Industry Moves

Creative Kids introduces new UK sales director

Creative Kids Group has announced the appointment of Robyn Relph as sales director for the United Kingdom and Ireland. With more than six years’ sales experience in the toy industry, Robyn brings a targeted focus to sales with an organized and methodological approach.

“Creative Kids is very lucky to have Robyn join the team,” commented UK managing director, Grant Gie. “Not only is her experience on par with what we’re looking for and hope to accomplish for the company, her headstrong personality and ambition to meet benchmarks is a welcome breath of fresh air to our CK family.”

Prior to joining Creative Kids, Robyn worked as senior National Account manager for Tonies. “The move to join Creative Kids is an exciting next step in my career,” said Robyn. “I’m looking forward to being a part of the immense growth Creative Kids is experiencing and am excited to grow the already passionate team with the help of Grant. The company's product quality speaks for itself, and I’m looking forward to introducing the range to many more retail partners within the UK & Ireland.”

As sales director, Robyn will be responsible for continuing the development and expansion of UK retail business for all Creative Kids lines including Sense & Grow, Science to the Max, and Zzand as well as a selection of licensed properties such as PlayDoh Air Clay and Little Tikes.

For more information on current and upcoming product releases, visit www. creativekids.com. For UK sales inquiries, contact Grant Gie at grant@creativekids.com or Robyn Relph at robyn@creativekids.com.

HoloToyz expands team as Michelle Goodisson joins

HoloToyz has announced the appointment of Michelle Goodisson as its new Sales and Marketing executive. Michelle brings with her a wealth of experience in the toy industry, making her an invaluable asset to the company’s continued growth.

Having cultivated her expertise through her work on numerous wellknown brands, Michelle’s arrival at HoloToyz marks an exciting milestone for the company. With a strong passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences and an unparalleled creative vision, Michelle will play a pivotal role in elevating HoloToyz’s sales and marketing endeavours to new heights. The company says her deep understanding of consumer needs and ability to translate them into compelling campaigns and strategies will undoubtedly contribute to its continued success.

Kate Scott, CEO of HoloToyz, commented: “We are very excited to welcome Michelle to HoloToyz. Her extensive background in the toy industry and remarkable track record make her the perfect fit for our company as we continue to expand our reach and achieve new milestones. With Michelle on board, we are confident that our momentum will be further accelerated as we HoloToyz, the award-winning innovator, is dedicated to revolutionising the toy industry by creating awe-inspiring holographic experiences that captivate and engage children and adults alike, whilst bridging the gap between physical and kidSafe digital play. With a strong commitment to innovation, the company is poised to redefine playtime and set new industry standards with its Awesome Reality technology.

VTech welcomes new National Account managers

Mike Williams & Jamie Tank

Following a restructure to the UK sales team, VTech Electronics has appointed two new National Account managers: Jamie Tank and Mike Williams. Reporting to National Account controller Rebecca Whitlock, Jamie Tank joins from Schleich and Mike Williams joins from LG Electronics. Speaking of the appointments, Rebecca Whitlock commented: “We are delighted to welcome both Jamie and Michael to the team. Their wealth of knowledge and experience, gained with well-known brands, will ensure they will excel in their new positions and will help drive VTech forward as a market leader in electronic learning toys.”

Character Options swells sales team

Character Options has confirmed a high-profile change to its sales structure, as well as a new appointment within the team.Leanne Scott, who has been with Character for four years, has been promoted to senior National Account manager.

Leanne first joined the business in April 2019; she has quickly progressed through the ranks and has become an influential member within the sales team.

David Bramford, Sales director, commented: “I am really pleased for Leanne. She has worked tirelessly to build strong relationships both internally and with retailers. She is a popular member of the team and her dedication to the job has paid off.”Character has also welcomed Phil Mather as Key Account manager. Having worked for several years within the toy industry, Phil brings a wealth of toy experience to his new role.

Speaking of Phil’s appointment, David added: “It’s great to have Phil on board. His professionalism and enthusiasm make him a perfect fit for us. We look forward to seeing him progress and make the role his own.”

David described the current Character sales team as “stronger than ever” and highlighted a raft of high-profile launches coming up for the company. This includes TMNT, Piñata Smashlings, Fingerlings, Minted Dog-E and Simbrix among others.

