Toys n Playthings December 2019

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CONTENTS Regular 7

L eader – with Mark Naish

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News – the latest toy industry headlines

14 Media News – the multimedia rundown

19 ber 20 Decem 3 . o N Vol. 39

15 L icensing News – the latest on licensed products 16 R etail News – the latest from the retail landscape

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18 T rade Talk – suppliers look forward to the London Toy Fair

Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

34 T oy Talk – retailers make three Christmas wishes – and give us their verdict on sprouts!

46 S tep Back in Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest-running magazine

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

47 D on’t Miss – unmissable products for buyers and retailers

Editor Georgie Dobie georgie@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features 29 H ong Kong preview – looking ahead to the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair

Advertisement Manager

36 I nfant and pre-school toys – focusing on toys for your littlest customers

Athee Waran athee@lemapublishing.co.uk

40 DreamToys 2019: ambassadors special – this month our tiny toy testers give their verdict on products that made the DreamToys list

Sales Simon Davis simon@lemapublishing.co.uk

42 Ride-ons – climb aboard for this spotlight on bikes, scooters, cars and more

Writer Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Special Report

Digital Publisher

13 C over Story – Flair talks about its Hairdorables collection

Mirella Anstey mirella@ltw.media

20 C ompany Spotlight – TnP catches up with Siso Toys UK as it enters its second year of successful trading

Digital Editor Rhys Thomas rhys@ltw.media

22 R etail Interview – TnP speaks to Dublin store Arnotts as it plays host to iconic retailer FAO Schwarz

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

35 Coffee Break – Nigel Scarfe from Imagination Gaming talks about how he uses games to help kids learn

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Columnists 8

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

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

At the heart of retail

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rends Column – Alan Kaufman talks about T toy safety

25 M edia analysis – Generation Media considers why Christmas ad campaigns are appearing later and later 26 The Independent/Secret Supplier – our dynamic duo look back on 2019 and forward to Christmas 28 Retail opinion – John Ryan looks at FAO Schwarz and its European expansion 33 Gaining insight – Kids Insights looks at how kids spend their free time

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 4,768

1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019

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LEADER I A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

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PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail Also by Lema Publishing

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

t won't be long now before we know how well this year will actually play out. Retail has been tough and the current retail trading results continue to reflect that. However, as the Christmas rush gets later and later, testing the nerves of everyone, it will no doubt end on a mostly positive note.

Hornby’s recent trading results showed that the company is heading in the right direction.

With a 15 per cent increase in sales, a decrease in losses, and investment in its website due imminently, it looks as if it is on track for success.

I was recently invited to the Character Options HQ and I must say I saw some excellent ranges for next year (as is always the case with Character). There were some that exceeded its usual high standards and if you haven’t already viewed them, prepare to be excited. I think they are going to be highly successful!

The sad demise of Mothercare yet again showed a major retailer failing to adapt to the times – well at least if you listen to the armchair experts.

However, with a revolving door of senior management and too much debt, it seems this was a cocktail that proved too much.

What must be remembered is that the parents of today are very different from the parents of yesterday. Millenials think and act very differently from their parents. They are more likely to turn to media when looking for advice, rather than turning to their parents, which is where they would have got said advice previously, and if a retail brand is not resonating within this space then good luck. A lesson for everyone!

Interestingly, talking of retailers past – online retailer OnBuy polled 2,000 consumers on the high street retailers they missed most – Woolworths came out on top with 58 per cent of the vote and Toys R Us (TRU) came second with 18 per cent. If only these consumers had made more effort to shop there they might not have had to answer this poll! However, if the results of this poll accurately reflect the feelings of consumers there may well be hope for TRU’s US relaunch. Speaking of which, the relaunched

“

Mark Naish

TRU opened its doors on 30 November, with a key focus on interactivity rather than the stack 'em high approach.

Fingers crossed this is the start of something great!

Hasbro’s £3.3bn acquisition of Entertainment One is to be investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK’s competition watchdog.

The probe will assess if the transaction would “create a relevant merger situation” and, if it goes ahead, whether it could “result in a substantial lessening of competition”.

Let's hope that on 21 January it can move forward when the CMA will either clear the takeover or launch a second phase of investigations.

This issue, our Flair Just Play cover story looks at the new Hairdorables themes and characters. We visited the Siso Toys UK team and spoke to UK MD Martin Whittacker and Marketing Manager Mayur Pattni about its comprehensive, marketing-led offering.

Hong Kong has featured heavily in the news due to civil unrest, but matters seem to have calmed somewhat and hopefully will remain that way for the Toys and Games Fair. Head to page 29 where we take a look at some of the companies that will be out there. With that in mind, I would like to remind you that if you haven’t booked your tickets for the Hong Kong Football Challenge organised by Character Options and sponsored by Uniserve then email david.bramford@charactergroup.plc. uk or sharon.ford@charactergroup. plc.uk for details.

We are on the home strait putting together our Toy Fair preview and the London Toy Fair daily paper. If you haven’t booked your advertising contact Athee Waran or Simon Davis to discuss your requirements and for editorial be quick and send it to georgie@lemapublishing.co.uk With that said, I hope when the big day comes, this trading period will have been a great success. And I wish each and every one of you a very happy Christmas and a Brexit, referendum free, successful new year!

If a retail brand is not resonating within the media space then good luck!

”

Malcolm Naish pays tribute to friend and licensing legend David Cardwell

J i

I was very sad to learn of David Cardwell’s passing. Along with his partner Richard Culley, the two formed CPL in 1974. The business prospered due to their drive and personalities, and with growth came the appointing of staff. It is true to say that today many of the licensing industry’s top people in the UK and Europe owe their opportunity in licensing to David and Richard.

I used to pop to the company's small office in the West End of London to sell advertising in our toy magazine. Smoking was common place in offices back then, so I was able to light up and have a sociable smoke with David while we put the world to rights.

NEWS

Philip Richardson receives his Chairman’s chain of office from outgoing Chairman Ian Edmonds

Malcolm Naish and Michael Angel were presented with their rather special ‘Honorary Fence Club Membership’ gongs

Awards tickets go on sale

Fun at the Fence Club AGM Lema Publishing’s Chairman Malcolm Naish writes: The 69th AGM of the Fence Club was a friendly and lively occasion with the Club’s motto ‘Strive mightily and eat and drink as friends’ very much in evidence.

2019 was once again a successful fund-raising year, with Joe Kissane the club’s Charity Secretary telling members that the Club had granted almost £90,000 to more than 30 charities during the course of 2019.

Four new members have recently been elected Linda Osborne – Kid Kreations; Derek Scott – Ravensburger; Nick Saunders – Brainstorm; and Jonny Taylor – Jazwares.

Philip Richards, or ‘Panzer’ as everyone knows him, has taken

over as the first Irish Chairman of the Club and is looking forward to a fantastic year of fellowship and fundraising.

Joe Kissane also mentioned the remarkable fact that the Fence Club had already received 368 pallets of toys, with a retail value of around £30,000 to be sent out to many deserving recipients. Not bad for a membership of 45!

The next big fundraising event apart from the Christmas Party at the Marriott Grosvenor Square is the Hong Kong Football match on 7 January. David Bramford of Character Group is organising the event and has already secured a number of sponsorship deals.

For tickets to this fantastic event, which include lavish food and drink following the game, call 07881 516620 or 0161 633 9800.

Remember to get your tickets for the Toy Industry Awards 2019. The gala event will follow the opening day of Toy Fair 2020, Tuesday 21 January 2020, starting at 6pm.

The event is one of the key dates in the industry calendar, and one which provides an excellent networking opportunity for industry colleagues to celebrate the first day of Toy Fair and be the first to discover the winners of the toy retailer and supplier of the year awards.

Guests will be able to enjoy a drinks reception and light food in Olympia’s Pizza Express, which will then be followed by a seated awards ceremony in the adjoining Apex Room, one of Olympia’s special rooms for such events.

The presentation of the highly coveted Toy Industry Awards will take place here from 7.15pm. The venue’s close proximity will allow guests to move easily from the exhibition into the awards event. The evening’s formal proceedings are planned to finish no later than 8.30pm Tickets are £30+VAT. Contact Tracey Butcher at Tracey@btha.co.uk > to request a booking form.

Charity partner Toy Fair 2020’s official charity partner will be the children’s charity, KidsOut. KidsOut works with Women’s Aid Federation refuges across the UK. The charity provides support, organises positive experiences, and gives toys to vulnerable children who have escaped domestic abuse.

For the fifth year, KidsOut will run the Trolley Dash donation drive on the last day of Toy Fair. Last year’s show saw more than 60 volunteers take to the show floor with empty shopping trolleys, collecting more than 4,000 toys kindly donated by exhibiting companies.

SPOTLIGHT ON GLOBAL SAFETY The Toy Association’s Alan Kaufman focuses on standards for toy safety Hundreds of global requirements and tests are in place to ensure the safety of all toys – but navigating these laws (which are continually revised based on emerging products, trends, and technologies), can be a challenge. That’s why The US Toy Association has created a Safety Education Program, now available at ToyAssociation.org.

Read on for a Q&A with course presenter Alan Kaufman, senior vice president of technical affairs at The Toy Association, who provides an overview of the portion of the course he developed to

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There has never been a more important time for toy manufacturers and other industry stakeholders to ensure that they are up to speed on all toy safety regulations and laws

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help professionals better understand the international toy safety landscape.

Can you give our readers some insight into your area of expertise and what you bring to the program?

I’ve been working in the toy industry for more than 40 years, addressing sourcing, product safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and product testing issues for toy companies and retailers. I’ve been at The Toy Association since 2011, leading the development and implementation of technical policies and strategies related to toy safety, the environment, supply chain issues, factory processes, and other topics.

I’m involved in global organisations related

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CMA probes Hasbro deal The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is set to investigate Hasbro’s £3.3 bn acquisition of Entertainment One. The UK’s competition watchdog will assess if the transaction would “create a relevant merger situation” and, if it goes ahead, whether it could “result in a substantial lessening of competition”.

Entertainment One shareholders approved the merger almost unanimously in mid-October. More than 99.9 per cent of the votes cast at a special meeting of shareholders were in favour of the move to bring its IP, including Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, under the Hasbro umbrella.

After receiving early approval from a number of regulators, the deal was expected to officially close by the end of 2019. But the CMA’s involvement means the process will now be stalled into the new year.

Did you know?

The CMA’s job is to ensure mergers do not create mega-entities that bully smaller outfits out of the market or threaten to dramatically diminish the choice and quality of a certain product or service for consumers. This year it blocked the Sainsbury’s and Asda merger.

Frozen II slides into record books Disney’s hotly anticipated sequel has made a cool £277m in its first weekend, breaking Toy Story 4’s record for the biggest opening weekend for an Image courtesy of Disney animated movie.

The film’s box office figure came from 37 countries including the UK, US and China.

In the UK the film took £15m, which is a record for an animated film, but still puts it in third place for 2019 behind The Lion King and Avengers:Endgame. The original 2013 film made $110.6m in its first weekend, eventually totting up $1.27bn.

to consumer product health and safety, travel extensively to meet with foreign agencies to discuss US international standards alignment, and am in daily communication with Toy Association members who need advice on compliance and other safety matters.

One of your sections of the course covers international toy standards. What can course participants expect to learn in this area?

This part of the course, delivered by Christian Wetterberg, senior director of product safety and compliance at The LEGO Group, and me, provides an overview of international requirements for toys, including specifics on how compliance can be achieved. It covers Canadian requirements (including the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act); other international standards (including European Union regulations); and an overview of the

DECEMBER 2019

VTech results see profit soar VTech Holdings Limited has shown an increase in revenue and profit, as well as an improvement in margins in the first six months of 2020.

“The first six months of the financial year 2020 saw VTech achieve an increase in both revenue and profit.

Revenue rose on higher sales to North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, while lower costs and higher operational efficiency boosted profits. The US tariffs had no negative impact on the financial results in the period,” said Allan Wong, Chairman and Group CEO of VTech Holdings Limited.

Group revenue for the period increased by 12 per cent to US$1,124.1 million, as higher sales in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific offset lower sales in Other Regions.

Profit attributable to shareholders of the Company rose by 31 per cent to US$118.0 million.

The Group’s gross profit margin in the first six months of the financial year 2020 increased to 30.7 per cent, from 29.5 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

Simba spreads Disney joy Simba Toys has announced the addition of new territories (UK, Italy and Spain) for the distribution of Disney plush, from 1 January 2020.

The company already distributes Disney plush in France, Benelux, Nordic and Germany.

The expansive range of plush, based on the muchloved Disney content, brings the treasured and iconic characters to life.

The A/W 2020 range will be introduced at London Toy Fair and the Spielwarenmesse Nuremberg 2020.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) toy standard ISO 8124.

What else does the program cover?

In addition to the international regulations listed above, the course walks participants through the US federal and state product safety landscape, providing important compliance details on specific toy types and lending insight into how to track evolving standards, among other critical information. All 12 modules are offered in webinar format, making it easy for participants to go through the entire program at their own pace.

Anything else you’d like to add?

There has never been a more important time

for toy manufacturers and other industry stakeholders to ensure that they are up to speed on all toy safety regulations and laws. It can mean the difference between thriving and having a major setback because you accidentally overlooked a key aspect of compliance, since the costs of non-compliance (fines, recall costs, civil liability, etc.) can be significant. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of completion that can be shared on resumes and LinkedIn to let peers and potential employers know that they are ‘toy safety experts’.

More information about The Toy Association’s Safety Education Program is available online at The Toy Association’s Safety Education Program.

Want to see the hottest new toys and games coming to market in 2020? Come to Toy Fair New York – the largest toy, play, and youth entertainment product marketplace in the Western Hemisphere, taking place February 22-25, 2020. Visit www.ToyFairNY.com to learn more.

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NEWS Laura joins Magic Box Magic Box UK, the company behind hit collectables Zomlings, Star Monsters, SuperZings and MojiPops, has appointed Laura Bull to the role of UK & Ireland Sales Manager.

With a strong background in the toy industry spanning almost a decade and working for leading manufacturers such as Schleich and Posh Paws, Laura will be responsible for developing distribution in the toy channel and managing the sales team.

Magic Box is behind the SuperZings brand, which is currently in its fourth series, with Series 5 planned Spielwarenmesse for February 2020, and 2019 launch MojiPops, the ToyAwards close soon collectible range with swappable faces bringing Companies exhibiting at the show emotion into play. can enter their innovations for the ToyAwards until 11 December at www.toyaward.com.

The innovation prize is awarded in four age-specific groups – Baby & Infant (0-3 years), PreSchool (3-6 years), SchoolKids (6-10 years), Teenager & Adults (from 10 years) – and a Startup category for Rachel Lowe has been presented with the companies that have been trading for Game of the Year Award for Jumanji. The five years or less. award, from the Toy Retailers Association The nominated products will be (TRA) recognises the role Rachel played unveiled on 23 January 2020. The in the 2018 success of the Jumanji board winners will be announced at the game, and is jointly awarded alongside the ToyAwards during the Opening award given in January to Spin Master at Ceremony on 28 January 2020. the Toy Industry Awards.

