Toy World games & puzzles September 2020

September 2020

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The Team...

John Baulch

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

Mark Austin

Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

from the publisher W

elcome to the Toy World 2020 Games & Puzzles supplement. During the first half of the year, in what can only be described as a most unpredictable trading period across the globe, the toy market has held up far better than many retail sectors – and the games and puzzles category has been one of the industry’s stellar performers. From the start of the lockdown period, retailers have been reporting sales volumes that match the numbers retailers would traditionally see in the immediate run-up to Christmas. Suppliers and retailers alike embarked on a frantic quest to make or secure sufficient levels of stock to meet the phenomenal demand, and for many consumers, a dormant love of gaming or puzzling was reawakened. Games brought families together, puzzles filled the long hours and the category became a lifeline for retailers looking to maximise on sales opportunities while their stores were closed.

Since lockdown ended, consumers’ passion for games and puzzles appears to have continued unabated – and there are high hopes that those

Anita Baulch

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

customers who have rekindled their love of gaming and puzzling will drive the category to new heights this festive season. Whether classic or brand new, traditional or cutting edge, established supplier or newcomer, the games and puzzles sector is home to a vibrant mix of much-loved, tried and tested brands and fresh new introductions.

Throughout the following 56 pages devoted to the category, you’ll find out what all the leading games and puzzles suppliers have planned for Q4. We’ve spoken to a selection of games retailers to find out how they have navigated the year so far, as well as gauging how the leading suppliers are feeling about the coming months.

If you are looking for some exciting new lines to freshen up your games and puzzles offering for the festive season, this supplement is the perfect place to start. Enjoy a taste of what the category has in store over the coming months and let’s hope that Christmas 2020 proves to be a vintage one for the games and puzzles sector.

CONTENTS September 2020

News

20 Feature: Games & Puzzles

Rachael Simpson-Jones

04 10 12 16 20

Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Category review Company Profile: Asmodee Talking shop Touching Base Feature: Games & Puzzles

Lisa Currie

Assistant Editor Lisa@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Mark Crowford

Design and Production Manager markc@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

toyworld toy world The business magazine with a passion for toys

Alakat Published by

www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

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Games & Puzzles

Category Overview

Next moves

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for many, but among the doom and gloom are some glorious chinks of light. The Games & Puzzles category provided much-needed entertainment and family-time for households on lockdown, as board game fans and jigsaw lovers scrambled to get their hands on everything from classic strategy titles to the latest party games. Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to some of the companies that rose to the occasion, and asks if the early sales surge will impact the category during its all-important Q4 period.

“

Games & Puzzles has been a key category in driving the UK toy market growth this year, up +36% YTD Week 31,” explains Moneeba Baloch, account manager – UK Toys, Euro Toys, at the NPD Group. “Prior to lockdown, the category was in a strong position, growing +15%, but it was during lockdown when Games & Puzzles became really popular.

The supercategory grew by two thirds with classic games such as Jenga, Twister and Cluedo proving to be very popular, growing triple digits.

Monopoly was the No. 1 game during lockdown, and we also saw Card Games such as Asmodee’s Dobble and Mattel’s Uno rank at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. ‘Newness’ has played a key part in this category’s growth too, with Pictionary Air, Pokémon trading cards and Dobble Harry Potter adding incremental value this year.”

The NPD results reflect something we’ve been hearing a lot from suppliers and retailers here at Toy World; that brand loyalty has played a major part in the success of the Games & Puzzles category during lockdown. Even the ‘newness’ that Moneeba mentions ties back into this consumers are all too happy to invest in licensed, refreshed or overhauled versions of games that have been on the market for years, because they recognise the play pattern and consider them a safe and worthwhile purchase. According to Hasbro, consumer demand has remained high for games such as Monopoly, Jenga, Connect 4, Cluedo and Twister, while iconic brands will welcome new editions such as Cluedo Liars

edition, Monopoly for Sore Losers and Operation Pet Scan. Louisa Parast, marketing director, Hasbro UK & Ireland, tells Toy World: “Now more than ever, Hasbro games are bringing people together to spend quality time with families and friends, and it’s this relevance that has driven strong performance for us in the category.”

At Mattel, which has seen sales across its games business grow triple digit YTD, consumers have continued to buy into the brands they know and love, like Scrabble, Pictionary Air and Uno. This year, the company is introducing Uno Showdown, which features lights, sounds and a pedal to shoot cards at your opponent, as well as licensed editions of the popular game including Minions, Super Mario, Trolls, Frozen II, WWE and Rick n Morty. Each Uno will feature a special move that is unique to the licence.

New life is also being breathed into Scrabble, which is more than 70 years old; Scrabble Duplicate lets up to six people play on the same board, and a Scrabble Marker Board means each player can compete against the others using the same seven letter tiles. Pictionary Air, meanwhile, a special twist on the classic drawing game which launched in 2019, has also provided families with some sorely needed comic relief during the past few months. Kelly Philp, marketing director at Mattel, comments: “We have a really exciting and differentiated range of products, which we are always looking to refresh and update. This means that there is something there for everyone and the fans of our products can find new ways to enjoy the

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S A M T S I !

CH R S E V A H T S U M

mattelgames.com

Š2020 Mattel.

games they know and love. We have some exciting new kids’ games being added to the Mattel range, including Puglicious, a perfect game for dog lovers, and Inky’s Fortune, a game that tests patience and dexterity as kids take turns to sneak gems from a sleeping octopus.”

Tomy has likewise seen the positive effects of brand loyalty on its portfolio, as Mary Wood, general manager UK & Ireland at Tomy, explains.

“From Drumond Park, Articulate and Articulate for Kids have been very strong, while Tomy’s Pop Up Pirate and Screwball Scramble have also been best-sellers during lockdown,” she says. “All four games are classics and trusted brands. Our games portfolio has performed exceptionally well – in fact, surprisingly well to be honest, considering our concerns as we entered lockdown. Sales for the first have of the year across both Drumond Park and Tomy games have been significantly up year on year. Coming into 2020, we had new distribution across the trade on our repackaged and lower priced Mini Games under the Articulate, Articulate for Kids, Rapidough and Logo licences, but sell-through has been strong, not only on this range but across our entire games portfolio. During lockdown, visitors to the Drumond Park website doubled and the online Articulate cards, which allow families to play together virtually, have been accessed over 100,000 times in the past three months.”

In our house, the lockdown gaming winners have been Carcassone and the rather relevant Pandemic, both distributed by Asmodee, Ravensburger’s superb modular, deck-building board game The Quest for El Dorado, and the deceptively simple-yet-strategic Blue Lagoon, one of the many titles designed by the iconic Reiner Knizia. Fans of Reiner’s games have plenty to look forward to in the coming months; Foxmind is releasing Treasure of the Dragons, a tile-turning, treasure seeking game, while Kosmos Games welcomes the Spiel des Jahres nominated legacy game My City. “We are also extremely excited about the release of two new Exit titles, The Cemetery of the Knight and The Enchanted Forest as well as a third title in the Adventure Game series – The Volcanic Island,” Jo Drage, sales director at Thames & Kosmos tells Toy World. “These are due in October and we’ve had great interest amongst our trade customers, with many putting in pre-orders already. We are really pleased to see that our bricks & mortar customers are slowly recovering from the impact lockdown has had over the past few months.

We’re not out of the woods yet, but, after speaking to a lot of our customers over the last few weeks, the signs are promising.”

Eclectic Games is one such retailer with some promising feedback to offer. As outlined on page 12, the specialist retailers has experienced high sales volumes of titles including Kosmos’ Exit series and 2-player strategy games, and turnover is up 4050% as a result.

Wandsworth’s QT Toys and Games, meanwhile, has seen sales of puzzles increase during lockdown, including offerings from Ravensburger and Gibsons.

Rebecca Hersee, marketing executive at Gibsons, told us: “Over the last four months puzzle demand has increased hugely. We have been extremely

fortunate to have had Christmas sales in in Q2. We have seen an increase in sales in all our puzzle ranges, but particularly our traditional and contemporary collections. Our White Logo Range has been popular as we have seen a younger generation turn to puzzling which is attracted to the contemporary images.”

“We have just added even more innovative products, including a beautiful array of Christmas gifts,” Rebecca adds. “Our first 24 door Advent Calendar is here, too; behind each door is a festive-shaped jigsaw puzzle that celebrates a different Christmas tradition from around the world. Our new releases also include two circular puzzles. These have been highly requested, so we are really excited to be able to offer them now. The new 500-piece circular puzzle Rainbow Heroes celebrates the wonderful key workers who have been looking after us all. To say thank you, Gibsons will donate £2 from every Rainbow Heroes puzzle sold to the Samaritans. Puzzles have been a task people can focus on when there is so much uncertainty. We’ve been aware of the mental health benefits of puzzling for a while now, but during lockdown these benefits have been more important than ever. Taking time out to do something that is great for your mind and allows you to relax and have a ‘digital detox’ has been so important.”

Spin Master is also tapping into the need for mindfulness and relaxation with its new range of Calm puzzles, which have been developed for use alongside the popular app, while Zee Productions – which has just celebrated its first anniversary – is set to capitalise on the nostalgia trend that’s emerged during lockdown with its new puzzle ranges. This new military history-themed Bellica range of 1,000-piece puzzles is designed by the award-winning aviation artist and commercial illustrator Keith Burns and features 10 WW2 combat depictions that will be of interest to any military history fan. ““The success of Zee has been amazing and we’re launching the Bellica range way ahead of schedule as a result,” says Steve Beatty of label owner The Rocksaws. “I intend to make Bellica the home of military puzzles.”

Winning Moves, meanwhile, is launching a new range of regional puzzles between now and Christmas, following increased demand from the many new puzzlers in the market.

Community and Regional Monopoly puzzles are joining the company’s extensive licensed line-up. The 1,000-piece puzzles features a Monopoly board with an image of the local community in the centre; Harrogate, London, Huddersfield, Dublin and Edinburgh are currently on offer.

It is hoped that the British public’s renewed appreciation for the UK, and the rise in ‘staycations’, will help drive sales.

Lockdown TV viewing habits are also reflected in sales of other lines, as Kay Thompson, head of sales explains: “Our Friends 1,000-piece puzzles – launched earlier this year -- sold out before the first stock arrived and we’re now pre-sold for the remainder of the year. Our two iconic designs have proven to be a massive hit; we hit our two-year forecast in six weeks.

Now we’re building the order book for 2021.”

Sales of games and puzzles are up this year, and impressively so – but where does this leave the category as we approach the all-important Q4 period?

Speaking personally, lockdown saw my Christmas wish list of games dwindle to nothingness, as title after title was purchased and added to the shelf.

And I got to thinking; are

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consumers finding their appetite for games and puzzles has already been sated for this year? Fortunately for both suppliers and retailers, that doesn’t appear to be the case. In the UK, NPD data indicates that Games & Puzzles remain popular post-lockdown, with Adult Puzzles and Family Board/ Action Games growing the fastest. “The total supercategory is up +18% since restrictions lifted and it doesn’t seem like the growth will be slowing down any time soon,” says Moneeba Baloch. “Week 31 shows a growth of +11%, proving that consumers just cannot get enough of Games & Puzzles at the moment.” Anil Boodhoo, sales & marketing director at Asmodee – which says sales of Catan have jumped 144% in the first five months of 2020 - echoes this sentiment: “With so many brilliant titles on offer, we’re optimistic that those who’ve had a taste of the joys of games will be excited to try more.”

Across the pond, Learning Express’ Rick Derr paints a similar picture, telling Toy World that far from seeing demand slow down, sales are being driven by a continuous supply of new, innovative and attractively priced games, as well as existing games that may have been on the market for some time but are only just being discovered by some people. “I think there are some very good little hidden gems out there that have never really got a look in, but now they’re getting one because consumers have dug in deeper in their search for new entertainment,” Rick explains. “The ‘underdog’ games are on the up, plus there’s new games like Playmonster’s Drone Home [Interplay Games], that I think will really take off.

Monopoly is still loved by gamers, and they’re more than willing to buy the newest versions.

