Toys n Playthings by Lema Publishing

017 July 2 No. 10 6 Vol. 3

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,125 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017

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CONTENTS Regular 5

Leader - with Mirella Anstey

News and Quick Coffee Break – with Amy Davolls, Head of Sales at Bandai

017 July 2 No. 10 6 3 Vol.

TEAM TnP Group Editor Mirella Anstey mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

12 13

Movie News – the latest from the box office Media Charts – the latest kids’ TV viewing figures and toy TV advertising spend

Retail News – the latest from across the retail landscape

Toy Talk – retailers let us know what is selling well

What’s New – new products that you need to get your hands on

44 Spotlight on… Bruder – one new product, all the USPs explained 69 Trade Talk – we give suppliers a chance to talk business

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

P15

P30

Watch Out For… – a round up of toys you really don’t want to be without

84 Licensing News – the hottest news from the world of licensing 86 Step Back in Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

Group Advertisement Manager Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

magazine 87

Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Features 30 Arts and Crafts – a classic play pattern that continues to sell like hot cakes 48 Superheroes – every child has their favourite caped crusader, and every child wants to play with them 62

Wooden Toys – warm, tactile and a winner with all ages

Cars 3 – a look at some of the top toys tied to this summer’s Disney Pixar

P74

blockbuster

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Special Report 10

London event

Design and Production Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

DRL - a special report from Toy State and the Drone Racing League’s

Cover Story – Spin Master gives us the inside scoop on its incredible Air Hog racing drones

In Focus – PMS International introduces Elves Behavin’ Badly

Retail Interview – Argos Buying Manager - Toys, Paul Kinge takes us through the year so far, and the year to come

46 Interview – Andy Friess, Toy State President, talks teaming with Disney and the bright future for the company

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

60 Interview – Skip Hop UK Country Manager Jon Tilley looks back at the company’s incredible first year in the UK market 71

TnP Golf Classic – Malcolm ‘Bubba’ Naish reports back from the ninth annual TnP golf day

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

At the heart of retail

P46

Columnists 14

NEW Media Analysis - Generation Media’s Alex Taylor-Smith digs into when parents actually start considering Christmas

20 The Independent and Secret Supplier – the Indie continues his musings from last month, sharing some valuable experience 27

Retail Opinion – What do retailers do post-election? John Ryan offers some answers

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Laureate have more in common than you first thought

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,125 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016

Media Whisperer – Clive Crouch shows Batman and the Children’s

TnP Ambassadors – our ambassadors test the toys you stock on your shelves

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LEADER

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,125 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016

PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail Also published by Lema Publishing

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

can’t quite hear those sleigh bells just yet, but the first predictions for the top toys of Christmas 2017 are in. Argos have been the first to share the 12 toys they think will be the big winners when 25 December rolls around — do you agree? It’s easy to smugly shrug these lists off with a murmur of “too early”, but as we all know there is definite value in these lists for the trade — particularly from such a prominent retailer. Not only does the list give other retailers a suggestion as to where they might like to focus their buying power — whether that’s following the lead or taking a different path entirely — but it also provides an early indication as to where TV, online and other marketing spend Argos held its Christmas might go later in the year. in June showcase recently Surely that’s valuable insight for everyone in trade. Team TnP were at Argos’ Christmas in June event and this issue we’ve brought you a few further details on exactly those points of interest — turn to page 24 for that.

“

It’s a big month for movies ahead, with the release of Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3

magazine

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

If you would like to subscribe to any of our other market leading titles please call Robert Thomas on 01442 289930 or email your request to robert@ lemapublishing.co.uk

now we’re all familiar with the US tradition of posing an elf in a mischievous position each evening for the kids to find the following Mirella morning. It’s a really fun Anstey way to countdown to Christmas, and has definitely made its way over here. My kids begged the elf to stay and keep misbehaving at night well into January — although funnily enough he disappeared without a trace while I was away at London Toy Fair! Another tradition this month was celebrated with the return of the TnP Golf Classic — that time of year when Malcolm ‘Bubba’ Naish returns to the fairway with some of the toy industry’s greatest. We are assured that it was a day of blistering golf action with plenty of laughs and a drink or two afterwards — all par for the course, of course. It’s our 10th Golf Classic next year — so we hope to see as many of you as possible to mark that milestone. I must also congratulate Roger Dyson who received a BTHA Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent Toy Industry Day held at the Great Fosters Hotel. Roger’s career spans more than four decades, and some of the industry’s bestknown companies from both sides of the till. You really have to make a mark on the industry to even be eligible for the gong, so it’s truly a prestigious honour. It’s a big month for movies ahead, with the release of Despicable Me 3 bringing the Minions back into our lives. And Lightning McQueen is another toy industry favourite who is also speeding back onto the big screen in Cars 3. Expectations are very high for that one, with huge support from suppliers and retailers, so we took a look at some of the incredible products retailers need on their shelves this month over on page 74. One final thing, are fidget spinners beginning to wind down? Team TnP has heard conflicting stories from retailers around the country, some still selling out daily, while others doing just well enough. Certainly they seem to still be selling — and could you ever have expected sales to remain at the levels we saw during their peak — but is the next fidget toy waiting in the wings? If you think you have the answer do let me know, as always, on mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk.

Team TnP has been Elves Behavin’ Badly invited to Christmas showcases galore throughout July, from supermarkets to London’s finest department stores. Fear not, we shall report back and keep you in the loop, as ever, on which toys are sending buyers into a frenzy. Stay tuned for that… But we have brought a little extra Christmas cheer to our pages this month with a look at PMS International’s ultra cute, and ultra quirky Elves Behavin’ Badly. By

”

Congrats to Roger on his Lifetime Achievement Award

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NEWS Ready for kick off The ball is rolling on an annual and beloved UK toy industry tradition, as the 2018 Fence Club Hong Kong Football Match and Dinner is dated. Next year’s event will take place on Tuesday 9 January so get the date in your diary as it’s always a sell-out event. More details on how to get involved and secure you tickets will follow in the coming months.

A lifetime of achievement Industry luminary Roger Dyson was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the BTHA at last month’s Industry Day. Roger’s career spans more than 40 years and acros some of the UK toy trade’s foremost companies, including Airfix, Palitoy and most recently Toymaster, where he continues to lend guidance as a NonExecutive Director. He also spent 21 years on the BTHA Council, stepping down only last year, where he ably led Toy Fair many years and chaired the association from 2008-10. “Roger’s enthusiasm for the toy business, his deep knowledge of the industry from multiple perspectives, and his great wisdom, have ensured a highly successful career and an unparalleled industry-wide respect,” said Kevin Jones, BTHA President. “From Roger’s first role in the toy business in 1966 until this day, he has made lifelong friends, and holds the support and admiration of the people who he has worked with across all sectors of the industry.”

Hape acquires Marbel Hape has acquired the entire shareholding of UK toy distributor Marbel Toys. The deal represents the latest stage in Hape Toys’ international expansion, following continued success across Asia, America and Europe. “The deal with Marbel will allow Hape to evolve and drive Marbel forward to continue its success in the UK and Irish markets,” said Peter Handstein, founder and CEO of Hape. “It also enables Hape to continue longstanding relationships within the toy market and invest to make Marbel and its brands market leaders, and increase their market share.” Marbel MD Christoph Bettin will remain in that role at Marbel and has also been appointed Global Marketing Director at Hape.

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COFFEE BREAK Bandai’s Head of Sales, Amy Davolls tells us about the stellar year the company is having and teases a very exciting launch Amy, Bandai is really riding high at the moment. What joys has 2017 brought the team so far? I’m loving 2017! We kick-started the new year winning an award for Power Rangers at the Toy Industry Awards, the first for the brand in over 15 years. Then in March we had our Power Rangers Movie and we became NPD’s number one Action Figure property for the month. Then we achieved the ultimate goal and YTD we are the number one Action Figure brand — the first time in a decade! Although the team has seen many changes in the past nine months, the core team still remains and have worked extremely hard year after year to bring Power Rangers back to this point. We couldn’t be more excited to see what the rest of this incredible year brings! Tell us a little about Power Rangers and its stellar performance particualrly at retail and in NPD? Power Rangers is the number one Action Figure Property YTD! Showing a growth of 115 per cent, the brand just keeps going from strength to strength. As we head into AW, we are receiving huge support from retail and have some very exciting bespoke campaigns happening for the launch of Power Rangers Ninja Steel on POP this September. The Miraculous range has been really wellreceived, what lines should retailer absolutely stock or look out for? Miraculous has been spot on in 2017, and there’s so much more to come. Season two is due to start on Disney Channel later this year and season one will continue on POP, where it is currently the number one performing show. We are introducing new characters to our assortments of figures and fashion dolls, and new role-play lines will enable girls to be miraculous at all times. And looking ahead to Q4, what from Bandai is going to set the tills ringing? We have a very exciting new launch happening, so watch this space!

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One month before Christmas,

are coming to town

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NEWS BTHA Briefing

What a day! The BTHA’s Rebecca Deeming gives us the lowdown on all that has been happening with the association in recent weeks Well, what a month June was. Despite the chaos surrounding the election, we enjoyed some great events last month. It started with us exhibiting at the Trading Standards conference in Harrogate. Our expert safety team hosted a mini “Our AGM theatre session providing an overview and Industry of current and future challenges to the toy industry and the event was Day once again the perfect opportunity to develop our close relationships with trading took place at standards officers further. Our AGM the beautiful and Industry Day once again took place at the beautiful Great Fosters Great Fosters hotel where we welcomed more hotel where we than 100 of our lovely members for another great day of networking welcomed more and inspiring presentations from Britain’s first astronaut, Helen Sharman than 100 of our OBE, and Dylan Collins, CEO of the lovely members leading kids digital media platform, SuperAwesome. It was also a day of for another celebration as attendees championed great day” Roger Dyson’s illustrious career in the toy industry as he was awarded the BTHA Lifetime Achievement Award. It has now passed the one-year mark since the Modern Slavery Act came into effect. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner wrote a public letter to CEOs in April urging them to ensure their supply chains are slavery free. All compliant companies must renew their statement each year and we strongly recommend companies to do so now if they haven’t already. On the topic of ethical manufacturing, we asked ICTI Care to produce a report exclusively for members on the work they have been doing in the industry over the past 12 months. The report provided information on the ICTI CARE Committed Brands PLUS program and results of their 2016 Toy Factory Survey plus more. If members would like the report to be sent to them again then please get in touch. We have launched new BTHA guidance in response to the EU regulation on conflict materials. The guide is available to members on the CSR part of the BTHA website. Each month we will be counting down to the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation which will be put into practice on 25 May next year. With less than a year to go, companies should already be thinking about allocating a data protection officer and what they need to do when this new regulation comes into force. We will continue to share advice with members to help them to prepare. The industry is still awaiting guidance on Article 8 regarding parental consent and we will circulate this to members once we receive more information. And finally, last month we launched our new newsletter service which will be e-mailed out exclusively to members every Wednesday, providing them with an overview of the different aspects of work we are carrying out on their behalf. If you are a member and would like to receive this newsletter, please email rebecca@btha.co.uk.

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Great (Gizmos) day for a white wedding Pippa Middleton wasn’t the only beautiful bride who had a fabulous May wedding. The lovely Sarah Dayus from Great Gizmos was a princess in her own right when she celebrated her wedding to husband Oliver Clark last Saturday. Sarah is, of course, the daughter of Judith and Ian Dayus from Great Gizmos. Lots of congratulations and well-wishes from Team TnP.

Aid for Grenfell The Toy Trust Committee have pledged to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire with a donation of toys to the children displaced by the disaster. The Toy Trust will work closely with The Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, the official organisation responsible for any donations, which will advise the Toy Trust

shortly on arrangements. All BTHA members will be invited to donate toys or products if they wish. Guidance will be given to members as soon as possible.

Remembering David Samuel David Samuel, Former MD Of Robenau and Fence Club member, has passed away at 64 after a period of illness. David came from a well-known toy trade family; both his uncle Freddy and father Jack Samuel were prominent toy trade personalities in their time. David cut his teeth with Pedigree Dolls and then joined Paul Caspari’s company Robenau where he soon became Sales Manager, then Sales Director and finally MD, a role he held until they were sold in a buyout and renamed FEVA. Our thoughts are very much with his wife Cheryl and their two children Rachel and Oliver.

Farewell to David Pope David Pope, a well-known toy buyer formerly of Hamleys and The Entertainer, has passed away. He was a well-loved figure in the industry, working at some of the top toy retailers including Beatties of London, Woolworths and Robert Dyas. David bravely fought cancer for three and a half years despite doctors giving him just 12 months to live. His life was celebrated at a funeral on 29 June in Amersham. Those who payed their respects were asked to wear some red and white in tribute to David’s favourite team Arsenal. Donations in memory of David should go to Florence Nightingale Hospice.

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NEWS

DRL Pilot Gilbert Coronado

Big league

DRL final all set up at Alexandra Palace

Toy State has teamed with the Drone Racing League to bring an authentic drone racing experience to fans. TnP visited this year’s DRL final to learn more about Toy State’s incredible drones and why DRL is one of the world’s fastest growing sports

Nikko Air DRL Air Elite 220 FPV Pro

Racing out the box... Toy State’s DRL Air Elite 220 FPV Pro offers a complete drone racing experience straight out the box, including: • Air Elite 220 FPV Pro Drone • First-person view screen • First-person view headset • Remote control • Batteries • 5.8 GHz technology

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“

he opportunity to bring an exciting new spectator sport to the masses doesn’t come around very often. Particularly not a sport that has secured a global fan following and backing from some of the world’s biggest TV broadcasters in as little as 17 months. But that’s exactly what Toy State has achieved in an exclusive partnership with the Drone Racing League – or DRL for short – one of the world’s fastest growing sports. In June, the DRL took over the famous Alexandra Palace in North London for an action-packed final to this year’s tournament. The league’s top eight pilots battled it out to be Michael Angel, crowned champion, and for the first Toy State UK and time ever, spectators were invited to Ireland Country witness the action live. Manager So what makes the DRL racing and its pilots different to the legions of hobbyist drone flyers? Around 45 cameras, specialist racing drones, TV broadcast and a passionate team who want to make drone racing the next big thing. “For many of these pilots, this could be a career,” says Harry Neuhaus, Director of Business Development and Partnerships, DRL. “It’s incredible for a sport that’s only 17 months old.” Toy State has partnered with the DRL to bring this action to the fans through a new range of drones in its Nikko Air brand. At the core of the range is an authentic link to the DRL and its technology. “This is the first true racing drone” says Morgan

With the support of our retail partners... we are looking forward to a successful launch for Nikko Air/DRL racing drones

”

Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Nikko Air. “We worked closely with the DRL designers and engineers to ensure the technology is authentic, and works straight out of the box.” But Toy State is taking its partnership one step further, as Andy Friess, President of Toy State, explains: “Not only are we a licensee, but we are also a segment sponsor in DRL’s broadcast programming for their next three seasons. Not only do we benefit from the knowledge and information exchanged on product innovation and design, through our relationship with the DRL product development team, but our Nikko Air/DRL logo and product will also be seen by millions of viewers each week.” Gilbert Coronado, one of the league’s top pilots and better known on the circuit as 32BitsofGil, says he wishes the Toy State drone was around when he took up the hobby. “The Toy State drone is exactly how it feels to pilot the drones we use for races,” he says. “It is very similar to the drone I started out on, but costs a sixth of the price and you need no technical know-how.” It’s full steam ahead until the DRL Air Elite 220 FPV Pro launches later this year, and Michael Angel, Toy State UK and Ireland Country Manager reveals the team has big plans for retail: “With the support of our retail partners and some very exciting plans being developed by Toy State’s marketing team, we are looking forward to a successful launch for Nikko Air/DRL racing drones.”

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MOVIE

NEWS

Black Panther trailer pounces

Wonder of the world Wonder Woman has recorded the highest-ever grossing opening weekend for a movie with a female director. Helmed by Patty Jenkins with Gal Gadot starring as the titular DC hero, Wonder Woman opened with a whopping $100.5 million in its domestic US market. Patty’s comic book movie stole the crown from an altogether different book adaptation: Fifty Shades

Of Grey, which was headed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and made headlines for its $93m US opening in 2015. Wonder Woman sold another $122.5m in tickets across 55 overseas markets in its opening weekend, including in China where it debuted at number one. The full global takings for the movie’s opening weekend was $223m. It has since made more than $550m worldwide.

Olaf is back! Frozen fans will have to wait until the end of 2019 for the next feature-length entry in the series, but Disney isn’t leaving them completely out in the cold. The entertainment giant announced a new short, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, which will be released this November in the US and run before new movie Coco. The full 21-minute screening will come to UK cinemas with Coco in January 2018.

Movie calendar 2017 This year has already given us some huge movies - think Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman and Power Rangers. But retailers looking to capitalise on the excitement around big movie releases need licensed stock and they need it ready for opening weekend. So, here are just some of the biggest movies coming in the second half of 2017, and when they hit UK cinemas. Despicable Me 3 Spider-Man: Homecoming

Cars 3 The Emoji Movie The LEGO Ninjago Movie

Out NOW!

The long-awaited first look at Disney and Marvel Studios’ Black Panther pounced online last month. The trailer racked up a eye-watering 89 million views in its first 24 hours, making it the third most-watched Marvel trailer to date. Around 19 million basketball fans were among the first to see the trailer on its debut during the NBA Finals — the subsequent 70m caught it online and across various social media.

Making waves Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge took a total of £7.3 million at the UK and Irish box office during its opening weekend, claiming the number one spot. The latest film in the $4bn Disney franchise recorded its best day at the UK box office on bank holiday Monday at the end of May when it took £2.07m, up from £1.76m on Sunday and £1.69m on Saturday. Globally the film crossed the $500m mark in less than 10 days. The previous four Pirates of the Caribbean films collectively grossed £150m at the UK and Irish box office.

5 July 14 July 4 Aug 3 October

My Little Pony: The Movie Thor: Ragnarok Paddington 2 Justice League Star Wars: The Last Jedi

20 October 27 October 10 November 7 November 14 December

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MEDIA

7000

CHARTS

6000 5000 4000

Totally TV

3000 2000

1000 0

Housewives Children May 16 vs May 17 May-16

May-17

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0

elcome to the Media Report for May. We are reporting viewing levels for Boys and Girls 4-9 years and Housewives with Children Pre–school. As the chart shows for the Boys 4-9 years there have been some ups and downs. In the past The Cartoon Network was market leader and now we are seeing this station in third place. Pop is doing well, as is Nickelodeon Junior and CITV. Overall, the viewing market is down by 18.5 per cent. Looking at the viewing levels for the Girls 4-9 years, we see the situation is slightly worse and the total viewing market is down by 21.2 per cent. Nickelodeon Junior is market leader followed by Pop, and it’s interesting to note these stations appeal to the Girls market as well as the Boys. Both Channel 5 and Nickelodeon are doing well. Disney Junior has dropped from market leader in May 2016 and is now in fifth position in May 2017. Viewing levels for THE Housewives with Children TED TV Pre-school, we see straight REPOR DITURE away that Nickelodeon EXPEN E TOP H Junior is a long way ahead FOR T DOWN of all the other stations. S TEN I ER CENT P Channel 5 is holding its own BY 34 and Pop also is doing well. Overall, the market is down by 25.5 per cent. The reported TV expenditure for the top ten is down by 34 per cent when compared to May 2016. The television revenue continues to drop for the fifth month in a row. As we mentioned in last month’s report we feel the TV market will struggle for 2017 to deliver a positive in terms of revenue. The TV station London Live is about to launch a kids strand to their programme schedule on 17 July — what format this strand will take remains to be seen. In the next issue we will continue to report on both Girls and Boys 4-9 years and Housewives with Children Pre-school.