Nuremberg speaker lineup revealed

Nuremberg Toy Fair will host a series of free, daily talks in the Toy Business Forum next year to tackle the biggest issues facing the toy business.

Hosted in the TrendGallery in Hall 3A, international speakers will bring trade visitors up to speed every day between 1pm and 3pm. Current market developments, future trends in the world of retail and toys, as well as digitalisation and change management are all on the agenda for 2020.

In addition, the LicenseTalks from Wednesday to Saturday will shed light on the licensing business.

The talks are free of charge and are interpreted simultaneously into English or German.

Speakers include International expert Reyne Rice (US) revealing what is new in the world of toys, games and technology for children; Clara Blasco of the AIJU Technological Institute for Children´s Products and Leisure in Spain, who will delve into the topic of sustainability, and US toy expert Richard Gottlieb, who will look at shifts in the toy industry and how to adapt to them successfully.

Marbel on the move UK toy distributor Marbel has relocated and officially opened its new Leicestershire offices.

With the move comes a new team including customer service, marketing and finance staff.

MD, David Allan says: “We are delighted to be in our new office, we are now central to UK operations in a modern office with our purpose-built showroom to show our customers the range of toys we offer.”

Marbel exclusively supplies the UK market Marbel’s new address with brands such as Unit 10, Kibworth Business Hape, Nebulous Stars, Park, Kibworth Harcourt, Nanoblock, and Leicestershire, LE8 0EX Kathe Kruse.

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Rachel gets award recognition

Rachel Lowe says: “It recognises the hard work and effort I put into getting it to the number one ranking on Amazon when I launched it two years ago and also the hard work of my distributor, Heathside Trading, which achieved volume sales throughout the duration of my contract with Sony.”

The Game of the Year Award was presented at this year’s DreamToys event last month in London by TRA chairman Alan Simpson.

RIP David Cardwell

TnP founder Malcolm Naish remembers a licensing legend I was saddened recently to learn of the passing of David Cardwell, who along with his partner Richard Culley formed CPL in 1974. From that small beginning when their sole licensing property was Noddy, the two C’s built Copyright Promotions into a global licensing phenomenon. David and Richard complemented each other perfectly, and in those early days, David was very much the money man and Richard concentrated on selling licensing and acquiring rights.

I used to call regularly when trying to persuade them to advertise in our toy title, and was delighted to see their fledgling company grow over the years. With growth, many of the staff who joined them eventually became Senior Licensing Managers and Directors throughout the UK and European licensing industries. I was most impressed that David, prior to forming CPL, worked as a music journalist helping to create Elvis Monthly, even interviewing The King himself. As an old rocker myself, that was fantastic!

It is true to say that along with a very select few, they shaped the licensing industry of today. Of course, while others pioneered character licensing, in the UK and Europe, it was David Cardwell and Richard Culley who took licensing opportunities to a new level helping many people involved with not just CPL to achieve impressive revenues from licensing contracts.

tnp.media

NEWS

S mall business, BIG achievement!

Bandai signs McFarlane deal Bandai UK is to become the new distributor of the McFarlane Toys product range in the UK and Ireland.

McFarlane Toys, the company from Spawn and Venom creator Todd McFarlane, is an industry leader in the action figure market, with a portfolio of top pop-culture licences.

Properties in the McFarlane portfolio range from Harry Potter and Fortnite to beloved anime series Naruto and even Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, starring the late David Bowie. The company also specialises in plush toys, role-play, construction sets and toy vehicles.

Customers will begin seeing the line at upcoming previews and can book appointments to see the range on the Bandai stand at the 2020 London Toy Fair and in the McFarlane Hong Kong showroom.

Kids@Play was recently awarded the Small Business Award at the Monmouthshire Business Awards.

These awards are open to all businesses based in the South Wales region covering the old county of Gwent and showcased some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial businesses that are taking this small area of the UK to a global audience.

Ben Smith, GM GB & Eire at Kids@Play, says: “It was a real privilege to win the award against some great competition.”

The office Niffler was given the night off to collect the award on behalf of the team.

Spring Fair’s new Sourcing Sector Spring Fair is set to launch a new international Sourcing sector as part of its commitment to help buying teams unearth inspired products for 2020 and beyond.

The new sector, which was successully introduced at Autumn Fair 2019, will give buyers the opportunity to explore markets outside of the UK and make connections with the best manufacturers from key sourcing regions around the world.

The showcase will welcome manufacturers of toys, gifting, and more from key markets, including China, India, Egypt, South Korea and Ghana.

Sourcing, based in Hall 18, will also look to inspire visitors with a roster of experts lined-up to speak at the hall’s dedicated Design and Source Stage.

PlayMonster grabs Kahootz

Imperial Toys files for bankruptcy A US toy company that celebrated its 50th anniversary this year has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Imperial Toys was founded by the Kort family in 1969, and last year secured a $12 million credit facility with Great Rock Capital intended to fuel growth.

It has now signed an Asset Purchase Agreement with Ja-Ru, Inc, a toy manufacture and distributor.

The majority of Imperial Toy business comes from its own brands and IP, including Blitz and Super Miracle Bubbles, with another 22 per cent from licences such as Disney, Marvel, Thomas the Tank Engine, DC Comics, Little Tikes, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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PlayMonster has acquired Kahootz, the arts and crafts company behind the successful refresh and relaunch of the Spirograph brand.

Founded in 2012, Kahootz quickly developed a number of leading brands in the kids’ creative play space, licensing Play-Doh from Hasbro, alongside Spirograph, which now stands as one of the strongest performers in the category.

More recently, Kahootz found success with Colorforms, in partnership with 9 Story Entertainment, and the girls’ favourite Fashion Plates.

The purchase is the latest in a string of growthmotivated acquisitions for PlayMonster. Last year the US toy firm absorbed its UK partner Interplay.

The pair had shared a strong partnership since 2016, when PlayMonster acquired a North American licence for Interplay’s My Fairy Garden brand, before bringing the company and its IP in-house.

Dad’s Choice Awards The 2019 entries into the Dad’s Choice Awards have been put through their paces by a team of dad testers and their kids. The winning toys are as follows: Hornby – Scalextric American Police Chase Mattel – Fisher-Price Imaginext Toy Story 4 Buzz Lightyear Robot Mattel – Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Armour with Jet Pack Trends UK –Count With Peppa Trends UK – Science Mad Circuit Lab Hornby – Chunkies Loader Tractor Farm Learning Resources – Coding Critters H Grossman – Megasaurs Set Playmobil – Playmobil The Movie Del’s Food Truck John Adams – Whoopee Doo Asmodee – Dice Academy Le Toy Van – Honeybake Vintage Phone

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COVER FEATURE FLAIR

Truly Hairmazing!

Flair Just Play’s Hairdorables collection has quickly established itself as a favourite dolls brand for girls aged five to nine. Now the brand is to enter 2020 with new themes and characters, plus a walk down the catwalk with its very own fashion doll collection

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romoting fun and friendship, the Hairdorables brand is the cool squad of sassy, collectable dolls with big hair, each with the surprise, peel, and reveal element and countless fashionable accessories to discover that unwrap the personality, style, and talent of the Hairdorables hidden inside!

Since the brand’s launch, a continual stream of new characters have stepped into the limelight including HairDUDEables, Shortcuts and the cutest of Hairdorables Pets! The super stylish HairDUDEables have swiftly become a must-have for fans wishing to expand their Hairdorables world with their boy BFFs. Late 2019 saw Jo Jo Siwa Hairdorables also join the collection with two dolls inspired by Jo Jo’s bold styles.

Spring scents & hairmazing fashions!

The new season Hairdorables give fans even more reasons to join the squad.

The big news, and hot off the catwalk,

is the Hairmazing collection inspired by Instagram fans. Bella, Harmony, DeeDee, Noah, Willow and Kali are now available as 27cm fashion dolls with fully posable limbs and stunning, highly detailed and on-trend clothing. Keeping with the peel and reveal element there are six surprises also to be found inside each pack, which transforms into a catwalk after opening.

Ensuring the core brand is also fresh is the Hairdorables Scentables collection. These girls are ready to party with three themes of style to discover: Garden Party, Beach Party and Carnival Fun. Each pack comes with 11 surprises inside and a brand-new element of Scented Hair to match their style, plus its own squeezy hairspray to top up the sweet-smelling hairdos. Presented in new, stylish carrycases, there are 39 Scentables dolls to discover, including three brand-new characters: Saige, Eva and Phoebe. With each girl available as all three themes, there’s plenty to look out for.

39

The number of Hairdorables Scentables dolls to discover for spring.

Each girl will be available as three themes – Garden Party, Beach Party and Carnival Fun.

The full Hairdorables 2020 collection will be available to view at Toy Fair, where a taste of the autumn collections will also be revealed.

Shouting all about it!

“We are very excited about the launch of Hairmazing dolls. The collection has already gained a lot of applause among our customers. Entering the fashion dolls category has inspired us to explore new channels to reach consumers and attract new fans to the brand. Obviously, TV and digital will remain at the core of marketing activity., together with Influencers with a fashion twist.

Emmanuelle Cadet, Head of Marketing, Flair Just Play

DECEMBER 2019

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MEDIA

NEWS

Disney+ coming to UK next spring The House of Mouse’s streaming service finally has a UK launch date.

31 March 2020 is the day when the UK, plus France, Germany, Spain and Italy will receive Disney+. The service has been live in North America and Down Under since the middle of November.

So what are the programmes that subscribers will get to enjoy?

Look out for Captain Marvel; High School Musical: The Musical: The Series; The Simpsons; Ms. Marvel; WandaVision; Mary Poppins; Malcolm In The Middle, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.

Pixar films will be streamable using the platform within the next year.

The cost is likely to be around £5-6 a month, and the platform is expected to be a major thorn in the side of rival services like Netflix and Amazon – and has already started pulling its content from Netflix.

What’s included?

Look out for Marvel, Star Wars. Pixar, National Geographic and of course Disney content.

Nickelodeon and Netflix join forces Did you know?

Netflix and Nickelodeon have

teamed up to produce original Netflix is currently the leading animated content. streaming service, with 158 The new films and TV series million subscribers worldwide. from the collaboration will be based on Nickelodeon characters as well as new IP. The deal was announced the day after the Disney+ subscription service was launched in the US, picking up 10 million subscribers in its first 24 hours.

“Nickelodeon’s next step forward is to keep expanding beyond linear platforms, and our broader content partnership with Netflix is a key path toward that goal,” says Brian Robbins, president, Nickelodeon.

Take that, Paddington!

Singer-songwriter Gary Barlow will write and perform the theme song for The Adventures of Paddington, a brandnew pre-school series based on the famous bear.

The former Take That frontman will lend his famous pipes to the new song, titled Paddington Bear, which will play during each episode of the all-new CGanimated series, coming to screens next year on Nick Jr. Airing in March 2020, The Adventures of Paddington centres on a younger Paddington as he writes letters to Aunt Lucy celebrating the new things he has discovered through the day’s exciting activities.

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Jazwares to distribute FGTeeV toys Jazwares has inked a deal to distribute the FGTeeV toy line from Bonkers Toys.

The toys are based on the popular YouTube channel, which has 18+ million subscribers and 17 billion views to date.

At the heart of the FGTeeV brand, the FV Family’s The hero item in energy and enthusiasm the range is the is truly contagious. Video FGTeeV Giant games and original TeeV, packed characters come to life as full of figures, Duddy and the kids perform collectables silly skits and entertain with and exclusive custom music videos. accessories.

Toy sales have had a very strong start in the US and product should have reached the shelves of UK toy specialists last month, and the mass market in January 2020.

The FGTeeV family includes Duddy, the kids, and the whole cast of animated characters featured on their channels. FUNnel Boy, Derpy Bacon, Meggz, Postal Jenkins, and many others have been brought to life with the new range of collectibles, squishies and posable figures.

Did you know?

Generation Media hosts 2019 conference Generation Media’s 2019 conference Big Screen, Little Screen provided a morning of education, entertainment and inspiration for its audience.

The TnP columnist and media agency took over Leicester Square’s Big Screen at Vue cinemas. The event welcomed marketing professionals from across a host of industries who are looking to communicate effectively with children through a multi-screen strategy, ! from mobile to cinema and The event raised over everything in between. £2,500 in admission CEO Dean Weller kicked off sales for BTHA Toy Trust. the day with a quote that rang true across the presentations to follow: “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.”

This was followed by a range of bitesize presentations into kids’ media consumption from a number of different standpoints, but with one emphatic message – plus ça change.

Fact

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LICENSING

NEWS

Licensing boost for Nuremberg New features and extended panel sessions at Nuremberg Toy Fair 2020 will place a greater emphasis on licensed toys and the role these properties play in boosting toy sales.

From lifestyle products to dolls and from cuddly toys to back-to-school, stationery and crafts, international exhibitors across all 12 product groups will present a wide array of licensed products.

Licensing International will also be on hand to offer valuable advice in Hall 12.0, and members of the association will present their latest highlights to an exclusive circle of visitors at LicensePreview.

Participants include NBC Universal, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, and WildBrain CPLG representing Sony Pictures and Sanrio.

Experts at the Toy Business Forum in Hall 3A will shed light on the latest licensing themes from 10.30 to 11.30am, Wednesday to Saturday.

The cat’s whiskers Siso Toys UK brings to the UK market a series of licensed toys for fans of Rainbow’s hit pre-school animated show 44 Cats. Having premiered on Nick Jr. earlier this year, ranking as the third most popular show across all Nick stations, 44 Cats has since been premiered on Pop and it will come to Netflix this month.

Sure to be a success in the range is a collection of 3in figures – each of which come with a character-specific accessory. Lampo, the lead singer and top cat of the 44 Cats, comes with his guitar. Meatball, the show’s loveable, food-mad cat comes with his piano. Launching in February 2020, there are eight figures to collect in the first wave.

The 44 Cats also have superpowers and the twin pack figures have a colour-change feature that shows the The 44 Cats superpowers of each cat. In the Lampo also have and Pilou twin pack, Lampo’s whiskers superpowers change colour if he is heading on the and the twin right path and Pilou’s eyes change pack figures colour so she can hypnotise bad guys. have a colourIn the Meatball and Milady twin pack, change feature Meatball’s belly changes colour if he’s that shows the hungry to warn him of danger and superpowers of Milady’s whiskers turn pink if someone each cat. is telling a lie.

Did you know?

DECEMBER 2019

Pokémon toys share game launch date For the first time, Pokémon toys launched alongside the latest title in the long-running video game series, rather than weeks or months later.

The new Fans were able to buy plush toys of the games’ Pokémon new first partner Pokémon on the day the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games launched for toys include Nintendo Switch.

