Toys n Playthings

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

2015 April 4 No.7 Vol. 3

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,130 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

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CONTENTS Regular 5 Leader - with Mirella Anstey 6 News - hot off the press 8 People News - checking in on the movers and shakers

2015 APRIL No.6 4 Vol. 3

9 Quick Coffee Break - with Famosa’s Nikki Jeffrey 12 Exhibition News - the latest on global fairs and shows 13 Movie News - the latest from the box office 14 Media News - the multimedia rundown 15 Media Charts - the latest kids’ TV viewing figures and toy TV

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

advertising spend

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18 What’s New - new products that you need to get your hands on 20 Toy Talk – the retailers have their say 80 Trade Talk – we give suppliers the chance to talk business 89 Licensing News – the hottest news from the toy licensing industry 90 Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

91 Step Back In Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running magazine

Features 30 Pre-school – we delve into one of the industry’s most diverse and popular sectors 64 AIS Preview – your show guide to this year’s AIS Independent Toys and Gift Fair 74 Target Practice – this burgeoning sector is aiming high 82 Theatre Play and Puppets – imaginative play has never been so much fun

Special Report

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10 TnP TV is here! – the latest from TnP’s boundary pushing new weekly TV show 17 Cover Story – Discover Character Options’ gross new collectables range, Ugglys Pet Shop 22 Retail Interview – TnP talks new store openings, multi-channel challenges and more with Kids Stuff Director Stephen Hartfield 60 70 years of H. Grossman - TnP looks back at the company’s storied history with MD Martin Grossman 63 Mix it up – Everything you need to know about LEGO and Cartoon Network’s multi-media phenomenon Mixels

Columnists 16 Media Whisperer – Clive Crouch dives into the competitive world of pre-school TV

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25 Shop Talk – John Ryan says change is good 26 High Street Highs – The Entertainer Founder Gary Grant talks about the business of people

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

29 Business Driver – Former European head of Hasbro John Harper gets existential 73 TnP Ambassadors – Our ambassadors test the toys you stock on your shelves 88 Licensing Opinion – Kelvyn Gardner is excited for the return of The Ghostbusters

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At the heart of retail A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,130 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

It’s here!

TV Helping everyone sell EVEN more!

For more details on how you could proďŹ le your company and products to 60,000+ viewers contact Ryan Horwood on 01442 289930 ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

LEADER Mirella Anstey

T A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,195 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013

PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail

his month has been spectacularly busy and buoyant for all in the industry – so many retailers that Team TnP and I have chatted to in the past few weeks have been full of the joys of spring and really positive about what lies ahead. The attitude of retail and manufacturers in the past 18 months has been such a change to that when I first came to TnP in 2011. Everyone is imbued with a zeal and confidence, and retailers are talking about some good responses to in-store initiatives and theatrical events they have held.

We are thrilled that you guys are loving TnP TV so much! We love bringing an exciting and unique way to tell you about what’s happening in toys. I could wax lyrical about how brilliant the show is, but turn to page 10 to find out more and keep your eyes peeled online at www.toysnplaythings.co.uk to enjoy TnP TV – and of course if you want to be part of it, Ryan Horwood is the man to arrange your filming. Catch him on 01442 289 930 or ryan@ lemapublishing.co.uk.

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PICTURE BUSINESS

Featuring FRAMING BUSINESS

Now, I want to remind you that we have a show-stopping Toymaster guide for you all next month. It is already looking like a cracker and I know many more are clamouring to be part of it. In fact, it is so huge it has its own front cover! And don’t forget that our preview is exclusively distributed in EVERY hotel bedroom reserved by Toymaster at the Majestic Hotel - TnP’s guide really is the show bible! So, Toymaster members, don’t forget to get in touch with me or Ryan Horwood to guarantee your space in the issue and let us know your Toymaster show news. We have bundles of exciting things happening at the Toymaster show which we would love you to be part of – Ryan and I will be in touch with many of you soon.

I also want you to enjoy catching up with the news from Character and their superb The Ugglys Pet Shop which is about to make some

in touch and happy trading!

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

big waves. Mark Hunt of the Character team gives us a great insight about the brand and lines on page 17.

Another cracking yarn for you all this month is about one of the trade’s firm favourites and a real character – Martin Grossman. Martin has been in his family’s business for 45 years, but H Grossman Ltd was established 70 years ago!

Team TnP took a trip up to Glasgow to find out the ins and outs of how the company began and now what is driving the outfit to bigger and better things (little clue, Martin is a big softie and there is a little chap who has captivated him).

Read all about this great family business who really are fun and full of heart on page 60.

On another note, I want to invite you all to get in touch with TnP’s Founder and MD, Malcolm Naish to secure your spot in the TnP annual golf day. We have a super time at Goring and Streetley, good food, a bit of liquid refreshment, great company superb golf depends on you! If you fancy, it mark 23 June in your diary and email Malcolm on: malcolm@ lemapublishing.co.uk.

Have a terrific month and catch up with you all very soon!

TV

NEWS MEGA celebrates 30 years of toys MEGA Brands, now part of the Mattel family, is celebrating 30 years in construction play with an endorsement of its pre-school line by infant and pre-school specialist Fisher-Price. With the junior construction market continuing to grow - up 8.3% YTD (NPD Feb 2015) - the MEGA Bloks First Builders range goes from strength-to-strength.

The popular range offers young builders hours of open-ended play, encouraging creativity and early development and providing endless construction fun. Firm favourites, including the Big

Building Bag, are complemented by the exciting vehicle offering, while playsets inspire imaginations with engaging themes.

Wendy Hill, Director of Brand Activation Mattel UK said: “MEGA Bloks pre-school construction sets have the values and attributes that parents look for in the trusted Fisher-Price brand and this new endorsement is a natural fit to help parents find the best toys that enhance their preschoolers’ early development skills.”

Get ready for a Little launch Little Tikes has announced its biggest and best infant pre-school launch to date, with the introduction of two brand new lines: the Lil’ Ocean Explorers line, specially crafted to support baby’s development, and a separate collection of unique Sparkle Bay interactive bath toys.

Marketing Manager, Michelle Lilley said: “This is the best infant pre-school launch for the brand so far and really shows our dedication to development in this area. We’re excited as we believe these ranges are bringing something brand new to the market and offer a huge point of difference.”

Little Tikes will be supporting the launch with their biggest investment to date in a substantial media campaign including national TV support.

Find out more about the new lines in our pre-school feature starting on page 30.

TOP TRENDS OF 2015 Kristin Morency Goldman from the US Toy Industry Association highlights the top seven toys trends of 2015

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At the North American International Toy Fair, held in February in New York City, the US Toy Industry Association revealed this year’s top trends in toys and games during one of our most popular seminars at the show – the Toy Trends Briefing.

Attended by hundreds of global media and buyers, the presentation was based on what caught our attention at Toy Fair, in addition to several months’ worth of meetings with hundreds of toy companies leading up to the show. So, what did we reveal? In a nutshell, 2015 is shaping up to be the year of handson, imaginative play – whether children are building, customising and creating with toys that feature open-ended play patterns, or

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2015 is shaping up to be the year of hands-on, imaginative play

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enjoying ‘smart’ tech toys that are even more engaging and innovative than their predecessors. Across all categories, toy makers are ramping up their efforts to not only capture but also keep the attention of kids in the face of ongoing competition from tablets, smartphones and TV. The most successful of this year’s toys will be those that are multilayered and enable children to grow into or adapt to them as they learn new skills.

Each of the TIA’s top seven trends announced at Toy Fair ties into the US toy industry’s ongoing Genius of Play consumer campaign, which kicked off in Q4 2014 to promote the many benefits of play (visit www.

TheGeniusOfPlay.org to learn more).

We are looking forward to sharing detailed analyses of each of the top seven trends over the coming months.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Sophie swims for charity Sophie Moore, Ian Moore of Howleys Toymaster’s daughter, is undertaking a serious swimming challenge. A keen swimmer, Sophie completed the 22 mile distance of the English Channel at her local pool in 2013, raising nearly £5,000 for charity. This time, Sophie is upping the ante to raise money for Against Breast Cancer, and will swim 55 miles – the equivalent of a circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight’s coastline.

“Sophie is a very keen swimmer but at just 13 years old this is a great challenge for her,” said Ian. “She decided to take on this challenge as someone very special to her has been battling through breast cancer and this charity works very hard to improve detection and increase survival after diagnosis.” If you would like to support Sophie and help her reach her target of £3,000, visit her Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/sophie-moore13

Remembering Keith Bass Industry veteran Keith Bass has passed away at the age of 89. He would have been 90 on 12 May 2015.

Keith began as a salesman in a number of different industries, including tyres for Firestone and Metzeler. In the 60s he was head hunted by Mattel as it began developing its UK business. Keith worked for a number of different companies during his time in the toy industry. He was a keen golfer and captain of Sheringham Golf Club, and assisted the junior golfers of Norfolk, including a young Oliver Fisher, now a professional on the European Tour. He was described as a man of boundless,

almost childlike enthusiasm.

Keith’s funeral will take place 11.30am Tuesday 21 April at St Peter’s Church, Church Road, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8QS. A celebration of a life well lived will be held at Sheringham Golf Club (NR26 8HG) at around 2.30pm. Charity donations are welcome and can be left at the church or sent directly to the Funeral Directors - Fox’s Funeral Service, 01263 512427. They will be divided between the Altzheimers Society and Motor Neurone Disease.

Maker Movement The Maker Movement includes building and construction toys, programmable playthings, cooking toys, design kits, musical toys, and other DIY playthings that allow kids to build and create items that are unique to them.

for birthday party loot bags, stocking stuffers and for families who are on the go.

Open-ended Playtime Open-ended toys and games, whether traditional or innovative, help promote creativity, resourcefulness and problem-solving skills by allowing kids the freedom to explore exactly how they want to play, depending on their abilities and interests.

Mini Madness This trend encompasses toys that come in tiny packages, as well as smaller versions of hot-selling existing product lines. They are great

APRIL 2015

‘Smart’ Play ‘Smart’ Play toys include innovative toys that teach kids Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) – a trend first identified by TIA last year – as well as classic games and activities that promote the development of cognitive and social skills Under the Sea Toys that are aquatic-themed and/ or involve water play are gaining traction in several categories, including dolls, games, collectibles, outdoor toys, and more. Some are educational and teach kids about underwater life, while others are just plain splash-tastic!

BrainBox hits the small screen Green Board Games’ BrainBox the World is back on the box this Easter, with 220 TV adverts throughout April. The 54 TVRs will air on top children’s entertainment channels Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito.

The Entertainer named Speciality Retailer of the Year The Entertainer has been named Speciality Retailer of the Year at the Oracle Retail Week Awards in March. The judges commended The Entertainer for “successfully competing with the big toy retailers, including Toys R Us”, for its extraordinary growth, and its focus on in-store experience which it “strives to make as memorable as possible for its customers”.

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We are looking forward to sharing detailed analyses of each of the top seven trends

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Top in Tech Top in Tech toys incorporate traditional play patterns to keep children fully engaged as they explore virtual worlds or new technologies. Some of the latest tech toys are also customisable, creating an enriching and immersive play experience.

Dawn of the Dinosaurs This year represents the Dawn of the Dinosaurs, driven largely by the release of the Jurassic World movie this summer. Expect to see an inundation of dino-themed toys on store shelves to captivate kids of all ages.

For more information about TIA vi sit www.

ToyAssociation.org or www.ToyInfo.org. To learn more about the amazing benefits of play, visit www.TheGeniusOfPlay.org.

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NEWS Farewell ‘Mr Monopoly’ Hélène Vernis, Head of Sales UK & International at Learning Resources with MD Dennis Blackmore

Dennis honoured Learning Resources is celebrating being named Exporter of the Year at the Education Resources Awards.

The accolade recognises the company’s expertise in marketing and selling its products overseas.

Later on that evening, Learning Resources MD Dennis Blackmore was personally recognised for his Outstanding Services to the Educational Supply Industry, following nearly 40 years in the sector. He established Learning Resources in 1994.

“It is, of course, a true honour to gain the esteem of one’s peers, and I take that away from what has been a very humbling experience,” said Dennis. “I have gained a lot from working with some really talented people and I feel like I am still learning how to do this job!”

Victor Watson, who played a major role in the popularisation of Monopoly, has died aged 86. Victor became chairman of the games maker Waddingtons in 1977. Victor’s grandfather – also Victor – was instrumental in the early years of Monopoly’s global success.

Waddingtons secured the rights to sell Monopoly worldwide, and Victor Sr developed the game for the British market, including a tour of London to find landmarks for the squares. Victor is survived by his wife Sheila and two daughters.

Import Services preps for new London operation Construction of Import Services’ new London Gateway facility is on schedule, with staff set to move into the new state-of-the-art logistics centre sometime in April.

Import Services will be the operator and manager of the logistics centre on behalf of DP World London Gateway, which is the UK’s first purpose built 21st Century major deep-sea container port, adjacent to Europe’s largest designated logistics park.

Mike Thomas, Import Services’ client services director said: “This is a very exciting time for Import Services and we are looking forward to operating the London Gateway Logistics Centre.”

Import Services will provide a menu of logistics services and activities on a pay-as-you-go basis.

On your marks, get set, bake!

SADDLE UP AT HARRODS A life-sized Breyer foal has become the latest permanent fixture at one of the world’s most famous department stores. For 65 years, the Breyer brand has been creating some of the finest model horses in the world and now, in its 65th anniversary year, an exclusive model can be seen in Harrods’ toy department.

The foal’s presence in Harrods will be a good attraction, and is located where the Breyer range is stocked. The Breyer range is hand painted and made from top quality materials to feel like a real horse.

“I am so excited that the Breyer Life-Sized Foal is now a feature in the Harrods Toy Department,” said David Allan, Sales and Marketing Director at DKL. “It firmly establishes Harrods as a leading Breyer Model Horse stockist”.

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This April, the Toy Trust is inviting the entire industry to get involved in the Toy Trust Big Cake Bake. From Monday 13 to Friday 17 April, the Toy Trust hopes to see companies putting their delicious homemade cakes on sale to raise money for the industry’s charity. Companies are encouraged to host their own cake bakes on a date and time which suits them, but are asked for this to be within the designated event dates to celebrate the new event together. The Toy Trust will also be presenting the inaugural toy industry Cupcake Awards, so you could be in with a chance of being crowned the industry’s first baking champion. The 2015 categories are: • Best License Inspired – industry led licenses • It’s All About The Kids – any children’s party would be proud to have them • Here Comes Summer – summer inspired • Chocolate Heaven – white, dark and milk chocolate creations • Best of British – whether flavours or style, these represent all that’s great about the British Isles To be eligible for an award, submit a photo of your bakes via Twitter @ TheToyTrust using #toytrustbigbakeoff, or to the BTHA’s Matt Jones.

Key information for participating companies can be found on www. btha.co.uk/toy-trust, or contact Matt Jones on Matt@btha.co.uk or 020 7701 7127.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

PEOPLE

NEWS Quartet of new hires for WOW WOW Toys has announced four new appointments to its sales team, boasting a wealth of industry experience and knowledge between them. Christopher Watts has joined as UK Sales Manager and is responsible for principle major accounts. Sally Irwin, Tomas Hudson and Deborah Stanley have joined as Regional Sales Managers.

Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, WOW’s MD said: “We are delighted to welcome our new sales team and confident that their expertise and experience will significantly contribute to developing the brand.”

COFFEE BREAK Famosa’s Marketing Manager Nikki Jeffrey grabs a quick coffee with TnP and tells us about the company’s plans for key brands like Pinypon, Nenuco, Feber, Nancy and more

Amscan welcomes Liz Brown

Nikki, tell us about your presence in the UK market – how are things looking for Famosa?

Pinypon and Nenuco both had an incredibly successful start, we could not have hoped for better. The UK launch since 2014 has seen a strong marketing campaign resulting in strong distribution across a number of accounts. That is set to improve further throughout Feber Range Rover summer and into the autumn with the mass launch of Nancy and new lines added to the Feber outdoor and ride on brand.

With an ever-expanding licensed portfolio currently including 100 properties, Amscan International has welcomed Liz Brown to its licensing team.

Liz takes the newly created role of Licensing Associate EMEA, and brings a wealth of commercial and retail marketing knowledge and experience across multiple sectors. The role will include providing licensing support across EMEA working closely with Director of Licensing EMEA, Sandra Vanstan.

What are your top three hero products in the UK market at the moment?

Nenuco Bubble Bath Set which is new for spring 2015 and is supported by a major TV campaign. Pinypon sees further playset launches and the brand itself is diversifying into other areas with publishing deals and apps in the pipework. And of course the Feber Range Rover is now available ex works Spain which means more UK retailers have the chance to be part of the success story we have with it.

New agent for Kidicraft Kidicraft has appointed Kitty Brown Agencies as its new agent to cover London and the South East. Kitty Brown is made up of husband and wife team Ben and Nadine Hanrahan, who both have many years of experience in the toy and stationery industries.

US TIA names new President and CEO The US Toy Industry Association (TIA) has announced that Stephen J. Pasierb will join the trade association at the end of April as President and CEO. In his new role, Stephen will be responsible for leading the growth, development and oversight of the association. He will succeed current President & CEO Carter Keithley, who will retire at the end of April.

APRIL 2015

Nancy is launching this summer, what impact will she make on the large dolls category?

Nancy launched in Toys R Us in 2014 Pinypon and was a huge hit so we have taken the decision to roll her out to the rest of the UK market. Nancy offers something different that not only appeals to girls due to her aspirational style and play value, but also to parents as she is a doll that doesn’t appear too adult.

What were your top three sellers of last year from across your ranges?

Our number one selling item was the Nenuco Cradle Sleep with me, both in value and volume sales. Second to that was the Pinypon Campervan closely followed by the Pinypon figures themselves. Our launch BOGOF deal on the Pinypon Series 3 figures helped ensure good distribution Nenuco from the outset.

How do you help your retailers sell more?

We take support of our retailers very seriously and aside from implementing strong marketing campaigns across all our brands, we are continuously offering BOGOF and value-added deals across Pinypon and Nenuco which we are hoping to emulate with Nancy and Feber as the year goes on.

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TV

PRIME TIME TnP TV continues to go from strength to strength

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nP’s weekly TV show TnP TV is going great guns, with a fastgrowing and loyal audience.

Each week, TnP TV, presented

by Editor-in-Chief, Mirella Anstey, brings you the hottest news and information from the toy trade – with interviews and product demos galore so you can really get a feel for what’s fresh in the industry.

Retailers and consumers alike are loving the show and TnP TV’s devoted army of fans are heaping praise upon the team for bringing something new and fresh to the trade.

Mirella says: “The show is an exciting new venture and is so well-received – our viewers come back for more each week and tell their friends and colleagues about it, so the initial engagement is high and rising. We are so thrilled that this unique and fun way of communicating to the trade, and to consumers, is really appreciated and loved – thank you all so much!”

TnP TV airs every week and is delivered to your inbox as well as being available on www.toysnplaythings.co.uk The only way to be part of TnP TV is to get in touch with Ryan Horwood now, on 01442 289 930 or at ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

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1

Episode MV Mookie Amanda Gummer

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Episode VTech Flying Gadgets Amanda Gummer

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Episode Flair Schleich Amanda Gummer

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o

&gift Toys & children’s gifts for all occasions Open to all independent toy and gift retailers Cranmore Park, Solihull, B90 4LF Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 April 2015 FREE PARKING • FREE ADMISSION • FREE REFRESHMENTS

Register for FREE at:

EXHIBITION

NEWS

New dates for Toy Fair 2016 The BTHA has confirmed new dates for Toy Fair 2016, which will run between Sunday 24 and Tuesday 26 January in order to avoid a clash with Nuremberg Toy Fair.

The BTHA released the below statement to make all the details clear.

“The Toy Fair dates for 2016 are confirmed as Sunday 24 January to Tuesday 26 January 2016.

The BTHA and Olympia have been working hard to find a resolution to the clash of dates since finding out Majen Immink about Nuremberg not moving to its normal week at the beginning of February. The BTHA wishes to alleviate issues for visitors and exhibitors.

Extra opening hours are planned on the first two days, opening from 8.30am – 6.30pm on Sunday and Monday and from 8.30 – 4pm on Tuesday. Build times have been arranged to allow contractors the same number of hours as previous years in order to create a great event.

To acknowledge that there may be extra cost and inconvenience for some exhibitors, Toy Fair will offer a number of discounts: • Rates will be frozen at 2015 prices • 5% special discount to all exhibitors • 3% early booking rebate for all exhibitors who have paid deposits by 21 April 2015 • 4% early settlement rebate for all those paying their final invoice by 30 October 2015 This equates to a 12% rebate, and with the price freeze is equal to a 14-16% lower rate in 2016. In addition the exhibitors that have received a discount for participating on the balcony level will continue to receive a discount on their space, which will be 6% for 2016.

The BTHA understands from the Nuremberg Fair organisers that from 2017 onwards, the fair in Germany will be back in its traditional slot in early February. Nuremberg organisers have

indicated that this one-year clash is an accident caused partly by the early Carnival time in Germany.

The 2017 dates for London Toy Fair are planned to be Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 January 2017 and we have been told by the Spielwarenmesse that the 2017 Nuremberg dates are planned for 1-6 February.

Based on information from Nuremberg there should not be a clash beyond 2017 (although we are told these are not yet confirmed) and we have shared those dates below.

Obviously we have avoided clashes in the past and understand that the situation in 2016 is a one-off.

The BTHA operates as an Association in the UK and on behalf of members on many issues across Europe.

The money generated by Toy Fair is reinvested in this work in the interests of the BTHA membership and the wider industry.

Obviously we would not want any future clash as no-one would want to see that overall industry work threatened.

The BTHA values creating a busy, vibrant and professional show for the whole of the UK toy industry.

Majen Immink, Head of Toy Fair Operations and Sales said: “Toy Fair is always run with exhibitors and visitors in mind both in terms of good service, providing a platform for sales and networking and at a reasonable cost to Toy Fair stakeholders from across the industry. We all want to work towards a terrific event in 2016 and beyond.”

Applications forms have been sent out to all those who have expressed an interest in exhibiting at Toy Fair 2016. If you have not received a form and wish to exhibit, please contact Chris@ btha.co.uk or call 020 7701 7127.

Applications made by the 10 April with deposits received by 21 April will receive a 3% early booking discount.”

If you have any further questions please email majen@btha.co.uk.

GET CONNECTED Licensing Expo has announced the addition of the Digital Media Licensing Summit to the 2015 show in June.

The Summit, which takes place in conjunction with LIMA’s Licensing University, is a first-of-its-kind programme designed to connect licensees, retailers and manufacturers with the world’s most successful and popular digital media companies and stars.

The inaugural Summit features exhibitors from the digital content world, as well as a full day of programming on 8 June, which features a number of keynotes and panels

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focusing on new business opportunities focusing on young consumers’ media habits towards digital platforms and stars.

Jessica Blue, Vice President, Licensing Expo said: “Introducing the new digital exhibitors and attendees to Licensing Expo plays a key role in the future of the industry. For 35 years our event has featured the who’s who of the $251 billion licensing marketplace and we are pleased to add a new digital aspect to an already strong show.”

Visit www.licensingexpo.com for more information and to register.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MOVIE

NEWS

Avengers trailer smashes records Marvel’s new Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer set a record for the number of views received when it debuted online in March. With more than 35 million views racked up in just the first 24 hours, Age of Ultron trailers now hold the highest Marvel global view count to date, surpassing all of its previous films.

The follow-up to the biggest super hero movie of all time revisits the

iconic Avengers characters in an all new action-packed thrill ride. When Tony Stark jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry for ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’, who are put to the ultimate test as they battle to save the planet from destruction at the hands of the villainous Ultron.

Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron drops 23 April 2015 in the UK.

JUNGLE MOVIE Principal photography for Warner Bros. Pictures adaptation of The Jungle Book is well underway.

Master of motion-capture, Andy Serkis, sits for the first time in the director’s chair, presumably to bring his expertise to the film’s blend of liveaction and performance capture.

Some serious talent in the form of Oscar winners Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett and nominee Benedict Cumberbatch playing Bagheera the panther, Kaa the snake and Shere Khan the tiger respectively join him. Serkis will act as director/actor, assuming the role of bumbling bear Baloo, friend to Rohan Chand’s man-child Mowgli.

The film is set for a 6 October 2017 release.

The saga continues The future of the everexpanding Star Wars movie franchise is a little clearer, after Disney revealed new details for two planned releases at its shareholder meeting in March. Star Wars: Episode 8, a sequel to the as-yet-unreleased Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was given a firm summer 2017 release.

Disney plans to have the movie in cinemas on 26 May. Disney also provided concrete details for the first standalone movie, separate from the core ‘Episodes’. Rogue One is the title of the first of these movies, which slot into the calendar between bi-annual core releases. It will be directed by Gareth Edwards and Felicity Jones

APRIL 2015

is the first actress cast.

