Toys n Playthings Winter 2020

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020 r b2e0r220 m e t e c n i e D W 1 0 No. Vol. 4

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CONTENTS r 2020 Winte 1 0 No. Vol. 4

Regular 5

Leader – with Mark Naish

6

News – the latest toy industry headlines

12 People News – all the movers and shakers

Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Interim Editor Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Advertisement Manager Athee Waran athee@lemapublishing.co.uk

13 Media News – the multimedia rundown 14 Licensing News – the latest on licensed products 20 Retail News – the latest from the retail landscape 26 Toy Talk – retailers let us know how they are faring this winter 28 Trade Talk – suppliers tell us how they are tackling post-lockdown business

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69 Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers 78 Step Back in Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running magazine

Sales Simon Davis simon@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features 30 Educational Toys – with more children than ever learning at home, toys that offer learning value are high on parents’ wishlists 48 First Quarter – what retailers should be stocking to tempt customers to buy after Christmas 58 Plush Toys – this evergreen sector offers comfort and cuddles

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64 Boys Collectables – how boys’ toys have been fighting back…

70 Ride Ons – climb aboard for the latest in two-, three- and four-wheeled fun

Special Report 18 Cover Story – Flair GP’s Federico Sidero talks about Trudi, premium-quality plush pals.

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

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

Independently audited ABC circulation of 4,768

1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019

22 Retail Interview – Bristol’s Toyville is an independent toy shop at the heart of the community 24 Merry Christmas – The companies supporting the Toy Trust Christmas Card charity initiative 47 Retail Interview… Clare Willetts explains the concept behind online retailer not only pink and blue

Columnists 16 Generation Media 17 Retail Opinion – John Ryan says less should be more for toy retailers 79 Gaining Insight – What will kids find under the Xmas tree?

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LEADER

Thames & Kosmos

W A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 4,768 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019

With the new year ell, what a pickle Mark beckoning, positivity is the world is round the corner; suppliers Naish in right now: will have some great new lockdowns, curtailing of civil product to launch and retailers liberties and your right to will hopefully be able to trade in run your business without a more meaningful way. With that interference from the state, in mind, look out for the January and not being able to see edition of Toys ‘n’ Playthings, which friends and loved ones at will contain our Product Launcher all or in any normal way. in place of our usual Toy Fair Welcome to 2020! previews. Product Launcher will be All of this is being done to designed like a directory to help protect you, us, everyone. retailers find what they are looking Many of us of course have a for far more quickly. In addition, we view on the pandemic and Product are launching a new website that what should be done, but we have lost the ability to Launcher will will include our new online directory.

This will be a great resource to help discuss it like adults as so be designed retailers find what they are looking for many have opposing views. like a all year round!

If you want to lockdown Lastly, I am delighted to introduce harder you’re called a directory to TNP’s new editor Clare Turner. Clare coward, if you think we help retailers has a wealth of B2B publishing should just open up you’re experience in retail-facing publications told you don’t care about find what and will bring that knowledge to Toys the vulnerable - and if you they are ‘n’ Playthings. I’ll let her introduce have questions about the herself (see below). vaccine you’re called an anti- looking for Lastly, I really do wish you and yours vaxxer. a very happy Christmas and a more This kind of debate - or lack positive new year! of it - is unhelpful, polarising and destructive.

Why is this in my leader and what does it have to do with toys you may ask? Well, since the response to “I’m delighted to join Lema Covid-19 affects us all, I’d say discussing Publishing as the new editor of Toys it is what we should all be doing, rather ‘n’ Playthings. I have more than 20 than taking the mainstream media years of print and digital editorial narrative as gospel. experience in a B2B publishing To lockdown the country in November environment, specialising in retail, such a critical time of year for retail so I’ve probably seen more than a was terrible, there may well be some of few of you at one trade exhibition or another, where so you that felt we had no choice and fair many paths cross. enough, but are you really telling me “Throughout my career I have worked in senior consumers are safer in the fruit and veg roles on various B2B titles and have always loved the aisle of the local supermarket than in the challenge of learning about different retail markets, pre-school section of your shop? from DIY and electricals to furniture and luxury goods.

So where now? With the rollout of I most recently served as the editor of Housewares the vaccine, hope appears to be on the magazine and its website, where I was actively involved horizon and we can but pray that the in organising the title’s annual awards event, along with government takes a more considered its exhibitor presence at Spring Fair. approach and loosens its vice-like grip “I’m hugely looking forward to embarking on the next on the nation and returns us to some stage of my career in what is a fresh new market for sense of normality. Then again, at the me, editing Toys ‘n’ Playthings. I very much hope my start of all this it was only supposed to contribution will have a positive and creative impact on be a three-week lockdown to save the this well-established and hugely respected magazine, NHS - and we all know what happened which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2021. Toys ‘n’ there!

Playthings has long been a pillar of the toy trade and

“

At the heart of retail Also by Lema Publishing

”

New TNP editor

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

J i

Leadernm-2.indd 1

I can’t wait to start building on that success within a great family business and friendly working environment.

“The one constant in retailing is change and from my observations, the toy market is no exception. I’m thrilled to be joining the team during this exciting time for the industry and I can’t wait to meet you all in person - as soon as it’s safe to do so!”

I can be reached at clare@lemapublishing.co.uk Toyville

09/12/2020 15:50

NEWS

Debenhams set to close its doors After twice going into administration, department store Debenhams looks set to close its doors for the final time.

That will mean all 124 of its UK stores will be shutting up shop, with the loss of 12,000 jobs.

Debenhams had been in administration since April, and the latest move into liquidation comes after its last bidder, JD Sports, withdrew interest.

The news followed just the day after Arcadia, which owns Topshop, also went into administration, with 13,000 jobs being put at risk.

Juratoys buys Belgian brand Juratoys group has bought out the Belgian brand Lilliputiens.

The French company, which designs and distributes educational toys and games now owns the Belgian company, which has specialised in activity and developmental toys for 25 years.

The strength of the brand is based on values of clever creativity and child development through play and innovation. It features more than 400 products including fabric-made toys, books and bags, has 30 employees and generates sales revenue in excess of 12 million euros.

Established in 1970, Juratoys has

been designing and distributing toys and games for 50 years.

Its Janod brand (toys and games principally made of wood) and its Kaloo brand acquired in 2011 (plush, soft toys), are recognised for their design, quality, and for their educational value. The company also markets international toy brands such as the Ty brand.

Gibsons to host virtual trade show Jigsaw specialist Gibsons will host its own virtual event in 2021, to make up for the cancelled trade shows.

The virtual show will take the form of an online conference and will give buyers the opportunity to take part in a private showcase of Gibsons’ new products releases, have one-to-one meetings with the Gibsons team, and confirm listings for the year.

The event runs from Monday 1 to Friday 5 February 2021 to ensure that it does not clash with any existing trade events.

“None of us could have foreseen the current situation and we are truly disappointed that we won’t be able to catch up with everyone face-toface in the new year,” said Kate Gibson, managing director. “We hope our week-long drop-in event will complement other shows that may still run.

We have lots of exciting things planned and can’t wait to share them with our customers and showcase our range of great new products for 2021.”

Gibsons will be releasing more information about the format of the show and the booking platform in the coming weeks. If you would like more information, please email marketing@gibsonsgames.co.uk.

1-5 Feb 2021 Dates of Gibsons virtual trade show

Hasbro kicks off partnership with World Taekwondo Federation Hasbro has announced a partnership that will see PJ Masks join forces with the World Taekwondo Federation to engage children around the world in taekwondo.

Get Active with the PJ Masks will span multiple markets and feature 12 World Taekwondo top athletes.

The campaign aims to combine the global appeal of the popular animated series with the fun and accessibility of taekwondo to encourage children to take part in the sport. A digital tutorial series and interactive website have been created to help young fans of World Taekwondo and PJ Masks get active, have fun and master their own taekwondo inspired superpowers.

The partnership aims to amplify the reach of both brands and increase participation of the sport in the three-to-eight-year age group through a rewardfocused syllabus that teaches co-ordination and discipline skills.

6

tnp.media

BTHA Briefing

Asmodee pulls up its socks!

The Sock Game has become part of Asmodee’s Family Games range, with a fresh new look coming for 2021.

The game, which was first made available at retail in 2018, is simple to play and sees team-mates rummaging around inside a sock full of objects to find a nominated piece.

Now exclusively available to the UK toy trade through Asmodee, The Sock Game will form part of the company’s revamped Family Games range, which highlights titles that are perfect for getting players of all ages together at the table.

The Sock Game’s new look, as well as the rest of its sister products in the revamped Family Games range, will feature at the third edition of AsmoFair, Asmodee’s virtual trade show, running from 17-23 January 2021.

Celebs learn to Articulate!

Following its launch earlier this year, Drumond Park’s celebrity-packed version of Articulate, Articulate Fame, has proven to be a welcome addition to the Articulate family.

To help encourage sales as well as continue to reach its key demographic of a younger audience, the toy manufacturer has announced a partnership with children’s media agency KidsKnowBest to launch a dedicated influencer campaign. Featuring well-known A-listers across TikTok and Instagram, the campaign is set to reach a combined following of 10+ million fans.

Tomy has challenged influencers including Love Islander Kady McDermott and TOWIE’s Chloe Brockett to create their very own unique content to demonstrate this fast-paced description game in action. And Drumond Park has launched a four-week paid media campaign across social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, to reach not only the games target audience but their parents too – just in time for Christmas.

Offering a new way to play the much-loved Articulate, Articulate Fame features just one category, providing 20 minutes of describing mayhem, challenging teams to describe a host of famous people in three rounds of diminishing descriptions.

From Paddington Bear to Bill Gates – there’s famous folks the whole family will know.

Marvin magics up virtual meetings Toy buyers can enjoy a magical experience in 2021, even though Toy Fair and other trade shows are cancelled or postponed.

The Marvin’s Magic stand always provides plenty of entertainment, but you won’t have to miss out, as the company has invested in new studios at its Hertfordshire HQ to keep the magic alive with virtual meetings.

The studios boasts three different sets, and the most up-to-date cameras and vision mixers to ensure a live and close-up experience full of magical demonstrations, presentations and interactive magic tricks.

Marvin Berglas, award-winning magician and creator of Marvin’s Magic, said: “There are a few extra surprises, which we won’t spoil, but we can guarantee that this promises to be the most fun, impressive and productive way to do great magical business together.”

Contact the team to book your slot.

WINTER 2020

I

can’t believe it is our final BTHA Briefing of the year, and what an unprecedented year it has been. We recently announced that Toy Fair unfortunately won’t be going ahead in January due to government restrictions now in place on large-scale indoor events in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. We will be extending our usual exhibitor listing on the Toy Fair website to allow exhibitors to promote a selection of their products where we will be directing our usual attendee list to visit online.

More details on this will be sent to our exhibitors soon.

We have held various training webinars for our members this year and our last one of the year took place on 3 December on the new Border Operating Model. Exclusive to our members, the Director of Global Trade Compliance from Burberry, who specialises in this area kindly agreed to talk to members. The webinar discussed the new model in detail covering the documentation required, approvals and new processes and topics to consider as defined by the UK Governments Border Operating Model irrespective of whether a trade deal is struck.

Elsewhere, the BTHA Public Affairs team, along with the Toy Retailers Association, has written to the Prime Minister urging him to put toys on the essentials list. The letter emphasises the essential role that toys have played throughout this year of lockdown for the country, keeping children’s minds and bodies healthy, bringing families together and boosting morale in what has been a tough year for many.

In a difficult year for the industry, we are delighted to announce that despite these trying times we have received donations in the region of £10,000 to this year’s Toy Trust Christmas Card initiative! This is a fantastic amount and we are extremely grateful for every company involved who has kindly donated in this tough year.

All monies received will be used to help children and their families in need during these unprecedented times. You can see all of the companies involved in the Christmas Card spread on page 24 in this edition.

Finally, while we won’t see you as usual in January, on behalf of everyone at the BTHA we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous year for you all and for the industry on the whole!

7

NEWS

COFFEE BREAK

Making maths fun - no mean feat!

TnP caught up with Murray Jackson, founder & CEO, Edx Education, to talks about the rise of educational toys

BTHA asks PM to class toys as ‘essential’ The chairmen of both the BTHA and TRA have written to the Prime Minister to ask for toy retailers to be placed on the essential retailers list.

The letter states that it is important for consumers to be able to buy safe toys from reputable retailers to prevent them unwittingly buying dangerous toys that continue to be made available through third-party sellers on some online platforms, despite the best efforts of the BTHA. It also states: “Toys are essential tools of play that contribute to child development and learning and have been essential to families this year during lockdown, keeping children entertained, keeping them active, maintaining positive mental health and underpinning the morale of families around the country.’’

It adds that toys are never more important than at Christmas and adds the emotive plea: “Please don’t allow Covid to steal Christmas from children and families across the country.’’

The letter goes on to point out that although the lockdown rules have allowed click and collect, the mixed message that consumers should only go out for essentials prevented shoppers going to shopping centres to collect purchases, and that retailers will be unable to keep up with the demand as Christmas gets closer, leaving the market open to the large online retailers.

It concludes: “The toy industry is worth £3.2billion to the UK economy with 50 per cent of toys sold in the last quarter of the year. The current closures are impacting on the £400 million value in November and we simply cannot lose the £820 million December trade - this period is crucial to the survival of toy companies and retailers in the UK and without November and December trade, many companies will not survive.’’

You can read the full letter at www.tnp. media/section/features 8

It’s been a busy few years for Edx Education as you pivot from making educational products for schools to branching out into toys and kids’ retail.

Tell us more...

Edx Education is a family business that designs, manufactures and distributes high-quality educational products (mathematics and early childhood active play) for the preK-6 market.

Traditionally, we have been strong in schools and kindergartens but more recently we have found success in the retail market.

A few years ago, we became aware of a trend that consumers were starting to look more for quality home education or purposeful play toys and games. Since our products have always been suitable for the classroom and the home, we realised it was time to launch product ranges for retail.

The rise of e-commerce platforms coupled with the increase in home learning due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, has further expanded the market for quality educational resources and toys.

What makes Edx Education stand out in the education industry?

Three main factors make Edx Education stand out in the education industry – being based in Asia close to our manufacturers; our reputation for designing and developing innovative

educational products, and working with international educators.

Initially, the main standout in the education industry for Edx Education is that we are the only Western education company that is actually based in Asia, and thus have developed very close relationships with all of our manufacturing partners. This was the case in 1996 and is still the case in 2020.

Making maths fun is no mean feat and engaging children through handson manipulatives has been at our core.

Working with international educators, our ranges are built to spark a child’s imagination and creativity. Our philosophy is all about ‘learning through play’ Plus, the play blog, webinars, podcasts, the games, the videos and the free downloadable resources for home learning have made it easier for Edx Education to engage directly with parents, teachers, caregivers and distributors.

What have been your top performing lines/ranges recently ?

Consumers have been looking at more vibrant, hands-on, educationtoy options. Many of the lines are performing well including the Edx Education Rainbow Pebbles and the new home learning kits.

What’s next for Edx Education?

This year has been highly challenging.

Edx Education has been undertaking product development, which will be announced in 2021. Challenging times breed innovation.

However, my particular focus has been to provide a platform that we call ‘education for all’, as well as researching and refining our sustainable eco-friendly product manufacturing. These projects have been personally rewarding for all of our employees, and are becoming part of our day-to-day thinking and business philosophy.

tnp.media

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NEWS Thames and Kosmos goes virtual Science specialist Thames and Kosmos is planning a virtual showroom at the end of January when Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg would have been taking place where customers old and new can take a virtual tour of new 2021 offerings.

Julia Loeser, science kits sales & marketing manager, advises that places will be limited so get in touch early to secure your slot.

The company has also announced its plans to support bricksand-mortar shops over the next few months by offering a 10 per cent discount on their ‘first order back’ placed in either December or January.

“So many of our core shop customers have been hit hard this year with lockdowns and restrictions and we’ve been fortunate enough to support our valued customers, whether it was through social media campaigning or our reopening offer back in June,’’ said Julia. “Our bricks and mortar customers are always at the forefront of our business and with London Toy Fair in January and Spring Fair in February cancelled we wanted to find a more useful way to offer the discount we would have done in ‘normal’ years to those customers hit hardest.’’