If anything, the strength of the Games & Puzzles industry is going to continue right into 2021.”

Rick also highlights the importance of attractive pricing in the games category, noting that consumers nowadays have an ‘insatiable desire to be kept interested and engaged’. While some titles lie firmly within the big-ticket range – you’ll find plenty of legacy board games above the £100 mark, for instance – anything around £10-30 is likely to be viewed favourably in a year when consumers want their spend to go further in terms of value for money, while also covering a broader assortment of purchases.

The coming months look set to be positive for the category then, but challenges remain. The cancellation of consumer and trade shows has caused disruption for many, and the fate of Q1 events still hangs in the balance. The UK Games Expo, usually a showcase for the best of boardgames to hit the UK market, had been postponed from April and turned into a virtual showcase at the end of August. Kosmos Games UK, one of the sponsors of the event, was present with a virtual stand and a raft of interesting content to draw the eye of the gaming public. “Being virtual meant that we had a wider, global audience and it was a great opportunity for us to get feedback and insight from the gaming world. This will help us to decide which games to highlight in the run up to our busy Christmas period,” Nicky Thomas-Davies, board game sales & marketing manager tells us.

Asmodee also sponsored the event, and – as detailed on page 12 of this supplement – aimed to replicate the feel and offerings of the physical show as closely as possibly by demoing its latest games and new content, encouraging the gaming community to socialise and allowing gamers to compete with one another. Asmodee has also created AsmoFair, bringing the trade-show experience to wherever buyers are, by offering a virtual

tour of what would have been its stand. It’s an innovative solution to the (hopefully temporary) trade show blip, and take up has been strong since the news was announced in mid-August.

Covid-19 has also put paid to in-store games events for the time being, and games tables - which let consumers get a feel for gameplay before they part with their cash - are likewise out of the equation. Bricks & mortar retailers can however rely on personal customer interaction to explain gameplay and advise on bespoke purchase decisions. To help consumers understand what each game offers, and to therefore support the purchasing decisions of cautious spenders, Tomy will be supporting Q4 TV marketing campaigns with social and digital activity, particularly for family and adult games, and will be using influencers for its kids’ games to make consumers aware of the fun they bring. Mary Wood adds: “As we suspect the level of online purchases will continue, we have also increased the volume and quality of our online assets, whether this is a demo video to fully explain the game play or images that clarify the rules so those retailers with an online presence can use these assets to ensure the best chance of success with our games.”

Gibsons is also making use of innovative solutions to market its games and puzzles. Explains Samantha: “We have a variety of product videos available for retailers to put on their website. These are excellent as they engage the viewer and display the key features of the products. We also have a variety of POS options available for retailers; whether they are looking for Gibsons logos or half cuts of our puzzles to hang on the wall, we can offer these free of charge.”

Vivid has bolstered the marketing support in place for its games portfolio this year, making good use of an omnichannel marketing strategy to target game consumers wherever they may be. The focus has been expanded from traditional kids TV to also include parent-targeted campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, plus YouTube pre-roll with content created specifically for adults. The aim is to place core messages regarding the games range right in front of parents and gifters ready for Christmas, highlighting popular games including Shark Bite, Gator Golf and new launches Johnny the Skull, Banana Blast and Burping Bobby.

With the launch of the new Escape Room: The Game 2 and expansion packs, Vivid is also working with KidsKnowBest and Norton PR on a TikTok campaign for the game. The influencers drafted to take part offer a high engagement rate; it’s anticipated the campaign will reach 500,000 people.

Assistant brand manager, Lucy Vaughan, explained: “We feel now is a great time to refresh how we market our games. In these changing and challenging times, one thing has been consistent this year - people’s love for social media content.”

Interplay, whose 5 Second Rule range, Orangutwang and Ultra Dash family games have been flying off the shelves throughout lockdown, is supporting the launch of its new offerings – including Drone Home, which Rick Derr is particularly enamoured with - with extensive digital marketing campaigns that will communicate the games USPs while they can’t be demoed in-store. Influencers will review and showcase the games to their followers, while direct links to retail will be embedded in the digital content where possible, driving fans to make in-store purchases.

We hope you enjoy this dedicated Games & Puzzles supplement, which brings you everything you need to know about the latest offerings for 2020.

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Company Profile

Boxing

clever Throughout lockdown, Asmodee’s classic strategy titles and family games alike have been in major demand among both retailers and consumers.

Toy World spoke to managing director Alex Green and Anil Boodhoo, sales & marketing director, to find out how the company has fared and what the rest of 2020 holds for the games sector.

How has Asmodee performed in the first half of 2020, and how do you think this performance would compare to a ‘normal’ year.

Alex Green

Anil Boodhoo

Alex: Overall, we’re pleased with our performance in the first of half of the year. As was the case for all businesses in the UK during this time, it was an absolute rollercoaster. We’d been tracking very strongly up YoY in the early part of 2020, but we had no idea where the introduction of the lockdown in March would leave us. That said, we reacted positively as a business; although the numbers were down, we traded positively.

How did Asmodee support its retailers during the pandemic?

Alex: Our flexibility was key. We've tailored our services to match our customers' needs, such as allowing customers to have a lower minimum dispatch value if that is of benefit to them. We've also offered retailers special game-branded floor stickers to encourage social distancing within their stores, and given away a selection of games to use as they see fit. This was a well-received initiative; customers have used the games to promote themselves on social media and have given them away through in-store raffles to drive footfall.

How do you feel your customers reacted to the lockdown trading environment?

Alex: What stood out during lockdown was the flexibility shown by many of our customers, whether that was setting up a website from scratch, improving an existing website, offering home deliveries, or engaging with their local community and customers on social media -

there are so many examples of their positivity, adaptability and flexibility. Their response has given us great hope as we look forward during these constantly changing times.

Have you noticed a change in the volume of sales since stores reopened?

Alex: Since stores opened their doors in June, we have experienced a steady increase in volume.

It’s still a way from what we would expect at this time of year, though it’s growing steadily. We hope that as new product becomes available, and as we move into the Q4 peak season, this growth continues and allows stores to rebuild their community and their sales.

How is Asmodee planning to maintain sales momentum into Q4, when the bulk of games are traditionally sold - do you think there’s a risk that consumers have reached saturation point for games this year?

Anil: I don’t think we’ve hit a saturation point for games, by any means. This year has seen many people discovering – or rediscovering – games as a fantastic way to spend time with friends and family, and we’re hoping that genie doesn’t just go back into the bottle. With so many brilliant titles on offer, we’re optimistic that those who’ve had a taste of the joys of games will be excited to try more.

We’ll continue to support our key products in innovative ways, most notably our AsmoFair event, which we organised in order to maintain proactive contact with retailers about the musthave games from our catalogue. We’re also planning a wide-reaching digital marketing campaign in Q4 for iconic Modern Classics titles including Catan, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic.

Lastly, we'll be making a big push on TV and digital to stoke excitement for Dobble 360, which offers a fantastic new twist on Dobble gameplay.

Do you think the cancellation/ postponement of trade and consumer events has impacted the category this year?

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Yes and no.

It’s certainly been a shame to miss out on some valuable opportunities to meet buyers face to face, and it’s almost impossible to know the repercussions of those cancelled events until we see how the situation develops in the coming months. But we are also incredibly proud to have created the AsmoFair, which – while not quite the same thing – represents an excellent substitute for the show experience, helping us to keep us in touch with retailers despite the wider circumstances.

From the consumer events side, the opportunity to demonstrate our range of titles is a key part of our marketing strategy. Without this option in 2020, we have experimented with new marketing initiatives and worked with show organisers to make the most of any virtual events. Leading the way in this category has been Virtually Expo, the online version of the largest tabletop games show, UK Games Expo.

For the show, we replicated as much of the activity we’d usually engage in at the physical event as possible, by demonstrating some of our newest additions, sharing exciting new content, encouraging the community to socialise and allowing gamers to compete in the same ways they would at the original show.

How is Asmodee approaching 2021?

What are your goals for next year?

Like everyone, we are approaching 2021 with a degree of caution. Between Covid-19 and the UK leaving the customs union, there is a lot of uncertainty as we move forward. Nevertheless, we are confident that there is plenty of room for success and we will continue to look for new opportunities and to push boundaries.

Ultimately, our goal remains the same: to continue to spotlight gaming as a great way to spend time with friends and family.

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Talking Shop

Playing to win Lisa Currie discusses the Games and Puzzles category with independent retailers; being on the front line of advising customers about the latest games on offer, arguably some of the most knowledgeable experts in the sector.

Becky Ottery - Eclectic Games, Reading Turnover is up to roughly 40-50% of what we would normally be doing at this time of year, which I consider encouraging, given the circumstances. Over lockdown, turnover was about 10-15%; we were able to generate business and ship products to our customers using our website during this time.

We are specialists in games and puzzles and attract customers with our in-depth product knowledge and recommendations. We often work as a personal shopper service, whereby customers come to us with a specification, which we use to find the perfect game or puzzle for them.

Over lockdown, sales in our puzzles category went absolutely mad, which was an industry wide trend. Since reopening, sales have levelled off, although the category continues to tick over comfortably. There has been a lot of activity across the two-player and family games section. But we’ve seen a dip in collectible card games, as a result of the absence of the events we would usually run to support them.

We will bring back our game events, when we are convinced we can do so safely and in line with government guidance. The biggest stumbling block is the limitations surrounding multiple households, which eliminates all forms of tournaments. It is also harder to run events with our current reduced staff and hours. That being said, we are looking at a limited reopening of some small events from September, if the easing of restrictions allows.

Recently, popular cooperative games and two player games have been 7 Wonders: Duel, Paris City of Light and many two player editions from Kosmos Games. On the cooperative side, we have sold a lot of Flash Point: Fire Rescue and Pandemic. Disney Villainous from Ravensburger has been a top seller, especially the Marvel range.

Escape Games like Exit and Unlock have also been popular as they provide a fun activity for families and groups to do at home.

Across our licensed offering, the aforementioned Disney Villainous range from Ravensburger has a stronghold, and we see a degree of success with licensed versions of classic titles like Top Trumps, Monopoly, Cluedo and Scrabble, although demand for these will never match that of the originals.

I think games and puzzles will continue to be in demand as we approach the festive season. Many suppliers tell me that the category has experienced orders near to the levels they would expect to see at Christmas. But people will always naturally associate Christmas time with boardgames, so I am certain sales will only increase moving forward. Having had really encouraging sales during August will mean that the gap between summer and winter will be less, but as long as people have money to spend this Christmas, I expect them to still buy as many games and puzzles as last year. What also bodes well for us as an industry is that games, and toys in general, tend to be good value in terms of how many hours of enjoyment you get out of them.

They should continue be an attractive choice for consumers, especially this year.

We have had a website since we put in an EPOS till roughly four years after we opened, a decade ago. Up until just before lockdown, it was mainly used for booking tickets for events we were running at the shop. Once lockdown happened, the website became a much higher priority and was adapted very quickly; we have now loaded almost the entirety of our stock onto it. Although the shop has reopened and local customers are now coming in to buy from us directly, we are still seeing a high volume of online orders on a regular basis, due to our wide range, our stock levels and next day shipping.

Prior to lockdown, we were already talking to our provider about upgrading the website to make it mobile friendly and give it a general update. In this day and age, it is vital for indie retailers to have an online presence. It is fairly simple to put together at least a basic web presence and I believe it is well worth having, as your business can reach a much wider audience. In a world focused so much on Amazon and online discounts, being online has become less a matter of competing, and rather about building a stronger and wider reaching support base.

Looking forward to the festive season, we will almost certainly be doing things differently this year. I think we will see pressure on price points; I anticipate that people are not going to have quite as much to spend overall compared to previous years. Since reopening, people are not buying as many £50-£60 games as usual, so we will focus on games that represent excellent value, and those with a lower headline price point.

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Talking Shop Ian Davis - Rules of Play, Cardiff We reopened our store as soon as we were allowed to – which was the 22nd June in Wales, though our Bristol store opened about a week before this as per the government guidelines in England. Both stores are based in the city centre, so in the past we have been able to benefit from the footfall there.