Reports later in the month also added weight to rumours that The Force Awakens director J.J.Abrams will return for Episode 9.

Latino Review reported there is a “good chance” he will return following Disney’s apparent enthusiasm for his work on The Force Awakens.

Disney announces ‘Frozen 2’ Disney has officially announced its plans to produce a proper sequel to Frozen.

John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios revealed the news during Walt Disney Co.’s annual shareholder meeting in San Francisco on 12 March.

Earlier in March, co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee expressed reservations about a full-length sequel, and how daunting a prospect it was to follow up the 2013 animated hit. But Lasseter confirmed the pair would return to develop the movie alongside producer Peter Del Vecho.

“We enjoyed making Frozen Fever so much and being back in that world with those characters,” Lasseter said. “Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck have come up with a great idea for a sequel and you will be hearing a lot more about it and we’re taking you back to Arendelle. We are so excited about that.”

No further details are known.

Fairy tale opening for Cinderella Disney’s new live-action film Cinderella was the belle of the ball at the US box office when it opened to an estimated three-day $70.1m gross.

Filmed entirely in the UK, Cinderella features a fairy tale cast including BAFTA and Academy Award regulars Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter, and is directed

by Kenneth Branagh.

Following a magical US opening, Cinderella cast a spell over the UK box office when it opened in cinemas across the UK on 27 March.

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MEDIA

NEWS

Monstery tour Monster High fans gathered in London in March as the spooktacular brand took to the capital’s roads to celebrate Haunted, the brand new Monster High DVD release. Guests travelled aboard a fully Monster High Haunted-branded double-decker bus, for a fully interactive Monster High themed tour of all the major London sights, hosted by Monster High characters.

The final stop was at Hamley’s, where guests were greeted by Monster High characters Draculaura and Frankie Stein for the premier of the Haunted movie and a tour of the store. The Ghost Bus event is part of an extensive marketing programme to support the new DVD and toy line, which includes a major TV campaign.

Stars of the tiny screen LEGO DUPLO has launched its very own Tiny Film Festival in collaboration with Disney UK & Ireland.

The campaign, which launched 12 March, is designed to celebrate the imaginative stories of the tiny directors. Each week, for five weeks, one child’s story will be stop motion animated by Disney using LEGO DUPLO bricks and sets.

Parents can submit their tiny director’s stories via dedicated microsite www.lego.com/tinyfilm, which will feature a tiny cinema player.

The films will last around 15 seconds with a graphic intro and outro sequence, crediting family members of the tiny director’s choice to parody real blockbuster cinema releases.

Anna Hill, Chief Marketing Officer, The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland, said: “We’re really pleased to have collaborated with LEGO DUPLO on this fantastic project… We love to work with brands who share our passion for storytelling.”

“We are delighted to be celebrating the imagination of toddlers throughout the UK, by putting them in the director’s chair and enabling them to create their own mini blockbuster,” said Brand Manager at LEGO DUPLO, Genelle Holton. “The campaign will enable us to demonstrate to parents that LEGO DUPLO is a fantastic role play product, which encourages storytelling.”

Bagpuss gets a HD makeover Much-loved moggy Bagpuss is being brought up-to-date in a new HD digital remaster of the original episodes. The loveable cloth cat first aired on British television in 1974 and ran for 26 weeks a year for 13 years, despite there being just 13 episodes produced. The HD episodes will be available on DVD from April. Exclusive footage will be included, featuring interviews with the original creator Peter Firmin, who was recently honoured at the Bafta Children’s Awards with a Special Award, recognising his outstanding contribution to children’s media.

Intelex has signed to bring new Bagpuss licensed plush to market later this year.

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WORLD OF WARRIORS GEARS UP FOR UK TAKEOVER Mind Candy is ramping up its World of Warriors marketing efforts with a campaign that runs until the end of July 2015. The campaign aims to build awareness and educate boys and gamers about the World of Warriors app and backstory, to drive downloads and brand engagement.

The campaign highlights include heavyweight TV, cinema and YouTube advertising. This will prepare the way for a strong takeover at retail, starting with Topps trading cards from 9 April.

The TV spot is already on air and will run until July 2015. It will be featured over 7,000 times across Cartoon Network, Disney XD, Citv and many more. Cinema advertising will hit 700 UK screens and YouTube will achieve over two million impressions on targeted channels.

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MEDIA

Things are on the up W

elcome to the Media Report for February, we will present the viewing levels for both Girls and Boys 4-9 years and Housewives with Children – Pre-school.

Looking at the viewing data for Boys we see that the Cartoon Network continues to be the market leader with Boomerang in second place, both these stations are part of the Turner group.

Nickelodeon Junior does well, I suspect, based on programming as most of these viewers are between 4-5 years. Pop does well, as does CiTV and both these stations are on the Freeview platform.

With the viewing data for Girls 4-9 years, we can see that Tiny Pop is ahead of Nickelodeon, I suspect that most of their viewers are between 4-5 years, again we make this assumption based on programming content.

Pop does well here too; again both Tiny Pop and Pop are on the Freeview platform.

As the chart shows, Nickelodeon is holding on to its audience, with a small increase when compared to February 2014.

Nickelodeon, Nick Junior, Pop and Tiny Pop are part of the Sky Media Network, so they have a strong hold on the Girls market.

The Housewife with Children – Pre-school, we see Nickelodeon Junior is market leader, however we must make the point that it’s quite likely that this station is viewed by the Mother with Child audience, again it is based on programming content, compared to Good Morning Britain, where we say that a high percentage of GMB viewers are working mothers.

GMB is in second place and is holding onto its audience when we look at last year’s figures, it would be reassuring to see some increases this year for GMB. The reported TV expenditure for the Top Ten Clients is up by 55% and the total market is up by 34.3%. As the chart shows all the usual suspects are there.

The TV market is up by 17.7%, all in all a very good start to the year.

The next issue we will look at the older end of the Kids market and some non Kids Channels that offer coverage for the older kids.

CHARTS

3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Housewives & Kids TVR’s February 14 vs February 15

Feb-14

Feb-15

Feb 14 Feb-14

Feb 15 Feb-15

7000 6000 5000 0 4000 0 3000 0 2000 0 1000 0 0

Boys 4-9 TVR’s February 14 vs February 15 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0

Girls 4-9 TVR’s February 14 vs February 15

Feb-14

Feb-15

Feb 2014 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Feb 2015 Toy Company TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Flair Leisure Prod Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Character Options Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Bandai UK Ltd Hasbro (UK) Ltd Build A Bear Workshop Zapf Creations UK Zuru Toys (USA) Topps Europe Total

£610,477 £531,570 £531,021 £337,343 £323,146 £264,403 £181,572 £113,315 £94,617 £92,895 £3,080,359

Hasbro (UK)Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Mattel UK Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Character Options Ltd Vivid Imaginations Ltd Bandai UK Ltd Jakks Pacific John Adams Leisure Ltd Golden Bear Prod Ltd Total

£1,032,034 £807,779 £733,384 £652,688 £522,214 £304,982 £203,727 £194,158 £179,097 £167,250 £4,797,313

For more information on viewing levels please contact Mike Penfold. mike@globalmedia.me.uk Tel: 01753 889630.

All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

SEPTEMBER SE S EP PT TEMBE EMB EM BE ER 2013 2013 20 13

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MEDIA

OPINION

It’s about the kids The preschool TV market is a tough sector but how are the viewing levels judged?

Clive Crouch gives us an insight

W

ithin the genre of children’s television, preschool productions represent a category that has evolved to describe a sector of the children’s programme market.

Taken literally, it implies that these young viewers are of a pre-school age. The age entry into state school education is from four years. This would imply that “pre-school” children are age 0-3 years and 364 days. The British Audience Research Bureau (BARB), concurs with this.

BARB measures the viewing of Housewives with Children 0-3 (HWWCH 0-3), Children 4-9 and Children 10-15. The age bands of four to 15 can also be measured by gender.

I trust that most readers of this magazine are aware of BARB and its role.

Let’s clarify the HWWCH 0-3 group.

In this instance, BARB are measuring the viewing of a mother who has a child up to the age of three years and 364 days, they are not counting the children. This stands to reason, because mothers would not be watching preschool TV without a child. Moving on, the creators of pre-school shows age their programmes up, they target and connect with age groups of five or six and may well appeal beyond that.

Producing children’s content is an expensive business that comes with a high level of risk. Childrens’ TV producers can cite factors that increase the chance of creating a hit show. Traditionally literature based properties with built-in brand values have proven to be a successful formula for generating revenues beyond broadcaster distribution fees.

Publishing, home and online entertainment, licensing and merchandising have provided a rich return, while CGI shows brought new creative play values to the properties. However, for every Winnie the Pooh, Thomas or Teletubbies, there are dozens of high quality kids franchises that never make their money back.

Kid’s producers know that identifying big hit shows is in the majority a hindsight business. Look at Peppa Pig, who would have predicted this 2D animated series would have been such a huge success?

Fortunately, Entertainment One

“

backed Astley Baker-Davies’ show and by 2010, Peppa had spawned a licensing phenomenon that grossed a reported £200m in retail sales. Just like Peppa, Spongbob as a show did not appear initially as an obvious licensing franchise.

However by 2009, Spongebob’s tenth anniversary, the licensing franchise was worth $8 billion a year from over 700 licences worldwide.

Obviously, these shows do not just sit in the pre-school genre, they age up and capture older viewers. Neither Peppa nor Bob are literature based but what they have is a deep connection with both parents and children, this emotional reach is embedded in the writing without any commercial demands compromising the creative vision. The demand for product is driven by viewers who adore the characters and want children to have the same experiences and rewards from play. Hence, the licences need to fully understand the DNA of a kid’s brand to meet those expectations. There are too many shows in the pre-school sector to mention by name and what we have established is that there is no real cutoff age to apply across the pre-school genre.

However, as children age-up there is a change in their viewing of channels beyond the dedicated 800 kid networks. A recent report that monitored children in the five to six viewing age bracket showed that CBBC, CBeebies, CITV, Tiny Pop, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney XD were popular. Boys aged five-six also watched Sky Sports 1 and girls aged five-six tuned into Disney Cinemagic. In the seveneight age range, the spread of channels increases further into mainstream television. Both boys and girls aged seven - eight now view ITV 2 “frequently” and have now added Pop Girl to their choices.

Once children hit nine and ten, CBeebies is off the frequent list of viewing, and boys have added BBC One, BBC Three and Channel Four. Of course, they are still watching dedicated children’s channels but a lot less frequently.

For every Winnie the Pooh, Thomas or Teletubbies, there are dozens of high quality kids franchises that never make their money back

”

Clive Crouch www.clivecrouch.com, info@clivecrouch.com, mobile: 07831 670 453

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COVER FEATURE CHARACTER OPTIONS

Small in size but big on gross Next month, Character Options will be launching The Ugglys Pet Shop. Developed by Moose Enterprise, the range will be supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign across in-store POS, TV, print, mass sampling, digital and even a celebrity endorsement from the international megastar… Mugly! Character’s Marketing Manager Mark Hunt gives us a flavour of what’s to come A true collectable “Once again Moose has hit the mark when it comes to producing a great collectable.

With 101 disgusting pets to collect in Series 1 with all types of grotty or sticky finishes, rarities and limited edition, kids are bound to find their perfect putrid pet. To heighten the collectability are the elusive “Poops” with a golden one being the most sought after of all. The pets can be collected within two figure blind pet food cans and multiple packs that include eight figurines including two hidden characters and a mystery poop! So much detail and imagination has gone into developing each of these characters, we expect the target audience to be instantly engaged in the brand.”

A marketing plan to match the anticipation…

“The range will launch in May with a huge marketing and PR campaign that will deliver significant reach and build huge brand awareness. We are launching over 750 FSDUs into multiple retail channels supported by an impressive 100k sampling campaign to drive collectability.

We have the rollout of kids press cover mounts, advertorial campaigns and interactive digital activity on leading kids sites. We will also be extending our annual “Britain’s Funniest Dogs Awards” by opening it to all pets. All of this will be underpinned with a significant TV schedule that will see The Ugglys Pet Shop advertised from May all the way through till Christmas.”

Gross sounds “Kids, especially boys, love toys that are on the edge of what’s acceptable to their parents, the mini Gross Homes and the Pet Store accentuates this.

Kids can create the ultimate towering Pet Store by collecting and stacking the gross homes on top of each other, if you press them all together you hear a variety of sick sounds such as farts and burps. The Dirty Dog Wash Van will be a top seller as it’s s it s one of the grossest vehicles created, with over ver 30 dubious sound FX, and is packed full ull of nastiness for kids to discover.” ver.”

Talk of Toy Fair “We had a great reaction to The Ugglys Pet Shop when we unveiled it for the first time in London from both retailers and the press.

We had a special guest appearance from our new brand ambassador Mugly, the 2012 World’s Ugliest Dog winner, the press call lasted about 45 minutes! Mugly is a perfect fit for the brand and he will be making nationwide appearances at various retail and PR events throughout the year”

APRIL 2015

17

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

Scooting to a store near you MV SPORTS 01217488000 www.mvsports.co.uk

Have you been mixeled yet?

LEGO 01753495000 www.lego.co.uk LEGO Mixels are back with a new wave of collectable characters.

Series 4 features glow in the dark elements, which is a first, and incorporates one-of-a-kind moulding and design mechanics and custom pieces. The return of the fire-breathing Infernites, the illuminated Glowskies tribe and a new space based tribe Oribitrons round out the new venture, leading to positive uptake from retailers and consumers alike.

At RRP £3 per pack, the first ever constructable collectible in the UK market continues to increase its foothold within the toy industry, delivering strong sales figures quarter on quarter since its release last March.

ports continues Following a successful 2014, MV Sports to lead the market in licensed and own brand wheeled toys. This year MV’s portfolio folio of exciting sector leading licenses is further strengthened with the addition of several highly y anticipated new properties including an amazing zing multi property licensed agreement with h the Walt Disney Company.

MV’s hot new licensed innovations, ons, Scootcases, are springing into action this summer, mmer, and currently developing licensed versions ersions such as Peppa Pig and Thomas the Tank ank Engine.

Disney Princess has time and again gain proven itself as a stable licence in the girls’ preschool market. The new star product oduct emerging from this range is the e Disney Princess ‘sit and scoot’ ride-on.. A product that has the ability to easily covert from a scooter to a ride-on -on with a simple, safe twist mechanism. m. This new exciting product launch will also be featured within the Disney Cars range, with vibrant colours, graphics and recognisable Lightening McQueen character features.

A need for speed TOY STATE +1 (781) 349-1000 www.toystate.com The latest from Toy State’s Nikko brand is taking the RC world by T storm. stor The Nikko VaporizR 2 is a full-function vehicle that runs on land, water or T snow. snow w. With two motors and 360 degree spin capabilities this is a true four-wheel drive vehicle for play on any surface. With a rugged looking custom style, this radio-controlled favorite can hit a max speed of 15 kilometers per hour. radio This past May, Toy State acquired Nikko, a giant in the RC category for more half a century. The Hong Kong based company is fully committed to upholdthan h ing the legacy while continuing to grow this classic line of toys.

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NEW Be a doll BIGJIGS TOYS TOYS 01303250400 www.bigjigstoys.co.uk

Arrive in style FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk It’s a new season for Formula One so what could be more apt than buying the little ones their very first Ferrari! The Ferrari Play and Go F2012 Remote Control Car from Flair is just one of a wider range for tots from the prestigious car brand and features an infrared steering wheel-shaped controller, with easy to hold handles on the side. The iconic red car moves backwards and forwards, featuring real moving Pirelli P Zero wheels, a front and rear spoiler, a personal driver and sponsorship to complete the racing experience. This RC playset vehicle is ideal for aiding development through play, hand and eye co-ordination, and imagination in budding racing drivers- not to mention a luxury ride for any child.

Freddy is a friend

Seven new dolls join the Bigjigs family for 2015 and already they’re proving extremely popular as soft toy companions for youngsters aged 12 months+. Molly, Melanie, Penny, Louise, Alice, Susie are large in size as well as character measuring in at 380mm high, while Emily is a little shorter at 350mm. These wonderful rag dolls inspire creative role-play and allow children the opportunity to develop basic social skills.

Each doll sports a beautifully crafted, texture-rich and removable outfit. These seven new additions bring the current Bigjigs Dolls collection to over 35 unique designs, including both genders, multicultural designs, and three different sizes. Most of the dolls are dressed in an everyday style outfit, whilse others like Lily are dressed for a specific purpose (ballet in her case) and Dr Tommy and Nurse Nancy are ready to engage in some fun, hospital-themed imaginary play.

To complement the range, Bigjigs offer a Daisy Doll High Chair, Pram and Cradle accessories, allowing children to really extend the role play potential of these toys.

VIVID 01483449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk My Friend Freddy Bear is an interactive teddy specifically designed for pre-schoolers. s. Simply download the free app, type in personal details about your child and family – like favourite ourite toys, pets and birthdays - and pair with your phone or tablet to bring him to life. The app includes activities with three stages of learning to grow with the child; choose from om interactive stories, learning games, counting exercises and more to enhance fine motor or and basic language skills. When not connected to a smart device Freddy Bear is a cuddly y teddy who will react when he’s hugged, tipped upside down, or thrown in the air!

My Friend Freddy Bear will be appearing at the Gadget Show Live in April as part of Vivid’s takeover of the kids area. The show will be visited by 80,000 tech-hungry consumers, including 5,000 children who will all have the opportunity to say hello to Freddy Bear.

APRIL 2015

119 9

RETAIL

OPINION

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

TnP loves to hear your views. This month we chat with retailers around the country to see what is selling well and how they are finding consumers on the ground

SUE WHYMAN Childhood’s Dream, Hampshire Winchester, Hampsh husband Sue and her husba Childhood’s Tony opened Child Dream in 2008, a ffar cry from their previous career in the aviation industr industry. any change in sales between this year Have you noticed a and 2014?

Sales are better, and each week they get a little better still. I don’t really know what to put that down to. re weeks we do better in-store, some weeks Some we better on our website. we do be offer a Click & Collect service?

Do you o We do, and while there aren’t masses of people that use it, I think it’s very useful for some of our local customers.

What product is selling well from your shelf and what do you like?

Marbel’s Lottie Dolls continue to be really popular for D us. We’ve stocke stocked them since the beginning and they’ve always sold well. Bigjigs’ new Bronto Riser is a winner too.

SEAMUS G GRAHAM, Graham’s Toymaster, Portlaoise, Ireland Toym Seamus Graham set up Graham’s Toymaster 34 years ago with his dad Richard. The family-run business is still going strong and they specialise in die-cast and model toys, with their website www.themodelshop.ie catering for a global audience.

Have you noticed any change in sales between this year and 2014?

Yes, sales are up slightly. I suppose there has been an upsurge in the economy and having a good website makes a big difference.

Do you offer a Click & Collect service?

We do and it is something we have done for a long time. With Click & Collect we have a certain amount of local people using it, particularly around Christmas.

What product is selling well from your shelf and what do you really like?

LEGO is selling well across the board. And Britains goes well for us too as does Bachmann with the model railway figures. Personally, I really like Universal Hobbies, they have lovely lines at the moment.

20

ROZ SMITH The Bookcase and Toybox, Minehead, Somerset With a retail background in HR for Debenhams, Roz Smith struck out with Co-Owner Mark Granger to open their own toy shop by the coast in November 2013.

When the summer rolls round they sell beach toys by the bucket load.

Are outdoor toys a big seller for you?

We have quite a lot of traditional toys, so things like kites, badminton and tennis sets, and tents sell well.

Kayes of Cardiff’s outdoor toys sell really well for us.

We’re by the seaside too, so obviously buckets and spades are a staple in the summer months.

Have you noticed any change in sales between this year and 2014?

It has been quiet so far, but our busy period doesn’t kick off until Easter, when the tourists start to come into town and the local Butlins gets busy. Being by the seaside means we do the majority of our business from around now until September or October. Everything points to a good year so far though.

Do you offer a Click & Collect service? ce?

We are looking into developing our website this year, adding a proper online store. Click & Collect is definitely ely something we will look into if the website bsite takes off in a meaningful way.

What product is selling well from you ou shelf and what do you like?

Tobar’s Chitter Chatter plush always sell well for us. They’re plush animals, like a meerkat or penguin, that repeatt everything you say. They’re really funny ny and just something a bit different.

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PAUL WARNER When I was a kid, Cambridge When I was a Kid started off as a website nine years ago.

Described by Owner Paul as a proper traditional toy shop, he has since opened two bricks-and-mortar stores in Wellingborough and Cambridge

MICHAEL CLEARY JKC, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Ireland JKC is run by Michael Cleary and his family. The company was started in 1948 by Michael’s father James Kevin Cleary.

Are outdoor toys a big seller for you?

Bizarrely, I just sold a pogo stick about 10 minutes ago, so outdoor is definitely beginning to pick up now.

Outdoor toys are important to us. Our ethos of selling toys that stimulate imaginations means we are encouraging kids to get outside and play all year round.

Are outdoor toys a big seller for you?

I think more and more indies are specialising and finding a niche for themselves and we specialise in outdoor toys. Berg and TP Toys are big for us in trampolines and we stock Plum swings.

Have you noticed any change in sales between this year and 2014?

We’ve been growing year-on-year for the past five years, so it might be a bit unfair for me to answer that. Our Cambridge store is only a year old, so we don’t know yet. But the Wellingborough store finished 2014 32% up, and our website, which is where we started off, continues to grow at an incredible rate.

Have you noticed any change in sales between this year and 2014?

Sales are very slightly up, maybe by one or two percent. January was flat and we were back a bit in February and trading was ahead in March.

Do you offer a Click & Collect service?

We only have two locations, so we’re a bit twee for that. We do have a lot of customers that will see something on the website and phone to reserve and pick it up in-store though. We’re very proactive at encouraging online shoppers to the bricks and mortar stores and vice-versa in general.

Do you offer a Click & Collect service?

We do but it hasn’t been huge for us. In saying that, online sales were very strong in Ireland in the fourth quarter of 2014, and I think Click & Collect will pick up here.

What product is selling well from you shelf and what do you like?

Because we have three outlets – the website, Wellingborough and Cambridge shops – I can’t really pin point anything. But our Wooden Alphabet Name Train is a big seller for us all year round.

What product is selling well from your shelf and what do you really like?

LEGO is our number one without a shadow of a doubt. But our next bestseller is the Irish Fairy Door Company, it is number two by a mile. Shopkins is strong for us too. One company I really like is YVolution, they do great outdoor stuff.

LUAN HALL Fairies ‘n’ Frogs, Ampthill, Bedfordshire Luan always dreamed of opening her own shop, and after exploring several different career paths she returned to her home town to do just that. Fairies ‘n’ Frogs was named Good Toy Guide’s retailer of the month in April 2014, and has won a number of local business awards Are outdoor toys a big seller for you?

We sell paddling pools and cricket and tennis sets things like that. We’re only a 300 sq ft shop, so we don’t have the space for huge outdoor products. We have Mookie based just down the road as well, and they do some great outdoor toys.

Carla Hubbard and Zara Ford

APRIL 2015

Have you noticed any change in sales between this year and 2014?

We’re pretty much on an even keel compared to last year. We have noticed the town seems quieter in general though this year, so staying on a level is not necessarily a bad thing.

Do you offer a Click & Collect service?

We’re upgrading our website this year, and that’s a definite possibility. It would be a great way of encouraging people to come down and visit us instore.

What product is selling well from your shelf and what do you like?

Green Toys are doing really well.

They’re an American brand of recycled plastic toys, Bigjigs and Learning Resources distribute the brand in the UK.

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RETAIL INTERVIEW KIDS STUFF TOYS

The stuff of dreams Stephen Hartfield, Director of Kids Stuff, left the world of banking behind him to chase his passion in toy retail. He and the team have been busy of late with the launch of a seventh store in Bognor Regis and a new website.

And the best thing? He is confident that 2015 will be even better than last year Stephen, thanks for talking with us. Tell us about Kid Stuff and how you got started?

The business was started 26 years ago by my parents when I was just seven years old, so I have pretty much been involved in the toy industry since then.

I did have a short stint in the banking sector, but it really wasn’t as much fun as running toy shops.

How many stores do you have now and where are they based?

We have seven stores located in Uckfield, Eastbourne, Hastings,

22

Chichester, Burgess Hill, Ashford and Bognor Regis - our latest store which we opened last year.

What makes you invest in a new shop?

Sometimes the correct shop becomes available in a town we have been looking at for a while. Other times - for example the Eastbourne , Hastings and Bognor Regis shops - an existing toy shop closes down and we feel we can fill the gap left behind.

“

We have done more top-up orders for products that have sold well for this time of year than we did last year

”

Is expansion something you are always looking for, or is it more of a slow burner?