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Boys 4-9 TVRs May 16 vs May 17 May-16

5000

May-17

4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Girls 4-9 TVRs May 16 vs May 17 May-16

May-17

May 2016 Toy Company TV Expenditure

May 2017 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

IMC Toys UK Ltd Insect Lore Europe Mookie Toys Playmobil UK Ltd Mattel UK Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Spin Master Toys Ltd Character Options Ltd Hasbro UK Ltd

184,549 209,244 212,655 218,201 375,435 451,414 497,571 545,465 1,170,350 2,080,139

Playmobil UK Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Little Tikes Ltd Vivid Imaginations Ltd Pokemon Co Intl MGA Ent LEGO UK Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Spin Master Toys Ltd Hasbro UK Ltd

200,626 203,448 253,259 260,168 314,168 359,253 454,220 566,051 631,836 1,205,835

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 01494 763178. All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

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100% MEDIA 90%

39%

42%

46%

Let the battle commence! 80% 70%

60%

28%

50%

26%

24%

40%

So,30% when DO parents actually make their 20% Christmas purchasing 10% decisions? Generation Media’s 0% Alex Taylor-Smith explores the topical question

ith the second half of the year fast 15% approaching, marketers across the

sector will no doubt be refining their battle plans for the season ahead. With that refinement, it is imperative to carefully balance the marketing investment, to ensure maximum impact for with when children 17% begin to make their Christmas lists. With that in mind, this month we ask the age-old question — when do parents begin to make their Christmas purchase decisions? The below chart goes someway to answer that 2013 for parents of children aged 3-8 years old (sample: 4,846 'dads', 6,923 'mums'). This data is sourced from TGI (Target Group Index), a nationally representative survey ofdo around 23,000 homes in the UK. When you start planning your Christmas Purchases? Not surprisingly, the first point to highlight is how dads

17% % Attribution of Kids EQ TVRs within Toys and Games Category 17% 100% 90%

Toys and Games - Kids EQ TVRs:

ANALYSIS

80% 70% 60%

42%

14%

50%

28%

46%

38%

13%

26%

24%

40% 30%

2014

15%

17%

14%

13%

20% 10% 0%

17%

2013

2014

When do you start planning your Christmas Purchases? 30% 25% 20% 30% 15% 25% 10% 20% 5% 15% 0% 10% 5% 0%

Dads with Children 3-8

39%

Mums with Children 3-8

“

have intent to purchase much later, Dads with Children 3-8 Mums with Children 3-8 with 26 per cent waiting until November to begin planning The their Christmas purchases, while months of July mums' intent peaks in October. through to Furthermore, nearly eight per September see cent of dads with children aged 3-8 wait until the second half of over 27 per cent December to start planning! of mums with More imperative children aged however, is how the 3-8 starting to months of July through to September see over construct their 27 per cent of mums planning with children aged 3-8 starting to construct

”

2015

17%

2015 20%

2016

their planning, no doubt benefiting from the various retailer promotion and the introduction of numerous TV campaigns. While every campaign is different and each brand has specific objectives, these figures support the rationale to consider investment in Q3, with the intention of building awareness and campaign longevity before those Christmas wish lists are made. However, as all of those who work in this sector of advertising know, the minute we see commercials with average prices of toys and games products clearing £25+, we have entered the Q4 period (1 October-31 December). It is therefore no surprise to see that Q4 has dominated in previous years in terms of total Kids Eq TVRs representing between 38-46 per cent of the total delivered Kids EQ TVRs within the Toys and Games Category (see chart above). Taking this into account, it is imperative for markers alike to review the balance between months, measuring seasonality in line with immediate sales results and the wider campaign objective of product sell through in Q4. To speak to myself, or another member of the team about bespoke media planning and buying for your brands, please call 0207 307 7900. Source: BARB, 2017. GB TGI 2017 Q2 (Jan 2016 Dec 2016).

Generation Media is the UK and Ireland’s largest independent media buyer of toys and games advertising. Visit generationmedia.co.uk or call 0207 307 7900 to learn more.

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COVER FEATURE SPIN MASTER

Air force!

Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone

As Spin Master prepares to launch DR1 Race Drones from Air Hogs, TnP gives retailers a glimpse into what makes these products so special

pin Master’s Air Hogs brand is set to steal the airways this autumn as it launches its much-anticipated DR1 Race Drones. The line-up includes the DR1 Micro Race Drone and the DR1 FPV Race Drone aimed as the gateway into drone racing for kids aged over eight and 10 years respectively. With Air Hogs already established as a leading brand in RC, and the hero DR1 FPV Race Drone already featuring on one major outlet’s Top Toys for Christmas list, retailers can bank on Spin Master’s new drones being in hot demand.

Hot partnership! Air Hogs has partnered up with DR1 Racing, the premiere global drone racing league, which sees both companies collaborating to bring drone racing to the masses. The partnership activity has kicked off with the DR1 Micro Drone Racing Series, presented

Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone Headset

JULY 2017 Cover Story Spinmaster.indd 1

Let us introduce you to… Air Hogs DR1 Micro Race Drone Drone racing careers begin with the agile DR1 Micro Race Drone. Learn to fly like the pros with this small and nimble RC drone. Beginner and advanced modes and easy-to-use features make this drone ideal for indoor racing action. Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone Now get even closer to experiencing professional drone racing with the Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone. Experience the adrenaline rush of this high-speed RC drone with authentic first person view (FPV). Live-stream the thrill of the race with the 150-degree wideangle camera view.

up with both US-based Johnny Schaer (Johnny FPV) and the world’s youngest drone racing champion, the UK’s Luke Bannister (BanniUK). “We’ve got some amazing plans up our sleeve and a strategy to ensure that Air Hogs DR1 Racing Drones are the ‘goto’ products for anyone keen to try out this exhilarating sport.”

by Air Hogs, an exciting series of races that has pilots flying a smaller class of drones (micros) through extraordinary courses. The series made its debut on Eurosport and on Twitch.tv this year with the third series set to broadcast in over 70 countries, establishing DR1 Racing as the global leader in drone racing. The new partnership sees both brands further showcase successful pilots through the new Air Hogs Move of the Race replay, which will be seen in all DR1 Racing broadcasts through the 2017 season.

Increasingly popular Drone racing has seen a rapid uptake in countries around the world with pilots and viewers alike hooked on the

Did you know… Air Hogs has teamed up with the worlds’ youngest Drone Racing Champion, the UK’s Luke Bannister (BanniUK) - who at just 16 years old is a fantastic ambassador for Air Hogs.

See in-store With product in-store from August, the launch is being supported with a host of exciting activities including a heavyweight media campaign, online influencers and PR events where there are plans to involve some of the hottest names and venues in the sport. Speaking about the UK launch plans, Air Hogs senior brand manager Ranjit Dhutti said: “We are truly excited about our plans for Air Hogs over the coming months. In addition to the official partnership with DR1, Air Hogs has teamed

Air Hogs ambassador Luke Bannister

fast action of the skills-based sport. Racing through obstacles on epic tracks with first-person view drones, pilots experience the adrenaline rush of an extreme high-speed sport. In addition to the current race series partnerships, Air Hogs and DR1 Racing is collaborating to make it easier than ever for consumers to get involved in drone racing. Fans can expect to see more innovative products from Air Hogs that will continue to stay true to the brand’s history while building out in the race segment.

Contact Spin Master Tel: 01628 535 000 Web: www.spinmaster.com

15 30/06/2017 12:24

IN FOCUS

PMS INTERNATIONAL

Express your elf The Christmas elf tradition looks set to be huge this December and PMS International has got it all wrapped up with the original elf with big ears, Elves Behavin’ Badly

hristmas is a time for family tradition and coming together to celebrate in your own special way. Every household marks the days until Santa climbs down the chimney differently, but with the arrival of PMS International’s Elves Behavin’ Badly, the countdown to Christmas will never be the same again. The elf phenomenon exploded in the UK last year, and looks set to be absolutely huge this festive season. “I’ve been 40 years in the business, but I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Paul

Beverley, MD of PMS International. Already a beloved and wellestablished holiday tradition in the US, Christmas elves have been making their way to the UK and other parts of Europe over the past few

“

It’s a craze, but it’s also an evergreen

”

years. The original elf with big ears was launched by PMS International, and in 2016 it became a must-have Christmas item for the 500,000 families who welcomed the big-eared, rosy-cheeked mischief makers into their homes.

Social snaps Families are invited to share their most inventive Elves Behavin’ Badly stories online - and the results are hilarious… 16

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30/06/2017 12:35

Did you know... A big Elves Behavin’ Badly lorry livery is already making its way up and down the roads of Britain. The sign is 12 ft and sure to catch the eyes of kids and parents alike! High profile product placement and a national media campaign will follow later this year.

The full range includes plenty of accessories

Festive family fun The idea behind Elves Behavin’ Badly is deceptively simple. Once an Elf is welcomed into the home, mum and dad can set them up each evening in a mischievous vignette for kids to discover the following morning. From spilled cereal to broken baubles, children can’t wait to leap out of bed in the morning, desperate to see what their elf friend has been up to. Oneupmanship plays a key part in the fun for parents, as they plot progressively naughtier scenarios each evening, making it a complete family experience. The possibilities are endless - and that’s part of the genius and the charm. “Your imagination creates the fun, and it’s all about creating a great story” says Paul. “In toy retailers this is going to be massive. It’s a craze, but it’s also an evergreen.” You need only look on social media to see how popular they were

JULY 2017 Focus on PMS.indd 2

“

I’ve been 40 years in the business, but I’ve never seen anything like it

”

last year, and as we gear up for Christmas 2017, PMS expects Elves Behavin’ Badly to make an even bigger impact at retail, with December dominated by a national fixation and participation in the adventures of the cute and mischievous elves. With a pocket money price point, the Elves Behavin’ Badly are fantastic impulse purchases for retailers to offer customers. A whole range of accessories means families will be back for more as they add over-sized Christmas jumpers, Elf house stickers, Elf beds and even a post box to their growing collections.

Meet the mischief makers The key characters in the range are Elfie and Elvie, who come out to to play with their friends from the first of the month up to Christmas Eve. They keep a close eye on all the children’s behaviour and report back to Santa on who’s been good and who’s been bad. Rudie is a reindeer and is the elves’ best friend who dutifully and tirelessly pulls their sleigh and takes them home to the North Pole. Rudie needs to save his energy for the long

trip back to Elfland and tries not to get up to elf mischief, despite the elves trying everything to get him in trouble. The Elf Babies are adorably cute. Almost identical in appearance, they can only be told apart by the colour of their clothing – red, blue and pink. Enjoying their first Christmas, the elf triplets are still trying to discover their magical powers. They love to play and sometimes need help getting out of tricky situations. They have a special talent for creeping into places they shouldn’t be. All of the elves play their role in the nightly fun and games. “It’s fun, infectious and actually it’s a lot more difficult than you may think to create an elaborate elf scene, especially one that hasn’t been constructed before,” says Paul. That’s why families are encouraged to buy one for each child – and perhaps each adult, too – and then everyone can share their fun by posting photos on social media. So watch out for the Elves Behavin’ Badly and get your orders in early – you won’t forgive your elf if you miss out on this Christmas craze.

Contact PMS International Tel:01268 505050 Email: sales@pmsinternational.com Visit: pmsinternational.com

30/06/2017 12:36

RETAIL

NEWS

Toys R Us hits the bricks

Tesco growth continues Tesco’s latest trading results give the supermarket its sixth consecutive quarter of growth. Group like-for-like sales were up 1 per cent, climbing to 2.3 per cent in the UK. The supermarket has also welcomed more customers through its doors and online, with 10 million more customer transactions than last year, an upswing of 1.3 per cent. Tesco Chief Executive, Dave Lewis said: “In tough market conditions, we have stayed true to our commitment to helping customers – working closely with our supplier partners to keep prices low. Customers have responded by doing more of their shopping with us and as a result we continue to grow volumes.”

Toys R Us is hitting the road with BrickLive this summer, as the LEGO fan event tours four cities across the UK. The toy retailer will be bringing pop-up shops to all legs of the tour, which this year stops at Glasgow, London, Belfast and Birmingham between 20 July and 26 October.

Visitors to the event will be able to shop from a huge array of the latest and most popular LEGO sets at the Toys R Us pop-ups, with many exclusives available. Collection on sale will also tie into the new BrickLive Build Zones — sections of the show dedicated to LEGO Minecraft, LEGO Friends, and more.

Footfall falls off

Powerpuff Girls pop up in Soho Cartoon Network EMEA launched The Powerpuff Girls Emporium in London’s Soho district for a three-day pop-up experience in June. Singer and presenter Alesha Dixon officially opened its doors for a three-day immersive experience from 1-3 June. “The UK mass-market merchandise roll-out is now underway for The Powerpuff Girls and we’re confident this event will demonstrate the brand’s great potential to licensees and retailers across the country,” said Graham Saltmarsh, Director of Licensing UK and Nordics, Cartoon Network Enterprises EMEA.

News Retail.indd 1

The General Election and Brexit woes contributed to a 2 per cent drop off in high street footfall in May. Figures from the British Retail Consortium and Sprinboard show it was the sharpest decline since last June. But it’s not all bad news. The dip is below the positive three-month average of 0.7 per cent growth, having had two consecutive months of three-month average growth — the first time since June-August 2013. BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said retail wasn’t the only affected sector. “Poor weather at the beginning of the month kept people indoors and made it a poor month for footfall in general with fewer people out and about,” she said.

“Poor weather at the beginning of the month kept people indoors and made it a poor month for footfall in general”

Hopkins celebrates 190 years Hopkins Toymaster will this month celebrate its 190th anniversary. A mainstay of Wicklow Town, Co. Wicklow since 1827, the store has had many guises in its nearly two century lifetime, from general merchant to supermarket. Most recently Hopkins became a Toymaster toy shop, overseen by the family’s seventh generation. As part of the celebrations on Saturday 8 July, shoppers are in with a chance to win a fantastic holiday for four to LEGOLAND Windsor.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 13:12

Next stop for McColls

Hamleys CFO steps down

Convenience retailer McColls is eyeing Tesco’s subsidiary One Stop as a potential target to accelerate its ambitious growth plans. McColls Chief Executive Jonathan Miller is already in the midst of bringing 300 Co-op stores he bought last year into the fold, but unveiled his plans for One Stop to The Telegraph recently. Tesco’s recent £3.7bn merger with Booker has yet to be cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority, and industry experts expect the supermarket giant to be forced to sell off either a swathe of Tesco Express stores or its One Stop business to satisfy competition concerns. Either way, Jonathan says McColls is listening: “[Tesco boss] Dave Lewis knows where I am. Whether it’s the One Stop business or a number of stores, of course we would be interested in having a look.”

Hamleys CFO Alasdair Dunn is to step down after more than a decade with the Regent Street toy retailer. He is leaving to pursue a portfolio career in the retail sector. Since joining in 2005, Alasdair has been credited with the success of the toy shop’s overseas push, including

the opening of a Hamleys in Lagos, Nigeria this summer. He also steered Hamleys through the recession — which sunk its former owner Baugur — and subsequent changes in ownership. Tesco’s CFO Alex Jablonowski is understood to be taking up the position.

Grocers on the up Recent figures from market research company Nielsen show grocers’ fortunes are on the rise. Tesco outperformed its Big Four rivals for the second month in a row. In the 12 weeks up to 21 May, Tesco’s sales grew by 2.2 per cent. Coming in second was Morrisons, with a 1.4 per cent rise, while Sainsbury’s grew its sales share by 1.2 per cent. Meanwhile, Asda languished behind – Nielsen reported its sales dropped 0.1 per cent with a market share of 14 per cent. Aldi and Lidl were winners too: both showed double-digit growth with 18.1 per cent and 19.7 per cent respectively, grabbing a combined market share of 13.5 per cent.

JULY 2017 News Retail.indd 2

Streamlining stores Mothercare is to cull nearly half of its stores with 70 of its 152 locations across the UK set to close their doors for good. The closed stores will largely be in towns and cities that are over-served by the nursery and infant retailer, with Chief Executive Mark Newton-Jones pointing to Bristol as a prime example. “We’ve got six stores in Bristol,” he said. “We don’t need six stores in Bristol.” Other areas targeted for store closure include Sheffield, where there are five stores within a 20 minute drive. “To cover all major conurbations you only need 80 to 100 stores,” added Mark, who has already trimmed the retailer’s fleet by 100 since his appointment in 2014 and modernised more than two thirds of the remaining shops.

30/06/2017 13:12

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

On the shelf

GP Flair

In a continuation from last month, The Independent passes on some pearls of wisdom

stands in shops. I am not kidding when I say that I toiled with this for years before giving in (based on the advice of a close friend who had told me at every given opportunity that I needed to look at this and sort it out). The situation I was presented with was this: I had bought shelving to fill my store, with enough walking room for manoeuvring a double buggy around, but not much room for anything else. I kept getting these requests from various suppliers VOLUME: about putting a 1) L.O.L Surprise! Doll – MGA Entertainment stand with stock 2) Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon—Guardians of this brand and Rising booster – Esdevium Games that brand in and 3) Hatchimals CollEGGtibles – Spin Master I refused so many times. It used to VALUE: make me angry 1) L.O.L Surprise! Doll – MGA Entertainment when they brought 2) Fidgitrix Spinnerz – Character Options it up for the one 3) PAW Patrol Vehicles – Spin Master thousandth time. I liked the idea

started a discussion last month that was never going to fit into one article, if you recall it was general pointers about my education in toy retailing. There was a bit of advice for anyone in the same boat as me who is always looking to improve on things, and also has tried many, many different things and wasted quite a lot of time — and a little cash too — trialling things that never worked. Another area I want to explore is

“

Best sellers:

I knew which ones were going to work best for my stores: Top Model, Schleich, Ty and Melissa & Doug’s craft spinner

”

of having a stand that meant all the stock for a particular brand was in the one place, on a unit that highlighted it and displayed it well, but I wasn’t willing to give up any of my precious (and always overfilled) shelf space to allow me to trial this. I am a little bit OCD in that I like everything to have its place, and for everything to fit nicely in a section, and the stands seemed to tick all of the boxes — except the fact that I couldn’t put any in unless I reduced my shelving bays. Without wanting to drag the story on, I finally did it. I was opening another store and committed to getting rid of a few bays in a couple of

THE SECRET SUPPLIER

LOL, here’s a surprise! We can all be surprised when a hit toy comes along, so how you choose to market it is important

Schleich

The Independent.indd 1

And it is not simply a question of a brand performing or not performing, it is as much about the magnitude of that success as anything else. While we all might have liked the L.O.L. Surprise collectables from MGA and Shopkins from Flair, no one would have been able to predict just how huge these brands would become. And who, apart from Martin Grossman,

“

While we all might have liked the L.O.L. Surprise collectables from MGA and Shopkins from Flair, no one would have been able to predict just how huge these brands would become

“

ore excellent advice from our friendly Independent retailer this month, but his comments prompt me to highlight a basic fact about our fun-filled industry — no one knows what new products will work!

could have predicted the success of fidget spinners? It is this unpredictability that is a key element in retail success, because thankfully in almost all cases the successes outweigh the failures. Tesco seem excellent at jumping on the right bandwagon, and it is interesting to see that they are huge users of in-store FSDUs to supplement their fixed toy shelving. I guess in that context it is important to highlight the difference

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 13:13

“

I ran into issues for years trying to find room on shelf for the products I had bought, and I needed to understand that my job was to do what was right for my business

areas in the store and using these as part of the shelving for the new store, and rather bravely only bought enough shelving for the new store to shelve out a portion of it, leaving a few areas where bespoke stands could go. I would say I got lucky, but to be honest I had been shown so many stands by various suppliers that I knew which ones were going to work best for my stores: Top Model, Schleich, Ty and Melissa & Doug’s craft spinner. It is amazing what a difference this made. If anything it actually created more space for the rest of my brands, and allowed me to rationalise a lot of other products I was running. Why? Because this type of product was better covered with increased sales due to it being on a stand which meant customers had choice right in front of them, instead of mixed on a shelf somewhere. This leads me to my Melissa & Doug

”

“

MGA Entertainment

between stands and FSDUs. Stands are typically devoted to already proven long-term brands and FSDUs are the vehicle of choice for suppliers to launch new product concepts. So there is an important product difference to be recognised. Like The Independent, I have

JULY 2017 The Independent.indd 2

Tesco seem excellent at jumping on the right bandwagon, and it is interesting to see that they are huge users of in-store FSDUs to supplement their fixed toy shelving

”

final piece of advice. I could quite literally write pages and pages on this topic, but I'm keen not to try and tell people how to buy or what to buy as this would be way beyond what I intend for this article. The final note I want to make is about making sure you don’t stretch yourself too thin with too many suppliers. This creates an incredibly difficult situation as it will inevitably lead to closing some accounts if you want to do the job seriously. I ran into issues for years trying to find room on-shelf for the products I had bought, and I needed to understand that my job was to do what was right for my business, and not buy anything that I didn’t really believe in. My goodness, I shudder to think at just how many new ranges hit our shelves every month, never mind every year, and we are in a difficult enough position to try and support suppliers on the current ranges that are ongoing. And this is made even worse when you pile movie products on top,

always been impressed with the Schleich stands which are beautifully presented and are the only logical way to present such a vast range of different animals. Their lack of packaging makes them even more appealing, and reflects the many years of marketing experience that has gone into these stands. So if it is a hot new property, the FSDU may give your store that topicality and fresh feel,

which are accounting for an evergreater percentage of my sales, meaning I have to dedicate some space to this ever-changing range of products. This inevitably leaves me with bits and pieces of all the last year's cinema releases to clear out at my own expense. My suggestion is simple, but I have found it to be the most effective method for cutting out lines that you don’t need, far more effect than any other method I have tried in the past. My thought process was to cause myself a lot of bother by buying a new line, which put pressure on me to make sure any line I was buying was worth the extra bother. So, I came up with a very simple system: handwriting every new line I bought, both the SKU number and the description, kind of like hand writing an order form. I found this to be amazing, as any line I was on the fence about, I simply said no as I couldn't be bothered writing it out, but any line that was a no-brainer was worth the extra time. This may sound overly simple, and quite sore on your hand, but it is worth it. I didn’t do this for any of my major suppliers as no one would ever have the time, but for medium to smaller ones it works brilliantly, and really helps you to cut out stuff you aren’t sold on or don't want to support for whatever reason.

while your long-term brands are possibly best displayed on a fixture specially designed by the brand owner. The Independent’s final piece of advice showed his masochistic streak — he painfully writes up by hand every new line he might buy as a method of making him rethink his brand selections. But the danger here is he might have passed on L.O.L Surprise and fidget spinners.

Schleich

30/06/2017 13:14

RETAIL

OPINION

Toy talk Retailers are important to us here at TnP. We love chatting to them each month to get industry insights into what is selling well and we ask some key questions...

TnP loves to hear your views. This month we chat with retailers around the country to see what is on the shelves, how the year is so far and more...