Whilst mail orders surged during lockdown, they never reached the level of sales that the physical shops generate, since the diversity of product instore is far greater.

Lockdown saw mainly couples and families looking for boardgames, whereas our shop caters to a much broader audience.

Even though our turnover through the store is roughly about 50% of what it used to be, I don’t think we can truly gauge whether or not there is going to be a permanent change in shopping habits until later this year, or even Christmas time.

It will take a while for people to get back into whatever routine they will settle into.

It is difficult to say how the games and puzzles category will fare moving forward. A fair chunk of that business moved online during lockdown, with big hitters like Amazon picking up a fair percentage of sales. It’s too early to tell how much will revert back to bricks and mortar stores like ours, or whether shopping habits will change. We are here to offer personal advice and assistance to those customers who do come out, and either way I think the boardgame industry will remain buoyant; it is a dependable category that will never shrink.

Classic family games like Ticket to Ride Europe and Pandemic were best sellers throughout lockdown, although they are always popular. Customers were looking for something new and referred to our Rules of Play recommendations, as well as other media and viewer recommendations, which meant consumers naturally gravitated towards big hitting games like original Ticket to Ride and Seven Wonder. It was a challenge to ensure I kept in stock of the most popular titles; I was receiving pallet loads of them on a regular basis.

Since reopening, trading has gone back to a broader customer base buying a broader range of products. Obviously, big hitting titles or a popular new release will always do well, but now I am selling broad rather than deep on a few items. Latest best-sellers include The Crew from Kosmos Games, as well as Wingspan and Forgotten Waters.

Licensed titles sell well at Rules of Play; there are many customers who will buy into an IP first and foremost, whereas board game enthusiasts are more likely to buy into the game before the IP. The Marvel range by Fantasy Flight Games is a top seller at present, following on from the Star Wars range which has been a huge IP in the last couple of years. There is very much a correlation between general entertainment and what sells well for us because board games, just like film, use part of a consumer’s entertainment budget.

Looking forward to Christmas, we are looking to broaden our range online and will be heavily promoting a more streamlined range in store this year. In previous years we could afford to take risks on speculative items, however cashflow has to be a priority this year. We normally have most, if not all, of our Christmas stock in by October half term. I suspect I will be investing the same amount in product this year but will be stocking deeper on safe bets. Then again, the games market is an artform rather than a pure science, so from the purchasing perspective you are always looking at what could be the next hit. You have to anticipate the market, which means being flexible is key – but there is margin for error.

Above all, I am very thankful to both our customer base and the distributors who have been really helpful and supportive throughout this difficult time. It has been a tricky four-month period but the distributors we deal with have been very accommodating, which has given us confidence in uncertain times.

Joseph Yap - QT Toys and Games, Wandsworth I have been happy with business since reopening, though it’s by no means 100% back to normal. Weekends especially are quite subdued compared to usual. We are fortunate that, where we are located, a lot of local people are now working from home. Consequently, unemployment factors and closed offices haven’t impacted us too much and I hope this continues to be the case.

We have been around since 1983 and one of the really heart-warming things about QT Toys is that many of the parents who shop with us now used to come here when they were a child themselves, and their parents come in to shop for grandkids. It’s wonderful to have so much community-based support.

The puzzle ranges we carry include Ravensburger and Gibsons. Just before lockdown came into effect on 23rd March, we experienced a huge demand for family games and puzzles. The 1000-piece puzzles have been especially sought after throughout lockdown. In a normal year, we would usually only see significant demand for those lines in the festive season. Since we reopened, demand for games and puzzles has cooled, but I think that is natural over the summer and the category will begin to pick up again soon from a seasonal perspective.

One thing that always surprises me is how well Monopoly continues to sell. I always recommend a vast selection of new games to families, however classic titles like Monopoly and Cluedo always seem to come out on top. Even licensed versions don’t tend to generate as many sales as the originals. Some newer games on the market, like Asmodee’s Ticket to Ride, have also been really popular, but generally there are very few that hold the torch and can sustain long term popularity like the classics.

I think a lot of parents encourage their children to incorporate games and puzzles into their play routine as an antidote to excessive to screen time. Games and puzzles will always be a popular alternative activity that offers interaction, stimulation and enrichment.

QT Toys has a website, and games and puzzles lend themselves well to an online platform, especially those items we all know well which don’t require too much explanation online. The biggest challenge is having to compete with marketplaces like Amazon. We put a lot of focus on the website during lockdown when the shop was shuttered, so that we could offer a local delivery service to our regular customers.

The challenges moving forward are going to be getting customers into the shop and achieving the sales volumes we normally would, while social distancing measures are in place. I don’t foresee any changes to these measures anytime soon, especially over the winter season. So, the website could be useful; we have considered advertising a Christmas pre-order online service or putting together a click and collect system, to encourage customers to choose to shop with us.

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Touching Base

What are you bringing to the table?

Games & puzzles suppliers have emerged from lockdown in a stronger position than many of them could have reasonably hoped, with the booming demand for at-home entertainment driving sales of board games, jigsaws and playing cards. Toy World spoke to a selection of suppliers to find out how they’ll be both maintaining this momentum as we approach the all-important Q4 period, and how they’ll be supporting retailers both online and in-store.

Kelly Philp - Mattel UK marketing director Mattel is seeing phenomenal sales across the games business, more than doubling year to date, as people continue to buy into the brands they know and love, like Scrabble, Pictionary and Uno. We have introduced new games like Pugalicious, Inky’s Fortune, Scrabble Duplicate, Uno Flip and the Pictionary Card Game, all of which are great for people who want to introduce variety into their board game collection. We also have some exciting marketing plans in place for this year, supporting our new launches whilst also ensuring our core games, such as Uno and Scrabble, remain front of mind for consumers.

Games are typically sold and played most when families are together, so sales soar at Christmas.

However, this year, even pre-lockdown, we were seeing a renewed interest in gameplay, with lockdown growing that trend even further. Families and friends are seeing games as a way to connect and spend time together, and we’re therefore seeing sales volumes that rival the Christmas period - traditionally the category’s strongest time of year.

Emily Bond - Head of sales, Big Potato Games We’re releasing six new games over the next couple of months which I think will help to keep up the sales momentum; consumers love to see what’s new, especially in the run-up to Christmas. We’re also increasing our marketing spend on social adverts and paid influencer campaigns from now through to Q4. It’s more important than ever to have a presence online, especially because the majority of consumerfacing events have been cancelled this year.

We’ve also made a conscious effort to give ourselves longer periods of time to create games.

It’s given us a window to conduct proper, and thorough, product testing - not just whacking them out there and hoping for the best.

We were unexpectedly lucky with sales back in April this year. Lots of people who don’t typically buy board games were buying them in lockdown.

I think this has helped us to gain some new (and hopefully loyal) customers, who potentially hadn’t heard of us pre-lockdown. We’re hoping these new-found customers will follow us through to the Christmas season.

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John McDonnell Managing director, Galt

Both the Galt and the Jumbo brands saw fantastic growth during the lockdown period.

It was certainly the right time and place for our business, but the logistics of satisfying such a large demand out of season stretched our inhouse and warehouse teams to the max. There were inevitably out-of-stock situations, and there has been a knock-on post peak, but we’re finding that demand for our ranges is still very strong.

In order to capitalise fully on the situation, we have taken the extra cash earned and turned it into stock. We are very bullish about the opportunities that lie ahead and are anticipating a good end to the year. Our customer base has grown significantly, and we have the stock and the overall capacity to drive increases throughout the rest of 2020. As a business, we operate very much as a team which, together with excellent IT support, has kept us going at a tremendous rate whilst working from home.

Many of us were back in the office by the end of July, and the entire team was back the first week of August to help drive sales. If we have read it right, we’ll have an excellent Christmas.

Touching Base Kay Thompson UK head of sales, Winning Moves

We're very lucky to have a wide range of wholesome products including licensed puzzles, licensed Waddingtons playing cards, Monopoly, Top Trumps and Pass the Pigs, all of which are well-established family boredom busters. Reacting swiftly to increased demand this year, we’ve expanded our puzzle range from 13 SKUs to 25 in a short space of time.

As a company, we’re doing everything possible to help bring the vital bricks & mortar side of our business back up to speed; our online business just doesn’t make up for the shortfall. While we’ve planned realistically for the remainder of this year, having realigned the business in expectation of decreased sales, we’re also remaining flexible on manufacturing should we need to ramp up production at short notice.

Winning Moves prides itself on being a reliable supplier; more than 95% of our range is always available, and deliveries are prompt as our manufacturing takes place in the UK & Ireland. With floorspace at more of a premium then ever before, and social distancing squeezing it even further, we’re able to provide innovative POS solutions such as metal clip strips for displaying Top Trumps packs, as well as CDUs to help drive impulse purchases.

To support our retailers even more, we’re also extending our discount deals to all our independents, even though they are usually only redeemable at physical trade shows. Our entire range, which offers varied RRPs across a broad range of generic and hot licences, provides excellent margins to help independent businesses throughout this difficult time.

Jo Drage - Sales director, Thames & Kosmos As with most games companies, Thames and Kosmos has seen phenomenal growth in board game sales this year, thanks to the pandemic and two nominations for the Spiel Des Jahres - one of which won. Our online offerings, unsurprisingly, have been performing exceptionally well. As we all know, bricks & mortar shops have suffered because of the lockdown, but I feel like consumers are now rallying to keep their high street healthy, and actively trying to spend their pounds there.

This was probably aided by August’s Eat Out to Help Out government incentive, and I hope this trend will continue after the incentive ends.

To help our bricks & mortar customers, Thames and Kosmos extended special ‘welcome back’ offers to independents placing orders in the weeks after the government allowed them to reopen. We also delayed the release of some of our major 2020 titles - My City, Aqualin, Crazy Fishing and KareKare - until the shops were open again. This helped us for exposure purposes, but it also meant that the initial rush of orders for a much-anticipated game was enjoyed by all retailers.

In June, we decided to take another game into our fold called The Lost Words, a card game adaptation of the best-selling and beautifully illustrated book of the same name, based on British flora and fauna. The card game, which has equally stunning artwork, will be released on October 5th. We also have new releases in our two best-selling ranges, two Exits (Cemetery of the Knight and The Enchanted Forest) in October and another Adventure Game (The Volcanic Island) being released in September. As we add titles to these ranges regularly, sales are always high, with the Exit games selling over 100,000 units in the first half of this year. These new releases are therefore sure to boost sales in autumn/winter and keep the momentum going. I have every confidence that the rest of this year will continue to provide stellar sales for Thames and Kosmos, and we are looking forward to continuing the trend into 2021.

Nick Thomas - UK general manager, Vivid Vivid fared well during the lockdown period as we operate in all the key categories; Arts & Crafts with Crayola, Outdoor with Wubble/Phlat Ball, and Games.

Games was particularly strong, and by Easter it felt like Christmas in terms of the volume of sales we were achieving with family games such as Sequence, Escape Room: The Game and Catchphrase. It remains to be seen if consumers will repeat this level of purchasing within the games category as we head towards Christmas.

It feels like we are in unprecedented times; we’re less able to predict consumer sentiment in turbulent years such as this one. Nevertheless, we’ll be pressing ahead with investment across both TV advertising and digital campaigns to support new games launches such as Burping Bobby, Johnny The Skull and Banana Blast, as well as current best-sellers Shark Bite, Gator Golf and Don’t Wake Dad. Across our games portfolio, our marketing plans and investment levels are likefor-like versus 2019, but we have taken the decision to layer adult-targeted campaigns on top of our kids TV advertising plans to ensure we capture the key purchasing decision maker. This means we’ll be adjusting our creative to make it suitable for other digital platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. We are also working on digital and creative PR campaigns for our kidult games including BBC Blue Planet, Wordsearch, Sequence and On Your Marks to help keep these games top of mind. Victoria Beckham endorsed On Your Marks on her Instagram account earlier in the year, which was fantastic; we’ll be targeting similar activities as we lead into the second half of 2020.