Expansion is never ruled out but not something we are actively seeking at the moment.

With the opening of a new branch comes new challenges.

One or two shops is fine, but the third and fourth can become a problem as you are splitting your time between managing staff, ordering enough stock, and everything else. We are at seven now and have the correct staff in position to maintain this.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Our warehouse at Christmas is already stretched to bursting point anyway.

Now to the products, what’s been selling well for you?

The usual LEGO Ninjago got off to a great start, which was helped by the Toymaster window. Peppa Pig, anything Minecraft, Thomas the Tank Engine and VTech’s Toot Toot have all been similarly strong.

Have you noticed any change in buying tempo in the first quarter of this year compared to last?

We have done more top-up orders for products that have sold well for this time of year than we did last year, so that has to be a good sign for the months ahead.

Have you seen anything over the past few months that you think will be a hit?

I went to Hong Kong for the first time this year and have seen some amazing toys out there which will definitely be a hit - but my mouth has been sealed by the NDAs. I think Flair’s Cool Create 3D pen will be well received, and John Adams’ Dinkee Linkee, as my kids love the adult version.

Easy Nails from Character

Options, with the right TV advert, will be a favourite too.

Are customers asking you for anything specifically this year?

I think customers are now much more aware of products earlier due to the internet. It becomes very frustrating when they have seen a product they can buy in America but we can’t get hold of it for months, and they clearly don’t believe you.

“

Find out what’s popular on kids’ TV, listen to your kids, friends’ kids and take notice when asked for products instore

In terms of licences, what are your top three sellers?

At present the top three sellers are Minecraft, Peppa Pig and Thomas. I expect that to change later this year though, with The Minions and Star Wars films coming out.

And what about your top three selling products in general?

At the moment it’s Flair’s Shopkins, Hot Wheels cars and LEGO Minifigures.

”

Do you notice different categories selling well at different times of the year?

There are no real differences in games and puzzles for example, they sell well all year for us and increase in sales percentage in line with the turnover increase.

Talk to us about in-store theatre – is that something Kid Stuff invests in? This is an area I would like to improve in. We run in-store days on new products and run swap meets for kids, but I would like to look at new interactive displays for products.

APRIL 2015

23

RETAIL INTERVIEW KIDS STUFF TOYS

What works when it comes to merchandising in your stores?

We don’t set all our stores out exactly the same way, so you could go in to one and it will be laid out the opposite way to another. This gives it the feel that we are independent and not a chain of stores.

When merchandising products, we will generally put them in the relevant section. A licensed game or puzzle would still go in the general section for games or puzzles, for example. For a big new licence, like Frozen last year, we group all products together so customers can look at all the lines available in one spot, instead of us having to show them all the different places we have Frozen product.

You launched a new website last year, how has that been performing?

We have been pleased with the response to the website. Lots of people are using it locally to browse and see if we stock the product they are after and ringing their local branch to reserve it, which is great as a shop front.

But then also it can work in the opposite way. A grandparent might ring up and ask about a product they have been asked to get for their grandchild, who saw it in store. They want to buy it, but can’t see it online. This presents its own problems, and the challenge becomes keeping your website current and up to date.

What is your biggest challenge as a toy shop owner?

Keeping up with kids trends and how fickle they can be when it comes to collectability and product loyalty. They seem to come in and out of products so quickly that if you don’t have the stock at the beginning then it’s too late by the time you have it in. That’s the problem with some licensed movie toys, they can have such a short life span it’s hard to judge.

out who makes them. Use reps’ knowledge; most are trustworthy and have valuable information to share. Make sure the products you are buying suit your shop.

There are hundreds of toys that I love, and would love to stock, but they don’t suit our customers so it is pointless buying them. Most of all, enjoy buying the product. If you like it and pass your passion on to your staff, they become infected and pass this passion on to your customers, who hopefully keep coming back for years.

What is your gut feeling about 2015?

My gut feeling is that it’s going to be a better year than 2014. There are better movies and we’ve not had to worry about getting stock for crazes only to be annoyed with the amount of stock you have left.

What are your top tips for a novice toy buyer?

Research what is happening.

Find out what’s popular on kids’ TV, listen to your kids, friends’ kids and take notice when asked for products in-store and find

Top three bestsellers

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•

Shopkins – Flair

•

Hot Wheels cars – Mattel

•

LEGO Minfigures – LEGO

toysnplaythings.co.uk

RETAIL

OPINION

Change it up S

o when exactly was the last time your store had a makeover? In mass-market retail, conventional wisdom used to have that it was an exercise that had to be carried out roughly every five to seven years. But that was then. Today, the cycle has become shorter and the same pundits now reckon that if you don’t at least ‘refresh’ your store interior every four or so years, then what you’ll be left with is an outmoded and perhaps irrelevant store. It will be a retail space that will be shunned by the same shoppers who might once have beaten a path to your door and the road ahead will be rocky.

Some of this might well be case, but it is generally applicable to the big retailers. What happens however in the case of those who are smaller and do the same strictures apply? There are certainly small retailers and independents that are rather guiltier of doing nothing than the big chains. These are the make-do and mend merchants - those who work on the basis that familiarity breeds content, rather than the more usual form of the aphorism. The point perhaps is that makeovers cost money. And if you’ve got to do the same again in just a few years, why not wait a while and just hope things will muddle along? They will, but for a limited time only. The fly in the ointment is the competition. Independents tend to compete by exception – they represent something different from the chains and that something should be desirable. Where this particular formula hits the skids is when the reason that an indie is different, how to put this politely, is because it is a bit rubbish when set against the opposition. And here’s the rub. There are an awful lot of independent toy retailers that really don’t look very good. They’ve not benefitted from a lick of paint in years and the in-store display units have taken more than their fair share of knocks and scrapes, not to mention the decals that looked good when they were first applied to the vinyl wood floor, but are now scuffed and covered in black marks. In short, it is not just the competitors who make independent stores look a mite lacklustre; it is the retailers themselves. All too often, it is indeed a matter of child’s play to wander down the high street and come away with the impression that independent toy retailers really don’t care – shoppers will come to them in spite of everything.

Not so and if you really want to put yourself on the endangered retail species list, then this is probably the best way to go. What therefore is to be done? At the very least, a little respect for the long-suffering customer might not go amiss. Practically, this probably translates as getting the painters and decorators in once in a while and making things look at little less timeworn.

And before the spectre of cost appears, it might

be worth considering how much turnover you may be haemorrhaging by doing nothing. The adman’s justification (…don’t ask how well an advert worked – think about how bad things might have been if you hadn’t advertised) comes into play at this point. There will rarely be a reliable way of assessing how much of an effect a makeover will have, but this does not mean that it doesn’t have to be done.

This, of course, is just the start. Change is a central element of retail and the great majority of shoppers feed on innovation and respond to it. What they do not react well to is seeing the same old same old and as soon as something new appears they will decamp and who can blame them.

Even department stores, which used to be repositories of tradition, know that novelty is what their shoppers require of them. Selfridges is a prime example.

Its toy shop is located on the top floor and dragging shoppers up multiple floors is a task in itself (it used to be said that sales in the upper levels of a multi-floor shop are inversely proportional to the distance from the ground floor). Yet they get there in their droves owing to the fact that constant change is almost a given (posh looking electric cars were the latest things to be given their own area recently) and the space has earned its keep in consequence.

Is the lick of paint therefore sufficient to keep things ticking over? Well it may be, but why not push the boat out a little further? What about new coverings for your mid-shop display equipment?

Would it be worth putting LED lights in the windows or, perish the thought, using them to create a little drama across the interior as well?

It might even make sense to move things around – relocate the cash desk and put a new floor covering in place.

All of this equates to store refurbishment. A lot of time and money is expended by the largest operators, but this does not mean that this has to be the case in more modest premises. A sense of proportion will be understood by shoppers and they will still appreciate what has been done.

Do something therefore, almost anything will be better than sitting on your haunches and hoping for better times. They won’t come along, but the offices of the receiver may prove disturbingly close at hand.

There is a sense that the smaller the operation the less financial sense it makes to give a store a makeover, but doing nothing is fraught with peril

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.

APRIL 2015

2

HIGH STREET

HIGHS

The personal touch Last month TnP’s Editor-in-Chief Mirella Anstey spent a fabulous day with The Entertainer team in Chelmsford, getting to grips with what makes them the top toy shop in Essex. This month, Gary Grant, MD and Founder of The Entertainer, talks about how he and his senior management go about selecting the right people to help create the magic within their 100 stores

“

To engage well there has to be sincerity, without question, but you need to be a little bit extrovert in order to demonstrate the toys

”

E

mpowerment is a big word and is often cited as a reason for not feeling content in one’s working environment. But when I met with The Entertainer team in Essex recently, they all told me they felt empowered and like they had a licence to come up with ideas. I’m not talking Senior Management and Directors here…I am talking part-time shop floor retail front liners!

When I recount this to their boss, Gary Grant, he is cock-ahoop. “We do not have a stuffy old fashioned culture here at The Entertainer. I believe in an openness, I am Gary not about doing the right thing, by everyone”, says Gary. But this is a Mr Grant. And yes, we all have different responsibilities and tricky balance to achieve and maintain, yet, one they seem to be skills and strengths, but we are all in it together”. This last managing well. The Entertainer has a low turnover of staff, it has comment is illuminating and strikes me as a really strong one of the country’s highest uptakes of the payroll charity giving indicator as to why the company is riding high. Happy people scheme (about 50%) and has a 10 year service club which has 90 are more motivated, are more productive and sell more. members.

But what is the right retail mix when it comes to selling to The ‘Playground’, which is how Gary and his senior staff kids and parents? Gary sees it as a blend of the honest and describe the atmosphere and feeling evoked by being part down to earth as well as a bit of extra sparkle. “To engage of The Entertainer, certainly encourages people to work hard well there has to be sincerity, without question, but you need but enjoy their working lives too. In the Sunday Times Top 100 to be a little bit extrovert in order to demonstrate the toys Companies to Work For list, published last month, the company well. And let’s not forget, you need to wow a child – we are all debuted at 82 – no mean feat as normally companies take here to put toys in the hands of the child essentially, and so several years to make the top 100 – 80% of staff said they had the engagement and likeability factor needs to be high.” fun at work and 76% said they were excited about the future The Entertainer team all spoke about feeling special and and direction of the company. And for Gary, his 1,200 strong working in a special company – but surely that is hard team reflect how he feels about the company, “ We have a lot enough when you are a one store retailer, never mind more we want to do, we have high expectations of ourselves and one hundred stores. So what does Gary believe is others, but we lead by example. The Directors and I try hard to imperative to creating and engendering this feeling? do our best and I believe this motivates all our staff too”. The For Gary the ethos at the heart of The Entertainer Entertainer certainly sounds like a playground craze people want is what makes everyone feel special. “Our company to be part of and should pay attention too. values and places emphasis on being demanding – demanding the best of the products, the management and your colleagues. And of course, the customers demand the best from us all too. But The Entertainer ask candidates to bring the toy which most alongside this philosophy sits the represents them to interviews. over-arching principle of care. We Gary says: “Customer engagement at retail is all about care about how people feel when personality – you need to be enthusiastic and have a we work with them, we care about touch of flamboyancy in order to interact well with the how we make customers feel when customers. We like to see what the toy is to learn more they walk into our shops, we care

Fun Fact...

about the candidates – and see if they have the right kind of personality.”

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FOR THE DAY

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

All is fair in love and war The Independent makes himself clear this month. Yes, he loves the toy trade but he has a few words for The Secret Supplier

I

have very recently been reminded about just how lucky I am to work in such a magical industry. Let me set the scene, I was in my dentist’s surgery when a conversation started between myself and a couple of other professional looking men who were in the waiting room.

When I mentioned what I did for a living, these guys were overly interested in my line of work. During this particular conversation I realised that on previous occasions I have tried to educate people and let them know that it isn’t all fun. However, it hit me that in reality, we work in an industry that sees us bring smiles to kids’ faces, and that is something we should relish and enjoy. Even though most of the time all we can think about as retailers are the figures for each day and the rewards for our efforts.

I was recently in a Smyths store, as I consider them to be the very best of our wonderful friends the Majors, and I watched three kids standing at the counter feeling the contents of a LEGO mini-figure

blind bag and fighting over which one they were going to find inside.

I love the simplicity of it all, that a child’s day can be made by the contents of a blind bag. Sometimes I need to see these things to remind myself I work in a fantastic industry and need to just enjoy it.

I have also noticed the difference between men and women in my stores.

Women tend to say, “yes sweetheart, that is a lovely teddy bear, and for being such a good girl Mummy is going to get it for you”, while men basically push young boys out of the way so they can study the outside of the Nerf box. I love it, and I suppose if there has ever been scientific evidence required to prove that men never grow up, this is it.

I know I do a lot of complaining about the difficulties of retailing, and I do think that it is a lot harder now than in the past, but I am extremely thankful for the small reminders that we face regularly and all too often forget to take in and enjoy.

Best Sellers VOLUME: 1) LEGO Minifigures – LEGO 2) Shopkins 2 Pack – Flair 3) Frozen Flash`Ems – Character Options

VALUE: 1) Little Live Pets Birdcage – Character Options 2) Elsa’s Ice Castle – LEGO 3) LEGO Minifigures – LEGO

And to my best buddy, The Secret Supplier, I have to express my frustration in knowing that you have the ability to comment on my articles without me being able to respond directly to some of your assumptions. I want to take the opportunity to react to your comments recently regarding my complaints about margins. I do run a profitable business, and we do a hell of a job in serving our local communities with a great mix of clearance, import and domestic product ranges. That, however, does not take away from the fact that someone high up in the supplier’s office is making decisions that £6.80 is an acceptable cost price for a £9.99 retail. I have always encouraged you guys to increase your RRPs so that normality is reset, so does this mean that you have succumbed to the pressure put on you by the Majors? If so that is not my problem, but I am affected by it on a daily basis. It reminds me of the Matchbox Minis conversations that went on years ago, with so many of us expressing concerns that it was a 99p line, and sales would drop off a cliff if prices went above this. Now look at us, we are sitting at £1.49 and sales are still really strong. You guys have the power and the obligation to create reasonable pricing structures, and in my lowly opinion I feel this is not being met every year.

THE SECRET SUPPLIER You’ve got a friend in me The Secret Supplier is fond of his dear friend The Independent and this week he tells us why There is no doubt that in this monthly battle of words that Toys n Playthings has uniquely created, I have the easier task.

The Independent each month writes about the joys and frustrations of being an independent toy retailer. All I have to do is to respond to the hard work that he has created!

I have nothing but the highest regard for The Independent and it is clear from his monthly stories that he loves the industry and loves the joy that toys give to young children. At the same time, and with some justification, each month he lets off steam about a particular issue that cause him frustration.

The Independent represents the heart and soul of what this wonderful industry is all about. He has the courage and fortitude to take on the Majors and to deliver bestselling toys supported by excellent product knowledge and quality customer service.

Suppliers need more customers like him! But the truth of the matter is that retail is a tough and challenging environment for everyone.

You need only to read the headline grabbing comments about Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrison’s and even Waitrose to appreciate that every retailer is facing huge problems related to margins and

28

profitability. So all credit to all Independents who are prepared to battle away to deliver a unique retail experience. These are the retailers who have years of product experience but despite their knowledge there is no doubt that some retailers have sadly decided to wave the white flag and retire gracefully from the retail battle.

But I sense that the times are changing. Could it be that consumers have grown tired of the sterile nature of supermarket shopping now that they have read how some Majors ruthlessly make unfair demands of their suppliers, eventually putting them out of business? At the same time we Suppliers really need to work hard to raise the public’s perception of the value of toys. But even if we were successful in this worthy mission, inevitably a retailer would decide to reduce his margin by discounting a value for money price! The Independent visited a Smyths store recently and was impressed. He refers to them as “the very best of our wonderful friends the Majors”. But surely Smyths, who indeed are wonderful, are essentially a very successful Independent? And aren’t The Entertainer also a highly successful Independent?

Power to the Independent!

toysnplaythings.co.uk

BUSINESS

DRIVER

Just what is it all about?

A

rguably, the biggest question we ever ask ourselves is “what is the meaning of (my) life”? Religion provides answers for many people. Others turn to philosophy, books or television to help them answer this question of all questions. Monty Python devoted a sketch to this topic, while the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy gave us the answer in numerical form... 42.

While answering this question can be both deep and meaningful, or humorous, there is a related question that all of us should find a personal answer to and that is “how do we get the most out of our life”? This life is the only one you are going to get, so you owe it to yourself to live it to the maximum.

I saw an interesting article in the Daily Telegraph recently about maximising your personal wealth. While it was written by HSBC and the title suggests money, it was not about maximising your financial position. By personal wealth they meant the things you hold most dear or what they called your personal treasures.

The article was all about getting the most out of your life and I found the personal treasures they talked to were very relevant to achieving this.

These treasures were your home, your bank of experiences (maybe this was the HSBC link!), your family life, pursuing your passions and getting fulfilment from your career.

Having read the article, I realised that I have been intuitively working on these topics most of my adult life. The hardest part about getting the most out of your life is you don’t know how long you are going to live and how long you will stay healthy. If we knew the answer to this question, we would be able to plan our lives much better.

My solution to this dilemma was to play it safe and retire early. I have so many things on my bucket list, by retiring early I have given myself a better chance of achieving them. In addition to this, Gill (my soulmate and better half), is encouraging me to enjoy every day to the maximum. Said another

way, she is coaching me to enjoy the journey because we already know the destination!

So, to help you get the most out of your life, I will be talking to the topics above and sharing with you how they are helping me to enjoy my life. Hopefully this will, in some small way, enable you to enjoy the journey more. So, let’s start with the importance of your home.

Whether you own your home or not, it is your base. It is the place you return to, where you feel safe and where you keep your possessions. It is also somewhere where you bond emotionally. It is where many of your best memories are created, such as family Christmases, kids’ parties and where you first bond with your children. I am fortunate enough to have had a strong emotional connection with two homes over the past 40 years or so. The first is our main home in Berkshire where we brought up our three children and the other is in the French countryside just south of Bergerac. My wife’s parents bought this farm house in France over 40 years ago at the time Gill and I first met. It holds great memories of our early relationship and it is where we travelled most years with friends and subsequently with our children. When Gill’s parents sadly passed away we didn’t want to sell the house. It held so many great memories for us and we had a vision of how we wanted to improve the property and stamp our mark on it.

Over the last eight years or so we have done just that and we get enormous pleasure from staying there. Last summer our children, their partners and our grandson all came to stay with us in France. It was a magical time and another memory ory created.

So, is your house a real source of enjoyment ment to you? Do you have those memories ories in pictures around the walls? Have you stamped your mark on your ur home? It is certainly one of the ways to help maximise your enjoyment njoyment of life. As the saying goes “home is where the heart art is”. In the next article I will explore xplore the importance of sharing g experiences in order to maximise mise your enjoyment of life.

This life is the only one you are going to get, so you owe it to yourself to live it to the maximum, says John Harper

From his beginnings at Palitoy where he launched their Video Games software business, to MD at Fisher Price in the 90s, starting up Hedstrom in 1998, to more recently, European President of Hasbro and nd now, as a mentor and coach to young entrepreneurs in the industry – there re are few highs or lows that John hasn’t seen and been part of!

APRIL 2015

2

FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Toddling along nicely The pre-school category is one of the most competitive, but what is new in the sector? TnP gives you the heads up on what will help you sell more this year

T

he pre-school market is more exciting busier and mo than ever with some fantastic evergreens everg enjoying a boost, some old o favourites returning to our screens and aisles and some newbies stealing steali some of the limelight.

After all, in the next year ye we will not only enjoy the ongoing celebrations of c the Mattel star, Thomas, who turns 70, but we will also enjoy a return of The r Clangers, an energised and a adventurous Peter Rab Rabbit, the with two ongoing love affair w Peppa and modern classics, Pepp Frozen, as well as the re-invention of that 90s favouri favourite (some might say phenomenon), phenom Teletubbies.

But in addition to this, you have compelling new kids on the block, in the shape of Hey Duggee, Anne Wood’s Twirlywoos, Boj and Pip Ahoy!

The cate category has, in recent times, time been labelled as tough and over-crowded over-crowd but why is it such a tricky tric one to navigate? M Mary Wood, Director of Marketing D “One of Vivid elaborates: elabora the hardest tthings about pre-school category is the pre-schoo that there is a plethora of programmes, pre-school pro many of which have great viewing figures. The challenge is to discern those top which of thos programmes performing p will translate translat into a toy appeal to a that will ap child enough enou for the parent to want to buy the product produ and which programmes programm have enough depth and d

appeal to justify investment in product development, marketing and promotional support. It’s no easy task!”

Therefore, Mary says, brands which have nostalgia, resonance and heritage are considered to have a good chance of retail success.

Michelle Lilley of Little Tikes agrees that the sector is a toughie but a goodie! “The pre-school category is extremely competitive, so creating a product that stands out, offers longevity with a mix of education and fun is fundamental to its success.

Innovation plays a huge part in what makes a pre-school toy great and that’s why innovation is at the heart of our business.“ But the new is gaining traction and much love from kids and parents.

Simon Pilkington, MD of John Adams, can testify to the uptake of a hot new pre-school property: “Since Pip Ahoy! started airing on Channel 5’s Milkshake last June, the series has grown in popularity with the channel’s preschool audience. Within 8 weeks on air Pip Ahoy! had already claimed the No.1 position in the Top 20 Best Performing Programmes across all children’s channels in its time slot for 4-6 year and 4-9 years category, outperforming some very wellestablished programmes”. Which gives their new line of Pip Ahoy! products a terrific grounding and ready-made fan base.

Equally, Barry Hughes Commercial Director of Golden Bear, which are very much considered pre-school specialists, may well have some great and well-established pre-school hits under their belts but they have also jumped into new territory with some new launches. “Our leading brands are In The Night Garden, Something Special and Woolly and Tig and they are being complemented this year with two new launches Twirlywoos and Hey Duggee which both started on CBeebies in Q1 and have been achieving fantastic ratings with awesome reactions on social media.” says Barry.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

comes complete with SmartPoint technology which means when a Toot-Toot character crosses over a SmartPoint on a playset, the toy responds with phrases, sounds and more.

Tadhg, 3, and Cian, 18 “These interactive SmartPoints respond differently to each toy, which months, love... encourages imaginative play and Watching – Shaun the Sheep cause and effect.

Each Toot-Toot and Peppa Pig playset also comes complete with Building – towers with Mega many manipulative features providing Bloks fun and creative play.

Zooming – their little die cast “The interactive aspect of the toy cars around the house also captures the imagination of little Riding – their John Deere tractor ones. Your Toot-Toot toys can also interact with each other, so children can hear them say different phrases, cheerful melodies and sing-along songs.

“These features encourage fine motor skills development as well as first words and early vocabulary. In addition, the toys give children the opportunity to develop their understanding of real world situations and encourage role play fun.”

And retailers – how can you enthuse the public and get customers on board? Demos and in-store theatre, whether that is by having character appearances, or play mornings where kids get to play with the toys, can really push the products. Mary Wood of Vivid gives us her view: “Retailers that And many toy manufacturers are can provide relevant boldly leaping into the and authoritative pre-school category for the information are going to first time. Sitting alongside be front of mind for John Adams are the likes of consumers.

Green Board Games and Independent retailers immersing themselves can come to the fore further into the category is here as individual Mookie. Gemma Lewington, members of staff are Marketing Manger of often the best informed Mookie reveals that the and have the time to company loves the freedom explain products to an the sector brings. “The individual customer and pre-school market has so Michelle Lilley, take the time to make many opportunities for recommendations. To Little Tikes change and diversity, so we support our A/W ‘15 are excited to be getting launch for My Friend deeper into this sector with our new Freddy, we will make innovations for 2015,” she says. sure that retailers have And Keith Grafham, CEO of Green the tools to help them present this Board Games, sees it very much as an product in the best way from demo obvious direction for the company to videos explaining how the product drive into: “Pre-school is a natural step works to blogger and vlogger for us, we have always focused on 5-11 reviews as we know that year olds but we know our games endorsement from other mums is reach younger and older an important reference.” audiences. Our pre-school BrainBoxes So, it’s not a case of out with the are just an extension of a best-selling old and in with the new, when it brand, it makes perfect sense to comes to pre-school – it’s more of a introduce children to it at a younger question of really examining the age.” play value, content of the show and Technology is also a vital developmental elements of the component to the category. Clive product that help make this Richards of VTech takes up the story: category a winner! ”Each of VTech’s Toot-Toot playsets

WHAT THE KIDS SAY

“

We see a trend towards growth in more traditional play pattern

APRIL 2015

WHAT NEXT? We asked key industry figures what they see in the future for the preschool category Mary Wood, Marketing Director, Vivid Licences and technology are going to be a major factors in the growth in the pre-school sector. With licences, you have well-established and well-loved properties but you also have a new entrants coming into the market. Vivid have two heritage brands in their portfolio with Peter Rabbit, that was the best-selling new entrant into the pre-school market in 2014, and The Wombles which will be coming back to the market later in 2015. Outside licences, there is the perfect marriage between an endearing pre-school teddy and technology in the form of My Friend Freddy Bear.

