: 01228 404041 email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services: Tel: +44 1228 404066 Fax: +44 1228 404080 email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk © Frederick Warne & Co., 2015. © GUND 2015

talking shop Toymaster time Toy World’s Daniel Rich speaks to independent retailers about the hot topics of the month. This month, Toymaster members share their post-Easter experiences, what they’re anticipating for the upcoming Toymaster Show, and the advantages of Toymaster membership.

Suzanne Youings-Clarke Owner, Little You, Barnstaple, Devon Trade really picked up over the Easter period and was made even better by the fine weather bringing with it lots of holiday makers. I had an influx in sales of small baby products (under one year olds), such as soft toys and rattles which were substitute presents for chocolate.

My shop is predominantly for pre-school age and under, and I find there are less specific Easter lines for this age group. However, I did stock up on additional plush rabbits, although I found these were not the best sellers. To ensure I still had a selection for the older children during the school break as well as catering for families holidaying in the area, I ordered more games and pocket money toys. Bigjigs had a new range of traditional wooden board games which were perfect for this age group and Melissa and Doug’s Decorate Your Own sets have gone down a storm too.

I believe that window displays are crucial as they are the first point of contact with your customer, so I put great effort into ensuring that they are eye catching and showcase some of my most exciting toys. Inside the store I created a display table with Easter gift ideas as well as the products that were suitable for the older children on school holidays. I am a firm believer in good merchandising. The products need to look inviting so must stand out on the shelf. I put myself in the customer’s shoes and think about what is

important to me when I am shopping. I also try to have an appropriate amount of toys out of the box for the customer and child to handle and test out.

I think this is what makes an exciting toy shop.

The Toymaster show is a fantastic opportunity to see samples of the new lines available from your current suppliers, but more importantly you get to find and meet new suppliers that you may not have come across before. If I come away with one new supplier that I’m really excited about I’ll be happy. With summer just a stone’s throw away I’ll be keeping an eye out for more outdoor toys, I had a lot of customers asking for larger outdoor items,

such as themed sandpits and water/sand tables, but I also want some more garden games.

I specialise in wooden and traditional toys for the early years, so I have less products which go in and out of trends. However, I have to ensure that I am aware of the toy industry as a whole so I keep an eye on trends through visiting the toy fairs and reading up on articles online. I have a background in teaching and early years so I look at the learning potential from every toy that I order in and I find this really exciting. Some of the toys that are developed these days are fantastic at

Connectable & Collectable

making toys Limited For more information call:

0843 557 4062

4 Ramsay Court, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FY

or email:

sales@epochmakingtoys.com

Toy World 35

supporting children’s development. I also find it incredible how much the toy industry is evolving to keep up with technology. It’s quite mind blowing what it on offer.

Being proactive with advertising and marketing is really important to keep the customers shopping in the store and not online. I also try to provide exciting promotions for customers and

competitions for the children to enter. Having an active presence on the internet is also vital these days. I am also continuing to focus on ensuring my website is offering the same customer service as in store.

I can’t deny the impact of the deals that people find online which I cannot always match, however, what I am so thankful for is the fact

that customers like seeing the physical toy before buying, they don’t want to risk having poor quality products for their little ones. I also regularly have customers choosing to buy with me instead of online as they want to support the independent retailers on the high street. Their loyalty means everything.

too and make sure that we support the Toymaster catalogue and that we distribute via Royal Mail.

The show also offers some great opportunities, as there are usually some really good offers that we try to make the most of and it makes our visit worthwhile. These days we fully involve at least two members of staff so they feel empowered and can make decisions about ordering.

The thing we look most forward to at the Toymaster Show is networking with other retailers.

It’s good to see what’s selling well with other retailers and what isn’t, as we can pick up some tips and exchange advice. We might also buy stock from other suppliers to offer our customers something different, but the vast majority of what we stock is obviously Toymaster.

We use trade magazines, Toymaster, networking with other retailers, customers and staff recommendations to keep on top of trends.

The internet and supermarkets offering products at a lower price has the biggest impact on our business but the deals Toymaster offer us with our stock are a great help.

We plan to expand our online offering and improve the in-store experience for customers in the near future. This will hopefully include in-store TVs complete with product advertisements stored on memory sticks which play on loop. We already follow this principle with supplier-provided digital photo frames to advertise Marvel wall crawler toys in our store and believe this will increase sales substantially too.

Jeremy Walwin and Tom Coates Co-owner and buyer, Ellenbray Toys and Stationery, Frome, Somerset We’ve enjoyed an excellent Easter and good trading figures with outdoor toys selling well for us due to the good weather. TY Beanie Boos and TY Beanies also sold well for us as they offer a low price point and are almost a pocket money toy. There are new designs of TY Beanies released regularly which keep them fresh and they always prove popular with us, especially over the last few years.

We don’t sell Easter specific toys as we have burnt our fingers in the past. We feel that the ranges available are quite limited and the timescale over Easter restricts our ability to sell them because of a short build-up. We therefore choose to stock with all year round products and top up on pocket money toys.

Our new products include film-related merchandise such as DreamWorks’ Home and Big Hero 6. Home products are selling well whereas Big Hero 6 has sold out. Jurassic Park is coming out later in the year and we have Thunderbirds on order – you just have to keep on top of trends and go with what’s new really. We’ve also sold some Globber scooters over the past few weeks.

We make a big effort to merchandise well and create bright, jaunty displays. We display new ranges prominently by our entrance door.

Our displays are regularly changed. We try to use the small display screens with products if manufacturers supply them.

With the upcoming Toymaster May Show we’ll ensure we have all the latest products. We also tend to go for something different from a popular product range to offer our customers more choice and variety, examples being VTech and Leapfrog lines, they always sell through. We also look out for core ranges like Lego, Barbie and Airfix at the show

If you would like to get involved with next month’s Talking Shop, please get in touch with Daniel: 01442 502 407, daniel@toyworldmag.co.uk

For more information call:

making toys Limited.

0843 557 4062 or email: sales@epochmakingtoys.com

4 Ramsay Court, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FY

Toy World 36

indie viewpoint

Lee Borastero, Senior operations manager, Kids Stuff, Wells, Somerset Trade was good and steady over the Easter period, we saw an increase in sales with outdoor toys, kites and ballgames while craft products flew off the shelves. Larger branded items like Lego and Playmobil were also very popular.

We stocked Paddington Bear, Minions and Frozen over Easter and all of them sold out, of course this wasn’t surprising with Frozen as it has been popular for a long time now. However, selling out of Minions did surprise us because it isn’t realised until June. I would put the popularity of Minions down to the heavy advertising campaigns it has received. I also believe Paddington Bear has been made popular by the recent DVD release.

We are a very traditional toy shop, we stock prams, pushchairs dolls, RC cars, mainly brand names like Wow, Brio, Casdon science packs, puzzles, books and a lot of pre-school toys but we keep a small stock of licensed products. Our inspiration mainly comes from talking to our younger customers, we also have a nine and three-year-old in the family who we call our research and development department.

When we merchandise our stock we make sure it is well-displayed, most of our products will get a stint in the shop window – we may be the smallest branded Toymaster member but our window is our biggest advertiser. We had dolls, Playmobil, Lego, My Little Pony, arts and crafts and stationery displayed in the window over Easter. Some months we have a second window display complete with Toymaster banners, which is organised by Toymaster themselves – this can include products such as Lego, Playmobil and Crayola – if the theme is in our interests we tend to go with it.

Unfortunately, we are unable to attend the Toymaster May Show due to both family and business commitments but plan to go next year as any gathering of suppliers and retailers is a brilliant way of networking. We will however be having visits from Toymaster reps who will drop off information regarding deals before the show. We also receive various reports, emails and newsletters from Toymaster about what’s going on. These emails average about two a day and contain updates from all departments, so we’re always well briefed.

Members of Toymaster have a very close working relationship with all the directors and staff. The group offer massive backup and are happy to help, they are just a phone call away. Before we became a member it was difficult to get trade accounts whereas Toymaster calculate the pros and cons beforehand and cut out a great deal of paperwork as it deals with invoicing payment and collections, instead of having 15 or 20 bills there is just one statement.

We stay on top of trends by taking advice from the agents and reps and also refer to the newsletters. We have a very good knowledge of upcoming film releases and the related merchandise.

Becoming a member of Toymaster has had the most impact on business.

Our staff are well informed, there’s a cheerful atmosphere in the store and we promote by donations and sponsorship.

We’re currently planning to review our website and to get to grips with the new EPOS system. The website needs updating, we will be putting more information and products on there for increased sales.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Time for a refit

H

i all. As we write this, we are in the middle of a refit in our Crawley branch. After five years here, we are giving the store a bit of a birthday treat by extending the sales floor, and going green with new low power LED lighting, which is actually twice as bright as the old lighting. Ever efficient, we have given ourselves five days to do this (or rather our shopfitters to do this!) We are adding in new window displays and branding, and also a new ceiling. And although we both had heart attacks when we realised we had to close, it is definitely worth investing in the shops every few years to keep them looking fresh and up to date.

We chose the week after the Easter holidays to do it all, as it is a quiet time for the next few weeks. For the opening, we have Toby the Toymaster Puppy visiting, and lots of free giveaways. So hopefully by the time you read this, we will have had a successful re-opening. One thing we have learned over the last few years is you have to be a jack of all trades, with fixtures, marketing, planning, whilst keeping our landlord in the mall happy at the same time.

The start of April has been very good for trade, driven mainly by Easter, which was two weeks earlier than last year. However, the weather has played into our hands, with it being a bit cooler than last year, although it is good to see the outdoor product now starting to sell. It is always difficult to judge exactly how we have done comparatively until we get to the end of the month, but it looks like we will come out quite well. Good sellers continue from what has already been going well this year. However a couple of new lines that have started well include Wubble and Phlatball from Vivid, the TV on these lines is definitely working. Also, the new Avengers action figures from Hasbro have performed really well, and with the film about to be released, sales are only going to increase. The new Lego Speed Champions has said strongly, and linked in well with our Ferrari Car Event in Horsham. And the good performance of Lewis Hamilton in the F1 racing is probably helping. If Lego could produce a McClaren F1 car, it would probably go faster than the current car.

The girl’s dolls and collectibles category is a major area for us, however fashion dolls seems to be a bit flat at the moment. Certain lines on Frozen are still going strong, with the Snow Glow Elsa being our number 1 seller. The new lines from Cinderella seem to be selling well, along with the whole Disney Princess range. Girls collectibles, however, has been the opposite. Shopkins has been absolutely phenomenal so far this year, and with the launch of Series 3 to come, we think it will continue for the rest of the year.

Sylvanian families is another range that has grown significantly over the last year, and the new packaging along with the new lines, have given the brand a new lease of life.

And now, our favourite show of the year is upon us, the Toymaster show. We have done more planning than ever, mainly, we know what we are doing each evening.

Seriously though, it is a very important show for us, and key in our planning and ranging for Christmas. We spend the full time there, with lots of appointments.

However, we also do as many orders and meetings in advance to make the workload at the show easier. It is also the best show of the year to catch up with everyone in the trade, with the first part of the year done, and looking ahead to the second half.

We look forward to seeing many of you in Harrogate.

Toy World 37

Feature

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

Girl power Deputy editor Emily Ansell Elfer looks at the thriving dolls and girls’ collectibles market, speaking to both newcomers and established companies working in the sector and discovering the importance of technology.

T

he dolls and girls’ collectibles market had a very strong year in 2014, up in both value and units, and 2015 has also got off to a good start. The growth has been driven by higher priced items and technology is beginning to have an impact on the sector.

Traditional favourites such as Barbie, Tiny Tears and Sylvanian Families remain as popular as ever, but a number of new brands are springing up and toy companies previously known for products in other categories are getting in on the action.

John Crane is a newcomer to the dolls market and decided to launch its Our Generation range fully this year, following a hugely successful trial in 2014.

Jonathan Thorpe, MD of John Crane, commented: “I have to be honest and say that John Crane knew very little about the doll market, but we knew our partner Battat did and that they had a $300 million business on dolls in the USA and it was going to grow again by 50% in 2015. We tested last year and had sales of over £1 million through a very limited distribution, so it was a no brainer to expand and develop this range.”

Jonathan says that John Crane came into the market without any preconceived ideas but has developed a range that covers “all pockets and price points”, and is refreshed regularly.

He added: “The innovation for us comes from a great team of designers in Canada who travel the world seeing what the end user of the products demand and what these consumers’ lifestyle and aspirations are, rather than having to follow a licence based on a book or film. The range is evolving each year based on trends of fashion, social changes and what the consumer wants.”

VTech is another newcomer to the market.

The company entered the doll category in 2014 with its Little Love range and entered the girls’ collectibles arena this year with Flipsies – a group of friends that transform from the real world into a dream world.

Senior brand manager Rebecca Lazarus

says that the decision to enter the market was made due to the company’s experience with technology and electronics.

She commented: “We identified that this is a market which we can add innovation and technology to, offering a new appeal to consumers.

“The key factor which makes VTech stand out within this industry is the use of electronics, in particular the SmartPoint technology used in our new Flipsies range.

Through SmartPoint technology, a first for this sector, the Flipsies can interact with their friends and playsets.

The Flipsies dolls and playsets are developed for young girls who have big aspirations, offering an exceptional interactive experience beyond traditional role play.”

MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation are also focusing on technology in the sector this year. They have also expanded the mini Chou Chou brand into a new animal theme and are introducing a new Lalaloopsy line.

Marian Davis of MGA commented: “Engaging with our consumers is so important to us and we are very excited to introduce our audience to a new Lalaloopsy product line, which will offer interactivity, collectability and nurturing role play.

We are also bringing new girls into the franchise with experiential activity and partnerships to build brand awareness.

Many of our new products continue to see a focus on creativity – in particular, a new interactive doll launching for autumn, which will offer unique dance features and capitalises on the fifth birthday celebration

Toy World 38

Vtech theme of Lalaloopsy. Additional items are the cute and collectible Lalaloopsy Tinies, which have a new playset to encourage jewellery-themed play and creativity, and the Lalaloopsy Girls new fashion doll with a twist.”

Marina Imhanwa from Zapf Creation added: “We have a number of new and exciting products launching this year. We are particularly excited about the expansion of the mini Chou Chou brand into the new animal theme and also the continuation of the story booklet, which will be distributed through cover mounts in key girls’ titles, as well as being available to read on the mini Chou Chou official website.”