Grookey, Plush versions of the new Pokémon – Grookey, Scorbunny Scorbunny and Sobble – were available at selected and Sobble. retailers in the UK, France and Germany on 15 November.

Manufactured by master toy partner Wicked Cool Toys, the 8in plush are distributed in the UK by Character Options and are found exclusively at Smyths Toys Superstores, promoted on special freestanding display units for the video games and plush.

Fact!

Penguin picks up The World of Eric Carle PJ Masks park set for debut The first PJ Masks City theme park area is set to open in Italy in 2020.

EOne has signed a multi-year deal with Leolandia, Italy’s leading theme park destination.

The themed area will include rides, restaurants and shops, as well as the chance for fans to immerse themselves in the PJ Masks world by visiting favourite locations, meeting their heroes and re-enacting adventures. The development promises special effects and cutting-edge technology, designed to make the experience fully immersive.

Penguin Random House has acquired Eric Carle LLC, the IP owner of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and more than 70 other books from the author.

The deal includes publishing rights to all Carle’s works, as well as the substantial licensing business that has grown up around them.

The deal is expected to be complete in January 2020.

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RETAIL

NEWS

“With the return of Toys R Us stores in the US, we are bringing a highly engaging, experience-driven retail destination that celebrates play and deepens the connection between the world’s best toy, play, and entertainment brands and customers”

Toys R Us returns with ‘immersive experience’ Toys R Us CEO Richard Barry

Toys R Us has risen from the ashes with the opening of a brand-new retail store, the first since the chain shut down its remaining US retail locations last summer.

The new store in New Jersey – close to parent company Tru Kids’ headquarters – promises to do away with the warehouse-style feel of old, instead welcoming consumers to “an immersive modern shopping experience”.

New features include an interactive ‘magical mirror’ that lets kids play with a virtual facsimile of Geoffrey, the Toys R Us mascot. A number of toy companies have dedicated areas; kids can trial Hasbro’s latest Nerf blasters, put their creativity to the test with LEGO interactive play tables, or head to Spin Master’s 4ft PAW Patrol lookout tower.

Flashy technology aside, Toys R Us CEO Richard Barry told reporters that the best bits of “good old analogue” Toys R Us will return in this new era. There will be trained in-store staff called ‘Play Pro’s’ to give advice, demonstrations of the latest playthings, and the magic ingredient that makes bricks-and-mortar retail so important to the toy industry: “Take the products out of the boxes and kids will be able to get their hands on them.”

Other toy brands partnering with Tru Kids on the new store include Schleich, Nintendo, Melissa and Doug, VTech and LeapFrog, and Cra-Z-Art. At the core of the store is a space called the Play-ARound Theatre, where visitors can learn about more than 40 brands carried in-store.

The second planned Toys R Us store opens at The Galleria, a Simon Mall in Houston, Texas this month.

Wicked Uncle goes Underground Last month saw online gift and toy retailer Wicked Uncle unveil its biggest-ever advertising campaign to date.

Launched across trains on London’s Tube, the ads are targeted at commuters and feature three of the retailer’s bestsellers - Quizzie by Mookie, Golden Bear’s Smart Ball and Marvin’s Magic’s Glow Art (Marvin’s Magic). Stinky Pig from University Games also appears.

A test campaign is also running on the Glasgow Metro.

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The Entertainer opens two 172 number more stores The of The The Entertainer opened its ninth store Entertainer of 2019 in the Cheshire town of stores in Macclesfield. the UK The 3,608 sq.ft location in The once the Grosvenor Centre flung opern its doors Bath store with a grand opening. LEGO Batman opens. made a special appearance and there was balloon modelling, in-store demos, giveaways and competitions.

Meanwhile, in Bath, Christmas shoppers will be able to grab some last-minute deals at The Entertainer, which opens its newest store on 14 December, just 10 days before the big day.

The Entertainer Bath, will open be located at 1 New Orchard St, a 3,686 sq.ft location.

At the end of January, The Entertainer will host an official opening party with special offers, in-store demonstrations and visits from some of kids’ favourite characters, including The Entertainer’s very own mascot Jack.

John Lewis ditches plastic bags John Lewis is pioneering a scheme to ditch plastic bags in its Oxford store.

It’s the first department store looking to do away with plastic entirely, piloting a new sustainability scheme. The trial will see the store remove its 5p plastic bags and encourage shoppers to bring their own or buy a reusable bag instead.

The Oxford store will also trial a reusable click-andcollect bag made from recycled materials; replace bubble wrap with new recyclable packaging; offer Eco-home deliveries; and recycle unwanted hangers from any brand or retailer.

Other schemes include a scheme to recycle beauty product packaging and Fashion BuyBack.

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Mamas & Papas closes stores Mamas & Papas has closed six stores and made more than 70 staff redundant after falling into administration just days after its high street rival Mothercare went under.

But the nursery chain will avoid calling in administrators after being sold off in a pre-pack deal to Bluegem Capital, the private equity firm that has owned the retailer since 2014.

Through the pre-pack agreement, Bluegem will be able to shed some of its financial liabilities, such as the six stores it will close in Milton Keynes, Aberdeen, Preston, Lincoln, Leamington and Fareham.

Twenty-one stores will remain open, though bosses say the 54 jobs at Huddersfield HQ will be put under review.

Fact!

Mothercare has ceased trading completely in the UK, shutting its entire bricks and mortar estate in phased closures and ending its online business. A skeleton crew will be kept on to run Mothercare’s international business, which has around 1,000 franchises and is still a profitable business.

Lids reveals big plans Discount grocer Lidl is making big expansion plans in its bid to take on the UK’s Big 4 supermarkets.

Chief executive UK Christian Hartnagel has told The Times that he intends to open another 230 stores over the next three years. This would bring the total of Lidl stores in the UK to 1000.

In the past, Lidl had claimed it planned to open between 50 and 60 stores a year.

And while it had in the past looked at places where land was cheap, it now is focusing on more expensive areas such as the southeast and London It has already secured a site in London’s Tottenham Court Road, with more London stores in the pipeline.

Funko head to Hollywood

Did you know?

Funko has opened its second bricks-andThe lighting in store mortar store, this time in Hollywood. is strategically The new store is twice the size of the placed for 17,000-foot flagship store, which is situated customers to take near the company’s headquarters in Everett, the optimum selfie, and a VIP area for Washington. Also in the pipeline is a exclusive launches partnership with Warner Bros. for the and events has first-ever animated film featuring Funko’s been hidden behind pop-culture figures, which include several a TARDIS. Warner IPs including Harry Potter’s Wizarding World and the DC Universe. Both IPs, plus a host of further cinematic properties, have their own space in the store, alongside Funko’s extensive range of anime, sports, music, gaming and pop culture franchises.

DECEMBER 2019

FAO Sch-nooze FAO Schwarz is opening a one-of-akind hotel suite at Guests will be taken on a the Conrad New guided tour of the New York Midtown, offering lucky guests York store’s interactive a chance to play experiences by one of with a selection of FAO’s iconic claret-suited toys in their room toy soldiers. and go on a VIP toy shopping spree.

The 1,800 sq.ft, one-bedroom suite comes ‘dripping in top-to-bottom plush, nutcrackers, trains, dolls, toys, musical instruments and more’ from the New York toy emporium.

Everything in the room can be ordered, with purchases delivered to guests’ homes. And those who stay at the suite between 18 November and 5 January will also be treated to a VIP shopping experience at FAO Schwarz’s New York store.

Guests will be invited down to the nearby Rockefeller Centre for a personal shopping spree with no one else in the stores. A $100 gift card will help guests get their shopping off to a start.

Guess what…

B&M calls time on German business The discounter’s profits before tax dropped by a massive 70.5 per cent in the first half of the year, thanks to a £59.5 million impairment charge from its German business Jawoll.

B&M Chief executive Simon Arora said it would be back to the drawing board for the retailer to work out what to do with the European business.

“The performance of Jawoll has continued to be impacted by trading and operational issues and its financial performance remains disappointing,” he said.

“The board is carrying out a strategic review of Jawoll in order to determine its future.”

However, business looks bright for the UK operation in the busy Christmas period.

“We are well placed for the golden quarter in our main B&M UK stores business,” said Simon.

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London’s calling As Toy Fair 2020 draws ever-closer, TnP caught up with exhibitors to learn what they’re excited about showcasing and how best to tackle the London toy spectacular Roger Martin, MD, Coiledspring Games What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

Each show we are always excited about the new lines that we are bringing out. The Mind, from NSV, took the industry by storm and has sold over one million copies worldwide.

We’re delighted to be launching The Mind Extreme at Toy Fair 2020,

Ben Smith, GM UK and Ireland, Kids@Play What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

Kids@Play are looking forward to showcasing the new Cabbage Patch Kids products from Wicked Cool Toys, which have been extremely well received in the US since launch in 2019. We have already been getting enquiries about the product range!

What are you hoping to achieve at the show?

Catching up with the rest of the industry; we love to network with our retailer partners and fellow manufacturers and distributors. Also, securing AW listings with the national retailers, which will allow us to invest in domestic product ranges that work well for our independent retailers.

Sarah Dayus, National Account and Marketing Manager, Great Gizmos

which takes telepathy to the next level! There will of course be a few surprises at the show, so keep your eyes peeled!

What are you hoping to achieve at the show?

We say The Mind is more than just a game, it’s an experience, and that’s true of Toy Fair: it’s more than just a show. Toy Fair allows us to showcase our range to new and existing customers, as well as the media.

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Simon Tomlinson, Head of Marketing EMEA, Learning Resources What are you hoping to achieve at Toy Fair 2020?

London Toy Fair is a highlight on Learning Resources’ annual marketing calendar. It’s our chance to showcase our new products to key buyers and decision makers in the UK toy retail market. We also enjoy the opportunity to meet and interact with the UK toy and tech media who attend. Our objective for 2020 is to present our new product launches and build on our strong trade relationships.

What are you most excited about previewing at Toy Fair 2020?

I am really looking forward to unveiling our new Green Science range as the new products and packaging are fun and vibrant. Customers are becoming more and more aware about looking after the environment, so I think this range will be very popular for 2020.

What do you love about Toy Fair?

The fair has a great ople are atmosphere and pe be there genuinely excited to e case! th s - which isn’t alway

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Anthony Temple, MD, Rainbow Designs What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

As the Home of Classic Characters, we have some much-loved new character ranges and line extensions launching in 2020. We will be distributing a new Paddington TV series product range from US toy partner Phat Mojo, new toy formats in line with the launch of the much-awaited Peter Rabbit 2 Movie and, launching at Toy Fair, is the Dreamworks Animation TV Spirit Riding Free Collection.

We are looking forward to a having a busy stand!

What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

Next year will see us launch our Jada collection of die-cast across Fast & Furious, Batman, Stranger Things and more. Within pre-school we have the all-new 44 Cats range launching in February, comprised of figures, playsets and plush. The show is on Nick Jr, Pop, Netflix and YouTube, and is ranking among their top shows.

What is your company’s biggest achievement?

We’ve had a number of achievements, but a stand out is that after we took over the distribution of Masha, the brand is up 40 per cent YTD, according to NPD.

Phil Ratcliffe, Sales and Marketing Director, MV Sports What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

We are launching new additions to the majority all our licenses/brands and unveiling new ones such as Frozen 2, Trolls, Minions and Ricky Zoom.

We are also excited to be unveiling our new UMove, Stunted, Wired and Kickmaster ranges.

Mayur Pattni, UK Marketing Manager, Siso Toys UK

Jamie Dickinson, Marketing Manager, Playmobil

What advice would you give first-time exhibitors?

Be proud of what you have achieved, celebrate it with your team and enjoy the experience.

What is your company’s biggest achievement?

Bring consistently relevant and profitable over the long term, working with a great team of people. We may not be the UK’s most high-profile toy company, but we often win awards from both customers and licensors, which is great for everyone at MV to realise that their efforts have been appreciated. In the last year or so we have been recognised by Halfords, Disney and Nickelodeon, which suggests that we are doing something right.

Mark Jones, Head of Sales, University Games What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

We will be launching a whole host of exciting new games and puzzles for 2020 at Toy Fair this year. With more than 70 new products including some very exciting licences!

As football fever returns for the Euros this summer, University Games will launch the new England Subbuteo Game, which will be supported with TV and social media campaigns during Euro 2020.

A new licence and range addition to our preschool portfolio this year is the renowned In the Night Garden, bringing a double-sided board game and variety of puzzle formats.

What products are you launching at Toy Fair 2020?

We’re set to unveil more than 30 new themes for 2020, alongside licensed ranges: Scooby-Doo and Back to the Future. We will also be showcasing our brand-new theme concepts, Knights of Novelmore and EverDreamerz.

What are you hoping to achieve at the show?

We look forward to showcasing our new 2020 ranges and continuing our evolution as an entertainment brand. This year we have been growing our properties through YouTube and television, working with some of the biggest studios and agencies in the world.

Did you know?

Playmobil has exhibited at Toy Fair for 37 years!

19

as ber 9 ober to

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT SISO TOYS UK

Building on success Toys ‘n’ Playthings travelled to the Siso Toys UK office to speak with the company’s MD Martin Whitaker and UK Marketing Manager Mayur Pattni about its comprehensive, marketing-led offering as the company prepares for a second year of successful trading How far have you come since Siso Toys UK was established?

In just over a year, Siso Toys UK has grown to be a dedicated team of six. We bring to the table a vast amount of expertise from within the toy sector, as well as extensive knowledge of best practice in other sectors, allowing us to deliver the best results.

What is the focus for Siso Toys UK? In terms of our direction, we’re a marketing-led organisation, with a strong focus on licensing.

One of the main reasons why Siso Toys was founded was to secure the licences that Simba were getting in mainland Europe in the UK. Changing things up to get a different dynamic has allowed us to approach licensors with more authority and we’re now in a strong position when you step back and look at the relationships we have built with licensors in the UK. Tell us about your portfolio.

Siso Toys UK was recently named the UK partner for Disney’s massive plush range, which will be distributed from April 2020.

This follows a strong performance at retail from Siso’s collection of Toy Story 4 RC in 2019. Siso Toys UK is the master toy partner for Masha and the Bear. And to grow its footprint in pre-school Siso is also the master toy partner for 44 Cats in the UK.

Following the acquisition of Jada Toys by Simba, Siso has been distributing a range of Ryan’s World and Hello Kitty toys. This acquisition has also enabled us to offer a high-quality selection of collectable diecast model cars, alongside our premium die-cast IP Majorette, which Simba has owned for 10 years.

Beyond this, Siso is distributing Simba’s luxury brand Corolle. The softbodied dolls and accessories encourage children to be creative and use their imagination.

Siso will also be entering the infant market in Q1 2020, with the launch of Simba’s ABC infant range, which aims to deliver strong margin to retailers for great quality infant items.

“

What has been your approach to bringing products to market?

We had a three-step plan.