Barry Hughes, Commercial Director, Golden Bear 2015 sees a host of new pre-school licences coming to the market. This year will be highly competitive and only the best will survive.

Keith Grafham, CEO, Green Board Games I think there is a growing trend to get back to school and home working together to educate our children, this is no more important than in the pre-school sector. Development and play value will also be the key to good pre-school games, remember children’s needs have not changed regardless of how technology has.

Gemma Lewington, Marketing Manager, Mookie The obvious answer is that preschoolers are looking for a more tech based experience as the world of technology develops around them and becomes a more integral part of how children learn and develop. With this in mind I hope that parents of pre-school children still encourage traditional play patterns within their development, so there is still a balance between traditional and tech pre-school within this category.

Michelle Lilley, Marketing Manager, Little Tikes We see a trend towards growth in more traditional play patterns alongside the influx of electronic and digital based toys. I still feel parents are looking for items that offer a balance and toys that provide their baby/ child the necessary stimulation to aid development and growth.

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FEATURE

OUTDOOR PRE-SCHOOL

Build a Peppacentric world SIMBA SMOBY 01274765030 www.simbasmoby.com/en One of the most loved pre-school licences in the UK - Peppa Pig gets a boost this month with the first Peppa Pig construction sets arriving to UK retailers. The eight new sets, from European giant the Simba Dickie Group, feature iconic locations from the Peppa Pig TV show and range from small 19-piece starter sets to huge playsets with loads of play features and over 100 pieces. The bricks themselves are 100% compatible with other building blocks designed for a younger audience and allow children to create their own Peppa Pig world. The range includes Peppa’s School, Peppa’s Treehouse and of course Peppa’s house. Each set comes with at least one Peppa Pig mini figure and the largest sets include figures of Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pig. The range is very competitively priced. With both the construction category and the Peppa Pig licence being so strong at the moment, there cannot be a better time to launch this great new range. Manufactured in the EU to the highest possible safety standards, these high quality construction sets are in stock now, so call Simba Smoby to order.

Friends with Freddy VIVID 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk With My Friend Freddy Bear, parents can download the free app and type in information about the child, and pre-schoolers will be amazed that their bear knows all about them. In-app activities have varying levels of difficulty to keep little ones entertained. When not connected to a smart device, Freddy Bear will talk when he’s cuddled, tipped upside down, or thrown in the air. StoryTelling Peter Rabbit joins Vivid’s Master Toy range from autumn. Open Peter’s journal, will start to tell a story. There are hundreds the pictures will illuminate and he w is detachable and there’s an auto of adventures to listen to. The journal jou shut-off, which makes this item great for bedtime cuddles. My First products for 12 to 36 months Crayola is Crayola’s range of non-toxic no and paints. The drawing tools including markers, pencils, crayons cray are designed to allow children to t spend less time figuring out how The Doodle Magic Colouring to hold them and more time creating. cre Mat allows children to magically swipe away their creations. Also Travel Pack and the Colouring Book. included in the range is the Trav

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Brands that inspire Play! Š2015 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Giggly goodness Boj 07931384450 www.pesky.com Top-rated CBeebies preschool television show, Boj, has enjoyed huge broadcast success since it was first aired in May 2014.

Based around an Australian bilby in Giggly Park, the show is now regularly watched by more than 500,000 viewers, making it consistently one of the most popular programmes on the channel.

This success is set to continue internationally, as Pesky Productions, the BAFTA award winning studio behind the show, has also taken it overseas with strong initial viewing figures on Fr5/Zouzou in France and on USA pre-schoolers channel, PBS Sprout.

In addition to its TV success, Boj is also flying high with its range of interactive app books from Box Of Frogs Media with Boj - Musical Mayhem winning the 2015 iKids award for Best eBook.

Boj - Hoppy Birthday and Boj - The Collector have both recently

featured at number one in the iPad Book charts and iPhone Book charts respectively. The game, Boj Digs, from Thud Media sold over 3,000 copies in its first 30 days of release.

Pesky Productions has also introduced Boj directly into UK classrooms via a live video web link to Queensland, Australia with Boj’s Aussie Safari.

The unique webcast took place at schools in Sussex and Buckinghamshire on World Wildlife Day in March, where pupils were transported virtually to the other side of the world for a live video encounter with the rarely seen marsupial.

The children were able to take part in a question and answer session with an Australian expert from the conservation group Save the Bilby Fund and participate in fun and educational workshops. Pesky Productions is planning to roll out the programme to schools throughout the UK so more children can learn about the plight of the endangered bilby and other threatened species in Australia.

The very best of Toot-Toot Friends VTECH 01235 546810 www.vtech.co.uk VTech’s pre-school category is set to have an exciting year this year, with a number of great new product launches.

VTech’s Toot-Toot range is a firm favourite with consumers since the launch of Toot-Toot Drivers in 2011 and was recently named Pre-School Range of the Year at the Toy Indsutry Awards.

The Toot-Toot Driver range continues to grow, now offering a Police Station, Fire Station, Construction Site and Train Station along with a huge selection of vehicles. This year VTech will be developing the range further with an enhanced Toot-Toot Toot Toot Drivers Drive Garage. The Garage includes an new Toot-Toot Drivers Gara additional level, a total o of nine SmartPoint four electronic locations, fou locations tthat play songs, phrases and fun sound effects,. VTech will be effects, adding to its TootToot range with the launch of Toot-Toot laun Friends. Toot-Toot Frie friends come to fr life when placed l on o MagicPoint locations on l associated as accessories and acc playsets.

Each plays

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character will respond individually to its location and each other, with built in fun phrases and songs. Toot-Toot Friends launches in A/W 2015 and will come with a number of interactive playsets and accessories, including the Toot-Toot Friends Busy Sounds Discovery Home.

The Toot-Toot Friends Busy Sounds Discovery Home comes complete with seven MagicPoint locations. When any TootToot Friend is placed on these specific points it can turn on the house lights, turn on the fireplace and make the built in lift move up and down automatically.

Toot-Toot Friends can also interact with each other; iff two characters are placed on the playroom’s two MagicPoint locations, ocations, kids can activate the MagicChat feature to hear them em talk and sing to each other. r. The Toot-Toot Discover House encourages ncourages fine motor skills development as well as first words and early vocabulary too.

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Brands that build the imagination! Š 2015 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. Š 2015 HIT Entertainment Limited.

FEATURE

OUTDOOR PRE-SCHOOL

Monkey see, monkey do TOMY 0208 7227300 www.tomy.com Enjoy characterful shape-sorting fun with Sort n Pop Farmyard Friends, winner of a Best New Pre-school Toy award at Toy Fair 2015.

The farm truck drives forwards and the animals pop out as they reach their destination.

Little ones can learn shapes and numbers as well as animal sounds as they play and sort. Cute farm animal characters, vehicle play, sorting, and popping means this toy is packed with surprises to keep little ones aged 12 months plus engaged.

Grip & Grab Musical Monkey is suitable for kids aged 6 months plus, is an easy-to-hold musical toy that develops hand-eye coordination.

Each hand and foot makes a different samba sound and as the monkey turns, his tummy spins too.

Cute and colourful, Musical Monkey makes a great companion and will be available spring/summer 2015.

The new John Deere First Farming Fun collection has everything necessary for an afternoon of farm play: soft touch figures, farm vehicles and farm accessories.

There are even chunky farm animals including a cow, a horse, a goat, a sheep dog, a cat and a cockerel – a farmyard staple.

Each different farm vehicle and attachment features easy roll-along wheels and little details that make all the difference when it comes to fun farm play.

All aboard BIGJIGS TOYS 01303 250400 www.bigjigstoys.co.uk Bigjigs Toys is a market leader in high quality, educational wooden toys for children of pre-school age.

This year sees the arrival of two new sorting lorries: Safari Sorting Lorry and Shape Sorting Lorry. Both of these colourful wooden toys offer an assortment of interesting shapes to post through the sides of the sturdy lorry – a fun and engaging way to strengthen language and problem solving skills.

New Car Transporter and Holiday Bus are two move-along toys that boast a detailed design and promise fun on the go for preschoolers.

Also new for 2015 is the beautifully designed Sunflower Cottage, complete with gender-neutral colour scheme, six doll family, 27 furniture pieces and a sheet of stickers for customised decoration.

The new Home & Garden Furniture Set extends imaginative play even further with 22 extra pieces to add to Sunflower Cottage or any of the other dolls houses in the Bigjigs Heritage Playset collection.

The three new Play Planks sets are a simple type of construction toy that are ripe for building fun. Available in natural, marine and sunset colours, these lightweight yet tough little planks can be stacked into all manner of designs.

Good clean fun CASDON 01253 608428 www.casdon.co.uk Decades of experience in role-play toys for preschoolers sets Casdon apart when it comes to quality, price and big brand choice. The Little Helper collection is always a favourite and houses instantly recognisable home items. Kids can take a whizz round the carpets with their Dyson uprights, or their Hettie and Henry cylinder vacuums and then complete the housework with some washing and ironing. Even the DIY is taken care of with the 60-piece Tool Box and Work Bench. New for 2015 is a range of Annabel Karmel toy baking accessories, which is bang up to date with the nation’s bake off obsession. There’s everything a Casdon Little Cook could need including mixing bowls and utensils, cookie cutters and cake tins, plus an icing set to make it all look scrumptious!

Little Shoppers can have loads of fun with the range of supermarket tills, shopping baskets, shopping trollies and more. The hero of the range is a Self-Service Supermarket complete with auto till and pay point.

With Casdon there is something for every child and every budget. Each collection comes with a heritage and quality that parents trust making, Casdon the roleplay toy of choice.

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The Bear Who R EALL Y Kn ows You !

Personalise Freddy Bear so he really knows your child iv ities t c a p In-a p tages s 3 e h av ing n r a e l of

Happy Birthday Ben, today is going to be lots of fun!

His mouth moves when he talks Touch & tip sensor

Heavyweight TV campaign from launch Digital and Social Media plan targeting parents Consumer shows

FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Start your engines Chicco 01623 750870 www.chicco.co.uk

Chicco’s wide range of toy vehicles offer hours of racing magic for pre-school children, and the friendly characters and smiley faces will entertain little ones for hours on end.

First up is Danny Drift, a fast and furious toy. With its sporty design, including a spoiler and racing stripes, this drift car is the perfect choice for budding Formula 1 drivers.

Danny Drift comes complete with a bright blue steering wheel, which includes an intuitive drift button.

For a more surprising toy, the Turbo Touch Crash cars offer an added feature - press the rear of the vehicle and the car will speed away.

When it bumps into an obstacle the doors will open up and the bumper will fall down with amusing

sound effects. The child can then reassemble the smashed parts to start a new game.

New for 2015, Chicco’s Turbo Team stunt car range, which includes six new stunt performing cars, will keep budding young drivers entertained. Each car performs a different stunt to surprise and excite.

Stunts include wheelies, two wheel drive and brake turns – all as impressive as one another.

Also new for 2015 is the Turbo Touch 500 range which is available in three colours.

Created under the Fiat licence, these cute cars are controlled by touching the back to charge them up and send them off racing. The cars accelerate with engine rumble sound effects and the toot of a horn.

High flyers CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 6339800 www.character-online.com Character Options and the industry’s most loved pre-school licences walk hand-in-hand into 2015 with Peppa Pig, Ben & Holly and Fireman Sam all on board, soon to be joined by The Clangers.

July 2015 will see the eagerly awaited introduction of the Clangers toy collection which will sit alongside the brand new TV series.

The stunning new Peppa Pig collection with its Holiday Jet, Camper Van Playset and Sunshine Villa launched in January and is promising to be a year-round favourite. Adding to this in autumn is Peppa’s delightful Once Upon a Time collection inspired by a child’s favourite fairy-tales and nursery rhymes. Figure packs of Peppa and her friends will come donned in fancy dress, such as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. New to the Fireman Sam collection for summer 2015 is a range of die cast vehicles. To accompany the vehicles, the die cast Fire Rescue Centre playset makes the perfect addition to pre-schoolers’ rescue collection.

For older pre-school children the 2014 launch of Ben & Holly has proved a winner and will be added to with new playsets and figures for this year. These will include the Elf Tree Playset, Magic Class playset and Wise Old Elf’s Helicopter.

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Puzzle it out CLEMENTONI 020 3206 1397 www.clementoni.com Clementoni’s Educational Electronics range has been designed to support children’s cognitive development.

The products combine educational content with hightech interactive devices to create games that are ideal for teaching children. The entire range is supported by some of the most popular licences for boys and girls.

The Interactive Quiz Puzzles are suitable for children aged three and above. These electronic puzzles are designed to develop a child’s manipulation, observation and logical association skills. The puzzles feature 35 maxi-sized puzzle pieces, and an electronic answer pen for children to answer questions once the puzzle is put together. Popular Disney characters featured in the range include Frozen, Disney Princesses, Cars 2, Minnie Mouse, Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins.

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FEATURE

OUTDOOR PRE-SCHOOL

Child-led play FISHER-PRICE 01628500000 www.fisher-price.com Fisher-Price launches an exciting new marketing initiative to connect with millennial parents and celebrate the importance of natural discovery and childled play. New product innovation continues to build on play value and learning content, in addition to the launch of new licenses.

The launch of Little Discoveries leads the evolution of the Fisher-Price brand campaign Discover Your Way, and continues to champion child-led play and learning through discovery to encourage children to develop happily at their own natural pace.

The expansion of the popular Laugh & Learn range continues to build on Fisher-Price’s innovative Smart Stages technology with the launch of the Smart Stages Puppy and Puppy’s Sis in spring/ summer followed by brand new ride-on Smart Stages Scooter plus the Learning Toolbench, Teaching Tote, Counting Colours Clock, Tea Set, Monkey’s Firehouse and Activity Zoo.

A MEGA 30 YEARS MEGA BLOKS 01628500000 www.megabloks.com Celebrating 30 years in construction play, MEGA Bloks becomes part of the Mattel family with a strong preschool line now endorsed by Fisher-Price. Offering young builders hours of open-ended play, perfect for early development skills and endless fun, the popular First Builders range continues to grow. Firm favourites, including the Big Building Bag and Build ’n Learn Table, are complemented by new vehicle offering, including the Push ‘n Pull Block Picker new for A/W, while the playsets inspire imaginations with engaging themes. Innovation leads the way in the MEGA Bloks Thomas & Friends collection with the launch of the new Zooming Along at Brendam Docks playset, featuring a buildable and motorised Thomas engine.

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FisherPrice also introduces Dance & Move BeatBo, an innovative new toy featuring three modes of play including voice recording abilities, while the 3-foot tall Little People Skyway continues to delight pre-schoolers.

It’s full steam ahead for Thomas & Friends in his 70th anniversary year with product launches across the entire FisherPrice Thomas & Friends portfolio. Perfect for that first Thomas experience is the new My First Rail Rollers Spiral Station, while Remote Control Thomas remains a key focus in the My First collection. The Take-n-Play range welcomes the Daring Dragon Drop, while the hero item for TrackMaster is the unique Shipwreck Rails playset based on the latest CGI feature length special.

Imaginext sees the launch of the new Power Rangers line including key playset the Power Rangers Morphing Megazord. A new transforming Batcave will lead the DC Super Friends offering while all playsets continue to feature Imaginext’s unique turn disc technology.

This autumn Fisher-Price launches the new Bing Bunny toy range bringing to life the lovable characters from the CBeebies show Bing. The new line will include interactive My Friend Bing, plus a series of figures, vehicles, playsets and bath toys.

A new Dora & Friends range will further strengthen the licensed portfolio, featuring a new Dora Doll and Dora and Perrito alongside cute accessories including Dora’s Smartphone and Magic Charms Bracelet.

The Disney adventure continues with the launch of Captain Jake towards the end of the year with a new Fisher-Price toy range to support the new series. The Mighty Colossus will be the must-have product for Jake fans.

The Octonauts range continues to grow with the introduction of the new Speeders playset, Gup I, Gup Y and Talking Gup E playsets.

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FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Golden plush Golden Bear

01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear has added some exciting new brands to its growing pre-school portfolio. Based on the new children’s TV series airing on CBeebies, Golden Bear’s Twirlywoos range will include super soft plush versions of characters Great BigHoo, Toodloo, Chickedy, Chick and Peekaboo. Varying in size, the range will include fun talking soft toys.

The new range will also include the Big Red Boat Playset which comes packed with innovative play features and mimics learning patterns from the show. Also airing on CBeebies is the new animated pre-school series Hey Duggee, which has received an outstanding response from parents.

Duggee is a loveable big cuddly dog and leader of a playgroup called The Squirrel Club. Golden Bear’s plush offering will include collectable characters. Woof Woof Duggee Soft Toy with textured fabrics and push-activated badge icons features the theme tune and key phrases from the series. Pre-schoolers can recreate scenes from the show with the Squirrel Club Playset, which comes complete with Duggee figure and accessories.

That’s puzzling GALT TOYS 0161 428 9111 www.galttoys.com Galt Toys has added to its popular preschool range with four new puzzles, plus exciting new toys and games to encourage learning through play.

The new puzzles include the Jungle Long Puzzle, an extra-long floor puzzle featuring a jungle scene with different animals to talk about.

Sticker Puzzles - Dressing Up is three sets of four 12-piece puzzles with reusable vinyl stickers, while the Tray Puzzles have two sets of five three-piece tray puzzles with friendly animal faces. New products in the Play and Learn range include First Lacing Pictures with six fun animal shaped lacing pictures for children to thread colourful laces through the holes. Ideal for travel, this entertaining lacing activity will encourage manual dexterity and creative skills.

Galt has also reintroduced Playmoney to its pre-school range, a set of over 100 pieces of quality coins and notes for children to learn about money and counting through imaginative play.

Children will love making up their own stories with the new First Sticker Pictures set by adding themed stickers to the six picture backgrounds.

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The Squirrels are also available as individual figurines.

Building on the runaway 2014 success of the In the Night Garden (ITNG) Ninky Nonk Musical Activity Train, the range has been extended further for 2015. The new Ninky Nonk Track and Train Set is perfect for little hands with its easy start/stop button. Preschoolers can watch the train race around the track and over the bridge while playing the iconic Ninky Nonk tune. The adorable Peeka-boo Igglepiggle promotes cause-and-effect play patterns and encourages character-led learning. The new Activity Table features three key ITNG characters, plus a host of interactive features. The Something Special range has been extended for 2015 to include additional handson play items including the Roll and Play Soft Cube, complete with 36 activity cards as well as the new larger-sized Talking Mr Tumble Soft Plush and Textured Mr Tumble with Fun Sounds. The amazing new Mr Tumble Sensory Activity Centre will excite and delight, packed full with textures, moving features, mechanical sounds plus articulated Mr Tumble figure for playtime fun.

Maker magic DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing offers a fantastic range of pre-school toys across its portfolio of brands.

Miniland’s high quality pre-school offering includes The Educational Corner. A best-selling set from Educational Corner is the Activity Timer set which helps children learn to tell the time in relation to day-to-day life at home. Also, don’t miss the award winning Activity Buttons which incorporates Braille.

Elsewhere in the Miniland Educational offering is the brand new Marbulous – a sturdy and durable plastic marble run that includes 38 primary colour pieces and 38 marbles for hours of fun! Hama Beads range Maxi beads are great for little hands aged 3 years onwards. New for 2015 is the Maxi Food set which comes in an attractive transparent tub. Other preschool lines from Hama include the Maxi gift boxes in the theme of Butterfly and Parrot. Wonderworld has a unique range of eco-friendly wooden toys, all beautifully finished and available in fun designs. The bestselling Rainbow Sound Blocks continues to be popular, with its assortment of different shapes, sounds and colours to entertain children and contribute to their sensory development. New for 2015, are fun new additions to the Wonderworld Young Mini Vehicles range.

Build-a-Loader, Dog Police Car, Chicky Plane, and Moo Moo Tractor are fun themed vehicles.

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FEATURE

OUTDOOR PRE-SCHOOL

Fun for everyone GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk

Great Gizmos’ pre-school portfolio continues to impress with its environmentally friendly PlanToys, creative Meadow Kids, stylish collection Kid-O, and new characters joining plush favourite NICI. The award winning Meadow Kids collection launched in January 2015 and has a variety of craft, bath toys and educational games. Kids can create all types of scenarios in the bath with the Build A… range of chunky and colourful foam pieces. Kids can choose from a Fire Engine, Tractor or Boat theme including extra bath stickers that float and stick to the side of the bath.

Kids can also get arty at home or on the move with the two drawer Mini Box of Stencils that will transform everyday cards and envelopes with stencil designs and colouring pencils.

Kid O also launched in January and is a brilliant range of stylish and vibrant plastic toys. The Air Plane is made from sleek durable material in a bright blue colour. The bright blue Whale will float on water and is a perfect companion when in the tub.

Plan Toys’ inspirational collection of naturally coloured and eco-friendly wooden toys appeals to both boys and girls from birth.

Babies and young children can grab onto smaller items such as the Baby Key Rattle that will make sounds when moved about and are colourful.

Suitable for when a baby reaches the age of one, PlanToys has a whole host of pull-along toys including the Pull-Along Duck, which will flap its feet and wings when moved along the ground. For budding racers, kids can start young with the Animal Train that includes three animal racers that can race as individual vehicles or be used as a pull-along toy.

Another important part of Great Gizmos’ line up is the NICI range of luxury plush. New characters are Soft Toy Rabbit Tilli and Dog Fino who are ideal first time friends.

Little ones can sit on Rabbit Tilli Rocker and have hours of fun learning how to move her backwards and forwards.

Minilucas and Minisophie are new to the NICI Wonderland range. Both are available as 30cm plush dolls and have matching accessories.

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Love to tell the tale FIESTA CRAFTS 020 8804 0563 www.fiestacrafts.co.uk The new Storytime Ragdolls from Fiesta Crafts, which launched earlier this year at the trade fairs, have had a fairytale beginning. This brand new collection of Goldilocks, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood fairytale rag dolls will delight children everywhere as they retell the classic tales with the gorgeous main character taking centre stage.

Designed and made to the highest standards, these rag dolls will bring hours of pleasure and encourage imaginative, creative storytelling and role-play.

As with all Fiesta Crafts toys, a real attention to detail brings the characters to life. From woolen hair down to the shoes, clothing and accessories, each character has been made with soft, colourful and tactile fabrics to give a plush feel - great for cuddles as well as playtime.

They can sit up on their own, making them perfect for little tea parties or joining in at the dinner table. Their long, dangly legs will make storytelling more fun and the doll itself more durable. The doll stands at 36cm tall, and with a smiling, warm and friendly face, it’s certain to be a firm favourite, lasting an entire childhood.

Set sail GIBSONS 020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk The My World range from Gibsons is designed in conjunction with child psychologist and play specialist Dr. Amanda Gummer, and with key learning objectives in mind. The range consists of 12 products that support early years goals and the national curriculum, covering a wide range of skills including numeracy, logic, motor control and literacy.

Dino Jigosawrus is a set of eight progressive puzzles spanning from four to 16 pieces, which little ones will love to piece together. As with every product in the My World range, Dino Jigosawrus contains handy hints for parents on how to maximise play value beyond piecing the puzzles together, such as setting goals like counting the plates on the Stegosaurus’ back and encouraging children to talk about how they might feel if dinosaurs were alive today.

The pirate themed lotto game Ships Ahoy! sets each player the task of filling their ship with treasure! Gold coins are placed facedown on the seabed and each pirate must take turns flipping them over one by one. If the treasure on the coin matches one of the six pictures on the ship, the booty can be taken aboard, but if the treasure does not belong there it must be returned to the seabed. Only the pirate with the best memory skills will be able to fill their ship before anyone else and be crowned the winner!

All My World puzzles and games are made with 100% recycled board and manufactured in the UK.

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LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. Š2015 The LEGO Group.

FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

First past the post GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494 538999 www.greenboardgames.com

The Green Board Game Company has brought its latest additions to the BrainBox family: First Colours, First Letters and First Numbers.

The introduction of these fabulously effective games BrainBox made simple is a natural and logical progression underpinning the educational benefits that the BrainBox concept can deliver to the preschool sector. Developed to help young children aged three plus with early colour, number and letter recognition, these titles support many of the early learning goals that are clearly set out in the Early Years Foundation’s Stage Framework.

When first using the cards, parents and children will play together, looking at the three colourful images on the front, discussing them and trying to remember as much as they can of what they have seen. When

the child is ready, the card is turned over and they can test how much information they have retained through their observation from recalling the colour of each object to what letter the image started with or how many of each item was shown. In time, children will be able to play on their own, ideal for keeping them amused during car journeys and engaged in educational play.