For Wendy Hill at Mattel, technology is important but messages and themes are having as much of an impact on the sector.

She said: “Barbie will be embracing technology this year with the introduction of Hello Barbie which will be the first fashion

8 IN 10 GIRLS ASPIRE TO BE SUPERHERO A

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An online survey was conducted with 2,000 girls aged 3-10 in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain in December 2014 and January 2015.

Brands that inspire play!

Š2015 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Dolls and Girls Collectibles doll that features continuous learning to develop a unique relationship with girls.

However, innovation also comes with new themes that today’s girls are embracing with more empowering messages, whether that be Superhero Barbie or celebrating the freaky flaws of Monster High.”

Wendy also points out that, although the market is thriving at the moment, it is becoming increasingly crowded and it is challenging for companies to ensure that their products stand out above the rest.

“Although it’s an incredibly buoyant sector at the moment, there are a lot of new entrants this year so it will be interesting to see which properties resonate with girls and what impact Frozen will continue to have on the category,” she added.

David Carscadden at Jakks Pacific echoes this, saying: “The battle for space in the girls’ aisle is as fierce as ever.”

However, Jakks had an incredible 2014 with its Frozen range and won the Toy of The Year Award for Snow Glow Elsa, so the company is feeling very positive about 2015.

David added: “2015 has already got off to a great start: Frozen has continued to sell in incredible numbers in the first few months of the year. The release of Frozen Fever will help to keep the momentum going. We’ve put in a huge forecast for the key new lines such as Sing-a-long Elsa and the Jewellery Box, which plays ‘Do you want to build a snowman’. We’ll be heavily TV advertising in the autumn and we’re anticipating another strong festive season for our Frozen range.”

Stephen Barnes, of Toy Barnhaus, offers a

“The market situation for girls’ collectibles is looking very positive and optimistic at the moment. Last year’s Frozen effect and strong new entries from this year, such as Shopkins, have all been very influential in this category’s growth.” retail perspective on the category. He says that the girls’ collectibles market is thriving and stalwart collectible Sylvanian Families has seen a recent boost in sales.

He said: “The girls’ collectibles market is definitely buoyant at the moment, with Shopkins leading the way as the standout performer. Also, Sylvanian families has really grown for us over the last six to nine months, with all the work Epoch have been doing to re-energise the brand paying off.”

However, he says that the dolls market isn’t performing quite as highly and it will be interesting to see how the re-launch of Bratz impacts the sector.

“I would say that the doll market is a bit flat at the moment, certainly in the baby dolls segment. Fashion dolls are led by Frozen and Disney Princess, followed by Barbie and Monster High, with Frozen still strong even nearly 18 months after the film’s release,” he added.

Sally Carnall, marketing manager, Epoch making toys, echoes Stephen’s thoughts on the girls’ collectibles market. She says that there are some strong new additions to the

category, while older brands continue to thrive.

Sally commented: “The market situation for girls’ collectibles is looking very positive and optimistic at the moment. Last year’s Frozen effect and strong new entries from this year, such as Shopkins, have all been very influential in this category’s growth.

The continuing development of girls’ construction toys has also had an impact.

“Second generation parents are having a strong effect in bringing collectibles back to life. Vintage brands such as Sylvanian Families and My Little Pony are propelling this movement, which is positively impacting the collectibles market. We are really looking forward to expanding the Sylvanian Families range in the autumn with some new products including a Field View Mill and Halloween and Christmas themed sets.”

Over the following pages, Toy World presents a selection of products from companies working in the dolls and girls’ collectibles sector.

Mattel

Toy World 40

MGA_LalaloopsyAd_ToyWorld_May2015g.indd 1

22/04/2015 09:46

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com This autumn sees a further two animated feature films for Barbie. First up is Barbie in Rock ‘n’ Royals which is brought to life with new additions to the product ranges including the Rock n Royal Courtney Doll and Transforming Stage Playset.

Engaging with younger girls is the release of The Great Puppy Adventure filled with buried treasure, mystery and puppies. Girls can play out their favourite scenes with the Barbie Spin ‘n’ Ride Pets toy and other Great Puppy Adventure products.

Barbie introduces a new wave of Fashionista dolls this autumn which deliver a new array of looks – from hair and skin colour to all-new facial styles. Coinciding with the new fashion range is the new autumn/winter collection of Style dolls which celebrate floral trends.

Also introduced this autumn/winter are Barbie Airbrush Studio and Barbie Glitter Hair Doll.

New additions to the pet play collection are Barbie and Tawny Horse which sees Barbie lift herself onto Tawny and ride off at the touch of button.

Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse has some new additions including the Barbie Malibu House and the Barbie Camper.

This autumn sees a new term for the ghouls of Monster High, supported by Freak Du Chic and Gooliope Jellington who is the tallest ghoul in school. In Q4, Boo York Boo York will launch, introducing ghouls to a new musical. The release is also supported with a new range of characters including Luna Mothews, Elle Edee and Madison Mouse. The Boo York range is complemented by the Astra Nova Accessory which sees new character AstraNova levitate.

Ever After High has announced a new partnership with Netflix where long form content will become a Netflix original series. New fashion dolls include Royal and Rebel characters such as Darling Charming, Rosabella Beauty and Bunny Blanc.

The Disney Princess range continues to thrive, as does Sofia the First with an interactive Taking Sofia and Minimus item.

VTech

01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk VTech entered the doll market for the first time in 2014 with the introduction of Little Love Baby Talk. The doll was awarded a gold award at the 2014 Independent Toy Awards.

The more that children talk to this interactive doll, the more phrases she will learn and repeat. The voice activated doll comes with 100 words, sings 10 melodies, speaks over 80 phrases and features sound effects such as drinking and giggling. Little Love Baby Talk comes complete with a dummy and feeding bottle.

VTech is expanding the Little Love range with the launch of Little Love Baby Peek-a-Boo in the spring and Little Love Learn to Walk in autumn/winter. With Little Love Baby Peek-a-Boo, little ones can hide and uncover the baby’s eyes for interactive play. Baby Peek-a-Boo has over 60 adorable phrases, sing-along songs and realistic baby sound effects.

Little Love Learn to Walk demonstrates key developmental stages, including learning to sit up from lying down, learning to crawl and standing up to take her first steps. The doll encourages interaction and hosts lots of phrases, sounds and melodies for role play.

VTech is entering the girl’s collectibles category for the first time. Flipsies is a group of friends that transform from the real world into their dream world.

Using SmartPoint technology, the Flipsies interact with their friends and playsets. They offer two-in-one play, lights, sounds, music and interactive components. Among eight introductory themes are doctor, marine biologist, “We are really excited for the launch of our brand new Flipsies teacher and princess. range. Our new Flipsies line has been developed and refined Transformation features through lots of research and development. We identified a and electronic interactions significant opportunity to inject innovation and technology between the characters and into the girls’ toy aisle like never before and we believe we’ve playsets enhance the play succeeded in delivering a unique product range that not only value. offers a variety of fresh ways to play, but inspires girls to dream to Each Flipsies doll includes be anything they want to be. Plus, with a positive and aspirational two outfits and two wigs, message for girls, the early read from parents and girls alike has plus other accessories and been overwhelmingly enthusiastic.” interactive playsets.

Rebecca Lazarus, senior brand manager

Hero product

Toy World 42

ZAPF_MiniCCFoxesAd_ToyWorld_May15d.indd 1

22/04/2015 09:48

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

DKL

01604 678 780 | www.dkltoys.co.uk Corolle is a range of dolls designed in France. There is a different doll to be collected at every stage of infancy and each is dressed in sophisticated clothes and has a signature vanilla scent.

The Mon Classique collection includes four soft-bodied dolls standing at 14 inches tall. Bath babies and interactive dolls are also available. Emma Drink & Wet Baby and Paul Drink & Wet Baby drink from their bottle and entertain children in the bath. They dry quickly and they can be accessorised with a bottle, potty and pacifier – all of which come included with the doll. Lia Interactive speaks four languages.

New updates for 2015 include Camille Ballerina and Chloe Ballerina from the Les Cheries range.

The Breyer Model Horses brand is in its 60th anniversary year and the range includes four different scales of model horses. New for 2015 is the Best of British collection and, for junior collectors, there are models based on familiar breeds such as the Welsh Cob and the Shetland Pony.

Epoch

08435 574 062 | www.sylvanianfamilies.net/uk Sylvanian Families continues to grow as a collectible brand during its 30th year.

The expansion of Sylvania to include the new play areas of Sea Breeze Cape and Adventure Island is proving popular with retailers and customers. The seasidethemed products designed for these areas include the Seaside Cruiser Houseboat, which has more than 55 pieces, the Adventure Treasure Ship, the Splash and Play Whale, the Seaside Camping Set and the Seaside Birthday Set. This new seaside-themed Holiday range joins a variety of other sub ranges, including Village Life and Baby & Child. Connectability remains a key selling point for the core products within Sylvanian Families; both the Adventure Treasure Ship and Splash and Play Whale connect with each other, as well as connecting with existing products such as the Seaside Restaurant.

There are five new families all with new profiles, totalling 30 families in the range this year. Children can create stories with the new Yellow Labrador Family, Goat Family, Tuxedo Cat Family, Polar Bear Family and Striped Cat Family.

Hero product “The Seaside Cruiser Houseboat is our star of the show this year – it comes complete with more than 55 pieces including a waterslide, mini boat, small island and Freya figure in a sailor outfit. In today’s digital world, playing with physical toys is still so important for developing and stimulating a child’s imagination and the Seaside Cruiser Houseboat really is a product that children can play with together, letting their imaginations run wild.”

Sally Carnall, marketing manager

Famosa

01623 237 433 | www.famosa.es/en Pinypon was a key collectible range during 2014, with an estimated 50,000 dolls being purchased. These are the only dolls with removable hair, head, body and accessories plus double sided faces with different expressions.

Pinypon is launching Pinypon Princesses for 2015, tapping into an ever popular theme and role play with girls.

Four different models of princesses, their frog pet and accessories, plus Princes and a Palace Playset are the key items. Pinypon Tales is a further addition which sees of Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland and Rapunzel brought to life in Pinypon style with a little pet to match.

A marketing campaign is planned for spring/ summer including the launch of a standalone Girls Love Pinypon magazine in conjunction with Signature Publishing and the Girls Love brand.

Toy World 44

A girl’s best friend

Jakks Pacific is poised for another fantastic year in the girls market. Toy world showcases a selection of the company’s hottest girls lines for 2015

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

The My First 14” Toddler Dolls come with royal reflection eyes and beautiful detailed dresses and accessories. Princesses featured include Aurora, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Belle and Snow White. Also part of the Disney family are the Cinderella Live Action 14” doll, the Sofia the First 14” doll and Frozen’s Anna & Elsa dolls.

14” Hair Glow Rapunzel brings the magic of Tangled to life. When her hair is brushed, it will magically begin to glow as she sings “I See the Light.” Toddler Dolls and Hair Glow Rapunzel are TV supported with separate campaign’s in A/W.

Frozen Sing-a-long with Elsa makes her debut this autumn/winter.

Simply place the microphone up to her to activate the hit song “Let it Go”, which she sings in full. She also lets the child join in: just take the microphone away, sing the song and she carries on where you left off. The doll also says 15 different phrases from the film.

TV advertised in A/W

Olaf-A-Lot is Arendelle’s funniest snowman. When his nose is pushed, his eyes cross and Olaf will start to tell a joke: when his nose is pushed again, he tells the punch line. Olaf’s head can also be removed and flipped upside down, and he says over 50 sounds and phrases from the movie.

TV advertised in A/W

Disney Fairies Take Flight Tink continues to be a strong performer. Every kids wants the real Tinkerbell, and the 9” Classic Doll range celebrates the newlyreleased ‘Legend of the Neverbeast’ movie; each model comes complete with its iconic dress and accessories. Take Flight Tink is TV supported this A/W.

Each of the categories is supported by an extensive Role Play / Dress up accessories line, including Little Kingdom make- up sets, hair play tote sets, tea sets and shopping carts.

The range crosses each franchise with feature- driven items based on all the popular Princesses.

The Disney Princess Royal Boutique Cash Register includes 12 play pieces and a host of features, including an electronic signature pad, working microphone and calculator, credit card swiper, and an open/close drawer.

TV advertised in A/W

Animal Babies Nursery is a cute collection of wild baby animals for kids to adopt, name and love. With soft fur and cuddly bodies, they make the perfect interactive companions. They come in a wide variety of styles, including Tigers, Monkeys and Leopards, and each item comes with feature accessories. Animal Babies Crunchy Munchy Panda is the focus of this new feature plush range, which has enjoyed an excellent start to the year.

TV advertised in A/W

Jakks’ Frozen Role Play range includes a full selection of dress up accessories, including a Magical Snow Wand, shoes and tiaras. The Musical Jewellery Box plays “Do you want to build a snowman” and features moving Anna, Elsa and Olaf.

TV advertised in A/W

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

IMC

GP Flair

BabyDoo is the first doll which learns in stages. The doll responds to 11 voice commands and the more children play with him, the more he can do. The doll is capable of a total of 14 functions, such as ‘come here’ and ‘dance’ and comes with a dummy and a ball which he will interact and play with. He also has a ticklish tummy.

VIP Pets includes numerous different animals, each with their own individual personality and style. Each pet includes hair accessories and long hair for creating hairstyles. The pets include Gwen the smash-hit singer, Alice the punk, Lady Gi Gi the party planner and April the Traveller.

The company has created a range of VIP Pets Playsets. Children can create their own VIP Pets world with the Stars Coffee Shop, Tiffany’s Boutique and Gwen’s Convertible Cabrio Car.

The Shopkins characters are available in two, five and 12 packs and each character belongs to a shopping inspired group. Collecting each group and hunting for limited edition characters is at the heart of the brand.

Series 3 will see the introduction of themed segments within the range.

The Food Fair will house food themed characters and playsets whilst the new Fashion Spree collection will include playsets styled on shoes and makeup.

Encouraging swaps with friends will be key to the marketing drive for 2015 with digital, print and in-store activity already activating nationwide Shopkins Swapkins clubs.

Flair has launched a School of Medicine themed Doc McStuffins range to tie in with the new TV episodes. Products include Dottie’s Eye Doctor Bag, Light-Up Doctor Shoes and two large Specialist Doc dolls; Dentist Doc and Eye Doctor Doc. The new Doc Mcstuffins Pet Vet series includes an Interactive Pet Vet Doc McStuffins Doll whilst Find & Fetch Findo, the interactive dog who fetches bones and can be taken for a walk, is on the patient list. There will be new accessories such as the Vet Bag Playset and the Pet Vet Desk, which will allow children to create their own Pet Vet clinic at home.