The first step was to get into retailers who specialised in toys – the independent stores and online. We’ve built substantial business with these accounts.

We have a good relationship with Toymaster – we’re working with more than 60 Toymaster accounts now. In terms of the targets we gave ourselves with retailers, I’m pleased to say we

Our current top retailers are Argos, Smyths, Shop Direct, The Entertainer and Amazon.

These accounts probably account for around 80 per cent of our business and with Toymaster it’s about 90 per cent

”

have overdelivered on all of these.

The next stage was to go into the grocers and the likes of Boots. The acquisition of Jada Toys, with the die-cast and RC, gives us an extra string to our bow, which opens doors for us in the grocery market, as well as some other areas of the retail market. The pop culture products lend themselves well to that impulse purchase.

Our current top retailers are Argos, Smyths, Shop Direct, The Entertainer and Amazon. These accounts make up around 80 per cent of our business – with Toymaster it’s about 90 per cent.

This gives us a good base to build on and grow the business.

The last step is to take the products outside of where the traditional toy lies.

Did you know?

Simba Dickie Group UK was ranked the number nine supplier for October 2019 according to NPD data.

Fact!

According to NPD, the Masha and the Bear brand is up 37 per cent YTD. 20

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Siso Toys UK’s portfolio Disney Plush Having signed a licensing agreement with Disney to distribute a massive collection of Disney plush, Siso Toys UK will distribute Disney’s expansive range of plush, which includes all of Disney’s properties including Frozen II, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Dumbo, Lion King, Minnie, Mickey, Disney Classics, Disney Princesses, and more.

44 Cats In Q1 2020, Siso will introduce its 44 Cats line-up.

This will include figures and accessories, collectables, playsets, plush, musical plush, role play and vehicles.

Masha and the Bear As master toy partner for Masha and the Bear, Siso will offer an extended Masha range for 2020. Adding to a line-up that includes dolls, plush and playsets, expect to see more interactive plush, dolls and unboxing for 2020.

Toy Story 4 Siso’s collection of Toy Story 4 RC will continue to be available to retailers in 2020.

Majorette This premium die-cast brand dates back to 1961 and offers great functionality. The brand follows the trends and is grounded in the real world.

Jada Toys From Jada, Siso offers an array of best-selling licensed die-cast collectables, RC vehicles and pre-school toys. Also available is Jada’s Ryan’s World mini cars and action vehicles, and new Hello Kitty plush and stretch slime.

Corolle Owned by Simba, Corolle just turned 40.

The premium French brand offers soft-bodied dolls, baby dolls, fashion and accessories.

ABC Infant range In Q1 2020, Siso will introduce the ABC infant range. The range aims to deliver strong margin to retailers for quality infant items. The range includes teethers, rattles, shape sorters and interactive toys.

Toy Fair stand number: E135

DECEMBER 2019

21

RETAIL

ARNOTTS, FAO SCHWARZ

Return to w In October, the iconic toy retailer FAO Schwarz opened its fourth flagship store in Arnotts, Dublin’s largest and oldest department store. TnP caught up with Jenny Erwin, Children’s Buyer at Arnotts, to find out more about this exciting addition and to learn how the company creates a unique experience at retail for its customers on 30 October, making the Dublin Can you give a brief history of location the fourth flagship store in Arnotts, its ethos, and what it aims the world, following on from to deliver as a retail destination? the openings of New York, Arnotts has been synonymous The and London. with Dublin since 1843. We whole ethos of Beijing The opening was a great pride ourselves on being FAO Schwarz success, with thousands a family department store is constant of people coming through with over 250,000 sq ft of entertainment the doors of Arnotts to retail space. Arnotts offers a unique shopping experience to and interaction visit the store on its first day of trading. We ran a customers, stocking more than competition to be one of the 700 international brands and Hasbro first 100 people to get into 100 craft brands, with a team of the store. In the morning, more than 1,000 team members we had a performance on who are passionate in their roles the street with toy soldiers within the business, and excited dancing and singing, and about the future of the Arnotts then at 10am, we opened brand. In 2015, Arnotts was the doors and led our acquired by the Weston family, lucky first customers to becoming the newest member the FAO department. There of the Selfridges Group. was a great buzz around the store that day and this buzz Tell us about your launch event has continued ever since. of FAO Schwarz.

The opening of the iconic toy What will FAO bring retailer FAO Schwarz took place to Arnotts?

The FAO Schwarz tag line is “Return to Wonder”. Our new space evokes an emotional reaction in our customers. There In 2015, Arnotts was acquired by the Weston is a surprise and delight element family, becoming the newest member of to everyone’s visit allowing the Selfridges Group. adults the chance to feel like

“

”

Did you know?

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a child again. Whether it’s the instagrammable moments with our giant plush bears and unicorns, a photo op with our toy soldiers, or having a turn on the giant piano, everyone’s visit will be memorable.

We held auditions in a local theatre to find our FAO Schwarz team members. This has resulted in energetic enthusiastic performances from the team every day. The team is key to the success of the department; we need them to bring the theatre to life.

FAO Schwarz has brought exclusive and unique interactive experiences to Arnotts. There’s something to keep all visitors entertained. You can design your own RC car, choosing each part and component with our mechanic at the Build Your Own Race Car station, and you can also meet our nurse and bring home a new baby doll from the bespoke Baby Doll Adoption Centre, complete with an adoption certificate. And we will continue to add new experiences over the next few years.

Will there be any other toy stores within Arnotts?

FAO Schwarz will be the only toy store at Arnotts.

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wonder

Fact!

How have your toy and game sales fared this year? Have you faced any particular challenges?

2019 was all about bringing the world-famous FAO Schwarz brand to Arnotts. As a team, we worked on all aspects of design, customer experience, product and team building, ensuring we were ready for our exciting launch on 30 October.

Customer reaction has been amazing to date, and we are very excited about adding this iconic brand to Arnotts – just in time for Christmas!

Which major toy suppliers do you work with, and what are your bestselling lines?

FAO Schwarz is our biggest supplier; FAO products account for 50 per cent of the stock offering.

The best-selling lines are the plush FAO bears, the motorised train set, the wooden building blocks, and the dance piano mat. Discover and Sharper Image products also fall under this category.

At Arnotts, we have been big supporters of STEM learning for the past few years; it is great to be able to work with a brand like Discovery. We see huge value in being able to offer great products such as build your own solar engine, science rocket kits,

DECEMBER 2019

Dublin is the fourth flagship FAO Schwarz store in the world.

and one of our best-selling items – the 4D anatomy dinosaur. Discovery is developing apps to accompany these toys which will encourage further learning and extend their play value. From Sharper Image, the RC cars have been a great success, with the

latter two brands selling particularly well online.

“

Character Options Our new space evokes an emotional reaction in our customers; there is a surprise and delight element to everyone’s visit allowing the adults the chance to feel like a child again

tumbler and the jumping car currently top sellers.

We also work with key toy brands including LEGO, Mattel, Hasbro, Playmobil, Schleich, Ravensburger, Brio, Djeco, and Le Toy Van. We have had a great reaction across all of the brands, with demand for LEGO high, as well as Frozen products from all suppliers. Sales in Barbie, Peppa Pig and Ravensburger jigsaws have also been strong, with the

tonies

”

Have you got any major kids/ family events planned in the run-up to Christmas?

The whole ethos of FAO Schwarz is constant entertainment and interaction so every day we will have our toy soldiers in the department; we will have our staff and customers dancing on the giant piano; carrying out experiments in the Discovery area and helping visitors design their own race cars in the Build Your Own Race car area.

Christmas is a key period for Arnotts, so after the arrival of Santa to Arnotts on Sunday 17 November, we will have a host of entertainment for children and adults to enjoy across the entire store.

The Arnotts Postal Parade is back by popular demand and will take place every Saturday and Sunday in December, as well as 23 December and Christmas Eve. The Parade will run on the hour, every hour, from 12-3pm, delivering wonder for everyone to enjoy. A brass 23

RETAIL

ARNOTTS, FAO SCHWARZ

250,000+ sq ft The of amount of retail space in the department store. band will accompany some of Santa’s hardworking elves and toy soldiers, as they march through the store. As they pass by Santa’s special post boxes they will collect the letters for Santa, who will be busy meeting all the boys and girls at his grotto before Christmas Eve. Each weekend on the runThe team up to Christmas, visitors to is key to the Arnotts will also be treated success of the to some in-store musical department; performances from children’s we need them choirs and dance troups, as to bring the well as a special storytelling session with Ryan Tubridy in theatre to life December. The Childrenswear Department will also see a number of workshops take place, from making personalised baubles to creating modelling clay ornaments.

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What do you think will be your biggest sellers this festive season, and why?

For us it will be FAO Schwarz products, which are only available in Arnotts. They are fabulous traditional products such as train sets, building blocks, teas sets, Jack in the Box and spinning tops. FAO Plush will also be strong; the soldier bears and bear in the bag are the most popular plush Ravensburger products at present.

STEM learning is more popular than ever, so creative and thoughtprovoking toys from Discovery and Sharper Image will be in high demand.

Ahead of the release of Frozen II, we have created a dedicated area for Frozen products. So far, demand has been strong, so this can only get stronger.

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LEGO is always popular with our customers and we have a great LEGO area in the department, offering Lego for all ages.

In our Schleich area we have a fantastic interactive 3D table, where you can walk a dinosaur through the jungle until you meet another dinosaur – customers can then battle their dinosaur! This is great fun for our customers and is having a positive effect on Schleich sales.

Board games are also very popular in Ireland, so we expect these to pick up considerably in the run-up to Christmas. As the Hasbro games are made in Waterford it is great that we are able to support fellow Irish businesses.

Is a toy buyer from Arnotts planning to attend any of the upcoming trade shows?

At the moment we are planning to visit Spielwarenmesse, London Toy Fair and the New York Toy Fair.

department alive and interactive throughout the entire year. We will be working with our brands to ensure we have a full marketing calendar which will provide us with exciting events and workshops to entertain and stimulate our customers. We also plan to develop the Discovery and Sharper Image product offering, as the initial reaction to these products has been very strong. And we are keen to work with our key brands to continue to bring unique experiences to the department.

Anything else you’d like to add?

With the introduction of FAO Schwarz to Arnotts we can really start to ramp up the customer experience. We have had a 1:1 full-size McLaren Lego car in the store, which got a fantastic reaction from both small and big kids. Being part of the FAO Schwarz family means we can all work together to continue to offer our customers unique experiences and products. We will work closely with the teams in New York and London to make sure we keep the department relevant, exciting and stimulating for all of our customers.

What do you see as the big opportunities in Q1 and beyond?

With FAO Schwarz, we have the opportunity to keep the toy

Mattel

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MEDIA

ANALYSIS

Late Christmas T

he clocks have gone back, the dark, cold And what of Christmas toy advertising? Smyths – evenings are upon us, and Christmas arguably the John Lewis equivalent in the toys and advertising has begun to fill the nation’s games market – has also launched its 2019 Christmas hearts ... campaign. The ad is again led by Oscar, who has At least, that’s how the story used to go! Instead, been somewhat of a celebrity on our screens since this year, we find retail treading far more cautiously, 2016. However, when Oscar first appeared, he did waiting to react to consumer moods, rather than so as early as the 24 September. In 2019, Smyths attempting to stimulate spending. revealed its latest ad, with the “If I Were A Toy” Now, this is nothing new. Retailers and consumer melody, online during the week commencing 4 brands have been deploying their Christmas November. And Smyths is not alone in following this campaigns later and later each year in order to trend in the toy market. Take The Entertainer, which match consumer behaviours. With only launched its tactical sponsorship improved online shopping experiences, messaging during the Junior Bake Off, plus ease of delivery, savvy consumers which aired in the same week.

Retailers are well versed in waiting until Black This trend has been inspired by a and consumer Friday to see if there is a chance the multitude of factors, not least consumer brands items on their children’s wish lists fall behaviour. The improvement in online into the sales. And, of course, there shopping experiences coupled with have been are a number of other factors affecting faster delivery turnarounds has deploying spending habits this year – not to encouraged later purchasing. So, should their mention the Brexit flextension that is we really be surprised that retailers have Christmas upon the nation and the fact that the delayed campaign deployment to match UK is in the midst of preparing for a consumer sentiment? Nonetheless, the campaigns general election. continuation of this trend may promote later and later The delay in traditional Christmas a dangerous cycle of reduced footfall each year in advertising, has also partially been and a shortened sales window. It also affected by the growing emphasis order to match forgets the potentially transformative placed on Hallowe'en, as stores chase power of advertising to reinvigorate the consumer an additional increase in sales – market and bring Christmas forward in behaviours something that has long been enjoyed the eyes of many. by the US. As an example, Asda this And our data on advertising year deployed 528 Housekeepers with Children illustrated that many traditional toys and games TVRs in using specific Halloween copy, a six per advertisers were reducing their advertising spend cent increase on 2018’s campaign. in the October half-term week. This is noteworthy, With most UK retailers experiencing declines as historically the October half-term week is one in sales YoY, it is unlikely that total ad spend will of the most sought-after weeks for advertising increase. As a consequence, there is a smaller ad in the year, as this is often when children across budget left in reserve for Christmas, which has the nation begin to compile Christmas wish lists. implications not only for the weight of activity.

In spite of continual declines in viewing to kids’ Let’s take John Lewis as a case study. Long commercial channels, we saw a total of 220 TV heralded as the sovereign of the Christmas advert, campaigns deployed in the week commencing 28 the retailer has been deploying its campaigns October. This illustrates that while brands still later and later each year. 2015’s iconic Man on the value the importance of TV at this time, this Moon creative began teasing as early as the week is fewer than last year, when 274 campaigns commencing 26 October. The 2019 ad landed on were reported in 2018’s October half-term 14 November – three weeks later than the same week. Of course, there's a multitude of campaign five years ago. factors at play, so whether or not this is a strategic move by advertisers to build potential bigger, later The number of TV campaigns, is something that is yet to campaigns deployed be seen.

To receive regular AV updates on the during the October landscape, please get in touch with the half-term week this year.

Generation Media team.

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Alex TaylorSmith of Generation Media looks at why traditional toys and games retailers and consumer brands are deploying their Christmas campaigns later and later each year

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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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THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Brexit? Forget about it!

This month the indie is feeling nostalgic for what has been a smashing year all told, despite Brexit, and a good reminder that sticking to your guns is often the best course of action

Best-sellers

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We have stuck to our guns: not being ignorant of the issues of Brexit, but not spending time guessing and discussing what may happen

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focus this year. But I am not even remotely phased by that at this present moment in time.

