TWM Games & Puzzles September 2024

Games & Puzzles Well played Category Overview

Games & Puzzles suppliers will be looking forward to Q4, the quarter in which the category really comes into its own and sales start to soar. With consumers demanding ever more from their purchases in terms of value for money and replayability, it’s down to suppliers to ensure their portfolios cater to all tastes - as well as reduced budgets in some cases. Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to a selection of leading Games & Puzzles manufacturers and distributors to find out what’s selling and why, as well as how the art of social media influences product performance.

AAfew weeks ago, I found myself in Orkney, peering into a museum display of stone and bone objects from the Neolithic period. Estimated to be around 5,000 years old, it’s believed the carved shapes may be pieces for a game, the rules and strategy of which have long been lost to the annals of time. Viking warriors played Hnefatafl, perhaps to hone their understanding of battle strategy, and the Lewis Chess Men show that Europeans were playing chess as early as the 12th and 13th centuries – though the originally Islamic game is thought to be around 1,500 years old. Dice and card games were popular with the Tudors and Elizabethans, and Henry VIII was said to be a big fan of dominoes (even if he did regularly lose large sums of money betting on it). So, when you’re next

arguing with your family over a game of Monopoly or collaborating with your friends on the best way to escape Forbidden Island, take a moment to reflect on the fact you’re indulging in an ancient pastime that has played an important part in people’s free time for thousands of years.

Of course, the games we play nowadays look and play very differently to their predecessors, even if the core elements of gameplay – competitiveness, strategy, point-scoring – remain largely the same. It’s hard to imagine our Neolithic ancestors sitting down for a game of Pandemic (thought maybe Catan would have appealed?) or Henry Tudor himself participating in a game of Pictionary AI. But they would have understood why we play them, because they played games for the same, simple reason: they’re fun.

World 4

So far this year, leading games manufacturers and suppliers have been enjoying steady sales of a raft of titles outside of the peak Q4 season, though Circana’s Rory Partis tells Toy World the Games & Puzzles supercategory was down -5% (at the time of writing), lagging slightly behind the total UK Toys category at -3%. The top item in total Games is the Uno Card Game Assortment from Mattel. Sitting within the Card Games subcategory, Uno is enjoying a strong year, helping drive overall brand growth of +19% this year. The top performing subclasses in Games for 2024, meanwhile, are Electronic Handheld/Tabletop/ Plug N Play Games (fuelled by growth from Bop It Now from Hasbro and Fanzone from Golden Bear, which may have had a boost from the recent Euro 2024 football championships), Adult Games (thanks

in part to two items from Relatable: What do you Meme? and New Phone who Dis?) and Family Board/ Action Games.

The latter includes popular brands such as 5 Second Rule, which continues to be a dominant game brand for PlayMonster and a staple in many households, with 5 Second Rule Mini – which was created for travelling and holidays - consistently remaining the No.1 Travel Game with families hitting the road, airport or ferry terminal for a break. Imagination Games’ adult party titles have been the company’s most in-demand products throughout 2024. One in particular, Tipsyland, apparently became a hit as soon as it hit shelves. Will Stewart, UK managing director, explains: “Consumers are looking for innovation in the Adult Games space, something they haven’t seen before that pops off the shelf, which is why Tipsyland has been such a hit. Plus, the gameplay is so much fun.”

Emma Weber, Marketing & Licensing director at Vivid Goliath Group, tells me the company has seen year-round sales success with games such as Floor is Lava - which has an accessible price point and a pack-up-and-play-anywhere play pattern - while travel games sales such as Red Light Green Light perform well year-round, not just during the summer holidays. The Vivid Goliath team has likewise been delighted with the performance of its The Traitors board game, which, according to Circana, is adding value within the Top 10 Family Board/Action Games category (overwhelmingly the largest in value size and worth around 12% of all Games value). Bolstered by the hotly anticipated Series 2, which aired on the BBC in January, sales of the game continued to increase strongly throughout Q1, a period not typically associated with this category. Emma adds:

“With Series 3 now being filmed back at Ardross Castle, we’re forecasting even more success for the game as we move into the Christmas selling season.”

Indeed, although I’m writing this on a sunny day in August, games manufacturers and retailers have long been preparing for the peak Christmas season, when the Games category truly comes into its own. With the long winter nights soon beginning to draw in, families will be seeking at-home entertainment options that will keep everyone, from the kids to grandma, amused - without breaking the bank. Even though inflation has eased slightly, many consumers continue to find their finances squeezed. Games retailers such as Board at Home, Eclectic Games and Rules of Play have all noticed that the majority of today’s shoppers aren’t looking to spend more than around £20 on a single game, whereas some years ago (pre-pandemic) a £40+ game wouldn’t have been balked at.

“We’ve noticed that the price customers are willing to pay for games has reduced considerably over the last year,” says Adam Jemmet from Board at Home. “About 90% of our sales are up to £30 and the average spend is £15. We look at what we’re stocking and adapt our range to customers’ spending habits; right now, everybody wants to get more bang for their buck.”

This means that sales of hefty, strategy-driven games, including legacy games, have been impacted. However, downward-adjusted spending has created an opportunity for companies to design and champion affordable games that offer strong value for money and a level of replayability that makes the outlay worth it.

“Through various insights, we understand where the Games market is currently positioned and

anticipate that even with new and existing products, it will remain challenging,” notes Justin Clasby, director of International Marketing at PlayMonster. “Consumers are heavily price conscious and constantly looking for discounted products. Partially, this is psychologically driven: shoppers often want to see a discount off the RRP, not just an everyday low price. When it comes to Christmas purchases, spending will likely follow a similar pattern to 2023 and family time will be prioritised over screen time, with consumers keen to bring friends and family together for some fun over an old classic or new game. The economic climate may remain tough, but the category is likely to be strong.”

Following the success of Pigs on Trampolines in 2023, PlayMonster has introduced the new kids action game Flying Squirrels Feeder Frenzy, which has an RRP of £19.99. The company is also relaunching the family classic Five Second Rule board game, complete with a game board and spiral timer, at an RRP of £14.99. According to Justin, the current climate is seeing consumers turn to what they know and trust, making classics a safe bet for suppliers and consumers alike.

Lynette Leet, Marketing manager at John Adams Leisure, agrees, telling Toy World she’s expecting to see brands consumers which know and trust, such as Rummikub and Othello, perform well as a result. She adds: “While price is important, we also see consumers being guided by what suits their particular group of family and friends. That could be anything from something a bit silly that creates lots of laughs, like Pencil Nose or Silly Sausage, to something more competitive, such as our new challenge game, Go Viral. Shoppers may even want to push their boundaries with edgy party games such as

Bad People and Pick Your Poison from our new Dyce range.”

Over at Imagination Games, Will Stewart, UK managing director, thinks shoppers will opt to purchase just one or two crowd-pleasers for Christmas this year, rather than perhaps three or four, opting for those that seem most likely to create lasting memories through immersive, value-added play.

For many games companies, the other main challenge heading into the festive season is balancing the needs of consumers with those of retailers. While the former clearly want affordable, accessible games that offer excellent value for money, the latter still need good margins and games that will sell-through strongly with a wide range of consumers. Unfortunately, increased costs and container rates have made this a tricky balancing act for many –though it’s clear from speaking to a number of leaders in the games space that companies are doing their best to keep both parties as happy as possible.

Strategic Trading Card Games is the largest subclass within Games & Puzzles, making up just over 40% of all Games value: this is flat versus its 2023 share. Despite Circana data showing the sub-category down -5%, the retailers we’ve spoken to for this month’s issue say Trading Card Games is a bright spot within the Games market, particularly (you guessed it) Disney Lorcana from Ravensburger and Fantasy Flight’s Star Wars Unlimited, available from Asmodee. The recent launch of Disney Lorcana Shimmering Skies saw fans camping overnight outside of Disney Store London and Disney Store Dublin, so eager were they to be among the first to lay their hands on the new decks, putting paid to any ideas that that the game would prove to be something of a flash-in-the-pan. Already five sets in, just over a year since its debut, Disney Lorcana has clearly enchanted a huge number of players and seems destined to maintain its momentum: for more on what the future holds for the TCG from Lea Dillenseger, Ravensburger Product Marketing manager, turn to pages 22 and 24.

Tim Evans from Toys and Games of Worcester, and Ian Davis from Rules of Play, both say Asmodee’s Star Wars Unlimited is enjoying significant growth

after a modest start. “Sales are really ramping up now that people are getting into the gameplay,” Tim tells Marianna Casal in this month’s special Games & Puzzles-focused Talking Shop (starting on page 12). “From what I’ve heard, it has one of the better gameplays.” Leisure Games’ James Graham is also seeing success with Star Wars Unlimited, which he calls the shop’s ‘big hit so far this year’, even outstripping Disney Lorcana – no mean feat.

From TCGs to family-friendly games, University Games is tipping The Dog Ate My Homework! to be a festive best-seller and a particular hit among younger players. Sales director Mark Jones says: “Our dog really did eat my homework many times when I was younger – honest! The beautifully drawn homework, ready for the doggy to eat, has been crowdsourced from children all over the world for added authenticity. After the dog has chewed and pooped out the homework, players race to place the jumbled pieces back together and guess what the image was. This is a hilarious new addition to our children’s games range and, I believe, will appear on many Christmas lists this year.”

Sticking with poop (sorry…), VR Distribution is flushed with excitement for the launch of Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek Game, which Stewart Middleton says is ‘hilarious and fun for all the family’. He points out that while many family games start at around 8+, Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek Game is suitable for players as young as three years, making it more inclusive than a lot of other titles. Cheatwell’s Steve Asbey, meanwhile, says families should find space for its new launch Inter-Galactic Plumber. He says: “Every player gets their own working bathroom plungerwhat kid could want more?”

Off the back of its success with The Traitors, Vivid Goliath is releasing Murdle: The Board Game. Described by Emma Weber as ‘utterly addictive’, the game is based on the best-selling puzzle books, which have sold over 600k copies in the UK alone. She adds: “Murdle brings out the competitive detective in everyone as players race to find out whodunnit, with what weapon and in which location. Sounds simple? Wait until you play it…”

Other exciting licensed games offerings for

Christmas 2024 include Epoch’s raft of Jurassic World games - Jurassic World Shaky Volcano, Jurassic World Cage Breaker, Jurassic World T-Rex Panic, Jurassic World Volcano Quake and Jurassic World Island Quake – while Winning Moves is celebrating the famously-not-a-cat Hello Kitty (see social media for more on the furore) with a Hello Kitty Monopoly, Hello Kitty Top Trumps Match and a Hello Kitty Top Trumps Specials pack. These are joined by Cluedo, Whot! and Waddingtons No.1 playing cards, all featuring The Grinch, and Stitch Top Trumps Match, catering to fans of one of this year’s biggest properties. John Adams’ The 1% Club and Race Across the World are also selling well, which Lynette Leet says is partially due to the programming, and partially down to the fact that the gameplay the company has developed accurately reflects the essence of the shows.

Licensed puzzles, meanwhile, are also likely to find their way under the Christmas tree in their droves this year. Rory Partis from Circana says: “Licensed Puzzles are having a good year and make up 43% of all Puzzles value, with a growth trend of +14%. Some of the best performing licences include Pokémon, Paw Patrol and Bluey, which are all growing by double digits versus 2023. The top item in Puzzles is the Bluey 4-in-a-Box Puzzle Set followed by Peppa Pig Multi Puzzles, both from Ravensburger and both sitting within the Children’s Puzzles subclass.”

Hoping to bag a piece of the licensed puzzles action, Gibsons has welcomed a 500-piece Paddington puzzle for 2024, joining the 1,000-piece Paddington puzzle which became a Top 20 seller in Q3/4 2023. And Kidicraft’s licensed Hornby puzzles continue to fly high for distributor A.B.Gee, including the 3,000-piece Airfix Submarine Spitfire MK.1a. The puzzle comes complete with an Airfix kit of the same model, making it a perfect Christmas gift for any aviation enthusiast.

Elsewhere in Puzzles, which as an overall category is flat YOY (-1%) and therefore outperforming the Games & Puzzles supercategory, 3D Puzzles – though the smallest subclass – has grown by an impressive +11% this year, adding nearly £100k to the category. Players in this space include Ravensburger, which is marking its 50th anniversary with the release of its 50th Anniversary Glow-in-the-Dark Eiffel Tower 3D Puzzle, and University Games, which is releasing new 3D puzzle lines for Christmas including Darth Vader, Spider-Man and Deadpool characters, alongside Chibi versions of Wizarding World favourites Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

It's not all about licensing, of course. This year has seen Cheatwell Games introduce over 150 new Cobble Hill puzzles to the UK market, which Colin Wilcock of Mind Games Southport says are proving very popular with his customers. “I know everyone likes to say their early reads are amazing - but try a few of our Cobble Hill puzzles and see the results for yourself, I promise you will not be disappointed,” urges Cheatwell’s Steve Asbey. “We are able to provide a classy Cobble Hill FSDU to complement the range, so speak to your Cheatwell sales manager and secure one before they are all gone.”

Educational games are likely to prove a popular gifting option too, as we’ve seen in previous years. We’re all aware that parents, grandparents and aunts/ uncles like to give gifts they feel will impart some

form of benefit, and happily there are plenty out there that tick that particular box. University Games has witnessed a strong start with its new The Learning Journey Match It range of educational games, which launched this spring.

“2024 sees the first year of The Learning Journey mass marketing campaign for the UK,” says Mark Jones. “Having acquired The Learning Journey at the start of 2024, we have a dedicated three-year strategy to build the brand with both retailers and parents. Our plans are already underway and include a wide range of activities to ensure brand awareness along with dedicated product support. With a total campaign reach of over 3.5m, we expect this to be a brilliant start to our Learning Journey journey. Activity includes a 4-month partnership with Netmums, traditional display, social advertising, VOD and podcasts to target our new consumers.”

University Games is just one of a number of games companies partnering with influencers or parenting sites for this year’s Christmas social media marketing campaigns. Mark adds: “Social media is, and continues to be, a strong part of our communication strategy. We’re continuously delivering significant influencer campaigns to ensure we have fresh, engaging content every week. Long gone are the comms plans that just feature TV advertising: we live in a world where social media plays a big part in many people’s lives, and it has provided suppliers and retailers with alternative communication platforms through which to reach key customer segments. Social media not only facilitates product awareness, but with the function to shop from social media channels, including TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, it has the ability to leverage increased sales too. In mid-August, PlayMonster unveiled its PlayMonster Influencer Network. Billed as a ‘collective of top social personalities’, the company says its new influencer network will propel the company’s digital presence as it engages with audiences across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube on brands including 5 Second Rule, Pigs on Trampolines and Yeti in my Spaghetti. Inaugural members of the PlayMonster Influencer Network include TurboToyTime, a fun-loving family channel starring a father and his sons, GettiShow, a performer and world-record setting hula hooper, and Games.4two, a board game loving couple who have amassed a huge online following.

VR Distribution is also working with Games.4two as part of its comprehensive social media marketing campaigns for Q4 2024. Games.4two will support two of its new launches - Tower Stack and Shoot The Moon

– bringing the games to their 7.5+m followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, which Stewart Middleton says will ensure maximum exposure for the launches in the shortest possible time. He adds: “We work with the biggest influencers, which certainly isn’t cheap, but these focused campaigns give us a brilliant route to a massive number of consumers that we know buy games like ours. Sales of our games will certainly increase over the next few months. From forecasts it looks like numbers will be similar to those of Q3 and Q4 2023, so we’ve committed to a lot of stock for Q3/Q4 this year in anticipation of another strong season.”

All this social media activity will help drive consumers into their local toy and games stores, where companies will continue to support their latest launches. University Games’ Mark Jones tells Toy World: “With our dedicated account managers visiting stores every day, we offer a wide range of retail solutions. The team can help with on-the-spot or pre-planned planograming as well as merchandising, and we also have our University Games and Lagoon

shelf strips to aid visibility. We offer a comprehensive range of FSDUs and CDUs, including Purple Cow, The Learning Journey and Project Genius alongside a wide range of bespoke CDUs.”

Vivid Goliath is throwing itself behind licensed board games The Traitors and Murdle, creating bespoke POS solutions and striking FSDUs to support both. Always keen to support retailers with instore theatre, events and marketing activations, Emma Weber says the company is also in the early planning stages of an exciting, interactive instore Murdle event, which is sure to be a hit with fans. VR Distribution also offers retailers FSDUs and CDUs for a number of brands within its range and is more than happy to work with its retail partners on an individual basis to find solutions (where possible) that maximise sales.

With Q4 on the horizon, the Games & Puzzles category is certainly hotting up, and there’s a slew of companies jostling for their slice of the sales pie with the launches contained within the following pages. Read on to find out what will be appearing on shelves, at Christmas parties and under the tree this year.

Talking Shop

Playing to win

The popularity of games for the whole family, repeat sales from puzzle enthusiasts, the rise of games night as a social activity and the usefulness of travel games means Games & Puzzles is a solid category for most indie toy retailers, with some going one step further and choosing to specialise in the category. Here, they share what’s selling well and how they attract customers.

Adam Jemmett - Board at Home, Ramsgate

WWe offer a wide variety of titles for all board game lovers. Our bestsellers this year have been After Us as well as story-based game, Cartaventura, from Hachette. The Exit games from Thames and Kosmos have sold well, and from Big Potato, our customers love Herd Mentality and Muffin Time. Our focus is on games, but we have a small selection of puzzles from Coiledspring Games, Ravensburger and Falcon - and Haba for kids.

Globally, more people are playing board games now than ever before, especially at a time when money is tighter for most. Many of our customers come in to buy for a games night they’re planning at home, rather than going out.