The new Pet Parade property includes puppies, accessories and playsets. Six dogs will be in the main range, including a Labrador, Pug and Dalmatian, with an additional three exclusive puppies to collect.

01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com

0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk

Vivid

01702 200 660 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Animagic Rescue Hospital has a number of new lines.

The Series 2 collectibles, Blind Bag and Collector Pack add over 30 new figures to the collection, with colourchange animals and a new range of baby pets.

Coming for autumn is Bluebell Stables where children can take care of all their Rescue Hospital ponies and pets. The playset includes stable blocks, a medical area, jumps and accessories.

Puppy Play School is a dog agility themed set which includes 15 accessories and two pull-back puppies which whizz around the course.

Moshi Monsters will be launching its next new series for autumn-winter. The Magnificent Moshi Circus series of collectibles will be available from July with 16 new Circus themed figures to collect in Blind Bags and Collector Packs.

My Friend Cayla will be given a new outfit for next Christmas and will benefit from enhanced personalisation. My Friend Cayla Princess is a new bespoke princess-themed app with accessories.

Toy World 48

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15-04-2015 03:22:50 PM

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

Spin Master

0800 206 1191 | www.spinmaster.com Chubby Puppies launches this autumn. The cute puppies come in a variety of breeds with different walks which can be changed by switching the position of their feet. Girls can collect and adopt the entire assortment of tumbling, bumbling and stumbling puppies that waddle everywhere they go.

Each Chubby Puppy comes with their favourite toy or treat that fits inside of their mouths. There are 12 different breeds of Chubby Puppies available to adopt in single packs along with exclusive puppies in the mini playsets range, which also include a dog and carrier.

The Ultimate Dog Park includes a real working lift, swing and slide which are all activated by the Chubby Puppies’ waddling.

Girls can also connect the mini playsets to the Ultimate Dog Park to create a bigger park for the Chubby Puppies to play in. A TV, PR and marketing campaign is planned for launch.

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com

Peterkin

0116 2543645 | www.peterkin.co.uk New introductions to dollsworld for 2015 include talking Tilly, an 18” soft bodied, talking doll, who benefits from a newly developed sound chip, with realistic baby sounds.

Children can gently squeeze any of Talking Tilly’s limbs to hear a baby sound and then squeeze her tummy to hear a further 17 different sounds.

Another new introduction is Dolly Doctor. Dolly is a poorly baby who comes complete with a range of doctor’s accessories to help little ones nurse her back to full health.

New accessories include a pack of fabric and re-useable nappies as well as a baby feeding set.

The dolls and accessories are complemented by a range of strollers, buggies, prams and wooden furniture.

New to the Zelfs range for 2015 is light-up Zelf Princess Crystella. The intricately decorated Zelf doll stands taller than the others and has light-up hair which illuminates when the crystal heart on her chest is pressed.

Autumn will see the launch of the new Crystal Zelf series. The range combines colourful hair with an added intricate crystallised feature.

Each series launch comes with additional marketing activity such as redemption campaigns. Added to this will be TV and girl’s print advertising plus the roll out of a collectors’ club at the end of the year.

Disney Princess Palace Pets now has six new Furry Tail Friends, soon to be followed by more in autumn.

The Disney Princess Palace Pets mini collectibles will be the new micro option and will launch in late summer.

This autumn sees the launch of more tweet back birds to Little Live Pets. Turtles, mice, puppies and kittens have been added to the collection complete with their own habitats and carriers.

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16-04-2015 02:28:57 PM

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation 08450 533 333 | www.mgae.com / www.zapf-creation.co.uk

MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation are set to expand their Lalaloopsy and mini Chou Chou ranges this year, with a number of new product and accessories launches.

This year, Lalaloopsy is five, and to celebrate, everyone will be invited to the brand’s Super Silly Party from summer 2015.

Launching for autumn/winter will be a new addition to the Lalaloopsy family in the form of a TV-advertised interactive, function doll.

Following success in 2014, the Lalaloopsy Diaper Surprise doll from the Lalaloopsy Babies collection will carry over into 2015. The collectible range Lalaloopsy Tinies will also see the addition of new characters and playsets.

The Lalaloopsy Girls Crazy Hair dolls are aimed at older girls, with the Lalaloopsy Girls range welcoming a new fashion doll with a craft edge.

This autumn, Zapf Creation will continue to expand its mini dolls brand into a new theme – mini Chou Chou Foxes collectibles, following the successful launch of mini Chou Chou Birdies this spring.

The mini Chou Chou Foxes mini dolls will each have unique character traits, facial features and come with interchangeable outfits.

In addition to this, the range will see two new mini Chou Chou Foxes Playsets launch – the mini Chou Chou Playground Set and mini Chou Chou Treehouse.

The new mini Chou Chou products will be supported through marketing activity across TV, print, a new story booklet, PR and social media activity and an interactive website.

John Adams

Bigjigs

The Tiny Tears brand celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. First launched in the UK in 1960s, Tiny Tears was the first fully functioning feeding, crying and wetting doll with closing eyes, moveable arms, legs and head.

To celebrate her 50th anniversary, John Adams has produced a limited edition Tiny Tears doll, dressed in a sparkly dress and sporting a vintage curly hairstyle.

Just like the traditional doll, the Tiny Tears Anniversary doll comes complete with water bottle and potty, as well as a special keepsake commemorative certificate.

Seven new rag dolls join the Bigjigs family for 2015.

Molly, Melanie, Penny, Louise, Alice and Susie are large in size, measuring in at 380mm high, while Emily is a little shorter at 350mm. Each doll sports a removable outfit.

These new additions bring the Bigjigs dolls collection to over 35 designs. Most of the dolls are dressed in an everyday style outfit, whilst others are dressed for a specific role-play purpose.

To complement the range, Bigjigs offer a Daisy Doll High Chair, Pram and Cradle accessories.

01480 414361 | www.johnadams.co.uk

01303 250400 | www.bigjigstoys.co.uk

Tobar

08445 734 299 | www.tobar.co.uk Tobar’s Make Your Own Kits include Pony, Owl, Ballerina, Patchwork Bunny, Teddy and Felt Doll.

Zuru’s My Magical Mermaids have tails which swish from side to side when in water. There are three different Robo Mermaids available – Pearl, Shelly and Cassie, each one sporting a different hair colour and tail design.

Zuru’s new Robo Turtle is an advanced aquatic robot that’s capable of travelling across both land and water. There are four designs to collect.

from

*Source NPD Data December 2014

ALL TV ADVERTISED IN 2015 Snuggables Trade ad.indd 1

Tel: 0118 973 6222 I e:mail: sales@recreationltd.co.uk website: www.recreationltd.co.uk

15/04/2015 14:26

Dolls and Girls Collectibles

John Crane

01604 774 949 | www.john-crane.co.uk The Our Generation range comes in eco-friendly packaging and the dolls include hair play and retro dolls as well as 18 inch non-posable regular dolls such as Holly who comes complete with a faux fur autumnal outfit accessorised with matching shoes and tights.

The range will also see the introduction of horses and foals as well as a variety of vehicles ranging from scooters to 4x4s. Children can watch their doll drive by in a Retro Cruiser with a real FM Radio. The lights and removable roof mean the vehicle can be enjoyed whatever the weather.

Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.co.uk

The Magic Elf Castle is due to be launched in July. This new bayala habitat will include a lookout tower, ceremonial hall, a moving entrance gate and a flower blossom hideaway.

The collectible bayala elves Sera, Surah, Feya, Eyela and Marween have been remodelled for 2015 and come both standing and on horseback.

Schleich’s Equine World also has many new breeds to collect for 2015 plus the addition of a major new play set, The Big Horse Show, with its dressage ring and jumps.

Trends UK 01295 768078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk

K’nex

01189 253 270 | www.knex.co.uk K’nex Mighty Makers encourages girls to explore Stem concepts in an engaging way. Each set includes colourful parts and story-based instructions that allow children to play out the adventures of the figure included. Exploration cards add a further educational element.

At the heart of the K’nex range remains a collection of building tubs and treasure chests for both boys and girls. With dozens of creative building ideas, the K’nex Building Tubs continue to offer children the chance to experience construction play.

Trends UK’s new Disney Frozen Singing Plush features Elsa and Anna recreated with vinyl heads and huggable soft bodies.

The 15” Elsa doll sings Let it go and Anna sings For the first time in forever.

The dolls are available in a try me pack and are sold separately.

re:creation

0118 973 6222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk re:creation is set to expand its Snuggables plush portfolio later this year with the introduction of the Zigamazoos collection.

The Zigamazoos collectible plush line will be introduced in the second half of the year. When squeezed, each of the eight friends in the range giggles and pokes out a cheeky tongue. The Zigamazoos range will benefit from heavyweight TV support and ongoing PR campaign.

Toy World 54

0068a Pinypon Toy world Advert copy.pdf

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10:31 PM

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Opinion Can Mattel resist the Disney juggernaut?

Monster High in its tracks and finished off what little there was left of Bratz.

This is how market shares developed in the eight years between spring 2007 and spring 2015:

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

I

n the minds of the consumer and the buyers, Mattel’s most prominent feature has been the company’s fashion doll business, epitomized by its flagship brand Barbie and supported by Disney’s range of Princesses. There was little conflict between the two ranges: Barbie, stood for the type of girl mothers wanted their daughters to be – kind, nurturing, and pretty – and the other being the fairytale figure of girls’ dreams.

Barbie reigned supreme until 2001 when a pesky upstart, MGA Entertainment, launched its line of Bratz dolls and in relatively short time began to challenge Barbie for supremacy. Bratz was everything Barbie and the Princesses were not – a Bratz doll was not a nice, nurturing and ladylike figure; Bratz was overbearing, rebellious and provocative– in short, a brat. Isaac Larian, the owner of MGA, had brilliantly identified a totally new fashion doll niche – not the idealized young lady which Barbie was, nor a fairytale Cinderella princess, but a much more realistic doll representing the type of girl often encountered in real life.

By 2006, Bratz had overtaken Barbie’s market share and was number one in the U.S. Fashion Doll market place. This is when Mattel mobilized its lawyers in order to beat MGA in the court room. The court case started in May 2008 and centred on the premise that the Bratz designs had been a Mattel property all along and that MGA was not entitled to sell the dolls. Whilst the case dragged on through several lawsuits and is still not settled, the strategy worked – MGA, to pay the legal fees, had to starve the Bratz advertising budget and the brand began to decline.

Whilst all this was happening, Disney Princess continued to make solid progress, propelled by a steady drumbeat of movies; twelve since the year 2000.

In all this, Mattel had also learned a lesson – there was a market niche being vacated by Bratz, one which would either be filled by them or a competitor. They decided to create a Bratz successor and thus Monster High was launched mid 2010; to be followed by its line extender, Ever After High, in 2013. Monster High was a runaway success and knocked both Barbie and Princess off their peg, at least for a while.

But then, in 2013, came Disney’s Frozen. Both as a movie and as a toy, it was a phenomenon nobody had expected. Frozen cut across all fashion doll types – it sent Barbie further down, stopped

Source: Klosters Retailer Panel

Barbie continued its slide that had begun four years ago, triggered by the advent of Monster High. Monster High, in turn, hit a speed bump because of Frozen. The Princess doll range, because of Frozen, skyrocketed. While the individual Mattel properties went up and down, the company’s overall supremacy in the Fashion Doll field remained intact. This is about to change.

The first change is that, next year, the Princess range will be moving away from Mattel and over to its arch competitor Hasbro.

This is a monumental event which empowers Hasbro, which has up to now had a nice but basically inconsequential girls business, to become a major factor in the fashion doll field. For the first time Mattel faces an existential threat to its core business.

This is further aggravated by the decline of Barbie sales which has now gone on for four years. A number of factors accounted for this but the overriding one was that the brand had grown stale. Mattel had used Barbie as a cash cow to generate the money needed to pay dividends to its shareholders. However, Mattel now appears to have had a change of heart and there are several signs demonstrating this. It is important to understand that this new direction was initiated well over a year ago, because this is how long it takes to develop new products and the marketing strategies backing them.

In other words, it was Brian Stockton and his crew - not the new management team - that was responsible for taking a new direction and instigation these new initiatives.

Mattel has just released two Barbie Divergent SKUs to coincide with the release of the Lionsgate movie The Divergent Series: Insurgent. To the best of my knowledge, it is the first time that mass market Barbie figures have been created specifically for a third-party big-screen movie. Whilst Divergent has recorded a respectable box office result, the two dolls – available at ToysRUs,

Toy World 56

Opinion Target and Amazon – have not yet gained discernible traction.

Nevertheless, we are likely to see similar movie tie-ins in the future.

The second is that they launched Barbie Princess Power in conjunction with a DVD full-length movie released in the US on March 2. The doll is doing exceptionally well in that it is the best-selling Barbie doll at ToysRUs and moving nicely at the other retailers.

It may be strictly a coincidence that Barbie is coming out with a Princess at the same time that Cinderella is being released but it is tempting to think that Mattel is gearing up to establishing its own Princess line in competition with Disney’s when the latter moves over to Hasbro next year.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, there is Hello Barbie.

Unveiled at 2015 Toy Fair, the concept greatly impressed the buyers who saw it as a possible game changer in the fashion doll space. Hello Barbie works by recording and processing users’ voices. Pressing a button on her belt prompts the doll to ask a question and then record the response via an embedded microphone and then transmit

it to cloud servers. Voice-recognition software processes it and then uses it to let the doll give an appropriate response. Besides carrying on a conversation, Hello Barbie can play games and tell jokes and stories. Throughout it all, Barbie will be picking up on likes and dislikes, remembering to use what she’s learned in future conversations. However, Hello Barbie goes further – it learns the name of the child and her interests and integrates this information in its future responses. In short, the doll learns.

There are some privacy concerns expressed by consumer groups but, at least so far, the buyers are not inclined to put too much weight on them. They think that the doll will do very well and they expect to give it a very prominent place in their planograms. Hello Barbie is expected to be released in the fourth quarter at a retail sticker of $75 – which is pricey but not to a degree that it is likely to be a major obstacle.

If successful, Hello Barbie will lend itself to any number of line extenders – targeting different languages, for instance.