MARK MITCHELL Crocodile Toy Shop, Cirencester, Gloucestshire Mark and the Crocodile team are bringing it back to basics, with more games for the specialist game enthusiasts What’s selling well for you currently? For us, we made a massive change to go back to basics – core values, environmental impact and so on. We have turned our specialist games around for the upper age and grown-up markets, so wooden games but in the specialist sector. We use people like Big Potato. Traditional values games seem to be coming back in, it’s all about going back to root values. We won’t sell something unless we see a value in it. LEGO continues to be strong and we specialise in that. How important are the summer holidays for your business, and how do you maximise sales over the period? The summer holidays are obviously important. There is a concentration of demand for outdoor games and activities – things like croquet, boules, hoop-la, which we will bring to the fore. What is currently by your till? It’s not quite like that in this store - we are artistically-minded in terms of layout!

CHRIS BEARDS Mantons Card & Toy Store, Isle of Man Being on the Isle of Man makes the summer holidays hugely important for Mantons. Good thing they’re all stocked up with outdoor toys! What’s selling well for you currently? All our outdoor toys are selling well. We had a mad rush on paddling pools as soon as the summer appeared. How important are the summer holidays for your business, and how do you maximise sales over the period? We are based in a seaside town, so the holidays are very important for us. We change our gift ranges and general displays to match the seasons. At the moment blue is a strong colour theme for us.

TREND SPOTTING Kristin Morency Goldman of The Toy Association (formerly known as the Toy Industry Association) talks us through the classic toys that are trending in the US In a tech-driven world, it’s hard to believe that classic toys and games are experiencing a surge in popularity – but the numbers don’t lie. In 2016, games and puzzles and dolls were among the fastest growing toy categories in the United States tracked by The NPD Group, growing 18 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. “I expect classic toys will continue to be prominent,” says leading US toy analyst Sean McGowan, MD at Liolios. “The fact that so

Toy Talk.indd 1

“

I expect classic toys will continue to be prominent. The fact that so many of them are low-tech is appealing to older buyers Sean McGowan, MD, Liolios

”

many of them are low-tech is appealing to older buyers of the toys, meaning parents and grandparents, who nostalgically yearn for the simpler days of their own childhoods.” The US Toy Association named Oh So Classic! as one of the top toy trends of the year. The examples highlighted here were among the thousands shown

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:48

AMANDA ALEXANDER Giddy Goat Toys, Didsbury, Manchester

JUDE INNES J&G Innes, St Andrews, Fife

Family-owned Giddy Goat Toys is heading towards its fifth anniversary in September this year What’s selling well for you currently? LEGO, Orchard Toys, Playmobil, pocket money toys, although fidget spinners are falling off somewhat. The evergreens, that are good quality, are selling well. How important are the summer holidays for your business, and how do you maximise sales over the period? We tend to go quieter during the school holidays as we are not a holiday destination and it is a reasonable well-off area, so lots of families go away. The mainstay of our business is party presents, so August is our quietest month. We do stock things like paddling pools, footballs, and more pocket money toys for when kids bring their parents in. What is currently by your till? Pokémon cards and fidget spinners – they are still there but I don’t think we will be restocking. They were good for bringing in new customers, but sales are quieting down. What movie license are you expecting to be the biggest this year ? We don’t do a lot of licensed toys but we do have LEGO Ninjago, which should be good when the movie comes out. We do also have high hopes for Cars 3.

in February at the North American International Toy Fair in New York: Dolls and Plush Innovations and new licenses in dolls and plush are stimulating demand, but the enduring value of classic play is also having an impact on sales. Wicked Cool Toys’ Cabbage Patch Kids Cuties will bring back fond memories for parents who grew up in the 1980s. These 9-inch dolls, which feature the traditional Cabbage Patch look, are soft, cuddly, and numbered for collectors. Folkmanis launched a line of Disney Licensed Classic Puppets that pair “heirloom quality and design expertise combined with an iconic licensed global property.”

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Fidget spinners are still all the rage in St Andrews, with the J&G Innes team getting their hands on any stock going What’s selling well for you currently? Finger spinners obviously – and they’re selling so fast I order whatever I can get hold of from the wholesalers. Kites are going well too, and jigsaws - I find Gibsons are the most popular on that front. And we do really well with Smart Games’ IQ range. How important are the summer holidays for your business, and how do you maximise sales over the period? It’s very important, hugely so. We absolutely do change our displays depending on our customer base at the time as it’s very seasonal. The windows are already up for the summer with kites and puzzles, and buckets and spades as we’re at the seaside, plus little things like colouring books and things to amuse kids in the rain. Playing cards too – you can never go wrong with playing cards, they’re a staple – and snakes and ladders, traditional games like that from Gibsons.

Role Play Role play allows kids to develop a sense of curiosity and learn how to respond to different situations. Kids can pretend to be an ice cream server when they get behind the counter of American Plastic Toys’ My Very Own Ice Cream Cart. The colorful 24-piece ice cream cart set has two big anchoring wheels, great for indoors or outside. The Il Etait une Fois Porcelain Tea Set, from Moulin Roty, is a beautiful take on a classic role-play item. Games & Puzzles Children of all ages benefit from faceto-face competitive and cooperative game and puzzle play, which is great for language development, negotiation skills, and teamwork.

What is currently by your till? Spinners, they’re just flying out – and telescopic fishing nets! The schools break up in Scotland now so we’re just waiting for the deluge, but hopefully not of rain.

Intex Entertainment’s line of Premier Wooden Games features 10 classics including Backgammon and Chess. Handcrafted from European hardwood, they include a protected rich dark finish. Blue Orange Games’ Tumble Tree is a card-flinging, tree-toppling game that challenges kids to build. Learning Resources’ Puzzle Globe teaches kids geography through tactile play.

Count yourself among the first to see the hottest new toys and games of 2018. Save the date for the 115th North American International Toy Fair, taking place February 17-20, 2018. Visit www.ToyFairNY.com to learn more. 23

30/06/2017 17:48

RETAIL ARGOS

Making a list, checking it twice Argos is first out of the blocks with its predictions for Christmas 2017. TnP sat down with Paul Kinge, Buying Manager — Toys at the retailer’s recent Christmas in June event to learn about the top toys list, what’s selling well, and smarter product sourcing Paul, we’re at the Argos Christmas in June event but, before we get to the festive season, how has this year shaped up for you so far? Taking into account the wider market conditions in retail, the first half of this year has been fine - and we’re still expecting growth within the market for toys. There are two major things that have impacted not just us, and not just toys, but everyone at retail. The unpredictable fluctuations of the dollar have affected everyone, but the other major point, for us at least, has been a backlog of stock from the end of last year that continued well into 2017. That’s contributed somewhat to price erosion.

How has that changed the way you approach sourcing and buying this year? A lot of categories are performing better than we expected. So, while 24

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the amount of stock and money we’re spending overall hasn’t ballooned, we are investing more in products we know customers will want. Last Christmas we had lines that were so wildly popular we couldn’t keep up with demand. We’re looking to remedy that.

“

A lot of categories are performing better than we expected

”

Paul with Drumond's Who's the Dude

Argos’ top toy predictions for Christmas 2017 Luvabella Spin Master Airhogs DR1 Official Race Drone Spin Master Disney Cars 3 Lightning McQueen Simba Smoby Hatchimals range, including the new CollEGGtible Spin Master SoundMoovz Character Options LEGO Friends Sunshine Catamaran LEGO PJ Masks Headquarters Playset Flair Transformers: The Last Knight RC Sqweeks Hasbro Fisher-Price Think & Learn Teach 'n Tag Movi Mattel Paw Patrol Sea Patroller Spin Master LEGO Boost LEGO Tiny Treasures Twin Set Chad Valley

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:56

Argos' top toys for Christmas 17

So are you spending more money, or just spending that money in different places? We are ordering more on the whole, simply because we see toys growing once again this year. But we’re also looking at, for example, a category like games, which has been on the rise for the past two years. Not every game is seeing growth, but if you take a look at what Hasbro is doing with social games such as Pie Face and Speak Out, the top sellers in that category are going crazy. John Adams is another good example, with the fantastic Silly Sausage and Soggy Doggy and when a game hits home with families it becomes almost impossible to meet demand.

Drumond Games’ Who’s the Dude is another fantastic game that fits perfectly into this social gaming trend - a favourite around the office.

“

Overall, very strong performance for outdoor toys already this year and we haven’t even hit the summer holidays

”

Why do you think games have taken off in such a dramatic way? Honestly, it’s social media, and Hasbro has been at the forefront of this. Their new game Egged On is a roulette style game which sees players squishing rubber eggs against their head and hopefully avoiding the one filled with water. That simplicity is its genius: anyone can open the box, instantly understand what to do, and have a brilliant laugh playing and filming on their phones. Last year you had Jonathan Ross playing Speak Out with some celebs on his show and, as I saw it on the telly that Saturday, I knew I’d come into the office on Monday and see it sold out. That’s exactly what happened. Hasbro are actually releasing a new version with a mouthpiece that’s a better size for children. It’s these refinements that makes the games category so exciting and popular.

What else has been selling well in 2017?

to do with water has been great, in fact. Little Tikes’ Water Tables have been stand-outs, and Bunch o Balloons is almost a must-have summer toy. Super Soakers and NERF have enjoyed a good knock on effect from that. Overall, very strong performance for outdoor toys already this year - and we haven’t even hit the summer holidays.

Licensed toys make up a significant chunk of your offering. How are this year’s movies lines shaking out? It’s been a bit of a strange one this year. Some movies we expected to be huge didn’t quite hit home, but then along comes The LEGO Batman Movie, which was excellent - the movie itself and the toys. We have Despicable Me 3 opening imminently and then Cars 3, so there are plenty of big, toyetic movies on the horizon.

How do you read the excitement of a movie in the led up to its release? Around six weeks before a movie launches we begin to see our

Outdoor toys have been phenomenal over the past few weeks. We had our record day for paddling pool sales in June, and trampolines have been another big seller this summer. Anything

Fact! The Argos toy buying team tipped Spin Master’s Luvabella as the one to watch for Christmas 2017 JULY 2017 Retail Interview Argos.indd 2

30/06/2017 17:56

RETAIL ARGOS

29%

Did you know…

The number of parents who will start Christmas shopping over the summer, according to an Argos poll

Argos’ exclusive Chad Valley range is expanding this year with the launch of Tots Town. There are 11 playsets in the pre-school range, from a pirate boat to a castle, complete with figures that can be payed with across the collection. Tech toys had a big presence in last year's Argos top toys list. Are they still high on the agenda for 2017?

numbers on the site go straight up, and Google searches come through thicker and faster. Cars 3 is ramping up nicely, but we won’t know exactly until a few months down the line when kids have seen the film and parents have bought them the toys.

Do you use that data to capitalise on the DVD release?

Hasb

The DVD release is actually the key time for us these days. We learn from our sales surrounding the cinema release, and ensure we have exactly the right lines in stock to offer customers what they want. It means you get about six solid months of excitement and marketing for each big movie release and that can be very important for the second half. We have an exclusive Lightning McQueen RC toy from Simba Smoby we expect to speed out the door.

“

So how do you see the second half of the year shaping up? It’s looking very promising. There are plenty of new toys

Retail Interview Argos.indd 3

We really believe Luvabella will be big for Christmas 2017

”

Games is a big category for Argos

bringing things we haven’t seen before to the market. There’s also plenty of redesigned favourites, and that goes beyond packaging. Yes, there are new boxes and they will look great on shelves. But taking Doggie Doo from John Adams as a prime example, they’ve listened to what customers like and what they wanted improved. The end result is a cooler looking dog and the core play feature works more smoothly - all without losing those hilarious sounds the kids loved so much.

You released the Argos top toys for Christmas prediction list recently. What other products are you tipping for success in the third and fourth quarters? Fundamentally, toys is the most fashion-led industry that we trade in, so that’s a tough one. This time last year Pokémon Go had just released and we were busy ensuring we had the right stock. Pokémon is still huge, but now we’re looking at Hatchimals and the new Hatchimals CollEGGtibles from Spin Master, which we have high hopes for. Traditionally, because of the nature of our business, collectables isn’t one of our biggest categories, but it’s been different with Hatchimals CollEGGtibles, and we have the playset and refreshed core Hatchimals for Christmas.

They absolutely are, and they’re allowing us to reach kids in the higher age brackets. Spin Master’s Air Hogs DR1 Race Drones offer offer something for teens and even adults. It’s very accessible but also has a lot of tech packed into it. On the other hand you have Luvabella, the new doll from Spin Master which looks and acts just like a real baby. It has the classic nurture play pattern that makes these dolls so popular, but the incredible tech inside elevates it and makes it exciting for girls that have usually grown out of this style of toy. We really believe Luvabella will be big for Christmas 2017.

Any other highlights for you? Character Options have come through with SoundMoovz, which works both as a toy for kids and has some of that social gaming magic that appeals to a wider audience. Character’s Vac Man is a secret favourite of mine. He’s the arch nemesis for Stretch Armstrong, which they’ve done incredibly well to bring back and inject life into, and has a pump to blow him up. It’s a great twist, and I’m looking forward to getting it into customers’ hands. I also have high hopes for the new Power Rangers lines. I have to tip my hat to the Bandai team, they understand what makes the show so popular and always bring that into their toy lines. The Elephant Tusk Zord is exclusive to Argos, and what makes this year’s lines so incredible is how they all fit into the Ninja Steel Lion Fire Fortress Zord. A true main present any child would be happy to find under the tree when Christmas rolls around.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:56

RETAIL

OPINION

So, what next? S

o what is to be done? That was the question formed in minds up and down the land in early June this year. What had looked rock solid turned out to be a not so well built house of cards and many were left scrabbling around wondering where things were headed. I refer, of course, to the matter of whether to place more or less orders for Christmas than this time last year in the face of wavering consumer sentiment. The wavering sentiment is, I am reliably informed, the result of the far less important matter of some kind of political stuff, but whatever caused it, the question of which way to go remains. Alright, enough of the satirical mode, but at the time of writing the one certain thing is that uncertainty will be BHS was just one recent retail casualty the watchword for the retail trade for some time to come. But here’s what’s at stake: prices look set to be higher when the Christmas 2017 ranges make it to the shops, or few casualties, but those who have prospered have done margins will be lower (which seems improbable, allowing so because they have been more keenly attuned to their for the fact business tends to be built on upwards-only customers’ requirements, keeping pace with the zeitgeist progress) thanks to currency pressures. by buying close to the market. Not everybody has lost This may not make quite as much difference as feared. and it has indeed become a case of sharpening pencils Shoppers’ ability to overlook all other as far as margins are concerned, as necessities when it comes to buying well as putting in-store experience Shoppers’ ability to this year’s must-have will still tend to at the heart of things. overlook all other necessities trump tightening the purse strings. The same should be true in What will be required, however, will when it comes to buying this toyland. Fewer but better shops is be stores that look better and which likely to be the executive summary year’s must-have will still tend have sharper visual merchandising when the history of 2017 is recorded to trump tightening the purse than in 2016 (and that was difficult on 31 December. Whether this is strings enough), just to put consumers in the a good thing overall is definitely a mood for treating their nearest and moot point, but it seems probable dearest and to help them overcome any fiscal misgivings. that toy shops are little different from other parts of the This is actually far easier said than done. When all retail spectrum. There may still be more outlets than there around you are complaining about how difficult things are shoppers to keep them all ticking over. are, it’s hard not to let perception become reality — but So who wins, and is the effect of the June election this chin up. This year could well be the year in which there year going to be the same as the Brexit referendum in is a shakeout in the toy retail sector in just the same way 2016? The answer, for toy shoppers, is toy shoppers. as has been happening in the fashion arena. Fashion has Toy retailers will be striving even more to ensure been under the cosh all year and there have been a fair they’ve got things right and some won’t make the grade. A practical suggestion therefore: if you’re forced to make decisions about short(er)-term buying for Christmas, don’t be tempted by lower prices if you order further out than you need to. Providing you have the right stock, it will sell, and the later this can be left, the better. And to those who say, ‘what if leaving it late means there’s nothing left’? Remember the old adage — it’s better to be crying out for stock, than crying over it. Follow this line of thinking and trading in 2018 will be a realistic possibility, where too much haste might make things rather more problematical.

“

Now that election fever has died down and thoughts turn to Christmas, retail expert John Ryan wonders what retailers do now?

”

Mothercare faced a difficult retail year

John Ryan is Stores Editor at Retail Week. He has worked for the magazine for more than a decade covering store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store. In a previous life he was a buyer.

JULY 2017 John Ryan.indd 1

30/06/2017 12:53

WHAT’S N Brand spanking new launches from top toy companies to help you sell more!

Meet Mokuru PETERKIN

0116 254 3645 www.peterkin.co.uk Peterkin wants you to meet Mokuru – the latest craze from Japan. This handheld wooden toy was originally designed to test an individual’s balance and focus - now this simple design is testing the dexterity of fast-fingered flippers everywhere. Crafted out of beech wood into an eye-catching cool design, players can flip, tip and spin one Mokuru or more. Small enough to fit in a pocket or a purse, Mokuru is the go anywhere toy for all ages, a new game for kids to play in the playground, and for big kids to play in the bar, at a desk, or to be played against others in competition. Players can refine their techniques until they become a Mokuru master. Now the fast-flipping toy will be distributed in the UK and Ireland exclusively by Peterkin.

Put a ring on it, Mr! CHICCO 020 8953 6627 www.chicco.co.uk

A global hit Already a big hit in many markets around the world, including Japan and Hong Kong, beginners can simply tip over the toy, let it flip and catch it with their fingers or flip it to draw a triangle or square. Mokuru masters can use five Mokuru at once with one hand. More than just a toy Mokuru uses the focus, physicality and imagination of the players.

Did you know… Helping children develop their skills in coordination, precision and cognitive function, Mister Ring is a cute hedgehog with five large, colourful spines, who sits atop a rotating base. A new addition to Chicco’s ever-popular Fit ‘N Fun range is Mister Ring, a fun and colourful hoopla toy. Coming complete with eight plastic hoops, the aim of the game is to secure as many of the hoops on to Mister Ring’s spines before the time is up. Featuring two rotational speeds, he captivates children with fun challenges that increase in difficulty as the game progresses and their accuracy improves. Providing hours of entertainment, Mister Ring can be enjoyed alone, as children try to beat their own personal best, or with friends in a fun and challenging competition to see who can secure the most hoops onto the spines in an allotted amount of time. Playing out fun melodies as he spins, Mister Ring is a winner for encouraging patience in an entertaining and playful way.

What's New.indd 1

Just jump in SMART GAMES 01903 885 669 www.smartgames.eu SmartGames’ Jump In is a unique and innovative game that engages everyone, both young and old. With bright colours, fun rabbits and a multitude of different solutions, this original game will have little ones as young as seven puzzling for hours. All games come in a compact case that’s perfect for travel. Enjoyable and educational, this brain teaser contains over 60 challenges ranging from the very easy to expert — perfect for kids and adults. Get the rabbits to safety in their burrows by manoeuvring around the board, but you can only slide the foxes, and jump over the mushrooms. Perfect to encourage children to plan, problem solve and use logical thinking.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 13:09

NEW Building on success VTECH 01235 555 545 www.vtech.co.uk

Did you know…

VTech sold an item from the VTech aims to build on its current Toot-Toot range every 20 success and number one status in seconds in 2016 (NPD Full the infant and toddler category Year 2016). throughout AW 2017 with exciting additions to the Toot-Toot Drivers, Toot-Toot Animals and Toot-Toot Friends ranges. The Toot-Toot Drivers Fire Station features lots of fun, interactive areas, including spinning fire pole, slide with flip-down flames, and open and close windows. Four interactive SmartPoint locations trigger fun responses when driven over and six interchangeable track pieces can be swapped into different combinations. The playset also includes a Toot-Toot Drivers fire engine with moveable ladder, two sing-along songs and six melodies. The Toot-Toot ranges enable children to have fun while they learn. The use of bright bold colours, sing-along songs, sound effects, fun phrases and light up buttons help with hand-eye coordination and cognitive development, as well as introducing easily recognisable designs.

Give us a hug VIVID IMAGINATIONS

Fact!

The line is supported with TV advertising, and the range will benefit from 35th anniversary celebration activity later in the year.

01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk New from Vivid is the Hug & Giggle Care Bears, sure to get little ones laughing with their cute chuckles. Simply tickle their tummies to hear them giggle and see them shake! There are two characters to choose from: pink Cheer Bear, with her rainbow belly badge, and purple Share Bear, with lollipops on her belly badge. Also, Bean Bag Plush, Medium Plush with DVD and Large Plush are all being refreshed with new glittery eyes to give the bears a new appealing look in-store.

It’s magic… WINNING MOVES

0207 298 9515 www.winningmoves.co.uk

Fact!

All aboard the Hogwarts Express Each tin contains two packs of as kids take a magical journey Harry Potter Top Trumps all based with the brand new Harry Potter around the movie franchise! Top Trumps Collectors Tins. Each tin contains two packs of Harry Potter Top Trumps, all based around the movie franchise! Grab the Gryffindor suitcase and receive Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the Prisoner of Azkaban Top Trumps, or players can heave the Hufflepuff suitcase onto the Hogwarts Express and receive the Order of the Phoenix and the Half-Blood Prince Top Trumps. Fans can also snatch up Slytherin and have the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 packs to add to their collection! Discover if the infamous Voldemort or the respected Professor Dumbledore has the highest magic rating, or if Ron Weasley or Draco Malfoy is the most cunning! The portable and stylish suitcase tins means there is no limit on gameplay.