We place the bulk of our orders at the start of the year at Toy Fair, or at Games Expo. For Christmas, we’re excited for Thames and Kosmos’s Exit Games advent calendar which always sells well every year. We’re also looking forward to bringing in Christmas crackers from Puzzle Post; this year, they have a

WWe’re a small store, but we stock a wide range of jigsaws. One of our bestselling lines is Wasgijs from Jumbo, which creates destiny or mystery puzzles rather than following a picture. They’re different and interesting and they sell really well. Wasgijs’ Mickey’s Party – a 1,000-piece Disney puzzle – has been flying out recently. Disney licensed puzzles always sell well, and the same goes for Marvel. Cobble Hill, a US company supplying family jigsaws, is popular with customers. The puzzles have bigger pieces at one end for young children and standard piece sizes on the other, so are great for kids and parents to enjoy together. Our range also includes nostalgia and 3D puzzles from well-known brands such as Ravensburger and Falcon. The Crazy Cats series by Ravensburger is always in demand.

The majority of our puzzles are 1,000 pieces and we stock some with larger pieces which are useful for older people with dementia or Parkinson’s. We have an aging

population and many nursing homes here, so that’s another market for us. We have a collection of brain teaser puzzles, like Cheatwell Games’ wooden IQ busters such as Starburst and Asteroid, and also cater to hobby players. This supports local school groups – and quite a few interested parents too.

We offer a trading scheme where customers bring in pre-owned jigsaws to trade with a new one for £4.99, which is going well, and we provide a service to complete a jigsaw and frame it – for customers who like the image but say they don’t have the patience to put it together. Christmas shopping begins in September, and more and more people seem to be looking for jigsaws to put on the table at Christmas so everyone can take part. Parents are trying to get kids off computer games and have more family interaction at this time of year. We’ll be bringing in Falcon’s Christmas jigsaw which is usually very popular as it provides two puzzles for the price of one. We’ll also be stocking more Wasgij, and we’ll order more from Gibsons too.

licensed Traitors version, with prizes that provide a game experience for customers rather than the usual cheap novelties.

We’ve noticed that the price customers are willing to pay for games has reduced considerably over the last year. About 90% of our sales are up to £30 and the average spend is £15. We look at what we’re stocking and adapt our range to customers’ spending habits; everybody wants to get more bang for their buck.

We also stock Trading Card Games such as Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana and Asmodee’s Star Wars Unlimited because they fit in with our family-friendly aesthetic. For hobby and gaming customers, we have Dungeons & Dragons, and we stock some big box games for the hard-core customers, but we keep stock tight on these, only stocking a couple of each premium priced game.

We have regular weekly events such as board game nights so people can come and play the games from our library, and role-play nights for Dungeons & Dragons. We also rent out our games room for schools and colleges. We’re lucky to have a great customer base who prefer to shop here rather than online.

Colin Wilcock - Mind Games Southport

Challenge your spatial thinking skills with the transparent cards, and Swish to win the game!

Match Master The crazy game that changes every round!

Speedy

multiply the fun with colorful piles!

Talking Shop

Becky Ottery - Eclectic Games, Reading

OOur best-sellers are Wingspan, Wyrmspan and Sushi Go! from Asmodee, and also Mycelia from Ravensburger which is a gorgeously illustrated family deck-building game. Asmodee’s Quirkle Travel edition is also selling rapidly as well as Spots and Lacuna by CYMK, distributed by VR Distribution. What most customers are after at the moment is games in the £20-£25 range.

Everyone still wants to play Mattel’s Uno. Uno No Mercy has been hugely popular - when we’re able to keep it in stock. Asmodee’s Cobra Paw is one of our demo standouts; anything that demos well, sells well.

We are finding that solo RPGs are growing in popularity, such as Final Girl and Colossal. Role-play in general is still doing really well – we see Dungeons & Dragons being bought by families, students and those who have hit the nostalgia button. In trading card games, Asmodee’s Star Wars Unlimited is very popular and Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana is still going strong. Pokémon is not quite at the insane levels I’ve seen it reach before, but people continue to buy it.

Jigsaws is more of a winter thing for us, but Ravensburger has some very appealing Pokémon designs which are

James Graham - Leisure Games, London

selling strongly all year round. We’re also seeing great sales of its circular 500-piece puzzles which are quite unusual – they’re colour wheels with different silhouettes such as fish, food or flowers. We also stock Coiledspring’s Schmidt jigsaws, the World’s Smallest 1,000-piece range from Cheatwell and 401 Hidden Things by Big Potato.

At Christmas, people will buy games that are solid, reliable evergreens. There will also be the core gamers who will come to buy games for their relatives because they don’t want to give them socks. I’m expecting Asmodee’s Catan from and Carcassonne to do well. Wingspan and Wyrmspan will be popular, and also Daybreak by CYMK, as it has only just come out. We will be stocking Thames & Kosmos’ Sky Team if we can get enough stock. As it has won the 2024 Spiel des Jahres — Germany's game of the year award – it’s certain to be in demand.

We run in-store events every evening from Monday to Friday. At weekends, we have whole day events on both days, usually for trading card game tournaments. We also run a monthly open board game session and are looking at taking board games events to businesses after being approached by a local company.

OOur big hit so far this year has been Star Wars Unlimited by Asmodee – it’s going very well. Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana, after a bit of a dip, is now moving steadily, and One Piece is also very popular. Magic the Gathering is ticking along, but sales of Lorcana have overtaken it and Star Wars Unlimited is even better than that. Demand for Trading Card Games has shot up in the last 12 months because of the new introductions from Asmodee and Ravensburger; both companies have really got behind them, resulting in TCGs becoming a big area of growth for us.

We’ve been pleasantly surprised that Hive, which is an old family board game a bit like chess, has had a real resurgence following a new expansion. Star Realms, another traditional board game, has also had a big resurgence – we can’t seem to keep that in stock. In role-play games, we’ve been doing well with Thousand Year Old Vampire followed by Heart: The City Beneath. In the coming months, we’re looking forward to bringing in the new Mothership role-playing game which we’re expecting to be big.

Staples which continue to do well include Asmodee’s

Sushi Go! and VR Distribution’s Spots. This year, it’s the smaller games which have been selling, which is a sign of the times, so we’re focusing on those price points much more. Our customers also enjoy puzzle type games such as the Exit games from Thames & Kosmos.

In the jigsaw puzzles category, most of our range is from Ravensburger. Our biggest market has always been the elderly, but we are now selling more kids’ jigsaws. Ravensburger caters to this market too with its 100-piece puzzles, and its Disney licensed versions are always a winner.

As we’re on a high street, we sell lots of kids’ games to one-off customers, but we also have regulars who are adults invested in TCG or role-playing games. After Covid, it’s good to be back to in-person sales – especially as we’ve seen a drop in mail orders because shipping costs are less viable following Brexit.

We run lots of events in store; about four nights a week and regularly at weekends. Three evenings are now dedicated to Magic the Gathering players, and we’ve had to put on an extra night since last year, due to demand. A further evening

welcomes players of Star Wars Unlimited and One

Weekend events are always popular – they are mainly TCG focused, but sometimes highlight board games.

We are anticipating a good Christmas and will bring in more new releases before then.

Mark Green - The Yorkshire Jigsaw Store, York

WWhen we look at our best-selling puzzles, we find the most recent releases are always near the top of the list. Customers, especially those who have puzzled for a long time, love to look out for the latest ones, often part of an ongoing collection. A good example is the latest puzzles from Jumbo’s Wasgij brand – eight titles feature in our top 20 so far this year.

It’s always difficult to know what the consumer wants but we have found the two main factors that drive sales are newness and price. So, as well as relying on demand for the latest releases, we will occasionally run a special offer, taking advantage of surplus stock from suppliers bought in bulk which we can sell through at a reduced price.

Extra-large-piece puzzles have become more sought after, so we’ve recently brought in a selection from Ravensburger, which has started to produce extra-large-

piece puzzles in 300, 500 and 750.

As a specialist puzzle retailer, sales are very heavily tipped in favour of adults, and children’s puzzles account for less than 10% of our catalogue. But in terms of licensed puzzles, we stock the likes of Peppa Pig, Paddington, Peter Rabbit, Disney, Marvel and Harry Potter.

Like every retailer, we hope that the Christmas period will be a busy one for us. We have placed orders for all the new festive lines from Gibsons and the new twin packs from Falcon and Wasgij. These are popular as customers get two puzzles for the price of one. Jumbo has also released advent calendars for the first time this year in the form of Wasgij and JVH which I’m sure will sell well.

Gibsons, Falcon and Ravensburger all release limitededition Christmas puzzles each year that will be in demand. We have some of these in stock already and from as early as the summer months they have been selling well.

Piece.

You have all the answers.

Just drop them in order.

Talking Shop

Ian

Davis - Rules of Play, Cardiff

Currently, we are seeing good sales for lower ticketed items such as Next Station London by Blue Orange, Sea Salt and Paper by ColourAdd, Tinderblox by Alley Cat Games and Kits by Floodgate. I’m very pleased with footfall and the number of units being sold is on par with pre-covid figures, but the average spend per game is lower –around £20 rather than £50, as it used to be.

Asmodee is our biggest supplier in terms of popular titles, and we also do well with Coiledspring Games. Other notable suppliers include Tactic Games and John Adams; we particularly like Dinky Linkee from John Adams’ Ideal range.

Although we carry a wide selection of mainstream games, we are a hobby orientated destination, rather than a typical high street store. Dungeons & Dragons is our bestselling role-play game, and there are quite a few companies trying out new game systems including Monster of the Week, Kids on Bikes, Masquerade and Path Finder, which is similar to D&D gameplay.

We stock household names like Mattel and Hasbro and also brands like Big Potato, which is becoming more well known, but we find that many customers come in for titles which aren’t easy to find on the high street – we carry 2,0003,000 titles, which is a much wider breadth than high street stores. We also stock all the accessories for Role Playing Games, as well as classic items such as chess boards and Bicycle playing cards.

In the TCG area, Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon are all in demand, but Pokémon is the one that is the most steady. Newer introductions include Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana, which is doing very, very well, and Asmodee’s Star Wars Unlimited, which is starting to take off.

We run a community group so people can regularly meet up to play TCGs or RPGs. We hold events as often as we possibly can, and demos too. We run a board game festival yearly at the end of April, which saw over 500 attendees this year, and next year we’re planning a second one in October. We also do corporate events, community centre events and school clubs. Providing experiences and taking games out into the community is how we market our shop. We’ve even been asked to do wedding receptions.

This year, suppliers are beginning to create lower priced versions of popular games which I think will be really important for their success in the next year or two because of the cost-of-living crisis. Asmodee has created smaller box versions of Ticket to Ride, and this type of adaptation is really popular among our customers.

For the rest of the year, we’re looking forward to Leder Games’ Arcs on the hobby side of things – we’re anticipating this to be a big hit. On the more family-friendly side, we’re excited for the 10th anniversary edition of Asmodee’s Sushi Go! We’ll be attending Spiel Essen in October to search for more new games – there’s always something new in the games market.

TTrading card games have become really popular, and I’m delighted with how Disney Lorcana has taken off. It started off strongly 12 months ago and its momentum has been gathering ever since. Pokémon remains an evergreen which gives us our biggest share of sales. It’s not as popular as it used to be at our organised play events, but it’s still very strong among collectors. We’ve been stocking Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! and Wizards of the Coast’s Magic the Gathering for about 20 years and they are both still very strong brands. More recently, we’ve brought in One Piece, which has a smaller but very passionate customer base, and Flesh and Blood remains steady. Asmodee’s Star Wars Unlimited is seeing significant growth after a slow start. Sales are really ramping up now that people are getting into the gameplay. From what I’ve heard, it has one of the better gameplays. I make an effort to keep up with trading card games, which is vital because there are new products every week – you have to be switched on to source the right products for your customers.

In board games, we have had price promotions from Ravensburger for games like Back to the Future, Villainous and Horrified which have helped us enormously. Big Potato Games’ Christmas hit Kluster remains popular and the brand’s range of fun games at excellent price points between £10-£20, like P for Pizza, represent the type of game that has sold well over the summer holidays. Asmodee’s Timeline and Skull – small travel-sized games – have also been in demand. Everyone loves our exclusive Worcester Monopoly from Winning Moves. Even traditional games sell well over summer, particularly travel versions like John Adams’ Rummikub, Mattel’s Scrabble, Asmodee’s Bananagramsand even Big Potato’s Herd Mentality .

Customers still want jigsaws in the summer, for a rainy day or for something to do in the evening. We have about 300 jigsaw designs to choose from, from licensed to landscapes and cottages, mostly from Ravensburger and Gibsons. The 1,000-piece jigsaws are the most popular, and Ravensburger’s promotion to buy two jigsaws and

get a roll-out puzzle matt for free has bumped up sales. This Christmas, Ravensburger is supplying an exclusive Worcester jigsaw puzzle.

Big ticket, intense strategy games that used to be popular have struggled more recently. Now customers are looking for £40 and under. This Christmas we’ll be placing a big focus on brainteasers such as TapTap from Character Options and brain puzzles from Smart Games. These performed well last Christmas and we’re extending our selection as they are at the perfect price point for the current

climate. In a bricks and mortar store, customers notice them, pick them up and play with them. We run organised play for all the trading card games every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in our 66-seater unit – and these events are going from strength to strength. They support the sales of our games but also support the community. We hold events for everything from Yu-Gi-Oh! to Pokémon to Magic the Gathering, as well as swap events for football cards like Topps’ Turbo F1 cards and Panini’s Adrenaline XL.

Tim Evans - Toys & Games of Worcester

Talking Shop

James Waddelove - Storktown Toymaster – Leigh, Lancashire

WWe stock a wide range of 1,000-piece adult jigsaw puzzles, with best-sellers from a variety of brands including Gibsons and Wasgij from Jumbo. We are quite a traditional shop, so we mainly offer traditional images such as cottages and village scenes. Closer to Christmas we will bring in festive-themed jigsaws which have always sold well – Gibsons and Ravensburger usually bring out a special Christmas edition, and people

who enjoy puzzles like to get into the Christmas spirit with these.

For younger kids, Orchard Toys offers a great selection of games and puzzles. Parents want their kids to play together away from screens, and this range of educational games and puzzles means kids can learn without knowing that they are. We also stock plenty of traditional games such as John Adams’ Ideal range, which includes classic Snakes & Ladders and the Electronic Bingo machine. A newer game

Emily Hoyle - Hoyle's of Oxford

which is selling well in the Ideal range is The 1% Club board game; it’s a bit different and is really popular.

During lockdown, jigsaws were absolutely flying but now sales have stabilised. They are steady throughout the year but pick up more in the fourth quarter when the weather gets cold and people want to be indoors. We find that most of our puzzle sales are for individuals to do at home, and that games are a more popular way to get the family together.

Classic card games such as Mattel’s Uno and Winning Moves’ Whot! are always in demand, as well as licensed playing cards like Harry Potter and Marvel. As these are a lower price point, they are a quick and affordable purchase.

As for trading cards, we have Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana and Magic the Gathering by Wizards of the Coast. TCGs are great for bringing in repeat customers regularly, and spikes in sales come with the release of new sets and themes. We run Pokémon swap days in-store about once a month, when fans can swap cards and talk about Pokémon. These sort of events are important to encourage customers to visit the store.

A lot of young people collect Pokémon all year round –from the age of about seven – and those in their 20s and 30s enjoy the gameplay more. It all starts with the excitement of finding shinies, then they gradually get into gameplay. Lorcana has been a steady seller – it appeals to families because of the Disney characters, and I think it has great potential.

TThere are clear best-sellers across our different categories of games. In the card game category, it's no surprise that Uno Show Em No Mercy has firmly held best-seller status for a while now. Its rapid rise in popularity highlights its appeal for all ages. The new edition of Oxford Monopoly – in which our shop features – has been a real standout and appeals to tourists and students alike, as well as residents at Christmas. To celebrate its release, we hosted an in-store event with the Monopoly man himself, providing a unique photo opportunity for customers.

We are very much a family store, and our best-selling games reflect this – Ticket to Ride and Catan by Asmodee, for example.

All trading card games are selling well, Pokémon is the strongest with the booster packs a best-seller, especially over school holidays and with American tourists. A surprise hit was the 2023 World Championship Decks – consistently selling out even with the 2024 decks around the corner. It is sad that Yu-Gi-Oh! is pausing Speed Duels as the boxes full of multiple decks sold well and the line was just hitting its stride.

Given our Oxford location, it's no surprise that the Lord of the Rings licence is especially popular. The Exit: Shadows Over Middle Earth game by Thames & Kosmos is a standout, offering an immersive escape room experience set in the beloved Middle Earth universe. The Lord of the Rings Magic: The Gathering cards also continue to be a hit, and Harry Potter playing cards are a favourite among fans of the Wizarding World, both collectors and casual players. Alice in Wonderland is also popular, especially the flamingo shaped croquet sets from Professor Puzzle. These themed games and puzzles not only tap into the rich literary heritage of the city but also resonate strongly with our local community and dedicated fans of these franchises.

Founder, Phillip Hoyle

Lorcana Brand Profile

The power of Lorcana

Just over a year after launching into the competitive trading card game (TCG) marketplace, Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana continues to enchant players and collectors alike. Lea Dillenseger, Ravensburger Product Marketing manager, tells Toy World how the game continues to cast its spell and what the future holds for the range.

Disney Lorcana welcomed its fifth set, Shimmering Skies, in August 2024, despite only arriving on the TCG scene one year ago. Is it possible to maintain this momentum when it comes to new launches? And is there any danger of ‘fatigue’ among fans?  TCGs continue to evolve on the whole, as does Disney Lorcana. Although it has only been around for a year, we've already introduced fun new ways for players

to interact with the game such as new card types (for example, the addition of location cards). Exciting, never-seen-before game mechanics are incorporated into each new set ready for launch, such as the newly released co-op game, Illumineer's Quest. The addition of new themes, popular Disney properties and character abilities are also introduced with every new release. These elements ensure there's something for everyone, whether the end consumer is an avid player or committed collector.