For me, this year is summarised by a decision that I made at the start of the year, when Brexit was looming at the end of March, and I decided to solely focus on what I was in control of. This was kick-started by a lot of pre-Brexit talk, and an Instagram post of a Venn diagram that VOLUME: simplified thoughts on what you should 1) Fart Ninjas – Funrise focus on. One side 2) Hot Wheels Singles – Mattel of the diagram was 3) L.O.L. Surprise Glitter Globes – MGA made up with Important Things. The other side VALUE: was Things You Can 1) L.O.L. Surprise Glitter Globe – MGA Control. And the small 2) Fart Ninjas – Funrise area – the section where 3) Ryan’s World Mystery Egg Playset - Vivid both circles crossed – asn’t this been a funny auld year? I know every year has its own unique moments, and we tend to summarise them by their most interesting (good or bad) memories. For everyone in the UK and Ireland, you would think that Brexit and the mess that we are currently in would be the big

constituted What You Should Focus On. This particularly hit home with me as we had just come off the back of a good year, but everyone who I spoke with was all doom and gloom about the future.

As a team, my store managers and I decided that we were only going to focus on the important things that were within our control. It has paid dividends for us in terms of our sales, our margin, our range, and – most importantly– buying into our deals and passing on our promotional pricing to keep us semicompetitive against the madness of the majors.

I have also found this year, that even though we still have the most critical four weeks to go, people are buying more

THE SECRET SUPPLIER

It’s not over 'til the fat lady sings!

More casualties on the high street and low consumer confidence makes 2019 a forgettable year for the Secret Supplier – but, at last, it seems the indies are making headway

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ot so long ago, when Toys “R” Us was part of the UK toy retail scene, the much-missed Phil Shayer, who was MD of TRU UK, would come back to the question, How is everything going?, with the response: ‘The fat lady has not sung yet’. This

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would indicate that there was plenty more business to come before the year finally ended!

This year, for many suppliers and retailers, there is considerable doubt that the fat lady will actually sing at all!

With the current economic turmoil that has seen much-

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Hasbro

Character Options

DECEMBER 2019

loved brand name retailers shuttering their multiple high street locations, the miserable NPD figures indicate the level of pain that supplier and retailer alike have had to endure.

The fact is that our politicians seem completely unaware of the economic damage caused by constant political conflict, which does so much to undermine consumer confidence.

But surely someone other than MGA must have had a good year?

Well it looks as though The Independent has

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Sales tend to be trending back towards imaginative play

Spin Master

Funrise

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It is to be hoped that, at last, most independents have equally shared in the unexpected change in retail fortune

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We have stuck to our guns: not being ignorant of the issues of Brexit, but not spending time guessing and discussing what may happen. I am currently in good growth versus 2018, and this is set to continue right through to the end of the year. We will be in a healthy position of profit for the current year, with good stocks of the products we want on shelf running into early 2020.

One thing that we put more effort into this year than ever before is Black Friday – or should I say ‘Black secondlast Monday of November right through until the last Monday of November’? This has worked well for us, and even though it is a bit of a farce in terms of the overall promotion, our customers seemed to relish walking into store and getting a few timed super deals that they felt were worth the trip into our stores.

To be honest, it makes me kick myself a bit; in the past I have been so against this kind of promotion that

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volume of lowerpriced items, instead of focusing on the big-box item. The only brand that goes against this trend is the L.O.L. Glamper Van or Winter Chalet – still dumbfounding my original thoughts on sales volumes.

This has worked really well for us. It is a lot easier for me to knock £10 off an item to secure a sale with a customer than dropping £30 off a higher ticket line. Also, my business is very much a pocket money business, with a huge focus on day-to-day sales of collectables and the like.

Getting behind products such as Owleez, Nerf Fortnite, Ryan's World Surprise Safe, and GooJit-Zu, is much better for me than big £100-plus items that we find difficult to display, never mind buy into heavily.

We are also very happy that the sales tend to be trending back towards imaginative play.

Ranges such as L.O.L., Barbie, Fart Ninjas, and Rainbocorns are doing great business for us – and all capturing kids’ imaginations with nothing more than good, fun play patterns.

we have avoided it, but I can see its benefit across the board. It helps me target lines that need a bit of a push to get shifting, and also gives our customers the gratification of picking up a big box toys at a great price, so a win-win for all. It is something that we will most certainly be driving in years to come, but I think we will always use it as a tool to shift current stocks, as opposed to buying in specific items for the event.

Good luck with your selling over the next few weeks. Enjoy the madness – and enjoy a relaxing Christmas!

bucked the trend and it is to be hoped that, at last, most independents have equally shared in the unexpected change in retail fortune.

In this month’s article, The Independent highlights his astuteness in deciding and managing his buying decisions. What I find interesting is that our friend is now acting like a high street multiple whose pricing he once was so critical of.

There is no doubt that he has learnt and is applying pricing strategies that make sure that the fat lady will sing very soon for him. So good luck to him and all of us who make our living from this precarious industry!

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RETAIL

OPINION

A bite of the Big Apple John Ryan turns his attention to the European expansion of the iconic toy brand – FAO Schwarz

brands including Playmobil, LEGO, Steiff, Schleich and Build-a-Bear, there will be lots of familiar items available for customers to add to their baskets.

But in order to really determine the success of this retail venture, we need to consider the competition. And with FAO Schwarz’s location on Oxford Street, we’ve got to acknowledge the big competitors that are within walking distance. However, we also know that Oxford Street attracts a very high volume of shoppers, who s a shop-in-shop, it could easily be argued that have headed to this shopping destination, specifically to there isn’t a better retailer for the spend their hard-earned cash. Nonetheless, brand to appear within. After all, with the likes of Hamleys, John Lewis, the Intercontinental Group of Department Debenhams, and more just around the Many who Stores has named Selfridges the world’s best FAO will need to do what it does step through the corner, department store four times. And many of so well across the pond to keep customers doors of Selfridges customers will have previously been coming back time and time again. to New York and may well have set foot in the I would think that the toughest Selfridges will iconic FAO Schwarz store, which is just down competition for FAO will be Hamleys, as it know what the from Central Park on Fifth Avenue – before the not only operates on street level, and on all retailer went bust and when it was still owned floors that follow, but it also has a similar retail brand

by Toys “R” Us. For those who have recently ethos of making every customer’s visit an represents and travelled to the Big Apple, the chances are also exciting, awe-inspiring experience, with will approach the demonstrators, people dressed as bears or pretty good that the trip will have included a visit to the newly-opened FAO Schwarz, which toy soldiers, and something new to look at FAO Schwarz is located in the retail hub at the base of the every turn. But then, on the flip side, with shop-in-shop midtown Rockefeller Plaza. its location on the top floor of Selfridges, And many visitors to Selfridges will have seen with high FAO will likely benefit from the dedicated the 1988 film Big, which gave Tom Hanks his footfall that regularly filters into this hugely expectations major leg-up in the movie industry. In the film, popular department store.

Hanks plays Chopsticks with his feet on a giant Also worth considering is the John piano in the FAO Schwarz store, thus further spreading the Lewis modus operandi, when it comes to the top floor brand’s fame. of a large store on Oxford Street. Here, the decision has That is to say, many who step through the doors of been taken that if you want to ensure that people make Selfridges will know what the retail brand represents and it to the upper reaches then put technology upstairs. will approach the FAO Schwarz shop-in-shop with high There is also a pretty good café on this level, acting as expectations – and the rightful level of anticipation a secondary draw through the space. Toys, meanwhile, that this world-famous brand deserves. are on a lower level, the view presumably being that they Walk into the FAO Schwarz space in Selfridges will be spotted on the way up to tech. Whereas tech and the first thing the visitor will probably in Selfridges is in the basement, and so, FAO Schwarz notice is a spiral-like version of the piano that will have to work harder to get customers to make the appeared in Big, with smaller iterations on journey to the top floor. which shoppers can test their ability to be It’s been an exciting final quarter for FAO Schwarz, as a major Hollywood star. Now, the dance-on a second European FAO Schwarz department opened at piano may be bigger in the New York FAO, the end of October, in Dublin. The implant is in Arnotts, but for younger visitors in particular, this a sister store of Selfridges. This store also has the piano, musical instalment will undoubtedly create a outsize plush toys et al. And, as with its other outposts, sense of wonder, enticing customers to make the retailer has promised to deliver theatre, wonderment music and recreate the famous movie scene. and magic to all customers visiting the outpost.

The plush giraffes, lions, bears and suchlike So, as Christmas approaches, I look forward to hearing will also be familiar to those who know the FAO about customers’ experiences and memories formed at Schwarz brand. In fact, with more than 2,000 these two stores. I wish the retailer well in its endeavour products on offer, including the FAO Schwarz to expand into the European market. And I hope that the toy line as well as dolls, plush toys, children’s brand will be able to replicate the same success as its technology and souvenirs, and ranges from Rockefeller Plaza location.

In October, FAO Schwarz made its European debut with the opening of its first physical retail site, in the form of a shop-in-shop in Selfridges’ flagship London store.

The 157-year-old brand has taken over a 22,000 sq ft space on the top floor at the department’s Oxford Street location, with an offering of more than 2,000 product lines. After the Beijing store, which opened in May, the London outpost is its largest in the world.

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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.

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FEATURE

HONG KONG PREVIEW

SHOW DATES

6-9 January 2020 hktoyfair.hktdc.com/en

Harbour lights Hong Kong is the place to go to get the very first peek of the new toy releases. And more than 51,000 people did just that last year, visiting the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair. Here, TnP looks ahead to the 2020 show…

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ext month, more than 51,000 people are likely to head to Hong Kong for Asia’s largest toy show event – the HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair. There, they will be able to find more than 2,000 global exhibitors showcasing everything from traditional toys to high-tech games.

And it’s hardly surprising that the show is such a big draw. According to HKTDC research, in the first nine months of 2019, Hong Kong’s export of toys & games was US$3.5 billion.

Taken together with re-exports, Hong Kong was the world’s secondlargest toy exporter in 2018.

Among those exhibitors at the HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair will be MV Sports. Marketing Manager Phil Ratcliffe says: “These days there isn’t a lot of opportunity to see product in the flesh so quite often it’s a first look at what we’ve been presenting as concepts/ images in retailers offices. In addition, some retailers make and finalise their FOB selections while in Hong Kong so it is important that we are present.”

So while it is important for retailers to visit Hong Kong, what benefits does it hold for exhibitors? “It’s good to see most of our major customers in one

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It’s good to see most of our major customers in one place, as it provides us with a clear consensus as to what is going to work and where to focus our product plans Phil Ratcliffe, MV Sports

2,000 Number of exhibitors expected.

DECEMBER 2019

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place, as it provides us with a clear consensus as to what is going to work and where to focus our product plans. It’s also a great place to network with the rest of the trade, comparing notes and experiences. The main exhibition on the island is always good for some last-minute negotiations/ product samples ahead of the London Toy Fair,” says Phil.

The integration of technology is more and more becoming a core part of the toy industry. For retailers looking for more tech and STREAM toys, the Smart Tech Toys zone is the place to be. Here you’ll find tech-based toys and games including those that are operated via mobile apps, or incorporated with the latest VR, AR and MR technologies. The STREAM Toys Product Display will highlight educational and high-tech toys featuring science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts and mathematics (STREAM).

The Brand Name Gallery, meanwhile, is home to around 250 brands this year, while Kidult World is the place to find items that target the young at heart. Expect hobby goods, performance magic items, models, figurines, war games equipment and much more!

Things should go with a bang in the Fireworks zone, with shells, firecrackers, toy fireworks and event fireworks.

If you want to keep ahead of latest trends and get insight into the toy industry, make sure you head to the Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference 2020 events where speakers will share their

knowledge of key global and regional trends.

Hong Kong has, of course, been in the news because of on-going protests. However, according to show organisers HKTDC, while protests have caused disruptions to public transport and retail businesses in some areas, the Government, transport operators and the media provide real-time updates on the latest affected areas as well as traffic advice to help residents and visitors stay away from those regions and plan their activities in advance.

A spokesperson for HKTDC says: “Safety is our priority and we are committed to ensuring that our fairs and conferences are held in a safe environment. We have coordinated with relevant parties to make sure security measures are in place to respond to different situations.”

Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, says: “Despite the internal and external challenges that Hong Kong has been facing, all seven HKTDC fairs and associated events ran without a hitch. Surveys conducted during the fairs found that 97 per cent of responding buyers view the Hong Kong fairs as one of the most popular channels to find new suppliers, while 96 per cent of responding exhibitors consider the Hong Kong fairs to be the most effective in helping them reach new buyers. More than half (56 per cent) of responding exhibitors chose to launch their new products at the Hong Kong fairs, reflecting that Hong Kong continues to be an important platform for global trade.”

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FEATURE

HONG KONG PREVIEW

Roll on 2020!

MV SPORTS 0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk

Hot properties The MV licensed portfolio is increasing in 2020, with the addition of Minions 2, Trolls 2 and Ricky Zoom.

Following a successful first year for premium scooter range uMoVe, MV will be expanding the range in 2020 to include sparkle, sequin and camo print models. uMoVe sparkle is a highly decorated scooter, with a twinkly glitter finish on an anodised stem, a unique glitter grip tape and glitter LED wheels. The new uMoVe camo range is emblazoned with bright colourful camouflage prints in a range of colours. uMoVe Sequin scooters are bedecked with beautiful reversible sequin stem wraps and glitter finishes on the grip tape and wheels.

Kickmaster is still the go-to brand in kids’ football with a comprehensive and core range of balls, goals and football sets.

The innovative Soccer Arcade is the ultimate goal and practice range for practising your chipping and target skills, which also incorporates a regular sized goal at the rear. The innovative new Soccer Box is a multi-faceted training aid incorporating a mini football goal, rebounder, chipping trainer, target shot and additional goal.

The licensed portfolio is also increasing, with the addition of Minions 2, Trolls 2 and Ricky Zoom. MV will be supporting all properties with a range of bikes and trikes.

Hop to it!

POSH PAWS 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk From its new Hong Kong Showroom, retailers can get a first look at Posh Paws’ new collections.

From the YouTube and TV sensation Sunny Bunnies come the brightest of characters that spread fun and laughter wherever they go! This mischievous collection of soft and fluffy toys includes a variety of different sizes and features including small slammers that when thrown give out their infectious laugh; medium sized, which giggle and wiggle; and the large bunnies, which giggle and hop! The collection includes all five fluffy Sunny Bunnies, Turbo, Big Boo, Shiny, Iris and Hopper.

And from the record-breaking wildlife programmes of Planet Earth and Blue Planet, Posh Paws presents BBC Earth.

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Forever blowing bubbles FUNRISE 01908 555640 www.funrise.com Get ahead of the game and visit the Funrise Hong Kong showroom to see the firm’s entire 2020 portfolio.

When it comes to spring and summer outdoor fun, Gazillion Bubbles leads the charge in creating premium bubble products.

For 2020 the Gazillion range will be expanding with battery free-blowers and new machines.

The Gazillion Bubble Storm has forward-thinking solution-dispensing technology. The solution bottle functions as the ‘on/off ’ button, just slide the bottle into the bottle holder until it clicks in place and flip the supplied 8oz bottle upside down onto the machine to start blowing bubbles!