As children absorb more and demonstrate their knowledge, their confidence will grow. Parents in turn will witness an improvement in their observation and memory skills.

Each box includes 22 cards, plus a card from each of the other titles so that parents can try all three. These titles make a great start for children on the BrainBox journey. The Green Board Games ethos has always been to aid children’s educational development, and the company’s “Play together, Learn together” strategy supports all that they do. This is just the start.

My pal Peppa HTI

Bonjour kid HIPPYCHICK 01278 434440 www.hippychick.com Hippychick has introduced a wonderful new range of Frenchdesigned BoiKido wooden toys. They are of a superior quality, long lasting, and soft to touch with a high quality finish.

There are lots of interactive toys to choose from including educational number and word games, funky-themed puzzles, building blocks, musical toys and walker/ride-ons. Each toy is brightly coloured in fun and interesting designs, helping to hold a child’s attention for substantial periods of time. BoiKido toys are so cool and stylish that both parents and children alike will love them.

BoiKido joins an already impressive wooden toy collection from Hippychick that includes the gorgeous Moover range and the iconic Wheelybug ride-ons.

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01253778888 www.htigroup.co.uk HTI provides an extensive range of Peppa Pig Roleplay Toys, Dolls Prams, Music and Wooden Puzzles, as well as Bubbles and Pocket Money Toys. An evergreen licence, HTI are further expanding the Peppa Pig role-play range to include the new Peppa Pig House Kitchen. Based on Peppa Pig’s own kitchen from the TV series and standing almost one metre tall, the multi-feature role-play toy immerses pre-schoolers into the wonderful world of Peppa Pig. The kitchen includes a fully accessible fridge, cooker, rotating cooker hob/ toaster, pan and flipping pancake, lots of cute cooking and food accessories as well as realistic electronic cooking sounds and the Peppa Pig theme tune to bring the fun to life! The kitchen allows budding junior chefs to familiarise themselves with cooking appliances and utensils found in a real kitchen and to develop essential social and coordination skills through imaginative role-play. The role-play range also includes two new additional character cases; Super Hero George Case and Peppa’s Bedtime Case. Soar high with Super Hero George with his inventive superhero mask, Projector torch and Mr Dinosaur.

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PRESCHOOL

CATEGORY

Winner: Busy Sounds Discovery Home

Coming Autumn / Winter 2015

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FEATURE

OUTDOOR PRE-SCHOOL

Pipped to the post JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk

The sky’s the limit IVS GROUP 0208 560 0009 www.ivsgroupltd.com IVS Group will shortly launch its first Cloudbabies pre-school toy range.

Plush and soft toys are at the heart of this new Cloudbabies range with Beanie Plush Toys, Glow Babas, Blankie Babies and the delightful My First Babas to choose from.

The My First Baba Blue and Pink soft toy has much for little hands to discover. This sensory toy is an ideal first cuddle. Glow Baba Pink and Blue make the perfect bedtime companions as these plush and vinyl toys also double as soothing nightlights. Watch as the star or moon above the Cloudbabies’ rainbow hair glows, while it plays the much loved and familiar bedtime lullaby.

Wooden that be fun!

JUMBO 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu

John Adams will be sailing into new waters in 2015 with a brand new range of pre-school toys for Pip Ahoy! The company is the master toy partner for the popular TV programme currently airing on Channel 5’s Milkshake. The toy range will reflect the characters and themes from the TV series, which features the voices of David Jason and Stacey Solomon.

Pip’s Lighthouse Playset will be one of the hero products from the range, offering lots of play value for pre-schoolers. It boasts a plethora of features to encourage imaginative play, including lift, rotating binoculars, kitchen accessories and Pip figure. The Lighthouse Playset also includes the Rubber Duck Boat, which can be launched by pressing down on the life ring stand!

Mr Morris’ Bubble Train Vehicle features fully articulated carriages and seats that bob up and down as the train rolls along and chimney spout with bubble effects.

Measuring 40cm long, the Bubble Train includes Mr Morris figure and plug-on points for other characters.

Also in the range will be Skipper’s Bucket tug boat vehicle, which can be pulled along the ground with a rocking motion or will float in water for bath play, and Pip’s ‘Scopey Eye’ Telescope, which has a folding handle and x30 optical lens – perfect for role-play.

The portfolio will also include a 12” Talking Pip Plush character, which plays eight recognisable phrases from the show and a selection of articulated to-scale mini figures, available in packs of two or four.

The range will be TV advertised and supported by a strong PR campaign.

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Goula is known for its beautiful high quality wooden puzzles and games and is a firm favourite with many pre-schoolers and youngsters aged two plus.

A brightly coloured Pirate-themed jigsaw puzzle, the Goula 35-Piece Pirate Puzzle in a Tin is great for younger children. The jigsaw puzzle is packaged in a decorated puzzle tin that’s great for storing, and is suitable for children aged three and above.

The Goula Domino Oscar at Sea is a 21-piece domino set with shaped wooden bricks that allows children to create patterns while they match the dominoes.

Now arriving on platform fun KD UK 01727 827194 www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK’s 2015 preschool offering is as exciting as ever with the launch of Thomas & Friends and Paw Patrol, plus the re-launch of Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom to the already vast portfolio. There are also additions to all the other pre-school licences including Peppa Pig. My Push & Learn Thomas is the star product in the Thomas lineup, which is packed with fun and learning but also has role-play value. One side of the train helps to teach children about numbers and letters, while the other side helps to develop knowledge of shapes, colours and Thomas & Friends characters.

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Lil’ Ocean Explorers™ Infant preschool toys encourage and celebrate active gross motor play at every primary physical milestone during a baby’s first 18 months. Our brand new range will help parents to encourage and reward each reach, crawl and step.

15+ ways to play

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Our NEW range for Autumn 2015

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Imaginations In Motion™ Call us: 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk

Email us: Little.Tikes@zapf-creation.co.uk MGA Entertainment UK Ltd, 50 Presley Way, Crownhill, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ES

Heavyweight media campaign including in includin nclludi din in ng TV

FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

B excited!

JOHN CRANE LTD 01604 774 949 www.john-crane.co.uk

John Crane Ltd has expanded its already extensive collection of pre-school toys for 2015 in a number of different brands.

Tidlo has added a number of new lines, including a General Hospital.

This fantastic new 30-piece set features everything kids need to nurse their favourite character back to health, including an air ambulance, road ambulance, ward beds, surgery lights and tables, MRI scanner, an X-Ray machine and more. No lengthy waiting times at this hospital with its doctors, nurses, paramedic and pilot on call ready to deal with any emergency and to take care of the patients. Also new in Tidlo is the colourful Garage, which has everything little ones need to get from A to B. The wind-up clicky lift takes kids up to the car park to leave their car while on a pretend shopping trip. Kids can open the parking

barrier and whizz down the ramps on the way home.

If they forget to clean the car and fill it up with petrol, the breakdown lorry will be happy to help them back to the pumps. New in B for energetic children is Mat-a-matics! B. Bouncing, B. Leaping, B. Laughing, B. Grooving, B. Singing, B. Lively, B. you. Mat-a-matics has tons of fun features to keep children fit and active while having fun. Watch the musical note glow as they step in time to the music, bounce around making crazy combinations of the silliest sounds, or simply play their favourite nursery songs. This soft, fold-away floor mat comes with four great ways to play with endless combinations. For budding artists, there is Easel Does it by B! Scribble, paint, or draw a teddy. This classic construction, natural wood, beautifully B designed Easel has two roomy storage bins which will hold everything except kids’ imaginations.

Early learning

Baby love

LEAPFROG

MGA ENTERTAINMENT 0845 0533 333 www.mgae.com

01895 202840 www.leapfrog.com LeapFrog’s innovative Musical Rainbow Tea Party is the perfect toy to get two to five-year-olds prepared for life at school. Featuring a loveable light-up teapot that bubbles with personality and vivid sounds, kids can host fun and imaginative tea parties.

The Mobile Med Kit for ages two years and upwards helps prepare children for real medical check-ups with fun role-play. Little ones can practice giving and getting check-ups with four tools and learn all about the human body.

Designed for children aged two years and older, the imaginative Learning Friends Adventure Bus is designed to build confidence with new experiences for little ones, while also helping their vocabulary and pretend play skills. The Learning Friends Adventure Bus travels to the beach, the library and the outdoors, with each adventure bringing its own song, dialogue and sound effects. Climb aboard with three Learning Friends: Koala, Fox and Penguin.

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Fruity feast LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819386 www.learningresources.co.uk Promote healthy eating habits early on with the New Sprouts Fresh Fruit Salad Set and watch as children are rewarded with all the ingredients they need for hours of imaginative play.

Prepare a realistic feast of fruits including pineapple rings, berry clusters, strawberries, kiwi slices and orange slices in this vibrant and appetising role-play tool. As well as serving up a healthy spread in this set’s unique watermelon boat, this refreshing 18-piece fruit salad is made of durable plastic and is an ideal way to encourage early vocabulary, language and social skills.

The New Sprouts range is suitable from ages two plus, the soft, rubberised PVC and durable plastic pieces are safe and easy for small hands to hold.

MGA Entertainment’s pre-school offering is destined to be a continued success with little ones in 2015 with its Lalaloopsy Babies range.

The Lalaloopsy Babies dolls bring original Lalaloopsy characters to life in their baby form with soft huggable bodies. Each doll is accompanied by a bottle-shaped like their pet-pacifier and a hat that matches their personality.

Each character also has a specific pattern all over their soft body, which reflects the material they were sewn from. The spring offering includes Scoops Waffle Cone, Spot Splatter Splash, Tippy Tumblelina and Bea Spells A Lot. The dolls come in bassinetstyle open packaging and are suitable for ages four onwards.

The range will be heavily supported through marketing, PR and social media.

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FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Building young minds LEGO DUPLO 01753495000 www.LEGO.com/DUPLO

Pre-schoolers can learn, play and build with 10 new LEGO DUPLO sets for the first half of 2015.

Offering cute, colourful and fun story starters, the models provide a host of opportunities for developmental learning.

The My First range offers toddlers aged 18 months to five years the perfect introduction to basic construction, making the sets ideal for early recruitment. The easy-to-build starter sets provide playful and teachable moments for parent and toddler. The bigger bricks and sturdy models that reflect our world are simple to stack, and mum or dad can use the special decorated bricks as talking points while setting the scene for learning and role-play.

Budding farmers can learn all about life on the farm with My First Farm, featuring a feeding trough, range of animal figures and decorated bricks to teach toddlers about farm animals, from

What’s up Doc? POSH PAWS 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Disney’s Doc McStuffins continues to be an incredibly popular toy line.

Posh Paws collection includes a new Doc McStuffins Stylised Range, which features the show’s most popular characters, with accentuated features and a floppy feel, the perfect plush for kids aged two to six.

The Stylised Doc Collection will be available from April 2015.

Adding to this line-up is a brand new Doc McStuffins Pet Vet range, which will be on shelf this autumn to coincide with the Pet Vet TV series launch.

Other favourite pre-school plush properties available from Posh Paws include: Palace Pets, Disney Princesses, Sofia the First, Frozen, Planes, Marvel Superheroes and Toy Story.

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the noises they make to the foods that they produce. It combines perfectly with My First Tractor.

Parents can introduce daily routines to their toddler with My First Playhouse, helping the two DUPLO figures get up in the morning, eat breakfast, brush their teeth and have fun on the slide before lying down in the beds for a good night’s sleep.

Featuring a range of age-appropriate, manageable builds and strong play starters, the DUPLO Town collection allows pre-schoolers to create stories inspired by easily recognisable, classic pre-school themes, imitating everyday life and learning through pretend play.

Two new iconic vehicle based sets bring newness to the portfolio. Little speedsters can get behind the wheel of the Rally Car while toddlers can get excited about the family holiday with the Airport.

Also new to the range are the Ice Cream Truck, DUPLO Café and Mum and Baby at a great entry price point.

DUPLO has also further added to its Disney Princess range with the introduction of two new sets featuring Sofia the First.

Farmyard friends Schleich 01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk A pre-schooler’s toy box is not complete without a collection of realistic animal figures from Schleich.

These affordable and highly collectable figures from the farm need no introduction and no instruction. Children just pick them up and play, having fun while learning about animals from near and far.

If it’s down on the farm fun that is required then not to be missed is Schleich’s stunning collection of animal figurines, including all the familiar faces of the farmyard. New this year will be additional breeds of cows, a pig and piglet, the much-loved donkey, plus a black sheep for the family. Added to this are domestic animals often seen around the out buildings including cats and a pack of working dogs.

Snuggle up re:creation 01189 736222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation delivers innovative fun for pre-schoolers this year with exciting new plush under the company’s Snuggables umbrella. Last year saw the launch of the endearingly elastic Stretchkins plush range. The range of stretchy-limbed friends will benefit from the addition of new characters Pink Cat and Purple Pony in 2015.

Necknapperz bring further new fun in plush and a great solution to traveling with tots.

This assortment of four soft animal characters transform in moments from a huggable friend to a super-practical and comfy neck pillow that are ideal for home or on the go.

Re:creation will support all Snuggables lines with TV, PR and online marketing.

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s t a y n e e r o w T G games from Orchard

A fun me egy ga t a r t s

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A fast-paced game of chance!

01953 859525/859530 sales@orchardtoys.com

FEATURE

OUTDOOR PRE-SCHOOL

Dive in LITTLE TIKES 0800521558 www.littletikes.co.uk

Little Tikes has announced the launch of not one, but two, fantastic new infant preschool ranges. Lil’ Ocean Explorers and Sparkle Bay are designed to engage with little ones and encourage imaginative play and development.

Autumn will excite consumers with the launch of Lil’ Ocean Explorers, a range of toys that encourage and celebrate active play at every primary milestone during a baby’s first 18 months.

The brand new range will help parents to encourage and reward each reach, crawl and step.

There are nine key toys to choose from in the new range including the 3-in-1 Adventure Course (6–36 months), which stimulates and entertains baby throughout key developmental milestones like sitting, crawling, and standing.

It stimulates baby through key developmental milestones like sitting, crawling and standing; modular and customisable; put n’ take ball play; 20+ rewarding sounds/tunes; stretchy spandex soft drum wall; peek-a-boo mirror, leavers and clackers; crawlthrough tunnel with removable baby toy. Little ones will have a ball with the Dunk n’ Juggle Seal (6-36 month). When Baby throws the ball into the hoop the Seal celebrates by clapping its fins, playing music, releasing the ball down the spiral slide and rolling it to baby to chase. When baby puts the ball in the basket, the Seal plays music, catches the ball and shakes it with clapping flippers; Seal then releases the ball down the spiral slide for baby to crawl and chase; Seal plays five songs and sounds as it claps for encouragement; includes four balls.

Autumn will also see Little Tikes launch a long anticipated new bath range - Sparkle Bay (18mths to 3+ years). The new range will provide active and engaging light-up bath play. Multicoloured LED lights are activated by water contact and motion, making it the only line of bath and water toys that magically light up.

There are four SKUs aimed at pre-school children, including the Sparkle Bay Splash Fountain (18+ months), which features three characters - Blow Fish, Crab and Octopus – sprays water just like a fountain, spins and lights up in water.

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Top dog Spin Master 01628 535000 www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Eagerly awaited by pre-schoolers and parents alike, the launch of the PAW Patrol toys is finally here! Spin Master’s comprehensive range includes figures, vehicles, playsets, plush and pre-school games.

In every episode of PAW Patrol, the pups save the day with cool gadgets that pop out of their backpacks. Now, with the help of Action Pack Pup with Badge, kids can transform their favourite character’s backpack with the push of a button.

Pre-schoolers can keep the entire PAW Patrol team racing to rescue missions together with the full assortment of Basic Vehicles. Little ones can snuggle with their favourite PAW Patrol pup with the soft and cosy plush Pup Pals. Each 8” pup features a detailed outfit and embroidered, expressive eyes, making them must-haves for tiny tots that can’t wait to experience playtime with their favourite PAW Patrol friends.

Toys from across the pond TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk Tobar’s distribution partnership with Schylling brings a lovely new range of pre-school toys to the UK, Ireland and France. The range of retro, tin, classic, music and collectible toys will complement existing lines. Bright, colourful and designed to be robust yet appeal to the retro design fans, the Schylling toys are fantastic quality. Keeping up with the tradition of pull along toys, there’s a bright and bold selection of fun toys including the classic duck family cars. For those who love creative play, the range of Musical Tin toys are charming including Musical Tin Boxes, Tin Whistles, Kazoos and Pianos. Each is bright, colourful and sturdy enough to withstand enthusiastic musician’s little hands.

Put the kids first!

THAMES AND KOSMOS 01580 212000 www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Thames and Kosmos is branching out with its science range throughout 2015, introducing three new kits that will be part of the Kids First range. The kits are aimed at children aged 3-5 years old and will be available from August.

Presented in easy-store boxes, the kits offer activities that aim to encourage young children to learn about simple automobile and aircraft engineering. Large, colourful plastic building pieces make it easy for small hands to put the models together, which include a minivan, seaplane and a tractor. The 70-piece kits provide an engaging way to teach basic science principles as well as fine motor skills and visual-spatial skills along with STEM-related topics.

Also available in the Kids First Level 1 range is a larger Amusement Park Engineer kit, which contains 101 building pieces for small hands to play, construct and learn with.

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50 years of fun HALILIT 01254 872454 www.halilit.co.uk Celebrating 50 years of business in 2015, Halilit continues to add to it range of pre-school brands and toys which they distribute exclusively in the UK and Ireland.

The company was thrilled by the amazing reaction to the launch of Battat, a range of high quality bath, role-play and pushalong toys, at Toy Fair. All young children love to make music, whether banging a drum or jingling bells, and Halilit’s range of high quality musical instruments are accurately tuned to ensure that they are note perfect.

Simple, practical, re-usable kits from Imaginabox turn any cardboard box into a car, train, aeroplane, cradle or oven. Using stickers and accessories provided, it’s easy to encourage children to use their imagination when playing.

Halilit also distribute pre-school ranges from Interstar Construction, Edushape, and Scotchi’s wipeable and flexible puzzles, games and activities.

Possibly the best in wooden toys (and plasƟc)! sƟc)!

Right on Trax H. GROSSMAN 01416 132525 www.ozbozz.co.uk For those who want to jostle for pole position Car Trax has everything they need. This chunky, flexible track connects and interconnects so that young children can collect the various sets and connect them all together. Designed in bright colours for children aged three and up, each set includes its own vehicle. Choose from Turnaround Trax with a turntable that allows kids to change direction, Cross Trax with a figure-ofeight design, Road Trax with a traditional oval track shape, and a smaller Starter Trax to get off to a good start!

My First Scooter also continues to pick up awards for its unique design which makes it the perfect starter scooter at a very affordable price. Starting off on a sturdy four wheels, young children can get to grips with the speed and feel of a scooter. Once they grow in confidence, parents can reduce the scooter to three wheels and then, as their ability develops, they can progress to two wheels.

01604 774949 sales@john-crane.co.uk www.john-crane.co.uk

APRIL 2015

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FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Bringing toys to life MOOKIE Mookie is set to further strengthen its 01525 722722 www.mookie-toys.co.uk position within the preschool market this year with several new launches as well as building on its current brands.

ScuttleBug and ScrambleBug, the unique foot-to-floor folding ride-ons have proven hugely popular since launch, finishing 2014 as the number three and number eight items within total ride-ons respectively*.

ScuttleBug and ScrambleBug will be heavily supported throughout 2015, with more than double the TVRs compared with last year.

Pillow Pet Dream Lites, the plush night light, continues to be strong in total plush finishing 2014 as the number two item*. Mookie will continue to support the Pillow Pet brand in 2015, with a heavy weight TV campaign that is set to run the entire year. This will be backed by a strong social media presence as well as PR support.

Pebli Town, the multi-sensory connected learning toy will be launching autumn/winter 2015, and aims to successfully bridge the gap between physical and virtual toys. The launch will be

Chip off the old Bloco WOOKY EUROPE 01514 943821 www.wookyentertainment.com / www.blocotoys.com From Wooky Europe comes Bloco construction sets for younger children. The easily assembled, high-density, non-toxic, friendly faced foam creatures come to life like magic. The Bloco product line is educational, creative and, most importantly, fun. These 3D sets are available in a wide array of mythical creatures from dinosaurs and dragons, lizards and chameleons, robots and marine creatures to a cute cat and kitten. All have wide-eyed, attractive faces, are colourful and are packaged and priced attractively. They are aimed at children from the age of three up. Assembly is fun and simple, using special connectors that bring each 3D puzzle to life. All of the models come with easy to follow instructions and play ideas that encourage young builders to improvise and build their own creatures from one or more sets.

supported by Mookie’s biggest ever marketing campaign consisting of a 40 and 20-second TV commercial, a celebrity endorsement, launch event, a full PR campaign, in-store support, online targeted advertising and much more. Mookie will also be launching the Pebli Safari expansion pack in conjunction with Pebli Town. FluffiMals will target girls aged three plus, offering a creative craft plush that allows children to design and produce their own teddy with its own personality and sparkling heart. The range will consist of four SKUs for kids to collect. Fluffimals will be supported with a full marketing campaign including a TV commercial.Story Stars is aimed at children three plus and is an app-based storytelling night light plush that will sit under the Toys Alive brand with Pebli Town. Story Stars allow children and parents to upload stories, melodies and personalised messages to the cuddly plush from their tablet or phone. Each character also has a night light that projects a starry sky onto the ceiling. The range will consist of 5 SKUs, each with their own personality and back story. Story Stars will be supported by a heavyweight TV campaign as well as full marketing and PR support. *NPD Group Data

Playing mum ZAPF CREATION 0845 0533 333 www.zapf-creation.co.uk The new mini CHOU CHOU Birdies brand is continuing into spring 2015, aimed at children aged three plus.

Mini CHOU CHOUs are charming little dolls which have unique character traits that can be passed on to their cute little friends via their secret powers. Also launching is the mini CHOU CHOU Cuckoo Clock House, which comes with a range of accessories and provides a house for children to play with their mini dolls in. Baby Annabell and her popular range of accessories is being extended with the Baby Annabell Potty, aiming to educate little ones on potty training, while Baby Annabell Premium Stroller will be introduced to ensure that another aspect of nurturing role-play is catered for.

A fantastic addition to the Baby Annabell range is the new my first Baby Annabell Cuddly Sleeping Lamb, which features a number of soothing night time functions, including lights and a soothing lullaby. The my little BABY born Bathing Fun continues into spring 2015 with a brand-new outfit and will be heavily supported by both TV and PR. The soft-bodied toy has realistic drinking and wetting functions as well as being fully bathable and has a quick-drying body. The doll is suitable for two years plus.

BABY born Interactive, which has eight life-like functions, ten accessories and doesn’t require batteries, will also be carried forward.

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www.ggtrade.co.uk gtr

TOYS, GIFTS and great ideas!

New Range

Pre-school BrainBoxes In stock June!

Avoid disappointment and get your pre-order in now

For the full range visit: www.greenboardgames.com sales@greenboardgames.com 01494 538999 01494 538646

Twitter:@brainboxgames

FEATURE

PRE-SCHOOL

Two by Two for twos ORCHARD TOYS 01953 859525 www.orchardtoys.com Orchard Toys is delighted to relaunch Two by Two, with an updated two plus age range. This latest implementation of the Noah’s Ark-themed game ticks all the right boxes in terms of being age appropriate, fun and safe for a two year old to play.

At the age of two, children are developing skills that enable them to match and pair as well as starting to play their first games. Of course, they also love to post things, which is why the redesign and repositioning of this popular product was an important move for Orchard Toys.

Party people AMSCAN

Top of the Docs FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk Doc McStuffins, Thomas and Friends and some heroic Junior Turtles make up a strong portfolio of pre-school playthings for GP Flair.

Building on its success with Disney’s Doc McStuffins, Flair have launched a School of Medicine themed range to tie in with the new TV episodes. Dottie’s Eye Doctor Bag allows children to complete their eye doctor rounds with everything needed to make their patients see clearly! The launch of two new large Doc dolls, Dentist Doc and Eye Doctor Doc, continue the interactive fun. A new addition is the Light-Up Doctor Shoes - the perfect addition to any Doc McStuffins role-play outfit. Dottie turns her attention to healing toy animals in autumn with the all new Doc Mcstuffins Pet Vet series. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have also entered the pre-school scene with the successful launch of the Half-Shell Heroes. This brand new collection will introduce a younger audience of 2 to 4-year-olds to Ninja fun. With cuter preschool styling, malleable materials and softened weapons, the collection will house a variety of key category lines, including twin pack figures, talking figures, vehicle and figure packs, deluxe vehicles and an awesome Electronic Shellraiser. The hero items of the range will be the Super Sewer HQ and the Mega Mutant Leo, packed with fun ninja action and sounds.