What can you tell us at this stage about future launches? How many are in the pipeline and when might they land at retail?

We are here for the long term: therefore, we need to plan well in advance. The next release for this year lands on 15th November, so mark up your calendars. We can't disclose when 2025’s launches will be, but future sets are scheduled every quarter, giving a sense of how much advance planning goes into each wave launch. In the meantime, Set 5 - Shimmering Skies, which arrived on-shelf on 9th August - was a strategic launch timed to allow fans (and us) celebrate the first anniversary of the brand.

Shimmering Skies has been accompanied by new gaming accessories. What else might the future hold in terms of complementary product of this nature? We listen to the player community, as it is key to the

development of the brand. One element that is coming out of the feedback, and our overall future planning, is exploring the idea of suiting players’ and collectors’ requests, which is reflected in this recent set release. There’s more to come on this, so stay tuned.

There seems to be a growing demographic more interested in simply admiring and collecting the cards for their beauty and creativity, rather than playing the game. Was this something you anticipated from the outset?

Lorcana Brand Profile

young people that designing trading cards is both a fun and rewarding career pathway.

August also saw the launch of Disney Lorcana

Absolutely! For each release we are bringing something additional to the play format, not just for the players but also for retailers wanting to promote the new set in their stores. Thanks to our recent hire of a local Organised Play coordinator, we’ll be talking directly to our partners and producing bespoke activity to suit different types of audiences and in-store formats.

What about UK/international championship events– is this something we could see in the future, building on the Store Championships introduced with Into the Inklands?

We started organising dedicated global Championships called Challenge, on our competitive circuit, following the brand launch last year. In Europe in particular, players answered the call: all tickets for the recent

Touching Base

Boxing clever

Toy World spoke to the major players in the Games & Puzzles market to find out their most exciting launches for Q4 24, and what changes they have seen in the category over the last twelve months.

Mary Wood Managing director, Tomy

Our single most exciting Christmas launch has to be Medical Mysteries, created by Identity Games, for which we have the rights for the UK & Ireland. It is bang on trend, being a cooperative style game, and we expect it to appeal to both serious gamers, those who love a good medical drama and anyone who likes figuring out an intriguing mystery. The first in the series is themed New York and contains four cases to study and solve so really good value for money at £24.99 RSP. It will be followed by Miami much later in the year, and then more in 2025.

There have been quite a lot of players come into the Adult Games sector which is probably no surprise given the growth in the Kidult market and the trend for 20 and 30 somethings to stay at home for social games evenings rather than to go out to pubs drinking. A lot of companies want to jump on the bandwagon when a segment becomes popular, but find that to be successful a significant investment in marketing is required. Tomy has consistently invested heavily in its games and is here for the long term.

Karen Clarke UK Brand director, Smart Toys and Games

Aside from our ever-growing stocking filler collection, our Smart Games Smart Dog is certain to evoke cheer when unwrapped this Christmas. Sustainability is a key factor for every new product now, ensuring the message is clear for consumers to see when making buying decisions. Smart Games is all about longevity and, with a replacement part programme in place, allows the products to be passed on for never-ending play. The spending power of Kidults is still driving demand, and our IQ collection ticks all the boxes for players young and old to enjoy many hours of fun learning.

Toby Davies - Commercial director, Steamforged Games

This year, we strategically reduced our number of product launches to double down on marketing existing lines and due to the acquisition of the tabletop miniatures game Warmachine, once one of the largest and most popular games within the category. Warmachine’s revival marks a significant milestone for us. The most exciting launch for us this year will be the two-army starter set in hard plastic that people can build, paint and play. It contains two opposing armies; customers can choose from advanced Cygnar or militaristic Khador to go head-to-head in cinematic battles for hours of entertainment. This box is an excellent way to get into Warmachine, or to expand an existing collection.

In the tabletop industry, there are still far too many products being launched every year – retailers are going wider and shallow rather than narrow and deep. The impact on many publishers is lower or fewer print runs, and this drives up the cost of goods. A number of mediumsized publishers are struggling, with some on the brink of closure or sadly already out of business, which makes it harder to establish evergreen lines. Games publishers often focus on the initial product launch where a large proportion of the sales are made, then quickly move on to the next product launch, rather than risk marketing dollars on establishing a product with a longer tail. For the larger games we see in the tabletop industry, especially those with miniatures, this approach can be counterproductive. The tooling costs alone for miniatures are substantial, and amortising these costs across fewer or lower print runs is challenging, creating a paradox where significant investments into development, graphics and tooling are not always recouped.

Touching Base

Will Stewart UK managing director, Imagination Games

Our most exciting launch is Movie Scene it?

I am excited to see this come back to the market for the modern world – we launched the original with DVDs and now we are back with the appbased version, bringing it right up to date for the tech savvy generation. The Games & Puzzles category has been tough in the past 12 months – in the post covid world, the highs have come crashing down and the space has become more competitive than ever, with even more games companies in the market. The kids’ games category has been particularly tough this year, but adult games has seen some good growth. There are new kids on the block now, including ourselves, with some great innovation – something which is vital to really stand out in the current landscape.

Emma Weber

Senior Marketing and Licensing director, Vivid Goliath

Tasked to identify one exciting launch for this autumn/winter, I would say Murdle the Board Game.

Based on the award-winning publishing series of puzzle books by G. T. Karber that have sold more than 600K copies since launch last June, Murdle unleashes the inner super sleuth in us all. Just as exciting as the books, the board game is every bit as fiendish and addictive, as players must garner crucial evidence from their opponents in a twisty contest of espionage and intrigue with multiple possible endings.

One of the changes that we continue to navigate in the Games sector is the shifting media landscape and how to reach and engage with our audiences. Our media planning has become more and more layered with PR, social media content, digital integration and influencers who help us to build word of mouth and endorse play experiences of our games. Our plans continue to evolve as we look to reach different demographics across our games portfolio. Watch out for more updates on our Murdle launch plans as they unveil, as we have a murderously magnificent marketing plan in the making...

Stewart Middleton Business consultant to VR Distribution

We are most excited about Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek Game. The game comes from Relatable, which has a strong reputation for success behind it, having brought us What Do You Meme, New Phone Who Dis and Incohearent. In America on Amazon it’s already in the top 50 selling lines in all Toys & Games. While we love card games, it’s nice to have the addition of a toybased game based on a proven concept which is simply great fun. It’s also a family game that can be played by all ages, from three and up.

Games sales over the past 12 months have remained stable for us, and we have seen the continued growth in sales of party/family games. With costs for entertainment and ‘going out’ continuing to increase at a significant rate, a family game is a low-cost, fun, all-inclusive activity. Meanwhile, games like Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme now have strong recognition; consumers know the gameplay and fun they will offer, making them an easy purchase.

Roger Martin Hobby Channel director, Asmodee UK

The launch of The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is our most exciting launch. It is a brand new, competitive strategy game featuring 7 Wonders mechanics set in the Lord of the Rings world full of powerful alliances, iconic journey and The One Ring. We’ve seen an increase in demand for games that are either for one player or have a solo play option. Conversely, we’re also seeing increasing numbers of people getting together to play games. We’re experiencing record attendance at our play events, particularly for Star Wars: Unlimited, Magic the Gathering and Pokémon, showing that the popularity of games continues to endure.

Stream classic and blockbuster movie clips directly to your TV, bringing a modern, interactive twist to this beloved trivia game. With Scene It, you’ll experience your favourite film moments in real-time, making every round more immersive and exciting than ever before.

Touching Base

Niki Behjou Head Community manager, Tossit UK

Our growth this year in the UK market has been incredible so this Christmas will be very exciting for us to see Tossit continue to evolve. We have a few products due to launch before Christmas which we’re really looking forward to sharing with the market.

Having launched our silicone darts in the UK this past year, we have been working with influencers within the social media sphere. By harnessing our audience to amplify Tossit, in a relatively short space of time we have gained a very loyal and authentic audience that speak to each other, and this is a trend I have seen across the board. For Tossit, it has been instrumental in the brand making a big splash, and one that I have been very proud to lead.

Simon Newbery Managing director, Orchard Toys

We don’t have a Christmas specific launch this year, but I’m very excited about the first Christmas season for our The World Of Peter Rabbit collection, which has proven to be hugely popular since its launch at Toy Fair. Within the range, the family board game, Peter Rabbit  Don’t Wake Mr. McGregor! will appeal to children, parents and fans of the Classic Beatrix Potter tales, representing a great sales opportunity for retailers this Christmas.

There have been changes in the retail landscape this year, and we’re still seeing a pinch on the consumer purse which is impacting how shoppers are buying and how they’re spending on games. Our value price points are definitely a positive for our brand, shoppers and retailers.

David Kelly VP Sales and Marketing, Skillmatics

Our most exciting game launch for Skillmatics is Muddled – a colour coded word building game for all ages; it’s really fun and every second counts. For Gouda games, One Hot Minute gives older players one minute to match their letter cards to prompts on any of the four categories – the aim is to be the first to get rid of all your cards.

The Games sector is evolving and changing constantly. We've noticed a massive expansion into teen and adult themed games which is why we launched our Gouda games range. Older teens and adults are looking for easy to learn and fun games offering unforgettable experiences and bringing friends and families together. We saw a huge opportunity to inject new life into games nights and social gaming.

Craig Wilkins Senior vice president Marketing, EMEA & Asia, Hasbro

Barry Hughes MD, Golden Bear

I’m really excited about the launch of Trivial Pursuit Drop Trivia, the fast-paced party game that’s a twist on the classic. Making the game more accessible to fans of all ages was important throughout development, and we’ve achieved that through the new game play style, ranking six answers in order versus the original Q&A method. The electronic tower gives a quiz show like experience as it guides players through the game, which is something very different from typical party games. The response at Nuremberg and throughout previews has been incredible and we’re really confident that this is going to be a big hit with families and friends. We’ve seen the demand for strategy games continue to grow. As a result, we remain focused on expanding our portfolio in this thriving category. Under the Avalon Hill brand, we have demonstrated our dedication to high-quality gameplay by continuing to support the HeroQuest Game System and partnering with Games Workshop to launch Talisman 5th Edition. We continue to bring innovation to the category with the introduction of the all-new Life in Reterra, designed by renowned creators Eric Lang and Ken Gruhl. We were incredibly proud to host the game’s global launch at Cannes Games festival, highlighting the importance of Europe in this category. By reviving the games that sparked players' passion, as well as creating new favourites, we will continue to excite players and gaming communities worldwide.

HyperDash is our most exciting launch - I just simply love this game, as anyone who saw me demonstrating at Trade Fairs over the last year will testify. It has so many plus points – it gets kids of all ages (including adults) off screens, gets them fit and active, its huge fun, can be played indoor and outdoor and makes for great social content.  What’s not to love?

The biggest challenge in the Games and Puzzle market is how late in the year everything is. The toy market has always been seasonal, but the Games market takes it to an extreme. With shipping times this year, you’ve simply got to do your planning and analysis carefully – as we have done, with extensive consumer research – and then back your hero products.

Touching Base

Kate Gibson MD, Gibsons

Dingbats is our most exciting release this year, hands down. We are hugely excited to bring back this classic game, celebrating 40 years of Dingbats. It was part of our range back in the nineties when it was a Waddingtons game, and it has remained one of my family favourites. We worked with the Sellers family to create a version for today’s gamers who love to think beyond the obvious. There are over 300 Dingbats in the box with varying levels of difficulty as players are challenged to find a familiar phrase, name or saying on the card. To support the launch, we have an exciting video coming, weekly Dingbat challenges and influencer outreach.

The market continues to evolve. The games market is currently in an exciting phase with publishers innovating for market share. Focusing on families and kidults alike, there continues to be a focus on putting the tech down and enjoying quickplay games. Stand out shelf appeal is paramount in traditional outlets, as games are competing for attention and consumers are looking for something different. Jigsaw puzzles have remained a staple for many in uncertain economic times and their much-loved brands are more important than ever. The image remains central to buying decisions and choice is hugely important – as is quality, price and sustainability, all of which we continually strive to offer our customers.

Nick Gacinski Marketing manager, Chronicle Books

Our most exciting launch would have to be our Kazoo That Festive Tune game. Based on our best-selling Kazoo That Tune, the festive version will have players blaring holiday classics like All I Want for Christmas is You and Jingle Bells. The best part is that, even though almost everyone can play the kazoo, that doesn’t mean they can play it well, so there’s loads of fun and laughter to be had. Who’s ready to take on Mariah Carey’s high note on the kazoo this festive season?

For a new game to succeed, it needs to be relevant, on-trend and mouldable to the players. The tricky part is figuring out which trends will remain relevant when the game launches a year later. Staying on top of trends across generations is important to encapsulate the largest potential customer base you can. We’re also seeing certain trends from TikTok incorporated into games; these can be added within a few months, with an emphasis on getting to market rapidly.

Rob DenBleyker Owner, Explosm

Jack Probyn UK Retail Sales Marketing manager, Winning Moves

When you’ve got so many new products coming to market this Christmas, it’s difficult to choose a favourite launch. But if you’re twisting my arm, then I would have to say our World Football Stars Top 200 Collector’s Kit which contains all six packs from the Top 200 series in one. All the packs can be played with one another and come with gold-foiled cards.

One of the biggest development in the Games & Puzzles market is the growing shift to the kidult market. Alongside tried and tested ranges, there’s now a need to also tailor products to cater to this demographic.

Steve Asbey Head of Sales, Cheatwell

When you are launching over 150 new puzzles plus a couple of dozen new games, it’s not easy or fair to pick out the most exciting or important; treat every child the same, as someone boring from marketing probably once said. But if I’m forced to get off the fence, it has to be Dachshund-Opoly – where else can you buy a property trading board game that features the top dog, the leader of the pack, the pick of the litter… the Dachshund. They say every dog has its day, and I have no doubt this will be a massively popular choice this Christmas. So ‘go fetch!’ whilst stocks last.

At Cheatwell the landscape has changed dramatically. We have new owners and, along with the changes at the top, our portfolio has duly increased. We now have the Cobble Hill range of jigsaw puzzles in our stable, along with a selection of the best-selling Outset games from across the pond. We are monitoring and reacting to the continued growth of the serious gamers market: we had a stand at the recent NEC Games Expo, and the number of attendees was incredible. There’s a swathe of consumers looking for that new strategy game or card game, all with money to spend on the right product. We launched both Shadow Ninjas board game and The Crooked Crown card game at the show and won a People’s Choice Award for our Skullduggerry card game, all of which goes to show we are on the right tracks.

Texas Hold It encompasses everything I love about going to the restroom – the awkward moments where you have to decide who you are going to stand next to and be vulnerable with, all while wondering if that person will cause you irreparable emotional damage in the process. The goal of Texas Hold It is to find the ideal location to relieve yourself – with the ultimate goal of not standing in the splash zone. It’s trickier than you think (both in card form and real life)! Although this game will be a just small set of cards and some tokens, it includes limitless joy, all covered in our iconic Cyanide & Happiness characters.

As for major changes we’ve seen in the Games & Puzzles market in the past 12 months, I think globally, consumers are looking to spend less on extraneous purchases, more than ever before. We saw this starting to happen late last year and began pointing our projects towards smaller price points to accommodate this market shift with our newest games Sosig and Hoddog. Texas Hold It follows the same metric. We want to make our games affordable – our priority has always been making sure everyone has the same access to laughter and spending quality time with friends and family, something we consider to be a necessity rather than a luxury.

It’s fair to say, almost everyone loves pizza. And the same is true for P for Pizza. It’s our best-selling game on TikTok and hit No.2 on Amazon.

“The whole family love it!”

- Amazon reviewer

“Didn't want to stop playing” - Amazon reviewer

“Excellent, quick fun” - Amazon reviewer

Fresh out of the oven is P for Pizza: Kid’s Menu. It’s just as tasty as the original but easier for kids. It also includes the new Pizza Time! card.

Touching Base

James Henley Brand manager, Coiledspring Games

Our most exciting launch for Christmas is Flip 7 from the creators of Hues and Cues and Telestrations. Flip 7 is a ‘push-your-luck’ card game where you flip over cards one by one and avoid flipping the same number twice. This deck of cards is unique with a whole bunch of special cards that can help you score extra points, give you a second chance, or freeze you or your opponents in your tracks. Not only is the gameplay thrilling, but it's simple, and no matter how big or small the family, Flip 7 will accommodate.

At Coiledspring, we have needed to be flexible and adjust to the market, making appropriate product recommendations to our customers and ensuring our marketing plan reflects this. We have seen the market trend toward our Coiledspring Heroes range, which is made up of bestselling, popular lead titles, priced around £15, that are each delightfully unique in their own way. The Mind, Sushi Go! and Cockroach Poker have all seen strong sales growth throughout the year.

Lynette Leet Marketing manager, John Adams

We’re really excited about launching our new Go Viral party game this year. You can complete 40 hilarious challenges with your friends and family, inspired by the biggest social media trends. We’ve included a tripod and fun props, making it easy for people at home to capture the footage to share with their friends, or on their socials. Each challenge card has a QR code that goes to a video, so you can see how to play and win each challenge.

Social trends and the rise of platforms like TikTok are important in reaching new audiences and growing the popularity of your game online. We’ve seen success with Think Words, which has had several viral moments this year. A combination of creator and owned social content has grown this classic brand, with a huge halo effect across retail. Our children’s games have also accumulated strong views, with Windy Knickers reaching over 25m views on TikTok alone. We have carried this through to our development with new launches such as Go Viral, which we hope will be another hit for families and young adults.