On top of this, any customers who place a carriage-paid order that is eligible for the discount in December or January can choose between a free Dino Egg Filled CDU or a carton of Brainwaves games.

“We are also supporting our loyal customer base by promising to maintain our 2020 trade prices for the whole of 2021, except for some prices that we plan to reduce,’’ Julia aded.

Spielwarenmesse 2021 dates revealed The summer edition of Spielwarenmesse will open its doors at the Exhibition Centre in Nuremberg from 20-24 July 2021.

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, organiser Spielwarenmesse eG was forced to postpone the event for the first time in its history from January until the summer.

Now running from Tuesday to Saturday, the new choice of days reflects the wish of many retailers and buyers to include an extra weekday. In terms of content, the industry is supporting the organiser’s plan to present a relevant offering of information and product innovations, where the Christmas season plays as much of a role as the outlook for the year ahead.

Spielwarenmesse eG will announce further details over the coming months. The website at www.spielwarenmesse.de and the Spielwarenmesse App will continue to expand its yearround offering of information for the toy industry.

10

Schleich steps into Christmas Schleich UK has entered into the Christmas spirit with its latest retail initiative.

At participating retailers across the UK and Ireland, shoppers will find Schleich’s Christmassy POS displays.

Each display features an adorable reindeer design and details on how to take part in this year’s campaign, which is, effectively, a digital, interactive raffle.

For the chance to win one of 20 surprise packages, entrants must first download the Schleich Stories App. Next, the fun bit! At the POS, kids are encouraged to pick out the Schleich figures and playsets they’d like to receive for Christmas, and then use the app to make a wishlist video of these products. They can then present their video to Schleich’s festively-clad reindeer, as well as to their friends and family.

Schleich’s Christmas campaign is now live, with two lucky winners to be drawn each week. The last draw will be made on Tuesday 15 December 2020.

Spring Fair goes online February’s Spring Fair will no longer take place, due to new UK government restrictions on the reopening of business conferences and exhibition halls.

However, Julie Driscoll, managing director – UK retail at organiser The Hyve Group said: “While it is regrettable that we won’t be able to meet in person at Spring Fair and Moda in February, we are incredibly excited to host Spring Fair @Home and Fashion Together. Following the success of this year’s virtual forums, we’re looking forward to providing our clients and customers with another touchpoint to be inspired and stay connected with the retail industry.”

More information will be available on the Spring Fair website.

The next planned home, gift and fashion retail event will be Autumn Fair, together with Moda, at the NEC Birmingham on 5-8 September 2021, while Spring Fair will return as an in-person event, on 6-10 February 2022.

tnp.media

COMING 2021

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PEOPLE

NEWS

Peanut EVP moves to Mattel Rosalind ‘Roz’ Nowicki has taken on the role of head of global consumer products and franchise marketing at Mattel.

Nowicki will report to president and COO Richard Dickson, and her role will be to leverage new growth opportunities for the brand.

She moves from Peanuts Worldwide, where she was EVP with responsibility for promotions, partnerships, licensing, location-based entertainment, brand development, PR, marketing, legal, operations and finance. Rosalind’s previous roles were at 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios and The Walt Disney Company.

Wilton Bradley grows sales team Following a summer of recordbreaking sales, the sales team at Wilton Bradley continues to grow with two new appointments Pete Minch and John White join the team in the role of National Accounts Managers, responsible for the company’s development plans.

They will both report to sales director Ross Bradley.

Pete brings with him great experience from the toy and nursery industry, having spent the past seven years working with Hasbro, and most recently, Artsana UK.

He said: “I have been really impressed by the range and quality of products within the portfolio, and also the exciting marketing plans in place to support even further success across the brands moving forward.”

John joined the toy trade in 2004 at Mattel where he worked until 2015.

In 2016 he joined Magformers, assuming responsibility for growth in the major retailers.

For the past two years John has been sales director at KD Group UK, successfully launching new brands into the trade.

Lucy Irving joins Giraffe Insights New directors get chance to shine!

Sequin Art has appointed Gemma Asplen and John Sutton as two new directors.

The toy and crafts manufacturer has promoted Gemma, previously general manager, and John, previously head of sales, as two new directors to lead the team and drive growth.

Sequin Art, based in Swaffham, Norfolk, is a family-run business in its second generation. It was founded in 1962

by Stuart Marcus and since then has developed into a business that exports Sequin Art, Painting By Numbers, Diamond Art and other craft kits worldwide. The company produces more than one million units in its purpose-built facility in Swaffham every year.

John’s experience includes more than 25 years with global retailers and he has previously handled multiple national accounts within the craft trade. Gemma has had various managing roles at leading supermarkets.

12

Kids, youth and family specialist research agency Giraffe Insights has appointed Lucy Irving as insight manager. The agency conducts bespoke research for brands globally alongside running award-winning syndicated research studies ‘Kids and the Screen: Changing the Channel’ and ‘Little Voices’.

Lucy has a wealth of research experience in media content development and kids research, working with brands such as the BBC, Channel 4 and Pan Macmillan to develop exciting and impactful content for young people.

She said: “I’m very excited to join Giraffe Insights. I was attracted instantly to the innovative work that Giraffe does across an array of clients from multiple sectors and international markets. I look forward to being involved in supporting brands to understand their audiences in a time where insight has never been so important.”

Maxine Fox, managing director, added: “We are very pleased to be able to welcome Lucy to the team as Insight Manager. Lucy’s skill set will further enhance our international qualitative offer and bring semiotics as an additional specialism within the team. We are very proud as a business to be able to continue our investment in new talent, alongside supporting the continuous professional development of our existing team.’’

With the next wave of research launching this month across both ‘Kids and the Screen’ and ‘Little Voices’, Giraffe Insights will have exclusive insights surrounding kids and parents’ attitudes and media behaviours, ensuring brands stay ahead during these unprecedented times.

tnp.media

MEDIA

NEWS

Did you know?

Play-Doh gets festive on Facebook

Cozmo had the top spot for bestselling toy for two years in a row

makes move to TV Did you know? Cozmo Robot duo Cozmo and Vector are making the move from toy

Play-Doh will take to social media for a festive live workshop led by TV Play-Doh is celebrating presenter Rylan Clark-Neal. its 65th anniversary!

Creative kids and adults can watch Play-Doh Presents: Festive mix-along with Rylan Clark-Neal on Sunday 13 December at 10am and make their own creations for the Christmas season.

Rylan also appears in a tongue-in-cheek documentary to celebrate Play-Doh’s inaugural Colour of the Year - Nemesis Grey.

The three-minute film is hosted by Rylan Clark-Neal and features a pre-school panel of colour ‘experts’ talking about their exciting journey to identify the Play-Doh Colour of the Year 2021. However, much to Rylan’s surprise he quickly discovers that Nemesis Grey is created by randomly mixing colours together – a sight that grownups are all too familiar with and dread their children doing!

The new Colour of the Year marks the Play-Doh brand celebrating its 65th anniversary and comes as new research reveals a quarter of parents (26 per cent) admit they never let their kids mix up their Play-Doh colours because of the grey colour it creates.

Happy new TV year New to Tiny Pop in January, and likely to renew interest in relevant toys, cards and other products is the latest series of Pokémon Journeys.

Every day from 6.30pm, Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum has a new plan: see the world! But first, he and his partner Pikachu are headed to the opening of the Cerise Laboratory, a research facility dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of Pokémon in every region. Ash meets Goh, another boy with boundless curiosity about Pokémon, and both are overjoyed when Professor Cerise asks them to become official research fellows.

Sesame Street Elmo is back in the new, updated, fun and fresh version of Elmo’s World. In each five-minute episode, lessons are taught through the lens of fun and familiar pre-school relevant topics, live action films, and interactive thinking games such as matching, sorting, and counting. Little learners will accompany Elmo and his friend Smartie, an animated mobile phone, as he uses his imagination to transform his bedroom into the beautiful chalk-drawn environment of Elmo’s World and dives into the topic of the day.

Other new series include Simon, Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, and Big Top Academy: School’s Out Edition. © 2020 Sesame Workshop

WINTER 2020

brand to TV stars!

Sutikki, the children’s entertainment company behind the popular UK series Moon & Me, has inked a new pact with USbased educational technology company Digital Dream Labs (DDL), to create, develop and distribute an animated series and live-action content based on the company’s robot duo Cozmo and Vector.

The journey from toy brand to entertainment franchise has started with the debut of the first animated featurette on the newly-launched Cozmo & Friends YouTube channel. The hub will host a steady flow of creative content that will further explore Digital Dream Labs’ revolutionary robot creations.

Sutikki’s initial focus will be on Cozmo, an expressive little robot with a mind of its own. After its 2017 launch, Cozmo earned the top spot for the best-selling toy on Amazon US two years in a row and the best-selling toy on Amazon in the UK and France in 2017.* Sutikki is planning to launch a global consumer products program. Digital Dream Labs’ pre-order for updated versions of both of the popular robots opened in November 2020 ahead of the holiday season with the new robots hitting retail in Spring 2021. *One Click Retail

Peppa jumps into digital stream Hasbro has released a series of new Peppa Pig audio stories across multiple digital streaming platforms globally including Amazon Prime, Apple Music and Spotify.

For the first time ever, families have the opportunity to enjoy a range of 10 fun and familiar Peppa Pig audio stories narrated by the familiar voice of John Sparkes and based on some of the most popular episodes from the animated TV series. They will be available in English language only and will launch in batches of two every two weeks. Titles include: George’s New Dinosaur, Shake, Rattle & Bang, Mr Bull’s New Road, Whistling, Nursery Rhymes, Secret Club, Pirate Treasure, Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse, Noisy Night and Bedtime Story.

The launch will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign across social and digital media including the brand’s own high-reach digital channels.

13

LICENSING

NEWS

Fact!

The Kids Diana Show gets five billion views a month

Flair pockets Love, Diana deal Flair Just Play has announced another licensing deal with pocket. watch, the studio behind the hugely successful Ryan’s World franchise.

Launching for spring 2021, in the UK and Ireland, Flair Just Play will be introducing a fun roleplay collection inspired by the latest YouTube sensation, Kids Diana Show. According to Tubefilter, the channel totals five billion global views a month, making Diana the number three YouTuber globally.

To support the global launch of the Kids Diana Show merchandise, pocket.watch has produced 40 episodes of Love, Diana. In this series, where live-action meets animation, the episodes are designed to help children learn positive lessons about friendship, family, creativity, and the power of play.

The Flair Just Play roleplay collection includes Love, Diana’s Adventure Set - a cute backpack that looks just like the one Diana wears in the show. It comes with everything that is needed for a Love, Diana adventure - a transforming wand hairbrush, an interactive phone, a map to help navigate the Land of Play, and more! The Surprise Deluxe Trunk - just like in the series - has plenty of surprises, with many compartments for girls to discover.

This music box promises the ultimate unboxing experience. Plus, there’s the Light-Up Bubble Wand, which produces bubbles just like Diana’s wand does before she travels into the Land of Play.

There is also an unlockable collection of Love, Diana Mini Mystery Trunks for fans to discover.

Kindi Kids snaps up a duo of deals

Spin Master wins magic deal Spin Master has conjured up a deal with Warner Bros to become the new toy licensee for the Wizarding World franchise.

Spin Master will develop Wizarding World products based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films including dolls; figures and accessories; playsets; select vehicles; games; feature plush and role play/dress up categories all expected to launch on shelves in autumn 2021.

“Spin Master is all about creating magical experiences for kids through innovative toys, entertainment and digital platforms,” said John Blaney, Spin Master’s senior vice president, licensing. “We are thrilled to expand on our existing relationship with Warner Bros.

Consumer Products and can’t wait to unveil our innovative toys, inspired by the stories and characters from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, for kids and fans of all ages around the world.”

14

Bulldog Licensing has announced two new deals for Moose Toys’ preschool doll brand Kindi Kids, as it reaches an enormous 82 million views on YouTube.

Little Brother Books has inked a deal to produce Christmas, seasonal and activity annuals for the brand. Moose Toys also plans on more content and product launches for SS2021.

Also joining the Kindi Kids consumer products portfolio is Texco with a range of bedding and home textiles, using images of the adorable preschool characters, along with scenes from the YouTube original content.

Meanwhile, Moose Toys is putting plans in place to ensure momentum for the brand continues to grow, with the season three webisode now on YouTube and additional distribution platforms coming in 2021.

Anderson deal is go!

Thunderbirds owner Anderson Entertainment has inked a new licence agreement with ITV Studios.

The deal means that Anderson Entertainment is now able to build on the global recognition of the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson portfolio, expanding its ranges of product derived from classic brands such as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space:1999 and sell them worldwide.

The new agreement also enables the company to build sales opportunities with other retail partners.

tnp.media

MEDIA

ANALYSIS

A family affair Kate Moncur, Associate Director at Generation Media, looks at marketing opportunities in the run-up to Christmas

W

ith Christmas on the horizon and the cold darker evenings drawing in, the number of family films broadcast increases on free-to-air channels such as Channel 4, Five and ITV2.

The These family favourites maximum reach including Despicable Me, of the children’s Spy Kids and The Lego Movie to name but a few, commercial are regularly broadcast channels still across the early weekends remains to capture family viewers. unrivalled, with The films' placements 98 per cent of increase with popularity kids aged four within the children's market, with a key benefit to nine being the additional consuming coverage points these spots TV content offer, with advertisers able to reach audiences that do not traditionally watch the children's commercial channels. It should be no surprise to marketers, that viewing to the children's commercial channels has seen declines. Total commercial TV viewing for children (aged four to 15) increased by five per cent during Q2 due to the national lockdown, but the all-important children’s commercial channels still managed to endure a decline of six per cent, a percentage that is continuing to decrease further as we look at initial Q3 declines.

With that said, the maximum reach of the children’s commercial channels still remains unrivalled with 98 per cent of kids aged four to nine consuming TV content, and anywhere between 55-70 per cent of each varying child sub-demographic watching selected children's commercial channels. However, these

“

”

film placements can certainly aid in building awareness with a family audience – vital in a post-Covid world where children no longer partake in the traditional ritual of physically circling toys in the Argos catalogue!

As allocations to these film placements are likely to be reflective of only a marginal percentage of the overall marketing budget it is important to be highly targeted and strategic, selecting only placements that relate to the advertised product. For example, a tech item featuring within Spy Kids 3 or a girls' collectable in St Trinians 2. By taking this approach, these placements will benefit from standout within the ad-break, which typically features investment from wider categories such as FMCG or pharmaceutical products, aimed at the main household shopper.

While these spots will undoubtedly help to reach children and their parents, it is also worth considering the extended family that are likely to be viewing, including dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents, all of whom tune in to watch these films over the weekend.

Traditionally, these extended audiences are unrepresented in media investments, but of course will fail to disappoint in the lead-up to Christmas.

Of course not every TV campaign will have sufficient budget levels to afford placements on these channels, but they’re certainly worth consideration.

Outside of TV spots, there are multiple avenues to reach a captive and extended family audience.

Generation Media’s proprietary planning tool – The Media Aggregator, assesses the optimal investment to TV vs. other AV media after taking into consideration several key variables. For more information on this, or should you need assistance in determining the optimal marketing split for your brands, don’t hesitate to get in contact.

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

tnp.media Generation Media & John Ryannm.indd 1

09/12/2020 16:18

Why less is more T

oy sellers are among that very select group of merchants where shops that are full may actually be better than those that are, at first glance, semi-empty. Consider the facts. If you walk into a ritzy fashion store, the chances are high that there won’t actually be that many items on the rails for you to consider whether they improve your image or not.

The fewer the number of articles in a fashion store, the higher the prices on the garments. The extra space that is generated by following this line of merchandising means that there is more room for seating, glasses of 'bubbles' (or even champagne at the top end) and numerous sales ‘associates’ to fawn. Head into a store where the rails are crammed, by contrast, and you are probably selecting from a ‘fast fashion’ outpost, as it is euphemistically termed.

Now turn your thoughts once again to toys.