01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk Leading party company Amscan International has a fantastic variety of partyware, balloons and costumes perfect for the pre-school market. The company’s licensing portfolio spans 100 properties, including an adorable Fisher-Price 1st Birthday Circus ensemble and Thomas & Friends. New ranges for 2015 include Fireman Sam and Paw Patrol.

The party fun doesn’t stop there as Amscan also has an incredibly cute collection of animal-themed costumes for tiny tots. New additions for 2015 include Flutterby, Little Dragon, friendly bugs Little Stinger and Little Ladybug, and Dinomite, in line with the dinosaur trend. The costumes are also great for nurseries and school plays.

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ne . Dream i g a m I . P l ay Talking Upsy Dais y & Igglepiggle

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5 interactive electronic panels

Golden Bear Productss Ltd www.goldenbeartoys.com Tel: 01952 608 308 customerservices@goldenbeartoys.com

© 2007 DHX Worldwide Limited. In the Night Garden and all characters, titles and logos are trademarks of DHX Worldwide limited. All rights reserved.

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FOCUS

Family affair H. Grossman Ltd is celebrating 70 years in business this April. TnP’s editor Mairead Wilmot made the trip to Glasgow to chat with Martin Grossman about how his parents gave the company life and what is in store for the future...

W

hen Harry Grossman first met Rachel Kaplan at a tea dance in Glasgow, little did he know he was meeting the woman who would change his life.

And he certainly didn’t know the legacy they both left behind would be responsible for some of the biggest crazes and fads in the toy industry. Loom Bands and Alien Eggs, anyone?

How it all started H. Grossman Ltd is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with the company beginning life in 1945.

“We’re not sure of the exact date the company started in 1945, so my father’s birthday on 20 April is as good a date to choose as any!” the company’s top man Martin Grossman told TnP from his showrooms in Glasgow.

It is remarkable to think that from a chance meeting at a tea dance

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“

I was a right little terror.

I had a scooter and a water pistol from birth

in Glasgow a business like HGL has sprung up, buoyed by one family’s sheer determination, hard work, grit, some savvy business decisions and a little bit of luck.

Because there is always a bit of luck involved in a trend-based business like toys, no one can deny that.

Martin’s father Harry was a fireman during the blitz but before the war, Harry was a hairdresser in London’s East End. He would regale a young Martin with tales about how he cut and chopped the locks of the very finest East End gangsters - Martin still has his hairdressing tools.

During the Blitz “he would drive a fire engine around London hosing down buildings,” remembers Martin.

When Martin’s grandmother, an air-raid warden, went to Glasgow to convalesce after the war, Harry and his brother paid her a visit.

It was while they were visiting

their mother that Harry met Rachel (Ray) at a tea dance. And the rest is living history.

Harry and Ray set-up a wholesalers in Trongate in the center of Glasgow “before parking restrictions” jokes Martin.

They rented the first floor of the building, which had a spiral staircase, and in a time before health and safety, the family would lug their products up the rickety stairs. Harry and Rachel sold everything from pocket money toys to needles and thread.

Eventually they took over another floor of the building and then another, before they had to move.

Working hard was in their blood, says Martin. “They went on separate holidays because both of them couldn’t leave the business at the same time!”

So for a young Martin, retail and toys was all he knew. It was in the blood.

“I was a right little terror,” he

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Grossman’s Top Three Licences 1. Ben 10 2. Action Man 3. Barney laughs. “I had a scooter and a water pistol from birth.” He recalls stories of scooting around the wholesalers squirting people with water and once, even blowing out a light bulb over the toilet because he sprayed it with so much water.

The family business kept expanding, and while Martin’s brother (now a dentist) and sister (living in Australia) had no interest in the ins and outs of retail, Martin loved it.

As a boy he would help his father to cash-up at the end of the week and says, “I’ve loved it! We laughed.”

At 15, he and his mother, and one of the drivers Claude, would go about their deliveries and by the age of 17, he had left school and was now in the wholesale business.

He’s been in the business 45 years now.

“I always wanted to be in the business,” said Martin. “I’ve always just loved toys. Anyway, what was I going to be, a brain surgeon? It has come naturally to me, I worked with

Harry Grossman

Martin with his wife Elinor

Family business “This is a family business,” says Martin. “But it is a business and you must run it like a business.”

And yet, Martin freely admits that H. Grossman Ltd is more than a business to him.

“It’s my life and I feel like my parents would have said the same.”

Is he happy then, with past 45 years? “Am I happy with the past 45 years? No. I put my heart and soul into this business but I should have spent more time with my wife and kids. Lack of time spent at home means your family suffers. I’m lucky because I’ve got a really great wife who stood by me and two great Martin with his children.” But Martin’s wife Elinor, who he married grandson Milo Cohen in 1977, and his two daughters Melissa and Gillian, now have to take a backseat because someone else has stolen his heart – his two-year-old grandson Milo Cohen. “It’s going to be H. Grossman & son & grandson now,” he jokes. “I’ve started taking days off to spend with Milo and I never did that before. Time spent with family is more important than money.”

Out of the corner of the room, Caroline Brotherton, Martin’s right-hand woman for the past 19 years and a director in the company quips: “Yes, it’s great, we get rid of him now!”

my parents for many years and I had a great time with them.”

What his parents taught him

“

It’s my life and I feel like my parents would have said the same

” APRIL2015

“My father was always more of a realist than my mother,” confessed Martin. “Mother was very gentle and she thought the sun shone from me but they worked very well together. Between them, they taught me that you have to have knowledge of what you’re selling.

You have to understand your trade, learn your trade. You can sell lines to customers but always ensure those lines are sellers, never give them crud, you can sell the crud to clearance people.”

Martin says that taking over H. Grossman Ltd happened naturally and over time. “As time went by I just did more and more,” he remembers. Ray passed away four years ago at the age of 94 but retired from the business 30 years ago, Harry passed away some years previously at the age of 77 from

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DISTRIBUTION

FOCUS

We asked…

What was your favourite toy as a child?

“I had a Dr Who Dalek outfit and I loved it”

cancer. “He was driving home one day and drove passed our house, that was the start of it.”

Products H. Grossman Ltd has seen its fair share of crazes over the years. And like any good industry man, Martin remembers them.

“My first craze was the Deely Boppers hairbands, that must have been 43 years ago.”

Then there were skateboards and the Yo-Ball (but that was banned!), Alien Eggs, folding scooters, Skooby Strings, Pogo-Sticks and Loom Bands. But probably the one closest to his heart is Alien Eggs which burst onto the scene in 1999 and 20 million units have sold since then. Caroline, Martin’s right-hand woman reveals: “Martin set-up a website and invented a language called Scardoxian. He used to answer every single email sent in by children to the website himself, pretending to be an alien!

That is what we are most proud of because it was ours, we found it and developed it and we gave it life.” Martin discovered the Alien Eggs in Taiwan which he says he

A collection of HGL’s awards

is “a quality area to pick up lines.

China is not always about quality, it is more about price.”

H. Grossman Ltd began to import their own products in 1985 when a container of inline skates Martin ordered got stuck in the docks after the importer went bust.

But now, Martin has his eyes on something else.

My Manufacturing is in the parents taught company’s future. “Yes, me that you it is something that is in have to have the back of my mind. I will be manufacturing, I want knowledge of to do it because I think what you’re it is criminal that we buy selling. You everything from abroad.” have to He understands the complexities and problems understand involved with manufacturing your trade, in Scotland and says his plan learn your is not on the horizon just yet.

“

trade.

Licensing Over the years, licensed products have played a part in H. Grossman’s success, but does he think toys need licensing? “No,” Martin laughs. “I think licensing needs toys.” But yes, he concedes that licences have changed the

industry. “Majors like licences,” he says. “They think it gives products selling power.”

He says Ben 10 was one of the best licences he ever picked up while Action Man was his first licence. At Toy Fair 1997 Barney and Action Man were responsible for getting H. Grossman Ltd through the doors of the Majors. “The Argos buyer at the time came on the stand and saw we had Barney and Action Man and asked why we never dealt with them before – that was the start of it and it was the same with Toys R Us.” Fast-forward to 2015, and Martin has hedged his bets on Minions, his showroom is packed with product from scooters to tents to chairs to helmets. He will distribute the product in Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Russia and some South American countries. But he doesn’t see next year as a great one for licences for HGL, he will be concentrating on his outdoor toys and dinosaurs which are hugely popular.

The future With 2015 marking H. Grossman’s 70th anniversary, what are Martin’s plans for the future – aside from his dream of manufacturing in Scotland. “I’ll keep going for another 70 years and then I might consider retiring,” he jokes.

And if he had any advice to pass on to someone new to the industry, what would that be?

“Do something else – I don’t want any more competition.”

And with that, TnP leaves Scotland safe in the knowledge that H. Grossman Ltd will be around for another few years but probably with Milo Cohen at the helm.

Biggest crazes Some of HGL’s outdoor collection in the Glasgow showroom

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1. Loom Bands 2. Alien Eggs 3. Deely Boppers

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FOCUS LEGO

Mix it up!

Cartoon Network Enterprises is back in the licensing mix with Mixels - the super-cool new product taking over the playground

W

hat happens when you combine the crazy creative talents of Cartoon Network with the expertise of LEGO, the No. 1 toy company in the world?

Mixels is what happens, a ground breaking new multimedia franchise that is the talk of playgrounds across the country.

Have you heard of it?

Unless you’re a supercool 7-year-old boy with a passion for toys, toons and technology then probably not, but if you are, then Mixels is likely to be your world and what a world it is.

So what is it?

Mixels is a triumph of bonkers over boredom. A truly 21st Century children’s brand, Mixels are creatures that exist as animated shorts that are broadcast online and on Cartoon Network (currently riding high as BAFTA Children’s Channel of the Year), digital games and apps and LEGO collectible mini-building sets.

Involving many

April 2015

different, fun-loving tribes who inhabit a fantasyland of adventure, Mixels can MIX (combining two Mixels), MAX (combining all three Mixels of the same tribe), and MURP (when a mix goes horribly wrong) in all kinds of situations. All that stands in their way are the small, wicked, discoloured Nixels led by the tall King Nixel in a classic battle of good versus evil that isn’t that classic at all.

It’s got a great fan-base An example of Cartoon Network’s unwavering ability to think like the kids that view its award-winning channel, in little more than a year over two million UK fans have tuned in to watch Mixels, this number rises to an incredible 21 million viewers across EMEA and that was just on Turner channels in Q4 2014 alone.

LEGO Mixels mini-building sets have sold close to one million units in the UK from launch to October 2014* (NPD) and it’s a commercial achievement matched by critical praise. LEGO Mixels Series 1 toy range won the Pocket Money Category at London Toy Fair’s Best New Toy Awards 2014 and it is currently listed in NPD’s Top 10 New Property Listing (NPD).

The future is bright With such an incredible first year under its belt, the future of Mixels is technicolour. The first of three waves of new Mixels content launched on Cartoon Network in March 2015 and the animated shorts have been declared a hit.

A new Mixels app will follow in June supported by an on-air channel stunt and more episodes will debut in October supported by a new wave of product from LEGO who are now locking down ranges for 2016. This commitment to producing new content and products is good news for the licensees now signed to the Mixels licensing programme including AFB, Aykroyds, Blues Clothing, BM Fashions, Dreamtex, GB Eye, Gemma International, Kokomo, Rainbow Productions, Roy Lowe & Sons, Warner Home Video and Hy-Pro.

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PREVIEW AIS

The best place to be April means AIS if you are in the toy and gift business – and we are! The industry soon heads to the Independent Toy and Gift fair and we give you the lowdown on what you can expect

T

he AIS Independent Toy and Gift Show takes place on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 April in Cranmore Park, Solihull.

This year over 80 suppliers will exhibit at the show, offering toy and gift buyers an extraordinary insight into the hottest lines and ranges available. And most tellingly, the show is a sell-out with Hasbro, Mattel and LEGO all exhibiting under the same roof.

Miles Penhallow, Head of Toys & Children’s Gifts at AIS, which organise the show, says visitors can expect some changes this year.

“We are delighted to announce the inclusion of character appearances for the first time this year,” reveals Miles. “Such appearances are always popular in retailers’ stores so we looked to replicate that energy here at the show.”

Miles adds that AIS have also

“

We find it convenient due to its location, its profitable as costs are more than covered by the orders we take and it’s a chance to catch up with good quality customers” Ross Ainsworth, Interplay

”

The AIS team, Charlotte Roberts, Miles Penhallow and Kirsty Haines

invested in more free visitor parking close to the show.

“There will be live demonstrations and product tastings of the new Yummy Nummie food range from Character Options,” adds Miles, “and we’ll be adding further demonstration tables to the show.”

Why visit AIS? While other shows are renowned for being frantic, AIS is quite different.

That doesn’t mean any less business is done, it just means the show is a change of pace from others, something Miles says people enjoy.

“Suppliers enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and ease of set-up,” he explains adding that another appeal is that AIS attracts an eclectic mix of retail buyers. This, Miles says, allows exhibitors to meet buyers they may not usually reach, such as garden centre members. Another big plus in favour of AIS is that the show feels relaxed and welcoming. “We pride ourselves on offering buyers a relaxed yet professional environment in which to do business,” adds Miles.

“Further to this visitors have the opportunity to meet a great variety of toy and gift suppliers, who offer a contemporary and varied range of products.”

One of the exhibitors is Clementoni with UK Country Manager Michele Marziliano

RETAILER COMMENT “The show is crucial to our planning since it is the best opportunity to meet all of our important suppliers together at one venue and plan future business in a modern and friendly environment.”

David Flynn, Toys-UK

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explaining the reason behind the company’s decision to exhibit at the show.

“We have started to invest in our independent customers this year, and the AIS show is very important for us as it offers a great opportunity to make contact with all of the indies we work with and strengthen our relationships.”

Interplay has exhibited at AIS since the show began, says MD Ross Ainsworth. The pros in exhibiting at AIS are obvious for Interplay, says Ross. “We find it convenient due to its location, its profitable as costs are more than covered by the orders we take and it’s a chance to catch up with good quality customers.”

Another company which benefit from exhibiting at AIS is Learning Resources, UK Retail Sales Manager Chris Beardmore explains that their range is a great fit for retailers and buyers attending the show. “Our overall range is a great fit for AIS members who are often smaller department stores and garden centres. Our science ranges fit in particularly well with these buyers,” says Chris, who adds that Learning Resources find they are able to “spend longer with members devoting more time to a profile of visitors with the right fit for our product range” as it is a more focused event.

The gift of toys One of the most appealing aspects of the show is that it combines both toys and gifts so it attracts retailers from both areas. We asked Miles if these buyers swarm towards the same suppliers?

“To a certain extent yes,” he tells us. “Many suppliers offer products which appeal to both toy and gift buyers, however we do have some

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suppliers which are more unique to one type of buyer. The range of suppliers that exhibit here with us offer a good selection of both toys and gifts for children, which makes our show well worth a visit for both types of buyer.”

One of the exhibitors at AIS is Usborne Publishing who has exhibited for three years. Northern Territory Manager Boyd Denton says the show has allowed them to connect with a variety of buyers from “small independent toy and gift buyers to buyers for large department stores. We enjoy the difference, as we believe we have an offer for everybody.”

Learning Resources say that they attract department stores, indie gift stores and garden centres to their stand at AIS and Chris agrees that meeting both

toy and gift buyers is a benefit of the show.

“Our product is versatile so Having appeals to both sectors.” strong trading Interplay are also attracted relationships is to the show because of the fundamental to breadth of buyers who attend.

“The show has a broad appeal AIS and it’s important to showcase Miles Penhallow, our products to buyers from AIS different market sectors,” says Ross.

“

”

So what is out there for retailers?

Along with discovering some new ranges, visitors to AIS can look forward to seeing lots of worthwhile product and securing some noteworthy deals.

Clementoni’s Michele explains that buyers dropping by their stand

can look forward to seeing a huge and diverse range. Likewise, Boyd tells us that Usborne Publishing have something special up their sleeves.

As TnP gears up for our trip to AIS, which is famous for its hospitality, we give the final word to Miles who speaks on the importance of building trade relationships and how AIS fosters this: “Having strong trading relationships is fundamental to AIS. Be it with members, suppliers or visitors to AIS, we aim to develop working relationships which are successful and professional yet have a sense of being part of the AIS family.”

MILES ON AIS EXHIBITORS… “We have over 80 suppliers exhibiting this year, all here to show the latest and greatest offerings from the world of toys and children’s gift.

Our exhibition space is totally sold out for this year’s show and the quality of suppliers is very strong. This is the first occasion in the toy calendar that LEGO, Mattel and Hasbro are exhibiting under one roof in the UK.”

Special show deals on Usborne Children’s Books and Display Units Extra 5% discount on all orders placed at

approx

1800mm approx

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400mm

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1360mm

300mm approx

the Independent Toy & Gift Show

Filled 12 copy CDU ISBN 9781474904599 RRP £59.88 5m

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Luxury wooden ‘waterfall’ FSDU Free with minimum stock order of £1000 RRP

Empty FSDU free with stock order ISBN 9781474903004 900mm approx

Vi i the Usborne stand at the Independent Toy and Gift Show Visit on 14 -15th April 2015 and talk to Sales Manager Boyd Denton

Huge range of bestselling children’s books | All stock available on sale-or-return | www.usborne.com/uksales

APRIL 2015

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PREVIEW VIEW W AIS

Let’s get learning LEARNING NING RESOURCES 01553819386 9386 www.learningresources.co.uk Learning Resources have a treat in store for visitors to their stand at AIS. Promote active learning and adventure outdoors with the new Primary Science Big View Binoculars and watch as children get a close view of the natural world. Perfect for little explorers, these colourful, easy-to-use binoculars are made from strong, durable plastic, feature soft rubber eyepieces, an easy turn focusing wheel and 6x magnification for hours of discovery.

Also look out for the Primary Science Telescope which is a perfect first telescope for any budding young scientist! Develop young learners’ scientific knowledge and understanding by encouraging little astronomers to discover the sky at night with the Primary Science Telescope. Little ones can look through the scope and turn the big grip adjuster to alter their sights, featuring a 20x magnification children will experience a magnified view of their surroundings. The telescope can also be detached from the tripod for on-the-go viewing.

Express yourself GALT 01614289111 www.galttoys.com Galt Toys will showcase a new Express Yourself range at AIS designed to encourage children to express themselves by creating their own fashionable jewellery. The range has eight DIY kits inspired by pop art with bright neon colours and a focus on fashion, friends and self-expression. From Flip Fashion to Shrinking Jewellery and Munchie Charms, the range is ideal for children to have a blast with their friends making, wearing and sharing.

Smell you later DKL 01604678780 www.dkl.co.uk

Cool car FAMOSA 01623 237433 www.famosa.es Visitors to the Famosa stand at AIS can expect some great deals for 2015 to support and reward their retail partners.

Nenuco, the innovative doll and playset brand from Famosa rolls out plans to extend the range following the massive success of key products since launch. As a special deal to incentivise retailers, Famosa are offering extra discounts off list prices for Nenuco Happy Hiccups, Nenuco Learn to Eat and Nenuco Runny Nose. Pinypon, the cute interchangeable mini doll range will see a BOGOF deal across the basic £2.99 RRP figure assortment. The promotion will roll out from 31 March until 5 May and with six basic figures to collect, the opportunity for collectability at pocket money prices is sure to see a real soar in sales. Famosa continue their story with Nancy fashion dolls and visitors to the stand can find out more regarding special promotional pricing across the entire range. The promotion is in place until the end of April, so plenty of time to maximise on these special prices.

And finally, with the sun now finally shining, Feber customers can take advantage of a terrific extra discounts when buying a minimum of two SKU’s, ensuring the outdoor toy category is kick started nicely into Summer. And with the 12V Range Rover now available Ex Works from Spain there is will be no excuse not to take advantage of these deals.

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DKL Marketing has had a successful first quarter, launching a new range and over 100 new products since January. At the AIS show, visitors to the DKL stand will get the chance to view the best products from Hama Beads, Breyer Model Horses, Scentco Scented Stationery, Wonderworld Wooden Toys, Miniland Educational, Corolle Dolls, and Munchkin Toys. Highlights will include the new Scentco range of scented stationery featuring the Smencil Buddies pencil cases, Birthday Smencils and Metallic Smens – all in a variety of delicious scents. New licensed sets from Hama Beads will also be star attractions at the DKL stand including the Hello Kitty Large Gift Box and Disney Princess Palace Pets Bead Kit Blister.

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uk@clementoni.com - T. 0203 206 1396 - www.clementoni.com -

Clementoni UK

PREVIEW AIS

Bounce on over GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494538999 www.greenboardgames.com

Discover the wide world CLEMENTONI 020 3206 1397 www.clementoni.com Clementoni will be attending AIS and showcasing a selection from the company’s broad ranges for its new independent customers.

The company will display a selection from its line of entertaining educational games for three to seven-yearolds. Highlights include The Interactive Globe and the Young Learners range. The new interactive talking globe comes with an optical reader pen that allows children to learn all about the continents and countries of the world, along with their capitals, populations, currencies, languages and more. Clementoni will also introduce its new Young Learners range, which features games designed to develop early literacy and mathematical skills for pre-schoolers through play.

Clementoni will launch a new Tea Time collection for the UK market in its adult puzzles category, which will be exhibited at the show. Featuring crisp, white packaging, the range features heritage artwork of quintessential English scenes. The Tea Time collection features 1,000-piece panoramic and standard 500, 1,000, 1,500-piece jigsaws.

The Baby Clementoni range is comprised of toys and interactive products for children from 0-36 months. In addition to the Disney licence and Clementoni’s own baby products, the line includes Baby Clemmy and Clemmy Plus. Featuring Clementoni’s patented soft block design, the Clemmy range includes a number of cute characters and accessories, with some of the larger Clemmy Plus sets incorporating interactive elements.

Also on show will be a selection from Science & Play, Clementoni’s line of games dedicated to science for children from the age of six.

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Green Board Games are as excited as ever to showcase a host of new products and family games, along with their bestselling, award-winning BrainBox range at the AIS Show this year.

This year has seen GBG push further into the slightly younger pre-school market. To further support this they will be exhibiting their latest licensed addition BrainBox Mr Men and Little Miss which complements the My First Letters, My First Numbers, My First Colours and BrainBox On the Farm.

Also for 2015 are two new BrainBox Mega four packs, each consist of four different BrainBox titles, positioned specifically to support Key Stage 1 learning and Key Stage 2 learning.

And there’s more, in addition to the new BrainBox titles released at the beginning of the year, Cities of the World and Science - 2015 will see BrainBox Space, Fast Flags and the all new BrainBox Bounce which is a spot the difference game with a twist. Go and visit them at AIS to have a go and join in the Green Board fun!

GBG have two specific AIS show only bundle offers available to help maximise margins, so visit them to find out what they are – you don’t want to miss out!

Ca someone Can call a doctor? ca PETERKIN UK LTD PET 0116 254 3645 www.peterkin.co.uk www

Am magical agical experience MARVIN’S MAGIC 01582849000 www.marvinsmagic.com Marvin’s Magic are sure to impress at AIS with the new Marvin’s iMagic – interactive magic sets that combine traditional magic with digital fun. Using augmented reality technology, video magic effects and classic interactive props. Due for international launch in Autumn 2015, Marvin’s iMagic products will be available in two sets, Marvin’s iMagic Interactive Tin of Tricks and Marvin’s iMagic Interactive Box of Tricks.

Peterkin will be showcasing some Pete off their key brands for 2015 at AIS. th Two new dollsworld introductions will feature prominently - the hero doll for 2015 is Talking Tilly, an 18” soft bodied, talking doll. Another new doll is Dolly Doctor – Dolly is a poorly baby, but don’t worry – she comes complete with a range of doctors accessories to help you nurse her back to full health!

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Visit us at the The Brand Teachers Trust

™

Discover our

exclusive

show offer on Stand 28 LER 2817

Big View Telescope

For more information & to make your appointment today call or email Chris Beardmore s +44 1553 819383 cbeardmore@learning-resources.co.uk

Peter Ward s +44 7515 050773 pward@learning-resources.co.uk

AIS Independent Toy & Gift Show Cranmore Park, Solihull 14th - 15th April 2015

PREVIEW AIS

Get into the play INTERPLAY 01628488944 www.interplayuk.com Following a strong performance with independent retailers in 2014, Interplay will be showcasing a host of fabulous new products at this year’s Independent Toy and Gift Show.

FabLab, Interplay’s new range of activity kits, set the benchmark for quality and play value. With modern themes and fun activities, the collection boasts 10 appealing kits including Invent-a-Scent Perfume, Make Bath Bombs and Nail Art. With competitive RRPs, good margins and heavyweight TV campaigns this range will become one of Interplay’s top-selling brands.