JULY 2017 What's New.indd 2

30/06/2017 13:09

FEATURE

ARTS, CRAFTS & MESSY PLAY

Getting to the ‘art of it What’s not to love about arts, crafts and messy play toys? The category is a favourite in households up and down the country, and retailers are quite keen too! TnP gets to grips with the key products out there...

ake a moment to consider what makes a toy, a toy. Is play value front and centre of your mind? It should be. And we would argue, quite confidently, that toys and games under the arts, crafts and messy play umbrella pack a punch when it comes to play value. A big, colourful, creative punch! Arts, crafts and messy play is a real favourite when it comes to retail and suppliers are reporting a healthy start to the year.

“

The indications show it’s looking positive for the year ahead Simon Pilkington, John Adams

John Adams

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“We have enjoyed a good start to 2017,” says John Adams’s MD Simon Pilkington. “Our heritage brands such as Blopens continue to perform well year on year, and our new eZee Beads introductions are taking market share from our nearest competitors.” Another company celebrating growth is Mookie, with Marketing Manager Gemma Lewington telling us the company is seeing “continual growth” in arts and crafts. “We are showing a strong uplift in sales and brand success over the past two to three years,” Gemma tells TnP, adding that it has become a “key category” for Mookie. “Our new product development is enhancing our strength in this area,” she adds. “Our biggest success in this category is the 3D Maker and we are focusing our own development on even more exciting new play patterns for 2018 and 2019.” An all-time favourite with consumers is Aquabeads from Epoch making toys, and Marketing Manager Yuki Otsuka points out that, along with Sylvanian Families, it is a pillar of the company, adding they have seen growth in the brand throughout the years. “It’s one of those steady, dependable categories which performs solidly for us throughout the year,” says Tobar’s CEO David

Mordecai. “Even in the height of summer, the UK tends to see a few rainy days which send people looking for activities to do indoors.”

Bang on trend Given that it is such a popular category, it’s one that attracts lots of innovation from manufacturers meaning arts, crafts and messy play products is a healthy mix of classic, favourite play patterns and more inventive products too. “The arts and crafts category continues to evolve based on trends in the marketplace, and we’re constantly talking to our consumers and leveraging propriety consumer insights to stay ahead of emerging trends,” says Craig Wilkins, Marketing Director for Hasbro UK & Ireland. “We’re always looking for new ways to inspire creativity and imagination, while encouraging kids to become curious thinkers and confident explorers. For instance, we launched Play-Doh Touch, an immersive app that brings sculpted Play-Doh creations to life.” In fact, Play-Doh has had quite the time of it recently, 2016 was the brand fifth year of growth and NPD Group named it the number one property in arts and crafts in US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Mexico, Canada.

Did you know… Play-Doh marked its fifth straight year of growth in 2016, and Hasbro’s largest ever year for the brand.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 15:15

We asked… How do you shout about your ranges to consumers? Jumbo Games

Fact! Epoch has rebranded Aquabeads with gender-neutral packaging

From John Adams’ point of view, Simon tells us the category can be trend-led but, he says, there are core play patterns that continue to work year on year. “We find it better to focus on key areas such as colouring, food craft and beads that have a better brand We are longevity and product showing a strong lifecycle,” he says. uplift in sales and Gemma is on the same page, explaining: “When we brand success look at the top preforming over the past two brands we see a really wide range of trends and play to three years patterns in arts and crafts. Gemma Lewington, Children are looking for Mookie fun, trendy, achievementbased toys, while parents are looking for a longer play time and skill development.” Tobar’s David points out that for them, arts, crafts and messy play is “more about classic lines rather than trends. We have a number of popular products such as Make Your Own Friendship Bracelets and Make Your Own Bouncy Balls which have been best sellers for us over many years.” When asked if they felt the category is holding steady, our suppliers were all positive.

“

“Overall the arts and crafts category appears steady… the indications show it’s looking positive for the year ahead,” Simon tells us. Encouragingly, Gemma reveals that arts, crafts and messy play is a growing category for Mookie, and one the company is looking forward to exploring. “We have lots of new and exciting brands launching in AW 2017 and SS 2018. Our product development teams see great potential in this category and we are keen to be market leaders.”

So, what’s new? But what retailers really want to know from suppliers is what’s new? Well, as always, Hasbro has a lot up its sleeve with Play-Doh, as Craig tells us: “In 2017, we’re launching the Play-Doh Shape & Learn line, activity sets for kids ages two years and older that spark the creative thinking process and encourages the development of key foundational skills all while having fun!” And retailers certainly won’t be disappointed in Mookie, with Gemma revealing: “We are dedicated to the category and our growth in this area. For SS18 we have two new brands launching to strengthen Mookie’s growth in the segment.”

“This summer, we’ve taken Play-Doh directly to the consumers with the PlayDoh Imagination Tour visiting cities across the country. The tour is an interactive event giving families the opportunity to experience creative play as well as trying out Play-Doh Touch.” Craig Wilkins, Marketing Director, Hasbro UK & Ireland

“We put full marketing campaigns behind each of our key products and ranges, including a mix of TV and digital advertising, product sampling, PR activity, social media and influencer outreach, to drive awareness and build excitement.” Simon Pilkington, John Adams

“Mookie has large launch campaigns in place for all the new AW17 products including Spray Art, Plush Craft and Fluffables. This will be supported with PR and influencer activity which we find are key aspects of the campaign especially with arts and crafts lines.” Gemma Lewington, Mookie

“Aquabeads is one of the most popular and loved brands by children in the UK! Our fan base is growing every day, with our social media followers going up by triple digit growth.” Yuki Otsuka, Epoch making toys

“We really do put a lot of effort into marketing support for our trade customers. We love to hear from our customers when they’re looking for help to promote our products and we’re happy to offer ideas and get involved” David Mordecai, Tobar

JULY 2017 Feature Arts & Crafts.indd 2

Learning Resources

30/06/2017 15:15

FEATURE

ARTS, CRAFTS & MESSY PLAY

Get crafty MOOKIE TOYS 01525 722722 www.mookie.co.uk Mookie’s 3D Maker has been one of its top brands for the past two years. The launch of 3D Freestyler in 2016 saw the brand expand further. The 3D Freestyler works as a refillable pen with built in UV lights. As children squeeze the trigger to begin drawing, the UV lights automatically switch on to set the 3D gel in mid air, creating 3D designs right in front of their eyes. For 2017 Mookie has kept the brand fresh with new expansion packs and accessories with an extensive marketing campaign. Fluffables are the cute new arts and crafts collectables from Mookie. Children can create their own super soft animal by attaching colourful fluff and accessories to the mould. Each Fluffable can be personalised using collectable accessories. The range will be supported in AW with a full marketing campaign including TV and social activity. Fluffimals launched at the start of 2016 allowing children to design and create their very own cuddly character at home. Fluffimals has performed

extremely well since launch, and this is most evident from the success of the expansion packs as children extend their collection. For 2017 the range grew with a selection of new expansion packs and an updated starter pack. Fluffimals has responded extremely well to TV advertising and has been receiving a heavyweight TV campaign throughout 2017 targeting key school holidays. PlushCraft products are easy and fun for children to get creative with. Children just need to push the fabric pieces into the sections on the pillow with the stylus tool - no sewing required. This mess-free craft kit will allow young children to create lovely colourful friends. Spray Art is the only fully portable spray pen, allowing children to have hours of fun creating masterpieces on T-shirts, canvas bags, stickers, cards and more. Each pack includes stencils to design and make hundreds of different creations. The Spray Art Spray Pen is really easy to use and includes the spray art magic colour changing felt tips.

Sculpted to perfection LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819 380 www.learningresources.co.uk Playfoam is the squishysquashy sculpting material that’s perfect for messfree, creative fun. It is non-toxic and never dries out, so designs can be can be shaped and sculpted over and over again and stored ready for the next creative adventure. There’s no preparation with Playfoam and, thanks to its non-stick formula, no cleaning-up. Designed for ages three and above, Playfoam is available in a variety of themes and pack sizes at pocket money prices. Two new Shape & Learn sets support children practising letter and number formation, each including eight coloured bricks and 13 double-sided activity cards. Playfoam Go! Set provides on-the-go shaping fun, with eight colours stored in a study carry case. Parents say: “My three year old absolutely loves it!” And, “It doesn’t stick to anything!” Testers at the Good Toy Guide said: “It was a huge hit with our testers and brilliant for skill development too.”

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Stitch up! WILTON BRADLEY 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com Wilton Bradley has brought the Great British Sewing Bee to life for a generation of crafty kids. There are two fully working sewing machines to choose from, the GBSB Sewing Station and the GBSB Sewing Studio. Both have foot pedal control, safety guard, and come with an assortment of accessories.

Easel does it CASDON 01253 608428 www.casdon.co.uk Bringing traditional arts and crafts into the home is Casdon’s Wooden Easel. The traditional Wooden Easel houses a chalkboard surface on one side and a wipe-clean magnetic surface on the other for no-mess drawing. Children can use chalk or hang paper for colourful drawings.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 15:15

No.1 mechanical design property*

12m+

Little Puppy Aquadoodle Starting little ones creative play journey!

NEW

Call the sales department on 01392 281 928 or email ukcustomerservices@tomy.com

THIS AW17

*Source: NPD 2016 EpoS Value sales

TnP-Aquadoodle-240x315.indd 1 Tomy.indd 1

12/05/2017 16/06/2017 10:43 14:36

FEATURE

ARTS, CRAFTS & MESSY PLAY

Mini artistes MELISSA & DOUG 0800 731 0578 www.melissaanddoug.com

Cook up a storm HASBRO

Easy-to-use art supplies and simplified, confidence-building craft kits make it a cinch for kids to express themselves, no matter their skill level. Melissa & Doug offers a wide array of art supplies, including the Deluxe Double-Sided Tabletop Easel. The space-saving product features sturdy wooden construction, 30 magnets, chalk sticks, dry–erase marker, felt eraser, and paper roll. With the company’s detailed wooden stamp sets, children will find it easy to express their creative sides as they make scenes, stories, and cards. The Decorate-Your-Own line gives kids a way to add their unique personal touches to crafts in various themes.

Sprinkles of fun JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com

www.johnadams.co.uk

This year’s Play-Doh range creatively fuses traditional Play-Doh modelling and the latest digital innovation across the Kitchen Creations and Shape & Learn segments, as well as the innovative Play-Doh Touch Shape To Life Studio. Play-Doh Kitchen Creations enables children to squish and mould their Play-Doh compound into all sorts of imaginative creations, so playing chef is even more fun. Children can pretend to be junior chefs as they create pretend Play-Doh dishes with the PlayDoh Kitchen Creations Sizzlin’ Stovetop, which makes real sizzling sounds as they pretend to cook. Another fantastic item in the range is Noodle Makin’ Mania, for creating silly Play-Doh noodles and make-believe pasta masterpieces. Out of the kitchen and into the classroom, parents can encourage their kids with the Play-Doh Shape & Learn sets designed to inspire hands-on creative learning. Each set focuses on encouraging key foundational skills with fun guided activities suitable for children of two years up. The Colours and Shapes set encourages shape and colour identification, matching and sorting. The Numbers and Counting allows kids to practice counting and encourages number identification, the Letters and Language set inspires kids to explore reading and writing, and the Textures and Tools set reinforces sensory-motor skills Turning creation into innovation, the Play-Doh Touch Shape To Life Studio transforms Play-Doh creations to life in the virtual world, bringing physical and digital play together. After sculpting a Play-Doh creation, children can scan this into the app and see their artistry come to life. To showcase the fabulous range of Play-Doh playsets, Hasbro has organised a truly immersive experience, visiting cities across the country this summer on the Play-Doh Imagination Tour.

John Adams Leisure will be expanding its creative play portfolio in 2017 with over 20 new and refreshed product lines. Chocolate Sprinkle Stix leads the company’s growing food craft collection and enables kids to make their own delicious, bite-sized treats! Pixelo is a new way to create colourful artwork. Kids simply draw, doodle and dot with the Pixelo pen! For budding artists Glowpad creates glowing pictures and messages to show off to friends. Spiralite is another new introduction which lets kids create stunning spiral designs that illuminate in front of their eyes. The eZee Beads collection allows children to create colourful models using water and beads. This year sees the expansion of the range with a licensed PAW Patrol set ,as well as In the Jungle, 3D Mini Scenes and Little Friends themed sets. FuzzyFelt will also include a licensed PAW Patrol set. The company’s My Little Pony arts and craft range has expanded for 2017. New additions include My Little Pony Jelly Stickers and the My Little Pony Blopens Creative Case. This will sit alongside two new Blopens classic introductions – Blopens Spray Magic, which features unique colourchanging duo pens and the Blopens Glitter Studio, for glittery, airbrushed pictures.

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27/06/2017 09:29

FEATURE

ARTS, CRAFTS & MESSY PLAY

Fun in the sun

TOBAR

01603 397 105 www.tobar.co.uk A favourite from the past, Tobar is bringing the much-loved Sunprint Paper back for 2017. Sunprint Paper is a simple form of photographic paper which is great fun and can be used to make stunning sun art. Place any object on top of the photosensitive paper and leave in the sun for 10 minutes. The object will block the sun, while the paper around the object will change colour. Reveal the beautiful piece of sun art by removing the object and voila - the results are fantastic! Tobar also has a range of fun arts and craft items with Scentos. The Scentos Activity Box Set contains pens and pencils to get creative juices flowing, while the Scented Dough is a must-have for budding sculptors! The rest of the range includes Funny Face Markers, a Bubble Wand and a Rainbow Pen, sure to keep young artistes occupied for hours on end.

Water way to create

World of wonder!

01392 281928 www.tomy.com

01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

For 2017 Aquadoodle will continue its sales momentum with the introduction of exciting new top licensed mats. Aquadoodle has also extended the core range down to 12 months-plus with the introduction of the Little Puppy mat to capture the 1st Birthday market. Simply fill the Little Puppy Stamper with tap water, stamp on the magic mat and see paw prints and designs appear. This easy-grip puppy helps encourage first mark-making by stamping and gliding across the mat. Once the water has dried, drawings fade away, ready to start all over again. Little Puppy features illustrations around the mat, ideal for inspiring little ones. The Super Colour Deluxe, which introduced new colour technology to the existing range, continues to brighten up playtime. Simply fill the Aquadoodle pen with ordinary tap water, run the nib over the magic mat and see the neon colour appear. Included in the set is a special paintbrush that lets children make broader neon strokes, as well as three fun stampers. The 75 x 95 cm mat folds up for easy storage and for fun on the go there’s a no-spill water container that can be topped up before leaving home.

Kids can explore the magic of colour without the mess with Crayola Color Wonder! Color Wonder markers developed by Crayola scientists have ink that only appears on special paper and won’t colour skin, furniture or fabric. Building on the success of PAW Patrol, Disney Princess, Shopkins and Trolls in SS17, the licensed Color Wonder line expands for AW17 with new licences, including My Little Pony, Despicable Me 3 and The Incredibles. The Color Wonder Light Up Stamper brings mess-free magic to stamping this AW. The ink is clear on most surfaces, but each stamper shows up a different colour on Color Wonder paper.

VIVID IMAGINATIONS

TOMY

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Pulling the strings PAUL LAMOND GAMES 020 7254 0100 www.paul–lamond.com Retailers will be spoilt for choice with the innovative art and craft range from Paul Lamond Games. Paul Lamond’s successful make and play Crafty Kids Puppet range features six fantastic puppets including a Ballerina, Fairy Princess, Horse, Knight, Dinosaur and a Pirate. Each set contains everything required for youngsters to create their own colourful puppet and play companion, including paints, brushes and glue. The craft range also includes Brain Noodles, licensed 3D Paint By Number Sets, and pre-school craft sets fetauring CBeebies’ Boj.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 15:17

840

Ideal price point!

TV & Digital Advertising in Back To School

AVAILABLE NOW!

IN CINEMAS JULY 14TH!

3D Lightning McQueen Set 3D Cruz Ramirez Set

NEW!

Cars 3 Character set

Cars 3 Playset

©Disney/Pixar

For more information, contact us at sales @ epochmakingtoys.com © EPOCH

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07/06/2017 17:52

FEATURE

ARTS, CRAFTS & MESSY PLAY

Looking cute CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

Spinner winner ARTSTRAWS 01792 796151 www.artstraws.com Artstraws has got arts, crafts and messy play covered under its Creation Station brand. A Messy Play Smock, Kids Glue and paint filled Smart Brushes are displayed on their five-sided spinner stand with another 60 lines of art and craft materials and kits. Giant Chalks, Four Non-spill Paint Pots, Glitter Shaker Jars and Air-drying Clays are for shelf display. The Creation Station spinner display stand presents more than £1,000 at retail on a footprint of just 2.5sq metres. The stand comes free of charge with an illustrated plan-o-gram to display more than 60 facings of kits and materials with good margins and retail prices. Top-up orders of just £100 are delivered carriage paid. Wiggle Eyes, Pom Poms, Pipe Cleaners and Feathers are very consumable so parents are constantly being sent back for more and almost always pick up additional lines. In many independents the display has become the focus of their arts and crafts range.

Defying gravity! GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com Paint-Sation is the world’s only stackable, gravitydefying paint pod range, which enables children to paint mess free anytime and anywhere! Available in a range of vibrant colours, the revolutionary Paint-Sation range provides the perfect washable, no-spill creative play solution for children aged three plus. Using unique gravity-defying technology, the compact and stackable paint pods are proven not to drip, even when held upside down. The wider range will also include a Table Top Easel, Mini Rollers, Finger Nibs with glitter paint and a portable On the Go carry case.

6 JUNE 2017

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Cutie Stix is the all-in-one activity which has girls creating bracelets, necklaces and more from patterned rubber shapes. The Cut and Create station can be used to cut, core and create 24 unique patterned Stix. A Refill Stix assortment is also available, and the On the Go assortments allow children to be creative everywhere. Oonies are the inflatable mini balloons that magically stick together. Kids can make a variety of fun characters, create cool games and challenges, throw them or even just pop them. The creative fun continues with Orbeez, with the new Crush n Create Studio. Girls can use Orbeez to create cupcakes, butterflies, hearts and so much more. Another favourite play pattern in the portfolio is Beados. Kids can create Beados Shopkins friends with just a spray of water!

Quick on the draw CLEMENTONI 020 3206 1101 www.clementoni.com

Clementoni’s Drawing Boards are a fantastic collection of magnetic and enhanced drawing boards where children can draw and let their imagination run wild. Hot on key license trends, the Clementoni range includes Magnetic Drawing Boards from Trolls, Num Noms, Disney Princess, Frozen, Finding Dory and The Secret Life of Pets, with new launches for 2017 including the highly anticipated summer release of Cars 3. All suitable for ages four-plus, the boards are a great way for kids to have messfree drawing fun! Also new for 2017 is the Star Wars Drawing Board – a backlit console shaped to look like the legendary Millennium Falcon spaceship. The set comes complete with stickers, paper, markers and a glow in the dark tempera paint for children to create their own drawings and recreate characters and starlit scenes.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 15:17

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FEATURE

ARTS, CRAFTS & MESSY PLAY

Get crafty! DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk

DKL Marketing has a brilliant variety of arts and crafts ranges. Hama offer a range of different sets to suit all ages of creative play, including Maxi Stick, designed for ages three and above, and Hama mini, designed for ages 10 and above. Scentco Scented Stationery is going from strength to strength. From pencils to notepads, there is a great array of fun products all at brilliant price points. Fashion Angels is quickly growing in popularity this year. Highlights include the amazing Head Cases, for creating eye-catching 3D wall decors, and the fabulous Tapeffiti. PlayMais is a box full of creativity, children simply stick together with water the natural maize products to create colourful kingdoms, animals or whatever their imagination fancies!

Fuzzy feeling

INTERPLAY UK 01628 488944 www.interplayuk.com Fuzzikins Craft is a unique and innovative concept that has been designed and developed in-house by Interplay. Fuzzikins are adorable flocked creatures to colour and personalise and each kit includes extra accessories to extend the play. There are currently four products in the range, including Dozy Dogs, Cozy Cats, and Cottontail Cottage, The brand new addition to the range is a Campervan, which doubles as a carry case.It has a surf board, table, seats, a steering wheel and even a fold-down bed so they can sleep when they get tired! Four further products will extend the range in 2018.

One in a Minion

Hungry for more RAINBOW DESIGNS 01329 227300 www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Fantastic new craft products from The World of Eric Carle featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar are now available from Rainbow Designs. The innovative craft activity sets have been designed to encourage little ones to get creative as well as help develop and refine their fine motor skills. The new craft collection features a range of Super Dough Model Kits so youngsters can make and collect characters from Eric Carleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous tales including the Brown Bear, the Elephant, the Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Suitable for ages three and over, the reusable Super Dough requires no baking as it hardens in the air. In addition to the Super Dough Kits are craft sets available to create a Very Hungry Caterpillar Wooden Door Hanger and the Sew-n-Stuff Caterpillar set. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Colour and Construct 3D Characters set and The Foam Character Design Kits complete the collection. Fun new lines including The Very Hungry Caterpillar Colour & Collage Kit and a Make Your Own Pillow Set and Super Dough Showtime Dome are set to join the range this autumn.