When was the last time you walked into a toy store and remarked upon the amount of space between individual must-haves. If there was any it was likely to be due to a lack of decent housekeeping, rather than any deliberate policy. The fact of the matter is that toy stores are associated with a vision of imaginary and fun-filled abundance, with emptiness playing no part in the formula.

Even in the most upmarket toyshops, the kind where a child will be seen driving around in an electric scale model of a Porsche Panamera or suchlike, any empty space will probably have been made to look like Silverstone just prior to the off at a Grand Prix.

But would it make sense to give just a portion of the space that you have filled to the brim with toys with something else? At any point in selling toys there will be three parties involved. The first will be the one who holds the pursestrings, probably a parent/friend/ family member. Then there’s the user, the child and finally (and some way down the line) there will be somebody from the toy store who is there to facilitate the transfer of goods. That’s actually quite a lot of people, especially if there is more than one toy being bought at any particular moment, even in the biggest toy stores/departments.

But imagine that instead of endless variety with a cornucopia of items to be built, painted, digitally enabled or maybe watched, there were fewer, there was more space and the whole thing didn’t feel like a bit of a bunfight (as is the case in many ‘fast fashion’ stores). Would this be better?

From an adult’s perspective, the answer would almost certainly be yes, but would the sense of a child’s wonderland have been sacrificed on the altar of a grown-up's desire for respite? Maybe, but perhaps if there were fewer things to choose from, a child would not run from one thing to the next and might decide instead to visit the soda

“

fountain and sherbert cafe that you’ve spent a fair bit of money putting into place.

They might also spend a bit more time on the things you really want them to look at. The obvious question in all of this is how do you select what to stock. That is where your skill and judgement come into play. There is a tendency among toyshop owners to want to have a bit of everything on the basis that in this way they will have covered all the bases. Well, perhaps, but rather more probable is that there will be swathes of markdowns waiting on the shelves and what looked like an amazingly enticing offer will turn out to be nothing of the kind as the red pen passes over a fair percentage of the merchandise.

From a child’s view a toyshop where every last square foot of display space has been filled brings up the old ‘analysis paralysis’ dilemma. It’s a bit like walking into the cereal aisle of a big supermarket.

In the old scheme of things you might have found 20 different sorts of cornflakes and in the end just gone for the one you knew because you couldn’t be bothered comparing and contrasting. The same holds good for toy selection - too much choice equates to frustration - yet overfilling is something that many store proprietors are very good at.

So a piece of advice. Don’t feel you have to have everything. You really don’t. Make sure that what you do have is given a decent chance to sell by allotting it a fair share of space - toys don’t tend to sell from the back of shelves and those that do will have found their way into the discount bin at the end of the season.

This may all sound like common sense, but occasionally that quality is in relatively short supply.

And who knows, by giving shoppers a little more room to move and think, it may just be that the higher-price items that you’d like to shift will have a better chance of being noticed. The principle of the fashion store and minimalism is one that doesn’t have to be emulated wholesale, but used in moderation it can mean a sense of relief.

Christmas is coming, Covid or not, and it’s up to you to make the most of the space at your disposal. Decking the halls with holly to complement the in-depth options that you have may seem like a good idea right now, but may not be quite so smart come the dog days of January.

Sometimes less is more when it comes to retail space argues John Ryan

When was the last time you walked into a toy store and remarked upon the amount of space between individual must-haves

”

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

In a previous life he was a buyer.

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09/12/2020 16:18

COVER STORY FLAIR

Give the gift o Trudi has Christmas gifting all wrapped-up with its irresistibly soft, premium-quality plush pals. TNP asks Federico Sidero, Trudi brand manager, Flair GP, why retailers can trust in Trudi…

Tell us why you’re excited to launch Trudi to the UK market?

Trudi has a fantastic heritage spanning more than 65 years. Founded in Italy, Trudi has enjoyed huge success in the EU market. It’s a well-established brand, which is celebrated for its quality and attention to detail. Without doubt, this premium range has the makings of a staple fixture in any plush collection!

What sets the Trudi plush range apart from other brands on the market?

The softest of first companions that will be treasured for years to come is the backbone of plush brand Trudi. Renowned for its quality soft toys with refined designs, Trudi recreates the animals of the world in the finest of plush.

Carefully crafted to last a lifetime, these soft toys make wonderful gifts that will be cherished by children of all ages, including

Trudi Classic Plush Adorable and a great place to start with Trudi is the classic range, which includes some of the world’s best-loved animals. Handmade and carefully stitched, the eight animals in the collection are available in small and medium sizes.

those in their infant years. Plus, because the range is so comprehensive, Trudi caters for all sizes and tastes.

Trudi is not just a soft toy, it’s a lifestyle choice! These are plush toys that are designed to be photographed, as well as cuddled. That’s why the goal of our social media activity is to drive emotions with aspirational and high-quality content.

What marketing support do you have in place for Trudi?

We have comprehensive marketing plans in place to create a strong pull at retail. We’re running a fantastic social campaign that involves some familiar celebrity faces! This activity also involves many high-profile UKbased Instagram influencers and bloggers.

The purpose of this campaign is to raise the brand’s profile in the UK, and ensure that Trudi is widely recognised for its exceptional quality and Instagrammable appeal.

Flair GP 0208 643 0320 sales@flairplc.co.uk www.flairgp.co.uk/trudi

We’re working hard to make Trudi the goto brand for plush gifting and high-quality soft toys. Retailers should know that we are deeply committed to Trudi and we truly believe in the brand!

What can we expect from the range moving forward?

We’re forever reviewing the Trudi range and we will be adding lots of newness to the collection over the coming year.

On top of expanding our current range, we will also be introducing fresh Trudi lines, extending the traditional plush range with some incredibly appealing new gifts, such as the new Trudi Bags!

Trudi Fluffies Plush Fluffies are the super cute, cuddly cubs. Their extralong, fluffy fur enhances their full bodies and tender baby face impressions.

There are six adorable Fluffies to collect.

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10/12/2020 09:57

t of Trudi!

Trudi Charms Trudi Charms are the fluffy plush pals that children can take wherever they go! Their loop makes them easy to attach to backpacks, loop over bedframes, and more!

Kids will want to collect all six Charms!

Trudi Trudini Plush For an extra helping of cuteness, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Trudini range! Carefully designed with the same level of detail as their older brothers, each of the six miniatures in the collection comes in its own adorable Trudini bag.

Trudi Puppets The puppet show will go on!

Making for a beautiful soft toy or a fun puppet for play, Trudi Puppets are designed to stimulate the imagination and encourage storytelling. Kids can collect a cast of eight colourful characters.

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19

10/12/2020 09:57

RETAIL

NEWS

The Entertainer offers staff the ‘Free Days’ of Christmas Family-owned high street toy retailer The Entertainer is giving its staff a priceless gift this Christmas - time with family.

The retailer is planning to give its staff a three-day break so that they can spend quality time with their families during the five-day period when Covid restrictions are eased.

It means that The Entertainer’s 171 stores will close at the end of the day on Christmas Eve and will reopen on Monday 28 December.

Gary Grant, founder and chief executive at The Entertainer, said: “Restrictions placed upon people over the past nine months have been incredibly testing and we’ve dearly missed being able to see loved ones in the ways we would normally take for granted. With the easing of restrictions for Christmas, we want to give our staff more opportunity to rest together with their families and loved The Entertainer has become the first ones for some quality major toy retailer to accept Klarna as time. Our stores will close on Christmas Eve a payment option. Shoppers at thetoyshop.com and elc.co.uk can and will reopen on buy now and pay later using the Monday 28 December, Klarna option at the checkout. giving our employees Customers have the option to pay three of the five days of the eased restriction the full amount in 30 days or pay in three equal instalments to spread the period to spend Christmas with the cost over time. There is no additional people they cherish.” interest or fee.

Buy now, pay later

John Lewis smooths the Christmas shopping experience John Lewis department stores are planning to make Christmas shopping easier for its customers with timed Best-selling toys in shopping slots. the Black Friday The service, which is event at John being offered in England, Lewis were: Scotland and Wales, allows 1. LEGO Creator, customers to pre-book a including slot via the website up to Gingerbread 14 days in advance.

House, James Shops will also be given Bond Aston the flexibility to extend their Martin DB5 and opening hours in the period Crocodile before Christmas. If there Locomotive are queues to get into 2. John Lewis & stores, customers may be Partners Buzzwire added to a virtual queue by Game a Partner who will provide 3. Mini Micro Deluxe them with a timeframe Scooter, 2-5 years, around when they should Navy return to enter the shop.

There will also be more than 900 Click & Collect locations available across the UK. The service at 15 Waitrose and 16 John Lewis car parks will allow shoppers to stay in their car while a Partner brings their purchases out to them. Self check-in for Click & Collect is also available at 98 Waitrose shops where customers can check in to collect their parcel via their personal device.

Retail awards open Entries are now open for the Good Retail Awards 2021, organised by Spring Fair and Modern Retail.

The aim of the awards is to celebrate retailers who are making a positive impact, despite the challenges we have all faced this year.

The awards will take place during Spring Fair @Home on Monday 8 February 2021.

To enter, head to www.springfair.com/good-retail-awards-2021

Award categories Sustainability Initative Award • Instore Creativity Award • The Community Award (in association with Spring Fair’s #InspiredByKindness initiative) • Bricks ‘n’ Clicks Award • Digital Impact Award • Retail District Award

20

tnp.media

ELC goes online with M&S

Indies can open all hours Independent retailers will be allowed to trade 24/7 in the runup to Christmas, in a new move announced by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick.

The move - designed to help retailers claw back some of the losses suffered during the two lockdowns - will see shops allowed to extend their hours during December and January.

Usually, retailers must apply to local authorities in order to extend trading hours beyond 9am to 7pm - a process that can be time-consuming.

Jenrick wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “With these changes, local shops can open longer, ensuring more pleasant and safer shopping with less pressure on public transport.

“How long will be a matter of choice for the shopkeepers and at the discretion of the council, but I suggest we offer these hardpressed entrepreneurs and businesses the greatest possible flexibility this festive season.

He added that he was “issuing an unambiguous request to councils to allow businesses to welcome us into their glowing stores late into the evening and beyond’’.

OnBuy supports indies on TV Online marketplace OnBuy launched a major national TV advertising campaign with ITV to increase awareness with consumers ahead of its Black Friday sale and the busy Christmas period.

OnBuy, dubbed the world’s fastest-growing marketplace, has invested £1 million into the campaign.

Cas Paton, founder and CEO of OnBuy, said: “We invested in this wide-scale TV campaign to increase consumer awareness and support

Fact!

OnBuy saw a recordbreaking week in November, increasing sales by over 800 per cent compared with the same period the year before. The company has also revealed a major expansion plan, with a second UK office in Manchester set to open early next year WINTER 2020

the retailers that sell through our marketplace. We’ve seen a record surge in the number of businesses joining us since Covid-19 hit and we know that this year has been difficult, especially for small to medium retailers. We planned to launch our TV campaign in 2021, but we brought it forward to give our retailers an extra boost for the festive season.’’

The advertising campaign, which is predicted to be seen by more than 44 million people, appeals to the audience to ‘Shop smart, shop at OnBuy’. The ad highlights the site’s range of 30 million products from consumers’ favourite brands, along with demonstrating robust levels of consumer trust via its 4.6/5 review score on Trustpilot.

Marks & Spencer (M&S) and the Early Learning Centre (ELC) have joined forces for an online retail venture.

There are now 200 ELC toy lines on the M&S website. This is the second brand tie-up M&S has signed up to, following a deal with sustainable fashion label Nobody’s Child.

The ELC brand is owned by toy retailer The Entertainer.

The Good Toy Guide opens online shop The Good Toy Guide has opened a one-stop shop online ahead of the Christmas season.

The guide, which was founded by Dr Amanda Gummer and is well-known for its trusted reviews, now has a checkout option. Toy purchases are shipped from its Nottingham warehouse.

Dr Gummer said: “In a time where we’re unable to get hands-on and test toys in-store, having the shop functionality as part of the Guide enables parents and guardians to cut through the noise and puts the power back into their hands when buying toys and games.”

Learning The first brands on board with the Good Toy Guide’s ecommerce Resources, Hornby Hobbies, Geomag, venture are: Learning Resources, Galt Toys and Hornby Hobbies, Geomag, Galt Trends Toys and Trends.

Brands now online:

Sainsbury’s extends Xmas hours Supermarket Sainsbury’s is extending its opening hours in the days running up to Christmas in a bid to help customers shop safely.

Up to 90 per cent of Sainsbury’s stores will be open from 6am until midnight from 21-23 December.

Customers are being encouraged to shop alone and to shop early in order to keep queues down and make for an easier shopping experience all round. In a bid to encourage early shoppers, extra Nectar points will be given from 4-13 December to customers picking up seasonal goodies such as Christmas puddings and cranberry sauce.

21

RETAIL

INTERVIEW

Community spirit Involving the local community, both online and in the real world, has helped Bristol indie Toyville thrive over the past four years. Naomi MacKay talks to co-owner Lindsay Meyer-Nicholas

All wrapped up after and it seemed like the right time to give the shop a go.

Do you have a particular ethos behind the shop?

Toyville has just celebrated its 4th birthday. Tell us why you decided to set up a toyshop and what you did before you started Toyville.

Joel and I both worked in financial services before starting Toyville.

We’d been chatting for a while about opening a toy shop as we had a young child and there was nowhere in South Bristol to buy toys. We used to travel to Gloucester Road to shop at Totally Toys & Playfull toy shop. Circumstances at work meant Joel left his job, I followed shortly

We like to go for toys that have good play value so are likely to last a long time and not just be a short-lived fad. We like the toys we sell to be good quality so they can be passed on once they’re outgrown.

Having a supportive community seems to be one of the secrets of success for indies.

What have you done to encourage that sense of community?

“We like the toys we sell to be good quality so they can be passed on once they’re outgrown”

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TO PDF Retail Interviewnm.indd 1

Lindsay and Joel had their own Toyville wrapping paper designed and printed using customer drawings

We try to do as much as possible for charity.

We sponsor the annual Bedminster Winter Lantern parade each year and we do gift-wrapping in store. Also, 100 per cent of the donations for the gift-wrapping service goes straight to charities as nominated by our customers.

We also had our own wrapping paper

designed and printed using customer drawings. On Black Friday we donate 10 per cent of all sales to local mental health charity Bluebell Care.

Tell us more about your online store.

We actually set up our online store before we opened the bricks-and-mortar shop, while we were waiting for premises to come available. We started with around 600 products on the website and now have close to 1,800. Usually around 10 per cent of our income comes through the website, but at the moment it’s a total godsend with the

tnp.media 08/12/2020 15:19

lockdown, and almost 100 per cent of our business comes through the website.

I won’t lie and say it’s easy! We still have a backlog of around 500 products to add to the website. Joel and I do the website ourselves as well as running the business so we find it always slips to the bottom of our list. We recently enlisted a part-time member of staff to assist with adding products and that’s been a great help!

Your online presence is thriving. How much time/effort do you invest in that?

I’m always surprised when people say our social media presence is good! I would say I spend around five to 10 minutes a day on my posts. I don’t schedule or plan posts and just come up with ideas as and when.

I definitely think I could improve as it’s supposed to be better to post regularly but I tend to do it when I remember.

Is there any particular social media strategy that has proved especially effective for Toyville?

We recently appealed to customers to share a Facebook post I did when we closed our doors before this lockdown. The response was incredible and the Facebook analytics showed that it was seen by 25,000 people.

That’s far better than any sponsored/paidfor post I’ve ever done.

What would you say to independent toy retailers who haven’t quite got round to getting an online presence?

If this year has shown anything, it’s that an online presence is key. Customers need to be able to find out opening times,

announcements etc. If we ever end up in a situation like this year with lockdowns, there needs to be a way for customers to see your stock and purchase if they can’t come into the shop, even if it’s just a simple Facebook or Instagram shop.

December I worry that we won’t be able to support our regular volume of sales with social distancing measures in place.

What has been your strategy during the last two lockdowns? And did you get involved in any community/voluntary efforts?

It’s a real shame about the fairs. We’ve

What about the lack of toy fairs and trade fairs, how will that affect you sourcing new product?