Also new to Interplay is the highly successful Australian brand Wood Worx, a range of wooden models that encapsulates everything that’s good about traditional play patterns. The kits are fun to build and fun to play with, providing children aged five years and over with a positive experience of wooden construction and end results to be proud of.

Interplay’s evergreen brand, My Living World, has been strengthened with a unique offering, Instant Flower Press. This kit allows flowers to be pressed, dried and ready to use in seconds. With a sub £10 price point, Interplay believes this kit will be a top selling line in 2015.

Interplay continues to appeal to younger audiences with its Craft Box collection. The hero line of the range is Fairy Garden, a firm favourite with customers thanks to amazing sales and fantastic reviews. New kits to the range include a Secret Diary, Fairy Charm Jewellery and Paint and Play Dinosaurs.

One of the highlights of Interplay’s portfolio is the award winning myStyle Jewellery brand. New kits include the bang-on-trend Steampunk, Shamballa Rainbow and Surf Style Jewellery. Backed with comprehensive TV campaigns, the brand is set to have another successful year in 2015.

With loads more exciting kits on view, competitive pricing and a fabulous show offer, be sure to check out Interplay’s stand.

I DO like to play FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk GP Flair has plenty to offer the independent retailer at AIS. The eagerly awaited World of Warriors collection boasts mini figures in packs of two, four and eight with over 120 figures to collect in Series 1 alone. The Battle Arena Playset will be where fans can emulate game play while Deluxe Action Figures with special features will represent hero characters of the app. I-DO-3D is a revolutionary stylus containing a unique patented compound in a range of colours. I-DO-3D allows kids to transform 2D templates to 3D models using the four-second air-dry miracle formula. I-DO-3D styluses will be available in a range of kits including “how to” guide templates. In addition AIS delegates will be able to see all that’s new for key brands such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Doc Mcstuffins while new properties such as Pet Parade will be unveiled.

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A funky range VIVID 01483449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Vivid’s amazing new Wubble Bubble Ball, Aero Force and Phlat Ball will be promoted from spring.

Look out for innovation in the tech category! For boys, Real FX is the next generation slotless racing system - the most realistic driving experience in RC cars ever created.

The eagerly awaited Thunderbirds Are Go! range launches in July and the Tracy Island Playset is sure to be a winner. My Friend Freddy, designed for pre-schoolers, is the cuddly bear who really knows you.

Parents can enter details of the child and their family into the app and Freddy will incorporate them into the things he says. i-Que Intelligent Robot is a cool dude with attitude. Packed full of jokes, trivia, sound effects, quizzes and games he’s sure to entertain children for hours.

Let’s not forget many of the other great new introductions: The Chocolate Pen, the wild and outrageous Bubba Dubbas, and Dave the Funky Shoulder Monkey, as well as great product extensions from evergreen brands, AniMagic and Peter Rabbit. From Vivid Group’s Drumond Park Division comes eight new games to look forward to, from pre-school to adult. Crayola will be showcasing their key innovative lines including the new augmented reality colouring book Colour Alive, Paint Maker which allows children to create their own customer paints and Thread Wrapper which allows girls to upcycle with this funky thread wrap.

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email: sales@interplayuk.com

...toys & gifts designed to inspire

PREVIEW AIS

Be a book worm USBORNE PUBLISHING 07939 173031 www.usborne.com The AIS show provides Usborne Publishing with an excellent platform to showcase their award-winning products.

This year they are looking forward to presenting some key series across all ranges. That’s not my . . . is a multi-award winning series of brightly illustrated board books with simple, repetitive storylines. The carefully chosen textures to touch and feel on every page are especially designed to help develop sensory and language awareness in babies and toddlers. The series continues to be a bestseller and has been revitalised in recent years with the addition of a number of new titles including, That’s not my Duck, Owl, Fox, Meerkat and Lamb.

The big success series of last year was Peep Inside. A colourful and charmingly illustrated non-fiction series for very small children, with lots of flaps to lift and holes to peep through with things to find.

The series now contains five titles with many more planned. The award winning sticker books cover all bases from dressing Victorians to futuristic robots. They cover all ages and include some of the bestselling products such as Sticker Dolly Dressing: Princesses and Big Dinosaur sticker book.

Finally Usborne will showcase some of their unique titles such as Write Your Own Storybook and Write and Draw Your Own Comics.

They include many different writing activities such as a fictional school journal, writing a comic strip, and forming a story around a picture.

A yummy line-up CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Toy Supplier of the Year, Character Options’ strongest brands and most exciting new launches will bring with them many opportunities for independent toy stores at this year’s AIS show. A sweet (and savoury) treat not to be missed is the new Yummy Nummies brand. Check out Character’s Yummy Nummies café area at the show to find out more. Peppa Pig, Weebles, Fireman Sam, Ben & Holly and now The Clangers represent the most robust of pre-school portfolios which this year introduces new themes to the line-up. Ben & Holly will demonstrate even more magic with its new playsets, while Peppa’s new Once Upon a Time collection is the stuff of fairy tales.

Get down to Mookie town

Ahoy there matey

MOOKIE

John Adams Leisure Ltd will be showcasing a cross section of its whole range at AIS this year. Leading the way is the company’s brand new pre-school offering based on the hit Milkshake TV programme, Pip Ahoy! The range will include collectable character figures, feature plush, the Bubble Train, Skipper’s Bucket Tug Boat and Skipper’s Lighthouse Playset.

The company’s expanding Creative Play category offers a whole host of exciting new ranges, including Bangle Blitz craft kits. Frozen fever is set to continue and snow fans will love the Snow Globe Maker and the new light-up Snow Glowbz range.

The Disney Frozen licence will also be joining the Blo Pens product range.

01525722722 www.mookie-toys.co.uk Mookie Toys will be presenting their exciting new lines for 2015 as well as some great offers on their already successful existing lines at the AIS show.

Mookie will be showcasing Pebli Town, Story Stars and FluffiMals, their three new launches for autumn/winter 2015. Pebli Town is a multisensory connected learning toy where traditional characters and a physical play board connect to a tablet bringing the Pebli world to life.

Story Stars is aimed at children 3+ and is an app-based storytelling night light plush. Story Stars allow children and parents to upload stories, melodies and personalised messages to the cuddly plush from their tablet or phone. FluffiMals will target girls aged three to eight years, offering a creative craft plush that allows children to design and produce their own teddy with its own personality and sparkling heart using their very own fluff factory. The range will consist of four SKU’s for children to collect. Mookie Toys will also be offering some great deals on their existing line, including Pillow Pets. The plush brand has been a huge success since its launch in 2012 and continues to be popular.

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JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk

TNP

AMBASSADORS

Rip roaring fun This month our intrepid TnP Amba Ambassadors have a fantastic time testing toys so you, the retailer, doesn’t have to.

Blast off Scott (13) and Thomas (12) braved the elements to try out re:creation’s Air Storm Sky Ripperz. So what did the boys think? Dad Mark fills us in When Scott and Thomas got their hands on re:creation’s Air Storm Sky Ripperz, their faces lit up. Any product that describes itself as “super sonic bungee-launched rockets” is a winner in their eyes. The product is aged for kids from eight years and specifically says it is meant for outdoors – which is a relief as a parent because the rockets fly for what seems like a very long way when they are launched. The boys later tell me that actually, they can go as far as 75 meters, not something for my living room! Scott and Thomas didn’t bother reading the instructions, they just went straight to the garden and started to play. They later told me that all you have to do is attach the launcher to the launch hook, pull the tab and watch it fly. They collapsed in peals of laughter when they heard the rocket “scream” through the air – a nice touch as far as they were concerned. Unless it is a video game, some sort of screen or a football, teenage boys aren’t known for being easy to entertain but fair dues to re:creation here. Scott and Thomas stayed outside for a few hours, even taking the Sky Ripperz to the park where they competed against each other to see who could shoot their rocket the farthest. At one stage they even went on You Tube to check out the demonstration video to see if they could learn any new tricks. This is perfect to keep my lads entertained for a few hours, they “got” the concept behind the rocket straight away and have even asked if they could buy a few more for their friends – this makes it a winner in my house.

We’re on a roll!

Edison is just 14 months old and lives in Essex. His grandpa, Antonio gives TnP the lowdown on why there’s no pup too small for Edison and why he is so taken with SpinMaster’s Paw Patrol Edison’s love affair with Paw Patrol began when he started to watch the show last year on Nick Jnr with his big brother. Once the music begins, Edison starts dancing! So for Christmas 2014 my wife and I decided to buy him some of the SpinMaster Push Along toys. We could not get our hands on all of them for love nor money but he does have Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Rocky and a plush Marshall too - yes, the fire pup is his favourite. Even though he is still quite little, he is fascinated by the little vehicles and whooshes them around the place making a ‘vrroom’ car sounds – typical for his age. He also tries to bark like a dog, which is very funny and sweet. They are great little toys – fun role-play, good for his co-ordination and I think it helps his speech and communication too. Plus of course when that music starts the toys come out and they are waved around as part of his little dance too!

APRIL 2015

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FEATURE

TARGET PRACTICE

Bull’s eye There are some fantastic target practice toys on the market and the category has enduring appeal to kids. TnP finds out more

A

s the days grow longer, warmer and – let’s face it – better, kids will be itching to get outside, and parents will be glad for them to burn off some excess energy. Kids love to get outdoors for some light competition, and this year’s line-up of blasters, bows and projectile toys give them a great reason to do just that.

But forget the spud guns and elastic band flingers; we’re talking about big, bold, blaster action, combining role-play, the precision gameplay of trying to hit a target, and the thrill of loosing a volley of foam darts over the garden fence.

Re:creation’s Air Storm range offers all of that in abundance, and has become a big part of the company’s expansive outdoor offering, as Brand Manager – Outdoor, Katy Fletcher explains.

“Re:creation is a top five outdoor manufacturer/distributor and we’re really pleased with the contribution the Air Storm brand has made to this,” she says.

“The Air Storm Z Curve Bow was a top 20 product in the Blasters and Shooters category in 2014, and the latest NPD figures for February YTD have demonstrated that we’re continuing to see good results. The brand is up 56% for the year-to-date by value.”

The key to Air Storm’s success, Katy says, is that it gets the basics right.

“

Each item in the range has been developed to deliver ultimate distance and accuracy Katy Fletcher, Re:creation

” 74

“Each item in the range has been developed to deliver ultimate distance and accuracy,” she explains. “When it comes to getting the most play value from a bow or blaster, this performance is key. A child will soon become bored if they never hit their target, and frustration will set in if they’re working hard to improve their aim but the bow simply doesn’t perform well.”

Beyond the initial thrill of blasting a projectile, kids want the kind of precision that rewards practice and a steady hand. They want to feel empowered and thrilled that their dedication is yielding results. “Enabling skill development is also an important factor in increasing play value. Air Storm products are designed to be skill developing: the more a child practices and improves, they continue to get more and more out of the product,” Katy adds.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

the multiple build options,” she says.

“Mega Boom for example has five New to the sector is construction different builds, so there is a lot of specialist K’Nex. The company’s new construction as well as blasting fun.”

K-Force range combines building and And Katy agrees: “There is a need blasting in one package, and UK MD to innovate and develop to maintain Paul Fogarty, is confident the new interest – for example this year we’ve concept will bring fresh ideas and play introduced light-up power to the value to the category. range with FireTek Bows and “We’re so excited to introduce Rocketz. The display produced is genuine innovation into both the simply awesome and adds a construction and blaster categories, completely new dimension to the particularly after such an play.” overwhelmingly positive response to the range at Toy Fair 2015 from press Target audience and retailers alike,” explains Paul.

Blasters have often been seen as a “Blasters are a brand new category for boys’ category, but Eileen believes us and we are confident that this reputation has waned over the K-FORCE will become the must have past few years and is no longer that range this year. We have a robust case. “We believe the range appeals marketing plan in place to support the to girls as well as boys,” she says. “We launch, including TV advertising, kids are seeing more press girls getting into partnerships, K’Nex.” We believe the competitions and Katy suggests online activity range appeals to girls as could be a result including blogger well as boys Eileen of the influence outreach and Thornton, K’Nex UK of movie social media.” franchises such K-Force was as Hunger Games, and it does seem the result of fan demand, according to to be a growing trend.

Eileen Thornton, K’Nex’s UK Head of A study in December 2014 by UK Marketing. A community of K’Nex fans children’s research and consulting were already using available firm, The Pineapple Lounge, revealed construction sets to build their own that “strong, smart and gutsy blasters, and sharing their ideas online. characters are the role models for The natural next step was a dedicated today’s little girls”. When asked who range, to give the fans the they would prefer to be like from a performance and creative options list of popular characters, 25% of girls they craved. aged 8-14 chose bow-wielding “Over 400,000 kids have been Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger searching how to make K’Nex blasters Games. A further 22% chose and actually building them Hermione Granger, Harry Potter’s themselves, so we are actually giving spell flinging heroine. them the new products they have In fact, Katy believes that it’s not asked for,” Eileen explains. “Plus they even just kids that love getting in on now have the ability to fire their the blaster action. “Plenty of missiles further than 75ft grown-ups love to get in on with our launchers.” the action given the chance As a combined – we saw that in bucketconstruction and loads at Toy Fair. They bring blaster range, out the competitive side in K-Force brings new everyone. Fans of bows play value to the and blasters love to sector. Eileen thinks challenge this innovation is key.

“The really unique thing about K-Force is the level of customisation and

Blasting onto the scene

“

APRIL 2015

WHAT THE KIDS SAID: “Blasters are my favourite toy. They’re especially fun when I get together with all my friends and play out with them. Sometimes we set up targets, and sometimes we just see how far we can fire them. The most important thing for me is the power: I want to fire as far as possible. I have a couple of Nerf blasters and an Air Storm Bow, which is really cool because you’re not just pushing a button, you have to pull the bow back and aim, which is fun and gives you more control if you’re good like me!” Ben Possager, aged 10

themselves to improve as much as they like to compete with others.”

So where is the blaster category setting its sights, and what can we expect from it in the future? “Bigger, further, faster!” says Katy. “This is a category that goes from strength-tostrength each year – maintaining that momentum can only be achieved through the right combination of innovative, aspiring product introductions and gripping marketing programme that captivate and inspire kids’ imaginations.”

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FEATURE

OUTDOOR TARGET PRACTICE

Light up the skies RE:CREATION 01189 736222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation continues to drive strong results in the outdoor category with the company achieving growth of +13% in Outdoor for 2014 (NPD full year 2014 £).

Among the portfolio, the Air Storm performance launcher brand is packing a powerful punch in the blasters and launchers category, with strong performances from key products the Z-Curve Bow and Sky Ripperz. 2015 is already off to a strong start with NPD data for January revealing the brand to be +125%. Re:creation is set to raise the bar once again this s year with innovative introductions set to ignite further excitement for this dynamic product range.

This year Air Storm’s FireTek products bring a new dimension to launcher play with the light-up power of LEDs. Each of the new additions offers the same trademark ultimate performance expected by fans of the brand, but also delivers an amazing light display whether day or night. FireTek Rocketz are bungee-launched rockets that can soar up to 75 metres high with jaw-dropping, whistling light-up action.

For bow fans, the Air Storm FireTek Z-Curve Bow is a must with its blazing light-up power.

Simply fire up the Zonic blaze whistling arrows, hook them to the light up Z-Curve Bow and fire for unrivalled accuracy and illuminated fun. The FireTek Z-Curve Bow can fire arrows up to 44 metres.

Designed for indoor or outdoor play the smaller scale FireTek Zeon Bow doesn’t compromise on pinpoint accuracy and can reach distances of up to 10 metres.

Re:creation will support the Air Storm brand in 2015 with heavyweight TV, online activity including an app and challenge game, as well as year round PR.

Precision strike HASBRO 02085691234 www.hasbro.co.uk Achieve unprecedented levels of customisation with the Nerf N-Strike Modulus ECS-10 blaster. The Modulus ECS-10 Blaster features motorised blasting and can be configured more than 30 ways to make any Nerf mission a or shot possible.

The Nerf Rebelle Arrow Revolution A Bow incorporates Fast B Fire technology with a Fir Arrow Auto Feed System, unique Arr allows kids to fire up to which allo 90 ft. blasters will be available Both bl autumn 2015, and are from autu for children aged eight suitable fo plus.

Hit the target GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk Blasting onto the scene is Geospace from Great Gizmos, a collection of pump rockets that lets kids have fun indoors and out. The patented thrust booster included in all rockets allows kids to shoot the foam rocket up to 300 feet into the air! New for 2015 is the Super Soft Slinger, a soft flying disc that will fly up to 50ft in the air. For pairing up at playtime, the Pop N Catch is a catching game. Pull the trigger and kids can watch as the ball launches from their cup towards their opponent’s cup. The Geospace Air Thruster is an aerodynamic rocket plane that will fly 50ft into the sky or, for fast paced action on-the-go, the Pump Rocket Micro Wrist Shotz will make even James Bond envious. This convenient and inconspicuous device attaches to children’s wrists and fires three mini rockets using a hand pump.

Spring fling TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk Check out Tobar’s Traditional Wooden Bow and Arrow. Included in the set are three arrows with suckered ends for safety. The header card unfolds to reveal a large target that can be hung or propped up for lots of inventive Robin Hood-style games.

Tobar’s Water Balloon blaster is a fourin-one pump-action blaster set. With 60 water balloons and two foam rockets, it shoots water jets, fills water bombs, ties balloons and fires foam rockets.

The Soak N Sling Catapult is a handheld catapult launcher with two soft sponge balls. Place one ball in the launcher cup, then draw back on the elasticated strings and release to launch the ball forward at great speed.

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Tel: 0118 973 6222 • sales@recreationltd.co.uk • www.recreationltd.co.uk

FEATURE

TARGET PRACTICE

Blasting onto the scene K’NEX 01189 497000 www.knex.co.uk

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This year, K’Nex Brands will launch K-Force, the first line of blasters that kids build then blast.

The line was created following overwhelming demand from fans, with hundreds of thousands of online searches made for buildable blasters last year alone. The K-Force Build and Blast line invites kids aged eight plus to construct customised blasters, big or small, single or multi-shot, with endless possibilities - the

only limit is their imagination. The introductory line includes eight different kinds of blasters, buildable targets, and foam dart packs. The range offers a wide range of blasters and accessories with diverse price points.

The K’Nex K-Force Mega Boom Building Set has more than 300 pieces, including rods and connectors galore, two blaster chambers and seven foam darts. Fans can log on to www.knex.co.uk and download instructions for four alternate blaster builds.

As with all K-FORCE blasters, the Mega Boom is compatible with all other products in the range so kids can build bigger and faster.

A robust marketing plan is in place to support the launch, including TV advertising, kids press partnerships, competitions and online activity including blogger outreach and social media.

Having a blast!

Take-off with Flair

CHARACTER OPTIONS

FLAIR

0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Target practice takes on the walking dead at Character Options and its going to be a Zombie Blast! The aim of the game is to grab a weapon and defeat the walking Zombie before time runs out.

With Zombie Blast kids have just 30 seconds to complete the battle.

Children can point the weapon and hit the target on the zombie’s head which rotates as it slowly stumbles towards them making zombie sounds. If this is done successfully three times an arm will blast off, six times and he’ll be rendered ‘armless’. Three more bullseyes and the zombie will fall over with a groan.

Zombie Blast is the fun yet challenging game that will develop target shooting skills. Launching in July, Zombie Blast will be supported with TV advertising, kids press and an integrated PR awareness drive with the consumer media.

Flair is soaring into the flying toy sector with HoverTech, which will see kids take-off and battle with flying drones like never before. HoverTech combines battle, precision controls and the latest technology for high-flying air adventures.

With both drones and blasters, the target practice gameplay creates an exciting flying battle game.

HoverTech Target FX has a built-in floor sensor enabling it to hover 1.5m above the ground. HoverTech Battle FX includes two target sensors and a set of blasters so kids can battle with a friend or on their own. With innovative smart tech technology, once hit, the drone hovers down for a soft landing and the game is reset. Available from July 2015, HoverTech will launch to the skies with TV, digital and print advertising.

Bang on target MATTEL 01628500000 www.mattel.com BOOMco continues to bring the next generation in adrenaline-fuelled fun with a range of amped-up blasters, darts, shields and targets.

Spring/summer sees the continuation of the popular Twisted Spinner, which features a rotating barrel that spins 310 degrees with every dart fired so kids can launch eight darts in rapid succession up to 70 feet in the air. With Smart Stick Technology, kids can see exactly where they nailed it as the tip of every dart sticks to the shields and sticky targets only.

New, innovative launches for spring/summer include the Railstinger, which blasts up to 60 feet featuring two awesome ways to play and the impressive Slamblast.

Also continuing this year are the Dual Defenders, Whipblast, Farshot and Clipfire.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

INDUSTRY

OPINION

Trade talk

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

This month we ask key toy industry personnel about the attitude in the trade at the moment, what products retailers are picking up on and the impact of marketing

JIM YOUNG Marketing Manager, Amscan What products are retailers really picking up on from your range?

No surprise, anything Minions or Frozen is extremely popular across our Party and Balloon categories. Like any other supplier with these licences, we expect them to deliver healthy sales in 2015. Early signs for Paw Patrol are very exciting too and at the beginning of 2015 we launched our new Batman v Superman ranges that have surpassed our expectation, proving retailers are also looking to stock the classic properties too.

How can a product standout in the busy pre-school sector?

We always encourage our retailers to display the product out of the packaging if possible.

This is especially important for our balloons as they are far more impactful when the customer can interact with them in-store, plus they can create real theatre and even store navigation.

How would you sum up the attitude in the toy trade at the moment?

Speaking on behalf of the Party industry, things are looking very positive as we move through 2015. At retail, we’ve witnessed growth for grocers, independents, online and bricks and mortar so in essence, right across the sector.

DIRK KIEFER MD, Maps Toys What products are retailers really picking up on from your range?

We have had a busy couple of months following the trade shows and have seen a real uptake in our Insta-Snow (Lord knows why given our British winter!). Cool Circuits continues to be amazingly popular and our new Real Brick ranges have piqued the interest of retailers old and new.

How can a product stand-out in the busy pre-school sector?

I think toys that help mimic real life activities have great appeal for both children and their parents as well as products that allow them to be creative with a degree of structure. By that I mean, toys that enable toddlers the freedom to be creative without 80

MATHIEU GALANTE Senior Market Development Manager, Pokemon What products are retailers really picking up on from your range?

A huge amount of sales success comes from one of the brand’s evergreen pillars, the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). In the UK, we work hand in hand with Esdevium and release four expansions a year, special editions, and the evergreen and eminently collectible booster packs. Our new action figure range from Tomy, our Master Toy partner, has been the central point of conversation with buyers: the rationale behind the range’s architecture and the all-important play factor of Tomy’s articulated figures have both been positively received.

How would you sum up the attitude in the toy trade at the moment?

We saw at the Toy Fair how interesting and buoyant the toy trade is at the moment. The one trend that stood out for me was the integration of new and interactive technologies into traditional playthings.

This will result in a new generation of exciting toys that will give kids lots of openings for imagination and role play.

What impact does marketing have on your brand awareness?

The main play pattern for Pokémon is role play. It’s about becoming the best Pokémon Trainer and catching, battling and trading Pokémon. It’s these fun elements that we try to bring to life in marketing messages across all categories.

having to feel that any mistakes they make ake are permanent.

How would you sum up the attitude in the toy trade at the moment?

I would say that the rising tide of the economy is lifting all boats and that we are e cautiously optimistic.

What impact does marketing have on your brand awareness?

Huge. Every brand starts as an island over the horizon and marketing, in all of its varied forms in today’s ay’s world, is the only way to move that horizon and bring a brand into focus.

toysnplaythings.co.uk aythings.co.uk

MARC VORSTERMANS

KEITH GRAFHAM

Europe Sales Manager, KidKraft

CEO, Green Board Games

What products are retailers really picking up on from your range?

KidKraft has always been renowned for our intricately designed Doll houses and Role-Play Kitchens.

Last year we introduced several new categories into our range including bedding for our themed toddler beds and tents and teepees which retailers immediately picked up. This year KidKraft is introducing other exciting new categories such as themed Magnetic Dress-up Dolls and themed Travel Box Play Sets.

What products are retailers really picking up on from your range?

It has to be BrainBox! We have focused a lot of our energy on expanding the range of BrainBox games and added some brand new options into the mix also.

There are over 30 titles in the main range now and we are excited about the new ones which have launched this year. We think with Space, Cities, On the Farm and Mr Men & Little Miss we have the best offering to date. Add to this the Mega BrainBoxes, The pre-school range and the highly anticipated Bounce range and suddenly we have something to get really excited about.

How can a product stand-out in the busy pre-school sector?

Products should be aesthetically pleasing to both mums and tots and overtly show their value for money. KidKraft watches for up-coming trends in various other industry sectors such as fashion, interior design, architecture and children’s entertainment to create trendy and progressive designs and artworks on all our products.