Mark Jones Sales director, University Games and Lagoon

Our most exciting Christmas launch has to be our new game, The Dog Ate My Homework! – which ours did many times when I was younger. The beautifully drawn homework, ready for doggy to eat, has been crowdsourced from children all over the world, and after doggy has chewed and pooped out the homework, it’s a race to place the jumbled pieces back together and guess what the image was. This hilarious new addition to our children’s games range is certainly set to appear on many Christmas lists this year.

Given the current economic times, games that can be played time after time, offering a varied experience and result, such as Perudo, Who’s in the Bag and 20 Questions, are proving exceptionally popular, they offer longevity and therefore great value for money. The availability of board games in cafes, pubs and public spaces is also continuing to grow, and games that allow multiple players to engage in a social environment away from home are very much on trend. Only last month I spotted a group of six in a pub in Harrogate, playing our best-selling trivia game, Smart Ass.

Matt Shaw Marketing manager, Epoch

We’re very much looking forward to launching Shaky Volcano under our new Jurassic World licence. Players spin the wheel and place the corresponding dinosaur figure on the mountain, but they must be careful, because if the dinosaur isn’t balanced properly, the volcano will erupt. Kids are going to love it!

With household budgets being squeezed, consumers have been looking for games and puzzles which offer affordable entertainment, repeat play and broad audience appeal. Out-of-the box games which require little set-up and are easy to play have seen a rise in popularity – helping to lure kids off screens, as have licensed games. We’ve had much success with our compact, travel-friendly Super Mario games, which hit the sweet spot at the moment.

Touching Base

Rob Trounce Marketing manager, Hachette Boardgames

UK

Our most exciting Christmas launch is Gigantosaurus: The Adventure Game. This family-friendly board game is based on the popular children's TV show Gigantosaurus, which has captured the hearts of young audiences worldwide. The game allows 2-4 players to join beloved dino friends, Rocky, Bill, Tiny and Mazu on an adventure where they race to collect items while avoiding obstacles like bullies and disasters. What makes the game truly special is the role of Gigantosaurus, who can help players escape danger by letting them hop onto his back and race around the board.

Over the past 12 months, we've witnessed a significant rise in the popularity of board gaming. This surge is evident in the number of toy stores and bookshops that are dedicating more retail space to the category, recognising its growing appeal. There's also been a notable increase in the number of gaming cafes and spaces opening across the UK, even as other businesses in the hospitality industry face challenges. This year, UK Games Expo shattered previous attendance records, yet another example which underscores that 2023 has been a landmark year for the gaming hobby, making it an ideal time for new entrants to join this thriving space. At Hachette Boardgames UK, we're firm believers that there is a game out there for everyone – and we're here to help any businesses that would like to dabble in this new space with an ideal initial line-up of great games.

Joeri Hoste General manager International, Exploding Kittens

I think Let’s Hit Each Other With Fake Swords is our most exciting Christmas launch. It gamifies the classic sword fight, with added hysterical challenges.

Lately, there’s been an ever increasing demand for lower price point games which we’ve been leaning into with our Grab & Game range – £9.99 versions of our best-selling £19.99 games, such as Exploding Kittens, Really Loud Librarians, Mantis and Poetry for Neanderthals. This has not only allowed us to open new channels, but also secure secondary impulse purchase placement. As long as the gameplay allows, we’ll be creating lower price point Grab & Game versions of each of our major upcoming titles.

We’re seeing different strategies at retail; partners that are focusing exclusively on tried and tested brands at the best possible price versus retailers that are still willing to take a chance on newness with experiential support to draw shoppers in. For those willing to take a chance, we’ve seen some amazing results with new launches, even out of season and without price promotion.

Kelly Philp Senior director Marketing, Mattel UK

Uno is on fire and Mattel is bringing consumers new and fresh innovation in ways to play this classic game. The most exciting new launch this Christmas is Uno Teams – it is still the classic game players know and love, but played in teams of two. Special cards such as Wild Team Play and Wild Team Draw 4 help teams win together, and if one teammate goes out, they take half of the cards from their partner’s hand and keep playing. It’s collaborative play at its finest.

We are seeing younger consumers enjoying collaborative play and winning together more and more, so have created Scrabble Together and Uno Teams to respond to this demand. Mattel is focused on creating products for every type of game player.

John Styring CEO, Curious Universe

Our most exciting launch is our new Giant Musical Floor Puzzle. Kids can choose from Old MacDonald or The Wheels on the Bus, with 28 jumbo jigsaw pieces. Each one includes a sound button that plays the classic nursery rhyme, plus a beautifully illustrated picture book. This musical floor puzzle is perfect for little hands and big imaginations, aiding in the development of fine motor skills and cognitive abilities. There has been a notable shift towards puzzles that incorporate educational elements and interactive features, and games that combine learning with play, such as those introducing science or counting, have become more popular. Puzzles and games featuring beloved franchises and nostalgic references continue to attract attention, and there’s a continued demand for ecofriendly and sustainable materials.

Gareth Edwards CEO, Farplace Games

Our most exciting game has to be our first release, Farplace The Game. There is nothing like the very first sales coming in and getting positive feedback from gamers and families. We have launched seven games since then, but the first will always have a special place in my heart because it was the start of our journey and is based on our animal rescue charity and rehoming animals.

People are feeling the pinch and need to get their games fix at an affordable price. Card games, small coffee shop games and anything under £20 retail are proving the most successful, which is understandable given how prices have risen for everyone. And, as we found out at UK Games Expo, even the most serious gamer enjoys a short game for those brief moments with a few minutes to spare, and this type of game fills that need perfectly.

THE END-GAME IN TOY LOGISTICS

Turning your board game dreams into a reality takes more than just a great idea: it takes expert logistics.

But any toy maker who’s had to wrestle with the complexities of getting their games from production to player knows the headaches involved in what is increasingly a global operation with a “just-in-time” expectation.

NCS is already working with some of the biggest players in the market and its two founders bring decades of experience in both the toy and logistics sectors, creating a totally fresh approach.

Their ethos is not just that of a logistics company - rather an all-in-one partner whose aim is to take your game from the factory floor to the hands of eager players, seamlessly managing the whole journey.

No more juggling multiple partners or stressing over shipping delays.

It’s a one-stop-shop that does it all – global shipping, warehousing, custom packaging, and distribution, getting your games on the shelves of top retailers and into the carts of online shoppers.

You focus on creating the next big hit, while NCS takes your board game from concept to consumer with the precision and care it deserves.

Your next move could be the winning move!

“Doing business with the UK has become logistically more complicated since Brexit... That said, for the vast majority, the size of the prize still makes the UK a pivotal market that toy companies can’t afford to ignore – they just need to work out the best way to tackle it”

NCS’ UK storage facility is in the Freeport of London Gateway

Aim your squirrels at the targets to release

Games & Puzzles

Learning Resources

www.learningresources.co.uk | sales@learning-resources.co.uk

When it comes to travel games that help children learn through fun play at home or on the go, Learning Resources has plenty of innovative choices for shoppers.

The Numberblocks Puzzle Solver offers fans of this hit CBeebies TV series new ways to engage and learn with the friendly Numberblocks. Players twist, flip and place Numberblocks pieces onto 50 challenge cards, building their maths, problem solving, critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills as they play. This travel-friendly game is suitable for children ages five and up.

Numberblocks Playing Cards have colourful Numberblocks character images and a Game Guide for six games is included. There are rules for two new Numberblocks games and four numbery updates on classic games. The cards are sized for little hands and made from durable materials with a playing cards finish.

Kanoodle is a TikTok sensation with fans around the world taking up the #KanoodleChallenge. This pocket-sized puzzle game puts a player’s logic skills to the test as they work their way through the included book of 200 puzzle challenges, each one more difficult than the one before. Now Kanoodle Ultimate Champion ups the stakes with a countdown timer and 500 new brain-bending 2D and 3D puzzles.

New Scramboozle is the turning, rolling puzzle challenge game where players spin and shake to solve brainteasers through fun fidget play. Getting started is simple, kids give it a shake, then twist and turn the top to carefully roll the marbles into place and match the mind-bending challenges.

Players can supercharge their memories with BrainBolt Genius – the hand-held light-up game where players watch up to 21 lights flash on and off at random, and then challenge themselves to repeat the pattern without missing a beat. With five challenge levels, randomised patterns and solo or head-to-head modes, this portable hand-held brain bender is the perfect way to play at home or on the go.

To grow awareness, Learning Resources runs an ongoing brand campaign, targeting consumers through digital advertising, social media marketing, influencer collaborations, public relations activity, email marketing and more.

The company support its trade customers with marketing its games in their physical and online retail channels; all customers have access to Learning Resources’ online Marketing Resource Centre, with up-to-date marketing assets for in-store and online activities.

Mattel continues to strengthen its first-class games portfolio in 2024 with new launches for its iconic brands Scrabble, Uno and Blokus.

2024 is an exciting year for the Scrabble game as, for the first time in over 75 years, the brand launches a new way to play, adding a second side to the classic gameboard with Scrabble Together. Designed with inclusivity and collaboration in mind, Scrabble Together allows players to work as a team to complete goal cards at their chosen challenge level, with helper cards to aid players throughout the game and a quicker game with simple scoring. The double-sided board allows people to pick and choose their gameplay to suit; whether they want a speedy cooperative game or would prefer to take the competition up a notch with the much-loved Classic version for a more strategic game.

Scrabble also adds to its licensing portfolio with Scrabble Pokémon board game, featuring two games in one. Players can enjoy the classic Scrabble crossword game they know and love, but with a twist – they can earn bonus points by spelling words from the world of Pokémon. For a lighter experience, they can flip the board and try Scrabble Pokémon, a quick, casual game where players cooperate to complete word challenges and capture Pokémon.

Uno continues to perform well and adds new licences to its portfolio with Uno Lilo & Stitch and Uno Spider-Man. New to the Uno Canvas collection is The Beatles, with cards that include images of John, Paul, George and Ringo throughout their career. The set comes in a collectible set-up box.

Mattel is excited to relaunch Blokus, the perfect strategy game for the whole family. The game takes less than a minute to learn and includes fun challenges. Players take turns placing their 21 pieces on the board: each piece must touch another of the same colour, but only at the corners. Players stake their claim and protect their territory by fitting as many of their pieces on the board as possible while strategically blocking their opponents.

Mattel Games aims to be 80% colourblind accessible by the end of 2024 and will be updating core items like Uno, Blokus and Tumblin Monkeys, using universal symbols to make gameplay more accessible.

Games & Puzzles

Hasbro

Asmodee

Hasbro continues to create products with cross-generational appeal that resonate with gaming fans of all ages and create everlasting memories. New for 2024 is Drop Trivia. This fast-action, electronic trivia game plays in as little as 15 minutes and can be played head-to-head with two players or in teams. In each round, players start by dropping a trivia card with six answers into the game tower. Then each side takes turns trying to guess the correct order of the answers; for example, ranking six debut albums from least to most recent. Players place their guesses by dropping pucks into the tower and earn points for answers in the right spots. For a game show-like experience, the tower guides players through the game with voice commands and sound effects. This game is a crowd-pleasing choice and a great gift for teens and adults.

The Monopoly Go! game is a quick-playing board game version of the wildly popular Monopoly Go! digital game. In this family board game, the first player to build a landmark wins. Each player chooses a mini gameboard with a favourite location, plus a matching-coloured dice. Then players take turns, each rolling all the die at once and moving their token around their board. If a player lands on a colour space, they add a landmark block to their board. Players can use Bank Heists, Shut Downs and Mega Shut Downs to sabotage rivals, and the first to stack four matchingcoloured landmark blocks on their board wins.

Piggy Piggy is a fast-paced family card game that’s as easy as it is fun. Players take turns playing food cards from their hand to try to steal pigs and score the most points. Each player starts with five cards, including coloured food cards. On their turn, a player plays all the cards they have from one type of food by placing it in a stack. If their stack has the most food, they earn the same-coloured pig figure or can steal it from another player. Players can use a goat card to sabotage an opponent and when a player redraws cards at the end of their turn, they’ll score a point for each card that matches their pig’s colour. The game plays in 20 minutes or less and a bright, bold look with great in-pack storage. Piggy Piggy is a fun card game for all ages.

New for strategy gaming fans is Life in Reterra, a community (re)building game. It’s up to each player to build a community of their own; they choose one of three ready-to-play themed building sets, then take turns laying tiles representing diverse terrain and filling them with buildings and inhabitants to construct a community. The more a player’s community thrives, the more points they earn. Building cards unlock powers to help players score more points, and players can change up the game each time they play by creating their own sets of buildings to play with. This strategic tile game features an engaging story, custom artwork and unlimited variety, depth and replayability. It’s a fun, cosy, strategy game for family game night, holidays and makes a great gift for gamers and kids ages 10 and up.

Asmodee has partnered with Lego to create a board game where players build their way to victory, brick by brick. Monkey Palace is a jungle-themed game of light strategy that incorporates both collaborative and competitive elements.

Players compete against each other while they help the monkey rebuild the Monkey Palace. They cleverly build their way upwards, creating longer and taller staircases to get bricks and Banana Points in this innovative and strategic building board game. With no single route to victory, it can be played in different ways again and again. Each time the board game is played, the building experience and final construction are unique.

Asmodee is combining the Lego Group’s timeless creativity with its passion and expertise in board games. Utilising the endless possibilities of Lego bricks was pivotal in designing this game.

Monkey Palace will be released on 3rd October. The game is for 2-4 players aged 10 years and over and takes 45 minutes to play.

Marketing will include PR, paid social media ads – including Meta and TikTok – and the game will be featuring at the Big Christmas Press Show. Monkey Palace is one of Asmodee's top games for Christmas.

Survive the Island is another new game launching from Asmodee on 1st September, where players try to escape a sinking island with the most possible treasures , all while remembering to beware of lurking monsters. This version of Survive the Island comes with a brand-new monster, a fifth player and refreshed packaging.

The game is a fresh take on a classic by Zygomatic Games. First released in 1982, this timeless game by Julian Courtland-Smith has had a full makeover for this 2024 version, for up to five players. With fresh illustrations by Mr. Cuddington, a revamped box design and wooden components give the game a modern feel. The most exciting change of all is the introduction of an exclusive new monster, the legendary Kaiju, who promises heightened peril for intrepid adventurers. Despite these changes, one constant remains since the very first version – navigating the island's challenges is no easy feat.

Survive the Island is suitable for ages eight and over and takes about 45 minutes to play.

Games & Puzzles

Target Darts

07747 103 252 | www.target-darts.co.uk | jamie.tank@target-sport.co.uk

Teenage darts sensation, Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, has had a meteoric rise to fame and an incredible influence on the popularity of darts, leading to his unprecedented appeal to a whole new audience of fans.

Luke first came to prominence at the end of last year, when he was catapulted to fame at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, where his journey to the final transfixed a whole nation. Over 4.8m viewers watched the final on Sky Sports, and darts is now the broadcaster’s second most watched sport after football.

His appeal to a wider audience is also being driven by TV appearances on the likes of The Jonathan Ross Show and Comic Relief. Luke has also worked with YouTube megastars, The Sidemen, starring in the ad for their Best breakfast cereal. His Instagram account @ lukethenukelittler has rocketed to over 1.4m followers.

Target Darts, which has already seen unprecedented demand for its Luke Littler darts range, has launched a brand-new range of products suitable for the toy market.

The hero line is the Luke Littler Magnetic Dartboard Set, which includes a double-sided magnetic dartboard, with 12 magnetic darts, hanging hook and throw line, which allows young children to emulate Luke, whose own journey began when his dad bought him a magnetic dartboard.

Described as a captivating addition to any child's playroom or family game night, the Luke Littler Magnetic Dartboard Set Designed was designed in collaboration with The Nuke himself, with child safety and enjoyment in mind.

Offering a unique twist on classic dartboard fun and featuring a double-sided board, children can immerse themselves in two entertaining games. On one side of the board, they'll discover a traditional dart game, perfect for honing their aiming skills and competitive spirit. When the board is flipped over, there’s an archery-style target, adding another dimension to the play experience.

The 12 magnetic darts ensure hassle-free play, sticking securely to the board without the worry of sharp points, making it safe for children aged three and above. Perfect for both indoor and outdoor settings, it’s easy to set up the dartboard and start playing straight out of the box.

The Magnetic Dartboard Set is also available in an eye-catching FSDU to maximise retail impact, with a further FSDU option that holds a wider range of darts products. The Luke Littler range also includes a Fabric Dartboard, Bristle Dartboard and Cabinet Set, as well as darts and wallets, ensuring there is something for darts fans of every age, ability and price point. It’s also a great opportunity for toy retailers to expand their offer and appeal to a wider audience of their own - and take advantage of the current record-breaking demand for darts.

Gibsons

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

Gibsons stands firm in its commitment to bring people together through its extensive range of jigsaw puzzles and family games. The autumn line-up is crafted by renowned artists such as Richard Macneil, Elizabeth Blustin, Dominic Davison and Trevor Mitchell.

For Q4, Gibsons' festive collection brings 13 puzzles in a range of piece counts, including a gold-foiled limited edition 500-piece puzzle, Christmas Around the World and its 22nd limited edition 1,000-piece puzzle, Enchanted Christmas. Last year, the limited-edition puzzle sold out in record time, so retailers should place orders early. The festive collection has had a rebrand, to ensure it stands out on shelf.

New for 2024 is Festive Favourites: The Advent Calendar, which contains 24 different puzzles by 24 different artists. The Gibsons advent calendar is a focal point each year, with previous editions featured on ITV’s This Morning and winning Gift of the Year 2021.

Gibsons is expanding its best-selling Art File range with three new titles: Autumn Equinox, Woodland Wildlife and Soleil. This brings the Art File collection to an impressive nine titles.

The licensed category is growing with the release of a 500-piece Paddington puzzle, joining the 1,000-piece Paddington puzzle which became a top twenty seller for H2 2023. With this new puzzle, Gibsons aims to bring the classic illustrations of the nation’s favourite bear to the adult puzzle market in various piece counts, allowing puzzlers to reminisce and feel nostalgic.