During the first lockdown we donated window pens and jigsaw puzzles to a local food bank to help people who were isolating. I must admit I started off very motivated in the first lockdown, but by the end I was just reading books in the garden and It’s not easy being an struggling to drum independent retailer. What up the energy to are the challenges you do anything. We’re have faced? paying for our lack of preparation now • Brexit - the weak Pound though - there’ll and prices going up be some very long working days until • Covid!

Christmas!

How are you feeling as we approach the last few weeks before Christmas?

• Online retailers with very cheap prices such as Zatu Games and Amazon

I’m really not sure. It’s not easy to work out how I feel when we don’t even know if we’ll be able to open on 3 December.

Our sales have been quite good this month but I have no doubt they would have been better if customers

attended a few virtual events and they’re really not the same. It’s really easy to miss a special product when it’s among loads of others in a catalogue!

I’m not quite sure how it will affect us next year.

And finally, is there anything suppliers could do to help Toyville?

Smaller carriage paid orders definitely help. Many suppliers are already offering this (apart from one that went totally against the trend and tried to change their carriage paid order amount from £250 to £1,000!)

Some of our suppliers now require all items to be purchased in case-sizes. This year, with customers trying to support independent retailers, it would be wonderful if we could order in single items for them, but this is often not possible.

Stock levels have been really unpredictable this year. If all suppliers had easily available, up-to-date stock information this would be a huge help.

were allowed to shop. Even if we open in

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08/12/2020 15:19

RETAIL

OPINION

Talking retail Manager, My Small World, Bath How has trade been for you since retail lockdown?

How are you preparing for Christmas?

Manager, Plaza Toymaster, Vale of Glamorgan (TnP spoke to Wayne just before Wales went into lockdown for two weeks) How has trade been for you since retail lockdown?

“We have certainly felt supported by the local community people have realised which businesses are getting less help and want to support them”

We have ordered the same amount of product as we usually do - our store is small, in fact it is only 2m wide, which has made distancing interesting! We will have to have a system to keep footfall going with one in one out. We don’t know what the footfall will be like, but hopefully what we don’t sell in store we can make up for online. At least if we have stock left over the shop won't look empty and like it is going to close down come January!

What measures have you taken if we go into lock-down again?

We had already cooked up our plan before the last lockdown as we could see that it was likely to happen. Customer service is everything to us and we do the same online as we do in the shop, helping customers to search for the right thing. We encouraged customers to message us so that we could walk them through the stock to find the right thing. We provide a more personal service and we were getting lovely emails from local customers, thanking us for being open - it was really quite emotional!

26

TnP loves to hear your views - this month we talk about Christm as, more lockdowns and trade shows

Wayne Kineaid

Alex Sykes

Our website was already up and running so we were getting plenty of orders through there.

Once we reopened it was a little quieter, but once the mask rule came in it improved. We have certainly felt supported by the local community - people have realised the businesses that are getting less help and want to support them. If it wasn’t for the loyalty that customers have shown us we would be in a different position.

Want to appear in Toy Talk?

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

Our parent company is an independent supermarket so last time round when we "It feels a bit closed a lot of our summer stock went to rushed going into them, so it meant that we didn’t get left with a load Christmas as we of stock, although those sales won’t actually go to the toy shop. This latest lockdown has come just a little didn’t get to do the too soon for us, we are just sorting out our website so same sort of planning that we can do local deliveries and click and collect. that we would Hopefully we will have it up and running in the next week usually do in May'' or so, but it’s bad timing. The kids are just breaking up and half term is usually really good for us, and as we are on the coast we do usually get some visitors coming in too.

• With the cessation of trade shows how will you source product?

We don’t often do the London Toy Fair but we do usually go to the Toymaster Show in May, and we get to see a lot of the suppliers at that show. So it does feel like we are playing catch up and it feels a bit rushed going into Christmas as we didn’t get to do the same sort of planning that we would usually do in May - but we’ve done our best!

We’ve taken part in the Toymaster catalogue so we are as stocked up as we need to be ready for Christmas. We’ve ordered quite a bit as we were not sure whether it might be hard to get stock later on so we didn’t want to miss out.

Clair Letton Owner, Wigwam Toys, Brighton How has trade been since retail lockdown?

When we initially reopened the shop we were pleasantly surprised by the eagerness of customers to return to an in-store shopping experience. We only have a small retail area, so we needed to make some adjustments to layout and day-to-day practices, to ensure we and our customers stay safe. We are a little quieter than in past years at this time in the physical store, but this has been balanced by an increase in the online sales. Our biggest challenge has been getting the number of customers we are used to through the shop with social distancing measures in place.

We are planning another adjustment to the shop floor layout in the next few weeks, to see if we can allow more than one family in store, and are planning some outdoor pop-ups in front of the shop in order to increase the number of customers we can safely manage.

tnp.media

Louise Reed Owner, Little Nutkins, online retailer, based in Wales

Mark Mitchell Owner, Crocodile Toys Cirencester, Glos How has trade been since retail lockdown?

“

We have decided to take this opportunity to stand firm and clear on Plastic Free status and to define our brand absolutely for that

Trade has thus far been to expectation if not slightly above, but the plan is a detailed and lengthy recovery plan, extending over 18 months from reopening back in June.

The plan is to strengthen our position as an ethical retailer, ensuring that all products are rigorously chosen for their purpose, integrity and life.

We have decided to take this opportunity to stand firm and clear on Plastic Free status and to define our brand absolutely for that. We thought it important to have a positive and clear change as well as physical changes forced upon us all in this crisis. We firmly believe that the consumer is now ready to make choices about their purchases throughout the retail sector for speciality and for genuine purpose and integrity.

We strongly believe this situation has simply sped up a process of change that was happening anyway and that any retailer trying to accommodate everyone's sector under one roof is going to struggle and eventually fall. The customer wants to see a lot more knowledge and understanding of their product from any retailer.

We believe 18 months is a realistic recovery period, with the initial target of approximately 60-70 per cent average trade between the period June 2020 to May 2021, allowing for many ups and downs in between.

“

What about your website?

Customers are still clearly using our website for research purposes before travel, but still on the whole choosing to travel to the shop to make the final purchase. Naturally, internet purchases are higher than they were pre Covid but very much represent the minority of sales.

We have chosen to make our store exceptionally Covid-secure, with a queuing barrier system on entry to control numbers to at least a 3m spacing within the store and a separate exit route from store. Sanitiser on entry and monitoring of customers’ activity within the store and cleaning those areas on their exit.

We firmly believe that we could legally squeeze many more in at any one time but would quickly lose the relaxed nature of our customers and therefore in turn lose sales and repeat visits.

We go out of our way to make it a very special and relaxed experience, despite the circumstances.

There is no doubt as the cases rise, despite being in a low infection area, people are becoming increasingly circumspect about going into town, but if the experience and product is sufficiently unique and genuine, they still make the effort, and then will hopefully transpose that to our internet site once, feeling it is too uncomfortable to visit the store.

How will the lack of trade shows affect your business?

I'm afraid I have for a long time thought the trade shows to be nextto-useless to my needs. For me everything starts and finishes with the quality and integrity of the product and supplier, forming a close and genuine working relationship with them over a long period. Your specialist products will always find you if you are specialised enough.

WINTER 2020

How do you feel about Wales going into lockdown again?

Personally I’m pretty comfortable with it. I’m happy to be inconvenienced if it’s for the betterment of the country. It’s tough but it’s only for two weeks and fingers crossed it will help lower the cases.

As an online retailer we’re not affected as much, but I do really feel for small bricks-and-mortar businesses that have been affected. There are so many wonderful shops in my local area of Cowbridge, but I’m supporting them by using delivery services and buying from their online stores. It really helps when there is a good community who support local independents.

I do think this year has been the kick up the bum that many small stores have needed to go online. With the current circumstances it means that no matter what’s going on you can still connect with customers and make sales With the cessation of trade shows how will you source product?

I only go to one or two a year and then it’s more to see what trends are coming through and listen to the talks.

I find most of the brands I stock through word of mouth and Instagram. There are so many small independent brands that don’t show at trade fairs and I love finding cool new brands to source. Being a mum of primaryage kids I have first-hand experience with sourcing for my market; I buy what I know my kids and I would like!

What can suppliers do to help you?

Offer online wholesale ordering. I find order sheets and emailing orders unbearable! You never know what’s in stock, and it can take days or weeks to process. If a brand has an online ordering system, with real-time stock levels, and I can pay there and then I’m so much happier. I will always buy more from the brands that make it easy and convenient for me. I’m an ecommerce person at heart – so I’m always going to prefer buying online.

How are you preparing for the Christmas period?

We’re actually moving to a new warehouse so we have more space for stock as we’re currently bursting at the seams. This will give us space to grow. We’re also looking to take on staff – to date it’s just been a family affair! It’s an exciting time for us.

What measures have you taken if we go into lockdown again?

We’re planning on introducing a click-and-collect service, so local customers can come and buy toys and gifts from us directly and quickly. There aren’t many independent children’s stores locally so hopefully it will be a benefit to the community.

Given what you know now what would you do differently?

Bought more stock! Covid has naturally affected the flow of stock coming in, and there are some best sellers that I just can’t get hold of. If I’d known I would have bought in more stock of key lines.

27

TRADE

OPINION

Trade talk

TnP loves to hear from suppliers.

To be included in next month’s issue, please email clare@lemapublishing.co.uk

This month, we check in with suppliers to chat retail. We find out how they're making up for the lack of trade shows and ask if they’re doing anything different to support retailers TOM BENNIE

WILTON BRADLEY

Marketing Manager (UK) Goliath Games

Sales Director Ross Bradley

What will you be doing with the shows not operating? How will you be getting the message out to retailers and showcasing your new stock?

What will you be doing with the shows not operating?

It’s certainly a strange time and the first time How will you be getting the for the majority of companies that we’ll be heading into the new year message out to retailers without any shows or fairs to plan for! It puts even more importance and showcasing your on our individual retailer previews, which themselves are affected by new stock? having to do them virtually as opposed to in person.

In response to the We’ve been putting a lot of work into making our brand presentations cancelling of the January “We are also more interactive, more visual and more engaging to show off new trade shows we will be putting more time product in the best possible light. We’ll be going through our normal focusing our efforts into new product preview calendar for the remainder of this year, but will also be making on the industry trade sure to put in some extra time with our retail partners in January for photo shoots, magazines. We are also product reviews and selections in the absence of being able to meet putting more time into and filming video them at the fairs. new product photo shoots with our shoots, and filming video What will you be doing to help struggling retailers? sourcing and shoots with our sourcing buying team, We are always conscious to make sure we’re and buying team, doing our part to help the whole industry in presenting the presenting the new this challenging time. For brick-and-mortar new products products to replicate the retailers, we’re making sure we manage experience at the shows. to replicate the “It’s certainly a stock flow very carefully so they have We think that the experience at strange time and the stock to sell while they remain open but current situation does the shows” first time for the majority not to leave them overstocked should create a time for families of companies that we’ll be restrictions dictate they need to close to come together and heading into the new year in the run-up to Christmas. We’ve also we have some great products for staycation and seen such a surge in online sales that creative entertainment in arts & crafts: Marble without any shows or we’re putting extra efforts into giving Art, Yarn Animals, Knitting Circle & Sew Amazing. fairs to plan for!” our retailers the best possible product And a wide range of outdoor sports and toys presentation online to drive sales as including: Mud Kitchens, Garden Games. effectively as possible.

What will you be doing to help struggling retailers?

How much of an increase have you seen in As you would expect there has been a big shift change direct ordering from the consumer? towards online retail and we are trying our best to We don’t sell directly to consumers, but certainly we’re seeing support our partners who are having to adapt their a significant increase with consumers heading online more business during such an uncertain time. Ensuring that and more. It ’s definitely something that we’ll be factoring into our retailers are receiving stock in a timely manner to our plans moving forward, if not selling directly to consumers, try to help meet the uplift in consumer demand is key then certainly making sure that we’re getting the best online to our ongoing relationships. presence that we can for our ranges.

WINNING MOVES Kay Thompson head of UK retail What will you be doing with the shows not operating? How will you be getting the message out to retailers and showcasing your new stock?

Without the massive business that trade shows offer, we will be looking to market our products via our other channels, ranging from social media to trade media, as well as hosting our products on portals. Our team are also happy conducting range interviews via video calls if this helps to facilitate the process for our buyers.

28

What will you be doing to help struggling retailers?

Offering a diverse product range that appeals to various demographics, all priced at different points. Also continuing to work very closely with struggling retailers regarding supply and credit issues. Particularly, for our independent retailers, we’ve extended our usual show deals, so they now have access to these until the end of November.

tnp.media

LISA RAYNER

NICKI GUMBRELL.

Trade Account Manager, Craft Buddy

Gibsons Games, Sales Director

What will you be doing with the shows not operating? How will you be getting the message out to retailers and showcasing your new stock?

What will you be doing with the shows not operating? How will you be getting the message out to retailers and showcasing your new stock?

We will be holding our very own Virtual Trade Show from Monday 1- Friday 5 February 2021 to replace some of the trade shows we’ll so sadly miss in early 2021. After such a challenging year, it feels even more important to connect with all of our customers and show them what is new for 2021. More information on this and our booking system for appointments will follow soon. Meanwhile retailers can register interest at show@ gibsonsgames.co.uk What will you be doing to help struggling retailers?

“We will be holding our very own Virtual Trade Show from Monday 1- Friday 5 February 2021 to replace some of the trade shows we’ll so sadly miss in early 2021”

Our puzzles are in huge demand, so at the moment we are mainly focused on trying to ensure that we have stock to keep supply going over the winter months, especially to our loyal retailers. We traditionally see a good level of demand all the way through to Easter, and the ongoing pandemic has added to this. In addition, we continue to work on releasing fresh designs so that there are plenty of new puzzles to choose from. We are also more relaxed on our MOVs currently, recognising that nothing is ‘normal’ just now!

How much of an increase have you seen in direct ordering from the consumer?

Over the past seven months our website has performed well, however we saw the biggest increase in sales when the country was in total lockdown as consumers couldn’t get out to the shops. We have known the mental health benefits of puzzling for a while now, but during the Covid-19 crisis these benefits have been more important than ever. Taking time out to do something that is great for your mind and allows you to relax has been so important.

STEVE COS UK sales director, Keel Toys What will you be doing with the shows not operating? How will you be getting the message out to retailers and showcasing your new stock?

We launched the 2021 Range on 1 November 2020 so we could give ourselves the time to meet all of the customers we would meet at the shows in the New Year. We have a large showroom so can host customers in comfort and stay socially distanced.

Alternatively, we can run virtual meetings from the showroom, which are working well with customer and sales person remote and myself presenting products.

All sales people have 2021 samples so can meet as required.

WINTER 2020

We keep in regular contact with "We have seen our trade accounts a huge increase in using mail shots sales since the start to highlight latest of lockdown. This news, new products and launches. We can be attributed to have also created multiple factors, not marketing materials just the impact of the to advertise our new pandemic'' products, which are sent to all accounts.

Professional videos have been generated showcasing new ranges, with an in-depth focus on our new Thomas Kinkade licensed products and new Anne Stokes collection.

These new launches have been a hit with our trade accounts and many pre-orders have been taken to date. It is a shame that the shows won’t be operating but we are grateful for modern technology to be able to share our collections and communicate with retailers, with safety being paramount. We are planning virtual showcases to share our collections, as well as online presentations.

What will you be doing to help struggling retailers?

We have offered to help advertise retailers in our mail shots and our social media accounts, which have a combined total of more than 40,000+ followers. We appreciate and acknowledge that this is a trying time for everyone so are trying to be as flexible as possible with our accounts - and communication is key. Many of our accounts are building an online presence so we aim to help them with new imagery where possible. We have also been producing tangible display items and demo kits for the shop floor, designed to help bring Crystal Art to the forefront of shoppers’ minds by making it both visual and engaging, promoting our ranges as the perfect lockdown hobby.

How much of an increase have you seen in direct ordering from the consumer?

What will you be doing to help struggling retailers?

We continually develop great new products to excite the consumer.

Keeleco the 100 per cent recycled soft toys has great range extensions including Dinosaurs and Babyeco.