It is important that Mattel is becoming more proactive since Disney, in turn, appears to be preparing to tackle Mattel head-on in a two-pronged strategy.

MODEL HORSES, COLLECTIBLES, MODEL HORSES, COLLECTIBLES, ARTS & CRAFTS , AND, MORE! ARTS & CRAFTS AND MORE!

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Toy World 58

One is to attack Monster High, Mattel’s major success story.

Having clobbered Bratz, Mattel had basically the “wicked” Fashion Doll segment all for itself. This is about to change. Disney’s fulllength TV movie “Descendants” will be out this summer and feature the teenage progeny of Disney’s most iconic characters, in particular its villains. Its product line sold by Hasbro will include dolls and accessories from the offspring of characters like Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Cruella de Vil, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Fairy Godmother and Mulan: The buyers see this range as a direct and a potent competitor to Monster High and Ever After High. It is significant that Hasbro is getting the licence for sale this year, even though the overall Princess licence moves to them in 2016.

If successful, we will undoubtedly see more movies zeroing in on these wicked daughters. Just to add to Mattels’ challenges, there are also indications that MGA Entertainment may be considering relaunching Bratz. The timing for this would not be too bad since Mattel will have plenty on its plate defending its turf against Descendants.

The second competitive strategy developed by Disney is focused on the changing tween demographics in the U.S.A. Hispanic children below nine years of age now represent about 20% of the U.S. total and this percentage is growing. Whilst Mattel has introduced quite a few Hispanic Barbies – Mexican Barbie, Brazilian Barbie, Puerto Rican Barbie and so forth – none really got traction because they were treated as simple line extenders rather than major entries in their own right. Disney is now trying to change the landscape by making Elena of Avalor a major part of next year’s “Sofia the First” animation movie to be screened on Disney Junior, the Disney Channel and ABC. This is Disney’s first Latina fashion doll entry and the buyers understand that there will later be a follow-up movie fully devoted to Elena herself.

Elena of Avalor and its successor movies will not only have an impact on the Fashion Doll space in the U.S. but also, equally importantly, in the rapidly growing Hispanic European and South American market places where Barbie is by far the strongest girl on the block.

Th e importance of all this to Mattel cannot be overstated. Fashion Dolls in 2014 accounted for more than one-third of the company’s sales and it is too early to predict how this all will play out throughout this and next year. A lot will depend on how creatively and aggressively the new Mattel management group responds to these challenges. The national buyers at the leading retailers in the U.S. and in Europe seem inclined to give Chris Sinclair’s team the benefit of the doubt but this could change overnight if they see that the company does not move sufficiently strongly or quickly to counter these new threats.

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01604 774949 sales@john-crane.co.uk www.john-crane.co.uk

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NPD Column A return to the High Street?

The NPD Group’s Rory Partis assesses how different retail channels are contributing to the UK toy market’s growth in the UK we are using Growth of How Toy is Purchased the online facility to order Value FY 2014 vs 2013 something and pick it up at our leisure, rather than having to stay at home and wait for a delivery.

But also it backs up the 80 theory that we still enjoy a shopping experience, and with click and collect 56 consumers get what they feel is a competitive online price whilst still having a shopping experience - and we know that kids enjoy a trip to a toy shop.

TOTAL ONLINE PURCHASED IN STORE That said it’s also worth considering the amount of options for collection, The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and Confidential with the popularity of picking up from lockers and local shops increasing.

Another interesting view of the market can be seen when we look at what factors influence consumers to purchase toys. Although purchases influenced by what buyers have seen on the internet is growing, it still only accounts for 11% of toy purchases with this as the primary influence. The most common influence for toy purchases is still in store display, accounting for around a quarter of all toy purchases, and also growing by +4% over the year before. With around a quarter of consumers still saying that it is the in store experience that is the main influence to purchase, we can see how important in-store theatre is to the toy market. And in fact, even some people who are buying toys online say that in-store displays are the main influence to their purchase, around 6% of online purchases and growing. It would appear that more people are having a look round the shops and then nipping home to search for the best online deals! Or even doing it on Monday morning at their desks when they’re supposed to be working…

Gain in £ Millions

I

t’s been mentioned before that 2014 was a very good year for toys, and this has continued in 2015 with YTD March figures showing a +7% increase in both value and volume, all very healthy indeed. It is generally assumed that a lot of the recent growth in toys, and any other market for that matter, is coming from a large increase in online sales. And yes, online is increasing ahead of the toy market, but it was not the only channel contributing to growth in 2014, with other channels and ways to shop seeing positive growth. With so many ways to shop now it does seem that the toy market is embracing this trend in a positive way, so let’s look at the channel performance in a little more detail to ascertain what is really happening.

NPD consumer data shows a +5% increase in value for the toy market in 2014 and also shows that online sales, including click and collect, accounted for around 37% of the market and grew by +8% over the prior year. So at first glance you could say that online was the key driver behind the growth for toys, with an increase ahead of the market adding just over £80m in sales. Looking at the numbers for toy consumers who stated that they purchased their toy in store, the growth vs last year is +4%, nearly in line with total market growth. The number of sales purchased in store is however still the largest value by some way and accounts for over half of all toy purchases, so the growth of +4% this year has added nearly £60m in value to the toy market. When we look at it like that, we can see that the values added between online and bought in store are actually not that far apart.

If we look a little closer at our online figure we can also see that a healthy proportion of that value is taken up by consumers telling us that they have used click and collect for their online purchase; around £210m or 7% of the total market is bought via the person purchasing online but still physically picking up from a store. This area has also shown considerable growth over last year, +20% in value and is a key driver of online growth. So it would seem that

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Source: NPD Consumer Panel

Rory Partis

executive director

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

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

For more information visit www.npd.com. Follow NPD on Twitter @npdgroup

Toy World 60

Face-to-Face

Tomy - Licensed to thrill

Managing editor John Baulch spoke to Tomy’s UK sales director Fredrik Wolff about the major new licensed ranges which the company will be introducing in 2015 How has 2015 started for Tomy?

It’s been a busy start to 2015 with toy fairs and product launches, and our focus on making fun, innovative, high quality toys with great play value is continuing with accelerated speed. Tomy has an ambitious growth agenda in the UK and we have had quite a few new people coming on board, in marketing, operations as well as sales, so we have been setting the strategies for how to increase our presence in the UK market.

What have been your main successes in Q1 from a product perspective?

We are very pleased with how Pop Up Olaf has performed since launch in March, this has been a great addition to our already successful Pop Up Pirate.

We are also enjoying good support and sales on our Pocket Money range. In addition, we are seeing strong sales growth of Pokemon; in some accounts sales of Pokemon are up 40% compared to last year. While it has been a busy few months ensuring strong execution of our new Spring / Summer lines , much of our time has been focused on the even bigger new initiatives coming later in the year, with the launch of Pixar properties Inside Out in the summer and The Good Dinosaur in the autumn.

You’ve signed a number of major new licences for 2015 – how important a role does character licensed merchandise play within the Tomy portfolio?

Given the global scale of Tomy, we are signing an increasing number of licences across our range.

Licenced characters form the basis of our Pocket Money range. In addition, we have had great success with products such as Aquadoodle Peppa Pig and Pop Up Olaf. Our John Deere pre-school range is performing very strongly and has been a great addition to our Farm range. Going forward, I am expecting a lot from Pokemon and Sonic Boom in the UK. Needless to say, the global master toy rights for Pixar’s Inside Out and the Good Dinosaur will open a lot of new doors, and working with the likes of Pixar and Disney give us better insights and larger scale than we have had in the past. Licensed characters will continue to be an important building block in Tomy’s ambitious growth plan in the UK market, as well as in other regions.

Can you tell us when the new licensed ranges will be coming to market?

We will be launching our Sonic Boom range in the UK over the summer in conjunction with the launch of the new TV show. This opens a new market for Sonic and we are confident that our range will be well received.

Over the summer we will also be launching the new Pokemon range, which is now fully scaled. Inside Out is coming out in July and The Good Dinosaur in November, and these properties will be game changers. The toy ranges are versatile in terms of price points and have great play value.

There are a lot of big licences vying for shelf space this year – what has been the reaction from retailers to your new introductions?

Since previews, retailer excitement levels and support have been really strong for both of the Disney properties. Both properties are relevant for all channels and retailers are really getting behind them.

Inside Out is something really new from Pixar with a stronger focus on girls, and momentum is building a few months ahead of launch. While Pixar and Disney will do what they do really well in creating noise and excitement around their film launches, we will support both Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur with strong TV campaign both at theatrical launch and later in the year at DVD launches. With regards to The Good Dinosaur, the support levels are exceptional, without fail retailers are getting behind this. Yes, there will be other strong launches out at the same time, but I guess everyone recognises the potential in Pixar + Dinosaurs + toys and the different target group and play patterns versus some of the other launches in the same period.

What marketing and promotional plans do you have in place to drive sales of these new lines?

We recognise the importance of continuing to build brand equity and longevity, so we will more than double our marketing investments in 2015. We will support new properties like Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur heavily, but also existing brands and categories like Lamaze, Pokemon, John Deere and Tomy Infant and Bath Toys will see heavier marketing investments compared to previous years. Creating demand is important, but this needs to be coupled with excellent in store execution. While the marketing

tem is busy creating strong media plans, we are working with our retail partners to create a strong presence in stores across the UK. Partnership with retailers is crucial to make any initiative succesful – and we will continue to invest with our retailers to make sure our ranges look great in-store.

What makes Tomy a great partner for a licensor?

There are number of reasons why licensors choose to partner with Tomy. Obviously our global scale is an advantage and the company has a strong heritage in developing fun, innovative toys with great play value.

On a local level there are several benefits – we work well with our retail partners and our network of sales agents gives us wide reach in the market. In addition, we have strong marketing and in-store teams that offer innovative retail execution and effective marketing campaigns. We work well with our licensors and this will continue be an important part of our strategy going forward.

How important are Toymaster members and the independent channel as a whole to Tomy?

Toymaster is a long term partner and the independent trade is a large and important part of our business.

This channel constitutes a major part of our business in certain categories, such as Britain’s and our John Deere pre-school range. Going forward, an important part of our strategy will be to continue to strengthen our relationship and keep developing sales-driving tools for this channel.

What do you hope to achieve in 2015?

This is a very exciting year for Tomy. Come December, I know that the company will be in strong growth and we will have strengthened our position in the UK toy market. Our growth will come as a result of three elements; we will work with our retail partners and licensors throughout the year on improving how we look in-store. Secondly, we will have launched great initiatives into the market – Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur will build incremental sales both for our customers and ourselves. The revival of Pokemon is another of our big bets with great product launches and strong plans. Lastly, growth will come from heavily strengthened marketing plans. We will invest more than ever in traditional media like TV, while increasing our investment in social media. For me personally, I am looking forward to continuing to work with the great team we have within Tomy, continuing to work with our industry partners and making sure we execute our plan with excellence. I am hugely excited about the months to come.

viewpoint Toy World shares insight and opinion

David Ripley COO of Winning Moves

Value added politics

For those who have been following Viewpoint since its inception you will know that this is my 40th Toy World column, so to celebrate I am going to take a slightly different tack from my standard industry centric ramblings and combine what’s going on in the outside world with the imminent general election.

With UK politics heading for a sustained period of coalition governments, typical in many continental European economies, we will continue to experience slower decision making

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

Digital natives

I read with interest Hornby’s latest financial update, mainly because I worked with them for a number of years and I know they are going through a period of transformation. It is clear that they are making the changes that most people recognised needed to be made.

Transforming a company, especially under the scrutiny of quarterly PLC interims is far from easy when there is so much pressure to deliver in the short term. It is a classic case of a business that should not ideally be a PLC,

that is common with consensus politics.

I am sure that the leading groups within the UK Toy industry continuously lobby the government of the day on many issues including retail opening hours, business rates, VAT and gendered toy marketing which has been a hot and ongoing topic of interest in recent years. A quick look at the website www.lettoysbetoys. org.uk will confirm that this particular subject of gender targeted marketing is building a large political following with several MP’s supporting the campaign.

My political contribution is to lobby for VAT to be reduced or removed on educationally biased toys and toys that have a physical aspect such as Outdoor toys and Sporting goods that intrinsically encourage kids to be active – I need to be careful how these products are defined or we will get lost in a conversation about whether a Jaffa Cake is indeed a cake or a biscuit and everyone knows that if a biscuit gets covered in chocolate that HMRC will add a hefty 20% to the price. For those that followed the case you will know that McVities won the case against HMRC and a Jaffa Cake was categorised by the courts as a chocolate covered cake and not a biscuit.

The case to remove VAT from educational toys and toys that encourage fitness is a strong one, not least because of the fact that educational services, books, physical education and sports activities all currently benefit from being exempt from VAT. So what about including outdoor toys, sporting goods and educational toys such as science & nature kits, electronic learning aids and craft kits within the same VAT exemption?

Removing VAT from these toy products would no doubt drive sales and grow these categories where camouflage learning and physical activity generate huge benefits to individuals and society.

Another positive step would be to remove VAT from any toy that had a charitable link, such as a charity based licensed property or products that specify support for a cause by generating a percentage charitable donation of a certain threshold.

I have actively started to lobby my local Conservative MP on this subject, who to my surprise has been very responsive and visible during the past couple of month, so watch this space.

which needs time to get itself back into shape to compete – time which it is not allowed to have.

A key part of its transformational strategy is the investment in its digital capability. Like many other toy companies, it has struggled to navigate these choppy waters - knowing whether to invest in driving consumers to buy directly or to work with retail partners own e commerce sites. Reading the press release, it did make me smile when it was pointed out that their digital operations were based in Shoreditch.

I will presume that had the digital team been based in Scunthorpe, this probably wouldn’t have been highlighted! But a digital team based in Shoreditch is clearly something to be proud off, especially for a business that has recruited mostly in Margate and Ramsgate for the past ten years. But to be fair to Hornby, they are starting to do the right things and are investing in the right areas.

Building a vibrant social community around your brand is crucial. Creating advocacy for your products is the best form of marketing and there is so much data and information that can be harvested from these communities that

can help inform future commercial strategies.

Not having direct relationships with customers and not gathering customer data is negligent at best.

Having been through a couple of pitches and planning for toy companies this year, I am going to predict this as a watershed year for marketing directors. While other overall budgets don’t seem to be increasing, the channels available to them are multiplying. This could finally be the year that budgets start moving away from TV and into online. Investing in content that can be used for pre roll advertising or social channels makes more sense now than ever before. The launch of dedicated kids’ content on YouTube allows brands to reach kids directly and in a measurable way – exciting times.