Also new are the battery-free Bubble Buddies.

These pocket money-priced animals can be ‘fed’ Gazillion bubble solution; then just squeeze their bellies to produce bubbles from their mouths.

Another Funrise UK launch for spring will be the master toy line for Funrise’s own property and TV series, Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty. Look out for plush, role play, figures and playsets that all bring the life of Felicity and her friends into the homes of Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty fans.

Casdon cleans up CASDON 01253 608248 www.casdon.co.uk Casdon combines pretend play with household names to bring replica appliances and role play accessories to the playroom.

The Little Helper collection is home of the Dyson replica vacuums. The Dyson Cord-free Vac is a direct replica of the life-size Dyson and has been specifically designed to be true to life, right down to the last detail. The model features working suction, spinning beads, realistic sounds and a twist and turn action just like the real thing. The spinning beads will mesmerise children and will be an instantly recognisable favourite at home.

Designed using the same bright colours as the real-life vacuum, kids will be able to feel all grown-up by pretending to clean the house just like mummy and daddy, as well as developing essential life skills.

For summertime, kids can help mum and dad have that garden looking ship shape with the Flymo Lawn Mower; another exciting replica from Casdon Toys. The Flymo features a foldable handle for easy storage and a mechanical click when the mower is on the move.

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01626 835400

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sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk iltonbradley.co.uk

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FEATURE

HONG KONG PREVIEW

Scooting ahead WILTON BRADLEY 01626 835 400 www.wiltonbradley.com Launched last year, the Xootz Viper Go Kart and Elements Electric Scooters were a big success story for Wilton Bradley, with strong sales not only in the UK but also in more than 20 countries worldwide.

This year saw more products added into the range including the awardwinning Typhoon Power Drift Trike.

The Typhoon Power Drift Trike was created using in-house tooling and 3D design, evolving the Viper design and colourway. With an impressive run time of 60 minutes and maximum speed of 16km/h, this impressive ride-on provides endless outdoor fun.

The award-winning Xootz bubble scooter has seen great success so far this season especially after winning gold in the scooter category for this year’s Made for Mum’s awards.

Watch little one’s faces light up while they leave a trail of bubbles wherever they go on this fun bubble scooter. Simply add bubble solution to the rear-mounted bubble machine and

Did you know?

The Typhoon Power Drift Trike can reach speeds of up to 16km/h.

watch as hundreds of bubbles blow away in the wind.

Available in both blue and green and pink and blue, this scooter adds an unusual feature to a favourite outdoor toy.

Mi-Mic has attracted lots of attention at previous Hong Kong shows. These innovative karaoke microphones allow you to connect to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth and sing along. The Mi Mic range has something for all singing enthusiasts.

The Mi Mic with phone holder is perfect for kids to sing along with music direct from their smart device, while the award-winning Mi Mic Karaoke Disco Cube Speaker allows kids to create a karaoke disco in their own home! Also look out for Official Licensed X-Factor models in the Microphones and the award-winning Disco Cubes.

Hong Kong heroes Perfect puzzles CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com A visit to Character Options’ Hong Kong showroom will reveal many hero brands to retailers, but none more so than the Heroes of Goo Jit Zu. The Heroes of Goo Jit Zu have taken the market by storm since their global launch in summer 2019. Ninja warrior heroes, each with their own unique powers and goo-filled qualities, are ubercollectable in the action figure market. 2020 will see even more characters join the squad including the Praying Mantis, Mantor with his sand force power, Brawler the Bear with his spongey, gooey insides, and super-pliable Graplock the Squid, who can be stretched to new lengths.

If that was not enough there will be even more top characters to get to grips with as the Heroes of Goo Jit Zu combine forces with some of the most collectable action characters of all… Marvel superheroes. Expect the ultimate line-up of the stretchiest, gooiest and squishiest superheroes ever – all ready to defeat evil and save the day.

As with the core collection, each hero has a unique goo filling with a different texture and feel. There are four Marvel superheroes to collect in series 1 including Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and Spider-Man and all will be ready for the first viewing of the year in Hong Kong ahead of London Toy Fair.

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GIBSONS

020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Gibsons is excited to be exhibiting at the Hong Kong Toy & Gift Fair in January with a new stand and they invite all to come by and view the new range of jigsaw puzzles and games.

Gibsons will be adding seven new products to the Little Gibsons range of fun and colourful jigsaw puzzles and games made for inquisitive preschoolers. Among the new releases will be Crunch Bunch and Woodland Friends, both of which contain eight friendly two-piece puzzles. These puzzles are suitable for children 18 months, with big puzzle pieces that are perfect for little hands.

Three Frogs More is one of the two games being added to the range in January. A game for one to four players ages 5+, players score points by making rows of three or more frogs of the same colour.

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CONSUMER

INSIGHT

What makes kids tick?

Kids Insights, a global leader in kids’ market intelligence, has launched its latest set of four in-depth, insight-led reports that reflect on the online and offline world of kids, tweens and teens.

The reports are largely based on the results of surveying 5,000 children between 1 July and 30 September 2019, but they also draw on data that the company has collected since May 2017.

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quarter – indicating the vast range of interests that kids have today.

Our latest Kids Insights data shows that football remains the top hobby for boys and it is the fourth favourite for girls, with a quarter of the domestic football games having already been played this season. However, for teenage boys, the number of boys who say football is their favourite hobby has decreased steadily over the last year, from 27 per cent to 21 per cent, reflecting a slight decrease in the number of teenage boys playing football.

At the same time, gaming has remained a consistent favourite, meaning football and gaming have now converged to be equally as popular. It is a cornerstone of the kids entertainment ecosystem with almost seven in 10 under 13s playing games. Kids are also playing video games from an increasingly young age.

By the age of four, the majority of kids play video games; this compares to November 2018 where the first age at which most kids were playing video

Our findings demonstrate that the popularity of gaming is as strong as ever in Q3

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More ways to play This generation of kids and parents is like no other. They are superinformed, always connected, and their attitudes, behaviours and consumption are not only significantly different from their predecessors, but they are continually evolving.

We live in a period of bright, creative, and self-sufficient young individuals who are positively influencing the world around us.

Asking the favourite hobby of kids produced 252 unique responses this

Kids Insights specialises in research and insights on kids and their ecosystems. We survey 2,000 kids, tweens and teens every week across three continents including US, UK, Europe and India.

Our real-time portal is continually updated to allow our clients to spot the latest trends before their competitors. For more information on how we can help, call 0330 159 6631. To download a complimentary Kids Insights report, head to www.kidsinsights/

games was five.

Nick Richardson, CEO Kids Insights, says: “Over the past two years we have spoken about the Gaming Revolution and how mobile devices have increased accessibility to gaming, and technological advancements such as OTT and cross-platform play have changed the attitudes and behaviour of children. Our findings demonstrate that the popularity of gaming is as strong as ever in Q3.”

Club hub Across all ages, 60 per cent of kids are currently part of a club. Encouraging kids to participate in clubs could be aided by the involvement of brands they like. For example, 5.2 per cent of kids aged three to nine whose favourite brand is Disney say arts and crafts is their favourite hobby. However, only 4.3 per cent of Disney fans this age attend an arts and crafts club. This suggests a gap between those Disney fans who enjoy arts and crafts, and those who are part of a club.

Beyond the top 10 hobbies lists, our data indicates a multitude of ways that kids are creating things. Acting, calligraphy, cooking, make-up, model making, scrap books, and song-writing are all examples of ways that kids are carving out their own niches and embracing individuality.

This is just one example of how the kids ecosystem is becoming increasingly fragmented. And with access to technology rising all the time, it offers brands an almost unlimited number of ways to engage with kids. We specialise in helping clients identify new products before the masses do, understanding the true performance of a product and how to maximise its investment from a marketing and promotional perspective.

Kids Insights shares its findings on how kids were spending their free time in Q3

RETAIL

OPINION

Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus, Sussex and Surrey

Want to appear in Toy Talk?

Drop us a line at Naomi@ lemapublishing.co.uk and we’ll get back to you…

Talking retail

If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business what would you ask for?

An empty warehouse come January, so we know we have sold through all our stock!

We hope the general election will give a definitive result so we can have some clarity going forward into next year. And a merry Christmas for all our staff and customers.

What does the run-up to Christmas look like in your stores?

We are in full swing now for Christmas. They are packed to the rafters with toys, festive garlands hanging above, and Christmas trees in the windows, so we think they look festive. There has to be a balance though, to keep the shop clean and the aisles clear ready for when we hit our final manic weeks. It is my favourite time of year though; it gives me such a buzz to see all the months of preparation coming to fruition.

Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

Father Christmas.

Sprouts - love ’em or hate ’em?

Love them, along with everything else on the Christmas dinner table!

What are our retailers looking forward to in their Christmas stocking this year? TnP finds out…

Brian Simpson Toytown, across UK and Ireland If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business what would you ask for?

Three boxes of toys, that when you open them up have whisky inside instead!

What does the run-up to Christmas look like in your stores?

Our stores turn into a chaotic mess in the run-up to Christmas, with toys regularly not making it out of the cage and onto the shelves before someone grabs them out of your hands. I love the buzz, but it is nice for the staff that the absolute madness is contained to just a few weeks, I think if it went on for much longer most of us would simply burn out.

Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

Santa Claus in my house, but only because Santa and I are on good terms, so I can use his ‘less proper’ name.

Sprouts - love ’em or hate ’em?

Love ’em!

Samantha Clare and Laura Clare

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Santa and I are on good terms, so I can use his ‘lessproper’ name

Debbie Maloney

Toys Plus, Blackpool

Austins, Devon

If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business what would you ask for?

As well as our online customers, we would wish for new in-store customers so that they can enjoy the Toys Plus shopping experience. We wish for a continuation in growth of in-store and online sales

If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business, what would you ask for?

More people visiting the high street and buying less online, For it to stop raining and For Brexit to be resolved!!

What does the run-up to Christmas look like in your stores?

Our Christmas catalogue order sales are looking very promising. Our festive Christmas shop window displays are complete. There is a lot of excitement within the stores, as we are running lots of upcoming Christmas events, including a special guest appearance from the Grinch!

Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

Father Christmas, for me.

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What does the run-up to Christmas look like in your store?

It begins with our October half term Mascot Day, for which we have balloon modelling, giveaways and gifts with purchases. We run a Toy Club where customers can reserve their toys with a small deposit and then spread the cost. This is always very popular.

Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

Father Christmas.

Sprouts - love them or hate them?

Hate them!

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Dan Lovett

COFFEE BREAK

Toy Box Beccles, Suffolk If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business what would you ask for?

Well if Father Christmas gave us three wishes, I think first would be an exclusive craze only available to independent toy shops. Second – for the internet to crash two weeks before Christmas so everyone has to use us bricks-and-mortar shops. And third, for every customer to be happy!

What does your shop look like in the run-up to Christmas?

The run-up for this Christmas I think is gonna be a very long and slow one until the last week; it’s getting later ever year. Fingers crossed for us all that it gets really busy.

Father Christmas or Santa?

Gotta be Father Christmas!

Sprouts - love ’em or hate ’em?

Well let’s just say I don’t grow them down my allotment, but the wife puts them on my plate!

Peter Allinson, Whirligig Toys, across Kent and Sussex If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business what would you ask for?

Positive press from the media – we are not all closing! Other neighbours doing well – everyone wants to feel like the town is busy. Unique products – we have these already but it is great to be different.

What does the run-up to Christmas look like in your store?

Lots of delight from the customers who are finding their perfect present. We really focus on what children will enjoy, and customers are pleased to find something a little bit different that the children are not expecting.

Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

Either's fine.

Sprouts - love ’em or hate ’em?

Fried with bacon they're passable!

Wendy Hamilton

Grasshopper Toys, Helensburgh If Father Christmas gave you three wishes this Christmas for your retail business what would you ask for?

First: we would never need to re-order stock, unpack it, price it up and squeeze it onto shelves.

Every time we sold an item a bell would tinkle in the offices of our suppliers and they would magic replacement stock onto our shelves. All neatly faced off of course!

Secondly: we would always stock everything our customers ask about, even the obscure plastic fried egg we were once asked for!

Finally: our couriers would not lose any parcels and would have a helpline, that connected to someone who gave a damn.

Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

We go with Santa Claus, but I honestly can’t say why. He will be visiting our shop on the 7, 14 and 21 December, and for one Sunday morning for a private session with the Helensburgh Autism group – they need the shop to themselves for the kids to get the best experience.

DECEMBER 2019

TnP takes a break with Nigel Scarfe from Imagination Gaming to find out more about how they use games to help kids learn Tell us a bit about Imagination Gaming and what your team does.

Imagination Gaming uses traditional-style games to enthuse, engage and educate people of all ages and abilities to make learning fun. We work with children through mainstream and special schools, in prisons and in old people’s homes.

Why did you set up Imagination Gaming?

When I was a child at school I was too quiet and nervous to engage properly and I seemed to ‘fall through the gaps’.

It was games that changed this for me – Dungeons and Dragons changed my life. It changed how much I wanted to read; I applied simple basic maths when creating characters and running the game gave me confidence in my approach to maths; finally my social confidence grew as I created and ran adventures, talking and describing worlds to players.

This stuck with me through my career and I always wanted to put something back and this is part of that.

Why are board games a great tool for teaching children?

Games can generate a desire to want to learn by hiding curriculum-based skills behind great artwork and fun mechanics. While they won’t necessarily teach you how to add or subtract, for example, they provide a way of applying what you’ve been taught, giving you confidence in your own ability and illustrating why learning is important.

Have you noticed any trends in the games category?

The board games industry is clearly different from how it was even five years ago and certainly from how it was when Imagination Gaming was set up some 12 years ago.

The range of games is huge now but the number of games that work well in an educational setting is very encouraging.

Which suppliers do you source your games from?

We work closely with Asmodee, Haba, and Coiledspring Games, but try to help smaller companies get a bigger audience via the game awards that we run each year, which are judged by parents and teachers. We work with hundreds of games companies and suppliers overall.

What kind of games do you use in your sessions?

We use hundreds of different games depending upon age or ability. The Haba range is simply wonderful for foundation-age learning and KS1 children. ThinkFun has a fantastic range of problem-solving games, and the Asmodee Captain Macaque range is extremely popular and covers so many different areas of learning.

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39 per another re than a a bricks

FEATURE

INFANT TOYS

Tops for tots Infant and pre-school toys have a unique appeal, offering many opportunities to aid development. And with the collapse of specialists such as Mothercare, it’s a growing sector for toy retailers

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n average of £159 is spent on toys for newborns in their first year, and this only rises, to £208 in their second.* So there are plenty of sales opportunities out there for With the retailers – after all, people are always having babies. And demise of while older kids’ toys have several key been hit by the rise of tech, babies and pre-schoolers have players in the been relatively immune, market, such Stephen Barnes at Toy as Mothercare Barnhaus agrees: “Infant and pre-school toys have been a and Toys R Us, significant growth area for us there is lots of over the past few years. With the demise of several key business up players in the market, such as for grabs Mothercare and Toys R Us, there is lots of business up for grabs.”