EPOCH MAKING TOYS 08435 574062 www.aquabeadsart.com/uk

Epoch making toys has exciting new licensed products available in its Aquabeads range ahead of the anticipated Despicable Me 3 film, due to launch 30 June in the UK. Aimed at crafty, creative kids between the ages of four and 10, there are three varieties of Aquabeads: Solid Beads, Jewel Beads and Polygon Beads. The colourful beads are perfect for those who want creative fun without the mess of glue. Simple and easy to use, simply arrange the beads into a pattern on the specially designed layout tray, spray with water and they dry in seconds. Aquabeads are a great activity for a younger child and parent to do together, or for slightly older children to make on their own. The Despicable Me: Minion Made Minions Playset and Character Set are brilliant for Minion lovers and Aquabeads fans. The Playset comes with over 700 beads in 10 colours, a working station, bead peeler, multiple templates and a spray. The templates, featuring the popular yellow characters Stuart, Kevin and Bob, can be used repeatedly.

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FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS, MESSY PLAY

Best of the bunch SPIN MASTER 01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com

Green fingers WEST DESIGN 01303 297 888 www.westdesignproducts.co.uk From the makers of Creativity for Kids, West Design has introduced Grow. Whether they live in a flat or are stuck inside because of a rainy day, Grow garden crafts will engage the imagination of young minds all year round. Best seller, the Grow Fairy Garden, offers a magical world for kids to care for and learn about nature and nurture, with or without a garden. The product can not only be purchased as a single item, but also as part of a fantastic FSDU package containing a total of 10 different Grow kits (total 58 kits), including the Grow Light – perfect for a little indoor sunshine!

Mind over Mattr MARBEL 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk Marbel’s Carioca and MadMattr brands offer hours of creative play for children throughout the UK. New from Carioca in 2017 is the Carioca Baby range, which offers a variety of markers, crayons, pens and finger paints for kids. Carioca has designed this range to fit even the smallest fingers, while ensuring all colours are created from food dyes and are safe. For older children is MadMattr, the super soft and mouldable space age dough. The unique, non-toxic formula is available in six vibrant colours - green, teal, red, pink, purple and blue.

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Spin Master’s Bunchems continue to be hugely popular with kids of all ages, and the new Bunchems BunchBot is set to inspire more kids to try their hand at making endless creations. Bunchems are colourful little balls that stick to each other and build like no other. This cute machine makes it easy to create again and again and squeezes the Bunchems together for kids, who can follow one of the pattern templates included with the BunchBot or create their own. Fill the design tray with Bunchems, press down and watch as the bunched-together shape pops out of the top of the machine, layer by layer! Kids unfold their creation once it comes out the top, bring it to life with accessories and watch as their amazing 3D creation is revealed. BunchBot comes complete with 300 Bunchems and a guide book to get kids started.

Glow with the flow TRENDS UK 01295 768078 01353 724140 (Independents, Wind Designs) www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK is introducing two new colour collections to the popular Paint Sticks range from Little Brian in 2017: Metallic and Day Glow. Perfect for creating masterpieces with no mess.

Piece of art JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu Jumbo Games’ Puzzle & Colour is the entertaining format that allows children to piece together a brightly coloured and detailed picture of their favourite licensed character, before flipping it over to reveal the image in black and white. Licenses include Disney Cars 3, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder and Disney’s Minnie’s Happy Helpers. New to Jumbo’s Creative Educational range is the new Dessineo ‘Learn to Draw’, which launches this July.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 15:18

Cool to create

Add some flair GP FLAIR

ALEX BRANDS

020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

0208 878 2133 www.alexbrands.com Alex Toys Craft Cool Crocheting Kit has everything kids need to make three awesome projects. Kids can keep the light out of your eyes when they crochet a cute panda eye mask, keep your head warm on with a trendy three-colour hat, or protect their mobile phone from scratches with an adorable bunny phone case. The kit includes more than 160m of yarn in four colours, crochet hook, plastic needle, needle threader, embroidery needles, embroidery floss, 10 faux leather shapes and instruction booklet. It’s ideal for children eight and older. Alex Toys Craft kits cultivate creativity, foster fun and encourage enterprise! Kids can hone their crafting skills while making jewellery, toys and fashion accessories that they can cherish, give as gifts or even sell. Dough, beads, yarn, stickers, markers and even duct tape – all the arts and crafts supplies needed to construct keepsakes everyone will love come in every M5870 UK TnP Playfoam .5pg AD2_HI.pdf 1 set. 6/21/17 9:19

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The new IDO3D 3D Print Shop promises to open up a new world of creative possibility with its innovative function. The unique machine lets children create 3D models or clone any small item in incredible detail. Kids can create items using the pre-made moulds or replicate their favourite objects by creating their own moulds using the revolutionary Formula 4D blocks included! The Mr Frosty Choc Ice Maker has everything to make choc ices at home. The set comes with four 3D Mr Frosty snowman moulds, two 3D penguin moulds, ski pole choc ice sticks and an igloo mixing and drying station. Not to be missed is the new Mr Frosty ice lolly factory, Fruity Hoops, which lets families make multi-fruit ice pops Another great foodie line from GP Flair is Shaker Baker With the My Little Pony Movie release coming in October, retailers won’t want to miss the new My Little Pony Shaker Maker. Girls can make and paint amazing detailed statuettes of their favourite My Little Pony characters. Also available will be the Cool Cardz Design Studio. My Little Pony Cool Cardz Design Studio will be making its debut this AW17. And not forgetting the must-have Pop Art, Chocolate Bar Maker and Spirograph lines! AM

30/06/2017 15:18

Spotlight on BRUDER When it comes to emergencies, the MB Sprinter Ambulance from Bruder is the fastest toy around. Launching this August, the ambulance also comes with an add-on figure set for extra play value

ight l d e t a r Integ odule m d n u o and s rent e f f i d r u with fo ctions fun

The paramedic is d perfectly equippe for medical emergencies

Ambulance is just like the real thing!

ble A height-adjusta sport o tran stretcher helps t afely every patient s

Contact Bruder Tel: 01491 412415 (The Sales Partnership) Web: www.bruder.de

Spotlight Bruder.indd 1

Removable roof module allows kids to access to the treatment area easily

Fully movable ďŹ gures enhance the value of this special vehicle

30/06/2017 13:10

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16/06/2017 09:09:03 16/06/2017 09:33

INTERVIEW

Nikko Air-Race Vision™ 220 FPV Pro

TOY STATE

In control A new partnership with Disney, working with some of the best and most innovative licensing partners in the world, and running a global company — 2017 started well, and is looking even brighter for Toy State. TnP caught up with President Andy Friess to get the company low down Andy – thanks for taking the time to speak with us. You are just back from Licensing Expo in Vegas – how did that go? As always, the Las Vegas Licensing Expo was fantastic. In addition to a very productive round of meetings with existing partners, many great new opportunities were discussed, as well.

How would you sum up the mood in the licensing industry at the moment? There is always lots of excitement in the licensing industry. This year’s Expo in Las Vegas was testament to that! The movie studios have full slates of excellent new films and entertainment planned for many years to come, and there are plenty of interesting new properties on the horizon, as well. As a company that partners with the best licenses in the world,

“

Basic retailer expectations do not really differ between the UK and US because all modern professional retailers expect us to provide the best service, products and support possible throughout the year, regardless of where the account is located

”

including Hot Wheels, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Barbie, DC Comics, and many more, Toy State is thrilled with the innovative product we’re developing that’s inspired by these leading global brands. We can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store! Road Rippers-5” Rush & Rescue® Fire

Did you know... Toy State is the official licensing partner of the Drone Racing League. Learn more about this exciting partnership and the UK product launch on page 16 Talk to us about your UK and European operations in particular, how is business faring on this side of the Atlantic? I’m pleased to say that in both the UK and Europe we continue to grow our market share. This can be seen through our product presence and sell-through in both mass market retailers and toy specialists.

Do UK retailers demand different attention to those in the US?

Nikko™ Air-Air Elite 115 Race Set

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Basic retailer expectations do not really differ between the UK and US because

all modern professional retailers expect us to provide the best service, products and support possible throughout the year, regardless of where the account is located. Of course, there can be differences in local priorities, but as has been said many times, the UK is closest to the US of all the European markets.

Toy State is a very dynamic company so what new things can we expect in the coming months? Yes, there is always something new and exciting coming from us at Toy State! You can certainly expect to see range extensions in our flagship vehicle brands, Road Ripper and Nikko. We are also developing many licensed brand extensions for the strong licenses we

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 18:07

Truly marvel-ous Toy State has just announced an exciting new collaboration with Disney. The company will bring its special type of toy talents to new lights & sounds and RC products, all emblazoned with the magic of Marvel. Andy tells us more… We understand you’ve just joined forces with Disney on a range of Marvel products — how exciting! How did this come about? Toy State has newly joined forces with The Walt Disney Company, one of the most prominent entertainment companies in the world, to develop products under their Marvel property. The deal adds another notable licensing partner to Toy State’s fast-growing roster, which also includes global consumer products standouts such as Caterpillar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hot Wheels, DC Comics and Barbie. It’s tremendously exciting. Through very productive introductory conversations beginning at BLE in 2015, and fantastic work by Toy State’s marketing and design teams, we were able to agree to terms for lights & sound and radio control categories, for their blockbuster Marvel brand. What sort of products can fans look forward to and when will they hit shelves? Toy State’s core product categories of focus are, as you know, with lights & sound and radio control vehicles. Through harnessing the innovation, creativity, and overall impressive skills of our design, marketing and development teams, we have put the Toy State-spin on “This is a huge the characters and superheroes found within deal for Toy State, the highly-successful and we are very Marvel movie franchise to showcase what we pleased with the feel are the best Marvel products that we licensed vehicles ever have developed produced. Product will be hitting the shelves in under the Marvel September.

brand, so far, with much more excitement to come!”

And what about agerange — who are these products aimed at and why? Our target consumer for the lights & sound products are children generally between the ages of two and six, while our Marvel radio control vehicles can reach as young as six to upwards of eight to 10 years of age, depending on the complexity of the product. We’re pleased to offer a broad range that will give many children within the mainstream fan base the opportunity to enjoy our products featuring their favorite Marvel characters! Toy State is used to top-class collaborations, but what’s it like partnering with a powerhouse like Disney? For decades, they have consistently produced some of the best entertainment content and developed characters and movie franchises that are desired by children around the world. We are thrilled to be working with the Marvel brand and see this as the start of a wonderful long-term partnership!

JULY 2017 Focus on Toystate.indd 2

Marvel - Web Wheelie RC™

“

The movie studios have full slates of excellent new films and entertainment planned for many years to come, and there are plenty of interesting new properties on the horizon, as well

feature, including DRL, Marvel, Hot Wheels, Cat, DC, DC Super Friends, TMNT and Barbie.

Of the many brands Toy State works with, what are your top selling brands and licenses at the moment? As we celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2017, Road Rippers continues to be Toy State’s leading brand in the UK market, closely followed by Nikko, Marvel, Hot Wheels, and Caterpillar. We are very fortunate to offer such excellent products and brands, and we look forward to continuing to build on the success and support we receive from retail buyers.

And what about your top three selling products? With such an exciting range of products distributed within Toy State’s leading brand portfolio, it’s tough to pick just three! However, we feel particularly excited about the new Nikko Air/DRL racing drones, Nikko VelociTrax, and Marvel Spider-Man Web Wheelie R/C this year. All suported with heavyweight TV and marketing.

What sort of role does marketing and retail support play for Toy State? As with any toy company, marketing efforts and retail support are enormously important

”

Fact!

After preliminary talks at BLE 2015, Toy State and Disney have struck a deal, with exciting new products due to launch at retail this September to the success of Toy State. These elements must work closely together to not only drive awareness of our brands and products but also to support in-store programs for our valued retail partners. Toy State is committed to providing the best retail support possible to ensure success for all.

Finally, how would you sum up 2017 thus far? This has been the most exciting year in Toy State history. We’ve launched a tremendous amount of new and innovative products across all of our brands, while also entering the rapidly developing racing drone category through our new licensing partnership with DRL. Our retail partners have received the range exceedingly well, and we’re looking for this momentum to put us in an even stronger position as we head towards 2018.

Hot WheelsVampyra™

30/06/2017 18:07

FEATURE

SUPERHEROES

Super stars! Superheroes have an impact on every toy category, and with good reason: they sell! TnP takes a closer look at this evergreen theme...

GP Flair

“

uperheroes seen strong sells from our all new superheroes in the spotlight. are a mighty Guardians of the Galaxy range with Recent big screen hits like DC’s For us, force across Baby Groot and Rocket being the Wonder Woman and Marvel’s the licensing two hero characters of our plush Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 superheroes are industry, perhaps nowhere line-up.” continue to dominate the box an evergreen more so than in toys. Lauren says that Posh Paws’ office. Meanwhile, on the small Lauren Shipman, From puzzles to role-play, sales data for the hugely popular screen, PJ Masks, Power Rangers Posh Paws outdoor to collectables and Marvel Avengers range makes it a and Miraculous bring the same everything in-between, no no-brainer for any retailer looking themes and action to kids toy category is complete to bring licensed superhero play everyday, and offer bitesize chunks without some superhero magic. The variety of characters, colours and superpowers means every child has Batman is the stand out superhero in MV Sports’ their favourite caped crusader wheeled toy range, thanks in part to his iconic and they’re always looking for new ways to interact with them. status and breadth of quality content For Lauren Shipman, Group Brand Manager at Posh Paws, to their offering. “It’s that data superheroes is a truly evergreen of the action to younger kids. that makes it easy to keep its theme. “For us, superheroes are For MV Sports’ Sales and space at retail from season an evergreen, with characters Marketing Director, Phil Ratcliffe, to season,” she says. such as Spider-Man and Iron Man that content is imperative in being a mainstay for young boys,” such a competitive market. “It is Box office boost she says. “Our classic Marvel important that a superhero license Needless to say, a Avengers character range is has a full arsenal of content and consistent stream evergreen and continues to deliver touch points, all firing at the same of quality content MV Sports exceptionally strong sales at retail. time: blockbuster movie with an plays a huge role in keeping But in addition, this year we have on-going slate, TV series, strong

Did you know…

Revell

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master toy line, and broad and inclusive retailer initiatives.” He points to the success of MV’s Batman lines as a great example of “wealth, quality and breadth of content,” all of which contribute greatly to sales. “Power Rangers has performed above expectations while Star Wars, Avengers and Transformers will always secure retail space,” he revealed.

Aspirational characters But why do kids love superheroes so much? “Characters like DC Super Heroes are aspirational and empowering,” Julian Moon, Senior Vice President, Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA told TnP ealrier this year. “WBCP brings fans the world’s most iconic Super Heroes and animated characters within WBCP’s powerhouse portfolio. Such offering presents such rich potential in terms of the right license paired up with our world-class partners, and supported with impactful licensed product programmes.”

JULY 2017 Feature Superheroes.indd 2

“

It is important that a superhero license has a full arsenal of content and touch points, all firing at the same time

So what should retailers be keeping an eye on in the near future? “There’s such a buzz around Spider-Man: Homecoming which will translate into retail sales,” says Kirsty MacKenzie, Marketing Manager, GP Flair. “Our new Swing and Sling Spider-Man is a really exciting offering; it’s feature plush with a really fun interactive element to engage fans of the license. Spiderman is a popular choice all year round so with the added uplift of

the movie, retailers can definitely expect a big impact in-store!” And Posh Paws’ Lauren, agrees: “Not only is Spider-Man one of the most loved characters for young boys,” she says. “But with heavyweight marketing campaigns from both Sony and Marvel I am sure we will be seeing the web-slinging hero everywhere we go this summer.”

Phil Ratcliffe, MV Sports

Toy State

30/06/2017 15:27

FEATURE

SUPERHEROES

Power play BANDAI

0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk

In full swing GP FLAIR (JUST PLAY) 020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk The Spider-Man: Homecoming film is set to be the superhero movie of the summer and Flair’s new Swing & Sling Spider-Man makes the ideal offering for fans of the license. The Swing & Sling Spider-Man is a 15” feature plush that mimics the superhero’s signature web-shooting motion. When kids press the on switch, Spider-Man awakes into action and lifts his arms to prepare to swing. Then when children hold him up by his web, Spider-Man swings his legs and performs roly-polys, handstands and more — all on his own!

Packing a punch GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com Designed to appeal to younger DC fans, Golden Bear’s new DC Super Friends range enables budding superheroes to create their own super adventures at home. Heading up the range is the Interactive Power Punch Batman, which features fullyposeable arms and oversized fists, one of which makes punching noises on impact. Complete with cape, mask and utility belt, children can press Batman’s chest to hear his signature phrases and watch as his eyes light up as he speaks!

Bandai has created a full range of toys based on the hit TV show Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. These include 26cm Miraculous Fashion Dolls of Marinette, Adrien, Ladybug and Cat Noir, which have multiple points of articulation and come wearing their signature looks. New key characters such as Chloe and Antibug are rolling out as the series continues. The role-play set includes Marinette’s reversible purse and her kwami Tikki, plus gloves, mask and her signature earrings. The TV-advertised Miraculous Compact Caller can call up to nine key characters with lights and sounds. Hear three to four different phrases from the chosen character and they can also call back at any moment! The all-new Power Rangers Ninja Steel TV series launches on Pop this September. The Rangers must master their arsenal of Throwing Stars, Zords and Megazords, each made of legendary Ninja Steel. The new toy range is available now and covers a range of action figures, role-play toys and Megazords, including the incredible Lion Fire Fortress — the biggest Megazord playset of all time at over 50cm tall. It comes with over 20 accessories and battle features, including awesome lights and sounds. Kids can even combine with the Deluxe Ninja Steel Megazord. The 12.5cm Action Figures asst brings all-new poseable Rangers and Villains. Also available are the collectable Ninja Power Stars and Launchers, which unlock features in the role-play items, including the TV-advertised Deluxe Ninja Steel Morpher. Finally, kids can be just like a real Power Ranger with the TV-advertised Deluxe Ninja Steel Blade. The Power Rangers Movie releases on DVD later this month on 24 July.

Bat’s perfect WEST DESIGN 01303 297888 www.westdesignproducts.co.uk The LEGO Batman Movie DVD and Blu-ray release is approaching faster than the Bat-Wing chasing down the Joker, and West Design is proud to bring to the world the Caped Crusader and more in the LEGO Batman Movie Stationery range. Perfect for any superhero or LEGO fan, this new collection offers a huge variety of products from luggage tags of favourite characters to LEGO-friendly graphite pencils and Bat-tastic hardback journals – the perfect place for secrets thanks to the invisible ink pen! With superheroes and super villains one of the biggest trends taking over the world, this new range is already flying off the shelves! Retailers can receive 50 per cent off when buying two or more references.

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FEATURE

SUPERHEROES

Puzzle fun RAVENSBURGER 01869 363800 www.ravensburger.com

Marvel-ous fun! WINNING MOVES 020 7298 9515 www.winningmoves.co.uk

Ravensburger’s range of character puzzles and games is ideal for young children to interact with their favourite on-screen heroes. The new PJ Masks range includes three jigsaw puzzles and three fun family games that are sure to entertain young superhero fans. New for this season is a range of puzzles and games featuring the super villain Gru and his Minions from the latest blockbuster film Despicable Me 3, as well as Marvel’s Spider-Man and the adventurous Power Rangers.

Superheroes and super gamers unite in the special edition of Marvel Avengers Top Trumps Match - the Crazy Cube Game. Fans can join forces with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and more of their favourite Avengers and be the first to match five heroes or villains in a row. But watch out, the game is not over yet. Players can take the win away from their opponent using the special Top Trumps card. With TV support in 2016 and a customer rating of 4.6 on Amazon, Marvel Avengers Top Trumps Match is the exciting new strategy game with a snap-close pack, making it perfect for travel.

Party time! AMSCAN INTERNATIONAL

Kart blanche HAUCK 07770 608858 www.hauck-toys.com Hauck’s thrilling range of superhero go-karts and trikes feature awesome styling and the hottest character licenses. Every ride-on is engineered for years of healthy action-packed fun. For fans of Batman is the exciting Batmobile, go-karts and a big-wheel trike. Transformers devotees will love both of the new Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime go-karts and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Hurricane and Superman go-karts always excite.

Fine figures SCHLEICH

01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk

01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk

Superheroes are a favourite party theme choice, and leading partyware supplier Amscan has an action-packed collection of top licensed superhero properties to create a fantastic setting. The latest superhero trio to join Amscan’s licensed collection are the characters from hot property PJ Masks with a variety of foil balloons. The designs feature key characters Catboy, Owlette and Gekko within a coordinated blue, red and green colour scheme, across five different balloon formats: Mini Shape balloon on a stick, standard foil, SuperShape, Orbz and impressive AirWalker. Also not to be missed is Amscan’s extensive DC Super Hero Girls ensemble, featuring a great party offering including tableware, decorations, favours and foil balloons. This July sees the release of Marvel’s new Spider-Man Homecoming movie, and Spidey fans can celebrate with Amscan’s Spider-Man themed party range, containing more than 30 coordinating items such as party decorations, games, favours and foil balloons. Also later this year the highly anticipated Justice League film featuring the likes of Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern and co. Amscan has a super party ensemble with matching foil balloons.

Schleich always delivers when it comes to realistic superhero figurines and new launches in its DC Comics collection promise to bring the thrill of the cinema home for fans and collectors. With the upcoming feature-length Justice League film release in November, Schleich is unveiling four brand new superhero figurines for collectors. Batman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg join the range in September with details so realistic they could have walked straight off the film set! Added to these, fans are continuing to covet the new Wonder Woman figurine which launched in May and the popular Hawkman, Shazam! and Catwoman from March. The DC Comics collection is supported by a full marketing and PR campaign for 2017.