So while you may not need a digital agency in Shoreditch, it is definitely time to re-examine the way that marketing has traditionally been done. This does not mean spreading your budgets thinner and thinner, but taking a more strategic view of the channels available and looking at each channel from a measurable ROI perspective. Fair play to Hornby, it took them a while, but they are on their way.

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viewpoint John Baulch publisher and managing editor, Toy World

The trials and tribulations of Toys R Us Toys R Us is an integral component of the global toy retail market. The company straddles several channels: it is one of the largest major multiple accounts in the world, but at the same time it is essentially a specialist toy retailer, not a multi-category outlet. This is one of the principal reasons why the health of Toys R Us is so crucial to toy companies: the long-term future of the toy industry is unlikely to be dependent on retailers that aren’t committed to the category – those accounts have a tendency to ebb and flow, with retail space given to toys varying according to prevailing conditions.

On the other hand, the fortunes of specialist retailers are inextricably linked to those of the toy market: these retailers can’t simply switch their attention to another category to make more margin. Retailers for whom toys is their lifeblood depend on the toy industry as much as the toy industry depends on them – it’s the perfect example of a truly symbiotic business relationship.

All of which explains why the toy market has been so concerned with the fortunes of Toys R Us for the past few years. The retailers’ ongoing financial challenges have been well documented: in 2005, it became a jointly held private corporation owned by Bain Capital Inc., KKR & Co. and Vornado Realty Trust in a deal worth $6.6 billion. It has long been thought that the backers were hoping to have exited the retailer by now, but attempts to garner momentum for an initial public offering haven’t succeeded: the last attempt in 2013 failed due to what were described as “unfavourable market conditions.” Shortly afterwards, the company refinanced its $1.85 billion senior secured revolving credit facility and pushed out maturities until 2016, buying it a few years to turn the company around.

When this move was announced, observers suggested it came with a caveat: if the company couldn’t figure out how to compete with the likes of Wal-Mart and Amazon, it

might have to resort to bankruptcy protection, which would potentially be catastrophic for the global toy market.

With that date rapidly approaching, where does Toys R Us currently stand? There is not a clear-cut answer: for the year ended Feb. 1 2014, Toys ‘R’ Us generated about $12.5 billion in net sales, compared to about $13.5 billion for the year before, resulting in the company posting a net loss of about $1 billion from net earnings of nearly $40 million for the same period a year earlier. By February 2015, comparable same-store sales had slipped by a further1% domestically, a significant improvement on the 5% drop the previous year. But with global toy sales climbing by around 4% to $18.08 billion, the decline suggests that Toys R Us has continued to lose market share to competitors. In their defence, executives say they were more disciplined on promotions and were able to sell toys at more profitable prices, especially in the second half of the year, which offers some encouragement.

However, the question remains as to whether Toys R Us can rectify its financial situation in the time frame its owners are believed to be working to. Several recent announcements indicate that a dramatic turnaround strategy is in the process of being implemented. Toys R Us has publically acknowledged that attempting to increase market share as a toy retailer against the likes of Amazon and Walmart is unsustainable, and therefore it will concentrate its efforts on profitability rather than gross sales. To that end, the company revealed that it is looking to save $23 million by implementing a Pan-European structure with shared service centres, outsourcing back office finance functions and streamlining reporting.

The measures have resulted in numerous head office posts being made redundant in European countries, as the company moves away from managing each country in Europe as its own autonomous region. The UK office has already experienced a major reduction in its buying team. Remaining buyers will each be handling a broader range of categories, and as Toys R Us buyers also allocated stock to individual branches in addition to selecting product, their workload just increased significantly.

A new European Management Board is being set-up to take overall responsibility for the region, which will be controlled from Spain. Existing management teams will continue to handle all issues local to its territory, however it is thought that costsavings will be made by ordering own-brand and FOB merchandise in larger quantities for a greater number of stores across Europe, rather than allowing each national office to place its own orders. However, some observers have

Toy World 64

questioned whether the European market can really be harmonised in this way. There are some American companies which have a tendency to view Europe as a single territory, but time and time again it has been shown that regional variations are significant, and there is a prevailing belief that Europe can’t be handled as a single market in the way that America can.

On a more positive note, Toys R Us is also looking at transforming its retail approach with some bold new initiatives. The company will start with a prototype store in New York this year, featuring interactive technology and a play area. “It has to be something where kids want to go and play,” CEO Antonio Urceley recently commented. “We have to reinforce that we are a specialist.” Taking away selling space to add play space may not seem like a natural remedy to fix a declining sales model, but the move is designed to make Toys R Us a more engaging destination to shop, which the management clearly believes will appeal to consumers.

Moving forward, could Toys R us also decide to experiment with its real estate format? In Asia, for example, the company has 427 stores, most of which are typically smaller than their European and American outlets. For many years, the Asian stores have been focusing on interactivity and giving kids a fun experience, an approach which is now being adopted in other territories. Whether Europe and America will also choose to adopt the smaller store format popular in Asia is an interesting question.

With a combination of renewed emphasis on the bottom line and fresh focus on its instore engagement, it is clear that the Toys R Us management has appreciated that it has to do something different. Whether these new developments are enough, and whether they have been implemented in time, remains to be seen. But one things is for certain: every toy supplier wants to see Toys R Us survive and thrive.

A former senior Toys R Us director I spoke to over a year ago suggested that a large part of the battle was internal, a fight for the ‘soul’ of the company between financial people and retail strategists, as much as a fight to reduce a growing debt burden. Right now, it seems that the retail strategists – the ‘traders’ - are calling the shots. If these new initiatives produce the right results, hopefully it will assuage the money-men. If they don’t, the alternative would have major repercussions across the global toy market, putting the demise of a single-territory retailer like Woolworths into stark perspective. Which is why toy companies will continue to do everything they can to be supportive of Toys R Us – the toy industry needs them, it’s as simple as that.

Toymaster-show-Toyworld-2015.pdf

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Toymaster

It’s show time Managing editor John Baulch catches up with Toymaster’s operations newly-appointed managing director Ian Edmunds ahead of the May show.

How has the year started for your members?

I’m pleased to say that it’s been a better start to the year than anyone anticipated. We’re getting good feedback from the members and seeing that reflected in the numbers. We thought it would be difficult to anniversary the Lego numbers from 2014, but if anything Lego is even stronger than last year. Our Lego purchases as a group are up and sales out have been good as well. If anything, the challenge is getting hold of enough stock.

Other than that, it’s mostly the new things which have been launched at the start of the year that have really stood out. Paw Patrol has been very good, as has Shopkins. Big Hero 6 did well when the movie was released, especially Baymax.

After the success of ‘Ring and Reserve’ last year, are there any new initiatives being introduced for 2015?

Unsurprisingly, our major new initiative is centred on the great retail opportunity that is Black Friday. It has really made an impact across the retail spectrum, and it’s the perfect event for us to capitalise on. Christmas business as a whole has moved earlier because of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so it makes sense for us to respond to the consumer demand. We’ll be giving members more details on our plans just before the May Show. It’s a great opportunity for retailers and therefore a great opportunity for toy suppliers – we’re sure there will be some great offers for our members to buy into.

How difficult will it be to replace loom bands?

Of course, it will be very difficult. The loom band craze didn’t just give our members huge turnover, it also generated massive additional footfall, and many people picked up other things while they were in the stores. There isn’t another craze of that magnitude on the horizon: there has been a bit of a resurgence in trading cards, but nothing on the scale of loom bands.

What do you think will be the key licences for 2015?

Frozen has carried on well at the start of the year. There’s still plenty of business to be done, albeit spread across too many lines if I’m being honest. Minions will be the big one for the middle of the year, and we’ll see what Star Wars brings at the end of the year.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for your members this year?

Well there are no new challenges this year in particular. As always, the biggest challenge is getting people into the shops, which means having a product which the consumer really wants. Our Irish members have an additional challenge with what’s going on with the Euro of course.

Do you hope to grow the Toymaster membership this year, or have you reached a plateau in terms of membership numbers?

Well, put it this way, we don’t have a map with pins in it or anything like that – but there are always new opportunities out there. More than half of our members are new since 2008: the world changes, and Toymaster is changing with it. We have a business model that works for our members, and if there are other toy retailers out there that think it might work for them, we’d be delighted to talk to them. We have the perfect shop window with the May Show, it’s a great opportunity for retailers to see what we’re all about and to see if we’re right for their business.

Do you have anything specific planned for the evening events at this year’s show?

We’ll be running a Mexican night on the Tuesday and a black tie dinner on the Wednesday. We have something special planned for the Wednesday night, but you’ll have to come along and see – I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.

Toy World 66

Roger Dyson recently stepped down from his role as managing director of Toymaster. How difficult is it to follow in his footsteps?

Roger obviously casts an enormous shadow, he’s hugely well-respected in the industry. It’s been a fantastic 15 years working with him as MD: I have the utmost respect for Roger, I’ve learned so much from him. If someone was coming in cold, it would be like following Sir Alex Ferguson!

But it’s important to remember that Roger hasn’t left Toymaster. He’s still working three days a week, and that will go down to two days a week from July. He’s been at all the recent regional meetings, and he’s going to continue to work with Toymaster for as long as he wants.

You’ll still see Roger at the May Shows and Toy Fairs, and he’ll continue to be involved in board meetings and the whole decisionmaking process.

I see it as a transition – a handover that has been planned for many years. Continuity is important to Toymaster, we have a very stable operation. This is very much evolution, not revolution – nothing drastic is going to change.

touchingbase

Sponsored by

Best in show In this month’s Touching Base, we ask a selection of Toymaster exhibitors what makes the show a success for them and what exclusive offers they’ll be offering to attending retailers.

Jazwares

K’nex

Dan Sugrue

Paul Fogarty Toymaster is one of the most important dates in our calendar.

It’s such a great chance for us to get some face-to-face time with independent retailers and an opportunity for them to see products in person. We can offer great deals during the show that encourage retailers to make orders for the remainder of the year and the all-important Christmas season.

K-Force is a particularly exciting launch for us as it was inspired by hundreds of thousands of online searches for blasters made from K’nex, so we know we are genuinely satisfying consumer demand. We’re bringing our in store K-force concept, a moving target blasting gallery, to Toymaster and we think it will really bring to life the range for retailers. Other new launches include girls’ Stem learning range Mighty Makers, dinosaur and dragon themed line Beasts Alive, plus new additions to our core ranges.

Jazwares will be exhibiting for the first time at the Toymaster show.

The independent toy trade is of huge importance for both building existing and launching new brands within the UK, and Toymaster gives us the opportunity to maximise our distribution potential within this key channel.

We are putting together a range deal where we will reward retailers for placing orders with free of charge stock on some selected lines.

We’ll be refreshing and bringing to market new lines within the increasingly popular Terraria range and we have a continued focus on our TV advertised range of Bungees, plus Adventure Time, Plants v Zombies and Teen Titans.

In terms of newness for AW15, we will be extending our Blueprints papercraft range into Star Wars and we are re-launching Tree Fu Tom with an exciting new range of toys.

247 Toys

Interplay

Being present at the Toymaster show is a must for all suppliers. Whilst it gives you an opportunity to meet buyers that don’t attend Toy Fair, it also allows you to present key seasonal lines for both summer and Christmas.

Everybody always looks forward to this show, it’s an ideal mix of business and pleasure – a key indicator in building relationships.

Our show deals include 10% of order value back in Free of Charge stock and special pricing on certain ranges – visit the stand to find out more.

We’ve plenty of ranges to show as we have a huge amount of products that we distribute/wholesale. However, we’ve exclusive UK distribution on many lines including MLP Guess Who, various versions of Monopoly, Schleich Playset and our specialist games – Firefly, Spartacus and Homeland to name a few. We’ll also be hoping to announce a new licenced game which is currently under wraps.

Interplay has exhibited at the Toymaster show for many years. It is always very well attended, giving us the opportunity to catch up with both loyal customers and new prospects in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The evening social events are also great for networking, but the most encouraging aspect of the show is that it is commercially viable with orders taken easily and covering the cost of attendance.

We like to offer a good incentive to order at the show. This year, customers who place £500+ orders will receive over £295 worth (at retail) of our hottest lines absolutely free.

This year, we are showcasing loads of exciting new products and ranges. Two new ranges to Interplay’s portfolio are FabLab,a set of fabulous experimental activity kits and Wood Worx, a popular range of fun wooden craft kits.

We will also be focusing on our established brands, including MyStyle Craft which has several new and exciting additions, our evergreen and ever popular My Living World range featuring the new and unique Instant Flower Press Kit and our Craft Box brand that includes the amazingly popular Fairy Garden kit.

Wendy Hicks

Ross Ainsworth

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Clementoni

Marvin’ Magic

Michele Marziliano

Rakesh Kakaya

The Toymaster show truly is the flagship of shows for independent stores in the UK, allowing buyers to preview all new and existing products from some of the top suppliers. Over the years, it has allowed us to continue to grow our range into independent high street stores. We feel that the show is also successful due to the high attendance of members over the three days.

We have Toymaster special deals that we will be offering to those that commit to orders at the show. We also have three products in the Toymaster Christmas catalogue, which is a first in over five years.

Our main focus will be a brand new product called the Marvin’s i-Magic Set. It’s an interactive magic set that combines traditional magic with digital fun. Using augmented reality technology, video magic effects and classic interactive props, the next generation of illusionists will be wowing family and friends with a whole new world of magic tricks.

The Toymaster show is giving us the chance to see all our independent customers and get feedback on how the last year has been and also what they expect from the current year We are proposing a strong offer for the show – 20% off the price list on our whole collection.

We are presenting our entire collection but a big focus will be on the new adult puzzle range, Tea time, Paw Patrol products, the new Dreamworks children’s puzzle collection and our Science products.

re:creation Adrian Mayes

Brainstorm Nick Saunders

The show is extremely well organised and has grown in importance for both Toymaster members and clients outside of the Toymaster group. To me, it is one of the important signals for the year ahead. You get a real sense from the independents as to how the UK and Irish business will shape up. It is also another great event for meeting customers generally and the members certainly have their buying heads on.

We will have an attractive free stock offer for the show and we have some fantastic new lines to demonstrate this year, including our clever new Creepy Crawly Catcher which forms part of the Brainstorm Toys Outdoor Adventure range. Kids can explore, catch, study and release all their favourite creepy crawlies.