Stephen Barnes, Rebecca Lazarus, Senior Toy Barnhaus Brand Manager at VTech, which topped the sector’s sales list with its First Steps Baby Walker in 2018, notes that 2019 “has been a challenging year for the market in general, but VTech has managed to maintain the number one position in the Infant, Toddler & Pre School category*”.

Tobar has also seen success with its early years products in 2019: ‘’We’ve had a great response to our wooden range and Baby Shark has been a real hit,’’ says Leanne Jennings, Head of Buying.

But how do toy companies keep ahead of the pack in this notoriously competitive sector?

Tobar “invests heavily into research and takes

“

”

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note of upcoming trend forecasts as we do with all our product categories,’’ says Leanne. ‘’With this category we look at child development and how the toy can bring more than play into the equation.’’

Meanwhile at VTech, “each product is specifically developed to stimulate the visual and auditory senses, while developing early language and gross motor skills,” Rebecca reveals. “With the use of on-trend colours and interesting patterns, interaction is encouraged.”

Emma Carden, Pre-school & Outdoor Toys Category Manager at Shop Direct, which operates Very.co.uk, agrees that VTech is a great seller: “This year we’ve seen great success with our traditional core pre-school brands such as VTech, LeapFrog and Fisher-Price. Leapfrog’s Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart and VTech’s Kidizoom cameras are among our best-selling product lines.”

Rebecca adds: “VTech’s First Steps Baby Walker is the best-selling Infant and Toddler toy this year* and in fact having the top three products in this category not only shows the strength of the VTech brand but also demonstrates that our infant and toddler toys sell throughout the year.’’

But VTech is not resting on its laurels. ‘’We have lots of exciting new products in the pipeline for 2020, which will help build on previous success and uphold VTech’s leading position,” says Rebecca.

We asked retailers…

What do customers tell you they’re looking for when it comes to infants and pre-schoolers? ‘’We are often asked for sensory toys, however we tend to only find a limited amount of highquality sensory toys also at the right price point on the market.’’

Samantha Clare and Laura Clare, Toys Plus, Blackpool

‘’Customers come to us for friendly, helpful advice and safe, good-quality toys. Our price match promise helps customers buy with confidence; if a product can be bought at a lower price from any UK high street retailer, either in store or online, we will match the price.’’

Debbie Maloney, Austins, Newton Abbot, Devon

‘’Our customers tend to be aspirational so they’re usually looking for some educational aspect to the toys they purchase.

Increasingly we’re being asked about provenance: where the toys come from and what they’re made from. Eco credentials are important.

I’d guess approximately one third of our range would suit infants and pre-schoolers. But we’re definitely a little light on the infant side, so if you’re an infant product supplier, get in touch!”

Wendy Hamilton, Grasshopper Toys

“Customers want to know they can trust a brand, which explains why traditional favourites like Fisher-Price remain popular. At the same time, the rise of bloggers and social media influencers means customers are also open to new and exciting products. It’s important that we keep up to date.”

Emma Carden, pre-school & outdoor toys category manager at Shop Direct (Very.co.uk)

‘’They want something that the children can explore and learn from. Something that gets them doing something new. They love the stacking games, the building blocks and the early art kits. We do get customers demanding that their 2-year-old wants a science toy - they seem to have high expectations!’’

Peter Allinson, WhirligigToys

*NPD Group

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Back to nature

FEATURE

INFANT TOYS

VTech

01235 555 545 www.vtech.co.uk

Fact!

VTech’s ZoomiZooz animals can be collected individually, in themed three or six packs, and exclusive characters can be found as part of the interactive playsets.

ZoomiZooz are a fun group of animal friends who wobble and bounce, roll and zoom around their playset environments!

Newly launched for AW19, there are more than 24 adorable animal characters to collect, each with their own unique characteristics and cheeky personalities. Fun to play with on their own, the ZoomiZooz are perfect for little hands.

The ZoomiZooz Tree House playset features a rolling rope bridge with a trampoline, sliding track and a tree trunk slide. These interactive motion zones are fun for children and are ideal for the four included ZoomiZooz animals to move around on. When the ZoomiZooz are placed on the recognition points in the playsets, the animals will introduce themselves with fun phrases and sound effects.

The ZoomiZooz TV advertising will have the right channel mix to target both Children and House Keepers with Children 0-3, while digital and social platforms will be used to target parents.

Rebecca Lazarus, Senior Brand Manager at VTech, says: “We know social media is where mums are spending an increasing amount of time, with 59 per cent of pre-school mums checking social networks over five times a day. We therefore need to have engaging content for consumers, across each platform, in the various formats required.”

Source: GB TGI 2017 Q3 Audience Female Main Shopper with Child 0-5

Having a bubble!

Animal magic Schleich 01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk

Wilton Bradley

With the Farm World playsets, children can experience life in the countryside. The new colourful Horse Stable provides endless fun for little ones! With seven cute animals, two horse boxes, two farmers and lots of accessories, it is easy to reproduce daily life on the farm.

The Wild Life collection offers an introduction to animals from all over the world, allowing children to learn about animals they may never get to otherwise see!

Waddle on the wild side Kids@Play 01291 429000 www.kaptoys.com Kids@Play launched its first pre-school product in its own packaging in 2019, Waddles the Waddle Duck, which has already been a success with US retailers and is proving popular with independent retailers in the UK. Kids@Play is also proud to offer some wonderful musical instruments from Fisher Price. All of the items are carefully designed for the small hands of pre-schoolers.

01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com Wilton Bradley’s award-winning Xootz Bubble Scooter is a unique concept. Watch as littles ones’ faces light up, as they leave a trail of bubbles wherever they go. Simply add bubble solution to the rear-mounted bubble machine and watch as hundreds of bubbles blow away in the wind.

A Flair for fun!

GP Flair

020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk For a heritage brand that has been a favourite for more than 50 years, look no further than Stickle Bricks from Flair. The Little Builder set will make the perfect entry point into the range, as tots can jump right in and begin building with the assortment of brightly coloured bricks, or with even more imaginative possibilities the Fun Tub is perfect for young builders, and also doubles as a handy storage container.

Curious minds Tobar

01603 397 105 www.tobar.co.uk

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New for this year is the Wooden Stack and Sounds Train. Just press down on the funnel and the train plays one of three sounds. The carriages of the train also double up as shape sorters and stackers for an even richer play experience.

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Hot for tots Bandai

0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk Suitable for children aged 18 months-plus, the new Timber Tots pre-school range from Bandai UK brings younger children a host of outdoor scenarios and play themes through animal families and their woodland surroundings. Timber Tots are new animal families that live at one with nature in the woodlands and beyond, centring around four main family groups: the PawPaw, Twitwit, Nutnut, and Chipchip families. The Family sets include four characters from each of the family groups and are perfectly sized for little hands and wild imaginations.

Posh Paws

01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational. co.uk

01553 762 276 www.learningresources.co.uk

Get Flappy!

Spin Master

01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com In 2018, Gund became a new division of Spin Master, and will continue to develop original and licensed products to appeal to the next generation of customers.

This year, Gund introduced Flappy the Elephant to the range — an adorable singing animated plush with two different play modes. Press the left foot to play an interactive game of peek-a-boo, and the right to hear a song. To keep Flappy company there’s also Flora the Bunny, a sweet, bunny rabbit with two play modes.

Infant innovation Mattel 01628 5000 500000 www.mattel.com Fisher-Price recognises that every child is unique and develops toys that are filled with imagination and excitement to help little ones to grow. This year saw the introduction of Linkimals, an interactive range of toys with fun features to keep little ones engaged. They contain innovative technology, which means the five products work together to help baby learn better. The Smooth Moves Sloth, Musical Moose, Lights and Colours Llama, A to Z Otter and Happy Shapes Hedgehog are each packed full of fun features that promote development, and when joined together they create an immersive learning experience.

New to the Infant Laugh & Learn range, the Light-up Learning Vacuum and On-the-Glow Coffee Cup stimulate learning and role play fun. The Bounce and Spin Puppy and Bounce & Spin Unicorn help strengthen baby’s balance and coordination skills as they bounce along to exciting songs and phrases.

DECEMBER 2019

Learning Resources Learning Resources should be a first point of call for hands-on, screen-free coding toys. In 2019, the company launched the award-winning Coding Critters range, which introduces coding basics to children aged four-plus. In 2020, new characters bunnies Bopper and pals Hip & Hop, and Pair-a-Pets will join the rnage for more storybook coding adventures.

Perfect pals

With the launch of its Ragtales collection, Posh Paws is set to bring its signature super soft plush to the youngest of customers.

Each product is made with gorgeous handpicked fabrics, the softest velour, hand knitted clothing and all presented in distinctive quality packaging.

The Ragtales collection comes with toys suitable from birth and up, and offers a variety of toys, from baby ranges to rag dolls, teddy bears and wooden toys, centred on cute animals.

Creative coding

All aboard the ChuChu! Character Options

0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com It’s time to get on board with Chu Chu Surprise! With over 32m subscribers, the YouTube network of channels for Chu Chu TV deliver learning-based content that is a favourite of millennial mums.

Next year, Character Options will bring home the learning fun of Chu Chu TV with the Peek & Play Surprise Eggs toy collection. At the heart of the brand are the Surprise Eggs, which contain animal figurines.

Pick me up single packs will be perfect for that instant treat while larger sets will make a great gift.

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AWARDS

DREAMTOYS

Toy dreams come true St Mary’s Church in London’s Marylebone was the venue for last month’s DreamToys 2019 event…

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“

The 2019 DreamToys list captures all the excitement and fun of Christmas Gary Grant, Chair of the DreamToys selection committee

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ach November, we all await DreamToys with bated breath, to discover what are likely to be the top toys this Christmas.

The list, compiled by leading retailers and toy experts, gives a real flavour of what children will discover under the tree on Christmas morning.

“The 2019 DreamToys list captures all the excitement and fun of Christmas,” says Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys selection committee and founder of The Entertainer. “It’s never been more important to give children opportunities to play and learn, and this year’s selection shows the many, many ways they can play together, alone, and in innovative new ways.”

The full list for 2020 features a large number of licensed toys, from the Fortnite Battle Royale Collection Battle Bus and the Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak to LEGO Star Wars Yoda and Frozen 2 Magic Ice Walker.

Frederique Tutt, Global Analyst for The NPD Group’s toy division says: “In 2019 so far we’ve seen licences drive toy sales,

particularly Fortnite and movies, and to date they account for 23 per cent of the market overall.

We’re expecting more of this to the end of the year with some massive franchises due for release, including Star Wars and Frozen II. “Kids’ love for surprise and reveal toys shows that this trend has staying power, with L.O.L. Surprise! still the number one collectable year to date, the second year in a row.

"Established perennial brands such as Barbie and Peppa Pig too are expected to continue on their growth trajectory this Christmas as manufacturers keep reinventing their most precious assets to make sure they stay relevant for today’s kids.”

The DreamToys Top 12 are...

Barbie Dreamplane Playset Mattel Blume Dolls Skyrocket Frozen 2 Into the Unknown Elsa Doll Jakks Pacific Harry Potter Knight Bus LEGO L.O.L Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper MGA Entertainment Nerf Elite Fortnite SP-L Hasbro

Owleez Spin Master PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Super PAWs Mighty Jet Command Centre Spin Master Peppa Pig Peppa’s Stage Playset Character Options Rizmo Tomy Ryan’s World Super Surprise Safe Flair/Just Play Toy Story 4 True Talkers Mattel

See the full list of DreamToys at: www.facebook.com/DreamToysUK

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DreamTo AMBASS ADORS ys 2019 SPECIAL

Top of the toys Our young testers tried out some of the toys that appear on the DreamToys 2019 list. Here’s how they got on…

Flying high

Peppa takes to the stage

Who doesn’t love getting on a plane and going on holiday? With Mattel’s Barbie DreamPlane, Evie, aged six, can let her dolls take control in the pilot’s seat or relax as a passenger…

Like most pre-schoolers, threeyear-old Albie loves Peppa, so was delighted with the Peppa Pig Stage Playset from Character Options, as Dad Paul explains…

"Wow! This is a really big toy! I think lots of Barbie fans would be really exited to unwrap this on Christmas morning!

There are lots of little extras to discover, which is really fun if you like all the extra details like I do. It’s just like a real plane – there’s overhead compartments for their luggage (handbag and carryon case included), TVs on the backs of the seats and the seats recline so they can have a little sleep too!

If the passengers get hungry, the refreshment trolley includes drinks, meals and snacks.

I really like that there is room for more than one Barbie doll – and I’m going to ask for the Barbie Pilot doll for Christmas to fly the plane for me!"

"There is such a lot of play value in this toys. Pre-schoolers who love to create their own shows will really enjoy this stage set-up.

Kids can choose from three backgrounds for their show – Albie loved the Christmas backdrop and props.

And then the stage sets up so that they can stand the characters in their play, in their positions, and move them as they want. Albie loved it because it reminded him of going to the cinema to watch Peppa Pig. There are buttons at the front to add sound effects – we had great fun with these! And I really liked the attention to detail – there’s even theatre seats so the rest of the characters can sit and watch the performance. Then, once playtime is over, all the pieces fit inside the stage for easy cleanup and to keep them safe until the toy is brought out again.

This is a toy that I think Albie will get out to play over and over again, either on his own, with us, or when he has a friend to visit.

He liked it so much that he insisted on taking Peppa & George to Nursery to show his friends!"

Unlock Ryan’s World What child wouldn't want a little slice of Ryan’s World? Zack, aged 8, was excited to try his hand at toy testing with the help of Ryan’s World Super Surprise Safe from Flair/Just Play

Zach says: “Ryan’s World is really cool – I’ve been creating my own surprise toy reviews and I really want to start my own YouTube channel!”

DECEMBER 2019

Dad Richard says: “Like most families with young boys, Ryan’s World is a regular fixture on our screens – and he’s steadily making his way into our toy cupboard too.

Zach loves toys and is desperate to have his own toy testing YouTube channel – just like Ryan. So I'm sure you can imagine the enthusiastic performance he gave for his review of the Super Surprise Safe!

This mystery box is chock full of surprises – more than 30 fun and diverse Ryan's World inspired toys.

Zack loved the unboxing process, unveiling the toys layer by layer, peeling, smashing and opening the boxes. With articulated figures, mix and match Build-a figures, egg blasters and more, there was certainly plenty for Zach to discover. And the best part is that what's inside is always going to be a surprise, as no two surprise selections are the same.

And he also loves the fact that he now has a secret safe to hide all of his most prized possessions!

Bottom line – any Ryan's World fan will love this toy.”

Blooming lovely!