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Batman 14” Bike

Batman Deluxe Go Kart

Batmobile 6v Ride-On

BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WB SHIELD: TM & © WBEI. (s17)

Mobilise Your Batman Returns TNP JUN AD 2017 - Batman.indd 1

24/05/2017 11:01:00

FEATURE

SUPERHEROES

Ride to the rescue MV SPORTS 0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk Kids can be a hero with MV Sports’ range of wheeled toys and accessories, suitable for any junior crimefighter. The PJ Masks range features Catboy, Geko and Owlette designs across a 12” bike, tri-scooter and helmet. Products are flying into retailers, so stay poised for further exciting development in SS18. For mini super-heroines there’s no better crew than The Powerpuff Girls, with bold and colourful designs swooping into selections later on this year. Everyone’s favourite caped crusader continues to fly high with the new and upgraded 6V Batmobile, allowing budding superheroes to feel just like Batman in this mean machine! The core, iconic wheeled collection continues to expand with a selection of scooters, bikes and ride-ons, as well as MV’s super cool 3D Batman safety helmet. With Justice League products due for release later this year,

Batman, The Flash, Cyborg, Superman and Aquaman will all be making an appearance in this hit movie range. The latest Transformers range includes bikes, trikes, skateboards and scooters, alongside two new battery-operated replicas of Bumblebee’s Camaro and Optimus Primes’s truck. Similarly, the Power Rangers wheeled range has performed exceptionally well following the movie earlier this year. MV’s striking Avengers range will see an eye-catching re-design for 2018. The superhero film season really kicks off in SS18 with the new Avengers: Infinity War movie, where the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy team up in a sensational blockbuster that boasts an equally amazing movie-style guide — watch this space.

In good hands FIESTA CRAFTS 020 8804 0563 www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

Collect them all! VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Collect, swap and pencil top with the latest classroom craze, Ooshies! Ooshies are squishy mini figures of fan-favourite licensed characters that also double up as pencil toppers. Fans can collect all their favourite heroes and villains and look out for the rare and limited edition Ooshies, including golden, sparkle, furry and glow in the dark finishes! Licenses for SS17 include Marvel, DC Comics, WWE and TMNT, with Cars 3 available now. New waves will be coming through for AW17, along with new licenses from DreamWorks and Pixar.

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Fiesta Crafts has two beautiful hero toys – a Boy Hero and a Girl Hero Finger Puppet. These adorable finger puppets include lots of little details such as embroidery, bright fun materials and arms and legs that can be animated, making them engaging and entertaining to all children. Designed using a mixture of both wood and tactile fabrics, and perfectly sized for little fingers, these puppets encourage creative thinking, role play and interactivity and bring imagination to life!

Costume capers PRETEND TO BEE 0115 921 5690 www.pretendtobee.com Pretend to Bee has a range featuring one of the UK’s most iconic group of superheroes. The Thunderbirds Are Go! range features costumes of everyone’s favourites Scott, Alan and Virgil Tracy. Each features a fully-printed all-inone suit with Velcro back fastening, and comes with a detachable printed satin sash. All three costumes include a sound chip which children can press to hear the famous ‘five…four…three’ blast off sequence. What’s more, each costume is machine washable and can be worn time and again. Sizes range from three to 10 years. For more open-ended role-play, the superhero reversible costume combos come in a range of four colourways including red/ blue, yellow/black, green/black and pink/silver. The satin capes also come with a cool eye mask and children can become any of their favourite superheroes or even create their own.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 15:29

PRNS TNP advert JUNE 2017.indd 1 Bandai.indd 1

28/06/2017 10:23 11:53

FEATURE

SUPERHEROES

In the bag

Taking control

SAMBRO 0845 873 9380 www.sambro.co.uk

TOY STATE 020 8440 5060 www.toystate.com

Kids can enjoy the thrill of action at high speed with the new Marvel Web Wheelie™ RC. Spider-Man shows off his impressive moves such as popping a wheelie, 360-degree stunt spins and even lighting up the rear wheels while driving. Kids’ Spidey senses will be tingling all over! The new Hero Rider™ brings two different motorised vehicles with realistic sounds and famous superhero poses. It includes Spider-Man on the roof of a van with his web extended over the windshield to stop the bad guys, and the mighty Hulk poised on top of a tank prepared for action. Get ready to rumble! Kids can tear up the trails with their favourite Marvel hero in the Rumble To The Rescue™ trio of all-terrain vehicles. Spider-Man, Captain America and Rocket Raccoon all star in this action-packed range. Each features motorised drive with rumbling action, plus music and realistic sound effects. Kids can race their friends with the fantastic Marvel Hero Power Wrist R/C vehicles. Rotate your wrist to turn left or right, and press the buttons for full-function forward or reverse driving. Fans can choose from three heroes: Spider-Man, Iron Man or Hulk.

Nobody does superheroes quite like Sambro. The Disney Marvel Avengers collection continues to expand with newly-designed backpacks featuring Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. Bags include lenticular, EVA and even plush designs, plus filled backpacks crammed full of everything a child needs for back to school. Other superhero ranges include the ever-popular LEGO Batman and Spider-Man collections, plus DC Super Hero Girls, which continues to grow in popularity.

Flight of fancy CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com One of the most popular superhero franchises of the year is DC Super Hero Girls, and Character Options’ new licensed offering promise to fly heads above the rest! The Flying Heroes range of airborne superhero figures has a proven play pattern, and with this new range there are four new awe-inspiring characters for kids to collect. Wonder Woman, Superwoman, Batgirl and Harley Quinn can reach heights of over 3.5 metres — children simply have to pull the cord to make the characters spin faster, fly higher and hover longer. DC Super Hero Girls also make an appearance in the latest Fash’ems collection.

Super soft! POSH PAWS 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk With two major Marvel movies scheduled for release in 2017, Posh Paws is bringing a whole world of superheroes to life with its range of high quality plush toys and accessories. Unveiled throughout the year to coincide with Spider-Man: Homecoming in July and Thor Ragnorak in October, Posh Paws has 8”, 10” and 20” plush toy versions of everyone’s favourite Marvel superheroes, including Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. Plus there’s also a whole range of Iron Man and Spider-Man accessories, such as plush backpacks and phone pouches. Posh Paws’ Marvel Tsum Tsum mini collection, which is out now, features Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Black Widow, with even more characters set to be released throughout the year.

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30/06/2017 15:29

MEDIA

OPINION

Dynamic duo Adam West played the TV Batman

Action for Children’s Arts (ACA) award the Children’s ave you ever wondered what Lauren Laureate to a practitioner whose work the ACA believes Child and William West Anderson have will endure. The Children’s Laureate as a writer of children’s in common? Well, they both made a books promotes and encourages children’s interest in books, career reaching out to children and they reading and writing. both made the news in the same week of June. Having mentioned Quentin Blake, the list of Laureate is of Last month on 12 June in Hull, the UK City of the highest order. Jacqueline Wilson, best known for Tracy Culture, Lauren Child attended her coronation as the Beaker, has sold over 38 million books worldwide together Children’s Laureate. There begins the start of a twowith her hugely talented illustrator Nick Sharatt. year tenure as the champion of children and reading. Author Chris Riddle, is the current out going Laureate Four days prior to Lauren Child’s investiture William having celebrated his outstanding achievements to children’s West Anderson, better known as Adam West in the literature in the past two years. The original creations of 1966 ABC America series Batman, passed away these authors and their fellow writers have on 9 June. provided creative opportunities to this Lauren Child is the fourth industry for product development and illustrator to be awarded the They have both role of Children’s Laureate — made a career of reaching licensed properties for many categories over many years. the most recognised, of course, out to children and they Meanwhile at the other end of the being Quintin Blake. both made the news in literature scale Adam West’s comic Adam West had to follow approach to the DC Comic Batman two previous actors before the same week of June character and stories made him unpopular his incarnation as Batman with the DC purist followers. launched on the small screen However, the style of camp entertainment in January 1966. He may not developed with his sidekick Robin, endured for over 120 have had a face for television, hidden by the mask, episodes from 1966-68, gaining popularity and ultimately but he certainly had the gift of a powerful voice. selling Batman and Robin products, not forgetting DC Before embarking on an acting career, West had Comics. been drafted into the US army and became an Nine years later West returned to the small screen as the announcer for the US Armed Forces Network. unmistakable voice of Batman in the animated TV series The On leaving the US army William Dozier, producer New Adventures of Batman. His standing in popular culture of Batman, spotted West as Captain Quick in a never left him and since the 90s he played the Mayor of commercial for Nestle Quick, or Nesquick Quahog in Family Guy, who was in fact named Adam West. as we know it today. West was offered After Adam West’s death, David Walliams tweeted: “Thank an audition, and landed the part, pow! you Adam West for being the funniest superhero of all time As a bestselling author-illustrator as Batman.” Creativity cannot be measured by the meter, for her children’s books Lauren Adam West being Batman brought those DC Comic strips to Childs traces her creativity back life on screen. to her childhood, learning and Lauren Child has gone on to sell millions of books observing from her art teacher in more than 30 countries and has diversified into father. She enrolled on a television, working as writer and associate producer course in mixed media at the on three 26-episodes of Charlie and Lola, which City and Guilds of London won four Bafta Pre-school TV awards in 2007 and Art School. 2008. After years of rejections, The creative industries contribute more than Lauren had two books £80bn a year to the UK economy, artists, filmpublished within weeks of makers product designers and product inventors each other. The first called I and, of course, illustrator authors all the more apply Want a Pet followed by Clarice their talents to a creative product that means Bean That’s Me, which won the so much to children. Nestle Smarties book prize in Children’s Laureate Lauren Child For Lauren Child it started with A-Level 1999. The Nestle connection with Art. For Adam West it started with Pow! the talented duo is uncanny.

“

What have Lauren Child and Adam West got in common? Let Clive Crouch enlighten you…

”

Clive Crouch www.clivecrouch.com, info@clivecrouch.com, mobile: 07831 670453

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30/06/2017 17:30

S R O D A S S A B AM

e d i R e l y t s n i

Dad Simon loves his wheels, so it’s no surprise his little girl Beau takes after him! She was more than taken with Toy State’s Nikko RC Barbie Convertible, as Simon tells us… Beau is a Barbie kinda gal and I’m a dad who just loves motors. So you can imagine my delight when TnP asked me — erm, sorry Beau — to test Toy State’s Nikko RC Barbie Convertible. This is a really sweet little product that satisfied my boyish need for speed and Beau’s absolute delight in anything Barbie. Mind you, she’s not adverse to a bit of motoring action herself so once

she got over the excitement of this being a Barbie car, she really loved the fact that it was an RC toy with some real oomph. First and foremost, Beau’s Barbie dolls had to be given the royal treatment with a spin around the kitchen. You can fit two dolls into the car at once, but given that Beau has numerous, this took a bit of time. However, it gave her ample opportunity to practice driving

Cutting edge Like all five-year-olds, Latimer is a huge Power Rangers fan and is loving his new Power Rangers Movie Red Ranger Sword from Bandai. Dad Kevin was pleasantly surprised… All my boys are Power Rangers crazy, but as the oldest brother, Latimer has taken up his rightful place as the leader of them all, the Red Ranger. Of course, no Red Ranger is complete without his weapon, so as a special treat I bought him the Power Rangers Movie Red Ranger Sword from Bandai. I headed to our local independent toy shop to pick this one up — but was told it was so popular they had just sold out and were waiting on new stock coming in the next day. Of course, Latimer couldn’t wait, so we nabbed one from our local Smyths. At around 30 quid it’s excellent value — big, bright, and packed full of details fans of the show will notice immediately. For starters, it’s a big piece of kit — more than half as tall as Latimer himself! That certainly gives it the wow factor, and all the boys’ faces instantly lit up when we got it home and out of the box. They were doubly impressed when we then switched it on and

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it pulsed with blue neon lights, ringing out with futuristic sounds. The sword is fantastic for role-play, and far from whacking each other with it, Latimer has magnanimously been handing it to his younger brothers to take turns as they battle aliens in the living room, and the kitchen, and the bedroom — in fact they want to take it everywhere with them. He says that a real Power Ranger would share their swords to beat the baddies, so it’s good to see that as well as plenty of punching and kicking, the show has a good message of friendship and sharing. I’d definitely recommend this toy to anyone with Power Rangers fans in their life. Even kids who aren’t particularly into it will find a lot to like here. I can see plenty more Power Rangers in my immediate future!

It’s excellent value — big, bright, and packed full of details fans of the show will notice immediately

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 13:04

First and foremost, Beau’s Barbie dolls had to be given the royal treatment with a spin around the kitchen

What Toy State says… "Simple function RC convertible that fits any Barbie doll! Includes a detailed interior and realistic steering wheel controller."

and reversing the car with the steering wheel hand controller that is supplied. From a parent’s point of view, I even enjoyed taking Barbie and her pals for a spin! What surprised me most was the size of the car, it’s quite substantial. You do get value for money with this RC, which I appreciated. The only thing is that you do need batteries for both the car and steering wheel – so just remember that. But that small point aside, Beau loved it and I did too!

What Argos customers say... My niece loved it "My niece really loved it. Good quality.” Leah’s Mummy Very good “Well worth it and very substantial, my niece was delighted!” Amanda

Colour me beautiful Heather is mum to 4-year-old Teddy, who recently ran into a bit of a trouble with his bunk bed, hence the cast! To help him overcome his injury, Teddy had some playtime with Tomy’s Super Colour Deluxe Aquadoodle Neon – and it was just the medicine he needed! Teddy is a typical four-year-old, always getting himself into some bit of mischief! So, when he unexpectedly had a sick day from school after a run in with a bunk bed, I had to think on my feet. Step forward Tomy’s Super Colour Deluxe Aquadoodle Neon. Teddy is not one to play on his own, he much prefers to be in the thick of it with his brother Harry and sister Daisy, so I worried it was going to be a struggle to entertain him for the entire day. Luckily, Aquadoodle came to the rescue. Teddy is familiar with the product because we had one some time ago, but it hadn’t lost its appeal for him, or me! In one way, it’s the perfect toy because

JULY 2017 TnP Ambassadors.indd 2

it’s totally mess-free but gives hours of entertainment and the colours really pop with this neon version. Teddy was quite capable of figuring out how the Aquadoodle works himself, which I was pleased about. He busied himself arranging the mat and getting the water, so he felt quite grown up. In terms of what you need to get going, there’s not much at all! All you have to do is fill the pen with water and get creative on the mat. The designs fade away as the water dries so there was really no mess at all. Best of all, when little sister Daisy came home they happily played together with the Aquadoodle — result!

What Smyths Toys customers say… "Really worth it. Got it straight out of the box. Frankly he just loves making wet hand prints! Would recommend.” Vix85

30/06/2017 13:05

INTERVIEW SKIP HOP

Brand builders In June 2016, Skip Hop opened its UK office with UK Country Manager Jon Tilley at the helm. Fast forward one year and it is fair to say Skip Hop has firmly established itself as a go-to brand for mums and mums-to-be. TnP caught up with Jon to find out more... Jon, it’s been a year since Skip Hop opened its UK office. Tell us how that has been? Skip Hop started out as four very excited employees in a small office in Bedfordshire. With enthusiasm, hard work and determination, we worked tirelessly to establish initial relationships with retailers and the trade press to get the ball rolling and expand Skip Hop’s

“

We are now a year into the Skip Hop UK journey and I think it’s safe to say that it has been a huge success

”

distribution in the UK. We made a lot of big changes when we took over from our previous distributor. We have increased the product range dramatically, undergone marketing initiatives to help increase brand awareness and have also increased our social media presence. We are now a year into the Skip Hop UK journey and I think it’s safe to say that it has been a huge success. The reception from retailers has been fantastic and we are now a team of seven — and still growing! It is our priority to ensure that consumers have access to our products through a wide range of national and independent retailers, both online and in-store.

Skip Hop’s products have really made an impact at retail — mums and mums-to-be seem to love them — why do you think

Fact! Skip Hop has expanded its Zoo range to just over 170 individual lines

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your products are resonating so strongly with consumers? Wow, thank you! Skip Hop products resonate with consumers as they fit in perfectly with their lifestyle. We know that our target consumer has a busy lifestyle, so because of this we’ve created products that make parenting life that little bit easier! As a brand we aim to make that initial connection with consumers during the pre-birth stage. By doing this we can maintain brand loyalty as baby moves through stages of development and grow with the ever-changing needs of the millennial family.

It is never easy establishing a new brand in a market — so how has the Skip Hop team found the process? We have had a great time. Skip Hop is such an exciting brand to be involved with and there has always been a big appetite from retailers and consumers. So, in a way, we had a good head start. I have been fortunate to recruit a great

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 12:38

team of people who have made the success possible. Our New York head office has been amazingly supportive.

You’ve got a really diverse range of products from bath time to toys — so, what is selling well for you in the UK over all of the categories you cover?

Did you know… Bath toys and accessories are a growth area for Skip Hop

At the moment, our bath accessories and toys are a growth category for us. We have launched several new lines into this range throughout the previous year and have had great support from big retailers who have helped to elevate and grow this category. Our Zoo range is also a steady performer for us and we have recently expanded this range to just over 170 individual lines! We aim to launch new Zoo characters every May — this year we launched Ferguson Fox and Dax Dalmatian.

Let’s talk specifically about your toy offering. How has that been received? It’s refreshing to have an array of products that are different to what’s currently in the market. We have witnessed our toy ranges grow tremendously with existing retailers and there are plans to launch some exciting programmes with new retailers this AW —watch this space!

What is your best-selling toy in the UK? We are lucky that all our ranges sell well, however if I had to pick one product range in particular it would be our baby gyms. At Skip Hop we take the standard baby gym and redesign it to be more innovative and more aesthetically attractive. Each of our gyms has a range of toys to support it too!

Talk to us about your retail base. Is it mainly indies or department stores? At Skip Hop we have a large variety of different retailers, ranging from department stores through to independent nursery retailers. At the moment, growing our independent retailer base is extremely important to us and is an area where we see huge potential throughout the coming year. To support this potential growth we have expanded the team and regularly communicate and visit our independent retailers in-store.

How are you growing your retail

base? Trade shows were a big initiative for Skip Hop UK in 2017. We attended London Toy Fair, Spring Fair, Harrogate Nursery Fair and will be at Kind Und Jugend later this year and Nuremberg Toy Fair in Skip early 2018. As we launch over Hop is such an 120 new products every year, exciting brand it’s extremely important for us to be involved to attend these trade shows to in and there has show retailers our new launches. always been Alongside trade shows, we also regularly work with key retailers a big appetite on exclusive launches and from retailers bespoke marketing initiatives.

“

What about consumers — how are you communicating your message to them?

and consumers, so in a way we had a good head start

We communicate to our consumers through various ways. One of which is being at consumer shows such as The Baby Show. Attending these consumer shows allows us to talk directly to consumers and, in a way, conduct our own first-hand marketing research on our products. By attending these shows we get the Skip Hop brand in the mind of consumers during that pre-birth stage,

JON SAYS… “Skip Hop products resonate with consumers as they fit in perfectly with their lifestyle. We know that our target consumer has a busy lifestyle, so because of this we’ve created products that make parenting life that little bit easier!”

JULY 2017 Focus on Skip Hop.indd 2

”

which is exactly where we want to establish that initial brand connection! We also work closely with our PR agency Azaria who have obtained some great coverage for us over the past 12 months. Instagram and Facebook are also great platforms for us to keep consumers informed about upcoming launches and general Skip Hop news!

Is there anything new and exciting coming out of the Skip Hop stable which retailers should be aware of? We have some great new developments coming later in the year in our nursery gear category. Last year we launched our Baby’s View 3-Stage Activity centre and we hope to expand this category even further. We are also launching a selection of toy ranges to accompany and match some of our existing baby gyms. Our Zoo toddler essentials category is always growing and as previously mentioned we have recently introduced Ferguson Fox and Dax Dalmatian to the Zoo crew! We also have an exciting winter programme coming later in the year — keep your eyes peeled for that!

We asked… If a retailer isn’t stocking Skip Hop just yet but they are toying with the idea, so to speak — what would you say to them? If retailers wish to stock Skip Hop, all they need to do is pick up the phone and give us a call! We can advise on what products we feel would work best for specific retailers and which categories we feel would excel both in-store and online! Additionally, we offer an array of in-store display options and online web assets to help launch Skip Hop products with retailers.

30/06/2017 12:38

FEATURE

WOODEN TOYS Jumbo

Crafted to perfection As they have always done, wooden toys continue to make an impact at retail. TnP takes a look at what is making this beloved sector thrive

umbo Games’ Managing Director Stewart Middleton makes an interesting point about wooden toys and children: “Just because the toys are wooden, doesn’t factor with a child’s appeal,” he points out. “It’s all about the play, how engaged they are and making sure that they are entertained – like with any puzzle and game.” He’s right, of course, kids like toys — all sorts of toys — as long as they entertain. But there is something incredibly appealing about a wooden toy! “They have a softer, warmer feel and are more durable,” adds Stewart. “This allows younger children to explore their imaginations and creativity further.” This creativity is something Le Toy Van’s Marketing and Product Development Manager, Marie Bureau picks up on, telling TnP: “Children

“

It’s all about the play, how engaged they are and making sure that they are entertained Stewart Middleton, Jumbo Games

love to get creative… Wooden toys provide the tools for imaginative play, leaving children free to make up their own stories.”

finding sales throughout on our recently rebranded and relaunched range of A.B.Gee wooden and traditional toys has almost doubled in the last four to six months YoY.”