The biggest game release of the year is Dingbats, the classic word puzzle game that combines clever wordplay, visual cues and a dash of humour. Dingbats encourages players to think outside the box and see beyond the obvious, offering modes for solo play, friendly challenges or thrilling battles. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Dingbats was invented by Paul Sellers, and the Sellers family has collaborated with Gibsons to relaunch and celebrate this iconic game's milestone anniversary.

To further support independent retailers, Gibsons has expanded its team of sales agents to provide dedicated assistance in each region. This investment recognises the value of local agents who can provide a more personal touch. Alongside the Gibsons loyalty scheme refresh and dedicated marketing campaigns, this has been put in place to set retailers up for a strong final quarter.

As a B Corp certified company, Gibsons Games remains committed to making a positive impact on the world. Gibsons provides quality with a conscience and this dedication is evident in its roll out of paper puzzle-piece bags, reducing plastic waste, which began earlier this year. All of Gibsons' products are available to order on its trade portal. Retailers can speak to their account handler to sign up.

Games & Puzzles

AB Gee

01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk

For generations, Hornby, Airfix and Corgi have been synonymous with trains, plastic model kits and diecast vehicles, respectively. However, in recent years, Kidicraft has brought these beloved brands into the world of jigsaw puzzles. Exclusively distributed by A.B.Gee, enthusiasts can explore a new dimension to their hobby, from vintage locomotives to famous spitfires or the HMS Titanic. These 1,000-piece puzzles are suitable for everyone whether a history buff, vintage fan or just seeking a break from the fast-paced digital world. There is also a 3,000-piece Airfix Submarine Spitfire MK.1a. This special edition puzzle also includes an Airfix kit of the same model for a play and display experience.

The Kevin Walsh 1,000-piece Nostalgia range now has over 25 designs. The appeal lies in the puzzles timeless charm, often featuring classic images from the past, picturesque landscapes or historical moments. Favourites include Village Shop, Out In The Country, Whitby, Titanic’s Maiden Voyage and Caravan Holiday. There are also Christmas themed designs to complement the range.

To make a truly eye-catching display, FSDUs, which are also 100% recyclable. are available free of charge when purchasing 48 puzzles. Contact AB Gee to find out more or visit the website to see the full range.

Cartamundi

01268 511 522 | www.cartamundi.com

Cartamundi has a variety of new games to provide plenty of fun this year.

Outsmarted is a fantastic ‘live family quiz show’ experience. It uses the power of technology to host an exciting, immersive board game experience. It puts the whole family in the hot seat, who must try not to be outsmarted. One of the key features of this game is remote play, so friends and family members can join from the comfort of their own home.

Fast-paced card game Color Addict sees players try to match the right colour, the right word or both, with wild cards adding to the thrilling gameplay. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins. Easy to pick up and play anywhere, Color Addict is perfect for family fun.

Bicycle Playing Cards are the perfect pocket-sized travel companion containing thousands of games in one deck, and also featuring Disney fan favourites like Stitch, Donald Duck, Alice in Wonderland and The Nightmare Before Christmas, all in stock now.

Pat Avenue

01604 678 780 | www.patavenue.co.uk | enquiries@patavenue.co.uk

Pat Avenue’s games and puzzles portfolio has something for puzzlers, parties and families alike with next generation brainteaser puzzles from Slida including brilliant new suspense game Drench and an all-new offering of licensed games from Troy Companies.

Pat Avenue’s exclusive distribution agreement with Troy Companies will supply its youngerchild-friendly licensed games. The collection includes some of the highest grossing franchises, including Disney Stitch, Disney Princess and Disney Junior Marvel Spidey and his Amazing Friends, as well as Paw Patrol. The range comprises a variety of fun games and formats including Dominoes, Learn the Colours and 2-in 1 Ludo & Chase Board Game.

Drench is a fun, suspense-filled game, with a soda can filled with water. The game begins with the roll of the dice, which determines the number of shakes and whether the player keeps, skips or picks another to take their turn. Then the can is shaken, and the tab is pulled. The can could go off at any time, and the last to stay dry wins.

Slida Sphere is a sequential interlocking 3D puzzle that requires players to slide and interlock the pieces in the correct sequence. This affordable, palm-sized puzzle is great for on-the-go puzzling.

Games & Puzzles

Vivid Goliath

01483 449 944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Goliath is set to play across multiple games categories this autumn/winter with kids’ action, murder mystery, TV game shows, family, party and more. Proud to be a destination supplier for kids, family and party games, Goliath continues to focus on innovation and create stand out games to stimulate the category. With a wide portfolio, investment in layered multi-media campaigns and an ambition to drive unique game play experiences, there are exciting, fresh and affordable games for everyone.

Ranked as a top seller in games last season, The Traitors board game, based on the BBC1 hit series, will see more Faithfuls battle it out to unmask the Traitor among them. With Series 3 set to be filmed back at the castle, superfans can continue to enjoy playing the game at home.

Murdle has fast become the best-selling murder mystery puzzle game, created by G.T. Karber. With more than half a million books sold last Christmas and more set to launch in 2024 and 2025, Goliath is set to launch Murdle – The Board Game, allowing super-sleuth detectives the chance to solve the murders round their kitchen tables.

Following the success of the re-designed Gooey Louie to meet an everyday low price, BBQ Party has also undertaken a re-design with new features for the nostalgic brand for a new generation. Players take it in turns to load up their veggies onto the BBQ but must be careful as the grill may pop-up, throwing off all their food.

A Toy Fair Toy Hero award winner Go Go UFO sees aliens invading the pre-school aisle. The fast-paced game with super stretchy Aliens on springs allows players to abduct farm animals, collecting as many as they can to win. Warning! This Game Farts allows players to pull the Fartmaster as they try to keep their cool and bluff other players into thinking they aren’t the farter.

Sitting alongside the global best-seller Sequence, younger fans can enjoy the new Paw Patrol Sequence and Triominos bringing the same addictive gameplay to a younger audience.

With the recent announcement that Goliath will distribute Funko Games globally, consumers can step into a rich and varied portfolio where Funko’s pop culture focus complements the Goliath library of games, from the Bitty Pop Chase Game, which includes exclusive Bitty Pop figures, through to family-favourites Cranium and Scream – The Game, based on the popular horror movie series.

Goliath has also extended the Nexcube line, introducing new stackable packaging and a 3x3 Britcube edition.

Skillmatics

01244 940 200 | www.skillmaticsworld.com | david.kelly@skillmaticsworld.com

Still only just halfway into its UK launch, Grasper Global, the company behind Skillmatics and Gouda Games, is expanding rapidly across the UK and Irish retail landscapes. Skillmatics has a wide range of products across card and board games and puzzles, and the team of global educators is actively scaling the brand with fresh games and learning activities. Hot games to look out for include Who Knows You Best, a family bonding game; Poop Wars, a strategy card game; Rank up, a trump card game that tests players’ memory and challenges their knowledge; and Muddled, an easy and additive word-based game that pits a player’s skills against the clock.

Skillmatics take an innovative approach to creating delightful play experiences for children and their families. The company has a fully integrated supply chain with self-owned manufacturing facilities ensuring it delivers high quality, sustainably sourced products.

Grasper Global has further expanded its portfolio by launching the new Gouda Games range, which will focus on party games for teens and young adults. Gouda Games is an excellent match for social interaction, laughter and light-hearted competition, making it a unique and fun option. Top games to look out for are Uncoated, an entertaining adult party game all about unfiltered opinions and exposing truths; Baffling Bowl, a fun and fast-paced game of quick thinking and hilarious moments; One Hot Minute, a category-based game where players only have 60 seconds to get rid of their letter cards and match to the prompts from categories and It’s Not Me It’s You – with over 160 intriguing question cards couples battle it out to see who is in sync and who is out of whack. The hotly anticipated Cuff the Bluff is a game of dicey deceptions where players are trying to bluff their way to victory.

As well as catering to young children and their families with Skillmatics’ award-winning games ranges, the company also realised the huge opportunity to inject new life into games nights. Gouda was born out of a desire and passion for innovation and a love of social gaming, to create games that offer new and exciting experiences for teens and adults alike.

With this rapid expansion, Skillmatics is fully committed to supporting all its retail partners, through its dedicated marketing and PR teams which are creating a varied programme of initiatives to help drive volume sales as well as developing an ever-growing fanbase for both Skillmatics and Gouda games.

Games & Puzzles

Winning Moves

02072 989 515 | www.winningmoves.co.uk | sales@winningmoves.co.uk

This year, Winning Moves will be releasing a multitude of licensed and unlicensed ranges across its whole category of card and board games. The first will be Winning Moves’ Hello Kitty range, featuring a Hello Kitty Monopoly, Hello Kitty Top Trumps Match and a Hello Kitty Top Trumps Specials pack. To celebrate Kitty and her 50th anniversary, products will be launching in October 2024, with Top Trumps having arrived last month.

Another hot licence coming this year will be Dr Seuss’ The Grinch. Winning Moves is expecting this to be a massive hit with lovers of the cult-classic movie in the lead up to Christmas. The company is launching three items under the licence: Cluedo, Whot! and Waddingtons No.1 playing cards, all featuring The Grinch. These three games will be hitting shelves at the same time as the Hello Kitty range, just in time for the Christmas sales period.

Winning Moves’ existing portfolio of one of the biggest current properties on the market, Disney’s Stitch, will be bolstered this October with the addition of Stitch Top Trumps Match. The game sees players aged 4+ attempt to match five cubes in a row, while battling against their opponent. In this version, there’s an added Top Trumps twist at the end. Players can steal their opponent’s point by flipping over their Top Trumps cards; if the characters match, then the point is theirs.

Over the past three months, Winning Moves has been releasing packs of World Football Stars Top Trumps as part of its Top 200 range. The range consists of the top 200 players from across the sport over six packs, with the last pack landing at retail in October. Each pack comes with gold-foiled cards and an exclusive Manager card. Winning Moves has supported the collection with robust marketing, featuring campaigns from The Rest is Football Podcast, working with the influencer Tekkerz kid and a radio campaign throughout summer. The company has even produced a bespoke World Football Stars shipper in the style of a football stadium, to offer stores a point of difference at retail.

One

for Fun

www.oneforfun.com | sales@oneforfun.com

One for Fun is constantly adding line extensions to the highly popular Muddle Puzzle range. New for 2024 is the Metallic Muddle Puzzle Set; perfect for puzzle lovers who like a challenge. The set includes three metallic pieces, each with its own unique design and difficulty level. The first puzzle is a 3x3 cube, which requires careful planning and strategy to solve. The second puzzle is a star infinity puzzle, which is more complex and requires more patience to complete. Finally, the third puzzle is a hexagon puzzle, which is perhaps the most challenging of them all. The puzzles come packaged in a tall window box, making them easy to store and transport. The set is great value for money, as each puzzle offers hours of entertainment and mental stimulation. The Metallic Muddle Puzzle is also offered as a single item – the classic 3 x 3 cube with metallic colours on each side.

These new items complement the existing range which includes the Muddle Puzzle Space Polygon. The Muddle Puzzle infinite puzzles can be opened up, turned and twisted into various shapes, showing off different space scenes as users move around the puzzle. The Muddle Puzzle Star starts as a star shape and features different colour patterns on each side, made mostly from paper and card. Then the star can be opened up, turned and twisted to various shapes showing off the various patterns and colours. To baffle the brain even more, there’s the Double Muddle Puzzle, and a Mini Muddle Puzzle is ideal for taking out and about.

To complement One for Fun’s Muddle Puzzle range, there is an updated version of its classic puzzle Fiddle Square – nine squares with different colours and designs to be shuffled and sorted quickly so they all show the same matching colours on each side. This version is re-imagined to offer a new challenge, but still with that addictive play value. It is available in rainbow and solid bright colours, along with mini and double versions.

The award-winning Time Shock continues to be a best-seller – a frantic wind-up beat-the-clock game. All the shaped plastic pieces must be inserted into the correct slots before the timer expires and throws them all into the air. A tray in the side houses the pieces and scoring pegs when not in use, making it an ideal travel game. Pushpopper lovers can try and beat their best time with the Time Pop Light up Pushpopper game, with five different game plays.

One for Fun offers something for everyone in the Games and Puzzles category, which also includes classic games from marbles, snakes & ladders and chess, to draughts, dominoes and everything in between.

Games & Puzzles

Tactic Games

07595 048 770 www.tactic.net thomas.randrup@tactic.net

Tactic is proud of its ethical and ecological commitment to designing and manufacturing environmentally friendly games for families to enjoy playing together all over the world. FSC certified since 2021, Tactic produces more than 5m games and puzzles at its factory in Finland every year, including its famed titles Alias and Flags of the World and wooden outdoor game, Mölkky.

With a focus on sustainability running through the company, Tactic has introduced the on-trend eco theme into a new educational and plastic free board game called Mother Earth. Launched earlier this year and created in collaboration with students from the University of Lapland, the aim of the co-operative game is to teach players to act responsibly towards the environment and see how small actions can make a big difference in protecting our planet. Ideal for families, teachers and students interested in environmental matters, players complete missions and answer questions across four categories, but a wrong answer means they will get a damage card to block their progress around the board.

Word games continue to perform strongly, with Tactic’s classic best-seller and socially fun word explanation game Alias leading the way. Original Alias has now sold over 6m copies globally and, with 3,200 words included on 400 cards, there is plenty of content to keep families guessing on game nights over and over again. Quick Words is another fast-paced word game ; players roll the letter dice and have under 60 seconds to make words that must be different from their opponents to score points. There’s also a joker die that counts as any letter and players

Another category where Tactic excels is party games. Keen to raise awareness in the UK market of more of its global best-sellers, one game to watch out for this festive season is Wanna Bet?, a fun and entertaining game where players have to solve physical and puzzling tasks to win big while their opponents bet on whether they think they can succeed. Wanna Bet Challenge is a smaller gift game with a similar play pattern and sits alongside a collection of compact gift games for older players, including Crazy Laws, Know Me Know You, Who Has…? and Wrong is Right. Ideal as a stocking filler idea, the new Mölkky Minipeli is a miniature version of the famous wooden skittle-throwing game that means Mölkky can be played all year round.

Within children’s games, the popular Seek & Find games appeal to children and parents for their colourful puzzle pieces and collectible toy figures which act as reward tokens for players who react quickly and spot an item on the board first. Themes include Dinosaur, Farm, and Flowers & Bugs, and these fun games will be included in a PR gifting campaign to promote Tactic’s

Games & Puzzles

Coiledspring Games

07789 755 015 | www.coiledspring.co.uk | marketing@coiledspring.co.uk

From The Mind to Qwirkle, Coiledspring Games has become a leader in bringing fun and accessible games to the UK, and the company says servicing the independent and mass market with curated games, quality and substance are of utmost importance. 2024 has been a celebratory year for Coiledspring, now in its 20th year, as the team manages more products than ever before, whilst continuing to build great relationships with retailers and suppliers.

A highlight of the year has seen the modern classic, Carcassonne, added to the portfolio with the title becoming a key focus. With Carcassonne’s 25th anniversary on the horizon in 2025, the team has ambitious marketing plans to support brand growth.

July brought a prestigious win of Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) for supply partner Scorpion Masque with the revolutionary Sky Team. This is the first two-player game to win the highly coveted award, which has been reflected in the demand for the product.

Another significant anniversary and highlight for Coiledspring is 10 years of Sushi Go! To celebrate, a 10th anniversary edition is being released and has already garnered much attention. This limited-edition game will appeal to fans and collectors alike with revamped components, while adding new elements to the game such as booster packs and dice.

Coiledspring has bolstered its party games offering with the addition of the well-known Telestrations and TikTok sensation, Hues and Cues. These games present a fantastic opportunity to engage with families and friendship groups. From the same studio, Flip 7 has sleek athletics and captivating gameplay and is tipped to be a big hit for Christmas.

In the lead-up to Christmas, many more exciting new games are scheduled to be released. From the creator of Qwirkle, Skippity is an extremely colourful game about skipping and capturing pieces on a draughts-style board. New additions to the King of Tokyo line-up have been well received – King of Tokyo Origins and the upcoming King of Tokyo Duel. The first is a more accessible version of the game with a lower price point and more compact box, whereas the latter brings a whole new spin on the game with its head-to-head, two-player gameplay.

On the puzzle side of the Coiledspring business, Schmidt will launch its new Thomas Kinkade wooden puzzles which include hidden whimsy pieces inspired by the

The range launches with four exclusive motifs this autumn.

John Adams

01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk

John Adams Leisure’s range of Ideal games continues to grow in strength and volume with fresh additions in the family, party and puzzle categories.

Following the social success of classic game Think Words, John Adams launches Go Viral – the viral party game with 40 epic challenges to try that are perfect for games nights as friends and family come together to attempt the hilarious challenges. Players use the tripod and props provided to try to become TikTok’s new viral superstar.

In the family games category, new head-to-head game Laser Shoot is now available. Players put on their headset, aim at their opponent and push the button to shoot. If it’s a hit, they lose a life. The first player to lose five lives is eliminated.

The classic family, quick-thinking and naming game, Don’t Panic, is back with a brand-new look and electronic timer. Players race against the clock and try to outmanoeuvre their opponents. The faster they provide the answers, the more moves they earn towards the end zone.

The Ideal children’s action games range continues to grow in strength. The best-selling Windy Knickers has amassed over 25m views on TikTok with creator and social content. Joining the collection is Grandad Tickle Toes, a toe-tickling game of risk and reward, where players attempt to stack and tickle without a topple. The first player to stack all their items onto Grandad without startling him is the winner.