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Touching Base Phil Hooper - Commercial

director of marketing, Spin Master As lockdown continues to ease and Christmas approaches, Spin Master will be helping to maintain momentum in the Games & Puzzles sector via exciting product launches supported with robust marketing plans. We’ll have more TV advertising in place than ever before, including a new sponsorship campaign, as well as PR, social media and influencer campaigns.

The adult puzzle category is up over 100% yearon-year, and we have two new adult puzzle ranges that we’re sure will be a hit for 2020. Fans of classic films will love our Blockbuster movie-themed puzzles, which come packaged in VHS cases, including fan favourites E.T. and Back to the Future.

Those looking for something more relaxing won’t be disappointed with our new Calm range of puzzles.

Featuring beautiful artwork that ties in with meditations on the popular app, these Calm puzzles are the perfect way to practise mindfulness.

We also have some great new games launching that introduce exciting ways to play. These include Grouch Couch, an amusing pre-school game; H5 Toppling Dominos, which has been created in partnership with professional domino artist Lily Hevesh; and Rubik’s Perplexus, which combines the Rubik’s Cube with the Perplexus Puzzle Ball in the most innovative way possible.

Family time has become more important than ever before, and both puzzles and board games are a way of bringing everyone together. Everyone has their own festive traditions, but we believe that people will want a new board game to play after their Christmas lunch. As for puzzling, it’s quickly become a trend and one that we expect to continue through to December and beyond.

Meriç Pekcan-Butcher Marketing manager, Interplay Games One of the most positive and unexpected outcomes of the pandemic has been the re-discovery of time together.

Covid-19 hasn’t stopped parents from buying games that both connect and entertain the whole family, and I’m certain that this will continue through to Christmas (and beyond). The festive season is undoubtedly the biggest opportunity for creating magical family time. To ensure that consumers can experience the best possible moments together this Christmas, we’ve been focusing on fresh product developments, such as Drone Home and 5 Second Rule Spintensity. The latter features a new electronic timer and spinner, adding a fun and exciting new twist to this popular gaming brand. We’re aiming to optimise and innovate in everything we do, and our marketing communications are stronger than ever before to ensure our message goes straight to the target audience.

Simon Newbury Managing director, Orchard Toys I think it’s fair to say that this year has been unlike any year that I, or anyone in the Toy Industry, has ever experienced.

The lockdown and in particular the requirement for parents to home-school their children created a surge in demand for Orchard Toys as a resource to support home learning and with it, an opportunity for us to raise awareness of the brand.

It is, perhaps, of little surprise that demand was particularly high for the more overtly educational games, such as Match and Spell and Magic Maths, as parents discovered that an Orchard Toy is a great way to take the pressure out of home schooling and provide some fun along the way.

We will continue to engage with and support this new audience into Q4, through a strong social media campaign, to reinforce the fun and educational nature of our brand and to build on the momentum gained over the past five months.

In addition, of course, we will focus on our retail customers, ensuring that we do everything we can to support them as they try to return to ‘normal’. Having seen an almost total shutdown of our supplier base for an extended period, we have worked exceedingly hard and made changes to the way we operate, to ensure that our availability returns to the level to which we and our customers have become accustomed.

The toys and puzzles category has enjoyed huge success during the pandemic and there is every indication that this will continue into Christmas 2020 and beyond. The category has found a new audience that we hope will remain with us for many years to come.

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Feature

Games & Puzzles

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Suitable for ages eight and above and ideal for family game night is the Monopoly For Sore Losers board game, a hilarious twist on the classic Monopoly game which turns losing on its head and celebrates it instead.

Players earn cash by doing the typically frustrating things in the game such as going to Jail, paying rent on a property, or going bankrupt. Those who really start sinking can make a comeback using the large Mr Monopoly token that gives players advantages over everyone else.

Also available from Hasbro is Operation: Pet Scan Edition where players try to help Cavity Sam’s dog, Rex-Ray, feel better by removing items he shouldn’t have eaten including homework, socks, bunny slippers and a dog bone. Players drop an ailment into the dog's mouth and use the magnetic dog-o-scope to guide it along his belly, in the hope it will come out his tail end. If the buzzer sounds, the ailment drops and if it falls out of his belly, that players turn is over. Kids will be entertained throughout the game with fun sound effects and can press and hold Rex-Ray’s nose to hear instant bark and fart sounds. The game is suitable for two plus players aged six years and above.

In the Cluedo Liars Edition board game, players use Investigation cards to help them figure out who killed Mr Boddy in the mansion. Players pick a card and read it out loud, all while trying to convince other players that they're telling the truth, even if they are not. If a player suspects they are lying, they can call that player out by hitting the Liar Button. Whether caught lying or telling the truth, an Evidence Card is revealed and players move one step closer to cracking the case. When a player is ready to make an accusation, they secretly look at the cards placed inside the case file envelope to reveal “Who, What, and Where.” A correct accusation wins the game. Cluedo Liars is suitable for 2-6 players aged eight and above.

Interplay 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com Interplay has extensive growth planned for its games portfolio in 2020. Supported with significant investment in the form of an integrated marketing programme that will engage the key target audience and encourage purchasing decisions, the company is introducing engaging new titles to its line-up. Featuring innovative new gameplay, Interplay’s 2020 games line-up will see players fast talking, fast thinking, fast reacting - and even helping aliens escape.

Building on the success of the 5 second Rule brand, 5 Second Rule Spintensity is an all-new intense electronic version of 5 Second Rule with lights and sounds. Just like the original game, players have to name three things. However, the random electronic timer and spinner will then tell them what they must do next; name even more things, draw another card, or pass to the next player. Suitable for three or more players, 5 Second Rule Spintensity can also be combined with the original game for even more fun.

Suitable for 2-4 players aged six and over, Drone Home is the first ever game to feature a real drone. Offering head-to-head competitive play, kids race to launch their aliens down ramps and into the drone. When an alien lands inside it triggers the drone to start up and fly, but because there is a delay, other players can sabotage the flight by knocking the alien out of the drone with one of their own. When the drone eventually takes off, any aliens inside it will make it safely home.

The fast and furious Quick Link is a new word party game for the whole family, which tasks players with using their squeaky suction cup sticks to snap up words that are logically related. When an opponent makes a debatable link, another player can squeeze their stick to call them out. The game develops verbal reasoning in a fun and engaging way.

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Games & Puzzles

John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk In Windy Knickers, 2-4 players help Granny get her washing on the line to dry. Taking turns, each roll of the dice dictates the next move; rolling sunshine allows the player to hang up a piece of washing, while rolling rain means taking a piece back in. A cloud roll means skip a turn. When a player rolls a storm, a tornado will cause the washing line to spin wildly, flinging the clothes off. The first player to hang out all their colour-coded washing wins.

Don’t Get Rattled requires a steady hand and nerves of steel, as players attempt to steal precious jewels from a snake before it wakes up. Also joining the kids action games range is Munchin’ Monkey. The cute character wears a replaceable paper nappy and swings from a tree. Players take turns feeding him a coconut, giving him a drink of water, or swinging him on branch; the aim is to play with and feed the monkey for as long as possible before his nappy splits and spills its contents into the basin below.

Following on from the success of Shake Off, families can now keep active with Pose Off, a new game that gets players to complete challenges whilst holding a yoga pose. If a player stumble or repeats a move, they’re out. Pencil Nose is a hilarious party game in which players use their noses to sketch words against the clock. The player’s teammates must try to correctly guess what they’re drawing before the time runs out.

FartBuster is the fun, farting reaction game. Players watch carefully as FartBuster makes silly fart sounds in sequence while his arms light up. The challenge is to then pull FartBuster’s arms in the right order to see if they can successfully repeat it. Designed for players aged 16 years and over, Nightmare Horror Adventures is a dark, story-based game full of plot twists, surprises and jumpscares that will send a shiver down the spine.

Family favourite Rummikub, the fun numbers game that brings people together, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Marking the occasion will be the release of a new Rummikub Black version featuring premium black tiles in a stylish carry tin.

Rubik’s also has reason to celebrate; it’s been 40 years since the iconic cube was named Toy of the Year. A new 3x3 Metallic Anniversary Cube is being introduced, which makes an ideal gift for puzzle fans and Rubik’s enthusiasts alike. Rubik’s Revolution, an electronic light up cube with six solo and multiplayer sensory games, and Rubik’s Tilt - a retro style handheld which can be twisted and tilted to solve a cube on-screen - are also joining the range.

All key products will benefit from a mix of TV, VOD and digital advertising as well as full PR, influencer and social media plans.

Rachel Lowe 07957 186 064 | www.rachellowe.co.uk WWE fans across the UK now have the opportunity to become part of the global pop-culture event with the introduction of Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles’ new range of licensed offerings.

Manufactured by award-winning board game creator Rachel Lowe MBE, WWE: Road to WrestleMania sees players become one of their favourite WWE Superstars including John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Players need to rack up the wins at WWE’s most popular shows, including Raw, SmackDown and NXT, to reach the 'Grandest Stage of Them All' – WrestleMania. Using their best moves to defeat other players, players will compete to see who will be crowned the WWE Champion and get their hands on the prestigious WWE title.

The game is launched alongside a 500-piece WrestleMania puzzle featuring fan-favourites Sasha Banks, Randy Orton and Charlotte Flair, plus a deck of playing cards.

As a property, WWE benefits from a passionate and devoted global fanbase who are drawn to the athletes and the excitement of the dramatic, action-packed storylines. The property moved to BT Sport and went free-to-air on Channel 5 recently, which has seen brand awareness and popularity skyrocket; as a result, retailers can expect the range to drive in-store footfall and online purchases alike.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic the company saw a substantial surge in sales across all its online shops, allowing it to continue trading successfully whilst the high street retail side of the business came to a halt. Rachel notes that although it may take some time for the company to see a return on the investment made in Q1 2020 trade shows, confidence in its Q4 prospects is high thanks to its strong new releases and marketing investment.

The Road to Wrestlemania board game will be supported by a TV campaign, a first for Rachel Lowe Games & Puzzles.

The 30” ad is due to run on Sky channels, and will also showcase the game on social media and other digital platforms. The company is also looking to invest in similar TVCs for other licensed products such as Elf on the Shelf, which is new for 2020.

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Games & Puzzles

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Uno is adding new and exciting ways to play; participants can now switch up the classic gameplay by writing their own rules using the three customisable and erasable wild cards. Also new to the Uno range for autumn/winter is Uno Showdown, which offers a new and unexpected twist. The lights and sounds of the showdown unit will signal to players that it’s time to pull off their speediest reaction. The aim of the game is to be the first to push the pedal; the quickest player wins the draw and sends extra cards flying at their opponent.

Uno licences for this year include Minions, Super Mario, Trolls, Frozen II, WWE and Rick and Morty. Each licensed Uno will feature a special move that is unique to that property.

Loved for over 70 years, Scrabble is updated as words evolve. New to the range in 2020 is Scrabble Duplicate, which lets up to six people play on the same board.

The new game incorporates a Scrabble Marker Board, which each player uses to compete against the others using the same seven letter tiles.

Following a sell-out launch in autumn/winter 2019, Pictionary Air continues to bring families together by making screen time family time. The game has been reinvented for a new generation; players can now draw using an interactive pen and a tablet, mobile or smart TV screen.

This year, Puglicious joins Mattel’s Kids & Pre-School range. Ideal for dog lovers, kids take turns stacking treats on the cute pug’s nose, then push the pug’s paw to see how many he can ‘eat’. The first player to get rid of all the doggie treats wins but half the fun is watching the pug try to catch them all.

Also new to the Kids & Pre-School games range for autumn/winter is Inky’s Fortune, a game that tests patience and dexterity. Kids take turns trying to sneak gems from Inky, the sleeping octopus. Although he appears to be dozing, players that aren’t careful enough when trying to steal the gems will cause him to shoot his ink blot. The player who has collected the most gems wins the game.