Strong start Both Jumbo and Le Toy Van are reporting positive starts to 2017 for the category. Stewart tells us that Jumbo has seen “good growth with specialist retailers year on year”. Marie tells us: “The sector seems to maintain its growth despite the economic situation. At Le Toy Van, Q1 and Q2 have been strong – always a good sign. New items for 2017 have been very well received at Toy Fair and soon translated into orders as the stock reached the UK.” The wooden toy category is certainly of interest to A.B.Gee of Ripley. The company recently relaunched a new-look range of products. In fact, Sales Manager Adrian Holmes tells TnP: “We are

Did you know… A.B.Gee of Ripley recently rebranded and relaunched its wooden and traditional toys Synonymous with quality As A.B.Gee celebrates its new-look product launch, we asked Adrian what the company’s most popular wooden toy is. He tells us: “To be quite honest we have quite a few stars within our 2017 offerings. The activity range has been highly successful. Musical items and instruments along with building blocks, threading toys and railways are ever popula. Ultimately, we’d like to think our diversity of product, great price and quality of finish for said price is the major contributors to our growing successes.” The question was a hard one for Marie, who points out the company has “very strong sellers in every collection. But if I had to pick one I would pick our Doctor’s Set.”

Mattel

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toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:33

Premium Quality Wooden & Plush Toys & Games

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Ex Exclusive Exc xclusive xc clu usive siv ive ve Own Brand Ranges

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Beautifully Crafted Wooden Plush Comprehensive Ranges

And

A .B.Gee of Ripley Ltd, Asher Lane Business Park, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3SW. Tel: 01773 570444 www.abgee.co.uk Email: sales@abgee.co.uk 20/06/2017 15:37

FEATURE

WOODEN TOYS

Looking good! A.B.GEE OF RIPLEY 01773 570444 www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee of Ripley has recently rebranded and relaunched its comprehensive range of wooden and traditional toys. The quality and bright new packaging is sure to stand out in any shop or retail display. The wooden and plush range brings together A.B.Gee’s core values in play and best quality for the best pricing. Sales have almost doubled in the past six months YoY, with new lines including the Activity range, featuring cubes, bead mazes and stacking toys. The multi-activity Space Rocket has been a popular line too. New for Q3 is a fantastic rocking Unicorn, which is sure to be popular in the run up to Christmas! With more than 40 years’ experience, A.B.Gee offers a superb range of retail focused products, backed up by excellent customer service and really low carriage paid charges. The comapny is perfectly placed for the independent or larger retailer alike.

Retail therapy LE TOY VAN 020 8979 2036 www.letoyvan.com Le Toy Van’s Honeybake Shopping Trolley had a successful launch at the toy fairs and great sell-through since stock reached the UK. This stylish wooden shopping trolley has two internal compartments and a fabric storage level underneath. Special features include a detachable, high quality fabric shopping bag and a mini chalkboard. An addition to the Le Toy Van Honeybake role-play collection, this shopping trolley is great fun and helps children developing their social and speech skills through play.

Classic favourites GIBSONS

Roll up

020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

DKL MARKETING

Gibsons’ range of wooden games consists of timeless classics which have been played worldwide for generations, yet are still some of the most popular games in circulation today. Combining strategy with skill, classic wooden games can often be as educational as they are fun to play. Shut the Box is a game of luck and skill where players must roll dice and gradually close the number tiles and can clear them all to shut the box and win. There are nine products in the range for all the family, from Solitaire for solo-play, to Chinese Chequers which can be enjoyed by up to six players.

Scratch Toys offers fun wooden toys in design-led packaging, made to the highest quality at a very competitive price. Look out for the beautifully designed and packaged Circus Truck. Children can develop their spatial awareness by putting the circus animals in the wagon shape sorter. A unique touch is the seal, which has a magnet on the bottom and can ride along on the roof while children pull the circus wagon!

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01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk

King of the castle BIGJIGS TOYS 01303 250400 trade.bigjigstoys.co.uk Bigjigs Rail’s award winning Medieval Train Set has 46 play pieces, including an engine and two carriages, wooden figures, trees, Knights’ flags, and more! Kids can transport the treasure around the wooden track to the castle, and train up the Knights ready for battle as the King and Queen look on. The possibilities are endless with the Bigjigs Rail Medieval Train Set.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:33

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27/06/2017 09:07

FEATURE

WOODEN TOYS

Roots in wood MELISSA & DOUG 0800 731 0578 www.melissaanddoug.com

Introducing Mokuru PETERKIN 0116 254 3645 www.peterkin.co.uk Mokuru is the latest craze from Japan, and is distributed in the UK and Ireland exclusively by Peterkin. This handheld wooden toy was originally designed to test an individual’s balance and focus, and now the simple design is testing the dexterity of fast-fingered flippers everywhere. Crafted out of beech wood into an eye-catching, cool design, players can flip, tip and spin Mokuru - or more than one at a time. Designer Masakazu Node worked hard to create the perfect size, shape and materials for Mokuru. Already a big hit in many markets around the world, including Japan and Hong Kong, beginners can simply tip over the toy, let it flip and catch it with their fingers or flip it to draw a triangle or square. Small enough to fit in a pocket or a purse, Mokuru is the go anywhere toy for all ages: a new game for kids to play in the playground, and for big kids to play in the bar, at a desk, or against others in competition. Players can refine their techniques until they become a Mokuru master. More than just a toy Mokuru uses the focus, physicality and imagination of players for endless fun!

For nearly 30 years, Melissa & Doug has been synonymous with quality wooden toys. The company got its start making wooden puzzles and over the years has branched out to other play categories. Its baby and developmental lines feature an array of wooden toys. Beautiful and durable, these sturdy wooden toys encourage hands-on exploration and creative play. Bold colours and clicking and clacking sounds stimulate the senses. Whether it’s the Chomp & Clack Alligator Push Toy or a classic such as the Shape Sorting Cube or Rainbow Stacker, the quality design and construction make these toys welcome additions to any playroom. In the pretend play category, the Chef’s Kitchen, which comes in both charcoal and pink, is a beautifully designed wooden play space where kids can stir up their imaginations. Children can add to the pretend play with a wide assortment of wooden play food and appliances, including the Cookie Set for slicing and decorating 12 wooden cookies, and the Brew & Serve Coffee Set, which lets little ones take orders on a reusable menu card.

Pre-school favourites MATTEL 01628 500000 www.mattel.com Mattel’s wooden toy ranges continue to expand in 2017, with new products from Thomas & Friends and FisherPrice Bing. Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway includes Tidmouth Sheds, which features a working turntable that can hold up to five wooden engines. Meanwhile, Cranky the Crane keeps everything moving at Brendam Docks with his working magnetic crane arm. Children can escape to the Island of Sodor with the Coal Hopper Figure 8 Set. An exciting launch for AW is the cute new Fisher-Price Bing wooden range, including Bing’s Lunchbox with Bing’s carroty sandwich from the show. The Balancing Seesaw teaches kids about different weights, with adorable collectable Wooden Figure Packs.

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Walk the walk MARBEL 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk Whether it’s with the VW Beetle Walker or VW Campervan Walker, little ones can cruise along in style with these adorable additions from Hape. Perfect for the most adventurous of toddlers, this super stylish wooden walker will help little ones take those first steps into the big wide world. With an ingenious 2 in 1 design it’s ideal for learning the basics of push and pull, as it can act as a walker or pram. Children can also learn the importance of balance and motor skills. Each walker uses a sturdy wooden construction and features non-skid rubber wheels with an adjustable hand rail so the walker can grow along with little ones. Available in blue or red, kids aged 10 months plus can enjoy both indoor and outdoor use.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:33

Celebrating over 75 years of producing high quality toys!

CONTACT YOUR JUMBO SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION Jumbo Games &DUWHUV 5RZ +DWÂ¿HOG 3DUN +DWÂ¿HOG 8. $/ 1%

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FEATURE

WOODEN TOYS

Boys in blue RAVENSBURGER 01869 363 800

www.ravensburger.com

Power slide LITTLE TIKES 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk Little Tikes has a beautiful Woodland Play range sourced from FSC forests, which promote responsible woodland management. Ensuring there is something for everyone, the Little Tikes Woodland Play range varies in price and spaces, from swings sets to sand and picnic tables. The Buckingham Climb ‘n Slide is an all-in-one garden activity play centre designed to keep little ones entertained. The activity tower playhouse comes packed with features, including three different types of swings, a slide, a climbing wall and a sandpit. Suitable for children from three years, it provides play for up to seven children.

Children can enjoy hours of roleplay fun with the new Police-themed playset and accessories from BRIO, combining high-quality FSC Certified wood and strong durable plastic. New for this season are six exciting Police themed toys. The Police Transport Set includes wooden railway track which is compatible with all other BRIO World sets, a train and a wagon transporting gold, a railway crossing, a policeman, a thief and a magnetic crane to lift the heavy gold from the wagon. Kids can continue the fun by adding the Police Station with light and sound. Plus there’s the Police Boat and Police Van to transport more policemen, and Police Helicopter on stand-by to transport the load of gold.

Camp out MYWEETEEPEE 01963 548140 www.myweeteepee.co.uk Myweetepee embraces all the values of traditional wooden toy play with their range of high quality, beautiful teepee bundles. New for 2017 is the new Scandinavian inspired take on the traditional teepee – the Chevron collection. In a simple two-colour design, the Chevron designs offer a great piece of décor to nurseries and for smaller children and include the key Myweeteepee features of a play house window and functional blind for the ultimate in imaginative play. Available in three colourways: Black, Grey and Lemon.

Quality play JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu Goula is the trustworthy, high quality traditional toys brand from Jumbo Games. Goula encompasses fun and engaging play, through fundamental learning skills, to help children alongside each stage of a their early development. With over 170 wooden puzzles, construction and ability toys and educational games in the range, Jumbo has every first step in learning covered. The Goula wooden range includes puzzles, like the new, brightly coloured Butterfly and Rabbit Peg Puzzles, as well as the playfully creative Magnetic Character and Animal Puzzles. They start for children aged 12-plus months and are designed to develop fundamental motor skills, and early learning. The larger puzzles, such as the Extra-Large Jungle Animals Puzzles are aimed at children aged two to three plus 4

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and stimulate children’s imaginations through discovery and exploration. Construction and Ability Toys help to develop manual skills and coordination in young children, using eyecatching and engaging constructions to build and play with. Wooden construction toys such as the Goula Geometric Shape Sorting Farm encourage children to explore and express their creativity, balancing and stacking skills. Other key products in this category include the Stacking Forest Cubes, the Tiki Musical 3in1 toy, and the new Pull-Along Caterpillar toy. The Goula My First Games range combines all of the fundamental aspects of fun and education and have been specially designed to be easy enough for children starting from two years plus to enjoy, while learning new skills.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 17:34

TRADE

Trade talk This month, Team TnP catches up with some of the industry’s finest to discover their thoughts on the halfway point of the year, what retailers are loving and more

OPINION TnP loves to hear your views. This month we speak to key wholesalers and suppliers to learn what’s on their minds. We explore the hottest topics

RICHARD WELLS JOE RUSHWORTH Sales Manager, Marbel How is the second half of 2017 shaping up for you? Everything is starting to take shape for the second half of the year with all major brands adding new product to build on the positive start we've had. What product or range are you really excited about getting out to retailers later this year? I'm really excited to send retailers our new six Musical lines in the Hape range to add to some of the bestselling other musical lines we stock. Also in the Hape range we have totally revamped our toddler puzzle collection with over 35 new and exciting lines for the back end of the year. What’s the most important thing for maintaining a good relationship with retailers? Communication: on products, offers and what is going on in the trade.

Managing Director, Paul Lamond Games How is the second half of 2017 shaping up for you? We’ve had a great start to 2017, kicking off with a product launch into a new sector for us with “We have some the Jamie Raven Magic Sets, which have been fantastic new family exceptionally well-received. We are looking and children games forward to the second half of the year, we have hitting the shelves some fantastic new family and children games this summer and some hitting the shelves this summer and some further exciting new further exciting new lines that we will unveil lines that we will unveil at Autumn Fair. at Autumn Fair” What product or range are you really excited about getting out to retailers later this year? Our new lines for the second half of the year have just landed and we’re very excited to be launching the Now That’s What I Call Music board game. We’ve already had a lot of interest in this family music trivia game and it will be good to get this into the marketplace for the Christmas games season. Who Dares Wins, a board game based on the hit TV quiz show, and Silly Spaghetti are two that I'm also looking forward to seeing on shelves this summer.

ROB TRUP Brand and Marketing Manager, Fiesta Crafts How is the second half of 2017 shaping up for you? We are quite optimistic with quite a lot of new business lined up. Our new designs and displays are really having an impact. What product or range are you really excited about getting out to retailers later this year? We have recently started shipping our magnetic “We have recently activity sets which have started shipping our definitely caught the magnetic activity sets imagination of buyers which have definitely and got off to a great caught the imagination of start by winning a buyers” Best New Toy award at Toy Fair. What’s the most important thing when it comes to maintaining a good relationship with retailers? As nice as we think we are, the most important thing is to have well-designed, quality products that sell at a fair price and give retailers a decent margin.

JULY 2017 Trade Talk.indd 1

ALISON DOWNIE Global Licensing & Brand Director, HTI How is the second half of 2017 shaping up for you? The second half of the year is looking extremely positive for HTI. We have some exciting new deals with some of the market’s hottest license brands as well as amazing new product developments across our five key category pillars of roleplay toys, vehicles, dolls prams, wheeled and novelty toys. What product or range are you really excited about getting out to retailers later this year? HTI is well positioned to capitalise on the inevitably strong demand for many of the hotly anticipated movie releases in 2017. We have stunning novelty toys ranges for Transformers and My Little Pony, Despicable Me 3 and Spider-Man. Teamsterz sees the exciting launch of Teamsterz Light & Sound Vehicles. What’s the most important thing for maintaining a good relationship with retailers? Listening and delivering solutions accordingly. Good communication to keep the retailer up to speed at every stage. And additional added value support to help drive sales.

30/06/2017 20:12

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Tel: +44 (0) 1462 446040 23/06/2017 09:28 6/22/2017 4:47:21 PM

Hot shots ! While we normally have pretty good weather for our golf day, temperatures this year soaring into the nineties gave us all plenty to think about with literally gallons of liquid being consumed throughout the day. Malcolm ‘Bubba’ Naish reports back...

he morning Texas Scramble gives those golfers who are not regular club golfers the opportunity to ease their way into the day. Winners this year were Martin Stone, David Carscadden, David Snow and Keith Grafham and included several birdies and an eagle in their winning score of 26.1. My thanks to Stu Nicholas for assisting in the scoring of this event. Having won the morning event, the same team were also winners of the Yellow Ball competition, managing to retain their ball throughout the 18 holes and amassing a points tally of 37. Steve Wells was having a good day, managing to win both the Longest Drive and the Nearest the Pin prizes and our picture shows Steve together with Terry Crew who won the Nearest the Pin in Two on the 18th hole. The afternoon team four-ball prize was won by the team of Steve Wilks, Joan Naish, Simon Prest and Keith Elmer on 120 points. Second was my team comprising Graham Hurrell, Julian Hartfield and Mike Barratt on 114 points. Third were Steve Wells, Dave

JULY 2017 Golf.indd 1

Martin Stone and his team: winners of the morning round and Yellow Ball competition

Stu Nicholas won Best Gross

Dave Howard wa s another winner

Steve Wilks and team won the team four-ball

Howard, Kevin Moore and Dave Martin on 112 points. Clear winner of the 24-28 handicap cup was Drumond Park’s Dave Howard with 37 points, well in front of my score of 29 points and Philip Morris with 28 points. I was sorry to see a reduced number of ladies playing this year, but clear winner was Debbie Wilks with 34 points with Karen Giles coming in with 30 points. It is always a pleasure to hand out the Best Gross prize — the Mike Arnold trophy — to once again Mr. Stu Nicholas, playing off three and carding a 73. Please come back Harry Isitt to give Stu some competition next year. The individual Stableford competition is always the most keenly fought of the day’s play and this year was no exception with Steve Wilks coming in just ahead of Martin Stone, third with 37 points, Graham Hurrell on 38 points and Steve claiming first prize with a

final tally of 39 points. With so many late changes to the order of play with a number of no-shows, full marks to Vicki Marler-Hausen for managing and having to cope with a little bit of criticism from some of our players as a result of late changes being forced on us. Still, all’s well that ends well and following a sumptuous feast the day was concluded by 9 o’clock, enabling those with a bit of a drive to get away. I will advise the date for next year very shortly, which promises to be a great event celebrating TnP’s 10th year at Goring & Streatley golf course. Bubba Naish Terry Crewe with Steve Wells showing off the glassware

30/06/2017 14:14

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30/06/2017 14:09

FEATURE CARS 3

Lightning strikes Lightning McQueen speeds back onto the big screen this month with the UK release of Cars 3. As fans gear up for the movie’s release a whole range of licensed toys are hitting retail - and expectations are high...

nticipation for Cars 3 is reaching fever pitch as we race towards the movie’s UK release on 14 July. It’s been six years since series hero Lightning McQueen was last seen speeding across the big screen in Disney Pixar’s Cars 2, the sequel to the 2006 original, and in those intervening years the red race car has become a mainstay of the toy industry. Few characters transition from movie license to evergreen staple like Lightning McQueen has. Even outside a movie year, McQueen, Mater and the rest of the Radiator Springs denizens continue to drive sales and footfall at retail, particularly strong in the RC, die-cast and playsets categories. Games and puzzle specialist Jumbo has also enjoyed continued success. Stewart Middleton, Jumbo Games MD, says: “For over 10 years, Disney Cars has been like an evergreen boys property and even though there have only been two movies released, it remains hugely popular with consumers and is a household franchise!” And it’s a similar story for Mattel, a company that has been with the franchise from the very start. “Cars is a fantastic property and has become an evergreen brand since the first movie,” Wendy

“

We’ve launched our strongest ever Cars toy range Mike Stagg, Disney

Simba Smoby

Hill, Brand Activation Director, Mattel UK tells TnP. And with the new movie on the way, Wendy says Mattel is anticipating “an exciting new energy” into the brand. “We have an exciting new range to support the movie including the new Disney Pixar Cars 3 Movie Moves Lightning McQueen car,” she says. “The toy looks exactly like Lightning’s iconic character.”

Pole position Disney will be giving this month’s movie release its full backing, particularly at toy retailers. “To support the launch of Disney Pixar’s Cars 3 this summer, we’ve launched our strongest ever Cars toy range,” reveals Mike Stagg, Disney’s Senior VP and General Manager for Retail, UK and

Fact! Cars 3 hits UK cinemas 14 July Ireland. “The diverse range really stands out on-shelf and will appeal to both existing and new fans. In addition, we have been delighted with the support that both our bricks and mortar and online retail partners have given us and our licensees for Cars 3 shopper marketing activations, which we believe will further drive sales of Cars 3 merchandise.” The movies’ core themes of friendship and competitive spirit have won Cars a broad and passionate fan base. But in the toy arena, it’s the iconic red of McQueen and the racing action that makes it such a natural fit. Mayur Pattni, Head of Marketing and Licensing at Simba Smoby, explains: “Aside from the great character development and heart from Pixar movies, what makes Cars phenomenal is that at

The Hobby Company

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its core it’s all about racing. So we’ve captured that element perfectly.”

Great expectations

“

There’s plenty of buzz Cars is a surrounding the Cars 3 toy lines this year, from fantastic property consumers and retailers, and has become but also from the toy an evergreen manufacturers and suppliers themselves, who brand since the know when they’re onto a first movie winner. So is Cars 3 this summer’s Wendy Hill, Mattel biggest property? It is for Mayur’s money. “Absolutely,” he says. “There are some great movies releasing this

summer, but it’s been a long while since Lightning McQueen’s been on the big screen, which makes the property and product offering feel fresh, new and exciting.” And anticipation is running equally high at Posh Paws, with Lauren Shipman, Brand and Marketing Director telling TnP: “I think Cars 3 will race its way to the top of the box office this summer. We have used all new materials, print techniques and added shiny wheels to give our plush an all new look and feel — but at a great price point. Plus, not only can boys and girls let their imagination race away with them as they play with these toys, they

We asked… What makes Cars 3 a must-have license?

can also take their favourite Cars characters to bed.” The DVD release will give Cars 3 a second wind later this year, says Wendy. “The DVD release is a fantastic time to immerse consumers in the Cars 3 experience,” she says, revealing the company will be supporting its range with a full marketing campaign. So how can retailers make the most of the coming excitement? “They can ensure that they have a strong variety of products” says Stewart. “Making sure they offer a good selection of products from manufacturers and not just sticking to a select few, will ensure that consumers have the best possible choice and it will likely increase multi-buys across the range.”