Dyce Games creates five-star party games for every occasion with best-selling games Hot Seat, Bad Choices, Bad People, Pick Your Poison and The Voting Game. Dyce Games has huge appeal to Gen Z and millennial adults and families, with a strong fanbase on social media. Joining the Dyce family is First to Worst, the multi-generational party game of polarising preferences. In each round, the Ranker secretly ranks five random things from 1-5. The rest of the players, working as a team, try to guess the exact order chosen by the Ranker. Players win one point for each match, but each wrong guess is a point against the group.

In the Ideal party games range, there are three new launches: Srirach Ya Problem, a spicy themed game where players must find the fibber; Am I A Dirtbag? the game of changing opinions and Killer Questions, a ‘would you rather’ game with a killer twist.

John Adams also offers Prime 3D jigsaw puzzles. Each puzzle piece has multiple layers that bring it to life with an incredible 3D effect. Featuring popular licensed sets including Star Wars, Disney Princess, Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Discovery and Animal Planet, the range has puzzles from 48-500 pieces and also includes giftable collectible tins that make a showstopping display.

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

theme of the puzzle.

Games & Puzzles

Orchard Toys

01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com | sales@orchardtoys.com (UK sales) | orders@kayes.co.uk (independent sales)

Orchard Toys Map of the World Jigsaw Puzzle is a brand new redesigned and updated puzzle for Q3/Q4. The 150-piece puzzle, which comes in a suitcase style box, enables children to explore the wonders of the world on a voyage of discovery, learning about exotic animals, landmarks and different cultures. It’s so much more than just a jigsaw puzzle, providing consumers with lots of added value and retailers with a great sales opportunity. Intrepid explorers can extend their learning with the giant poster that’s included with the jigsaw, and puzzlers can grow their knowledge by downloading the free exclusive fact sheets. It’s ideal for children aged 5-10yrs.

Launched earlier this year, Doggy Doggy Woof Woof! is an energetic and hilarious matching and memory game that’s proving to be a sales hit with retailers and loved by children and parents. In the game, players match up the dogs, pairing heads and bodies, and pretend to wag their tail. The double-sided boards offer two fun ways to play. Game one, where players complete dogs on their kennel board, is ideal for younger children, who will also love shouting “Doggy Doggy Woof Woof” after each successful match. In game two, ideal for older players, the aim is to collect as many complete, matching dogs as possible – there are 13 different pups to complete. There’s also a waggy tail card – which means it's time for players to stand up, wag their tail and shout “Waggy Waggy Woof Woof”. Ideal for children from 2-6yrs.

The World of Peter Rabbit collection is Orchard Toys’ first ever character licence and has been launched in collaboration with Penguin Ventures, the licensing and consumer products team at Penguin Random House Children’s. After just a few months in the market, sales are far greater than expected and smashing forecasts, making the collection one of Orchard Toys’ fastest selling launches. It’s a great sales opportunity for retailers, with The World of Peter Rabbit collection expected to quickly become a best-seller for the brand. The board game Peter Rabbit Don’t Wake Mr. McGregor! blends the fun, educational and engaging gameplay of Orchard Toys with Beatrix Potter’s iconic characters to bring Peter Rabbit to life. Players join Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Flopsy and Mopsy as they race to collect the most fruit and vegetables. Of course, players must not disturb Mr. McGregor – if players wake him up, they must return to the start. Created for children aged 4yrs+.

Elf Lotto, from Orchard Toys Mini Games collection, is a fun festive matching game, where players collect all the cheeky elves to be the first to fill their board with matching characters. This travel size mini game, for 2-4 players, makes a great gift and stocking filler. Ideal for children aged 3-6 yrs.

To support retailers’ marketing needs, Orchard Toys provides branded POS materials and digital assets, and support with in-store promotions. To drive consumer awareness and in store traffic, marketing campaigns include PR and digital marketing, plus owned social media.

Golden Bear Toys

01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com | customerservices@goldenbeartoys.co.uk

Drawing on 45 years of bringing iconic toys to market, Golden Bear made a dynamic entrance into the game universe in 2023, specialising in family and party games. This year, building on its success, autumn/winter 2024 is full of innovative products.

Hyper Dash is a fast reaction race game that has a sleek design, utilising in-game voice commands and setting a new standard for interactive play. Players set up their target course and compete against friends and family or fly solo for the ultimate challenge – the fastest to tag all the targets wins. With the original US version of Hyper Dash selling over 1m units in two years, this all new and improved game has been taken to the next level. With straight-out-of-the-box play, three game modes and the ability to accommodate up to 10 players, Hyper Dash is perfect for getting kids off screens and into activity with its addictive gameplay.

Fart Yoga was chosen as one of the Hero Toys at London Toy Fair earlier this year. This fun family farting game sees Sammy the Sloth try to catch players out as they hold yoga poses to win fart points. Inspired by accidental trumps slipping out when doing the downward dog, this game combines the relaxing mindfulness of yoga with the laugh out loud hilarity of a sneaky fart. Beyond the giggles, Fart Yoga encourages kids to move, stretch and balance, promoting healthy physical activity. It’s a fun, accessible way for families to get active together anywhere – with laughter guaranteed.

New launch, Wheel U Dare, brings the classic TV gameshow experience into homes. Players spin the wheel to tackle as many challenges as possible as the electronic games master guides them through action-packed challenges, sound quizzes and random trivia about the other players. It’s a fun, frantic game for the whole family.

Two stand-out launches from 2023 are also set to make more waves in autumn/winter. Fast-paced electronic football trivia game Fan Zone offers an unrivalled gaming experience for football fans and quiz buffs alike. A sell-out success in December 23, this game makes a great gift for football fans everywhere. Farty Freddie, a hilarious twist on pass the parcel, has been designed to bring the laughs to sleepovers, parties and family gatherings. Taking this game to the next level in 2024, Golden Bear has joined forces with Universal to launch a licensed Minions version, bringing the hilariously cheeky characters to life in a whole new way.

Golden Bear’s autumn/winter game launches are supported by tailored marketing strategies and PR plans to back these lines in Q4.

Games & Puzzles

Ravensburger

01869 363 830 |

www.ravensburger.com

Celebrating the first anniversary of Disney Lorcana TCG, Ravensburger launched its hotly anticipated new Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway board game last month, heralding a new phase in the brand's journey. The company introduced the globally successful TCG to a family audience, with big plans for its newest range addition as it sets out to recruit a new wave of fans into the realm of Lorcana. A progressive learn-toplay experience designed to ease new players into the game and TCG space, this ultimate beginner’s introduction to the Disney Lorcana TCG includes everything two players need to play right out of the box. The pack includes two 30-card basic Disney Lorcana TCG decks, a two-player game board with character standees, rules and player’s guides, plus additional cards that players will be rewarded to add to their decks as they learn about the card types and gameplay. When players have played through all of Gateway, they will have built two standard Disney Lorcana TCG decks they can use to play independently with friends.

Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition) brings together favourite Disney and Pixar heroines for a cooperative tabletop experience suitable for players from eight years to adult. Characters include Moana, Maid Marian, The Incredibles’ Violet and Sleeping Beauty’s Belle.

A new game set to bring players flocking to the table is Oh My Pigeons. This easyto-play game is packed with birdy puns and fast-paced fun – perfect for the festive party season. Ravensburger continues to expand on its card game offering with launches including Minecraft Explorers, translating the play of the videogame phenomenon to a handy tabletop experience. Fans of Labyrinth will enjoy the new Pokémon Labyrinth Connect Card Game, delivering the familiar fun of this hit format in bring-along style.

Immersive games fans will enjoy the new Horrified World of Monsters game – monsters in this game are compatible with Horrified Greek Monsters edition, enabling players to mix and match for their perfect game. Bringing classic Ravensburger games to the tabletop with a more accessible price point, the Smart Choice series includes Labyrinth, Make n Break and Scotland Yard.

Ravensburger rolls out a new puzzle packaging design across the adult 2D range, as well as new pack sizes for 500,1,000 and 1,500-piece puzzles. The initiative is part of the company’s ongoing dedication to sustainability.

With this year marking 50 years of the familiar blue triangle logo, Ravensburger will celebrate with a limited-edition Christmas puzzle celebrating twenty years of Christmas puzzles with artist Roy Trower. The Christmas Village 1,000-piece puzzle is a re-edition of the artist’s very first Ravensburger Christmas puzzle. Taking the anniversary celebrations to another dimension, the 50th Anniversary Glow-in-the-Dark Eiffel Tower 3D Puzzle puts a new spin on a best-selling collection.

Other new launches include a collection of four, 750-piece puzzles. The Art & Soul series showcases the work of up-and-coming international artists, reflecting contemporary works of art featuring vibrant nature or bold takes on literary favourites. The Ray’s Comic Series collection of 1,000-piece puzzles joins a raft of new puzzles launched in the second half.

Epoch Making Toys

0208 049 1377 | www.epochmakingtoys.com |

This autumn, Epoch Games will launch five action-packed games under new licence, Jurassic World. Bringing the excitement of the iconic films to life, each game comes with either a selection of dinosaur cards or detailed dinosaur figures to encourage collectability. In Jurassic World Shaky Volcano, players spin the wheel and place the corresponding dinosaur figure on the mountain, but if they aren’t balanced properly, the volcano will erupt. A thrilling game of anticipation, in Jurassic World Cage Breaker, players try to free the much-loved Blue, and the first to do so wins. Jurassic World T-Rex Panic sees players pitted against each other as they try to avoid the danger zones and the jaws of the T-Rex, progressing to safe areas and collecting cards to score points. Two balancing games, at entry price points, Jurassic World Volcano Quake and Island Quake complete the set. Players take turns placing the dinosaurs and accessories on the wobbly platforms, being careful not to cause a quake and send the dinosaurs flying. All games are suitable for age 5+ and require no batteries.

Already introduced to the portfolio this year are three Junior games under the existing Super Mario licence – Mushroom Mania Balancing Game, Adventure Game Jnr and Lucky Coin Game Jnr. Available at entry price points, their compact size makes them perfect for travel. These were followed by brand new licences, Minions and Despicable Me 4, in a total of five SKUs: Minions U-Turn Bowling, Minions Hammer POP, AVL Maze Mission, AVL Blast Training and Hover Strike Battle. Fun for all the family, the games reflect the unpredictable but endearing personalities of the muchloved characters from the popular franchise and hit shelves in time for the release of the much-anticipated new movie. Super Mario games are suitable from 4+, and Minions games range in suitability from ages four and five+.

Games & Puzzles

Plus-Plus

03330 500 144 | www.plus.plus.com

Inspiring children of any age or ability to get creative through open-ended play is the ethos to Plus-Plus. Children can build in 2D or 3D by following the instructions, or by improvising and designing their own characters, animals and more, letting their imaginations pave the way. By discovering through trial and error to work out the puzzle, creating with Plus-Plus gives a sense of achievement whilst nurturing dexterity, developing fine motor skills and encouraging exploration.

As spooky season arrives, there is nothing more satisfying than to be able to admire the builds in the daylight and at nighttime. There are Glow in the Dark sets to discover and tubes to explore, all creating a luminous atmosphere and a sense of wonder.

Glow in the Dark sets are now available in a 500-piece Learn to Build Glow or 360-piece Build & Glow set. Each one contains a mixture of glow-in-the-dark pieces and regular-coloured pieces with instructions to guide children how to build glowing characters.

New for 2024, the new Spooky Tubes, available in 100-piece and 240-piece options, are the perfect mix of colours to create slime, spiders and ghostly builds. The perfect colour combination to celebrate Halloween, contained in each re-useable tube is an assortment of five colours: Glitter Purple, Neon Orange, Glow in the Dark, Lime, Black and Grey. The popular Glow tube, also available in both a 100-piece and 240-piece tube, contains five colours suitable for any time of year including Neon Yellow and Neon Blue.

Plus-Plus is a socially and environmentally responsible company. The factory and headquarters in Denmark run on 100% green energy from wind power, is produced in zero waste facilities and all products and packaging are 100% recyclable.

Melissa & Doug

0800 731 0578 | www.melissaanddoug.com | service@melissaanddoug.com

Melissa & Doug, a brand synonymous with quality and creativity, continues to captivate young minds with its thoughtfully designed puzzles.

The Ice Cream Magnetic Puzzle has 16 magnetic pieces, including ice cream scoops, toppings, cones and utensils/ Children can match pieces to the sturdy wooden puzzle board or use the magnetic scooper to create pretend ice cream treats. This set enhances motor skills, spatial awareness and imaginative play.

For more interactive play, the Round the Shore Tracks Jigsaw offers built-in tracks and wind-up vehicles. With its oceanside theme, the puzzle features numbers and sea creatures, promoting number recognition and counting as kids assemble the 48-piece puzzle.

The Animal Chase Jigsaw has 24 wooden pieces that fit over pegs to create four interlocking gears. When complete, the gears spin, showing a dog chasing two cats, three bunnies and four birds. This puzzle encourages counting, colour recognition and fine motor development, and the gears offer a fun way to explore cause-and-effect, fostering logical thinking and patience.

The Space Glow-in-the-Dark Jigsaw Floor Puzzle features 48 jumbo cardboard pieces. Children can assemble a detailed space scene in a lit room, then turn out the lights to reveal hidden glow-in-the-dark images. Kids will learnabout planets, stars and galaxies while developing their spatial reasoning and hand-eye coordination.

The Old MacDonald Farm Sound Puzzle features eight illustrated wooden pieces. When correctly placed on the puzzle board, they play parts of the Old MacDonald song, helping children learn the tune. This puzzle aids in developing hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills and auditory processing.

Toynamics

0116 478 5230 | www.toynamics.com | sales@toynamics.co.uk

Toynamics UK & Ireland’s brand portfolio offers a variety of different puzzles and games across brands, age groups and price points. At the core is Hape, with puzzles suitable from 12 months to six years and everything in between. New for 2024 is the Unicorn Friends Puzzle. This 24-piece puzzle features a colourful unicorn theme one side and a colouring template on the other so children aged three years and up can colour in their own design. The collection also features other themes including Ocean Rescue, Dinosaurs and Space. Also launching this year is the Four Seasons Layer Puzzle. With 16 pieces and suitable from three years, this 4-in-1 puzzle has four different seasonal designs to help children learn about the changing seasons. Also new for 2024 is the Human Body Magnetic Puzzle for ages three years and up. With the magnetic puzzle pieces that layer on top of each other and the six educational fact cards included in the set, children can explore the six layers of the human body, from skin to the skeletal structure. Hape’s range of puzzles includes best-sellers such as the Human Body Puzzle and Glow in the Dark puzzles in three different themes and 1.5 metres long.

Educational brand Beleduc offers a range of puzzles and board games designed to develop skills while interacting socially and having fun. The majority of Beleduc’s board game range has multiple ways to play, making the game easy to develop, and it can become more challenging as children grow and develop their skills. Combining educational skill development and a memory game, Happy Magic comes with two ways to play but with the same aim: to fill the cauldron first. This engaging activity enhances fine motor skills and dexterity, as well as encouraging social interaction and cooperative play. Made from high-quality wood, the 31-piece game is a great opportunity to engage children in a world of enchantment and wonder while advancing their skills in an array of areas.

All Toynamics UK & Ireland brands and products have full marketing support available, including POS and shop-in-shop solutions.

Dinosaur Figures

Games & Puzzles

VR Distribution

0330 088 0941 | www.vrdist.co.uk

VR Distribution, known for bringing the UK best-selling party games titles such as What Do You Meme and Cards Against Humanity, is expanding its range with many different games.

A recent launch that’s seeing great success is Silly Poosys Hide & Seek game. The game made it into the top three of Amazon UK’s best-selling Kids Electronic Games, and on Amazon.com was included in the top 50 best-selling Toys. The game is brought to VR Distribution by Relatable, the maker of What Do You Meme.

Silly Poosys Hide & Seek game is perfect for kids aged 3+. Gameplay is simple – little ones hide the Silly Poopy character, look for Silly Poopy and find Silly Poopy to hear the special song. Finding Silly Poopy is a challenge - but with some hysterical farting clues. Once the players find Silly Poopy, they press the button again and get ready to dance.

A new game launching in early September is Vibr’action, a dynamic game that challenges players to complete tasks under the pressure of doing so on a vibrating platform. With 200 challenges, players collect a card for winning and, once they have five, they win. Suitable for ages 14+, this is a great family game testing nerve and skill, and makes a fun addition to any gathering.

Another highlight for the company is Shenanigrams – The Mega Mischievous Word Game, from the makers of the hit game Beat That. Easy to learn and lots of fun, the game is travel friendly and perfect to grab-and-go, keeping everyone entertained for hours. Super competitive and highly addictive, players battle head-to-head, racing to build, tag and steal words from their opponents using stealth, strategy and wordy wickedness. Players aim to be the first to use all the tags and shout “shenanigrams”.  Ideal for ages 8+, it’s a great family game for two or more players. It’s also 100% carbon neutral, and the creators strived to make it as environmentally friendly as possible, while durable enough to endure years of enthusiastic play.

VR Distribution is also extending its range of Duncan brain-games and puzzles in autumn/ winter 2024. The initial range has gained significant pace over the past two years, specifically with indies and key retailers. The evergreen Duncan brand offers a wide range of well made, great priced, branded brain puzzles which have great play value.

The What Do You Meme Squishmallows Take 4 game provides action-packed fun for players of all ages, both adults and kids. With 84 Squishmallows content cards, it’s ideal for all fans of the brand, and comes with an exclusive Plush Benny The Bigfoot with a fun new hat.

Big Potato Games

www.bigpotato.co.uk | trade@bigpotato.co.uk

Big Potato Games has wrangled cows in Herd Mentality, created a bowling alley for dogs in 10-Bone Bowling, and now it has muscled into the pizza business with P for Pizza. The game is ridiculously easy to learn, ultra-fast to play (10 minutes max) and ends in everyone yelling and waving their arms like a chef on a Saturday night.

