Feature - Playground Crazes & Pocket Money Collectibles

Little things mean a lot

Despite reports that a third of parents are cutting back on pocket money as the cost-of-living crisis bites, this doesn’t seem to be impacting the pocket money toys and collectibles market. In fact, the reverse could be true, as kids seem set to continue spending their precious savings on smaller treats.

You only have to look at Pokémon, which has enjoyed huge success with its trading cards, fuelled by its 25th anniversary last year, to see that collectible items with affordable price points remain popular in the playground. But what is it that makes a pocket money priced collectible a success?

“Loads of characters, plenty of content and captivating stories, along with pick up entry price points and great value products. That’s what kids want in terms of collectibles,” says Nicola Bergot, UK managing director, Magic Box Toys. It’s a category that the company has been synonymous with for many years and its brands have stayed the course, with the company innovating to keep up with the trends. As Nicola points out, content is now a huge driver for the collectibles market and July saw the latest SuperThings rollout, supported by a comprehensive marketing plan designed to drive awareness with fans – both new and existing – and increase sales of the collectible brand.

SuperThings first launched in 2018 and Magic Box has just launched Series 10 of SuperThings (Rescue Force), with an array of pocket money collectibles for fans to discover. “We can see on SuperThings fan forums that there is huge anticipation for the next series,” says Nicola, “and they want to see past series characters as well as new ones, so we sometimes bring back an old favourite in a reconditioned look.” She adds that the main driver for the range is the introductory price point, which covers 80 plus character figures and Kids, but this year, the new SuperBots has also taken off, meaning children can play with bigger, articulated figures that also house the Kids and SuperThings figures as Robot Pilots.

As well as SuperThings, Magic Box has a raft of new collectible launches hitting shelves in the next few weeks including its new mini doll range, KookyLoos, and a mini vehicles range, T-Racers - cars that can be taken apart and mixed and matched to create a completely new look.

The trend of ‘Unboxing’ is another big selling point in the collectibles market and MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! Brand owes much of its success to this element. UK & Ireland marketing director Michelle Lilley is also keen to attribute the popularity of the brand to the dolls’ individuality, as well as keeping the line fresh and in tune with the must-have trends each season.

“The individuality of the collectible characters has always been a key feature of L.O.L. Surprise!” she tells us. “Every child across the globe can discover a doll that represents them, encouraging them to express their personalities through themes including sports, art and music.” For example, the new L.O.L. Surprise! All-Star Sports Moves range aligns with this year’s major sports events including UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, while the new L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Fierce collection is a four-character range which encompasses key traits such as confidence, fierceness and diversity.

“With varying price points and giftable options, each new product range actively caters for everyone and takes L.O.L. Surprise! from collectibles and pocket money through to a full-play solution,” adds Michelle.

Though MGA Entertainment hasn’t yet seen an impact of the cost-of-living crisis on sales, the company says it will continue to make pocket money lines a priority for fans as Christmas approaches. Following the success of the sell-out L.O.L. Surprise Colour Change range, soon to be launched is the new Glitter Colour Change collection, encompassing Glitter Colour Changes Dolls as well as Glitter Colour Change Lil Sis and Glitter Colour Change Pets.

MGA Entertainment also has its first Rainbow High Accessory line coming to market for Christmas, offering an unboxing experience and expanding the popular doll brand. The Rainbow High Mini Accessories Studio includes miniature, fashionable and affordable bags to complement the dolls.

All the product and new launches will be supported with content from the YouTube and Netflix series for Rainbow High and L.O.L Surprise! YouTube episodes which, according to Michelle, has allowed fans to get to know their dolls in greater detail.

2022 is also set to be a big year for football-themed trading cards and stickers, thanks to major events including the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, Premier League and the FIFA World Cup, which starts in Qatar in November. While pocket money collectibles traditionally prove more popular in the summer months, Panini’s product marketing manager, Jessica Bell, says the staging of the tournament in winter is not a concern for its FIFA World Cup 2022 Sticker Collection. “Our marketing campaign for the World Cup collection will be bigger than ever and see us activating in a broad range of ways including across TV and digital with a heavyweight advertising campaign as well as across social channels,” she says. There will also be a nationwide sampling campaign including partnering with a national newspaper.

