Neil Leah awarded Golden Teddy at Toymaster Awards Night

The evening of Wednesday 17th May saw a raft of awards handed out to deserving Toymaster suppliers, ahead of the third and final day of the successful Toymaster May Show. Neil Leah, head of Sales at KAP Toys, was also presented with a coveted Golden Teddy award.

Erica Heythornthwaite, national account manager at Orchard Toys, was there to accept a Friends of Toymaster Award. Erica celebrated her 25th anniversary with Orchard in July last year. Kingsley Matthews, UK sales director at Tomy, also took home a Friends of Toymaster award.

Supplier of the Year went to Kandy Toys, with MD Gary Beswick present to collect the award on behalf of the company.

Neil Leah was presented – much to his surprise – with a coveted Golden Teddy award. Neil was accompanied to the awards do by his wife, Christine, as well as his friend and business partner Nat Southworth, MD of KAP Toys, and Nat’s wife, Zoe.

Nat, who provided a lengthy letter in support of the award nomination, told Toy World: “Neil is a very deserving recipient of this award, and I wish I’d videoed his face when he realised it was for him.”

Among many other reasons, Nat highlighted Neil’s long career in toys, spanning more than 40 years with the likes of Hasbro, Playmobil, Paul Lamond Games, Tomy, Kids Biz (which became Jakks Pacific) and Vivid Imaginations (now Vivid Goliath) – which is where he met Nat. Nat then bought KAP Toys in 2017 and brought Neil in to help grow the business with him.

Nat said: “Neil is without doubt one of the nicest gentlemen you will ever meet and he makes what he does seem easy. He is a true professional. KAP Toys is not alone in facing headwinds in the last five years, along with many other businesses, and Neil has pulled more than one rabbit out of the hat along the way, keeping us going or recharging our spirits when we may have thought all was lost.

He is so deserving of the Golden Teddy because he puts others ahead of himself in everything. He is the first to say it is a team effort, but he has helped build companies across our industry, year after year, and is well known across the trade. To still be well liked by all sides of the trade is a hell of an achievement after 40 years, so it was such it was an easy decision to present this award to him – thank you Neil for everything you have done for the toy industry.”

Barbie’s ready for summer with new Dream Boat and Beach Day dolls

The Dream Boat playset is decked out with premium details including a pool, slide and two different transformations; Barbie can climb to the top deck to steer the boat and relax in the sun, then slide down into the pool. With a removable top deck for easy play access and six play areas including a bathroom, sun deck, pool and slide, bedroom, kitchen and living room, it is the perfect vehicle for kids to play out beach adventures.

The boat comes with more than 20 pieces including water-themed accessories like fins and a snorkel, as well as extras like an underwater camera, food, drinks and even a boombox. A puppy and dolphin animal friends are also included to accompany Barbie on her high-sea adventures.

Mood Bears introduces new talking bears

Dragons’ Den-backed business Mood Bears is continuing its mission to provide valuable mental health support by launching new talking bears. Jo Proud, who owns Mood Bears, became the first Dragons’ Den contestant to accept the backing of all five of the current line-up of Dragons - Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman.

Jo has created a collection of colourful teddy bears, each representing a different mood, in line with the moods and emotions experienced by everyone. All bears also come with an uplifting message and poem designed to help their owner cope with, and talk about, different emotional moments in life. The new Mood Bears’ talking bears - Hope Bear, Happy Bear and Calm Bear - go a step further by reciting their supportive poem to their owner.

The first Mood Bear was created at a time in Jo’s life, when she struggled with her own mental health after going through a very difficult time. Since then, the bears have brought hope and happiness to thousands of people around the UK, and hundreds of bears have been donated to children’s hospitals, care homes and community groups. Now, with the Dragons’ investment, Jo plans to expand the business and help bring a mental health boost to even more people around the world.

The new talking bears are made from recycled materials and are 100% recyclable. They’re suitable for ages three and over.

“Our new talking bears are a lovely extension to what we already offer, and we know they’ll help and support people with their mental health in the same way that all of our bears do,” said Jo. Mood Bears also offers the chance to sponsor a bear for local hospitals, with each donation helping a child or adult having treatment to take a Mood Bear with them on their journey, to comfort and support them. Visit www.moodbears.co.uk for more information.

As well as the Barbie Dream Boat, the complementary Barbie

What went on at KidsCon23

The annual conference, which took place on Thursday, 4th May, in the heart of the West End at Vue Leicester Square, is in its 5th year and was created to educate, entertain and inspire marketing professionals from across the kids industry. The day was kicked off by managing director Lisa Morgan, but not quite as we know her, as her AI persona took to the big screen to set the scene for the day.

This year’s agenda was aptly named ‘Mind the Gap’. As the pace of change within the kids’ marketplace is so rapidly evolving, speakers delved into the challenges and gaps in terms of mass coverage, standardising measurement, creating impact and ensuring effectiveness. The question evaluated was: How do we make every moment count when reaching our audience?

The day was filled with a variety of inspiring and thought-provoking presentations from industry experts and panellists, including Bobi Carley, head of Media and Diversity at ISBA, Kelly Williams, managing director of Commercial for ITV, Johnny Carr from Vue International, Lee Veitch, global head of Sales at Super Awesome, Charlie Bolton, agency director at MiQ and Generation Media’s very own leadership team. Even during the break, the entertainment and education continued with a Star Wars themed gaming experience in the lobby.

The conference was concluded by the agency’s CEO, Dean Weller, hosting an expert panel discussion, exploring industry hot topics, from the commercialisation of Netflix to the future of cross-channel measurement and everything in-between.

Lisa commented: “I would like to extend a big thank you to all those that attended and contributed to making KidsCon23 such a great success. We had our largest turnout to date and are very pleased to announce we raised £3,800 in ticket sales which Generation Media will match to total a £7,600 donation to the BTHA’s Toy Trust for the May Mayhem initiative.”