We have seen a huge increase in sales since the start of lockdown. This can be attributed to multiple factors, not just the impact of the pandemic. We have increased our marketing activity with the aid of SEO and paid advertising, and have dedicated e-commerce staff who have helped drive traffic to our websites and increase awareness of our brand online. We have also introduced a new website: craftbuddyshop.com (in addition to crystalcardkit.com), which hosts all of our product ranges and works in conjunction with crystalcardkit.com.

When comparing year on year (March-Oct 2019 March-Oct 2020) we have seen an increase of five times more revenue compared with last year. We have also experienced a constant and steady flow of sales this year. In addition we have been consistently bringing out new products, which has helped boost sales, and are looking forward to much more exciting things to come across our portfolio.

29

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FEATURE

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EDUCATIONAL TOYS

Great Gizmos

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“

Clearly ducational toys have always been popular, but parents are over the past 11 months becoming or so, parents and grandparents more and have definitely recognised the more aware learning value of toys as their of the power children have been studying toys can have at home. And that trend looks in helping likely to continue at least for children the foreseeable future. More develop, even than a quarter of parents at pre-school/ suggested during lockdown early primary that they might continue age homeschooling even when the Tom Bennie, Vivid schools went back.

And in September, the numbers of children being taught

remotely had doubled thanks to quarantine regulations.

All this adds up to a lot of children not being in school and a lot of parents concerned that their children will fall behind. Educational toys are one way to encourage engagement with learning and make it fun.

Parents, whether their children

We asked retailers…

Educational toys were flying off the shelves during the 2020 lockdown.

Has the trend continued?

“We have most definitely seen an increase in the demand for educational toys.

Once again, Smart Games are a huge hit; strategic brain training games but most importantly fun!... and cover a large age range.

We have also noticed that we seem to be regularly restocking the Roald Dahl and David Walliams Maths, Words and Times Tables card games from University Games.

Again...a great way for parents to keep children engaged with learning through play.

Brainstorm and Great Gizmos are always fabulous suppliers of science-based toys and we have definitely seen an upturn in the sales of these items.

All in all, we are optimistic that our sales will be good pre-Christmas as people are shopping more locally and continuing to be extremely loyal customers.

We feel so desperately sorry for our counterparts in England who cannot open until 2 December 2020. We count ourselves fortunate to be in Wales and open at our busiest time of the year.’’

Liz Amphlett, Toytastik, Chepstow

Bandai

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are in school or not, have gained more awareness about the value of educational toys, so are more likely to continue to search them out. And the good news for retailers is that there are so many subjects - STEM, geography, literacy, languages etc - so there’s always another toy to appeal to your regular customers.

Educational toys also span a wide age group, as Julia Loeser, science kit sales, marketing & PR manager at Thames & Kosmos confirms: “We had a huge demand for educational products this year and in order to build on that popularity we have had a deep dive into sales between topics and age bands.

What has been most striking is the popularity of Key Stage 1 (ages four to eight) science products, particularly our Kids First range, which is designed for pre-school children from the age of three. I therefore expect to see a fair amount of development in that area.’’

Ravensburger head of marketing Katy Fletcher says they have also been looking at lower age ranges: “Our ThinkFun logic game brand and GraviTrax range predominantly target age eight and upwards.

We asked retailers…

We asked retailers…

Educational toys were flying off the shelves during the 2020 lockdown. Has the trend continued?

“We found that before the first lockdown people stocked up with our educational activity books by Galt, Orchard Games and some of our science range. Initially I think parents were worried that their children’s education would stagnate while they were off and wanted to play their part in keeping their children stimulated.

When the first lockdown finished,

sales in science toys and what we as a store call brain teaser games (Genius Square, Rubik’s Cubes etc) were definitely up and interest has continued, however I would hesitate to say sales have ‘soared’.

Traditionally these toys have always sold well at this time of year as gifted toys from Granny or Uncle So-and-So as they are seen as a ‘safe’ gift.’’

Wayne Kineaid, Plaza Toymaster, Vale of Glamorgan

“

A trend this year is that parents are looking at educational toys which encourage construction away from screens

a massive More hit this year. recently, In tune we have with the developed recorda range breaking of early YouTube learning phenomenon the games designed range will include for preschoolers.

Xylophone, The games offer Keyboard and learning fun in Julia Loeser, Alphabet themed a playful and Thames & Kosmos Ravensburger collectables.’’ engaging way, while As you’ll have noticed from introducing children to the concept of letters and numbers. Toys n Playthings features over the past couple of years, Likewise, our new range of ‘My STEM and STEAM are the latest First’ puzzles include ideas watchwords in education. for parents to further expand But are there other areas our on the learning opportunities suppliers might like to look at in the puzzle with their child. developing, we wondered?

We’ve received great feedback For Simon Tomlinson, on both ranges already, head of marketing EMEA at including the Good Toy Guide, Learning Resources, it’s still all and we’re looking forward to a about STEM: “STEM remains full rollout in 2021.’’ an important category and Vivid is also looking to the Learning Resources will continue younger primary age groups, to develop innovative new STEM says marketing manager Tom toys and games that encourage Bennie: “For 2021, we’re giving learning through hands-on play a bit more focus to products that suit the primary age group and discovery. In 2019 Learning Resources introduced the (four-plus) and maintaining Coding Critters, a range of 100 that focus around matching per cent screen-free toys that the kits to what children are introduce basic coding concepts learning in school.’’ to children as young as four.

Bandai is also targeting a In 2020, we launched Botley younger audience as Rob Trup, 2.0, our multi award-winning head of marketing (interim), coding robot. Botley 2.0 can explains: “We are expanding be programmed with up to 150 our Cocomelon range that was

Great Gizmos

2020 TO PDF Feature Educational Intronm.indd 2

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FEATURE

EDUCATIONAL TOYS

Ravensburger

steps, and develops expanded coding styles using music and lights - all of which keeps children engaged and having fun while building STEM skills.’’

Julia Loeser at Thames & We will Kosmos comments: “If we also look at weren’t as entrenched in this the teenage sector as we are, then I would years and definitely want to investigate toys that help children with in particular their emotions. The mental and the robotics emotional well-being of children and gadget of all ages is always of such portfolio importance but even more so offering this year.’’

Julia Loeser, Vivid’s Tom Bennie says: “STEM Thames & Kosmos has definitely been a buzzword in recent years, and we’re seeing this develop now into STEAM, to include Arts; and even STREAM, to include Reading. It’s important that we keep up with these rapidly-changing parameters and we’ve got some great products that fit these areas.’’

Bandai’s Rob Trup adds: “We are proud to already have a hugely successful brand of STEM toys with the National Geographic Range of activities and experiments. We are always looking for products that children will love to play with – we certainly noticed a massive growth in our Sea Monkeys aquariums, which is engaging for

“

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the whole family and incredibly educational as it teaches about life cycles.’’

We’ve mentioned how important home education has been, and with the numbers of parents choosing to permanently homeschool rising, Thames & Kosmos is glad to already have a foot in that camp, explains Julia Loeser: “Thames & Kosmos has always been a popular brand in the home education sector due to the fantastic quality of our products with helpful and easyGreat Gizmos to-follow instructions, which make education fun.’’

“Having launched GraviTrax While Vivid’s Tom Bennie PRO in 2020, we are set to says: “Our Science4you range continue that momentum with is already very closely aligned further launches and new ways to school science curriculums, for children to engage with the which should be a great help to brand. Our new early learning parents. For 2021, we’re giving a games and puzzles will benefit bit more focus to products that from marketing support.’’ suit the primary age group Non-screen play is a focus for and matching the kits to what Thames & Kosmos, says Julia children are learning in school.’’

Loeser: “Parents are looking at So as the demand for educational toys that encourage educational toys continues,what construction away from screens else can retailers hope to see on their shelves in the near future to alongside replayability, which is definitely something we’ll tempt customers? continue to look at too. We are Vivid will keep innovating and developing says Tom Bennie: “As likely to develop in the younger well as finding new opportunities age groups but will also look at the teenage years and in to develop educational specific particular the robotics and toys, I think a big focus needs gadget portfolio offering.’’ to be how we can draw more educational focus and benefits from all of our products. Toys and play can “Most games, in some way shape or form, be so powerful will strengthen any number of thinking skills,’’ in helping says Gavin Ucko, psychologist of education children and MD of the Happy Puzzle Company. develop all “Almost always, this happens without the sorts of skills child realising, making it one of the most and I think effective forms of learning through play. we need to One of the biggest negatives of modern be aware of technology is the fact that human that in how we beings appear to have lost the ability to develop and market our communicate with each other properly. ranges.’’

Therefore, sitting around a table with other 2021 will be members of your family, engaging in a a big year for shared activity, making eye contact and Gravitrax, says articulating with real words rather than Ravensburger’s symbols is priceless.’’

Katy Fletcher:

Educational benefits of play

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For young scientists Great Gizmos 01293 543221 www.ggtrade.co.uk

Great Gizmos has a huge range of educational kits that focus particularly around STEM. The company has seen a huge increase in sales across its science and craft ranges this year, as parents are at home more and are looking for things to do with their children.

The KidzLabs range continues to be very popular with the classics selling really well such as Robotic Hand, Crystal Science and Kitchen Science. Within the craft category, the Mould & Paint range goes from strength to strength with Unicorns and Dinosaurs being the favourites!

Look out for a new Disney range that combines popular characters with educational kits which are sure to be very popular! Great sales are already being seen across the range, with the Frozen Crystal Terrarium and Avengers Robotic Hand being the favourites so far, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still very early days. The educational category looks set to continue to grow in 2021, particularly as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaining a lot of press coverage.

Let it grow!

The Frozen Crystal Terrarium is already proving popular

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FEATURE EDUCATIONAL TOYS

No-mess doodling Tomy

01392 281928 www.tomy.com

With years of success in the water-based arts & crafts category, Tomy’s Aquadoodle range has continued to evolve in 2020, focusing on early learning, but still with all the mess-free, zero-waste elements of fun play.

Classic Colour from Aquadoodle brings four contrasting corners together on the one mat for hours of magical drawing fun and creativity. Around the edges, kids will discover lots of different shapes and colourful characters to copy and inspire.

Inside the borders are hidden letters and numbers to trace and colour over – a great way to learn basic writing strokes.

Tomy’s best-selling Aquadoodle Super Rainbow Deluxe includes a special paintbrush that lets children make broader strokes, helping to kickstart development as little ones practise their drawing skills.

My ABC Aquadoodle is the perfect learning toy, allowing little ones to get familiar with numbers, letters, shapes and objects as they trace the guiding lines on the mat, while Baby Aquadoodle is designed to allow babies as young as nine months to explore their creativity in a mess-free way. The chunky Grab ‘n’ Mark pen is perfect for developing fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination and is ideal for at home or on the go.

Guess what?

Little ones as young as nine months can play with Baby Aquadoodle, with its chunky Grab ‘n’ Mark pen

New kids on the blocks Learning Resources 01553 762276 www.learningresources.co.uk

Numberblocks are friendly characters that help young children see how numbers really work. Now children can build their own Numberblocks with the new special edition MathLink Cubes Numberblocks 1-10 Activity Set by Learning Resources. This set has everything children need to construct the Numberblocks from One to Ten in all the different ways seen in the episodes.

Children can engage with 30 Numberblocks maths learning activities or play along with the episodes as they learn to count, add and subtract, discover multiplication and division, and master maths the fun way.

MathLink Cubes are perfect for maths learning in the classroom and at home. Made from durable, high-quality plastic, they’re easy for little hands to click together and twist apart.

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Track stars Ravensburger

01869 363 800 www.ravensburger.com The multi-awardwinning GraviTrax range from Ravensburger recently grew with the addition of GraviTrax PRO to the offering. Taking the exciting interactive track system to new heights, GraviTrax Pro introduces unique components, enabling children to build towering vertical tracks as they explore and experiment with STEM concepts including gravity, kinetics and magnetism.

Compatible with other GraviTrax sets, the GraviTrax PRO Vertical Starter Set includes more than 150 components and contains everything needed to get started in building dynamic tracks. A selection of new expansions and add-ons are available across both GraviTrax and GraviTrax Pro ranges. The brand will also benefit from year-round, heavyweight marketing support.

Ravensburger also adds to its offering with a series of four preschool puzzles and three games focusing on early learning concepts. From the ‘My First Puzzle’ range, a series of four jigsaws offers a bright, colourful way for children to develop an understanding of their own lives and the world around them.

Among the new introductions are two 4 in a Box puzzles What’s the weather? and Where do we live?. Each features 6, 8, 10 and 12 piece puzzles. Also in the new collection are two My First Look & Find floor puzzles. These chunky 16-piece puzzles challenge children to put together the puzzle and then search for objects within the image. As well as offering developmental benefits such as fine

motor skills and spatial awareness, the puzzles are designed to create opportunities to foster additional skills including observational and language skills. Each includes discussion points for parents with ideas to expand on the learning opportunities.

Three new preschool games from Ravensburger are set to encourage learning and development of key skills through play. 1,2,3 Dough game introduces number and quantity recognition, shapes and letters as well as dexterity and fine motor skills. The game includes dough that can be moulded to laminated activity sheets. a b c Sand with Me brings added sensory fun and engagement to colour matching, counting and writing activities, while Ready, Steady, Thread delivers fun challenges to help develop co-ordination and dexterity skills as pre-schoolers use string to explore a variety of different games.

Ravensburger’s ThinkFun logic game brand will continue to benefit from heavyweight marketing support including TV, PR and print partnerships showcasing hit game Rush Hour, Gravity Maze and other games from the brand.

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Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu

FEATURE EDUCATIONAL TOYS

Discover the natural world

Get set to sparkle

Bandai

Craft Buddy

0208 324 6160

0203 417 6565 www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk

www.bandai.co.uk Bandai UK continues to evolve its STEM offering with the expansion of established ranges.

Award-winning educational line National Geographic has established its position as an evergreen, go-to science range within the company’s portfolio. Core to the range are the Dig Kits, which feature a piece of the natural world and a full-colour learning guide. Sales are consistently high year-round and new product lines aim to keep the brand fresh and appealing. With genuine specimens in each, sets are available at a range of price points.

Two years since its acquisition of the Original Sea Monkeys, Bandai continues to report a strong performance from the heritage brand, which has contributed to early science learning and play for decades. Encouraging engagement with nature, nurture-play, and an opportunity for children to own their own aquatic pets, the Original Sea Monkeys line is compact and affordable. With a reinvigorated range including an Ocean Zoo, Volcano Zoo, and Adventure Zoo, further themed tanks include a Magiquarium, Castle and Mars setting for housing the brine shrimp.

Guess what…

Kids can keep their sea monkeys in Magiquarium, Castle and Mars settings

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The Crystal Art range from Craft Buddy is ideal for both children and adults, offering a host of educational benefits. Similar to painting by numbers, each kit contains a numbered, adhesive template. Simply dab the included pick-up pen in wax, then lift The Crystal Art Range up the coloured includes Crystal Art Cards, crystals and Canvas Kits, LED Crystal place them on Art Kits, Crystal Art Clocks, the correspondStamps and Motif Stickers ing numbered dots. They affix instantly!

Great for developing creativity and hand-eye coordination, Crystal Art Kits are also perfect for encouraging children to take pride in their own achievements.

Creative activities like this are fantastic for decompressing from a busy day at school and also help to promote thinking skills, as children match the colours with the coordinating numbers.

Crystal Art Kits encourage critical thinking and, for older children, support self-esteem and develop patience.

Following craft kit instructions is also a great reading tool for younger children.

Children live in a world of instant gratification, but when they craft, they must plan their activity, moving on to the next step in the instruction sequence, and also learn that a craft may take more than one session to complete. With new licensed ranges to be announced for 2021, the Crystal Art kits offer so much to a range of ages with products such as Crystal Art Cards, LED Crystal Art Kits, Crystal Art Clocks, Canvas Kits, and Motif Stickers.

Did you know?

tnp.media 08/12/2020 13:57

FEATURE EDUCATIONAL TOYS

Learning through play EDX 020 7097 5173 anna@edxeducation.com www.edxeducation.com

Fact!

An eco-friendly version of the award-winning Rainbow Pebbles has been produced using rice husks

Home learning, educational toys, puzzles and games have been a big hit this year and are continuing to be important with consumers in the UK and around the globe.