Blume Dolls from Skyrocket Toys combine collectability and surprise. We had threeyear-old Juliette and 10-yearold Millie try them out…

Mum Rachel says: “The Blume Doll comes in a cute little flowerpot. Open up the package and there’s a teeny-tiny watering can.

Fill it with water and then water the pot.

In a few seconds, the doll’s hair will pop up through the packaging. Juliette really loved it, the surprise on her face as the doll sprouted was priceless. The hair is made from slow-rising foam, so anyone who likes squishies will love this!

There are all kinds of little extras, such as tiny clothes, a bag and stickers too, although they are probably more appealing to older girls."

So we asked Millie what she thought: "I loved watching the doll expand and pop up through the flowerpot lid. I like surprise toys ands blind bags, and it was exciting to see which doll you're going to get."

FEATURE RIDE-ONS

Ticket to ride We asked retailers…

When seems to be the most popular time of year for ride-on purchases?

“Definitely Christmas. They’re usually expensive purchases and often we find it’s grandparents making the indulgent purchases.”

Ride-on toys is an evergreen category – scooters, bikes and other ride-ons make the perfect ‘big’ present for birthdays and Christmas, and encourage physical development in a world where technology is ever-present

M

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any of us will remember It is about our first bike picking up on or the hours current trends in of fun we had feeling toys or fashion and free and independent building this into on a two or threeour product. Our wheeled scooter. new UniQuins mini Ride-on toys offer so many benefits – they range combines support motor skill the two crazes of development, give unicorns and children the chance to sequins feel self-sufficient and offer the possibility Phil Ratcliffe, MV Sports of exploration and adventure.

There is something very special about a toy that you can climb in or on – it’s not just a toy – it’s a vehicle to a new world of discovery.

Go to a toddler group and you’ll see all the little ones making a beeline for anything they can climb into or onto!

Ride-on toys encourage you to master holding the handlebars or manipulating a joystick or steering wheel. You can pretend to be all grown up in that mini version of your parent’s car.

And in a world where technology is ever-present, parents love to introduce a fun toy that will encourage their children to get outside and be active.

While ride-ons tend to be big-ticket items, the fact that they offer hours of fun, makes them a worthwhile purchase for most families.

Licensing has opened up a whole new world of choices in the rideon sector as well. Phil Ratcliffe, Sales & Marketing Director at MV Sports, says: “We have seen

a big upsurge in demand for our licensed portfolio, particularly around the Disney franchises of Toy Story 4, Frozen 2, and Spider-Man; but also classic and current licences.

“In addition, our new premium Scooter brand UMove has got off to a great start and we have some really exciting developments for 2020.”

Keeping up with trends is just as important for ride-on toys as other categories, as Phil explains: “With licences it is about focusing on the properties that are working, while injecting some of the franchise DNA into all our products.

“For our own brands it is about picking up on current trends in toys or fashion and building this into our product. A good example of this is our new UMove range, which incorporates glitter, sequins, camouflage and anodised finishes.

Our new UniQuins mini range combines the two crazes of unicorns and sequins and looks fantastic.”

Speaking of the difficulties that the category faces, Kyle Maglione, Digital Marketing Manager at Mookie Toys, says: “The issue surrounding the longevity of products is an increasing concern within the toy industry.

The rate that children outgrow their ride-ons is so fast that parents often have to move onto the next product within a year. Our priority has been to develop products that can grow with children in order to minimise waste. We’re proud to be adding Scuttlebug XL to our Bug family in 2020. Featuring three heightadjustment modes so children can enjoy until the age of four.”

Wendy Hamilton, Grasshopper Toys

“The lead-up to Christmas is a popular time, with customers often ordering bigger items like bikes and battery-operated vehicles slightly later as they’re harder to hide from children!”

Emma Carden, Pre-school & Outdoor Toys Category Manager at Shop Direct (Very.co.uk) What kind of ride-ons have been a hit with customers this year?

“Balance bikes and wooden trikes have been more popular for us.”

Wendy Hamilton, Grasshopper Toys “Scooters have performed fantastically in 2019. Our customers love Little Tikes; the brand’s rideons have been consistently popular for many years.”

Emma Carden, Shop Direct

“Scooters have shown to be the most popular for us this year, as there seems to be a high volume of children within the areas of where our shops are located that use scooters on their way to and from school, and in their free time.”

Samantha & Laura Clare, Toys Plus Where do you see the category going in the future?

“I think there is definite scope for growth in the electric ride-on category, as battery technology becomes more affordable.”

Stephen Barnes, Toy Barnhaus Ride-on products take up a lot of space in store – could suppliers do anything to help you sell more?

“A ride-on catalogue or brochure would help increase sales in this area without taking up vast amounts of retail space.”

Samantha & Laura Clare, Toys Plus

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Right royal rides MV Sports

0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk MV has seen rapid growth this year with its best range ever of licensed and non-licensed ride-ons.

Every princess needs to get around in style and with the beautiful 6v Battery Operated Horse and Carriage, they’re sure to turn heads! Suitable for ages three-plus, this authentic regal rideon comes completed with moulded ‘quilted’ seat and stunning horse feature. The easy foot-operated control, reactive steering wheel and forward and reverse gears are suitable for beginners just taking up the ‘reigns’.

Scuttlebug grows up Mookie Toys

01525 722722 www.mookie.co.uk Mookie Toys has announced a new addition to its Bug Family: Scuttlebug XL. Launching in January 2020, it has some amazing new features designed to add some longevity to the top-selling trike.

Scuttlebug XL is designed to grow with the child, as it features three height adjustment modes that are easy to change, extending the age recommendation to four years old. The new XL Scuttlebug comes equipped with chunky, soft-grip handles and extra-large non-scratch wheels, making them perfect for outdoor adventures.

Just like the much-loved Scuttlebug and Scramblebug, the new XL addition also has the three-click easy folding system, making it the perfect travel companion.

DECEMBER 2019

Also check out MV’s beautiful range of Disney Princess wheeled toys, including bespoke moulded plaques on a range of bikes and scooters.

Go to infinity and beyond with the bespoke Buzz Lightyear 6v Space Cruiser ride-on. Featuring integrated lights, easy-to-use foot pedal and forward and reverse gears. This is the ultimate ride-on for any Buzz Lightyear fan. An extended range of Toy Story 4 wheeled toys includes scooters, bikes and ride-ons, all featuring classic Woody and Buzz, and new characters Forky, Bunny and Ducky.

Peppa Pig will also have a range of new ride-ons, with an iconic Peppa ride-on car featuring under-seat storage and authentic features. Little ones can ride around with the Peppa 6v batteryoperated trike, complete with authentic Peppa sounds, flashing lights, easy-to-use foot pedal control with forward and reverse gears, and pretty Peppa graphics.

Look out it’s the Spider-Man 6v battery-operated trike, with forward and reverse gears, easy-to-use foot operated pedal and super cool graphics. All MV’s Spider-Man wheeled toys have an iconic design which is easily recognisable and is emblazoned across a range of bikes, scooters, skateboards, and helmets.

Be an off-road Hog! H. Grossman

0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.co.uk Grossmans is famous for its outdoor products and this year is no exception, with a great selection of balance bikes and trikes to suit all budgets and design needs.

The Elektra Light Up Trikes are a great success story, available in a variety of neon colourways. Sturdy and flexible, these competitively priced trikes are always popular.

These flashing Hog Trikes are great for active kids. This sturdy steed features lights on the front wheel, which can be set to static or flashing mode, which really makes this trike stand apart from the rest. Not only is it great fun, this durable, hard-wearing trike has an adjustable seat position, sturdy tubed frame and front brake, and benefits from a sleek design with cool black frame, black pedals and black wheels, which can be used with lights switched on or off.

Younger children can learn to find their wheels with a range of balance bikes including My First Balance Bike, which has a lightweight frame and a comfortable design, making it easy to learn to balance and gain confidence. The handlebars and seat can be adjusted, adding more value as the product grows with the child. Great colours and a striking design make this bike popular with both children and parents.

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FEATURE RIDE-ONS

Make room for Vroom Wilton Bradley 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com

British icon Kids@Play

01291 429 007 kids-at-play.com Kids@Play has extended its range of ride-on toys in 2019 with the introduction of the pedal Land Rover, a classic toy execution for an iconic British vehicle. Presented in the original blue livery, the pedal Land Rover Defender is a striking edition to any retail environment.

The range of products from Falk continues to evolve as well and Kids@Play is working closely with retailers to offer a range for domestic supply alongside bespoke ranges for agreed minimum order quantities. Key lines launched recently include the Dakar Rally Quad Bike, which provides hours of fun along with the Tractor Go!, which comes with two decals for the front to create a character-based tractor or a more traditional tractor.

Not forgetting Kids@Play’s heartland of electric vehicles where it offers bespoke items for retailers on an FOB basis alongside some select domestic products such as the Land Rover Defender, White Sports Car and 6v Police, Unicorn and Fire Trikes.

Wilton Bradley introduces its new electric ride-on brand Vroom. This brand combines all of Wilton Bradley’s current, best-selling electric ride-ons with all future releases.

New for AW 2020 is the Range Rover Electric Ride On/Push Car, and the Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG Electric Ride On. This Range Rover Electric Ride On/Push Car includes a removeable handle, which transforms the product from a push-along to an electric ride-on, so the product advances and develops with the child.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG Electric Ride On replicates the high-tech features throughout the rest of the Vroom range with an MP3/ USB/SD card capability, front and rear LED lights, opening doors and more.

Kids will love to cruise around town and park in style in this eye-catching electric ride-on.

Surf’s up!

Rollplay 07986 971902 www.rollplay.com November saw the launch of Rollplay’s latest highperformance offering, and the brand’s first scooter, the Wave Catcher. Inspired by the art of windsurfing, the cool 24V lithium powered scooter allows riders aged eight plus to cruise, carve and shift at thrilling speeds of up to 10mph.

Featuring a rear skateboard-style truck with a heightadjustable central throttle at the front, it offers a new riding experience with more control over the vehicle, as well as one-handed steering for added excitement!

Keep your balance Chicco

020 8953 6627 www.chicco.co.uk The Balance Bike from Chicco helps children to develop spatial awareness as they learn how to move around on their first bike, as well as getting to grips with the importance of balance and exploratory play as they are free to go where they choose! The bike helps a child acquire the necessary balance on two wheels before they move on to a real bicycle with pedals.

Made from ultra-light metal, it has heightadjustable handlebars and saddle. The Chicco Balance Bike is available in Red Bullet or Pink Arrow.

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tnp.media

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TNP

LOOKS BACK

Step back in time TnP’s Founder Malcolm Naish looks back through the news of December past: 2014, 2009, 1999, 1989

December 2014

December 1999

• Bandai announced its UK distributorship of Monchhichi. This lovely little character first hit our shelves back in 1974 and has been reimagined for new generations of children and collectors over the years.

• As we approached the new millennium, the products that were on many Christmas lists were: Furby, WWF Wrestling, Bob the Builder products and Pokémon. On the games front, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Friends were popular.

• The Entertainer opened a new branch – a heck of a long way from its first shop in Amersham!

The retailer granted a franchise to the Zeta group in Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku.

I wonder if they open on Sundays?

• With Disney’s Frozen breaking records, and an amazing list of licensees, the company made the announcement that Frozen II would be hitting the screens sometime soon. Five years on and it’s finally here!

• Hasbro topped the spend charts for TV in November 2014, with a spend at rate card of £1,844,316. And John Adams was not far behind on £1,402,842.

• Hamleys announced that it would be opening a new shop at Intu’s Lakeside shopping centre in spring 2015. The store will be 9,000 sq ft.

December 2009 • A scare story hit the headlines involving Character’s Go-Go Pets. But very quickly, through sterling work by the BTHA, Roland Earl and Gary Grant (TRA) helped to turn the whole episode around. By teatime, ITV News was able to totally exonerate Mr. Squiggle and friends.

Clive Crouch, of GMTV fame, was also of great help in killing off these ridiculous claims.

• Disney finally completed its $4.3bn purchase of Marvel Entertainment.

There was great speculation in the licensing world as to how fast the integration of these two portfolios would proceed.

46

• We highlighted two differing opinions on the long-term future of ecommerce. Ali Mafi believed it would all close down quickly, as he thought the public would prefer to see the product before they bought it, while Norman Walker expected the impact of ecommerce would be enormous and far-reaching. Well, Norman definitely won that one!

• The Character Group posted record results for the sixth consecutive year. Operating profits exceeded £10m, with profits before tax having risen 29 per cent to £9.4m.

• Brio was disappointed to be losing Thomas the Tank Engine, even though its sales targets had been greatly exceeded.

December 1989 • Looking ahead to the new decade, I reflected on the companies that we had lost in the eighties: DCM, Mettoy, Airfix, Berwick-Timpo and Lesney (Matchbox). I also signposted the companies that amidst all of this mayhem rose from the ashes: Wembley, Hornby, Corgi.

• At the end of the eighties, Toys “R” Us had 23 stores, with five more planned for 1990.

• Mattel bought Corgi and Quaker Oats bought Kiddicraft, which would see this brand eventually merge into Fisher-Price.

• In the run up to Christmas, Zodiac announced record sales of 21.3 per cent across their 90 stores.

• In 1989, Dave ‘The Rave’ Cave was at Makro. He’s pictured here with the boss of Hightrex – manufacturers of Rock ‘n’ Flowers. In 1989, Dave sold more than 100,000 Rock ‘n’ Flowers!

• Hasbro announced it would be relaunching Cabbage Patch Kids. When they were first launched in 1983, the dolls achieved great success.

• Not to be outdone, Tomy relaunched the Holly Hobbie brand.

tnp.media

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: Yolkies Company: Bandai Tel: 0208 324 6160 Web: www.bandai.co.uk

Product: Product: Foam Foam Alive Alive Company: Company: Character Character Options Options Tel: Tel: 01610161 633 633 9800 9800 Web: www.character-online.co.uk Web: www.character-online.co.uk

Product: Totally Tiny Pizza Party Set Company: Flair/Just Play Tel: 0208 643 0320 Web: www.flairplc.co.uk

Product: Cat Junior Crew Build Your Own Dump Truck Company: Funrise International Tel: 01908 555 640 Web: www.funrise.com

Product: Product: furReal furReal Cubby, Cubby, the Curious the Curious BearBear Interactive Interactive Plush Plush Company: Company: Hasbro Hasbro Tel: Tel: 0208 020 569 8569 12341234 Web: Web: www.hasbro.com www.hasbro.com

Product: Fisher Price Rain Forest Dancin’ Tunes Keyboard Company: Kids@Play Tel: 01291 429 000 Web: www.kaptoys.com

Product: Coding Critters Bopper, Hip & Hop Company: Learning Resources Tel: 01553 762 276 Web: www.learningresources.co.uk

Product: Hyper Strike Company: Mookie Toys Tel: 01525 722 722 Web: www.mookie.co.uk

Product: Power Pux Range Company: Vivid Toy Group Tel: 01483 449 944 Web: www.vividtoysandgames.com

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