“Vehicle play is a classic play pattern and along with the collectability that the Mattel range offers it generates great consumer demand” Wendy Hill, Mattel “It’s been six years since the last Cars movie was released and with the reaction to the Cars 3 trailers and anticipation set, this all makes Cars 3 a must-have licensed range in toys stores across the nation” Mayur Pattni, Simba Smoby

VTech

E: sales@hobbyco.net T: 01908605686

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FEATURE CARS 3

Learn with Lightning VTECH 01235 555 545 www.vtech.co.uk

In the groove THE HOBBY COMPANY 01908 605686 www.hobbyco.net Take to the track with Cars 3 and Carrera in two different scales. Carrera is to launch two Cars 3 Slot sets to coincide with the release of the highly anticipated Disney Pixar Cars 3 movie. The Ride the Track Set joins the ever popular Carrera GO!!! Range, featuring highly detailed 1:43 scale versions of Lightning McQueen and his new sidekick Dinoco Cruz Ramirez. The set includes an exciting 5.4 meter track, featuring a high speed banking and tunnel section as well as the popular Carrera GO!!! Power Loop function. The Race Day Set joins the market leading Carrera Evolution Range, with super detailed versions of Lightning McQueen and Dinoco Cruz Ramirez in the popular Slot Racing Scale of 1:32. Both sets are available to pre order now for delivery over the summer. Disney Pixar Cars 3 is exclusive to Carrera in both 1:43 and 1:32 scale and is presented in very dynamic packaging. A full range of track extensions, cars and spares are also available. The 2017 Carrera range of Slot Racing products - Digital 1:24, Digital 1:32, Evolution and GO!!! - are available from The Hobby Company, the brand’s exclusive UK and Ireland distributor.

Kids can draw and learn to write letters, numbers and objects in five fun activities with VTech’s Write & Race Lightning McQueen. Using the chunky, easy grip stylus, children will love tracing the lights and playing with their favourite race car! The Ready to Race Lightning McQueen is a cool pit stop-style toy with 15 interactive activities, four cool racing accessories and three exciting modes of play. With the Kidizoom Lightning McQueen Camera Watch, kids can keep track of the time with over 30 custom digital and analogue Cars 3 clock faces, plus they can record the action using the built-in camera to take photos and video. Don’t miss the Lightning McQueen Digital Camera, with storage for over 600 photos and built-in editing effects and games.

Piece of the action JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu New to Jumbo Games’ licensed portfolio is the recently launched Disney Cars 3 range. There are six must-have products, covering a variety of Jumbo’s popular puzzle designs for children to enjoy. The feature highlight to the range is the brand new, funfuelled Piston Cup Race Game, which features a spinning race track, electronic Piston Cup podium model that plays entertaining sound effects, and includes four Cars character model playing pieces. The aim of the game is to be the fastest round the track, collecting Lap Cards as you go and using the spinning race track to help overtake opponents and lift the Piston Cup. 76

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The range also includes the Disney Cars 3 Puzzle & Colour, an entertaining and inspiring jigsaw for young fans. The large 18-piece coloured puzzle features Lightning McQueen racing around the track. When the coloured image has been pieced together, children can flip the puzzle over and colour in the black and white image with the free, wipe-clean crayons that are included. The Cars 3 4in1 Puzzle Bumper Pack contains four colourful jigsaw puzzles of children’s favourite characters. Inside the box there is a 35, 50, 70 and 100-piece jigsaw puzzle for children to enjoy. Kids can also get their hands on the Disney Cars 3 4in1 Shape Puzzles, Giant Floor Puzzle and 4 Puzzles Pack.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 16:51

THE 2017 STARTING LINE-UP IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

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FEATURE CARS 3

Bring the magic home

Wheel-y exciting POSH PAWS 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk One of the most highly anticipated animations of 2017, Disney’s Cars 3 hits cinemas this month and Posh Paws has a soft toy collection for fans to get wheel-y excited about. Characters from this latest production of the ever-popular film franchise include Lightning McQueen, Mater, Cruz Ramirez, Jackson Storm, Guido and Mack, each available as an adorable soft toy. A selection of sizes across the range include 8”, 10” and 20”, and with a variety of different price points there’s something on offer for everyone. There’s also a Cars 3 range of Mini Tsum Tsums – highly popular, stackable soft toy incarnations of the six main characters, which make the ideal addition to any Tsum Tsum collection. In addition, fans can also carry their Cars 3 style around on their road trips with one of six character pocket money bag clips. Kids can njoy all the fun of the film away from the big screen — sound effects are of course optional!

MATTEL 01628 500000 www.mattel.com The new movie release of Disney Pixar Cars 3 brings with it a host of exciting new products to Mattel’s diecast and playset ranges. Mattel brings the action to life with the new Disney Pixar Cars 3 Movie Moves Lightning McQueen car. Inspired by the film, the vehicle reacts to motion and goes forward, backward, left, right, upside down – and says over 65 sounds and iconic phrases! Lightning’s signature sleek design includes working headlights and taillights and eyes that move like they do on-screen. New characters like Cruz Ramirez are also brought to life in the new toy range. Kids will love playing out storylines with the Disney Pixar Cars 3 Movie Moves Cruz Ramirez car. The new racer responds to motion and says key phrases from the film. Little racers can enjoy new movie-themed thrills at a favourite Radiator Springs location — Willy’s Butte! A fantastic new playset expands the storytelling with the Disney Pixar Cars 3 Willy’s Butte Transforming Track Set. This hair-raising set uses multiple wild driving skills and transforms to allow for three ways to play. Launch cars and see them speed up the ramp and soar over the jump! Transform the track and do more loop stunt action and increase the race challenge. The set features accessories as seen in the new movie and fan-favourite vehicle, Lightning McQueen, to start the rocky racing right away!

Life of the party AMSCAN INTERNATIONAL

Top gear TOPPS 01908 800 123 www.toppsidrect.com Topps is cruising into pole position with its all-new trading card game based on Disney Pixar’s Cars 3. Collectors will be able to get their hands on foil cards found inside packets of eight cards. Starter packs, including a collector’s binder, packet of cards, and more, plus Mini Tins containing 40 cards, will also be available.

01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk Party supplier Amscan is launching a Cars 3 themed range of party accessories and foil balloons this summer. Featuring main character Lightning McQueen, alongside co-stars Cruz Ramirez and Jackson Storm, items include decorations such as personalisable letter banners and wall decorations kits, as well as confetti, favour packs, and more.

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FEATURE CARS 3

New-car smell DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk

Racing ahead SIMBA SMOBY 01274 765030 www.simba-dickie.com

DKL offer a great selection of Disney Cars 3 licensed products from Scentco Scented Stationery and Hama Beads. Scentco’s Cars 3 license includes the Smencils Cylinder, which contains 50 individually tubed HB pencils, and a Smencils four pack. Each of the five character-themed Smencils has its own unique scent. Not to be missed from Hama Beads is the fantastic Cars 3 licensed gift box, and Cars 3 Blister pack.

Dressed for the races RUBIE’S

Simba Smoby is racing ahead with its Cars 3 range! In perfect timing for the Cars 3 film debut, Simba Dickie’s new movie range lets boys bring the magic of the movie to life. A full range of radio control cars including Lightning McQueen and new characters from the film start with the 1:32 scale then rev up to the 1:24 scale. At scale 1:24, the RC Turbo Racers are a great option for fans of the license. Lightning McQueen, Cruz and Jackson are all available now with full driving function, multi-directional control and a turbo speed function to blaze past the finish line.

08453 070707 www.rubiesuk.com Rubie’s has introduced a newlook, licensed Cars 3 kids’ race suit to tie in with the upcoming Disney-Pixar movi. This exciting deluxe jumpsuit features the famous racing car’s number and Piston Cup logo, along with an innovative, moving lenticular-printed graphic of Lightning McQueen himself in action! To top it off there’s a branded fabric race cap. Available in three sizes.

Ride the Lightning MV SPORTS

0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk

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With the highly anticipated release of Cars 3 this July, MV Sports has the best wheeled toys to support the brand. Heading up the range is the company’s award winning 6v Battery Operated Lightning McQueen Ride-On, featuring forward and reverse gears, easy foot acceleration and lights and sounds. With authentic McQueen features, any little Cars fan will feel like they are riding with Lightning McQueen! The range also includes the amazing Cars 3 3-in-1

Scootin’ Suitcase, featuring three modes. Carry case mode lets kids store all their belongings in the case with an extra internal pocket and strap, while trolley case mode uses the adjustable handlebar, and scooter mode has easy tilt ‘n’ turn steering action. All easily fold and are perfect for those summer getaways. Also featuring in the range are the cool in-line scooter and tri-scooter, both featuring Lightyear printed wheels and cool Lightning McQueen graphics. The in-line scooter folds down for easy storage and transportation and the tri-scooter has three puncture-proof wheels for extra stability perfect for beginners. MV’s fantastic range of bikes will also be whizzing in, ready for the release with the 2-in-1 10” bike, which easily converts from a pedal bike to balance bike as the child grows confidence. Plus there’s the super cool 14” bike, with Lightyear printed wheel discs and cool Lightning McQueen graphics, all of these products will strike up some striking sales this summer.

toysnplaythings.co.uk 30/06/2017 16:52

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FEATURE CARS 3

Build and play EPOCH MAKING TOYS 08435 574062 aquabeadsart.com/uk/

Kit Cars REVELL 01296 660 291 juniorkit.revell.de www.toysnplaythings.co.uk/qao4y To mark the release of Disney Pixar’s Cars 3, the award-winning Revell Junior Kit range is extending to include this hugely popular children’s license. The collection will include lead character and hero Lightning McQueen, his race rival Jackson Storm, and female lead character and coach Cruz Ramirez. These newly tooled, easy-to-assemble construction toys for ages four-plus feature light and sounds. There is also the option to change each car’s expression with a selection of inserts, opening bonnet and movie-sampled sounds! Large parts are easily connected by big plastic screws and a child-friendly plastic screwdriver. Once completed, each model kit transforms into a durable, fully functional toy! Revell Junior Kit introduces the world of model making to young crafters. Designed for ages four and over, these kits help develop motor skills while promoting imaginative gameplay and providing hours of entertainment!

Epoch making toys is launching a new Cars 3 Aquabeads range featuring innovative 3D sets – a first for the craft brand. The new 3D construction is designed to encourage longer playtime for the Aquabeads brand. The Cars 3 3D Lightning McQueen Set contains over 800 polygon and jewel beads in six colours, and comes complete with a car frame and wheels. This means children can have fun creating it, and then even more fun racing against their friends! Fans can also be at the wheel of creation with the Cars 3 3D Cruz Ramirez Set, bringing this exciting new character to life in 3D. Another addition to the Aquabeads portfolio is the Disney Pixar Cars 3 Playset, which comes with over 1,000 coloured beads, a layout tray, spray, and templates featuring both Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez.

All fun and games RAVENSBURGER 01869 363800 www.ravensburger.com/uk Available now is Ravensburger’s range of puzzles and games featuring all the favourite characters from the new Disney Cars 3 film. There are six fun and colourful jigsaw puzzles to choose from, plus a range of action-packed games.

Rev up

CLEMENTONI 020 3206 1101 www.clementoni.com Clementoni’s Cars 3 line includes a brand new Alphabet Pad for kids to learn letters and words through SmartTouch finger-tip technology. Plus, there’s an interactive, electronic Giant Floor Puzzle with 24 tiles and an electronic pen, and Cars 3 Magnetic Drawing Board ideal for kids four-plus.

Race for the cup CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com The hugely popular Cars Piston Cup Race Game has made a return thanks to Character Options. With the release of the hotly anticipated Cars 3 film this month, Character is offering the most competitive and addictive slot race game for fans. The Cars 3 Piston Cup Race Game features two slot-style tracks and buttons which players must use to frantically race Lightning McQueen and new challenger from the film Jackson Storm to the finish line in order to win the Piston Cup. However, this race isn’t as straightforward as it seems. When the light turns green, players pump the button as fast as possible to get ahead but when light turns red they must stop or be sent to the start again! With light and sound effects and fast paced gameplay all adding to the thrill — this is a game not to be missed!

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FEATURES SPINNING RACE TRACK AND SOUNDS!

PUZZLE RANGE AVAILABLE

CONTACT YOUR JUMBO SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION Jumbo Games, &DUWHUV 5RZ +DWÂ¿HOG 3DUN +DWÂ¿HOG 8. $/ 1% 7HOHSKRQH (PDLO XN VDOHVKRWOLQH#MXPER HX

www.jumbo.eu

FORWARD AND REVERSE GEARS LIGHTS AND SOUNDS

WITH MORE CARS 3 WHEELED TOYS AVAILABLE NOW

LIGHTNING MCQUEEN 6V BATTERY OP

Revving up your sales!

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LICENSING

NEWS

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN Mattel has unveiled a range of action figures for the forthcoming Justice League movie. Revealed on the film’s official Join the League website, figures include Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Cyborg. Online detectives have already been digging into

images of the toys to glean what they can about the Justice League movie. The Superman figure has been a particular topic of conversation, given his absence from any trailer or movie promotional material to date. Justice League hits UK cinemas 17 November 2017.

Making Minions As the highly anticipated Despicable Me 3 hits cinemas, Epoch making toys has just the thing for fans who are going Minion mad. The company introduced the new licensed Despicable Me: Minion Made Minions Playset and Character Set to its Aquabeads range. “We’re excited to release our new range of Despicable Me: Minion Made Minions Sets,” says Yuki Otsuka, Marketing Manager at Epoch. “Children can recreate some of their favourite characters along with some new faces as well as using their imagination.”

700 The number of beads in the playset

Mario meets Monopoly Hasbro and Nintendo have teamed up to launch Monopoly Gamer Edition, introducing beloved Nintendo characters and new gameplay twists to the Monopoly game. Players can choose from fan-favourite Super Mario character tokens, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach and Yoshi. For the first time, each character token will have its own unique power-up ability. Jonathan Berkowitz, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Hasbro Gaming, said: “By giving Monopoly tokens unique abilities and adding game-play elements such as the Power-up die, we are offering fans an exciting new way to engage with two of their favourite gaming brands.”

Celebs celebrate with Igglepiggle Green-fingered celebrities and their families picked up their trowels in June to help Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy celebrate In the Night Garden’s 10th anniversary. The Family Gardening Show at Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Wisley was a special event to mark the pre-school brand’s milestone year - just part of ongoing activity in 2017. Famous faces included Jaime Winstone, Ben Caplan and Danielle Lloyd (pictured). “The activities perfectly reflect In the Night Garden’s themes of firing imaginations,” said Deborah Walker, Brand Manager, DHX Brands. “We have been delighted to collaborate with the RHS to bring the show to life for children around the country in this special celebratory year.”

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By the book!

May day! Brain May unveiled a special Queen edition Monopoly during a recent unboxing video. Winning Moves teamed up with Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company Bravado to create Monopoly: Queen Edition. Produced with the full collaboration of Brian and the Monopoly: Queen band, the Monopoly: Queen Edition game features six Edition features venues collectable Queen tokens inspired by their iconic career, from throughout and bespoke houses and hotels designed by the band’s the band’s tours, Brian May. “I think fans will be enchanted by the depth of detail including late frontman in this special Queen edition of an already well-loved Freddie Mercury’s final game,” said Brian. “We have subtly morphed the appearances traditional property-developing journey of Monopoly into the real-life adventure of a rock band on the road.”

Did you know…

Studio Press, an imprint of Kings Road Publishing, is collaborating with Beano Studios to publish a range of titles based on the iconic Beano comic brand. the publishing programme will feature a range of young fiction, nostalgic annuals, joke books and gift titles that deliver a dose of fun and mischief. Emma Scott, Chief Executive of Beano Studios said Kings Road Publishing was “perfect for this iconic British brand.”

Go Jetters hit China Pre-school favourites Go Jetters headed to China with their teacher Ubercorn to celebrate Children’s Day recently. The CBeebies stars were in the country on 1

June as part of the Children’s Day Gala 2017, organised by state broadcaster China Central Television’s children’s channel (CCTV-14). The Gala was broadcast to a TV audience of 110 million, and 200 million online.

Fact!

The Go Jetters climbed the Great Wall of China, a world famous landmark that they had previously saved from the mischievous Grandmaster Glitch in series one

NEW CHAPTER FOR DINOSAUR ROAR! Nurture Rights has partnered with the Natural History Museum to produce a new preschool property created by Peter Curtis. The World of Dinosaur Roar! is a new book series inspired by the best-selling picture book Dinosaur Roar! The brand launches with a collectable series of 26 books, published by Macmillan’s Children’s Books.

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Fever pitch Panini has launched two new football sticker collections: the Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Sticker Collection and, for the first time, the UEFA Women’s Euro tournament will have its very own Official Sticker Collection. Footy fans will be able to collect stickers of their favourite players and get geared up for next year’s World Cup tournament, or follow along with the Women’s Euro in the Netherlands throughout July and August.

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TNP

LOOKS BACK

Step back in time A rather personal look back through time beginning with July 1987, 1997, 2007 and 2012 by TnP Founder and MD Malcolm Naish July 2012 Volume 31 Number 10

JULY 2012 • We interview Melanie Hopkins of Williams & Griffin. This Colchester department store had a great toy department that was much appreciated by the locals. Sadly no more and in 2017 is part of Debenhams. • Olympic fever is at its highest point, but as we later find out sales of Olympic-based licensed product did not live up to expectations, despite being held on home soil.

• Holly Hobbie is re-launched and given the nineties treatment by Grant & Bowman enabling Craig Bowers to re-enter the mainstream toy business. • Ron Berg leaves Robenau to join Mookie Toys. • The BTHA Fun Day manages to raise £68,000 of which £37,000 was taken by their ‘Toy Shop’, managed by Gary Grant, David Fogel and Robert Myers of United Overseas. • Paddington Bear celebrated his 40th birthday in our July edition.

• Bigjigs enter the Guinness Book of Records for the longest wooden toy train track. People came from all over the country to cheer the team on and toppled the existing record of 1,650 metres using over 10,000 pieces of track to post an impressive 2,196 metres – champagne all round. • We publish a 48 page supplement on Toymaster illustrating their history and the strength that being part of Toymaster brings to the Independent retailer.

JULY 2007 • Clive Jones leaves Golden Bear. It is an amicable split with John Hales taking over the role of M.D. • Nikko radio control are in administration a major name for many years in the field of radio control we are certain they will soon be snapped up.

JULY 1987

• Ravensburger win the TRU Vendor awards for the toy trade. A great accolade for this longestablished games and puzzle company.

• I make a major statement that readers can now pay for their subscriptions by using their ‘Access’ or ‘Barclaycard. So much for progress!

• Smyths open their first UK store in Chadwell Heath, Romford.

• One of television’s hottest properties is Philip Schofield and his Gordon T. Gopher.

• We include an obituary for Jack Odell. He was the originator of Matchbox Toys, when he made a miniature steam roller to fit inside a matchbox, as his daughter’s school forbad the bringing of any toys into school unless they fitted into a matchbox. The rest as we know is history. At their peak Matchbox were selling one million cars a day.

• On the ball as ever, Telitoy’s sales director, none other than Malcolm Cook snaps up the rights to manufacture a collection of products based on Gordon and his antics. (pic on contents page)

• Roland Earl leaves the BTHA after six years. Thankfully he returned a few years later to continue the sterling work in looking after its members’ interests.

JULY 1997 • Tamagotchi is the hot ticket item of the year, but as usual, the toy trade shoots itself in the foot with much price-cutting reducing the margin that the Independents deserve. • M & S buy 19 of Littlewood’s 135 stores for a cool £192.5 million. Will this pose problems for Littlewoods as their Index operation is housed in six of those 19 stores?

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• Bruno Muller of Nu-Bee retires. Bruno came to England from Austria with his brother just before the Second World War broke out and was very soon involved in the toy trade. He started NuBee in 1964 and handled some great products, including the follow-up to Rubik’s Cube – Rubik’s Snake Puzzle. • Just think, back in 1964 there were over 1,000 wholesalers, very little discounting and no buyers wishing to go direct to the Far East to buy their own products. As Bruno said “There was a Live and let Live attitude and everyone knew their role within the toy trade.” • He believed that the abolition of price maintenance led to a general free for all that sounded the death knell for many wholesalers. MALCOLM NAISH

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DON’T MISS… We bring to the fore a selection of the hottest and newest products that will help you sell more. Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contact now!

Product: Sleepzzz Until Birthday Buddy Company: Ackerman International Tel: 01279 718 807 Web: www.ackermaninternational.co.uk

Product: Magnetic Faces Activity Box Company: Fiesta Crafts Tel: 020 8804 0563 Web: www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

Product: Drone Force Company: Alpha Animation Tel ==: 01293 804 599 Web: www.auldetoys.us

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Product: Grand Princess Castle Company: Playmobil Tel: 01268 548 111 Web: www.playmobil.co.uk

Product: Peppa Pig House Tea Set Company: HTI Tel: 01253 775 544 Web: www.htigroup.co.uk

Product: Qboidz by Engino 30 in 1 set Company: Engino Toys Tel: 0333 2000 114 Web: www.engino.com

Product: DOC Educational Smart Robot Company: Clementoni Tel: 020 3383 2020 Web: www.clementoni.com

Product: Now That’s What I Call Music board game Company: Paul Lamond Games Tel: 020 7254 0100 Web: www.paul-lamond.com

Product: Word Slam Company: Thames & Kosmos UK Tel: 01580 212 000 Web: www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk

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The Sales Partnership Distributors Ltd Ancastle House • Gravel Hill Henley on Thames • RG9 1TP Tel: 01491 412415 • Fax: 01491 412915 Contact Name - James Triptree

England240x315+3.indd 1 Bruder.indd 1

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