How would you sum up the attitude in the toy trade at the moment?

After the economic recession across Europe the last two years, we have seen the confidence with both the end consumers and the retailers slowly return. Unfortunately, the strong USD is not helping this growing optimism in the market.

What impact does marketing have on your brand awareness?

Marketing is vital for brand awareness. It helps us differentiate our products from the others.

How can a product stand-out in the busy pre-school sector?

There are a lot of products which look and play the same. We have something unique and clearly educational which sets us apart. Having developed these games for over 20 years we know what works in the long term and our games appeal to parents who want quality reliable products which can pass through the ages and generations.

How would you sum up the attitude in the toy trade at the moment?

Positive! There is always the odd exception of course, but generally people are excited about this year, it feels like we have quality over quantity now and there is a lot to look forward to.

What impact does marketing have on your brand awareness?

There is so much more scope for marketing these days and it has to be clever and considered. We are very clear that increasing brand awareness is a key, and it isn’t as simple as a TV campaign or a social media push. Our activities have to link and be consistent so the message is loud and clear. For the past three years we have steadily been building a large database of our champion consumers and sending bi-monthly emails with blogs attached ranging from how to fill your summer holidays to how best to support a child with dyslexia, we want to be fun but also intelligent.

Have you got the best partner?

Amethyst is the brand leader in UK Toys and Games Logistics

Our flexible and proactive service optimises costs for our clients and we deliver a pain free peak year after year.

For a stress free, multichannel, logistics solution, please contact: info@amet info@amethystgroup.co.uk 01580 895600 www.amethystgroup.co.uk

APRIL 2015

81 2

FEATURE

THEATRE PLAY AND PUPPETS

The play masters Theatre Play and Puppets should not be underestimated as a profitmaking category. It embodies creativity, excitement, imagination and kids love it. What more could you ask for?

T

Director Peter Lockey. “Those shops oys equals creative play, that stock puppets know there is a creative play equals toys – customer who wants a traditional toy but which toys really with a high play value.” And Peter says engage children? You that while puppets may fall firmly into won’t have ventured far wrong if the the traditional category, they remain answer you just gave to that question loved and valued as part of the rich is Theatre Play and Puppets. toy heritage.

Puppetry has age-old entertainment value that has moved, relatively unscathed, Tech versus We have with the times. traditional Trends UK are When we write about had a recent making their first time Theatre Play and renaissance in foray into the market Puppets, we have to ask our puppets with a licensed suppliers about the offering in the shape merits of these toys over range - Rob of Hacker T Dog. tech. Why? Because it is Trup, Fiesta “This is our first a question we, and they, Crafts venture into the get asked time and time puppet sector,” again. Can traditional confirms Marketing toys compete with tech?

Director Lindsay Hardy. “But what a Do they need to? debut! Hacker T Dog is a personality It’s an easy answer, says Fiesta in his own right who appeals to both Crafts’ Rob. “Puppets are so much children and adults.” better for play and development,” he Equally enthusiastic about the states. “Puppets require the use of the category is Fiesta Crafts. child’s own imaginative processor “We have had a recent which has unlimited and long-lasting renaissance in our puppets range,” potential compared to a tech item. says Marketing and Brand Manager Wise retailers and parents know this Rob Trup, adding that the company and love the joy these characters bring is experiencing increased sales both to young and old. And of course, no in the UK and around the globe. batteries required!”

Puppet specialist, The Puppet As a man who is surrounded by Company, see the sector as being on puppets for a significant part of his the fringe of the toy world. day, Peter Lockey most certainly “It is a niche knows that th answer to this question. market,” “The sshort answer is puppets can’t says compete with tech toys but this is like saying that th ships can’t compete with cars; they are two entirely different things. Tech Te toys are great fun and getting b better all the time. Computer games and games consoles are getting better and better but they getti prescriptive – puppets, on the are p other hand, can do exactly what othe want them to do and this is you w both ffun and liberating.”

Trends UK have their fair share of Tren tech toys but they are a company who value in puppets. also see v “Rather than competing it’s more a “Rathe case of ssitting alongside and being all part of the th varied play palette that says Lindsay. experts advocate,” a

“

”

Keeping the play value alive Keepin While th the undoubted appeal in puppet pupp and theatre play is that it is

WHAT ABOUT LICENSING? Retailers who buy into the enduring appeal of puppets love the sector regardless of whether it has a licence attached to it or not. But do suppliers think the category can benefit from licensing?

What is clear is that licensed products and nonlicensed can happily sit side-by-side. “We have tried licensed characters,” says Rob. “But this did not work within a comprehensive range of story characters. But certain properties do seem to sell quite well on their own.”

And while Hacker T is a licensed puppet, Lindsay agrees that both can sit side-by-side. “Of course the licence itself will dictate the age suitability,” she points out. “If a puppet is part of a larger property offering though, it could equally sit on crosscategory shelves as well as in the puppet aisle.”

If licences give product certain appeal, the same benefits can be said for in-store theatre and merchandising. “All puppets benefit from being demonstrated,” says Peter adding that shops who train staff to demo puppets sell “significantly more”. He adds that The Puppet Company supply a whole range of POS stands and fittings. This is something Fiesta Crafts also invests in with floor and counter stands and in-store theatre helping raise profile and sales. a traditional category, like everything else, it does move with the times. “The major advances in puppetry have been in the vast range of materials available,” explains Peter who says that his team head to the Far East to choose fabrics. “Dyeing long plush into a rainbow of brilliant day-glow colours has transformed many of our designs such as the Large Birds and Funky Monkeys”.

Materials are also something Fiesta Crafts use to upgrade their puppets.

“We’re always improving and trying out new ideas,” explains Rob. “We have introduced lots of bright new materials and invented the sub category of all-in-one hand and finger puppet sets such as Snow White and the seven Dwarfs which has been a star performer within the range.”

So while Theatre Play and Puppets is a category which will never be inundated with flashing lights and loud noises – it really doesn’t need to. The play value speaks for itself.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

OUTDOORPLAY AND PUPPETS THEATRE

Create your own fairytale FIESTA CRAFTS 020 8804 0563 www.fiestacrafts.co.uk New for 2015 from Fiesta Crafts are the Three Little Pigs and Gingerbread Man Finger Puppet sets, joining the best-selling range of classic story sets. Packed in an attractive new box, both these sets of will help children bring these popular and much-loved stories to life.

Each set comprises a finger puppet for each of the main characters. In the Gingerbread Man, there’s a little old lady, a fox, a cow, a bear and the Gingerbread Man himself. The Goldilocks and Three Little Bears set comes with the big bad wolf and three bears.

Each puppet is beautifully designed with a wooden head, bright fabric bodies and skillfully hand made to bring the favourite characters to life. Easy to operate for even the smallest of hands, these finger puppet sets will encourage children and adults to use their imagination to retell or invent stories while helping to improve communication skills.

A free downloadable play script is available to help get storytelling off to a great start.

Also new are the Gingerbread Man, glow-in-the-dark skeleton and Snow White individual finger puppets. These newest arrivals add to the extensive selection of finger puppets already available and, like the others, have been designed to bring each character to life in a very lifelike way. Each finger puppet is made from wood and fabric and can be used individually or mix and matched with others from the range.

Lights, camera, action BIGJIGS TOYS 01303250400 www.bigjigstoys.co.uk Let the drama begin with Bigjigs’ range of theatres, finger puppets and classic story time characters. The Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre receives an invigorating redesign for 2015. With clever use of magnetic rods to move the cast, this wooden toy is all set to bring you not one but four classic shows with interchangeable backgrounds and characters from The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio and Cinderella children’s classic stories. The Bigjigs Table Top Theatre makes the perfect setting for theatre play with friends. Aspiring puppeteers can deliver the ultimate performance with this sturdy toy, complete with red silk effect curtains.

For solo puppetry and younger children, the Finger Puppet Theatre makes a wonderfully colourful and compact play thing for fun at home and away.

This is something special GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com An exciting addition to this year’s Something Special range is the Mr Tumble Hand Puppet. It enables children and parents to put on their very own Something Special show to encourage role-play. The company’s Sooty collection includes replica Sooty, Sweep and Soo Hand Puppets as well as the Pop-Up Sooty Puppet show.

Featuring Sooty’s own puppeteer box, which is cleverly adapted from the packaging, the Pop-Up Sooty Puppet Show enables Sooty to pop out of the box with this iconic magic wand and water gun. Also available is the Sooty and Sweep Hand Puppet Set, which is ideal as a gift purchase for any Sooty fan.

The art of acting GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk New for 2015 from Great Gizmos is the collection of Meadow Kids Hand Puppet Books that tell a tale using puppets as the main characters. Available as a Hungry Duck, Sleepy Puppy or Little Dino, kids can act out the adventures in the story using their hands as the main feature. Sock Puppet Monsters from the 4M craft collection, is an exciting way for children to create puppets using the colourful socks included.

Theatrical play is covered by the 4M Wooden Spoon Puppet set that includes a sturdy cardboard theatre and enough accessories to create four characters with additional clothing and facial stickers to change appearances time and again.

With a sample script included kids are only one step away from a show stopping performance.

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toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

THEATRE PLAY AND PUPPETS

You won’t hide these away!

THE PUPPET COMPANY 01462 446040 www.thepuppetcompany.com Look out for The Puppet Company’s great Hideaway Puppets featuring a Rabbit Hill House, Under the Sea House and the Dinosaur Volcano House.

These new Hideaway’s come complete with assorted finger puppets and nd a playhouse for them to live in. These sets follow on from the company’s ever ver n popular Tree House, Mice in Cheese and Rabbit in a Lettuce. They come in bright vibrant colours and are a great addition to the range.

Also new are the Full Bodied Puppets. These are fantastic value with fabulous materials and 21 different favourite animals to collect.

These puppets are not a straight forward sleeved puppet but come with h full arms and legs making them just as cuddly as a soft toy but with all the he interactivity and power of a puppet. Easy to use u and suitable for most hand sizes these are a superb addition to The Puppet Comapny range and are already available from stock.

Th star of The the show TRENDS UK TRE 01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk www.t New to t the kid’s puppet sector, secto Trends UK is set to lau launch a star Puppet of the TV Screen as Hacker T Dog takes centre stage in t the company’s collection. co Hacker T. Dog (or Hac otherwise known as otherw Hacker) Ha ack cke appears daily CBBC and is a star of on C B his very h hi s ve e own TV series, Hacker H Ha cke Time. 2014 saw Hacker’s Hack ke stardom reach a whole w wh o e new level with both ol kids and adults. This year ki ids d a has seen an appearance ha h as se recent Comic Relief on rec and later lat he will be at Wimbledon and The Rugby Wimble Cup 2015 taking World C his celebrity to a whole new level. Most of all his shameless humour, unique star qualities and daily mischief mean the famous dog from Wigan is a favourite that kids will no doubt be looking out for on the toy shelves.

Distributed by Trends UK, the new Hacker puppets have been expertly created by Staffordshire based Kid Kreations; capturing all of Hacker’s furry features perfectly. Both authentic and high quality this new hand puppet will allow kids to take centre stage with their favourite CBBC star; recreate some of the mischief that Hacker gets up to on his show and perform some of Hacker’s favourite jokes and tricks to the entire family.

Hacker T Dog puppets will be available from July and will be launched with active PR, retailer support options and awareness within the children’s press.

86

Puppets, get your puppets here JOHN CRANE 01604 774 949 www.john-crane.co.uk The Tidlo Play Shop and Theatre epitomises role-play at its best. The 2-in-1 design changes from a theatre into a market stall by raising the theatre curtain using the rotating, clicking dial and reversing the fabric to reveal the market stall roof.

The theatre side features atures 50 theatre tickets to dispense through the ticket machine achine slot and a chalkboard and d clock to advise the next play and show time. The shelves can n be used to store puppets and props rops during the show.

In Trudi for 2015, they hey have introduced an array of different puppets to join their already fantastic collection. Pick from four different categories; ries; animal puppets which are brought rought to life in ones hands with new ew unicorn, bat, hedgehog, duck,, parrot and cat added this year. ear.

Each character remains ins plump so becomes a cuddly toy when not being used as a puppet. These ese Animal Puppets are ideal for pretend play, y, increasing vocabulary y and story telling.

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Hand Puppets & Theatres Animals and Fairytale Characters

Try our Best Selling & Award Winning range

call 020 8804 0563 Fiesta Crafts Ltd - 3 Centenary Road, Enfield, EN3 7UD 020 8804 0563 sales@fiestacrafts.co.uk

LICENSING OPINION KELVYN GARDNER

I ain’t afraid of no ghosts If there is one film LIMA MD Kelvyn Gardner is looking forward to, it is Ghostbusters.

He tells us why

I

’ve written previously in these pages about what I expect to be a big revival this year in movie licensing.

This means big business for the UK toy trade, of course. Some of these soon-to-be business generators are continuations of established franchises with fantastic merchandising histories like Jurassic World and Star Wars Episode VII. Just around the corner we’re about to see another of those old franchises rebooted for summer 2016. This particular ‘reboot’ has attracted a great deal of fan controversy more than a year before it will hit our screens.

Ironically, controversy is a word that has been attached to this movie franchise since it first debuted in 1984. The movie? Ghostbusters.

Originally Ghostbusters screened in the USA in the summer of that year, and, as was the way of it in those less-connected days, finally reached the UK for Christmas 1984. When it arrived here, it came with a reputation as a juggernaut picture that had packed them in at the box office and delivered a merchandising frenzy. On debut in the USA, it was a somewhat different story, as the film’s unheralded launch didn’t stop it winning blockbuster status, but the merch boys were left scrabbling for product. So what was controversial about Ghostbusters then, and Ghostbusters

know that Columbia Pictures did not realise when they green lit the film that Filmation, better known for animated projects, had previously made a live-action TV show called ‘Ghostbusters’.

Thus Columbia had to licence the name from Filmation for a reported $500,000 payment. Everyone was happy with that, until Columbia decided to make an animated version of the film. They had the rights to the name, but so did Filmation as far as animation was concerned, so that, by 1986, we had two animated series, Ghostbusters (generally referred to in the business as Filmation’s Ghostbusters) and The Real Ghostbusters from Columbia.

As things turned out, two sets of licensees emerged and each did well, with toy sales for either show proving positive. One undoubted win for Columbia, though, was the celebrated ‘No Ghosts’ logo, a fantastic piece of work and one which, according to Sony Pictures (owners of the Columbia brand) still enjoys 95% consumer recognition to this day. Fast-forward to 2015, and Sony announce an all-female cast for the new Ghostbusters picture. I don’t believe they did this to stir up the fan base, but stir it up they did. So much so that the Twittersphere (and every other social media outlet) lit up, mostly in protest.

Sony, wisely and rightly, defended their casting, pointing out that, like the original cast, the 2016 actors were all originally comedians (female this time) all of whom had started out on Saturday Night Live. Some months later, the controversy was compounded on the female-fan side by Sony’s announcement of a

widening of the entire Ghostbusters franchise to include more spin-off movies, starting with one featuring an all-male cast. Wow, talk about hitting all the buttons, good and bad, at the same time. In fact, in business terms noone could argue against a long-overdue stretching of the Ghostbusters output, such a powerful movie brand has been under-exploited for years. Giving Ghostbusters some of the treatment that Disney and Marvel (and soon to follow Warner Bros) has done with their big merchandising brands has to be good news for fans and the licensing business alike. All they need to do now is avoid the repeat of the last bit of controversy attached to the original film. The famous Ghostbusters theme composed by Ray Parker Junior was subject to a plagiarism law suit by rocker Huey Lewis, who claimed it ripped of his own composition ‘I Want a New Drug’. The issue was settled out of court and ironically, Lewis had to wait less than a year for his own movie-theme hit, ‘The Power of Love’ from Back to the Future.

Personally, I can’t wait.

LIMA the trade association for the licensing business www.licensing.org/uk email rbeaird@licensing.org

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WHO NEEDS THE KWIK-E MART? YOU DO! Hot on the heels of the successful response to the first Simpsons construction set and licensed LEGO Minifigures inspired by the iconic television series, the LEGO Group is extending its LEGO brick version of Springfield with an exclusive building set to celebrate the iconic Kwik-E-Mart featured regularly in the show.

The infamous store will be available via LEGO. com and LEGO brand retail stores 1 May 2015.

Fans can also build their favorite Simpsons moments with all-new LEGO Minifigures, inspired by beloved Springfield characters from the series. This second LEGO Minifigure series inspired by The Simpsons characters will also be available for collectors beginning 1 May 2015.

NEWS

Flair named as Disney’s best UK infant and preschool licensee GP Flair were celebrating after being announced as Best Infant and Pre-school licensee at Disney’s annual licence awards night recently. The accolade came in recognition of a successful year for its Doc McStuffins collection and adds to a great start to the year for Flair and its relationship with Disney, having also been a best Pre-school toy nominee in the recent Toy Industry Awards held during London Toy Fair. Nic Aldridge, Marketing Director, GP Flair, commented: “Doc McStuffins is a stand-out brand within the Flair portfolio that goes from strength-to-strength. 2013 was a great launch year, which was improved upon with 24% growth last year.

“On top of this, the new lines for 2015 will open up many new opportunities for the brand with the recent launch of the Specialist doctor theme and the coming release of a whole new segment – Doc McStuffins Pet Vet. This is a wonderful brand to work with and we are delighted that Disney has acknowledged the effort that we put into making it a success. With these awards and the reactions we received at Toy Fair, it has been a tremendous start for the year that is also indicative of what’s ahead for Flair in the Pre-school sector. We have a number of new brands launching; all of which have exciting launch plans behind them.”

Get your hands on the latest Range In an exclusive global deal, Feber are launched the first ever Range Rover Sport for kids last year which until now was only available on an FOB basis.

In order to make the product more accessible to UK retailers, Famosa/Feber are now taking orders ex works from Spain.

EPOCH announces National Trust nature trail To celebrate Sylvanian Families 30th anniversary, EPOCH making toys is doing something special.

They have announced that a new Sylvanian Families Nature Trail will open to the public at the National Trust property, Hatchlands Park in Surrey on 1 May. The trail encourages children to learn about the surrounding wildlife and trees, reflecting the company’s strategy to focus on nature being at the heart of Sylvanian Families. EPOCH making toys is also partnering with the National Trust to host two birthday picnics for fans this summer at Hatchlands Park on Sunday 12 July, and at Wallington, Northumberland on Saturday 1 August.

APRIL 2015

A BIG RETAIL LAUNCH Cartamundi’s Big Hero 6 card game landed in Toys R Us in late March.

Cartamundi’s Big Hero 6 is a six-in-one action game, illustrated with Baymax, Hiro, Wasabi and the other funny, exciting and charming stars of one of the biggest movie hits of the year.

Trudi Bishop, Head of Marketing and

Licensing, Cartamundi Group, says: “The runaway success of Big Hero 6 is down to its wit, charm, engaging characters, and superb illustrations, all of which have been incorporated into the design of this marvellous six-in-one pack. With the film’s upcoming release onto DVD, Bluray and VOD later this year, we’re sure interest from new and existing fans will remain high for some time to come!”

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DON’T MISS… In our new feature 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 contacts!

Product: DigiChicks Company: Silverlit / Flying Toys Tel:: 01702 295110 Web: www.flyingtoys.com

Product: Hacker T Dog Puppets Company: Trends UK Tel: 01295 768078 Web: www.trendsuk.co.uk

Product: Hape Colour Croquet Set Company: Marbel Toys Tel: 0845 6000 286 Website: www.marbel.co.uk

Product: Annabel Karmel Ultimate Baker’s Set (75 pieces) Company: Casdon Tel: 01253766411 Web: www.casdon.com

Product: Hatch ’n Heroes Company: Bandai Tel: 01489 790944 Web: www.bandai.co.uk Product: Disney Cinderella Fairytale Tiara Company: Icon Live Tel: 01444 238365 Web: www.iconlive.com

Product: Creativity for Kids Doodle Sock Company: West Design Tel: 01303 297888 Web: www.westdesignproducts.co.uk

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Product: yetiZOO Company: Prince Lionheart (UK) Ltd Tel: 0 208 997 7054 Web: www.princelionheart.com

Product: Charmazing Deluxe Nature Kit Company: Wooky Europe Tel: 0151 494 3821 Web: www.wookyentertainment.com

toysnplaythings.co.uk

TNP T

LOOKS S BAC BACK

Step back in time TnP MD Malcolm Naish looks back at some of the events and news stories that made the pages back in April 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2010 April 10 Volume 29 Number 7

APRIL 2010 • We report that NPD’s tracking report makes for encouraging reading with year-to-date value sales up 11% on the same period last year. Eight of the 11 super categories are up with Plush and Building Sets showing the strongest growth.

• Ahead of their May show, Toymaster has returned a sizeable brand enhancement rebate to its members of £350,000. That equates to over 30% of the fees paid by members to the Group.

• We have, in the past, had a bit of a reputation of being critical of major buyers such as Argos when they have introduced measures that are widely unpopular with suppliers. However, praise where praise is due as Argos have launched a new initiative, the brainchild of Ian Chaplin their Trading Director that consists of an Open Day where new suppliers can pitch ideas to the Argos toy team. Good on Ian is our opinion.

• Character Group announce a sales increase of 14% on their first six months of trading across the same period last year with sales of £43.1 million.

• I am very sad to announce the death of Brian Meade who had started his toy career with Lone Star in 1954 and then set up his own agency in 1981. Brian was a true gentleman and a most loyal supporter of our magazine.

APRIL 2005 • Index Mail Order close 126 of their catalogue shops and sell the remaining 33 to Argos. This comes as a bolt out of the blue to the trade, following shortly after the closure of Allders and the Gadget Shop group these are not happy times.

• I organise a golf day in honour of Eric Balaam who had passed away the previous November, it is well attended for this most popular of gentlemen.

• Andrew Wood resigns from Tomy and together with retired Tomy M.D. Alan Munn set up the Macaws Agency.

• There are rumours that Vivid is about to be sold to an unnamed overseas company. Nick Austin dismisses the talk as ‘speculation’.

APRIL 1995 • Brian Triptree parts company with Tyco where he has been their M.D. for the last five years. Brian goes on to found The Sales Partnership.

• On 19 April Toymaster moved into their new Northampton headquarters. Ian Collinson’s wife June does the honours with the cutting of the ribbon.

• We publicise a range of ‘Elvis’ singing plush from Taiwan Powco. The advertisement states ‘advanced electronic technology provides amazingly faithful reproduction of “The King’s” best loved recordings.

• I run a full page obituary on a major gentleman of the toy trade – Sidney Marks OBE. He was the founder of M.Y. Dart Co. that had grown to become a Public Company. A member of the B.T.H.A. Council for many years, he was a true gentleman of the ‘old school’.

APRIL 1985 • At a lively B.T.H.A. Annual General Meeting a motion to admit to full membership to 13 associate members while achieving the necessary majority of 75% was in the end not carried. The reason that while members’ votes and proxies achieved 75.75%, a number of member’s proxies had been disqualified due to minor technicalities who had clearly voted against the motion. Therefore, as the Council felt in fairness to these members that they should declare the motion not carried. I ask what is the difference between Hasbro, Mattel or Milton Bradley who are full members or LEGO, Tomy and Ertl who are associate members, other than the fact that the latter three do not assemble product in the U.K. but they do obviously employ staff and also give work to quite a few British supply houses. Further, out of 264 members only 85 attended the A.G.M. or submited a proxy vote.

• The first five Toys R Us stores will open in October at Basildon, Woking, Bristol , Cardiff and Wood Green, London N.22.

• Palitoy cease U.K. manufacturing with 327 job losses out of a total work force of 568.

APRIL 2015

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Stimulating play, learning new skills

through motor development

GOAL LEAGUE When a goal is scored fun lights and sounds are set off.

FISHING ISLAND Rod recognises fishes when caught and activates fun lights and sounds.

NFEOW R 2015

MONKEY STRIKE

MINI GOLF CLUB An electronic mini golf game tailor made for a child.

2 electronic game modes: Training and hit the mole With encouraging sound effects and lights.

Take the lane.

Aim for a colourful strike or get creative and build towers.

Use as a push scooter.

The

Use it as a Balance Board.

encourages children to play and have fun with sports An active lifestyle starting from early childhood is essential for our children’s growth.

Children nowadays tend to lead a more passive lifestyle; real play is limited – they don’t move around or run freely.

Fit&Fun combines motor development and new skills with social play allowing children to not only improve balance and coordination, but also enhance their self-esteem and self-confidence too.

BALANSKATE 3 games in 1 to gradually develop the child’s balance.

At 3 years, a first skate board.

w w w.c h icco.co.uk

range

For information on these products, contact us at orders.uk@artsana.com, or please call 01623 750870

Happiness is a journey that starts when you’re a baby.