Bounce Off, a game for young adults and families, offers the ultimate head-tohead competition. Players flip over a challenge card to determine the pattern, then race to recreate the pattern by bouncing balls into the grid. The first person to complete the pattern wins the card, and the first to win three cards wins the game.

Finally, The Walking Dead Escape Room in a Box offers a variation on other escape room games; players are trying to break into a room, rather than out of one. Working as a team to solve the clues and puzzles, the aim is to find a way into a safe place before the zombies catch up. The game will make an ideal gift for any Walking Dead fans aged 13 years and older.

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Spin Master’s new game Grouch Couch lets players find out what happens to those little items that go missing. Players take turns feed Grouch Couch a variety of treats, then press the remote control to see what happens; with luck, he’ll grumble, chomp, burp and eat the treats. If he does, he’ll spit out Lost Goodies, which players can collect. The player with the biggest collection of Lost Goodies by the time Grouch Couch plays his victory song wins the game.

Friends: The One with the Apartment Bet is a fun and engaging party game for fans of the classic sitcom. The game, which is based on the one played in the episode The One with the Embryos, lets fans show off their Friends trivia mastery in four categories - Fears and Peeves, Ancient History, Literature and It’s All Relative. Adding a fun twist to the gameplay, the speedy Lightning Round, which offers up even more show trivia, will see players put it all on the line.

Rubik’s Perplexus Hybrid 2 x 2 unites two challenging puzzles in one. Players roll the steel ball to the start space, then twist the Rubik’s Perplexus to align the tracks and manoeuvre the ball through the inner maze. The aim is to roll the ball past the increasing numbers along the track on the way to the finish line, without falling off. Players that complete the maze, complete the cube. The Rubik's Perplexus Fusion helps build problem-solving skills through challenging and engaging gameplay and is the perfect size for on-the-go fun.

Domino fans can design, build and topple with the H5 Toppling Dominoes Kit. This set of 100 dominoes and accessories from Lily Hevesh, the No. 1 domino artist in the world, includes easy-to-follow directions with full-colour photographs that will have users building chain reaction designs in no time.

Games & Puzzles

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com A strong collection of games and puzzles launches are set for the second half of 2020. The latest introductions provide a powerful platform to build on results achieved in the first half. Ravensburger will support both new and evergreen products with major marketing investment including TV, PR and digital activations.

Families are increasingly turning to games to create time to connect away from screens and Ravensburger’s autumn offering won’t disappoint. Already named a Toy Fair Hero Toy, Big Money is the game of risky rolls and big investments, which sees players take their chances with three throws of the dice and grow their fortunes to invest in exciting businesses, all in a bid to become a zillionaire.

Classic game Labyrinth has a new addition, with 3D Labyrinth joining the range and taking the gameplay to new dimensions.

Players are challenged to find their way through the 3D style maze to find the treasure. For younger children, action game Slimy Joe combines fun with gooey slime. Players take turns to pick flutterbies from inside the giant carnivorous plant’s mouth, hoping it won’t snap shut on their turn.

Ravensburger continues to grow its immersive games portfolio with high profile partnerships, further making its mark in the category. Recent launch, Back to the Future: Dice Through Time, offers an authentic dive into the world of the popular movie franchise in the form of a cooperative dice game. With half a million Villainous games sold to date, the much-anticipated Marvel Villainous: Infinite Power, is set to extend the franchise. This game will see players take on the role of an iconic comic book villain and features villains Thanos, Hela, Taskmaster, Killmonger and Ultron. Reaching out to a slightly younger audience is the quick-to-play and cooperative game, Hocus Pocus, which challenges players to beat the Sanderson Sisters before the sun rises and features quotes and spells from the film.

Ravensburger achieved impressive results in 2019 and 2020 is seeing continued strong growth in the puzzles category. With the festive season fast-approaching, Ravensburger is set to launch the 24th in a series of limited edition 1000-piece Christmas puzzles, as well as the ‘We Wish Moo a Merry Christmas’ 500-piece animal selfie puzzle. Joining a raft of launches in adult 2D puzzles, these jigsaws offer a perfect activity for holiday afternoons.

The company has recently welcomed Hey Duggee, Elmer, Ricky Zoom and 44 Cats, plus more licences to its portfolio. The company is also building on the solid performance of its Gruffalo range, with new introductions showcasing further characters from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's books. New products for the second half include The Snail and The Whale My First Floor Puzzle and Zog and Other Stories 4-in-a-Box. In 3D puzzles, the latest data reflects strong double-digit growth for Ravensburger. Among the new introductions for autumn are a light-up Gingerbread House and a 3D puzzle incarnation of the Lamborghini Huracán, which joins the popular Porsche 911 and Porsche GT3 Cup in the 3D car collection.

Winning Moves 0207 298 9507 | www.winningmoves.co.uk Following a successful few months, Winning Moves has given its puzzle range a complete overhaul to ensure it continues to be both a reliable and on-trend supplier. With new lines added and innovative new ideas shared and championed behind the scenes, a diverse range has been created of featuring all the most desired licences and themes, from Friends and Harry Potter to HRH Queen Elizabeth.

In July, Winning Moves released two 1,000-piece puzzles based on HRH The Queen. The UK’s longest standing monarch has provided comfort and strength to the nation at a time when everyone needed to pull together, and now puzzlers can piece together either a single image or a montage featuring some of the most iconic snapshots of Her Majesty.

Adding to this range, and set to hit shelves in November, are 1,000-piece puzzle versions of Winning Moves’ popular Regional Monopoly Boards. A family that owns the Huddersfield Monopoly version, for example, can enjoy building the same board but in puzzle format. Five editions are currently available - London, Huddersfield, Edinburgh, The Lakes and Dublin – and more are on the way.

Two new Animal Crossing puzzles are set to launch in November.

Animal Crossing has become one of the world’s best-selling games, and the licence is very popular.

Another key focus for Q4, and also launching in November, is the newest addition to the Pass The Pigs family, Pass The Pugs. Players roll the Pugs like doggy dice; how they land will determine if they are top dog or the runt of the litter. With over a dozen possible positions, the first to score 100 points will become the winner. The game is ideal for long car journeys, public transport or the beach.

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Games & Puzzles

Big Potato 07472 824 526 | www.bigpotato.co.uk London-based game creator Big Potato has released two new board games for 2020.

Herd Mentality is a party game which challenges players to think like the herd and write down the exact same answers as each other. P for Pizza, meanwhile, is a quickthinking, pizza-slice-grabbing category game which sees players racing to shout out answers and build their pizza slice to secure victory. Although different, both games stick to Big Potato’s golden rules – that games should be easy to learn and quick to play.

Whether players are staying in with family or going out with friends, both games offer a quick and easy way to get the party going.

In Herd Mentality, the aim is to win eight Cow Tokens before anyone else. In each round, players will hear a random question such as ‘What’s the worst day of the week?’ Everyone writes down an answer, then reveals them one by one. If a player’s answer is part of the majority, they get to collect a Cow Token from Paddock in the middle and take a step closer to victory. However, there’s one cow in the paddock that no one will want to collect - the squishy pink cow. The person who gave the odd answer out will have to add him to their herd. Whilst the pink cow is sitting in front of them, it’s impossible for them to win the game.

Instead, they must hope someone else collects him before it’s too late.

Perfect pizza knowledge and super spelling skills aren’t needed to play the letter game P for Pizza; players just need to be able to shout out answers as quickly as they can.

On each card, there are three categories, each one next to a random letter. To win a card, players have to think of a word that matches the category and begins with the letter opposite. For example, if the card needed a TV show beginning with B, a player could shout ‘Baywatch’. The first to shout a correct answer wins the card and adds it to their collection. Once they’ve won nine cards, they’ll have enough to build their giant pizza slice and win the game.

Herd Mentality and P For Pizza are both available to order now. For more information, readers can get in touch with Emily Bond, head of sales, at emily@ bigpotato.co.uk.

Zee Productions 01491 825 029 | www.zeeproductions.co.uk To celebrate its first anniversary, Zee Productions is releasing a raft of new puzzles this autumn.

Originally conceived by Zee Productions’ self-proclaimed metal-head Steve Beatty, the Rocksaws label aimed to shake up the traditional puzzles sector by turning classic heavy metal album artwork into puzzles, with seminal artists including Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead and legendary stadium rockers Queen.

Now attention is being turned to the mainstream music genre, with the release of a range of 500- and 1,000-piece puzzles in September and October, featuring official album artwork from late 20th century music icons including David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, The Clash, Nirvana, AC/DC and Pink Floyd.

Highlights include David Bowie’s symbolic studio album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars, whose cover featured in the Royal Mail’s ‘Classic Album Cover’ postage stamps issued in 2010; one of the most famous album covers and best-selling albums of all time in popular music, Nevermind from Nirvana; and Exile on Main Street, widely viewed as The Rolling Stones’ greatest album.

Military and puzzle enthusiasts can look forward to the release of Bellica on 19th September 2020. This new military history-themed range of 1,000-piece puzzles is designed by the award-winning aviation artist and commercial illustrator Keith Burns and features 10 WW2 combat depictions that will be of interest to any military history fan.

Memorable battles depicted include the Atlantic Convoy Attack by the Luftwaffe Fw 200; the Luftwaffe strafing D-Day beaches in Fw 190 Over Normandy; and the RAF Lancaster and crew’s last mission in Lancaster – When We Are Back.

The aesthetic of this range is further enhanced by sleeve notes that tell puzzlers what the illustration is of, including the conflict, the equipment and the protagonists. This will draw military enthusiasts into the pleasure of puzzling, and puzzle enthusiasts into the world of military history. For more information, email info@zeeproductions.co.uk.

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Games & Puzzles

Gibsons 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Among new releases from family-owned Gibsons, the 24-Door Jigsaw Puzzle Advent Calendar offers puzzle fans 22 festive-shaped jigsaw puzzles featuring Christmas traditions from around the world. Hidden behind the remaining doors is puzzle glue and ribbon which can be used to turn the jigsaw puzzles into eye-catching hanging decorations. The illustrations have been created by the talented artist Claire McElfatrick.

Gibsons has also launched This Way to Santa, its 18th Christmas Limited Edition puzzle. This 1,000-piece puzzle is packaged in a shiny, eco-foiled gold box and inside is a special, serial-numbered certificate, making it the ultimate collectors’ item.

Gibsons has expanded its Transport for London licensed range following record sales of the card game Mind the Gap. In August, the iconic modern-day London Underground tube map was transformed into 150- and 250-piece puzzles. Packaged in innovative cardboard tubes, these compact jigsaw puzzles are ideal for travelling or for gifting to any puzzle fan. This month sees the launch of Race the Rails, a new card game for 2-8 players aged 8+. Participants play as passengers in a hurry, racing across London on the Underground by following the routes of famous lines, making the connections on time, and trying not to get held up by obstacles along the way.

Gibsons launched its latest game in the Pass the Bomb range earlier this year. Pass the Bomb – The Big One is an ideal family game for keeping everyone entertained during the winter months. Players roll the dice, trigger the time-bomb and attempt to complete the task before passing it to the next player. The time-bomb is unstable and could ‘detonate’ at any moment. This action-packed, frantic-fun version of the best-selling fastpaced word game, Pass the Bomb, offers family fun for all ages.

Orchard Toys 01953 423 422 | www.orchardtoys.com This Q4, Orchard Toys celebrates the 25th anniversary of its best-selling game, Shopping List. This family favourite has been top of Orchard Toys’ bestsellers list for the past 15 years, with one still being sold every five minutes.

Suitable for ages 3-7 years, the shopping-themed matching and memory game sees players race to be the first to fill their shopping trolley or basket by collecting the items on their list. Over the past 25 years, the game has undergone five design revisions to keep it up to date and fresh, but the tried and tested gameplay has remained the same, which the company says is a testament to the success of this product.

As the game grew in popularity, Orchard Toys extended the Shopping List range with two Extras packs. These are ideal for extending the play value, offering greater variety within the game and giving retailers the chance to further capitalise on the success of Shopping List. Orchard Toys will be launching its ‘25 Years of Shopping List’ celebrations throughout October, supported by a marketing and PR campaign.