It includes a bug catch jar, magnifier and practice bug. A further addition to this range is the new Night Vision Torch which has a bright red light, illuminating objects without losing your natural adaptation to the dark. Our real life Aqua Dragons always cause a stir on the stand and this year we are introducing the beautifully illustrated Aqua Dragons books to complement the range.

For us, Toymaster is a mustattend event. It offers the opportunity to meet business and store owners directly to discuss and view our key products before selections are made for the peak retail trading period. The communication goes both ways too, with the opportunity to receive valuable feedback. We regard independents as a key channel, enabling us to access consumers across a wider platform nationwide.

We have a number of show only offers that will offer additional margin and value opportunities across selected items from our core brands. Highlights are a special purchase on our new Make-a-Bar range – buy one case get a second half price, and this includes our Minions range. There will also be a show only price on the Razor Berry Kick scooter and a great saving on our Air storm Zano Bow. We have several brand new lines to present as well as proven performers.

There are additions to our 2014 stand out success plush launch, Stretchkins, and a fantastic new collectible plush line, Zigamazoos. Our Lego Lights offering continues to deliver great results and, with the next instalment of the Star Wars franchise on its way this year, we’re proud to showcase our Star Wars line alongside the other popular themed lines, DC Heroes, Ninjago and more. We’ll be showcasing the new Make-a-Bar Chocolate Factory range including the licensed Minions edition, while our Air Storm performance launcher brand welcomes new FireTek light-up additions. Of course there will be more news from our unstoppable Razor Crazy Cart and electric scooters ranges.

WORKING TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN

Leading The Way In Toy Safety & Quality • PRODUCT TESTING • QUALITY INSPECTIONS • MANUFACTURING AUDITS • DESIGN EVALUATIONS • CHEMICAL SAFETY ASSESSMENTS • ADVISORY SERVICES W: ul.com/toys

E: qaenquiries@ul.com

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Brainstorm Toys

H. Grossman

New to the Brainstorm Toys Outdoor Adventure range this year is the Creepy Crawly Catcher. Featuring the patented Spider Catcher, the device allows children to explore, catch, study and release all their favourite creepy crawlies. It includes a bug catch jar, magnifier and practice bug.

The booklet contains bug record sheets and a secret code to unlock online bonus bug information. It is available at the end of April.

The T-rex Projector and Room Guard is a T-rex shaped projector which has 24 dinosaur images to project onto children’s bedroom walls. It also becomes a room guard and roars into action every time an unwanted visitor trespasses into the room.

The Aqua Dragons Jurassic Time Travel Eggspedition allows children to hatch real pre-historic creatures in the cracked-egg tank with a dinosaur sleeping in its base. With the push of a button, the baby dinosaur blows air through its nose and the LED base illuminates the tank at night.

Both the T-Rex Projector and Room Guard and Aqua Dragons range will be supported by a TV Campaign with regular bursts of activity throughout the year.

Brainstorm will be offering extra free stock deals based on the value of orders placed at the show.

The Speedy scooter is designed for those who want to know how fast they can go. The aluminium deck provides stability as does the steel T bar steering. In a variety of colourways, the standout feature is the easy to read speedometer.

The e-star electric scooter is battery powered and suitable for anyone under 70kg. Once fully charged, the scooter will run for 8-10 kms at a time with a top speed of 12km.

Following on from the award-winning Loom Twister range, the company has reintroduced Skoobies strings The Minions range includes outdoor products, scooters, bikes, skateboards, trikes, inline skates, helmets, a pogo stick and a balance bike. There is also a host of pocket money items including yo yos, bubble wands, keyrings, balls, wobblers and fingerboards.

The award-winning Megasaurs range is complemented this year by a range of dinosaurs in a variety of sizes.

Car Trax is a chunky flexible track that connects and interconnects so that young children can collect the various sets and join them all together. Each set includes its own vehicle.

01200 445113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk

0141613 2525 | www.ozbozz.com

Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Super Hero and Super Star are key themes for Barbie this year and fashion products include the Barbie Rainbow Hair Doll.

Hot Wheels sees the launch of The Connectors, a group of four boys who thrive on adrenaline-fuelled racing adventures, supported with extensive video content. The product range includes the TV advertised Track Builder Spiral Stack-Up and Super Speed Blastway in spring/summer and the Nitrobot Attack and Track Builder Lava Launcher in autumn/winter, as well as diecast collaborations with Porsche and James Bond. Star Wars fans will be able to reenact their favourite scenes with the new Hot Wheels Star Wars range.

Mega Brands, now part of the Mattel family, offers a pre-school line now endorsed by Fisher-Price with Mega Bloks including the popular First Builders range. Firm favourites are the Big Building Bag and Build ’n Learn Table, complimented by the new Push ‘n Pull Block Picker. The new Thomas & Friends collection will introduce the Zooming Along at Brendam Docks playset featuring a buildable and motorized Thomas engine. New additions to the Mega Brands range include launches from Sponge Bob, Minions and Terminator Genisys.

Its full steam ahead for Thomas & Friends in his 70th anniversary year with product launches including ‘rollers’ with the new My First Rail Rollers Spiral Station, while Remote Control Thomas remains popular in My First collection. The Take-n-Play range welcomes the Daring Dragon Drop, while the hero item for TrackMaster is the Shipwreck Rails playset based on the latest CGI feature length special Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure to be released this autumn.

This autumn, Fisher-Price launches its new Bing Bunny toy range bringing the characters to life, including interactive My Friend Bing, plus a series of figures, vehicles, playsets and bath toys.

A new Dora & Friends range will feature a Dora Doll and Dora and Perrito alongside accessories such as Dora’s Smartphone and Magic Charms Bracelet.

Fisher-Price’s Octonauts range introduces the new Speeders playset for the mini Gup speeders, plus the new Gup I as well as Gup Y and Talking Gup E playsets.

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uk@clementoni.com - T. 0203 206 1396 - www.clementoni.com -

Clementoni UK

Toymaster

Bladez Toys

Clementoni

New for 2015, and in time for the two biggest movie releases of the year, Bladez has a new line up of Minions and Star Wars characters to present along with some special offers and free units.

Also available is the new Mycropodz range of Super Micro RC (radio control) gadgets.

Bladez has engineered a super-nano, 6cm Quadcopter, complete with four channels, 360° flip capabilities, bright LED lights and protective safety rotor guards around the blades. This mini-drone can be charged between flights whilst sitting safely inside the handset used to control it.

Also in the collection, and consistent with the Mycropodz’ store and charge combination, a 1:64 scale camper sits neatly inside the handset – which is based on the front of a VW Bus. Users can drive forward and back by pushing the buttons built into headlamp on the left, and drive left and right by pushing those on the right headlamp.

The micro bus is modelled on the classic 1962 split screen camper and is available in a variety of colours.

Clementoni will display a selection from its line of educational games; highlights include The Interactive Globe and the Young Learners range.

The new talking globe comes with an optical reader pen that allows children to learn about the continents and countries of the world, along with their populations, languages and more. Clementoni will also introduce its new Young Learners range, which features games designed to develop early literacy and mathematical skills.

The company will launch a new Tea Time collection for the UK market in its adult puzzles category. The range features heritage artwork of English scenes including country houses, London tourist attractions and Christmas highlights. The collection consists of 1,000-piece panoramic and standard 500-, 1,000-, 1,500-piece jigsaws.

Also on show will be a selection from Clementoni’s baby range of toys and interactive products. In addition to Disney and own-branded products, the Baby Clementoni line includes Baby Clemmy and Clemmy Plus with Clementoni’s patented soft block design.

Clementoni’s line of science games, Science & Play, will also be a focus at the show. Made in Italy, the range introduces children to physics, chemistry, biology and gastronomy, and allows them to use real scientific instruments in a creative and safe way.

02392 658 255 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk

020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com

K’nex

Interplay

K’nex will showcase K-Force, a range of buildable, customisable blasters.

New line K’nex Mighty Makers will also appear at the show. This new approach to construction play offers girls Stem learning experiences through aviation, horticulture and marine biology themed playsets. New range K’nex Beasts Alive incorporates dinosaur and dragon themed builds with motorised walking and wing movements.

Construction range K’nex Thrill Rides gives builders the chance to recreate the fun of an amusement park at home with large scale theme park rides at a range of price points. Toymaster exclusive Viper’s Venom has more than 500 K’nex pieces to build a roller coaster over three feet high, including motorized action and 18 feet of track.

At the heart of the K’nex range is a collection of building tubs and treasure chests. New sets for 2015 include Combat Crew 5 in 1, which offers motorised movement and builds five military vehicles.

K’nex’s licensing portfolio for 2015 includes SuperMario and Mario Kart, Titanfall, Plants vs. Zombies and Family Guy.

FabLab, Interplay’s new range of activity kits, includes Glitter Tattoos and Nail Art kits both of which will feature in the Toymaster catalogue and be supported with summer and autumn TV advertising campaigns. Launched earlier this year, these kits are already proving to be successful with retailers and consumers.

Also featuring in the Toymaster Catalogue is Fairy Garden, the hero line in Interplay’s Craft Box range. New to the Craft Box range this year is Fairy Charm Jewellery and Snowflake Jewellery.

One of the highlights of Interplay’s portfolio is the award-winning myStyle Jewellery Brand. New kits include the Steampunk, Shamballa Rainbow and Surf Style Jewellery. The brand is to be backed with comprehensive TV campaigns.

Interplay is also offering a “not to be missed” show offer at the stand.

01189 253 270 | www.knex.co.uk

01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com

Toymaster

Schleich

01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com/en Schleich will be showing the new autumn winter catalogue lines together with retailer display options for its licensed DC Comics figures and the Dinosaur collection.

The new Watering Hole for the World of Nature provides an authentic backdrop for Lions, Zebras and other beasts of the savannah to meet up and comes with accessories and animal figures.

The new Boxed Collections are being launched across the whole portfolio. These ready to play sets include both figures and an expanding range of accessories.

The new licensed collection of DC Comic Figures from the Justice League feature famous superheroes and their archenemies such as Batman, The Joker, Superman and Darkseid. Already launched, these figures provide a collector’s quality figure at toy prices. An FSDU option has been introduced.

The World of History collection has been extended and now includes eight collectible Mini Dinos as well as a display unit.

Winning Moves

0207 262 9696 | www.winningmoves.co.uk Leading the way for the Top Trumps portfolio is Minions Top Trumps. The pack focuses on the 30 best moments of the movie where players must compare craziness, bravery and adventure. There will also be a Top Trumps Minions Movie Collector Tin joining the Top Trumps family later in the year.

Top Trumps Shopkins are inspired by items from aisles in the grocery store and come in their own individual shopping baskets.

The Bananagrams collection will be represented with the new Bananagrams WildTiles. The game includes six unique monkey WildTiles, putting an all-new spin on the original anagram game.

For pre-schoolers, Peppa Pig Guess Who will be showcased. Peppa Pig will also be launching the new Top Trumps Activity Tin featuring five different games and eight double sided picture cards.

A children’s edition of the classic game, Dinosaurs Trivial Pursuit challenges children to answer a variety of questions all based around the topic of dinosaurs.

The Waddingtons 3 in 1 Backgammon, Chess and Draughts set will be representing the more traditional side of the company’s board game collection.

This premium bundle includes three classics: hand crafted wooden Chess, Draughts and Backgammon.

Flying Gadgets

0844 209 2626 | www.flyinggadgets.com The Flying Gadgets X-Vision is a new entry-level six-axis gyro quad machine offering all the flying abilities of larger models in a compact unit whilst maintaining high spec tech credentials. In addition to flip and roll flight abilities, this searchlight-equipped machine has first person view on-board so users can beam back live HD footage to their Apple device attached to the remote control unit.

The Flying Gadgets X-Voice uses voice control technology and is preprogrammed with 16 different languages. It is able to understand accents and dialects and is virtually indestructible thanks to the flexible caging surrounding each of the four propellers.

The company is expanding its fleet of RC ride-on cars for children. These scale replicas of cars include the Beetle and Mercedes G55. They each feature a 6V or 12V battery, seat belt and a parental remote control for safety.

Show offers include 20% off all orders over £250 and free UK mainland shipping, 50% off Flying Gadgets Water/Chip/Bubble cars with every order and 10% off your second order. Offers exclude all DJI products.

Marvin’s Magic 01582 849 000 | www.marvinsmagic.com

The new Marvin’s iMagic interactive magic sets combine traditional magic with digital elements. Using augmented reality technology, video magic effects and classic interactive props, the products aim to help the next generation of illusionists to wow their family and friends.

Due for international launch in autumn 2015, Marvin’s iMagic products will appear to include magic X-ray machines that reveal hidden items, apps on a digital screen that, once shaken, will physically appear in the magician’s hand and unbelievable card effects.

The company has incorporated more than 25 years’ experience in the magic industry with the digital language and technology that the next generation of magicians are now embracing. Marvin’s Magic wanted to create smart magic for smart devices, by combining some of the timeless props that remain a magician’s trusted friend, with the latest technology.

All tricks are supported by simple, visual step-by-step instructions and include hidden secrets.

Toymaster

John Adams

01480 414361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams will be showcasing the full Pip Ahoy! range, including Toymaster catalogue line Mr Morris’ Bubble Train Playset. The train playset is made up of fully articulated carriages with seats that move the figures up and down as the train moves along, and features a chimney spout with bubble effect.

The Bangle Blitz Festival Girl Set enables children to create bangles using wooden bangle sticks and a variety of colourful wrap designs. The set includes enough content to make 20 bangles and will be TV advertised.

The Disney Frozen licence joins the company’s creative collection this year and representing the range at the show will be the Disney Frozen Snow Glowbz Light & Sparkle Palace Studio, which allows children to create their own light-up Snow Glowbz featuring Elsa, Anna and Olaf, which can then be worn as necklaces or displayed in the Ice Castle case.

The popular Blo Pens range will also be showcased via the Disney Princess Blo Pens Activity Set which comes with 10 Blo Pens, six reusable stencils and 10 sheets of paper branded with Disney Princess characters.

The latest food craft sets joining the company’s food craft category are the Mini-Make Cupcake set and the MixUbbles Drinks Maker.

New for the games category this year are Triominos Classic De Luxe, Rummikub Classic and Dinkee Linkee. Within the growing action games portfolio are The Greedy Sheep and Shopkins Supermarket Scramble Game.