“We’re in such an exciting position heading into autumn/winter,” he added. “I can’t wait to see everyone get behind the full brand portfolio to see what we can achieve.”

Lauren Wade to head up Field Sales at MGA and Zapf

MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation have announced the appointment of Lauren Wade as head of Field Sales.

With over ten years’ sales experience, working with globally recognised brands, Lauren joins the team from Sambro, where she held the role of senior national Sales manager. Prior to this, she built her career at the Movado Group, heading up commercial sales across a wide portfolio of brands.

With the remit of broadening the distribution across independent and key account channels, Lauren will be overseeing the field sales team and managing some of the key and distributor accounts. The new role will see her working across a number of leading brands, including L.O.L. Surprise!, Rainbow High, Little Tikes, MGA’s Miniverse, Baby Annabell and Baby born.

Lauren said: “I’m looking forward to working on a wide portfolio of incredible brands, whilst adding even more value, passion and energy to an already highly successful sales team in the UK and Ireland.”

Commenting on the appointment, Sara Taylor, managing director for UK & Ireland, stated: “We’re delighted to have Lauren on board in such a crucial role. She brings with her a wealth of experience, and her passion for the role and the industry is clear. With incredible growth on our leading brands and several new launches, 2023 is already proving to be an exciting and successful year at MGA, and Lauren’s addition to the sales team will only heighten that.”

Forbidden Planet International announces Andrew Staff as new MD

Andrew has extensive experience in the retail sector, having previously served as CEO of Notcutts Garden Centres, COO of the EMEA region for Funko and more recently MD of Builders Merchants UP Building Products.

Kenny Penman, a founding director at Forbidden Planet International, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew as the new managing director of Forbidden Planet International. Andrew brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, and we are confident that he will be a great asset to our team. We look forward to working with him to continue growing the Forbidden Planet brand.”

Andrew said: “I am thrilled to be joining Forbidden Planet International, a fantastic brand with a loyal customer base and a rich history in the retail sector. I am excited about the opportunity to lead the company through its next phase of growth and development, and I look forward to working with the team to deliver an exceptional experience to our customers.”

The company has been providing customers with the latest in science fiction, fantasy and cult entertainment merchandise for over 40 years and has 16 retail stores across the UK as well as shops in Dublin and New York.

Darryl Lai takes the helm at Toikido USA

Toikido has announced the appointment of industry veteran Darryl Lai as new MD for the Americas. This strategic move establishes Toikido USA, with Darryl reporting to Will Ochoa, the company’s chief commercial officer.

Founded in 2020, London-based Toikido has experienced rapid success since its inception, already selling nearly 20m products, across 75 countries in more than 100,000 stores.

In preparation for the rollout of the hotly-anticipated Piñata Smashlings, its first of many in-house IPs, Toikido has secured a range of licensing and marketing partnerships to fortify its position within key markets ahead of the official launch of the brand’s licensing programme this July.

A respected business leader with an illustrious career in global licensing and operations, Darryl Lai previously served as senior vice president (Americas) at Maxx Marketing, where he led global development and the retail product division for toys & collectibles. During his tenure at the company, he led high- performing teams across various continents and worked with the biggest brands and companies in entertainment, including The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, Marvel, Paramount, Warner Bros and Crunchy Roll.

“I’m delighted to be joining Toikido,” said Darryl. “The company has a reputation for excellence and is comprised of an elite team of passionate and driven professionals who share my love for toys and gamifying everything, and most importantly, pushing creative boundaries. I look forward to working closely with my UK colleagues to exceed the expectations of our clients and fulfil Toikido’s clear growth potential.”

“We are delighted to establish Toikido USA and bring Darryl into the rapidly-growing Toikido business,” said Will Ochoa. “Darryl brings a wealth of experience, having spearheaded the launch of YuMe toys in the market for many years. He also provides a vital direct presence for us in North America, as we support Retail Monster and PMI to launch our Piñata Smashlings IP, and set the stage for the launch of multiple other new Toikido IP, to be announced soon.”

Darryl is expected to be the first of many senior-level global hires who will play a fundamental role in establishing Toikido as a worldwide entertainment and merchandising empire.