Edx Education has launched many home learning games and kits with many more coming in 2021. Home learning toys contribute to the way children play, especially in their early developmental stages. During children’s early years we want them to develop specific skills through play such as fine motor, gross motor, speech and language, social and emotional, problem solving and creativity.

Edx’s ‘Early Math 101 to go’ range includes six different themed offerings designed for ages three to six. For ages six-plus Edx has a fun educational card game named Lenu.

‘Early Math101 to go’ is everything you need to teach early maths at home or on the go in one box. Each kit includes high-quality manipulatives, activity cards and a full colour activity booklet designed by experts for parents. Help children learn and watch their confidence grow!

A fun new travel game, Lenu was created to help children learn words and equations through fun and engaging card game play. Be inspired to learn through creativity with equations and words.

Great for families travelling or for fun in the classroom. Designed for children aged 6 and over. Parents, grandparents and children of all ages can enjoy a game together with an equal chanceof winning.

In 2021 Edx Education is excited to have many new home learning ranges and partnerships to share with the toy industry and looks forward to advocating the importance of play and learning

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for children of all ages. The company regularly employs digital strategies from social to marketing and talking to consumers about the importance of educational toys and these ranges.

Edx Education has been designing and producing innovative educational products and materials for more than 25 years and is passionate about the learning through play movement, which has long been recognised as a highly-successful method of teaching in early years education both in the classroom and at home. Not only is it fun and engaging, but is also a tactile and visual form of learning to fuel mental growth by aiding concentration, helping develop fine motor skills and supporting early mathematical understanding, such as counting and sorting techniques.

Numerous studies have shown that children who have been taught through play-based learning have a more positive attitude to learning, a wider vocabulary and advanced problem solving, lateral thinking and analytical skills compared with children who have been taught in traditional direct-instruction approaches.

The extensive Edx Education product range aims to support parents and educators in all aspects of playbased learning, and includes maths manipulatives, early childhood active play, and art & craft accessories.

Recent innovations include an eco-friendly version of the awardwinning Rainbow Pebbles using rice husks, which produces minimal emissions, saves energy and water usage during manufacturing, decomposes naturally and is fully recyclable.

Head to the website for the play blog, podcast, home learning tips, news, awards, online resources, videos, webinars and more.

tnp.media 08/12/2020 14:30

FEATURE EDUCATIONAL TOYS

Making education entertaining Spin Master 01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com With Christmas holidays on the horizon, Spin Master has plenty of toys to keep the kids educated and entertained after the school bell rings.

Rubik’s Perplexus Hybrid 2 x 2 is the perfect toy for a problem solver with its two-in-one puzzle!

Keep the ball on the track as you move it through the inner maze for a tricky challenge, perfect for on-the-go fun.

If your little one is more creative, then Hevesh 5 is the toy for them. Design, build, and topple crazy domino art, with this set of 100 dominoes and accessories from professional domino artist Lily Hevesh - the ideal toy to keep the brain stimulated. Or why not try Kinetic Sand, so incredible you can’t put it down. It stimulates children’s creative skills allowing them to create anything they can imagine over and over again.

Meccano’s 25 model car kit gives curious young minds total freedom to build a Supercar in 25 different ways. Ideal for curious young minds, the Supercar gives builders a task that’s satisfying to conquer again and again.

But If you’re looking for something for all the family to get involved in, then go head-to-head in a battle of household supremacy with Spin Master’s family quiz, Beat the Parents, the perfect question-and-answer game for all the family.

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Fact!

Domino artist Lily Hevesh spent 82 days building her biggest domino topple to date – and used 32,000 dominoes!

tnp.media 08/12/2020 14:30

I feel so hot!

Thermometer

Feed Me My leg hurts!

F.P.O

Magic Bandage

Magic Stet hoscope Translator Woof! woof!

I feel sick.

Ste thosc ope Hop e's bar ks tr anslates into h sent ences ! um an

www.vtech.co.uk

FEATURE EDUCATIONAL TOYS

Make an early start on STEM Thames and Kosmos 01580 212 000 www.thamesandkosmos.com Thames & Kosmos’ award-winning Early Years range, Kids First, continues to be a bestseller within the company’s STEM range. This line of science kits allows parents to introduce scientific topics and hands-on empirical learning to young children from the age of three, and gradually prepares them for more advanced science kits and schoolwork.

As would be expected at this time of year, high-ticket ranges, such as the Coding & Robotics kit are climbing in popularity. The kit offers a screen-free way to teach children aged four-plus about coding principles and skills. Look out for the new challenge pack, which includes an extra eight models to build, providing hours of educational fun for little ones.

Other additions to the range in 2020 are the Robot Factory (which has widely been recognised in the award circuit), Robot Pet Shop and Robot Safari. These introduce children aged five and over to mechanical engineering while they build eight different motorised models by following an illustrated storybook manual.

Help to save the planet!

Vivid Imaginations 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk The Science4you range brings a new take on science kits for 2020/2021. Green Science is the first environmentally-friendly, plasticfree, ecological and biodegradable scientific toy. The Flagship ‘Green Science’ product is a scientific and educational toy that invites little ones to enter a great mission, one that belongs to all of us: to help save the planet. It is a product offer that aims to teach children to take advantage of the potential of the materials already used and turn them into scientific toys. Green Science is accompanied by a number of other ‘eco-science’ products designed to help children understand and protect the world around them. Learn about recycling, renewable energy, sustainability and more!

All Science4you sets offer a fun, creative and engaging way of inspiring a new generation to find out more about the world around them. Linking directly to the National Curriculum for Key Stages 1-4, Science4you introduces 46

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Did you know?

The Coding & Robotics kit teaches coding principles and skills without the use of a tablet, smartphone or computer

Guess what?

Kids can make multieyed monsters with the Monster Factory science kit

a range of products to extend a child’s learning from school to home in a stimulating and entertaining way. Each set contains an instructional booklet developed with teachers and is designed to help children learn and understand science using everyday concepts and materials.

Kids can make multi-eyed monsters, grow a monster and create a cyclops eye while learning about polymers, fluids, viscosity and chemical reactions, with Monster Factory. Unicorn Scientist shows them how to send crystalline messages, create magical crystals, a crystal unicorn horn and unicorn themed eggs while leaning about solutions and crystals. With Coding Lab, they can learn how to apply code functions without a computer, write in binary, and send encrypted messages. Vivid is supporting the product with TV advertising along with a Digital campaign for AW20.

Vivid’s Goliath Games range also provides an opportunity to combine education with a bit of friendly competition! Wordsearch & Wordsearch Junior encourage children to improve their spelling, while an exciting addition to the range is the BBC Earth: Animals interactive board game. You can watch beautiful footage taken from BBC’s award-winning natural history programming and answer multiple-choice questions via a special website.

tnp.media 08/12/2020 14:32

RETAIL

NOT ONLY PINK & BLUE Clare Willetts

A world of colour A belief that children should not be limited to the ‘pink’ and ‘blue’ stereotypes for toys and clothes led Clare Willetts to found her own online marketplace

C

lare Willetts worked in marketing and advertising for 20 years, leading agency teams at TBWA and M&C Saatchi, before going on to head up customer and brand experience at Virgin Group.

Over lockdown, she set up the online marketplace notonlypinkandblue.com.

Just as it launches, TnP talks to her to find out more about the concept.

Tell us the idea behind not only pink and blue.

Not only pink and blue is an online marketplace growing a new generation of individuals by opening up a world of colour and choices in kids’ clothes, books and toys.

I’m a firm believer that children should be free to be children, and decide what they want to be, without any of the stereotypes that can limit their aspirations and wellbeing. We’ve launched ‘not only pink and blue’ because we think all colours are for all children, all toys should feed imaginations, and all children should see themselves in the books they read.

After all, there are 11 colours and more than 10 million shades to choose from!

How long has the site been live?

We went live during lockdown, which was interesting! I had been working on not only pink and blue since summer last year when I left my full-time role to focus on it. Having said that, the idea itself was years in the making, growing from a small idea about colourful children’s clothes to the marketplace that now covers clothes, books and toys. This came about after doing extensive research into the effects of stereotypes.

WINTER 2020

Has Covid-19 influenced any of your decisions; have you changed plans?

Yes, unfortunately we had to abandon plans for pop-up shops but, seeing as Covid-19 has driven so much change in terms of consumers’ shopping habits, with more people shopping online than ever before, it’s worked out in our favour as a digitalfirst marketplace.

Prior to Covid we were meeting all of our Partners in person, seeing their products and their processes, but now it is a case of Zoom and being sent products to ensure they are of the quality we would like.

“

How does the site work?

We are a marketplace so when you order from us you are ordering from one of the many fantastic small businesses we have on the site. All the products are dispatched by our Partners directly to homes across the UK.

Children should decide what they want to be, without any of the stereotypes that can limit their aspirations and wellbeing

How do you source suppliers?

Last year I spent a lot of time at trade shows talking to small brands and understanding what they needed from a marketplace like ours. Being able to meet and talk to them has been invaluable.

More recently we have met brands through Instagram, FaceBook groups and through recommendations and what is lovely is that brands are coming to us.

However, once the shows are back I will definitely go, there's no substitute for being in front of people. It’s so much easier to talk to people, to touch and feel the product, look at it and think, that may not work but what about that other product on the stand.

”

How receptive have suppliers been?

Really receptive. So many small brands are producing unisex clothing and toys.

We ask quite a few questions about sustainability on our application form because we think this is incredibly important, too.

How receptive are the buying public to your ethos?

There’s clearly increasing awareness of the harm that gender stereotypes can have and this research demonstrates a demand for choice that isn’t limited by gender. This is not about telling children what they cannot be - if a girl is a pinkloving, sparkle-loving dancer that is great (and vice versa), the important part is to ensure they’ve been given the choice.

And so far the response has been fantastic! We’ve had so many nice emails from happy customers who are delighted with the quality of the products they have purchased.

What are your plans for the near future?

We’re planning some pop-up shop events whenever circumstances change and to grow our Partner base, especially with activity-based toys.

Clare’s Christmas favourites "The dolls from One Dear World; they are such good quality. And the notebooks from Two Little Boys - with slogans such as I’m going to change the world - they are great stocking fillers.''

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FEATURE FIRST QUARTER

Happy new year?

The quarter after Christmas can seem very quiet after the flurry of activity during December, but what toys do well during that rather uninspiring period until spring arrives? TnP finds out

L

ast year’s first quarter toy sales increased by two We asked: What sort of toys per cent in the are popular in the first quarter, UK (and 14 cent especially in the quieter period globally) according after Christmas? to NPD figures.

“It’s the time when kids are spending Much of that money on smaller bits such as growth came from minifigures and Pokemon. And we the beginning of get a lot of people coming in to lockdown, with Games & Puzzles, buy jigsaw puzzles and games Outdoor & Sports to entertain them on the darker, Toys, Arts & Crafts, cosy evenings.’’

Building Sets and Lindsay Meyer-Nicholas, Vehicles all doing Toyville, Bristol particularly well.

So what toys normally do well what has been selling well for us in during those first couple of months We have the months before or traditionally after Christmas? We asked Mary at this time of year. Outdoor is had an Wood, General Manager UK&I at unprecedented always key for us and has been very Tomy: “It needs to be at the right successful in 2020.’’ demand price for the season (generally a After all the excitement of for our £20 ceiling) but that said, the early Christmas it’s not always easy to get products, part of the year is traditionally a customers through the doors, and as which has great time to sell adult and family so many consumers have turned to taken us games. We still see a great demand online retailers during the lockdown, (pleasantly) by what can suppliers do to help get for games such as Articulate! and surprise Logo.’’ that footfall back on the high street?

Mary Wood, Value for money and play is the “Playmobil has an array of eyeTomy order of the day for Posh Paws, says catching and consumer focus points group brand and marketing director of sale that really bring our themes Lauren Shipman. “If parents are and the brand to life,’’ says Adam going to buy more toys in the new Moore, marketing communications year, they want them to be worth it. manager at Playmobil. “This includes Luckily for us, soft toys offer great striking sales stands, in-store deco, value for money and children will window display and our large keep playing with them throughout figures, which keep sharing the smile the year.’’ both inside and outside toy shops.

Leanne Jennings, head of buying As well as all of our in-store displays, and marketing for H. Grossman Ltd, the Playmobil catalogue is also says: “We always look at trends and launched in January.’’

Ask the retailer

“

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Character Options

“We run extensive social media campaigns and promotions, and offer help with POS, great price points and retail-friendly packaging making the most of shelf space,’’ adds H. Grossman’s Leanne Jennings.

“We have some great new price points for Ricky Zoom toys such as the Wind and Launch Racers,’’ says Tomy’s Mary Wood. “Our Drumond Park mini games are perfect for impulse purchases and although not at a particularly low price point the new launches from Britains always have huge appeal.’’

This year, more than ever, retailers will need to hit the ground running after Christmas. So what else will suppliers do to help them?

“Consumers want newness,’’ says Posh Paws’ Lauren Shipman. “We’re bringing to market more highquality products and soft toys with special features, to stand out from

tnp.media 10/12/2020 10:21

Powering Into 2021 Mattel

01628 500000 www.mattel.com

Tomy

“

After the Christmas festivities have ended Playmobil will for the first time be kicking off a digital campaign from Boxing Day to help consumers who have some extra funds available

“

Adam Moore, Playmobil

the crowd and give retailers something to shout about and drive sales!’’

“Making sure we are back in stock across our core brands (Lamaze, Toomies, Aquadoodle, Britains and Games) as soon as possible is the most important step!’’ says Mary Wood at Tomy. “We have had an unprecedented demand for our products, which has, I have to admit, taken us (pleasantly) by surprise.’’

“After the Christmas festivities have ended Playmobil will for the first time be kicking off a digital campaign from Boxing Day to help consumers who have some extra funds available,’’ explains Adam Moore. “We have some of our key ranges launching in the first couple of months in 2021 that are going to have 360 marketing campaigns with investment across the year.’’

Digital marketing will be key for Posh Paws, says Lauren Shipman: “We’ll be supporting launches with digital advertising and influencer-led marketing campaigns to build awareness across social media platforms where consumers spend more time. Focusing on digital platforms, we can analyse what is working and how to increase results instantly.’’

In 2021, Barbie will kick off an exciting Q1 with new diverse editions to the Barbie Fashionistas range, even more unboxing fun with new Color Reveal series and Barbie introduces brand new fashion forward dolls in 2020, which see 2 new dolls added to the range in Q1. Inspired by a brand new Barbie Special is the Barbie & Chelsea Story set and Chelsea Jungle River Playset, bringing pet play to life is the new Puppy Party playset and adding magic to the range and a dramatic transformation is the Dreamtopia Colour Change Mermaid.

Fisher-Price continues to delight parents with new solutions in Baby Gear, including the Soothing Lights Bassinet, the Fold Flat Bassinet and the Sit-me-up Floor Seat in an on-trend new print. The newborn range introduces new sleep solutions with the Calming Clouds Mobile and the innovative Lumalou. Infant see’s expansion to the 2020 TOTY winning Linkimals range with the Sit-to-Crawl Sea Turtle, plus the new Eco Rock-A-Stack and the exciting new Game on the Go and Busy Beats Boombox. While Little People introduces the Food Truck.

Thomas & Friends continues to introduce kids to the bigger world around them through dynamic new products, including the new Bridge Lift Thomas & Skiff. Thomas fans can create their own exciting adventures with the new rainbow themed small push along engines and vehicles, and for younger fans there is the new Stack and Wobble Train. Young conductors can build their own Tidmouth Sheds at home with the Thomas & Friends Connect & Go Sheds.

Hot Wheels drives ‘Challenge Accepted’ further than ever in 2021 with the Hot Wheels CITY Toxic Snake Strike and City Speedway Hauler. New to the Track Builder segment is the Infinity Loop, which lets kids BUILD, STUNT and BOOST. The Hot Wheels Monster Trucks range continues to expand with the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Stunt Tire Playset.

Polly Pocket, the original micro doll, adds the Koala Purse to their Large Wearable Compact Assortment, along with all new animal themed compacts in the Pocket World Assortment.

Cave Club adds new characters: Bashley and Rockelle.