The game has been such a hit on TikTok, with over 9.5m views, that it sold out in the TikTok Shop. It’s gone down equally well on Amazon, with 2.5k 5-star reviews.

The secret recipe is that the game is small enough to slip into a bag and take anywhere. It’s cute and stands out on the shelf, real and digital. The game itself is made for all ages and is a real leveller. The first player to shout out an answer that matches the letter to the category, grabs the slice. Then it’s a race to collect enough slices to build your own pizza.

A mechanic in the gameplay means the better players do, the harder it is to finish off the pizza. This gives other players a chance to catch up. When playing with really young kids, there’s a rule that makes it easier for them too.

Big Potato has tweaked the original recipe to create a version of the game especially for kids around six and over: P for Pizza: Kid’s Menu. The categories are a lot simpler and there is a brand-new card: the Pizza Time! Card. When this gets flipped, players aim to be the first person to shout out three ridiculous pizza toppings based on the three letters. If the letters were P, T and S, they can shout out anything, like parrots, twiglets, straw.

Games & Puzzles

Hachette Boardgames

07424 900 264

www.hachetteboardgames.co.uk

There is a bumper range of games coming in Q3 and Q4 at Hachette Boardgames UK, incuding three new licensed titles.

Quoridor Pac-Man is a licensed version of Quoridor – an abstract strategy game that takes one minute to learn and a lifetime to master. It has been one of the biggest board gaming hits of the last three decades and has had a social media resurgence on TikTok, where Quoridor content has been viewed over 1b times.

This new edition brings in arcade gaming’s greatest mascot, Pac-Man, and the four Ghosts too. It contains everything that’s needed to play the classic edition of Quoridor, only with Pac-Man pieces, whilst also containing a brand-new game mode in which one player controls Pac-Man and up to four other players control the Ghosts. Pac-Man is tasked with consuming the Power Pellets on the board before the Ghosts catch him, bringing the arcade game classic to life on the tabletop in a stunning wooden production.

Wednedsay: Creatures & Outcasts brings the show to tabletops in a fast-paced and fun card game for between 2-6 players. It sees players trying to empty their hand of creatures from the show, but rules get twisted and changed by major characters who can enter and disrupt plans – not least Wednesday herself, who can abruptly end the round. As anticipation grows for the new season of the Netflix show, this is a brilliant addition to any toy store.

Gigantosaurus: The Adventure Game sees 2-4 players race to collect items from the board whilst avoiding pitfalls such as bullies and disasters. To aid players on the path, the eponymous Gigantosaurus enables characters to hop onto his back and escape dangers whilst racing around the board. This is a brilliant family game for children as young as three years old and leverages a beloved children’s licence.

In addition to these licensed titles, other fantastic new titles for the Hachette range include Tossit, a game using silicone darts which is coming soon. There is also Zoomino, for children as young as three years old, where players build animals out of dominoes, matching the right animal heads to their bodies.

Finally, Hachette continues to supply a large number of evergreen family games such as Stomp The Plank, Master Fox, Crack List and Turtle Splash – all brilliant games for kids and adults alike.

Smart Toys and Games

01903 885 669 | www.smarttoysandgames.co.uk | uk@smart.be

Smart Toys & Games has started to roll out its highly anticipated autumn 2024 launches, with a selection of brilliant games and puzzles for families to look forward to.

Brand new this September, puzzlers can dive into the world of Break-Out, the intriguing new puzzle game from Smart Games. Designed to captivate and challenge, Break-Out transforms the concept of escape into a captivating game of strategy and wit. In this imaginative game, players are presented with a unique board setup that constantly evolves with every move. With each level, players find themselves wrapped in layers of complexity that will challenge the brain and test problem-solving skills. Suitable for players from casual enthusiasts to hardcore puzzle solvers, Break-Out offers an array of levels that cater to all abilities.

Smart Games is also introducing DropZone, an enticing game encouraging players to use logic to build marble runs. Players must use creative engineering to solve captivating challenges in this construction game. They are tasked with constructing marble runs with a simple yet challenging objective – to build a marble run with different pathways and guide the marbles to their designated bases.

The perfect stocking filler, Reverso challenges players to be flexible enough to fill the game board by placing puzzle pieces on both sides. It's a game where players can create their own challenges and has been designed to train the brain with a two-sided, plug-and-play mini game. Players place the green piece anywhere on the game board and start puzzling. With only six pieces, the game might seem simple but both sides of the game board need to be filled completely. Reverso puzzle pieces are made from flexible materials, giving the game a fun, fidgety experience.

Finally, Smart Games has revealed its latest 1-player puzzle game, Gnome Sweet Gnome, a charming new pre-school puzzle game with 48 challenges to keep players amused for hours. Great from 3+ years and ideal for garden lovers, Gnome Sweet Gnome is a game that tests players’ deduction. Three cheeky gnomes have set up their home in the garden. To solve the puzzle, players must use their concentration to work out where they are hiding. Kids choose a challenge from the booklet included and replicate the picture clues to reunite the gnomes. The gnomes have different heights and only the correct place will do – they must be reunited to the correct flowerpot residence to find home. Playing Gnome Sweet Gnome stimulates key logic and deduction skills. With multiple levels of fun, the game progresses from easy to hard.

Games & Puzzles

Chronicle Books

020 7713 2060 | www.ridleysgames.com | info@abramsandchronicle.co.uk

Ridley's Games is celebrating its 15th year. The game and puzzle company, based in Bath, UK, was founded in 2009 to evoke the warm nostalgia of childhood memories. The brand has come a long way since then, producing best-selling titles including Avocado Smash, Selfish and Funky Fungi.

To celebrate its 15th year, Ridley's is reviving five classic games and toys from the original Ridley’s line. The beloved products will be affordable, accessible and giftable.

With a deep commitment to capturing the original vintage feel, the Ridley’s team curated the range to look and feel just like the brand’s very first products but reimagined to be more sustainable and portable. The portable functionality meets the needs of the on-the-go consumer, including families heading away on holiday or those looking for all-time favourites that every generation can play at get-togethers.

The revived and refreshed House of Novelties collection includes a set of 28 patterned wooden dominoes. With instructions inside, all players need to bring is their logic and cunning to win. A trio of classic games includes Draughts, Chess and Backgammon. Each comes in a foldable wooden case that doubles as the gameboard. When players finish playing, they can simply pack all the pieces and instructions inside the board, fold it up and flip the latch closed until they’re ready to play again.

In this milestone year, the Ridley’s Games team would like to express its heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported it – especially those who believed in a game inside an avocado. If you'd like to know more about the House of Novelties collection, please contact info@abramsandchronicle.co.uk.

Character Options

0161 633 9800 | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Character Options has something for everyone in its games portfolio, with family games, party games and retro arcade games all on offer in the second half of the year.

Snake Attack is the fast-reaction light game, where a players’ speed, focus and perfect timing skills are put to the test as they try to catch the ever-morphing and fast-moving snake(s). If players fail to hit the button while the snake crosses over their spot, it’s game over. This nostalgic game, which is reminiscent of the Nokia’s 3210 era, can be played in three modes: Solo, Team or Multiplayer. This season, Remember the Music will be top of the charts, as players race to reach the No. 1 position on the Top 40 Chart. The game begins when a card is selected. Each card has four clues (with assigned point values) that refer to a music artist or music group. The sooner the answer is guessed correctly, the more spaces players can advance on the chart. If the answer is not guessed on the first three hints, the final option is to scan the QR Code, which will lead players to the song on Spotify (no subscription required). When players name that artist, they advance one space on the chart.

The latest palm-sized, fidget fun comes in the form of TapTap. TapTap Arcade is a handheld, portable gaming arcade that kids won’t be able to put down. It comes programmed with 10 built-in classic games and secret hidden play features. Kids play the hidden game to earn points to hatch and evolve the secret character inside; the more players play ,the more health points they will receive and the faster their character will evolve.

ProjeX Duck Shot is a new arcade-style game uses the same high-quality projection system and optics as ProjeX Projecting Game Arcade. The objective is simple, players set the game up, by projecting onto any light-coloured wall, then aim at and blast the moving target duck images that appear. There are three built-in games and three skill levels, and no TV screen or sensors are needed to get started.

Hot House Games

01752 349 766 | phil.jones@vrdist.co.uk

This autumn sees Hot House Games launch two eagerly-anticipated and outrageous new card games, cocreated alongside YouTube sensations The Sidemen. Available in travel friendly packs, Too Far and Social Ladder are both guaranteed to ignite game night.

With Too Far comes the opportunity for players to betray their friends, judge twisted, hilarious confessions and reveal their outrageous opinions. First off, they read a confession. For example: "When our family pets die, we taxidermy and nail them to the wall. It’s sentimental, plus they look great as decor!” Then, they become the judge: is the confession morally wrong or acceptable? Each player takes a Judgement Card that tells them whether to lie or be honest about their opinion. Players then argue their, grilling their friends to figure out who is lying about their opinion. To win, they must catch the liar.

A ranking card game, Social Ladder asks questions such as: who is the funniest in your friendship group? Who is the most intelligent? Who is the least honest? Social Ladder isn't just a game, it’s an excuse for players to say what they've always thought, igniting hilarious social drama, discussion and excitement anywhere they go.

First off, players pick a question. For example: “Who is most to least likely to win a fight?” Then, they get to rank their friends on a scale from most to least, including themselves. After that’s done, it’s time to guess their position in the ranking, fighting for their spot by arguing and discussing it with the group. Finally, the order is revealed when the judge flips over each player's Identity Card. If a player guessed their position correctly, they win.

Both games are designed for 2-8 players and are suitable for ages 16+.

VINTAGE BOOKSHELF COLLECTION

Discover endless family fun with the Vintage Bookshelf Collection –your favourite games, elegantly disguised as classic novels.

FEATURES

Games & Puzzles

Imagination Games

07737 229 089 | sales@imaginationgames.com

Imagination Games, a leading global provider of immersive entertainment experiences, is bringing the beloved DVD game Movie Scene it? into the streaming era with its gaming on-demand platform, Gamestar. Introduced into the market in 2002, the original Scene it? was the first ever DVD based board game to combine real movie clips from favourite films with Hollywood trivia and the visual excitement of DVD technology. The game was a huge success and, with its initial season of sales exceeding all expectations, it spawned a plethora of different editions.

The all-new version of Movie Scene It? streams movie clips straight to TVs or mobile devices, though it is best played on a big screen to enhance the experience; all that is needed is an internet connection and at least two people. Users download the app, create an account and connect to a smart phone, tablet or Apple TV to play. Endless replayability is guaranteed with over 550 on-screen questions from favourite movies as well as 450 movie trivia questions on cards included in the box. Though there are a limited number of clips, each has multiple questions associated with it.

Movie Scene It? will appeal to movie buffs, but it’s also suitable for more casual film and TV fans, testing memory, observation and puzzle-solving skills. Playing against the clock enhances the experience and there is also the option of shorter or longer games.

The updated version of Movie Scene It? will bring the magic of the silver screen to a brand-new audience.

Wind Designs

01353 724 140 | www.wind-designs.com | sales@wind-designs.com

As a licensee of Hasbro, WS Game Company captures the essence of some of the world’s most beloved games, delivering products that epitomise style, sophistication and creativity. Wind Designs’ Vintage Bookshelf Collection stands as the crown jewel of its offerings – this 18-pack of games has quickly become a fan favourite. Each year, the collection continues to grow, with fans eagerly anticipating the next addition to this timeless series.

Collectors can build up a bookshelf lined with what appears to be classic novels, each one a fabric-bound work of art. Inside each beautifully wrapped volume lies a meticulously crafted game that evokes the charm and nostalgia of a bygone era. Whether it’s the strategic depth of chess, the thrilling mystery of Cluedo or the timeless excitement of Monopoly, each game is designed to deliver hours of entertainment while also enhancing a home’s decor.

Beyond their beauty, these games have been ingeniously designed with integrated storage trays, making it effortless to pack everything away once the fun is over. Customers can purchase their favourite individual titles or collect them all to display as a beautiful rainbow of fun – perfect for adding a touch of elegance to any room.

These games also make ideal gifts, offering a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern sophistication. The full collection includes beloved classics such as Battleship, Boggle, Candy Land, Catch Phrase, Checkers & Backgammon, Chess, Chutes and Ladders, Cluedo, Connect 4, The Game of Life, Jenga, Monopoly, Mystery Date, Scattergories, Sorry!, Taboo, Trivial Pursuit and Yahtzee. These games aren’t just for play; they’re a statement of where fun, functionality and fashion converge.

Games & Puzzles

PlayMonster

01628 488 944 | trade@playmonster.com www.playmonster.co.uk

PlayMonster UK’s games portfolio goes from strength to strength with hilarious new games concepts joining the ranks.

The award-winning 5 Second Rule brand continues to be a dominant game platform for PlayMonster and a staple in many households. 5 Second Rule Mini consistently holds the coveted position as one of the most sought after travel games. Accessible for all ages, 5 Second Rule games offer fast-paced, open-ended broad questions that should be simple to answer, but against the five second clock can leave players panicking.

The hugely popular portfolio includes two Harry Potter licensed games; original 5 Second Rule Mini game, made in a portable tube for travel; 5 Second Rule Mini Topics (trivia based); 5 Second Rule Relay and 5 Second Rule Core/Classic board games. Adults and teens love the two Uncensored versions and the younger family members can start their 5 Second Rule game journey with the Junior version.

PlayMonster is boosting the 5 Second Rule collection with new content and pricing, offering fans refreshed gameplay for lower prices.

The 2023 success of Pigs on Trampolines is followed by the introduction of a new frantic action game, Flying Squirrels: Feeder Frenzy for autumn/winter, where players race to fling squirrels at targets and collect the most nuts. The game looks set to be a big success with the support of social, digital and TV.

PlayMonster is also introducing unique new gameplay into its line-up. Order Up: Fish Market for autumn/winter is a fast paced, intense, fish throwing collaborative game where teamwork is key as players race to fulfil orders while time pressured. It comes with a hilarious fish timer with flopping tail.

Bringing back a much-loved classic, Yeti In My Spaghetti has been designed to bring oodles of laughs to family game night. The suspense builds as players remove noodle strands from the bowl - without letting the Yeti fall. The ideal family game that the kids will love, Yeti In My Spaghetti is exciting to play while building crucial skills. It can be a learning game as kids practise cause and effect, focus and hand-eye coordination.

PlayMonster UK also has a captivating range of card games. Fast Blast is the new frenzied on-trend game matching colours and numbers that is quick, easy and fun. Five Crowns is the best-selling and award-winning five-suited rummy style card game with a rotating wild card that friends and families will enjoy playing again and again. Set Card Game challenges players in a race to find as many three card sets as they can. Using a rule of logic to find a spatial array of patterns, it builds skill and exercises the brain. OK Genius puts players to the test of guessing other players’ opinions on ridiculous topics such as "How many pairs of underpants should you own?" – they must guess the opponent’s answer to win. Holey Moley is also a lot of fun; players put their fingers through the card holes and try to figure out what they’re holding by asking questions.

Farplace Games

07736 776 690 | www.farplacegames.com gareth@farplace.org.uk

Following the success of Woof Days, Cat Days and Dino Days, with over 8,000 units sold in three months and the first licencing deal already secured in Europe, Farplace Games has a second wave of card games coming this September. Dungeon Days adds a D&D theme to the series, with the introduction of traps and spells to the take that card game series. Space Days brings spaceships, hyperspace web and many other sci fi themes to bear, while Pirate Days has a cannon card and dice included, enabling the blasting of random opponents and duelling pirates, along with crows’ nests, pieces of eight, walking the plank and much more. Space Days, Dungeon Days and Pirate Days are all available at pocket-money price points.

Litter Tray is a push your luck game. Players might risk a cat using an already dirty litter tray, or can choose to bank their poo tokens early for a guaranteed but lower score. Using the established ‘push your luck’ mechanism, Farplace piloted a trial version at UK Games Expo and had amazing feedback from families and gamers. These new games all arrive in late September in quantity, taking the total number of Farplace Games products to 11 – six games in the Days series, Litter Tray, Farplace the Game and three expansions.

Farplace has invited retailers to chat about the games at any time, in person, by phone or at any of the events it is attending including Tabletop Scotland, the North East Tabletop Expo, Essen Spiel (Stand 2E520 in Hall 2) and the UK Toy Fair in January.

Games & Puzzles

Curious Universe

01225 614 310 | www.curiousuniverse.co.uk | sales@curiousuniverse.co.uk

In the vibrant world of games and puzzles, Curious Universe presents a wide variety through its various brands Mindbogglers, Puzzlebilities and Junior Jigsaw, captivating audiences of all ages. These puzzle ranges offer the perfect combination of challenge, creativity and family fun.

Mindbogglers features a stunning array of intricate designs and breathtaking locations, with puzzles that are both beautiful and challenging. Whether showcasing serene landscapes, architectural marvels, astrology themes or Van Gogh's Starry Night, each puzzle piece contributes to a masterpiece that enthusiasts will treasure. The brand also includes seasonal offerings like Winter Wonderland and The Night Before Christmas which immerse puzzlers in the holiday magic. Each puzzle in this series promises an engaging and rewarding experience.

Puzzlebilities provides a range of educational themes for curious minds, including the world map, periodic table and human body. These puzzles blend fun with learning, from enhancing geographical knowledge, introducing chemistry concepts to offering insights into anatomy. This collection makes learning interactive and stimulating through play.

For younger audiences, Junior Jigsaw offers delightful themes designed to spark imagination and learning. The range includes various formats such as carry-and-play packs for on-the-go fun, 4-in-1 jigsaws and shaped puzzles, all adorned with vibrant illustrations. Themes include cosmic space, magical unicorns, dinosaurs and more.