The Tiny Tears Golden Princess Anniversary Doll will also be on display.

A.B.Gee

01773 570444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee of Ripley will present Science4you, an exclusive range of educational toys and games, as well as a selection of toys and models from wooden toys, Trefl jigsaws and remote control helicopters, quad copters, cars, trucks and boats.

New and exclusive to A.B.Gee is Guess the Fake, an award winning interactive game for all the family. The product has won the Australian Toy Association 2015 Toy of the Year Award for Games.

Storidoo is an interactive toy for creating and listening to up to 50 stories. Storidoo guides the child step by step to create his or her own stories which can then be replayed whenever they want.

Both products will be backed with an extensive national TV campaign broadcast across CITV and Sky TV channels: Nickelodeon, NickToons, Nick JR, Nick JR2, POP, POP Girl, Tiny POP, Kix and BOX music.New 20 second TV adverts are due to air from the end of August 2015.

A wide range of products from Hasbro, Mattel, Hornby, Airfix, Corgi and many others will also be on display.

Casdon

01253 766411 | www.casdon.co.uk Casdon presents a range of branded and generic role-play toys such as washing machines, cookers and vacuum cleaners.

This year will see more to choose from under the Little Cook sub-brand including an expansion of the Morphy Richards toys with a replica microwave, completing a kitchen trio with the make believe Morphy Richards Toaster and Morphy Richards Kettle.

New to the Casdon kitchen for 2015 is the Annabel Karmel Cookery collection.

The My Perfect Pastry Set has everything needed for a young baker with mixing bowl, cutters, measuring spoons and three separate tins.

Casdon’s Little Helper aims to encourage children to clean up after themselves.

Evergreen role-play toys such as replica Henry vacuums continue to go from strength to strength as well as the Dyson Ball with its pivot action and internal beads to replicate the suction power.

Other collections include the Little Shopper range with its tills, trolleys, baskets and the Post Office Set with its weigh scales, post box, pretend cash and stampers, plus magazine and card racks.

This year, Casdon will not only expand its collection, but will expand its marketing support for retailers too. This will include a strategic year round online campaign and social media schedule to further the awareness of all the firm’s toys.

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Spin Master

Trends UK

01628 535 000 | www.spinmaster.com

01235 838 600 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK will be showcasing feature plush from Disney Sheriff Callie’s Wild West and Just Play’s Puppy Surprise as well as science kits from Discovery Channel and Trends UK Science Mad and other highlights from the 2015 ranges.

The Disney Sheriff Callie’s Wild West toy range includes collectible soft plush toys and figure playsets, plus a dress-up outfit.

The hero item of the range is the Sheriff Callie Callie-oke feature plush. Dancing and moving her mouth, Sheriff Callie Callie-oke sings the theme tune and says well-known phrases from the TV series.

Trends UK has re-launched the Puppy Surprise brand featuring a mummy dog with a surprise number of puppies in her litter. The Puppy Surprise Plush assortment has three dogs to choose from and each has puppies in its velcro pouch.

The Trends UK Science range has been refreshed with a new Science Mad logo and branding.

Recommended for ages 10 and over, budding scientists can mix the ingredients to watch chemical reactions, create slimy volcanoes or grow crystals to find out how nature’s building materials work for real.

The Discovery Channel science toys aim to inspire children to explore the world around them. Young scientists can satisfy their curiosity through a range of real world related products with working features that simulate the high-tech products that experts use to explore the environment.

247 Toys

0121 270 2655 | www.247toys.co.uk 247 Toys has exclusive distribution on a core selection of specialist games.

The company’s big news at the moment is a new licenced game which will be revealed at the show.

Stores are able to buy singles and order little and often from 247 Toys across many ranges and the carriage paid order value is only £100 (mainland UK; £250 Eire, Highlands & Islands). By offering this service, it allows stores to restock items that they may have sold out of whilst they are waiting to reach a carriage paid level with the manufacturer rather than either losing out on sales or turning a customer away as they don’t stock an item they are looking for.

The company is also able to offer a solution when looking at catalogue lines – retailers can purchase from 247 Toys rather than having to make a minimum spend to get one catalogue item.

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Spin Master’s Paw Patrol toy range features Action Pack Pups with transforming backpacks, transforming vehicles, plush and more. A plethora of new products will be available later in the year including the Rescue Training Centre playset.

Another brand off to a strong start is Kinetic Sand. It flows through fingers like a slow-moving liquid, yet leaves them completely dry. Kinetic Sand never dries out so it can be used over and over again and is wheat, gluten and casein free. The range contains bright neon coloured sands and new gem and metallic tones, alongside natural sand. The Sandbox Playset comes with a plastic tray for contained play and underwater themed moulds for creating sandcastles and accessories.

The four foot and two foot tall personal Meccano robots are easy to build using the latest Meccano parts. The advanced Robotic Building platform makes them accessible to a broad range of ages and skill sets. Meccanoid uses its on board “Mecca Brain” and voice recognition to say thousands of phrases, tell jokes, offer facts, play games, initiate conversations and even give a high-five.

The entire Meccano range will have a new look from autumn including new pieces with metallic treatment, new ergonomically designed tools and new packaging. Spin Master will be offering Toymaster members a specially negotiated Meccano offer for spring at the show.

Chubby Puppies is a new Spin Master Girls collectible range launching in autumn. These puppies come in a variety of breeds with different funny walks which can be changed by switching the position of their feet. There are 12 different breeds of Chubby Puppies to adopt, along with Mini Playsets and the Ultimate Dog Park.

The Knits Cool Knitting Studio allows children to create knitted creations without the use of traditional knitting needles. Different projects kits are available with different sized knitting posts for use with the studio.

N Ar ew r iv al s Exc

lus i

ve to A.B Ge e!

* *

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

*Official Licenced products

Toymaster

Vivid

01483 449 944 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk The i-Que Intelligent Robot is packed full of jokes, trivia, sound effects, quizzes and games.

My Friend Freddy is designed for pre-schoolers. Parents can enter details of the child and their family into the app and Freddy will incorporate them into the things he says.

For boys, Real FX is a next generation slotless racing system. Thunderbirds Are Go! launches in July and the company thinks the Tracy Island Playset is sure to be a winner.

The Chocolate Pen, Bubba Dubbas and Dave the Funky Shoulder Monkey will also be on display, as well as product extensions from evergreen brands AniMagic and Peter Rabbit.

There are eight new Drumond Park games launching this year, from preschool to adult.

Crayola will be showcasing lines for the year including the new augmented reality colouring book Colour Alive, Paint Maker and Thread Wrapper which allows girls to upcycle items.

Tomy

01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com Tomy will be showcasing its full range of toy products including Lamaze, Britains Farm, John Deere Pre School, Aquadoodle, Pokémon and Infant and Toddler Toys.

The company will be running an added-value special offer across all the ranges at the show.

The Foam Cone Factory comes out in autumn 2015. It is a bath toy that lets children play at making ice-cream cones, and comes complete with a sprinkle shaker.

The new John Deere First Farming Fun collection includes soft touch figures, farm vehicles, farm accessories and chunky farm animals including a cow, a horse, a goat, a sheep dog, a cat and a a cockerel. Each different farm vehicle and attachment features roll along wheels.

Kidicraft

01282 500 899 | www.kidicraft.com

Artstraws

01792 796151 | www.artstraws.com Artstraws continues its programme of new products for the popular Creation Station spinner display stand. Sets of six individual stencils of Dinosaurs, Wild Animals, Creepy Crawlies and Farm Animals will be shown at the show and Foam Dinosaurs, Junior Art Brushes and a Messy Play Smock will be added to the Painting & Colouring range.

Customers who don’t yet have a Creation Station Spinner display stand are invited to call at the Artstraws stand in the carriage Suite to discuss having one in store. Enquiring retailers will be entitled to £125 (retail value) of free stock, whether they decide to take the stand or not.

The stand displays over £900 at SRPs on just one square metre of floor space. The deal is only available at the show.

Extra products from the Primo range of Italian arts and crafts have been added to Kidicraft’s domestic stock holding with more planned additions throughout the year. The Fantasia set has 14 poster paint tubes, 15 x 30mm diameter watercolours, one paintbrush, one palette, one HB pencil, one eraser and one sharpener all in a storage and carry case that doubles as an easel. The Poster Paint Tubes have been in high demand following the release of the new Primo 2015 Catalogue in March.

The Mostaix Mosaic Art will see further lines being added in the form of pocket money items. My First Mosaic Art Mini is a smaller version of the boxed Purple Ribbon Series. Completely new for 2015 are the Make My Own Badge kits which are available in boxed sets and header carded versions.

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Wock E N d 99 d .

Pa ÂŁ14 P RR

NEW Box Sets from Schleich Throughout 2015 Schleich will be launching brand new box sets across all ranges. The new box sets, including the expanding range of accessories, are great for gifting, cover a range of price points, are easy to merchandise and offer retailers a chance to diversify and expand their Schleich range.

Schleich UK, 4 Stansted Courtyard, Parsonage Road, Takeley, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 6PU T: 01279 870000 E: schleich@schleich-s.co.uk W: www.schleich-s.com

Toy World May Issue 2015 v2.indd 1

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Toymaster

Character Options

DKL

Character Options will showcase Little Live Pets, Minecraft, Clangers and Peppa Pig together with new launches including Ugglys Pet Shop and Yummy Nummies.

With Yummy Nummies, children can create mini dishes such as cookies, gummies and pizzas that taste like the real thing.

Launching in May, The Ugglys Pet Shop consists of mini collectible characters. At the heart of the collection will be 101 pet characters and there are many themes to collect as well as a range of playsets and vehicles.

Epoch

pieces and is complemented by the Seaside Cruiser Houseboat which has over 55 pieces including a waterslide, mini boat, island and Freya figure in a sailor outfit. The three tiered Field View Mill, due out in the autumn, will also be on display, boasting over 40 accessories as well as a workable sail and a porch swing.

The Striped Cat Family, a new addition to the collectible range, will also be on display alongside the Chocolate Rabbit Family and the classic Beechwood Hall.

The company will be exhibiting its arts and crafts Aquabeads range, notably the new Beginners Studio.

Complete with over 800 beads in 12 colours, four template sheets and a bead pen.

Famosa’s Nenuco doll and playset brand sees further line introductions for 2015 following a successful 2014 which saw the brand in high demand across the Christmas period.

Key lines include Nenuco Bathtime, a 42cm soft body doll that can be immersed in water, has its own dolphin float and blows bubbles below the water.

Nenuco Hugging is a 42cm soft bodied, cuddly doll that moves her arms, swings her head and hugs her pillow. Both will be supported by a TV campaign.

Epoch will be showcasing its new Sylvanian Families Seaside range which launched earlier this year. The Adventure Treasure Ship includes more than 20

Esdevium Games will display a range of Disney licensed games, including the picture-trivia family game, Pictopia.

After a year of growth for the Pokémon Trading Card Game in 2014, Esdevium will be offering a 10% off trade deal for orders on the latest expansion: Pokemon TCG: XY – Roaring Skies!

Other show specials include free stock offers on Zomlings Series 3, the returning collection of Front Porch Classics and Esdevium’s growing range of TV-licensed board games.

Flair’s World of Warriors collection boasts mini figure packs with over 120 figures to collect in Series 1 alone. Fans can emulate the game play in the Battle Fortress Playset whilst Deluxe Action Figures will represent lead hero characters.

Flair’s girls’ portfolio will see a new pet collectible, Pet Parade, with realistic puppy breeds as well as accessories and playsets.

Shopkins Series 3 will see the introduction of themed segments within the range. The Food Fair will house food themed characters and playsets whilst the new fashion spree collection will include playsets styled on shoes and makeup.

I-DO-3D allows children to transform 2D templates into 3D models. Styluses will be available in a range of kits including how to guide templates.

Esdevium Games

Famosa

Flair

DKL’s main attractions are the Scentco Graphite Smencils Cylinder, Hama 10,000 Beads & Pegboards in Tub, Hama Funny Face Set and the Hama Space Set. Further highlights include the new Disney Frozen scented stationery, licensed sets from Hama Beads, the On the Go collection of travel games from Miniland, soft plush beanies from Breyer, Role Play Kitchens from Wonderworld, fashion dolls from Corolle and bath toys from Munchkin.

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...toys & gifts designed to inspire

8843 Toymaster Advert.indd 1

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Toymaster

Golden Bear

Hornby

HTI

Golden Bear’s Twirlywoos range includes talking soft toys and the pull-along Big Red Boat which mimics learning patterns from the show, combining electronic elements and character figures.

The company’s Hey Duggee plush offering will include collectible characters and talking Squirrel Soft Toys which each come with their own badge.

The In the Night Garden range has been extended to include the battery powered Ninky Nonk Track and Train Set, Peek-a-boo Igglepiggle and Explore and Learn Activity Table.

The Something Special brand has been extended and Super Sweep will join the Sooty collection for AW15.

seat and rear bullet screen will also be on display, as well as the Airfix Quick Build range of snap together models.

IMC’s Kao Kao is a cuddly interactive koala with sensored technology. It makes a noise when someone walks in the room, can get the hiccups after drinking and is sent to sleep when its forehead is petted.

Charlie Talkie the Parrot repeats what people say and can be worn on the shoulder like a real parrot or carried around in a cage.

Hornby is presenting two Scalextric 007 sets featuring both the original DB5 and the new DB10.

The products will feature themed packaging incorporating the new Aston Martin DB10 and chase car from the forthcoming movie.

The Scalextric Continental Sports Cars Race Set includes LMP and Pro GT cars tough enough for full impact racing. Children can build four different layouts with the track supplied and the set includes a lap counter.

A gold Aston Martin DB5 1:46 scale model complete with retractable machine guns, ejector

IMC

HTI’s Disney Frozen Colour Match Snowflake Bag changes colour to match over 100 different colours when it is help against something that the child wants to match it to.

The My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Style n Groom comes with styling accessories that can be used on the pony and also the girls themselves.

The new Mamas & Papas Armadillo dolls pushchair is inspired by the real life nursery best seller with a yellow colourway and matching shoulder bag. It features a reclining seat, under-seat shopping basket and folding mechanism.

There will also be a representation from brands including Silver Cross and Mamas & Papas dolls prams and pushchairs, Peppa Pig role-play toys and dolls prams, Minions role-play character cases, Frozen wheeled, My Little Pony role-play toys, Hello Kitty glam-up, JCB vehicles, Mickey Mouse and Ultimate Spiderman wheeled toys, Tonka vehicles, Spiderman wheeled plus in-house brands Evo scooters, Double Bubble and Teamsterz die-cast and track sets.