Orchard Toys is also launching Silly Sausage Dogs, a counting and colour recognition game. Suitable for children age four years and over, and for 2-6 players, this silly game guarantees fun for all the family.

Players race to build the longest sausage dog with the most spots on its jumper. With two alternative endings, this game offers plenty of replay value. This new addition to the range is sure to be popular for the Q4 gifting period.

August saw the addition of Speed Spelling to Orchard Toys’ existing range of educational games.

This fast-paced literacy game is a fresh redesign of Pass the Word and is suitable for children age 5-8 years. The gameplay encourages players to quickly spell a variety of words, from easy to more challenging, with the added fun of racing against the timer. Since its launch, Speed Spelling has been well received by both the trade and consumers.

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Games & Puzzles

Zappies 01273 467624 | www.zappies.com Zappies is a UK-based toy distributor and manufacturer with 10 years’ experience in the Games & Puzzles category.

The company continues to provide a comprehensive range of products to cater for all age groups, including classic gameplay and innovative offerings targeting new markets.

Prominent in this year’s range is Hotel Tycoon, a bold board game featuring 3D buildings that sees players race to become the wealthiest real estate magnate by building an empire of hotels and resorts. A family game suitable for ages three and above, Hotel Tycoon is available now.

At the younger end of the market is Stretchy Leon. A fastpaced game for up to four players, the aim is to grab as many bugs as possible before Stretchy Leon and his long tongue gobble them up. The game offers two levels of play for extra excitement.

Zappies has announced the launch of Detective Stories: Fire in Alderstein. Aimed at players aged 13+, fire in Alderstein brings the excitement of a detective agency into homes. Players are presented with a set of evidence and need to decide who is the criminal. Physical objects can be used in combination with digital elements as part of the investigation. At the end of the process, players need to enter the name of the criminal; if it’s correct, it will be validated. Gameplay lasts 2-3 hours on average, and all the materials are fully reusable.

Walking Dead Cluedo continues for 2020. Based on the hit TV show, the game follows the core group of characters dealing with a betrayal - someone has murdered the guards while they were away from Alexandria. The goal is to discover the truth and uncover the killer. Players will step into the shoes of Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Michonne, Carol or Negan as they search Alexandria for information, trying to discover who the predator is, where the guards were murdered, and what weapon was used.

Developed in conjunction with the popular Facebook page, each round of Rate My Plate sees players take turns to be the 'cook'. The cook has only three minutes with which to create the dish named on the recipe card. Wowing the judges – the other players - with their sensational food creations will score the player top points.

Smart Games 01903 885669 | www.smartgames.eu Smart Games has unveiled a raft of innovative new games for 2020, which promise to engage the minds of children and adults alike.

New to the scene for this year, the multi-award winning Froggit is a riveting multi-level family board game for ages six and over. The aim of the game is for players to guide their frogs across the pond while blocking other players from doing the same. The first to get their entire frog family to the other side wins the game.

Adding a fun twist to the game, the fish in the pond will scare the frogs back to the starting edge. The need for flexible thinking and strategic planning as players attempt to thwart their opponent makes this an engaging game for 2-6 players.

About to hit the shelves is Jack and the Beanstalk, the next instalment of Smart Games’ best-selling Fairy Tales collection. Suitable for ages four and over, players drop each ‘beanstalk’ puzzle piece down the ladder game board to try and match the image shown in the challenge. However, the puzzle pieces will rotate 180˚ for every step they fall. Jack and the Beanstalk includes a total of 60 challenges, plus a family-friendly picture book offering a modern twist on the original story.

The best-selling IQ range has expanded this year with the launch of IQ-Arrows, offering players a whole new direction in puzzle games. The title sees players attempt to place all the puzzle pieces on the game board, pointing the arrows as indicated in their challenge. When a puzzle piece is rotated, the direction of the arrows will change. IQ Arrows is a unique travel game featuring 120 challenges from easy to expert.

A highly anticipated addition to the Smart Games collection this year, Walk the Dog will be a hit with dog lovers. Players must keep their pooches on a short leash and steer clear of trouble with other dogs and cats. This game isn’t a walk in the park, as dog-walkers try not to get tangled up. Suitable for ages seven and over, players need both logic and deduction skills to solve the 80 challenges.

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Games & Puzzles

YWow Games (852) 6145 4332 | www.ywowgames.com YWow Games, a fast-growing startup company in the Games & Puzzles category, has made it its mission to bring fun and entertainment to children around the world - something of increasing importance during the difficult times many have been experiencing.

With digital toys and games on the rise, the company works to provide a range of on-trend and relevant physical offerings, and has developed a range of innovative board games and collectible puzzles, for which the company is now preparing a global roll-out.

YWow Games also strives to promote environmental sustainability by manufacturing its products with recyclable materials.

Building on the success of its portfolio to date, the company has recently announced the launch of a new collectible Mini Puzzles range based on iconic household brands. Products from the range will be in store globally from this month, starting with Kellogg’s and Pringles options. Both lines benefit from bold and colorful packaging for strong on-shelf appeal. YWow Games has conducted numerous collaborations with influencers around the world for the launch of the Kellogg’s and Pringles Mini Puzzles, resulting in over a million impressions globally.

YWow has recently obtained a global Mentos licence for mini puzzles and also plans to launch a line of beautiful vintage puzzles for older age groups.

Tobar 01603 397105 | www.tobar.co.uk This year Tobar adds to the interactive games sector with the launch of the revamped Atmosfear.

Not just a board game, Atmosfear is an amplified experience in home entertainment with an interactive App that works across mobile, tablet and home entertainment systems. It's a game of skill, strategy and suspense combined with in a race against time. Once players press ‘play’, they have only a limited time to collect six different keys and make their way to the centre of the board where the Well of Fears awaits. The Gatekeeper interrupts players in an attempt to disrupt their progress. With interactive App based game play, random selection to ensure a different game every time, and atmospheric digital surround sound and picture, players will be chanting, “Yes, my Gatekeeper”.

Shark World - Snappy Shark Game is perfect for family games night.

With a chomping shark at its centre, players fill the shark's mouth with colourful fish and then take turns to draw cards. Each card gives the player a colour of fish to attempt to retrieve from the shark's mouth without touching any other part of the shark, risking its jaw slamming shut and it charging at the player. The winner is the player with the most fish at the end of the game.

Tobar also has a wide variety of games and puzzles, from the traditional drafts, chess and backgammon to the hilarious Poop Shoot, Poo head, Hoop Head and Unicorn Hoopla.

Players throw various objects at another player which the player must try to catch on their hat. Exclusive to Tobar, Unicorn Race, Dinosaur Race and Penguin Race see players chase each other up the escalator and scoot down the slide to win.

For traditionalists, the company offers pool, darts, table tennis, tabletop football and casino games. Other classics include Ludo, Snakes and Ladders and Draughts, skittles, dominoes and marbles.

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PLAY FOR FUTURE products are made up of completely recycled or natural materials and they are created with the specific aim of using games to transmit to children the importance of sustainability and environmental friendliness.

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Games & Puzzles

Vivid 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Building on its spring sales success, Goliath Games has a raft of new launches planned for autumn/ winter 2020 across its pre-school, kids, and adult and family categories. Proven winners and classic titles will also carry forward, cementing the range as an all-encompassing games portfolio spanning several core target audiences.

New game Banana Blast is suitable for younger kids. Banana Joe sits atop his monkey hill, guarding his bananas; kids must try and steal them from him, but one of the bananas will make him jump. The kids’ games portfolio also welcomes Burping Bobby. Players feed Bobby food tokens and then turn the handle to watch him eat. The unlucky player who overfeeds him should be prepared for his terrible green belch.

Another new introduction is Johnny the Skull: Pirates Cove, a ghost blasting, pirate-themed action game. Players help Johnny blast the ghosts to see who will take the title of ultimate pirate. The new games will feature alongside perennial favourites Shark Bite, Don’t Wake Dad! and Gator Golf.

Goliath’s adult and family games portfolio has been bolstered by the introduction of BBC Earth: Animals, an interactive trivia challenge based on the hit BBC Earth series and featuring real clips from the show. Titles such as the deceptively addictive strategic card game Sequence; Catchphrase, based on the hit TV game show; the fast and frantic logo finding game On Your Marks and the classic Wordsearch game have also been carried forward into 2020.

All these games will benefit from TV marketing campaigns, alongside a strong digital campaign targeting parents and gift givers during the autumn/ winter season.

Galt 01614 289 111 | www.galttoys.com Galt Toys is releasing a variety of new games and puzzles to help consumers and retailers alike finish the year on a positive note.

The company considers puzzles an essential tool for learning through play. The colourful Counting Puzzle is new for 2020; a 6-piece board puzzle featuring 15 wooden animals that kids can match to their correct space, encouraging number recognition as players match shapes and learn to count from 1 to 5.

The Shapes Puzzle is also new for this year, and is ideal for teaching children shape and colour recognition with its chunky wooden pieces and fun safari theme. Both the Shapes Puzzle and Counting Puzzle are suitable for ages two and up and are crafted using quality wood and thick, wipe-clean board for educational fun that will stand the test of time.

The new 3 Little Pigs Game brings the popular fairy tale to life while also offering an introduction to board games.

Featuring durable pieces, a colourful game board and 3D house, the 3 Little Pigs Game encourages storytelling and teamwork for players aged two years and up.

The Antarctica Game memory challenge encourages children to remember where the three baby seals have been placed and return them safely home. This colourful game, with its chunky and durable pieces, is another good introduction to board gaming for children aged two and up.

A new release for 2020, Germ Attack! is part of the Horrible Science range. Based on the best-selling books written by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles, the game is suitable for 2-6 players aged eight and up. Players can take the role of either shrunken scientists or gruesome germs as they begin a ruthless race to the heart. Along the way, players can learn foul facts about the human body and answer questions about guts, bacteria and viruses. This board game is ideal for those looking to brush up on their biology knowledge while enjoying some family fun.

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Games & Puzzles

Thames & Kosmos 01580 212 000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Many of Thames & Kosmos’ 2-player games, such as Targi and Kahuna, sold out during the past few months, while its English language Exit titles continue to head the company’s best-sellers list; over 100,000 units sold in the first half of the year. With the demand for board games continuing to rise during the summer holidays, Thames & Kosmos has been helping its customers with planning which boardgames to stock for Q4.

The board game market continues to expand, a trend which the company expects to continue. Fan sites The Dice Tower and Shut up and Sit Down, both of which are influential and respected among board gamers, have helped to propel a selection of Kosmos and Devir games into the spotlight during lockdown. The Crew – Quest for Planet 9 has been the standout hit of 2020 for Thames & Kosmos, winning a variety of prizes across the gaming world including Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020 in July. The game, which retails at less than £15, sold out of its first run in under nine days and has been a constant bestseller since its second print run release in April.

The highly anticipated My City, designed by Reiner Knizia, arrived at the Thames & Kosmos warehouse in July. Since then, the legacy game has become a success in both toy trade and gaming circles, with sales benefitting from its nomination for Spiel des Jahres earlier this year. The company has also welcomed the beautifully illustrated Aqualin in July; this 2-player tile laying game of marine domination has been a sleeper hit, marketing well with families and gamers alike.

Thames & Kosmos has also revealed that October will see the release of a British designed and produced card game based on best-selling book The Lost Words, which will retail at sub-£15. The company says it has been working on the latest addition to its card game range for the past couple of months and is pleased with how well it has translated into both an online game and an eye-catching card game.

Cheatwell 02392 524098 | www.cheatwell.com Cheatwell’s best-seller Tension, in which players name 10 items in a category, has proved a hit during lockdown. The momentum is set to continue as the game is joined by three stand-alone editions, each focused on a single subject -Music, Movies and Foodies.

Tension’s sister product Topix has been given a 2020 makeover to bring it up to date. A stalwart in the Cheatwell range, this fun family category game can be played by all ages. Questions such as ‘How many things made of metal can you name beginning with P?’ will test players’ quick thinking skills.