Mattel’s Disney Pixar range grows with new Interactibles ranges, these talking action figures not only recognize characters from their own Pixar Movie but from across the Pixar Universe classics, such as Toy Story and the Incredibles.

The Jurassic World toy range continues to expand following the recent launch of Camp Cretaceous Animation on Netflix as a top rated show. The new range will Showcase the stars of this series.

From the hit series The Mandalorian is the new The Child 12” Feature plush, that includes motion and sound, features.

New to the Mattel Minecraft toy range are the Mini Elementals, where the characters are authentically created with the games signature pixilated designs.

Fans of Disney Pixar Cars will love the new Dinoco Car Wash and Minis Crash Course.

Fisher-Price Imaginext introduces new characters to its DC Super Friends and Jurassic World range.

Hasbro

2020 *TO PDF NEW Feature First Quarter Intronm.indd 2

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FEATURE FIRST QUARTER

Cuddles and construction Basic Fun 0118 925 3270 www.basicfun.com You can bank on Basic Fun’s best-selling brands for a strong start to 2021. With paw-some plush, tough trucks, and lovable licensed lines, there really is something for every child. Having achieved doubledigit growth in 2019 – when the company almost doubled in size – Basic Fun will be continuing to drive momentum in 2021, with a series of refreshes and new launches across the board.

Basic Fun will be satisfying a huge appetite for Cutetitos in 2021, with a new menu launching for spring. Kids will want a slice of the action with Series 5 Wave 2 Pizzaitos. Kids can collect eight new animalitos in adorable prints and fun new pizza wraps. Plus, keep an eye out for Cutetitos Taste Budditos. These sweet little soft toys come in all-new packages inspired by food pairings; each contains two 5in stuffed animals wrapped in a soft, two-piece, heart-shaped wrap with a pet e h t collector card. Each wave is supported by e v will lo a s t n e r k TV and pre-roll.

Pa on free T nd in s s e The new season will also see Basic m u al ompo Dirt C ro and Met Fun continue to build on sales growth in ic the M range! the K’Nex range. This cool construction rs e v o M collection comprises educational STEM building sets for all ages and abilities. From the entry-level KID K’Nex sub-category, which is perfect for little builders aged three-plus, to a vast array of vehicle construction kits, which offer something for children to really get the cogs turning – the K’Nex range is a popular choice for both parents and their little Einsteins!

Next, it’s time to go off-road with Tonka! The first quarter will see a new fleet of construction vehicles arriving on the forecourt.

2020’s fresh play patterns, which included a mess-free Tonka Dirt compound in the Micro and Metal Movers toys, will continue into the

Guess… what

new year. Helping to make play more realistic, Tonka Dirt revs-up the pester power. Also not to be missed is Pullback Power Metals. Built for toughness, this new arrival can take on the toughest of jobs… like zooming across the kitchen floor! Pull the wheels back along the floor to launch the vehicle into action.

Another brand that has significant support behind it is Care Bears.

New for SS21, Basic Fun’s 14-inch plush range will benefit from strong TV support. Perfect for unlimited bear hugs, each Care Bear in this range comes with a collectable coin.

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A Flair for spring Flair, GP 020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk 2021 promises plenty of newness across all categories from Flair and Just Play. The coming season will bring with it customisable craft ranges, cool collectables and a licensed doll that sings about hand washing!

First up is Disney’s Doc McStuffins. With four seasons’ worth of content now available on Disney+, 2021 is the perfect unboxing experience. Plus, time to be selecting new there’s the Light-Up Bubble product lines from Flair. Not to Wand, as well as an unlockable be missed is the Doc McStuffins collection of Love, Diana Mini Wash Your Hands Doll. Dressed Mystery Trunks. for the part, with a cute face From franchise favourites mask included, the 11in Doc to collectable crafts - there’s doll talks and, you’ve guessed also a new selection from Jelli it, sings a song about washing Rez. The surprise pack comes your hands! Also available in a 24-piece CDU, perfect for for SS21 is a Light Up Microphone so that children can master It’s important to wash your hands the Wash Your Hands at the moment, so Doc McStuffins anthem; and a fivepiece Doctor’s Dress Wash Your Hands Doll sings a cute Up Set. song about doing just that. To From one female icon complete the Covid theme, the doll to another, Flair will be wears a cute face mask bringing to the market a new playful property from pocket.watch, Love, Diana. encouraging pocket money The Princess of Play arrives to purchases at checkout. Each the toy box straight from her hit pack of cool-ectable crafts YouTube Channel, Kids Diana contains everything kids need Show. From spring 2021, Flair to create two Jelli Res jewellery will be launching an exciting designs. Meanwhile, the Shaker roleplay collection.

Pack allows girls to create Love Diana’s Adventure Set is attachable crafts with a snow a fun backpack; with a floating globe appeal. unicorn glitter design it comes Spring will also see the arrival filled with a transforming wand of Season 2 of I Dig… Monsters! hairbrush, an interactive phone There’s a host of new characters to speak with Diana, a bracelet, to collect, which come hidden a necklace, as well as a map in cute ice cream cups, buried to help navigate the Land of within a new, fluffy compound.

Play. Be sure to also watch out Finally, straight off the for the Surprise Deluxe Trunk, catwalk and walking onto the with loads of compartments to spring scene is craft collectable discover. This fully-loaded music Sneak’Art, with 24 mini shoe box promises girls the ultimate styles to collect and design.

Did you know?

tnp.media 08/12/2020 14:48

The Fun is rising in Q1!

Funrise

01908 555640 www.funrise.com

The first quarter ranges from Funrise include a for instant play value, making it a new fun-filled collection of bubbles, a new season great option for children looking of Bright Fairy Friends, and even more Cat conto make their pocket money fly struction vehicles for kids to take for further. Plus, with its space-age, a test drive! helicopter hybrid appearance, Following unprecedented kids are sure to love it. sales this year, Gazillion PremiHaving launched in AW20, um Bubbles will continue to spring brings with it a second deliver strong growth for 2021. series of Bright Fairy Friends Thanks to Gazillion’s superior (BFF). There are 12 new dolls quality solution, the highlyto collect; and this season each funccomes housed tional bubble in a pearlescent machines, and a pink jar, offering The second series of Bright Fairy bumper year of children an exciting Friends offers a blind-reveal expeinnovation, the blind-reveal experience. Kids will rience, with 12 news dolls housed in company promislove their colour-changing wings, in a pearlescent pink jar es to deliver plenwhich glow when the doll’s neckty more magical lace is pressed. moments next year.

The Cat vehicle range from Funrise continues Launching for SS21, and sure to be an to drive a strong following with plenty instant hit with bubble blowers young and old, of construction vehicles to find in both the core is Gazillion Sky Bubbles. Simply fill the built-in, and Junior Crew collections. This includes a new spill-proof tray with bubble solution, pull the Junior Crew Workin’ Pals Assortment; a trio of cord, and a generous stream of super-sized character vehicles to collect. Kids can simply press bubbles will be launched into the sky! This the helmet of each vehicle to activate the modestly priced device requires no battermechanical functions ies, and it even comes with bubble solution of Dump, Tip, Scoop or Lift.

Guess what…

Have a blast with Hasbro Hasbro

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com

Fact!

Monop oly bid is a quickplay g ame, which makes it idea for gam l e nigh ts and young er kids

Get ready for an exciting quickplaying Monopoly card game. The Monopoly Bid game is a game of chance, luck, and strategy as players bid in blind auctions, pay with money cards, steal properties with Action cards, and change their luck with Wild cards. Played in rounds, everyone gets a chance to host an auction. When it’s time to bid on a property, players choose how much money they want to risk. Then everyone shouts, ‘1, 2, 3, Bid!’ and lays their money cards down. The player who bids the most money gets that property.

Collect three property sets to win. The Monopoly Bid game is a great choice for game night, for parties, and as an indoor activity for kids aged seven and up.

For exciting action, experience the ultimate in Nerf dart blasting! Nerf Ultra blasters have advanced design and performance to deliver extreme distance, accuracy, and speed. They include ground-breaking Nerf Ultra darts - the farthest flying Nerf darts ever, featuring an innovative flight tip, Aerofin technology, and Nerf Ultra foam. Take your game to the next level with Nerf Ultra blasters and darts.

The Nerf Ultra Two motorised blaster features fast-back reloading. The six-dart cylinder is open in the back - you can look inside to see how many darts are left so you know when to reload. Hold down the acceleration button to power up the motor, and press the trigger to fire one dart.

Includes six Nerf Ultra darts.

2020 TO PDF Feature First Quarter A-Z'snm.indd 2

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FEATURE FIRST QUARTER

Step into spring Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

From a super-cool mash-up where collectable fashion doll meets makeup, there’s a whole load of glamour to be had with Shimmer ‘n Sparkle’s InstaGlam.

InstaGlam is the brand that lets girls glam their doll with the secret sparkle reveal, and then use the hidden make-up compact inside to glam themselves too!

The brand initially launched in AW20 and, following a show-stopping response this year, the company is growing the range for 2021, with the introduction of InstaGlam Dolls Series 2 – Neon. This cool new theme sees the core characters modelling fashionable new styles, with four new colour palettes.

Perfect for birthday gifting, these collectable, fashion-first dolls are great for on-thego, creative play! Plus, each of the four-inch scale dolls has hair clips that act as secret make-up applicators, including a brush and sponge, for application of the eye shadows and lip glosses within. Each InstaGlam doll comes with a personalised stand to display the doll on when playtime is finished.

Next up, Dream Seekers, an exciting new brand launch for spring 2021. Dream Seekers are the beautifully-crafted soft dolls with posable long arms and legs. The Dream Seekers listen to children’s dreams and help them find the courage to make them come

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Character Options will be filling up the toy aisles in Q1, with a string of bankable brands to get 2021 off to a good start

true by sharing their own fishy friends just keep swimming! Available dreams and revealing as a single pack fish, or as a Lil’ Dipper Fish their unique personalTank playset, which comes with an exclusive ities. On every Dream Unicorn Fish, kids will be able to watch in Seeker’s wrist, you will wonder as their new pet magically swims find their unique ‘Dream from the packaging as it is dipped into water.

Mark’, which represents The Lil’ Bird series, which took flight this the doll’s personality season, will also see a refresh in spring 2021. and the dream that These sweet little collectable birds with they seek! super soft wings move their heads when petCreate an enchanting ted; they also make 20 cute bird sounds, and bedroom display as they feature a record and playback feature. sit in their dream catcher.

Driving sustainability, Character will also Inside the dream catcher be extending its World of Wood collection, is a special place for chilwhich is created from FSC certified wood. dren to write their dreams; The Peppa Pig World of Wood range Dream Seekers will keep their comprises playsets, vehicles, and figures. dreams safe and wish for them to come true.

Having launched in AW20, the toys reThere are three beautiful 14in Dream ceived excellent feedback from retailers and Seeker dolls to discover, each with gorgeous consumers alike. The products not only look long hair and beautiful hair ribbons, as well stunning, with eye-catching and colourful deas removable outfits and charming, whimsigns, but Character has also ensured it has sical wings. Made with the most stylish mastayed true to the classic Peppa styling. terials and fabrics to suit each doll’s personThe Fireman Sam brand is on fire! The ality and character, Dream Seekers always licence will be added to Character’s World put their best of Wood for fashion foot spring. New for forward!

2021 is a Four Also, not to Figure CharacNew for spring are Dream Seekers, be missed is ter set, featura total reing two-sided soft dolls that listen to children’s fresh and new figures on dreams and help them find the styling within individual bases courage to make them come true the Little Live – perfect for Pets line-up. imaginative play These lifelike electronic pets move, feel, act and practising storytelling. Next up, we betand sound so real. For some instant pocket ter call for Fireman Sam and his Jupiter Fire money sales, cast a net for a new season of Engine, featuring free-wheeling wheels, Sam Little Live Pets Lil’ Dippers. These cute little and Penny figures, removable equipment panels and a poseable rescue platform – just in case the family cat gets stuck up the tree!

And finally, there’s the Pontypandy Fire Station playset, the hub of the action.

From Pontypandy to palaces; the World of Wood range is also expanding to include new lines from Disney Princesses. The Collectable Characters Plinth, which features four collectable characters makes for a beautiful display piece once little ones have ended their play for the day. And what Disney princess fan wouldn’t love Cinderella’s Wooden Carriage, complete with Cinderella, and the Fairy Godmother?

Did you know?

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FEATURE FIRST QUARTER

Bringing nature and fantasy to life Schleich

01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk

Simba springs into action Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 sales@sisotoysuk.com Simba Smoby Toys UK will continue to drive momentum in 2021, with the release of a new wave of great firstquarter releases across all categories.

Off the back of a fantastic summer performance, Simba Smoby Toys UK is bringing to market a number of new playhouse listings for spring SS21. Introduced with no upward chain is a market-first – Smoby’s plastic Teepee that can be pitched both indoors and outdoors.

The Teepee has a modern, Scandinavian appeal and transforms in height from 159cm to 183cm, making it ideal for kids aged two- to 10. Also not to be missed is the Garden Playhouse, which comes complete with 15 accessories for lots of green-fingered fun. Plus, watch out for the largest Smoby house to date – the fullycustomisable The latest Fast and Furious Neo Friends movie, F9, is set to release House, which can in May 2021, so should be purchased spark interest in the AW individually or release of a new Fast & with a kitchen.

Furious collection in the Meanwhile, Jada portfolio Smoby’s rideons offer a super introduction to the wheeled-toy category. Rolling onto the scene for spring is the evolutive Foldable Robin Tricycle, the Be Move Tricycles for ages 15-months and over, and the City Ride On Tricycle.

Another brand that is going from strength to strength is Steffi Love. New for spring is a glamorous line-up of dolls and blister pack outfits that are fit for a fashionista! With Steffi’s fully articulated body, and trend-setting fashions and accessories, little ones can dream up hours of imaginative play. Look out for the Steffi Love Baby Doctor. The pack comes complete with a face mask-wearing Dr Steffi doll and a cute baby doll with a colour change feature. Little ones can use warm water to simply wash away baby’s fever. Steffi will also be turning heads with the Steffi Love Shimmer 2! This doll comes dressed to impress in a glitter top and trouser combination, complete with trainers and a diamond watch.

Did you know?

Whether it’s animal fun or fantasy play, there will be plenty to discover from Schleich this coming spring. Continuing to bring nature to life, Schleich will be introducing new single figurines and playsets in the Farm World and Wild Life collections. Plus, there’s something to capture the imagination of all unicorn fans, with a new collectable range from the world of bayala.

Schleich’s Farm World range is a firm favourite among parents and young children alike. From January, several new Farm World playsets will be added to the collection, offering little ones play patterns straight from the box. Not to be missed is the Sunny Day Mobile Farm Stand, complete with poseable farm workers and Poppy the horse, who, thanks to her detachable bridle, can pull the Farm Stand. This great little playset comes with a wide selection of food and shop accessories to really get children’s creative juices flowing!

2021 will also see the arrival of some adorable new single figurines in the Farm World collection, with some cute domestic pets joining the range, as well as some bigger farm friends, including the Llama, the Highland Bull, and the rather regal-looking Sorraia Mustang Stallion.

Meanwhile, Schleich will also be expanding its Wild Life offering for all natural world enthusiasts. The Wild Life theme allows children aged three to eight to explore the vast world of wild animals. Look out for new figurines from both land and sea, including the Manatee, Platypus, Warthog, and a seriously sweet Desert Fox, with over-sized ears!

Schleich’s enchanting bayala world, filled with beautiful fairies, mermaids and unicorns, will also continue to grow in 2021. The unicorn trend marches on with six new, glittery foal figures to collect. The mini fantasy figurines in this collection come wrapped in cute pouch packaging and are presented in a handy 24-pack-CDU for instant pocket money appeal. To ensure collectability, each stunning unicorn has its own name and special character traits, which collectors can find on the beautiful collector’s poster included.

The Schleich portfolio will be supported with extensive retailer support and PR and marketing. campaigns for 2021.

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ALPHA TOYS LTD Batchworth House, Church Street, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 1 JE Tel: 00353 67 63800 Fax: 00353 67 63801 E-Mail: info@alpha-toys.co.uk

www.bruder.de

FEATURE FIRST QUARTER

Zooming into 2021!