Musical Floor Puzzles combine vibrant illustrations with interactive music buttons, making them ideal for toddlers and pre-schoolers. These puzzles are both entertaining and educational, aiding in the development of fine motor skills and cognitive abilities in young children.

Whether it’s a challenging Mindbogglers landscape, an educational Puzzlebilities design or a playful Junior Jigsaw creation, Curious Universe ensures there’s something for everyone.

Format Games

www.asmodee.co.uk | info@asmodee.co.uk

13 Beavers is the ultimate river race board game for families and friends. Blending strategy, luck and laughter, 13 Beavers takes 2-6 players on a riveting journey to become one of the legendary 13 Beavers. The aim is simple yet challenging: be the first to guide their beaver to the gates of Beaver Paradise. Players must guess if the next card will be higher or lower to move their beaver along the river, but a wrong prediction will sweep them back to their dam. Bursting with bonus fun including fishing, rapids, lava, wolves and more, the game is different every time it’s played.

Jumbo Galt UK

0161 428 9111 | www.jumboplay.com | salesuk@jumboplay.com

Jumbo UK has launched Chrono Mission, a new escape spy game that puts players in the shoes of a secret agent tasked with defusing a bomb before time runs out. Players must skilfully navigate a field without touching any strings; any contact will accelerate the countdown, adding to the intensity of the mission.

Chrono Mission captures the essence of spy adventures, offering a blend of adrenaline and excitement and is designed for players of all ages. Success in the game demands agility, flexibility, vigilance and careful anticipation of every move.

To support the launch of Chrono Mission, Jumbo UK has crafted an extensive marketing strategy, including TV ads, Video on Demand (VoD) content and engaging digital campaigns featuring kidfluencers. This comprehensive plan aims to place creativity and imagination at the forefront, ensuring that Chrono Mission captivates its audience.

As a new game to the market, Chrono Mission is expected to be in demand as an ideal gift for birthdays, holidays or any special occasion, alongside titles such as Hitster, which continues to go from strength to strength.

Jumbo’s puzzle portfolio includes the Falcon deluxe premium puzzle range, which brings together high-quality images across various themes. Some of the latest introductions are Riding School, Countryside Locks and Woodland Farm 1000-piece puzzles. Puzzle brand Wasgij also has more puzzles coming for autumn/ winter 2024, as well as the first-ever Wasgij Advent Calendar. For younger puzzlers, Galt’s portfolio has extended with the extra-long 12-piece Tower Puzzle – Jungle Treehouse and Who’s Hiding? Puzzle – Prehistoric Party joining the lineup for autumn/ winter.

To learn more about this or any of Jumbo Galt UK’s extensive games and puzzles portfolio, call or email the company through the details above.

TOSSIT

Throw your team’s Tossits as close as possible to the black Tossit to score points.

100% dishwashable food grade silicone

A competitive card game for 2–6 players, that captures the magic and absurdity of the hit Netflix show in just 30 mins.

*Each product is supported with omnichannel marketing and PR campaigns.

Games & Puzzles

Explosm (Joking Hazard)

www.explosm.net | logistics@explosm.net

In Sosig, each player works to create the tastiest Sosig using head and body cards. Each Sosig card scores different points and offers unique effects, and players can accrue more points by fulfilling ever-changing unique Order Goals and aiming for the ultimate Award Goal. The Mystery Meat cards can be used to sabotage other players assembled Sosigs, burning or chomping them to make them incomplete.

The compact size of Sosig makes it a perfect game to carry around and play on the go. Whether travelling, waiting for an appointment or simply spending quality time with loved ones at home, Sosig can easily be whipped out for a quick round of family fun. Its portability also makes it an ideal stocking stuffer or a small gift for any occasion.

Following Sosig is Hoddog. Another delightfully wiener-themed game to accompany Sosig, Hoddog has players race to create the longest hot dog before the last ketchup card splats. Boasting the same small profile box and charming art style, Hoddog is a fast-paced, push-your-luck strategy game where players vie to be the best hot dog chef. Hoddog maintains the same pocket-size and budget-friendly price as Sosig. A new Deck Enhancement is coming soon, with upcoming announcements on social media.

Joking Hazard’s games are distributed by VR Distribution, Blackfire Germany, SpilBraet, Universal Distribution and Lion Rampant in Canada, and ACDD, Ad Magic and Diverse Marketing in the US.

Joking Hazard has signed a deal with Marc Sach, creator of Fuzzballs, to release board and card games branded with their loveable furry characters. Starting as a simple web comic in 2013, Fuzzballs became a series of merchandise in 2015. Since then, there have been over 300 different Fuzzballs branded products created – ranging from apparel to home goods and more – and 20,000 products shipped to the hands of fans worldwide.

Tomy continues its growth and expansion in the games market with a variety of new releases for games fans of all ages and interests. At the younger end of the spectrum, Tomy is launching two new action-packed kids’ games – Sandcastle Splat and Hide and Squeak Robots. In Sandcastle Splat, players take turns to make castles in this fun-packed race to finish first. Both games will have media campaigns from September along with other Tomy games offerings including Articulate for Kids, Logo Best of Kids, Greedy Granny, Screwball Scramble and family favourite, Fill Your Pants. In addition, Tomy has also added Pop Up Bluey to its Pop Up Pirate family of games.

New fast-moving party game, Clued Up, is a race to place four cups in a stack. Players work out answers from just four clues, then slam down a cup to win a point. Easy to learn and fast to start, the game provides board game fun for everyone aged 10 and over and comes with 200 clue cards and 17 durable cups.

Tomy will also be debuting two new advertising creatives for best-selling adult games Articulate and The Logo Board Game 2nd Edition alongside new media campaigns which encompass TV, digital, TikTok and outdoor activations to ensure the games are top of wish lists this Christmas.

Support for innovative co-operative game Medical Mysteries New York Emergency Room continues to build in advance of a new release, Medical Mysteries Miami Flatline. Medical Mysteries puts players in the shoes of an Emergency Room doctor, tasked with ensuring their patient survives the night. August saw the launch of dedicated TikTok and Spotify campaigns to reach fans of the genre alongside the game being a key feature in Tomy’s Christmas PR campaign.

Games & Puzzles

Spin Master

01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Brand new from Spin Master for the autumn/winter season is this year’s must-have family game, SnackO-Saurus, which joins the company’s wide ranging games portfolio.

Players are tasked with helping hungry cavepeople hunt for food, all while avoiding the legendary Snack-O-Saurus Rex. This snack-loving dino will try to grab extra grub when kids launch his super-long tongue, so they need to beware of losing some snacks when it hits them. Perfect for 2-4 players aged five and up, Snack-O-Saurus offers a fun-filled action game experience that can be enjoyed by all the family. As kids aim to collect treats like ‘tasty taco-dactyl’ and ‘prehistoric pizza’ along their path, the first player to gather two pairs of snacks wins.

A symbol of problem-solving, intelligence, creativity and perseverance, the Rubik’s 50th Anniversary cube has been created to celebrate the classic cube’s milestone year and remains the

Cheatwell Games

023 9252 4098 | www.cheatwell.com | sales@cheatwell.com

As Christmas approaches Cheatwell has something to suit all tastes and ages. For the very young there’s a great selection of Picture Dominoes and Snakes and Ladders that will keep the kids occupied whilst the adults are preparing the turkey.

For post prandial entertainment, Cheatwell offers games that ensure the whole family can play together. Top It is a fun family game that’s full of tantalising topics. In this edgeof-your-seat party game, players race to place their cones on letter discs whilst calling out examples to teasing topics, but any other player can Top It with another answer and place their cone on top of another. Only the last cone counts and bags all the points.

Family Quiz Night is a trivia challenge that can be played with the whole family. The questions have been written so that kids can play on a level playing field with the adults. There’s also a wide selection of Charades games designed specifically for kids, family or adult party tastes. Additionally, Tension and Spot The Intro! - Cheatwell’s hero productshave been thoroughly updated for 2024.

Cheatwell offers a wide range of Opoly games. Each Opoly covers a different interest, from dogs to dinosaurs, wines to zombies, cats to Christmas. Each Opoly comes complete with a themed playing board and cards, oodles of cash and the obligatory themed metal playing pieces.

A good poker face is needed to outsmart and outmanoeuvre opponents in Shadow Ninjas. Players must not take their eyes off the board as it all could change in an instant in this cunning strategy game of catch and concealment.

Quiz games go down a treat on Christmas Day and Cheatwell offers a comprehensive range of trivia challenges. Complementing the ever-popular Top Trivia Ultimate – 5,000 trivia questions on a wealth of general knowledge topics – the new Decades Edition will cover the fads, fashions and facts from the 1960s to the 2010s.

Pub Quiz is packed with 2,000 questions, covering eight entertaining categories, allowing players to enjoy the fun of a pub quiz in the comfort of their own home. Pub Quiz has been brought up to date this year.

An ideal gift line, the Quiz Cubes contain over 700 quirky questions. Pick ‘n’ Mix, Music and Quick Quiz are joined by the popular category of Food and Drink this year.

Skullduggery, an intriguing card game, won the coveted People’s Choice Award for Best Card Game at the UK Games Expo. Skullduggery has innovative, engaging gameplay and is set to become an all-time favourite with gamers of all ages.

Fun party games are a Cheatwell speciality. How Do You Doodle? is the drawing game with a difference, where everyone is drawing the same - just differently. It Fits sees players dream up answers to given statements, and the aim is to choose an answer that fits the player’s card and as many face-up cards as possible.

Cheatwell offers a large range of value-for-money card games that make ideal stocking figures, from Silly Safari to Polar Panic, Happy Families to Old Maid, or kids can gross out with the hilarious games of Plop Trumps, Fart, Puke and Snot! Meanwhile, the IQ Busters are classic 3D wooden puzzles that challenge players to take them apart then put them back together again. With two tricky challenges in just one puzzle, these are ideal for deal for baffling dad or grandpa.

Six new images have been added to the popular World’s Smallest Jigsaws range. Each puzzle comprises 1,000 pieces but is just A3 in size, and is highly challenging and hugely collectible.

Games & Puzzles

Tossit

www.tossit.game | prouk@tossit.game

Tossit brings people together through its vibrant Tossit darts. With a very strong focus on sustainability and fostering relationships with suppliers and consumers, Tossit is poised to make a significant splash in the UK games industry.

Tossit believes there is no bigger thrill than landing a throw right on target, and this game was invented to give players that same satisfaction. The game can be played anywhere, and both children and adults can play together.

Fans asked for more Tossits in a set, and this has been achieved. Now, there are 26 Tossits in the box so that it can be played with the entire family or in the break room at the office. With this package, 4-8 players can join the fun, meaning it also plays well at parties as well as unlocking all of Tossit’s game modes.

The set contains two black Jack darts, 24 Tossit darts and a convenient cloth carrying bag. The Tossit darts come in red, cyan, pink, blue, purple, green and yellow. Soft darts with a powerful suction cup are designed to stick to smooth surfaces including floors, windows and countertops. Tossit can be played indoors or outdoors, and instructions for nine different game types are included that can be played with family or friends.

Designed in France, with darts in several vibrant colours and an attractive matte finish, the game is made of 100% food grade silicone without a single drop of plastic - and is dishwasher safe. Suitable for all ages from three years and up, Tossit has gone viral on TikTok and beyond, raking in millions of views in the past four years.

University Games

020 7254 0100 | www.universitygames.co.uk

With a 700-strong portfolio University Games offers something for everyone, from early pre-school through to adult party games, and the whole family in between.

Family games are expected to be in high demand this Christmas, and a new favourite is 20 Questions. This fun-packed board game sees players racing to identify a mystery person, place or thing with the least number of clues. Further new lines for 2024, Art Gallery and Blurt, as well as the iconic Rocky Horror Show board game, are also expected to be popular choices. These latest additions join University Games’ evergreen family games Smart Ass, Perudo, Stupid Deaths, Who’s in the Bag and Prometheus. Retailers seeking a classic party game with a twist should look out for the new Yes No Adult game.

Firm favourites with youngsters are University Games’ core four children’s games: What’s Up, Charades For Kids, Don’t Say it and Yes! No!, the fast game where answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ gets players dinged out by the bell. These titles are all year-on-year best-sellers.

A hilarious new addition to University Games’ children’s range this autumn is the Oh No! The Dog Ate My Homework game that will have the youngsters in stitches as doggie chews up and poops out the homework, challenging them to race to piece it back together.

Paddington is also set to be a hot favourite this festive season, with the third movie, Paddington in Peru, scheduled to hit cinemas on 8th November. University’s range of children’s games, including the Paddington Find it Fast challenge and Paddington Sight Seeing Adventures board game, will offer fun, on trend gifts this Christmas.

Recent additions to University Games’ extensive and ever popular licensed 3D Model range has new lines that include the Darth Vader, Spider-Man and Deadpool characters, alongside Chibi versions of Wizarding World favourites Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

The 40-strong Learning Journey range offers competitive price points with great margins.

Focused on games, puzzles and toys for the key learning ages and stages, from baby and pre-school through to 12 years old, the range includes a selection of high-quality electronic, sensory and construction toys as well as a complete series of educational games and puzzles.

Games & Puzzles

The Noble Collection

020 7580 4442 | wholesale.noblecollection.co.uk wholesale.uk@noblecollection.com gdavies@noblecollection.com

Chess has seen an unprecedented boom in recent years, fuelled by many factors including the popularity of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. The Noble Collection is able to capitalise on this consumer desire with its range of licensed chess sets that are perfect for key Q4 retail sales and fit a variety of price points from family play through to high end collectors.

With finely sculpted pieces based on characters from fan-favourite franchises, retailers are sure to find a set for any customer. For the passionate collector, The Noble Collection’s high-end Harry Potter Final Challenge Chess Set recreates the thrill of Hogwarts’ finest chess game, whilst the Quidditch Chess Set takes inspiration from Harry’s favourite wizarding sport.

For Middle-earth fans, the Lord of the Rings Collector Chess Set details 32 miniature character sculptures as game pieces. Die-cast in premium materials atop feature boards, these chess sets are the ultimate showstopper for fantasy fans; the kind of board that immediately becomes the talking point of any room and makes a unique gift for Christmas.

For the more budget conscious, The Noble Collection offers the Wizard Chess Set, which also replicates the famous game from the first film, while the Lord of the Rings Battle for Middleearth Chess Set brings the battle between the Fellowship of the Ring and Sauron’s dark forces onto the chessboard.

The combination of fun and licensed characters in a game as timeless as chess is brought to life through The Noble Collection’s Minecraft Chess Set, where strategy meets sandbox to create the ultimate gamer gift, pitting Overworld heroes like Steve against hostile mobs including Creepers and the Wither. Winner of the Family Games and Kids’ Choice categories at this year’s BlogOn Awards, this blocky chess set allows Minecraft fans to explore new styles of cross-generational learning and play through one of the oldest games in the world.

From the Minions franchise is a vibrant Medieval Mayhem Chess Set, where players command their own horde of Minions led by King Bob. The dark forces of Gotham oppose Batman and his allies in the cartoon-esque Batman Vs. Joker Chess Set, and fierce T.rexes and velociraptors are pit against one another in the award-winning Jurassic Park Chess Set.

For fans of the Federation, The Noble Collection has recreated the Tri-Dimensional Chess Set complete with seven interlocking boards, as played several times in Star Trek: The Original Series by Spock and Kirk. For earth-based customers, The Noble Collection has included a rule book to help them master all dimensions of the game.

Another opportunity for family games – or a personal challenge – is The Noble Collection’s premium selection of 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles spanning Harry Potter to E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial. Along with E.T., The Noble Collection continues to tap into the nostalgia market with a playable Collector Replica Jumanji Board. Fans can unfold the full-sized board to find totems, dice and playing cards inside ready for Jumanji gameplay for 2-4 players. Exploding Kittens (31) 646 437

Exploding Kittens has announced the launch of new games: Let's Hit Each Other With Fake Swords, Zombie Burrito, When Sip Hits the Fan, Catchables and the newest title in the Kitten Games collection for kids: You Little Stinker.

Let's Hit Each Other With Fake Swords, or Swords for short, is the world's first sword-fighting card game where players resolve disputes through safe, foam sword fights. The game combines strategic thinking and physical activity, and the goal is to be the first player to collect three sets of cards. A chosen Boss initiates rounds by strategically revealing cards from the deck. When the Boss says “point”, everyone will point to the cards they want. A sword fight ensues if more than one player points to the same card, made even more challenging by the ridiculous rules on each card, like hopping on one leg or

Following the popularity of Zombie Kittens, Zombie Burrito continues the fun as a spooky addition to the Exploding Kittens’ Throw Throw franchise, pitting the living against the undead. Featuring all-new twists, including a wide range of new power-ups and a new team structure that divides players into teams of Zombies and Survivors, players collect sets of three matching cards. Some cards provide special abilities to the Survivors, others benefit the Zombies and some trigger intense battles between each side.

The newest addition to the Kitten Games collection for players ages four and up, You Little Stinker is a simple picture-matching game designed specifically for young children. It features an adorable dog-shaped dice shaker that makes it easy for little hands to shake and roll. Kids simply roll the dice and match with the picture cards.

Catchables is a collection of 12 squishy, cute collectible foam toys that double as an action-packed card game. Inspired by the iconic artwork of Exploding Kittens co-creator & cartoonist Matthew Inman, Catchables include fan-favourite characters from the Exploding Kittens catalogue, including RainbowRalphing Cat, Lumber Cat and Cat holding a Cat. With easy-to-learn yet challenging gameplay, players toss their Catchable in the air while completing a stunt described on an action card. When they successfully complete a stunt while the Catchable is in mid-air, they place two additional Action cards in front of other players, or themself, to stack additional challenges for a more challenging next turn. If a player fails to complete the challenges before their Catchable lands, they must discard one or more of their face-up Action cards. The first player to complete a catch of five or more Action cards wins.