Ideal for the younger generation, Crown the Unicorn is a fun search-and-find tile game that tasks players with finding and returning the unicorn’s lost crown, while avoiding the angry lion that has chased her into the forest. The game is easy to set up and simple to play.

In Bubbles, players throw the dice then match the colours to the cards, aiming to spot the correct combination and bag the bubbles. This fast-moving match-and-grab game is an ideal way for kids to improve their observation skills whilst having fun.

Top Trivia cards are known for their exceptional value for money, with each pack offering the customer 1,000 category questions. This year Cheatwell launched a new series. Covering four decades, from the Swinging Sixties to the Nifty Nineties, each challenging quiz pack offers an enjoyable trip down memory lane. The decks can be ordered individually or in a display holding 24 units.

Another successful line during lockdown was Cheatwell’s collectible World’s Smallest Jigsaw series. These 1,000-piece puzzles are A3 in size, but despite being small, offer a mighty challenge. Adding to the existing range of six styles, the company has introduced eight new designs for autumn/winter.

Cheatwell is committed to helping its customers with attractive offers on credit and carriage paid available. Readers are advised to call the company offices for details, or contact either Steve Asbey on 07770 651670, or Liz Price on 07763 053466.

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01903 885669 - uk@smart.be - www.smart.be

Games & Puzzles

Asmodee 01420 593 593 | www.asmodee.co.uk The success of Asmodee’s flagship Dobble range looks set to continue this Christmas. Following the launch of the giant-sized Dobble XXL for summer, the holiday period will see a major focus on Dobble 360, which adds a fun twist to the best-selling game of speedy observation. Featuring a mechanised display system that rotates two cards while players try to spot the matching image, this new version adds a memory challenge to Dobble’s alreadyaddictive play pattern.

A new licensed edition in the form of The Gruffalo Dobble was launched earlier this year, with another – Dobble L.O.L. Surprise! – about to make its debut. The Dobble brand will continue to grow as it heads into 2021, with plans in the pipeline for more environmentally friendly packaging as well as new licensed editions.

A number of Asmodee’s Modern Classics, which represent the most enduringly popular board games of the modern era and the titles that Asmodee thinks should be any stockists’ first port of call, have been making significant gains during lockdown, particularly Catan, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic. These games will benefit from a wide-reaching digital campaign in Q4 to support listings at retail.

New games have also made an impression, including the recently released party game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. This entertaining card game sees players reciting silly words as they take turns playing cards and rushing to perform actions when a matching or special card is revealed.

Having proved ideal for those stuck at home, Asmodee enjoyed a strong launch this year for Bananagrams Duel, a 2-player edition of the best-selling word game. Meanwhile, the classic Bananagrams game continues to go from strength to strength with over 2,500 schools signed up to the Bananagrams Schools Club, which rewards educators for using the game in the classroom.

The popular BrainBox range of educational games, part of Asmodee’s key Family Games range, offers 10-minute brain challenges on a variety of subjects. Ideal for parents to play with children, the games help develop reading comprehension and memory skills while teaching fun facts about science, maths, the natural world and more. The collection also includes titles such as Ticket to Ride London and Bermuda Pirates.

Asmodee also offers Telestrations, an uproarious game of terrible drawings and hilarious misunderstandings. Players draw a secret word, pass along their drawing, and then try to guess the secret word that relates to the drawing they’ve just received, repeating the process until confusion reigns. Part of the Party Games range, Telestrations is ideal for socially distant barbecues and gatherings of friends.

Foxmind (972) 3777 9262 | www.foxmind.co.il Israeli company FoxMind is a market leader locally and over the past few years has seen its strength in international markets increase.

The company has an EMEA licence for its Harry Potter puzzle game, Head 2 Toe. There are three versions of this nine-card puzzle available - Harry Potter, Harry and Friends and House Symbols - all of which are contained within a beautifully designed tin. CDU displays holding 12 tins make this line an ideal countertop impulse option. Trickier than it sounds, Head 2 Toe offers fans a real brain teasing experience. Each card features the top or bottom half of four different characters or symbols; the aim is to complete the square so that everything is where it should be, and each half matches up. Launched in Nuremberg, distributors worldwide have reacted very positively to this range.

FoxMind’s Speedy Words is a worldwide best-seller. A fun card game combining 10 categories and the letters of the alphabet, players aim to be the quickest to find a word that starts with a letter that matches a category, in order to win a card. The player with the most cards at the end is the winner. This game has already sold over 500,000 units worldwide. Presented in a colourful tin, Speedy Words also makes a great gift.

Due to the success of Speedy Words, FoxMind has created Match Master, a fun game of speed, concentration and visual perception. Although new, the company says all the signs point to this game being just as popular as Speedy Words.

The Treasure of the Dragons is FoxMind's hero line this year. Developed by famous German game designer Reiner Knizia, this game challenges players to discover treasure and gems by turning over the tiles one by one. However, dragons and spiders will hunt players while they do so.

Finally, Funny Faces, by successful inventor Neta Siloni, is part of the Good Mood Games range. These family games make every gathering, party or evening in entertaining. A bonding card game of non-verbal communication, Funny Faces can be played by young children right up to grandparents.

For further information please contact naomi@foxmind.com or adrienne@aa-globalink.com.

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sales@zappies.com

+44 (0)1273 977440

Games & Puzzles

Edx Education 020 7097 5173 | www.edxeducation.com Founded 25 years ago, Edx Education has launched numerous home learning games and kits, products which continue to play an important role in the lives of consumers in the UK and around the globe, especially during lockdown. Home learning toys help shape the way children play, especially in their early developmental stages, when skills such as fine motor, gross motor, speech and language, social and emotional, problem-solving and creativity are honed.

Edx’s FunPlay and Early Math 101 To Go ranges both include six different themed offerings, designed for ages 3-6 years, while kids aged six and over will enjoy Edx’s fun educational card game, Lenu.

The FunPlay range sparks children’s imaginations while exploring key educational experiences, including creative play, problem solving and STEAM principles. Created for children 18 months to 6 years, the FunPlay range comprises a range of activities with interactive cards that allow kids to learn individually or in groups.

Early Math101 To Go offers everything parents and caregivers need to teach early math at home or on the go in one box. Each kit includes high quality manipulatives, activity cards and a full colour activity booklet designed by experts, helping children learn and grow their confidence The fun new travel game Lenu has been designed to help children learn words and equations through fun and engaging card game play. Ideal for travel or classroom learning for children aged six and over, parents, grandparents and children of all ages can enjoy a game together with equal chances to win.

Edx’s portfolio is supported by a raft of online resources for parents, teachers, caregivers and distributors to review and download, including a play blog, podcasts, games, videos and free downloadable resources for home learning. For further information, readers can visit the teachers/parents section of www.edxeducation.com or email anna@edxeducation.com.

Kidicraft 01282 500 899 | www.kidicraft.com Over the past year, Kidicraft has released more than 30 new puzzle designs across various brands such as Harry Potter, DC Batman and Superman, Discovery and Animal Planet, plus its new own-brand Kidicraft range, created by Howard Robinson.

Harry Potter was first released in autumn 2019 and continues to be the company’s most successful range. From the six designs currently available, the line will expand to 16 from this month. There are now two different puzzle sizes - 300-pieces and 500-pieces – with striking artwork including images of Harry Potter himself.

The DC Batman and Superman range currently offers four designs in 500-pieces. These puzzles are also made with the new Prime 3D lens to give even greater depth and movement of image. The clarity of the image really stands out, creating an eye-catching product that displays well at retail.

Discovery Puzzles are 150-pieces and also make use of the new Prime 3D lens. The three dinosaur puzzles feature the iconic T-Rex, Triceratops and a pair of Velociraptors. Animal Planet puzzles are available in 63-pieces and 150-pieces, and feature bright and colourful imagery including pink flamingos, a vivid green tree frog and a multi-coloured parrot.

The Selfies range welcomes another new addition, Selfies Unicorn, which is sure to entertain many a child. As with all the 3D puzzles, these 48-piece Selfie puzzles come with the Prime 3D image on the front of the retail box for on-shelf appeal.

Kidicraft launched its first range of standard 500-piece and 1,000-piece jigsaws earlier this year, featuring designs

by Howard Robinson including Africana, Flight of the Macaws and Early Morning in Bengal. This range has been followed up with a 1,000-piece range of Nostalgia puzzles by Kevin Walsh. More designs from both these artists will be available from November.

Toy World 44

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Games & Puzzles

Trefl 07850 779797 | www.trefl.com Many of Trefl’s puzzles, targeted at adults as well as children, are based on well-known and popular kids’ properties including Disney, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Mattel and Viacom. The company has also wide portfolio of licensed games. In the UK, the main focus is on Trefl’s best-selling Mistakos stacking chair game.

Suitable for up to four players, this fun game has sold over 480,000 units worldwide in just three years.

With all products being delivered direct from the Trefl factory in Gdynia, Poland, the company is able to offer some of the most competitive prices on the market and is enjoying a 100% increase in UK business as a result. The range has been refreshed for 2020; over 700 items are now on offer and are sold to over 50 countries worldwide. The Polish factory offers high quality materials and a fully controlled production process.

In 2020, Trefl opened its new Research & Development Centre, where the ideas for new games and puzzles are born and evolved.

Last year the company launched its 600-piece Crazy Shapes puzzles range. With no square edge to guide puzzlers, these offer up a real challenge for even the most experience puzzle fan. Trefl’s novelty Neon Color Line utilises a special paint during the production of every motif to obtain an intense neon effect, while Funny Cities is a series of jigsaw puzzles depicting well-known cities in an ususual and surprising way.

Trefl prides itself on being flexible and always listening to its customers. As a result, the company is familiar with the needs and expectations of its consumers and uses this knowledge to improve its existing products, as well as create innovative new ones.

For more information, please contact Trefl’s representatives Steve or Ria Richardson at SJR Associates to arrange an appointment: sales@sjr-associates.co.uk.

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com Puzzles continue to be a strong foundation of the Clementoni portfolio. The company has always believed that play is vital to the healthy formation of tomorrow’s adults, a belief on which it has acted by promoting and launching products which are 100% sustainable. A heart-shaped leaf will be visible on all products from the new Play for Future range, guiding eco-conscious consumers to the most appropriate choice for them. Made from completely recycled materials, this range includes Baby Clementoni toys and STEM kits, as well as a comprehensive range of puzzles.

Along with a generic range, Clementoni has partnered with Disney to produce an assortment of 100% recycled puzzles utilising original artwork from key cinematic releases such as Frozen and The Lion King. A partnership has also been announced with Netflix, which will see top streaming shows come to life in puzzle form. Kicking off the programme will be puzzles based on Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things, and the popular heist series La Casa de Papel.

The lineup, which is suitable for both adults and teens, includes the Impossible 1,000-piece and the Panorama 1,000-piece.

The company’s partnership with Harry Potter for puzzles across UK and Europe continues to go from strength to strength. The range includes the Impossible 1,000-piece, Panorama 1000-piece and a Special Edition 1,000-piece in a Harry Potter style briefcase presentation box. Disney has been a key licence for Clementoni for some time, with its wellloved characters appearing in a wide selection of puzzle formats, at varying price points to appeal to different audiences.

Clementoni is renowned for its high-quality materials and precision crafting. These latest launches add to an impressive portfolio of generic products as well as licences from major TV and movie properties.

Toy World 46

Games & Puzzles

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com PenSilly is a raucous new drawing and guessing game ideal for all the family. At the centre of each game is the crazy characterised shaking pen, PenSilly. On each turn, players choose one of the 75 description cards and 75 subject cards, switch on their PenSilly, and try their best to draw the image the cards describe before the timer runs out. There are two levels of play to enjoy and over 5,500 possible drawing combinations to attempt. Whether players try to draw a wobbly giraffe or a frightened spider, the skill is in controlling the shaky pen long enough for their team to guess the answer.