Panini has seen great success with other strong licences over the last 12 months including its Premier League Adrenalyn XL trading cards and sticker collections. “We’ve invested in the quality of our products, and this has paid dividends, making our collections a must-have for fans and collectors alike,” says Jess. “We have a very loyal and growing base of customers who know and love the Panini brand. Our sticker collections have stood the test of time and transcended the mass movement towards digital. In a world where people are consuming media in so many fragmented ways, sticker collections in their original form are still so powerful.” Despite the traditional format, Jess adds that social media has now become the swapping playground for adults and many trades are made online.

Another company scoring big with its footballthemed collectibles is Topps, well-known for its Match Attax collection among its many trading cards. “Football is the world’s most popular sport and we’re seeing a huge demand for premium collectibles, aimed at a more adult audience,” says Ian Foster, marketing and digital content director at The Topps Company. There has been a particular surge in Topps’ Autograph cards and Relic cards, featuring genuine pieces of match-worn shirts, which are highly collectible and tradeable. These sets typically sell out within minutes, and Topps is collaborating with the biggest clubs in Europe such as Barcelona, PSG, Manchester City and Liverpool to offer exclusive club sets.

Ian says Topps wants its customers to be wowed by the new elements it builds into its product. An example of this is the VIP Meet and Greet cards in this year’s Match Attax, where lucky collectors will pull ultra-rare cards that allow them to meet a UEFA Champions League ambassador. “These are moneycan’t-buy prizes, and we’re excited by the opportunity to reward our loyal collector base,” says Ian.

Like Panini, Topps is embracing social media to help with one of the biggest fan trends in Match Attax: the search for special ‘chase’ cards. Collectors are able to see everyone’s best cards and post pictures of their own favourites using the hashtag #TheChaseisOn. Topps has signed some impressive football ambassadors, who grew up collecting Match Attax themselves, such as Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham, and is working with YouTube influencers such as The F2 Freestylers and TikTok stars The Augeyboyz. Across its collections, it is also working with retailers to offer exclusive Limited Edition cards in-store, loyalty programmes to distribute free packets, and free card packet giveaways with newspapers and magazines.

In a new initiative – Project 22 – Topps has teamed up with 22 renowned artists to produce a series of creative cards using innovative new styles featuring players from past and present, rookies and legends, men and women, all from UEFA’s elite club competitions, with five cards released every week exclusively on Topps.com. Away from the football theme, in September, Topps will release its latest 3D figurines, I Love Pengiuns, which follow on from the successful I Love Bunnies. Formula 1 stickers launch in October as a one-purchase only product, meaning every sticker in the collection is included in the £14.99 pack.

Collectibles now come in many different forms, and arts and crafts company Craft Buddy is moving into the collectibles space with a new line, Crystal Art Buddies. Based on the company’s well-known diamond art hobby, kids can create their own collectibles with kits containing crystals, the Buddy itself and a stand for display. The opening collection will feature fan-favourite characters from Disney, Disney Princess, Marvel, Star Wars and L.O.L. Surprise!

“We spotted a gap in the market for collectibles that you can interact with, as opposed to just display. It’s also a range that is a logical next step for us, given our large portfolio of licences,” said Craft Buddy co-director Gary Wadhwani. “Buddies are a really fun way to discover Crystal Art as a hobby – they’re short, easy projects that will hopefully introduce people to this addictive hobby. We think they will have mass appeal to kids of both genders, as well as adult collectors looking for new ways to interact with some of their favourite licensed characters.”

To support the launch of Crystal Art Buddies, Craft Buddy will roll out a 360-degree marketing campaign to reach kids, families, pop culture fans and collectors, utilising various channels and platforms as well as engaging with different marketing and retail partners and influencers. Gary adds: “Our objective goes beyond just driving successful sales for the first launch of Crystal Art Buddies, but to go a step further and build up awareness and affinity for many more Buddies to come.” Series 2 is already being planned, drawing on Craft Buddy’s licensing partnerships, with more characters from Disney and L.O.L. Surprise! as well as Peter Rabbit, Smurfs, Paddington Bear and some generic characters. If the range takes off, Gary says Craft Buddy might also create DIY background ‘sets’ for the different Buddies to interact in.

Retailers will no doubt be pleased to see such a wide range of collectibles coming through for the rest of the year, for both pocket money buys and stocking fillers at Christmas.

“I think the current surge in demand for pocket money toys and collectibles is a knock-on effect of the current economic climate,” says independent retailer Teresa Carter, of Chocoloons toy shop in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. “This section in our shop continues to be hugely popular; we had a phenomenal year in 2021 with the fidget toy craze and that has followed on through to this year.”

Over the following pages, we take a look at what’s hot and what’s new in the Playground Crazes and Pocket Money Collectibles category.