Jazwares

For Jazwares, Terraria will be a main show focus, as will the Adventure Time, Plants v Zombies, Teen Titans, and Bungees ranges. Retailers will be able to view the Blueprints paper craft range available in TMN Turtles, Marvel Avengers and Star Wars, including the Millennium Falcon adventure pack complete with Han Solo, Chewbacca and Princess Leia paper craft action figures.

John Crane’s own brand of toys, Tidlo, is made up of a portfolio of vintage designs with a modern twist and now includes themed ranges.

B has more new items and Bristle Blocks will also be on display. The Our Generation brand is about girls growing up together and is welcoming 99 new products.

John Crane

Toy World 84

Look who’s joined the Casdon family!

My Perfect Pastry Set

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20/04/2015 13:49

Toymaster

Jumbo Games

LeapFrog

Posh Paws

Jumbo Games will be showcasing a range of products and licences including the Disney Frozen Magical Ice Palace Board Game that features lights and sounds, the new Thunderbirds Collectors Box Set Vol.1 jigsaw puzzles and the Portapuzzle Standard up to 1000 piece.

There will be a show offer on the Spinning Santa Tumble & Spin game.

Palace Pets, My Little Pony, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and Minnie. A new DreamWorks plush collection includes Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda.

Posh Paws has a selection of Disney Mystery Eggs from popular brands such as Avengers, Princess, Cars, Planes, Star Wars, Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First. Each mystery egg includes a key-chain figurine with six characters to collect, plus a sticker, tattoo and information pack.

There will also be some special discounts and show offer bundles available to Toymaster members for orders placed at the show.

Also new is the Jacqueline Wilson board game, the Death in Paradise Mystery Puzzles, Houdini – the World’s First’ 40 challenge escape puzzle and twoplayer game, Rush Hour Shift, to the Thinkfun range.

New to the Subbuteo range is a fully licensed Barcelona main game with special edition features along with licensed Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid teams.

The Puzzle Ball collection has been expanded and there are two 500-piece jigsaw puzzles available for the teams.

Visitors to LeapFrog’s stand will be able to experience and view LeapTV, LeapBand and LeapPad3, and get a first look at the 2015 line up.

The brand’s core learning toy range will be on display, including the Musical Rainbow Tea Party and Read With Me Scout, one of LeapFrog’s most successful learning toy launches to date. Brand new learning toys which will be added to the range this year will also be on show and will benefit from extensive marketing support in 2015, including a tactical PR programme and ATL campaign.

Learning Resources is presenting a number of new products, including new additions to the Primary Science range.

The Big View Telescope provides 20x magnification, a focus wheel and a soft rubber eye piece for easy viewing. Children can use the adjustable tripod for steady viewing or choose to remove it for on-the-go exploration.

Posh Paws will showcase its newest plush brands from movies including Frozen Fever, Inside Out, Star Wars, Cinderella and Marvel Avengers. The company will also present brand new products for existing bestselling licensed brands Doc McStuffins,

New Paul Lamond arrivals being showcased for 2015 include Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Diary of a Wimpy Kid puzzles and Skribblehead, a fastguessing blindfolded drawing game.

Learning Resources

Paul Lamond

Peterkin’s new dollsworld lines include Talking Tilly, an 18” soft bodied, talking doll, and Dolly Doctor which comes complete with a range of doctor’s accessories.

Peterkin will be launching a new range from NeatOh! at the show which includes licensed Star Wars, Hot Wheels and Barbie zip up toy boxes, back packs and playmats as well as dinosaur lines and generic playmats.

King puzzles will feature prominently on the stand, with a range of adult and children’s Disney licensed and generic puzzles. There will also be new Liontouch and Motorzone products.

Peterkin

Toy World 86

Little Helper

re:creation

Little Helper is exhibiting at Toymaster for the first time and will be showcasing the Oops brand of over 100 new soft and wooden toys exclusively for in-store retailers only.

Available in bespoke POS units for in-store theatre, the soft and wooden lines are presented in vibrant gift packaging. re:creation’s plush lines, Stretchkins and Bright Light Pillows will be joined by two further plush brands – the Zigamazoos collectible plush and the Necknapperz range of animal characters which transform into neck pillows.

Also new for the second half, re:creation presents the re-launched Magic Choc Make-a-Bar Chocolate Factory range of creative kits.

The company is introducing the Ninjago keylight range of six collectible character key rings each with light-up feet.

The Air Storm performance launcher brand continues to deliver growth and there is now a new FireTek range of Air Storm products which incorporate LED technology for light displays in the air.

The light-up Party Pop kick scooter has joined the Razor collection.

Worlds Apart is relaunching DreamTown at the show, along with new lines from its GoGlow brand ranging from GoGlow Buddy soft night lights to GoGlow Pal characters.

DreamTown has been updated for 2015. Launching this August with marketing support including TV advertising, the restyled Rose Petal Cottage and co-ordinating accessories has improved play features and a high specification, modern design.

The cuddly, light-up toy range GoGlow Pal has some new additions in the form of Olaf from Disney’s Frozen and Darth Vader from Star Wars. GoGlow Buddy is a soft touch night light shaped into popular characters featuring Minions, Peppa Pig and Star Wars licences.

Worlds Apart

Toymaster

Bandai

Bigjigs Toys

There will be a dinosaur theme to the Bandai stand this year as attention turns to the launch of Power Rangers Dino Charge this summer. The company will be unveiling a FSDU and offering an introductory deal on the range. The range includes the Deluxe Dino Charge Morpher and the latest version of the Deluxe Megazord. The new Dino Eggs from the Hatch N Heroes collection will be on offer and will sit alongside the popular Disney characters from Frozen, Big Hero 6, Toy Story, Cars and Finding Nemo. Bandai is also presenting Sprukits for retailers looking for an alternative construction range.

Bigjigs Toys is showcasing a new selection of colourful wooden shape sorters. New Safari Sorting Lorry and Shape Sorting Lorry are joined by new mobility-improving push along Car Transporter and pull along Holiday Bus. The latter is supplied with figurines for added play value and a sliding roof on the bus to allow easy access for loading up the luggage.

The new Cheeky Monkey and Snazzy collection of soft toys joins the Bigjigs plush range. Teethers can be found on the Spiral Cot Rattle, Comforter and a number of the activity plush items, while texturerich pulls and twisters adorn the Activity Ball and Activity Cube.

Three Bigjigs Trikes will also be on show.

Creative Toys will showcase developments in the SoccerStarz official mini football figure range.

These include the latest top players to emerge and new signings from the Premier League, European clubs and International sides. There are now hundreds of figures to collect.

As well as savings on SoccerStarz trade prices at the show, Toymaster members will receive complimentary free SoccerStarz figures on any orders placed. There will also be the opportunity to

Halilit

Creative Toys receive point-of-sale materials and store visits from the SoccerStarz van.

Galt Toys will present the new Express Yourself range and six new Ambi toys. New products in Galt’s First Years range will also be on display, including preschool puzzles and the new Dino Playnest.

Pop Up Pals and the Lock Up Garage are among the new products on offer from Ambi toys as well as Bird and Fish bath toys.

The Express Yourself range has eight DIY jewellery kits inspired by pop art with bright neon colours and a focus on fashion, friends and self-expression.

Galt will also showcase new products in its Play and Learn, Young Art and Stationery ranges.

Halilit will be showcasing the newest range of pre-school, role-play, transport and bath toys from Battat with launch offers. The Battat range includes the Take-Apart Airplane which was voted the best toy at the London Toy Fair by master child-blogger Beau of Beau’s Toy Farm. The latest baby toys from Taf Toys, musical toys from Halilit, sensory, water and bath time toys from Edushape and construction toys by Interstar will also be on show.

KD UK will be offering a 5% discount on all orders made for licensed and own brand Electronic Learning Aids on the sales partnership stand.

The licensed range includes products from Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam, Disney Princess and In The Night Garden. Autumn/winter will see the introduction of the Thomas & Friends and Paw Patrol toys; which includes My Push & Learn Thomas, a two in one train which teaches pre-schoolers about colours, numbers, shapes, letters and characters but also has moving wheels for extra play value.

The Paw Patrol Walkie Talkies are designed specifically for little hands to that children can enjoy hours of communication.

KD UK

Rainbow Designs has a Shaun the Sheep FSDU offer to support the DVD launch at retail in June. The company will also be showcasing the new Shaun the Sheep official Rugby World Cup Merchandise.

The Peppa Pig Nursery collection will be making its Toymaster debut and has been designed for babies to encourage their early development through play and includes Comfort Blankets, Teethers, Rattle and Chime Toys, Musical Pull Downs and the award-winning Peppa and George Activity Toys.

New additions to the Peter Rabbit Nursery Collection include more Flopsy Bunny products in the form of a Comfort Blanket, Attachable Toy and Wooden Pull Along. There will also be new additions to the Guess How Much I Love You, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Miffy collections.

Wooky Europe’s Style Me Up! offers a range of new sketchbooks, which cover themes including Pop Star, Seasons, Cities, Puppy Love and Riding in Style. Each sketchbook comes with colouring pencils, a stencil sheet, design guide and 50 stickers.

A collaboration with Disney allows budding fashionistas to explore their creative talents across a range of Disney characters including Ariel, Cinderella, Tinker Bell and The Princess Collection or Villains Collection.

For the show, Wooky is offering various deals on sketchbooks including buy five get six across all the lines. This is in addition to the existing terms for Toymaster members guaranteeing a 55% margin return on lowest SRP. This buy five get six deal includes many items in the Style Me Up cosmetic range, including the bestselling hair chalks, and the Nail Art range.

Rainbow Designs

Toy World 88

Galt Toys

Wooky Europe

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Argos had a bit of a nightmare on Good Friday after a computer glitch meant shoppers could only pay with cash and had difficulty collecting online orders. Store phone lines were also affected, and some stores even closed temporarily. Thankfully normal service was restored by lunchtime, but given the fact that Argos is in the process of transitioning its stores to a digital playground, this latest hitch won’t fill consumers with total confidence….

It has been announced that Poundland’s proposed £55m takeover of rival 99p Stores will face an in-depth investigation by competition authorities. The Competition and Markets Authority has suggested that the deal threatens the “choice, value and service for shoppers”, although whether it will actually go so far as to block the move remains highly debatable. Poundland’s sales actually broke the £1 billion last year, which is quite an achievement whichever way you look at it. But the idea that a merger with its competitor will somehow disadvantage shoppers seems to fundamentally misconstrue the state of the value retail sector in the UK… Tesco has been forced to pay out a £9m settlement to two local councils after shelving plans for a new store in Bridgwater in Somerset. In January, new chief executive Dave Lewis announced plans to close 43 existing stores and pull out of building 49 new sites – including one planned for Bridgwater. Tesco has apparently declined to comment on whether it was negotiating compensation settlements with local authorities over the other 48 sites, but one would suspect a rather expensive precedent may well have been set….

In the midst of a turbulent month for Toys R Us, some encouragement for the beleaguered retailer came with the news that a franchisee is planning to open up six stores in the Republic of Ireland this year. Apparently TRU looked at the Irish market a few years back, but decided against opening there. It has obviously had a change of heart, although the timing is certainly interesting, with the UK buying team in the process of being reorganised and the Euro in a somewhat parlous state. If rumours are to be believed, the franchisee in question has previous connections to Smyths Toys, which will undoubtedly lend the whole situation an added frisson….

Meanwhile, over at Tesco, the whole team currently based in the Cheshunt office has apparently been put under consultation, which includes the buying department. A few have already moved on, including Tara Mortimer and Lisa Costello, while others will allegedly learn their fate over the coming weeks. It is also being suggested that there will no longer be a separate European buying team, with the UK and European teams being merged into one single unit….

Another retailer pruning head office staff is Morrisons, which has announced it will be cutting over 700 posts, equivalent to a third of the current head count. Elsewhere, Mark Whittle will be leaving Argos after 3 ½ years to take up the position of head of buying and merchandising at The Entertainer.

One Direction fans are upset - but probably not as upset as licensees – at the news that Zayn has quit the band. It’s always a risk when you licence a property that involves real people, sadly you can’t control them like you can a cartoon. Apparently the band carries on (for now at least), but with all current merchandise featuring Zayn now redundant, it will be a brave licensee that works up a batch of new designs. At least they had a good run while it lasted….

Hornby has been investing significantly in the digital side of its business is Hornby: the company is using the digital sphere to engage with its customers and receive feedback on its new developments. It’s great to see Hornby proving that the traditional and modern worlds can be entirely complementary. Allegedly has always felt that posting a few inanities on twitter or Facebook isn’t an effective social media strategy, but Hornby has shown that new media channels can potentially be harnessed to move even the most traditional business forward in a real – and profitable - sense….

A year ago, people were suggesting that the Lego Movie numbers would prove difficult to anniversary, both for Lego and the industry as a whole. While the NPD data for Q1 is still being collated, it seems likely that – both for Lego and the UK toy market - the figures will hold up well in comparison to last year, if what is being suggested anecdotally proves to be accurate. Of course, the gargantuan sums generated by loom bands and world cup stickers still have to be replaced as the year progresses, but the early signs are encouraging, so let’s hope that positivity continues….

It was announced last month that Lego will be joining the ‘toys to life’ category this year, with the launch of Lego Dimensions confirmed for release on September 27th. It’s becoming an increasingly crowded market, but Lego’s involvement in the sector will almost certainly have a far greater impact than Disney or Nintendo as far as mainstream toy channels are concerned, and it will definitely pose a major threat to Skylanders….

This year’s AIS show seemed nice and steady: visitor numbers increased across both days compared to last year, and there were a number of new independent attendees. It’s all about expectations with this particular event: the AIS group has some very solid core toy members – such as SMF, Morleys, Beales and Toys-UK – which are capable of writing nice orders, as well as a number of department stores and garden centres which potentially offer a different channel for suppliers. For example, Roys of Wroxham has just opened a new garden centre – Highways – which features a large toy department. During our visit, Miles Penhallow suggested that a number of department stores are finding themselves with a bit more space due to declining ladies wear concessions, and with toys being one of the main growth areas for AIS (along with Intersport and cookware), there appears to be a good chance that some of this space may well end up being given over to toys, which is good news for suppliers.

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21/04/2015 15:38