Pokémon fans can test their knowledge of Pikachu and other characters with the Pokémon Trainer Trivia Game, playing alone or as a group of up to four. With over 1,000 facts to be tested on, would-be-trainers must be both quick and knowledgeable if they are to succeed in this game. There are three levels of play beginner, advanced or expert - while the virtual games master takes care of everything; reading the rules, asking the questions, and keeping score.

Flair 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk

A.B.Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee has seen huge growth in Q2 as families turned to jigsaws to help bust lockdown boredom. The company’s puzzle range offers a great way to make sure little hands and young minds are kept active and will keep children interested and engaged. A.B.Gee’s exclusive ranges from Tooky Toy and Jar Melo include a large collection of puzzles to suit pre-school children.

The Jar Melo dinosaur-themed floor puzzle features a bold and colourful illustration and 24 giant, easy-grip pieces. Its irregular shape will guarantee more fun than your average puzzle, whilst encouraging hand eye co-ordination and picture recognition. The solid carry case clearly shows what the finished graphic will be, and a life-size puzzle piece can be found on the handle.

Perfect for those seeking more of a challenge, A.B.Gee is an official distributor of Trefl. With almost a thousand puzzles available for all ages: babies, pre-schoolers, teens and adults, across all genres, the range offers plenty for puzzle fans to choose from.

Flair’s football inspired Goal 10 is a game of strategy and team building that promises to be right on target whether played at home or away.

Perfect for 2-5 players, or more if combining packs, Goal 10 comes with everything needed for a fast game packed full of challenges. The 65 high-quality cards include playing staff, match highlights and the sought-after bonus cards. On each turn, players draw one card from the pile and attack their opponent with super moves. The first to score five goals will win the match.

Adding a fun and realistic football twist to the game, players can be thrown into a post-game spat on TV or find themselves taking a nervewracking penalty.

Toy World 48

Age 8+

Take on the weird and wonderful challenges of Pass the Bom!b -The Big One

@gibsons_games @gibsons_games /gibsonsgamesofficial

Proudly Entertaining Generations Since 1919

2-8 players game play 30 mins G9023

sales@gibsonsgames.co.uk www.gibsonsgames.co.uk 020 8661 8866

Games & Puzzles

Headu 01937 586 237 | www.headu.com Founded by Franco Lisciani and Maurizio Basciano, experienced members of the toy industry, Headu has been in the UK market for three years and is seeing year-on-year growth across a number of key lines including The Human Body Under X Ray, Logic, How We Are Made, Explore the Sea Life, Explore the Safari and Step by Step Drawing School.

Made in Italy, the company’s fun and high-quality games, as with the rest of its range, aim to provide children with essential life skills. Sales have thrived during the recent pandemic; the company has been among those supplying the tools that helped parents and guardians to educate their children during lockdown.

Suitable for 2-5 year olds, Logic challenges young minds to connect animals with their offspring and favourite foods. Complete with self-corrective insertions, this game helps develop logical thought processes. Explore the Sea Life is a vibrant visual scientific game for kids aged five and up. Offering two games in one, children can assemble the puzzle then explore the additional content using the included torch to observe subjects invisible to the naked eye. Kids can also make notes of their amazing discoveries to enhance the play and learning experience.

The Human Body Under X-Ray is a creative and practical biology lesson within a game. This large puzzle comes with a ‘magic’ torch which brings to life parts of the body that can’t be seen by the naked eye. Great for helping with visual memory function and learning about the human body, this game also aids concentration and attention to detail.

The Step by Step Drawing School game is a unique concept that teaches children how to draw in a simple and accessible way. Focusing on animals, the kit includes a special slate and a pen for drawing and erasing.

In the UK, Headu is represented by Creative Product Solutions across all areas of sale and distribution. Please contact Colin or Francesca on 01937 586237 for a catalogue or for further information.

Tomy 01392 281927 | www.tomy.com Tomy Games will be adding a new licensee to its portfolio, launching a Harry Potter board game in August. A magical quiz perfect for four or more Wizarding World enthusiasts, this virtual game from the No. 1 franchise follows a decade of unforgettable magic and, with over 1,000 questions, is a perfect way to test the knowledge of adults and kids alike.

July also saw the highly anticipated launch of the second edition of Tomy’s Logo board game. Featuring all-new questions and brands, this new Drumond Park offering is tipped to prove a hit with avid Logo fans and with those playing it for the first time. Also new to the Drumond Park family games category is Fill Your Pants, a unique take on a scavenger hunt. Easy to play and certain to guarantee a night of family fun, there are 50 different possible categories to choose from including ‘something spotty’, ‘something shiny’ and ‘something squishy’. Each game offers a new and amusing combination to try.

Drumond Park also welcomes Sketchy. This drawing game requires one team member to draw pictures onto the screen provided, which will then appear on the reverse side for the opposing team to guess.

Autumn/winter sees Tomy Games launch Screwball Scramble Level 2, a topsy-turvy, crazy maze. Featuring 10 new obstacles and fun surprises, this game will challenge players’ skill, patience and dexterity as they steer their ball through the tabletop board. The sequel to the classic game, Screwball Scramble Level 2 also connects to the original Screwball Scramble to form one giant maze with a bridge attachment for even more fun.

Toy World 50

Games & Puzzles

Red Knight Toy Group 07539 109569 | www.redknighttoygroup.com In a year that the company describes as ‘turbulent’ for the Irish toy industry space, Red Knight Toy Group is enjoying a period of sustained growth. Red Knight continues to successfully represent agency partner Smart Toys & Games, which is also enjoying a period of similar growth and success, while still championing History Heroes and growing the wholesale and distribution wing of the business.

The remainder of 2020 will welcome a number of new titles. Alexandra Ehrmann and her team are diversifying the History Heroes range with the launch of the first educational 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, Medicine Makers. A timely and relevant celebration of the history of medicine, each puzzle piece is packed with the fun and fascinating information that fans of History Heroes have come to expect from the brand.

Binca introduces a new addition to the Fletter games range. Following a number of literacy awards in 2019 for the spelling card games Fletter and Fletter Fuse, Red Knight asked Binca to bring its innovative mechanics to numeracy-based gameplay. Fletter Crunch is a maths card game that offers fast and frantic gameplay perfect for home-schooling or classrooms. Additionally, Binca has developed Qwicket, a 2-player quick-fire cricket card game in which players go head to head to score the most runs in three overs.

Expanding the company’s sports-based board game offering is Football Fortunes, which has been well received since launching in 2019. This revisit of the original 80s classic, Brian Clough’s Football Fortunes, has gone down a storm over lockdown; the app-based dynamic of the game allowed for competitive global game days utilising Zoom, helping to offset the absence of actual football matches.

In terms of wider company news, Red Knight welcomed Alfie Kelleher to the team this year. A former colleague of Rory, Alfie will focus on looking after trade sales accounts. His appointment has helped free up time with which Red Knight can focus on future game developments.

Suppliers such as Ingenium Games are currently developing new and exciting titles in the tabletop gaming space; more information will follow in due course.

Retailers wanting to get in touch to discuss any of Red Knight’s titles or trade offers can contact Rory or Alfie at sales@redknighttoygroup.com.

Cartamundi 01268 511 522 | www.cartamundi.com One of Cartamundi’s fastest growing categories has been playing cards. Sales of the company’s leading brand Royal Flush are +350% up year on year, driven by a substantial increase in the number of millennials playing cards and spending more per deck.

On the back of the sellout success of Disney Race Home and Home Sprint in 2019, the company has seen further success with the unique 3D figurine and board game combo. October will see the launch of a multi-property Disney Advent Calendar featuring favourite characters from Frozen II, Disney Princess, Toy Story, and Mickey and Friends. The Calendar features 16 cute and collectible figurines, card games and build-your-own puzzle-piece gameboards.

Cartamundi is continuing to expand its Shuffle party games range. Award-winning Color Addict has rapidly grown into a must-have card game. Cartamundi has big plans for autumn/winter 2020, with increased marketing support across all media. Alpha-Zulu is quickly emerging as another key game within the range; this fun family game challenges players to shout out the answers to questions phonetically.

Autumn/winter will see the launch of new key titles such as Read All About it. This is a fast-paced family game filled with laughter and friendly competition in which players use their memories, quick reactions and observation skills to defeat the opposing team. The term JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) has taken on a whole new meaning during Covid-19 and lockdown. Players can now battle it out with Cartamundi’s JOMO game, in which players have to find the best excuse for missing out on special events to win.

Finally, The Institute of Cardistry and Magic is a new range focusing on playing card magic and the ever-growing popularity of cardistry.

The Cards in the pack are the iconic Copag310, as used by some of the most respected magicians in the world. One of Britain’s best magicians and a member of the exclusive Magic Circle, Josh Brett, has partnered with Cartamundi to become the ambassador of The Institute of Cardistry and Magic. Purchasers will be able to visit www. cardistryandmagic.com to unlock more skills and exclusive tutorials.

Toy World 52

THE GATEKEEPER IS BACK

Atmosfear, the international best selling game returns in 2020. Exclusive to Tobar

Contact us on:

sales@tobar.co.uk +44 (0) 1603 397 105

A World of Fun!

Games & Puzzles

Rex London 0208 746 1700 | www.rexlondontrade.com Rex London is an internationally renowned wholesaler of gifts and the 2019 winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. All the company’s products are exclusively designed and curated by its in-house design and buying teams, and are available to order through a secure, easyto-use trade website with real-time stock availability and no minimum order.

Rex London’s comprehensive selection of fun, brainpower-boosting puzzles will help families break out of their Christmas TV marathons this year. From 150- and 300-piece jigsaw Puzzles in a Tube, available in a variety of designs, to 3D wooden dinosaur skeleton puzzles, there’s something for every interest. Younger puzzlers will enjoy the range of five cute animalthemed mini puzzles, as well as 4-piece puzzle blocks which let kids make six different images.

The company’s retro-style games offer a nostalgia trip for parents. The range, which features dominoes, traditional jacks, travel board games and marbles, presents vintage themes with a modern design twist. A raft of memory games complete with cute characters will provide a fun way to boost toddlers’ cognitive development. Lastly, the animal-themed Wild Wonders wooden balance game is ideal for improving hand-eye coordination.

Learning Resources 01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk Kanoodle Cosmic is the mind-bending puzzle game from Learning Resources.

Designed for independent solo play and learning, these puzzle challenge games offer children aged seven and above fun interactive logic games that are compact and portable. They’re designed to build strategic thinking, spatial reasoning and problem-solving and are ideal for kids and adults. New Kanoodle Cosmic comes with 200 puzzles and 12 nebula-shaped puzzle pieces. With Kanoodle Cosmic, players choose a puzzle from the book, use selected puzzle pieces to set up the challenge as shown, and then place the remaining puzzle pieces to solve the puzzle. There are hundreds of possible combinations but only one completes the puzzle.

This engaging game will keep kids and adults of all ages engaged and entertained for ages. For more information, email sales@learning-resources.co.uk.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear has unveiled a world-first game concept with Trapped: Escape Room Game Packs, bringing the fun and excitement of an escape room into the home.

Designed by real escape-room experts, there are three Trapped game packs in Series 1 which launched into retail in July. Each contains everything needed to turn any room of the house into an escape room.

Players put the pack contents on walls and surfaces in a room of their choice, and then either work together or compete to beat the clock, crack the clues, solve the puzzles – and escape.

Suitable for children aged 8+ years, these family-friendly games have been designed to get everyone up, thinking, talking and having fun. The three initial launch themes - The Carnival, The Art Heist and The Bank Job - each come with their own content, back-story and level of difficulty.

As the easiest of the levels, Carnival is billed as an ideal game to play with younger children, before progressing to the 'medium’ Art Heist or ‘hard’ Bank Job for teens through to adults.

To support the retail launch in July and continuing throughout autumn/ winter 2020, Golden Bear has engaged Playtime PR to undertake a robust PR, social, and specialist influencer marketing campaign, together with the creation of strategic tailored content.

For more information contact K.lesser@goldenbeartoys.co.uk or follow @trappedescaperoomgame on Instagram.

Toy World 54

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