Tomy

01392 281928 www.tomy.com Tomy’s Ricky Zoom range is expanding next year with four products including its hero, Maxwell’s Transforming Trailer, available from March, which converts Maxwell’s trailer into a mobile repair station. The set includes both Maxwell and Ricky bikes, and six interactive features so kids can recreate the show’s roadside rescue scenes.

Toomies is expanding its egg-themed range with two new products - The 2 in 1 Transforming Tractor and The Stacker Decker Bus. Both are designed with learning and longevity in mind, helping children through all stages of development – such as honing fine motor skills and logic and problem solving.

SS21 will see the launch of the Lamaze Garden collection, featuring healthy eating-inspired characters to help strengthen baby’s fine motor skills, problem-solving and visual development. The range features: Candy the Carrot, Bea the Banana, Bitty Bug Book, Archer the Apple and Olive the Orange.

In 2021, Britains will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of its first farming toy with the launch of the International Harvester 1066 and the Case IH 4894.

Movie magic and madness Posh Paws

01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk When Minions madness takes over UK cinemas in July 2021 with Minions 2: Rise of Gru, Posh Paws will be on hand with a brand new range of the most cuddleable Minions soft toys ever. The range will feature Bob, Kevin and the new Minion-on-the block Otto in a variety of sizes from the 6in assorted characters in a CDU, to 10in and large 18in characters and will be available ahead of the movie release.

The Jurassic World franchise remains one of the most popular franchises and with Universal’s new hit show Camp Cretaceous

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already top-rated on Netflix, Posh Paws will Rele f Gru be launching a new soft Rise o toy range focused on the iconic T-Rex and fanfavourite Blue the Velociraptor. Both dinosaurs will be available in a 6in assorted CDU, 10in and large 18in sizes.

Having been announced as the new plush partner for ever-popular Sesame Street, Posh Paws will launch with a range of basic plush toys in a variety of sizes, and interactive learning plush toys such as consumer

favourites ‘Tickle Me’ Elmo where children can hear Elmo giggle and laugh as he wiggles about.

The plush launch will be supported with heavyweight consumer marketing and PR campaigns to engage fans and drive sales.

Expanding its partnership with the iconic Swizzels licence, where Posh Paws already has an extensive collection of fun, sentimental and on-trend Love Hearts character plush gifts, it will be introducing a new range of scented Rainbow Drops soft toys. The new toy and gifting range will consist of six scented characters, each with their own personalities, flavoured scent and produced using on-trend squidgy/stretchy fabrics.

Available in small and larger sizes, fans can pick up, cuddle and smell the deliciously adorable Susy Strawberry, Ollie Orange, Bobby Blueberry and others.

With the Sunny Bunnies feature plush proving incredibly popular with young children and seeing strong sales from the pre-Christmas digital marketing campaigns across social media platforms and influencer partnerships, Posh Paws will be adding to the range of feature plush toys in 2021.

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FEATURE PLUSH

Give us a cuddle!

Plush toys are an evergreen category that never fails to produce results for retailers. In this year like no other, as other sector sales soared over lockdown, have plush toys managed to hold their own? TnP finds out...

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his year, toys and games that have kept children occupied through the long lockdown, or offered educational value while they have missed going to school, have experienced an upswing in popularity. But we mustn’t forget that this was also a year where we were asked to #BeKind and where many parents realised that the state of their children’s mental health was more important than exam grades. So it’s no surprise that comforting plush toys have continued to sell well.

Dr Amanda Gummer, founder of The Good Play Guide, explains the importance of plush toys in an uncertain climate: “2020 has been a challenging year and in times of stress or uncertainty, children tend to revert back to toys and games that they are familiar with and that bring comfort. Plush toys have a really powerful role to play here because, unlike plastic or wooden toys, they have a smell to them that can be reassuring. As well as being soft and cuddly vital when person-to-person contact is so rationed - the familiar smell of a plush toy calms and comforts children.

“Plush toys can also spark imaginative play and provide some escapism for children. Lots of children talk to their soft toys about things they may not feel able

Rainbow

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As well as being soft and cuddly - vital when personto-person contact is so rationed - the familiar smell of a plush toy calms and comforts children Dr Amanda Gummer, The Good Play Guide

to talk to parents or carers about, so they are a really great option for helping children thrive during challenging times.’’

Anthony Temple, managing director at Rainbow Designs, also recognises the importance of a cuddle: “Cuddling is not something that, as a nation, we have been able to do much of this year and so for little ones to have that goto cuddly toy to snuggle up to has never been more important.

Parents and children have also spent more time at home this year than ever before and so having toys and activities to help amuse and entertain has been vital and we have seen parents organising themed days with their toys including Paddington, Peter Rabbit and Spot Days.

“During the spring and summer months we saw a significant uplift in the sales of our nursery mobiles and comforters to help soothe babies who may be picking up on anxieties. As we have moved towards Christmas it is very clear that parents and gift buyers really don’t want their little ones to miss out and are looking for those fun, feel-good presents.”

Steve Cox, UK sales director at Keel Toys, agrees: “When the world is not allowed to hug each other the ability of children to hug a soft toy for comfort is a great thing! As we say ‘We Love to Hug’.’’

And it’s not all about children, as Lauren Shipman, group brand & marketing director at Posh Paws, explains: “We have seen growth in our tween and adult gifting ranges, like our Love Hearts soft toys, as consumers have spent more on

gifting friends or loved ones who they have not been able to see.’’

With retail outlets closed for months on end, sales have been mixed for Keel Toys, says Steve Cox: “Soft toys are all about impulse purchase and footfall, so sales in 2020 did not really start until the end of lockdown. We then saw good sales, especially in the tourist areas, due to staycations.

We are optimistic for 2021 with the growth in our Keeleco recycled soft toys, which are very much of the moment and future.’’

The educational value of its soft toys has been a bonus for Rainbow Designs, says Anthony Temple: “We are always looking at those developmental and educational values that toys can bring to encourage learning through play. Our That’s Not My… range of touchy-feely soft toys and developmental comforters has proved very popular as has our new Adventures of Paddington toy range.”

Flair GP’s Trudi has a rather different spin, says Federico Sidero, Trudi brand manager: “These are plush toys that are designed to be photographed, as well as cuddled. That’s why the goal of our social media activity is to drive emotions with aspirational and high-quality content.’’

Talking of social media, the marketing of plush toys has had to change thanks to Covid. With trade shows cancelled and postponed, Rainbow’s Anthony Temple says it is “investing in technology and processes as well as our staple marketing tools to create an integrated showcase to ensure our retailers have the best opportunity to experience our entire 2021 collection.” And Posh Paws has collaborated with influential bloggers “to give our products that seal of approval, and so that consumers can see them in reallife scenarios with children playing with them,’’ says Lauren Shipman.

“We have seen fantastic results at retail.’

Keel is taking a different tack, says Steve Cox: “Growth will be through increased footfall in

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We asked the retailer…

“We’ve had a lot of success with the Squishmallows in the past six months or so. I think it’s down to the price point being affordable for kids and the huge range of animals they now cover. A few of our staff members tend to buy a couple when they come in because of how cute they are! In terms of licensed plush - Paw Patrol and Pokemon remain our two strongest with Paw Patrol selling strongly across all types of toys, and Pokemon enjoying a big resurgence with a lot of adults now buying the packs of cards and soft toys for themselves, on a nostalgia trip. TV plush has fared better than their movie counterparts and I’m sure a lot of that is down to TV being so accessible with cinemas now closed again.’’

Sam Walker, Wally’s Toyshop, Thame, Oxon

2021 as restrictions are lifted and with another year of staycations. Marketing activity will be with displays and pointof-sales materials.’’

Federico Sidero at Flair GP adds: “We’re running a fantastic social campaign that involves some familiar celebrity faces!’’

Licences are a big draw in the plush sector, but with 2020 being a tad short on movie releases, what does this mean for sales? “The lack of new licences has helped generic soft toy companies like Keel Toys,’’ says Steve Cox. “For us, sustainability and eco have been the key trend for 2020 with expectation of further growth in 2021.’’ That’s important for Posh Paws too, says Lauren Shipman: “Take our BBC Earth soft toy collection; we use stuffing made from 100 per cent recycled post-consumer waste plastic bottles for all of our 18 beautiful soft toy animals.’’

Over at Rainbow Designs, Anthony Temple has found that “in times of both emotional and financial difficulty, consumers tend to revert to what they know and love and we have certainly seen this with our classic characters this year. This year we launched our new Signature Peter Rabbit Collection, which was exceptionally well received

and, following the launch of the supersuccessful Adventures of Paddington TV series this spring, the new Adventures of Paddington toy range arrived in stores at the beginning of November and has proved an instant hit. We are all also eagerly awaiting the December release of Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.’’

Zoos and theme parks are major outlets for many plush products, and with these and other retailers closed down twice during 2020, what has this meant for suppliers? Rainbow Designs’ Anthony Temple says: “Garden centres have always been a good supporter of plush and we have certainly seen growth in this area this year and it will continue to be a focus for us in 2021.” Keel Toys, meanwhile, has tried to give a helping hand to its retailers: “Zoos and attractions have worked on a 30-50 per cent capacity so sales have been challenging for them but they have seen spend per head ahead of 2019 in many cases. We have supported them by working on a little-and-often basis so they can maximise sales with minimum risk,’’ explains Steve Cox. Anthony Temple says: “We have worked hard to try to support retailers with product offers and reduced shipping costs. We will continue to work on an individual basis with all our retailers.”

© 2020 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

AVAILABLE FROM

JANUARY 2021!

EVERYBODY LOVES

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FEATURE PLUSH

Un-bear-ably cute!

Basic Fun

0118 925 3270 Tim.Ives@basicfun.com Having re-introduced the iconic Care Bears brand in AW20 following the hit TV show Care Bears: Unlock the Magic (airing on Tiny Pop), the cute and colourful range was met with a fantastic response. Arriving for SS21, Basic Fun’s 14-inch hero plush range is perfect for unlimited bear hugs. Each Care Bear in this range comes with a collectable coin and features all the favourite characters as well as some that are new for spring. Meanwhile, perfect for on-the-go hugs is the nine-inch supersoft Care Bears Bean Plush, which will also feature a refresh. New for spring and always ready for a celebration is the 16-inch Birthday Bear with golden yellow fur and a pink cupcake with a candle tummy Every UK purchase of Pound symbol - a perfect buddy for Bedtime Bear.

Puppies and Newborns will Basic Fun will also be plating result in a donation to the up an extended Cutetitos Dogs Trust charity menu over the coming months. Kids will want a slice of the action with Series 5 Wave 2 Pizzaitos. They can collect eight new animalitos in adorable prints and fun new pizza wraps. Plus, keep an eye out for a multitude of other new series including a sweet new set of Cutetitos Taste Budditos, which come in all-new packages inspired by food pairings.

Another brand benefiting from Basic Fun’s comprehensive PR and marketing support this year is Pound Puppies. This collection of delightful hounds and super-cute Newborns has been further enhanced by a tie-in with Dogs Trust; every UK purchase results in a donation to the leading dog welfare charity. The message ‘a dog is for life and not just for Christmas’ can be seen across all media messaging.

Fact!

Peppa is planet friendly

Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com

Completely shaking up the plush and pre-school categories for SS21 is an adorable range of Peppa Pig soft toys, made entirely from 100 per cent recycled materials and designed using plant-based printing inks.

This environmentally-friendly launch will see Character Options break into a new category for 2021. Having already witnessed first-hand the huge demand for eco-friendly ranges, with this year’s launch of Peppa’s World of Wooden Toys, the arrival of this new collection couldn’t be better timed.

More parents and gift buyers than ever are scouting the shelves, both in-store and online, for Recycled materials and planthigh-quality, planet-friendly purchases that based printing inks were used their kids will cherish.

With two lines set to launch initially, to create the new range of Peppa these adorable soft toys have been carepig toys fully fashioned for young Peppa fans, while staying true to the classic Peppa styling that children know and love. First up, the eight-inch Red Dress Peppa, which is supplied in its own individual platform box. Peppa’s dress features an adorable green leaf mark to indicate that she’s an eco-friendly toy option – a perfect conversation starter for parents who want to teach their little ones about recycling and looking after the planet. Meanwhile, the packaging is carefully designed to highlight that the toy is manufactured from 100 per cent recycled materials. There’s also the six-inch collectable plush, which is available in a CDU assortment of Peppa and George. Again, the toys feature the green leaf emblem, and the CDU and tags make these plush characters easily identifiable as an environmentally-friendly option.

Guess what…

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Go (pea) nuts for Snoopy Rainbow Designs 01329 227300 www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk 2021 is set to see the launch of some fantastic new plush collections as well as the return of some much-loved brands to The Home of Classic Characters.

Rainbow Designs is delighted to be welcoming back, in the first quarter of the year, the iconic Peanuts brand and Charles Schultz’s famous and adored Beagle Snoopy to the Home of Classic Characters family. The ‘Everyone Loves Snoopy’ range features high-quality classic soft toys of Charles Schulz’s muchloved iconic characters including a super soft Snoopy Soft Toy, a Cuddly Lying Down Snoopy and the Cuddly Snoopy and Woodstock Soft Toy. A beautiful ‘My First Snoopy’ collection is also scheduled for launch next autumn.

Set to join the Rainbow Family this spring is the wonderful We’re Going on a Bear Hunt brand with the introduction of a super-cuddly and not-so-grizzly 20cm Bear soft toy and a colourful Wooden Shape puzzle with its own Bear Hunt trail featuring the animals from the much-loved children’s storybook to play along with.

Scheduled for release in May 2021, Spirit Riding Free is the new animated standalone sequel to the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and the highly-successful TV series. To celebrate the release of the new movie, Rainbow Designs will launch its Dreamworks’ Spirit Riding Free collection in spring 2021. The range features a collection of beautiful soft toy horses and characters including Spirit, Lucky, Boomerang and Chica Linda.

Did you know?

May 2021 sees the release of Spirit Riding Free, the new animated standalone sequel to the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Cuddly creatures Flair, GP 020 8643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Did you know?

Fluffies are cute characters with longer plush fur, full bodies and tender baby face expressions

Flair has the plush category covered with its comprehensive range of super soft, high-quality Trudi plush pals that every child will love.

The softest of first companions that will be treasured for years to come is the backbone of plush brand Trudi. Renowned for its quality soft toys with refined designs, Trudi recreates the animals of the world in the finest of plush.

Having officially launched the full Trudi portfolio in the final quarter, this adorable collection of premium soft toys introduces freshness to the UK plush market. Perfect for gifting, Flair’s extensive Trudi offering is ideal for all ages, from children in their infant years and up. Plus, thanks to the diverse range of products, from plush playmates to precious puppets, as well as collectable charms, there is a Trudi soft toy to suit all budgets.

Adorable and a great place to start with Trudi is the classic range, which includes some of the world’s most loved and most familiar animals; these are plush toys that should feature in every child’s collection! Meanwhile, Fluffies are the super cute characters with longer plush. The extra-long fur enhances their full bodies and tender baby face expressions.

The Trudi portfolio benefits from PR support, including online reviews, social media, and celebrity gifting.

Happy clappy Spin Master

01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com Spin Master has a great range of soft toys perfect for big and little kids, including the sing-along Clappy the Monkey and the six adorable Paw Patrol Pup Pals that are perfect for cuddling.

Clappy is an enthusiastic monkey with two different play modes. Press the left foot to play an interactive clapping game, and the right to hear the song ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ in a cute child’s voice. Arms move and clap during play. Clappy is surface-washable for easy cleaning and appropriate for all ages.

Little Paw Patrol fans can curl up and dream of adventures with their favourite pup. These 8in tall plush pups stand upright all by themselves, ready for action. Each pup sports their signature Paw Patrol uniform, complete with snuggly hat and Paw Patrol badge.

They even have paw prints on all four paws. The soft fur and expressive face bring these beloved characters to life.

Guess what…

Clappy sings ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ - perfect for little ones to sing along to

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FEATURE PLUSH

Picture perfect plush Simba Smoby 01620 674 778 sales@sisotoysuk.com

Fact!

The new Cruella film, based on the villain of 101 Dalmatians, is set for UK cinema release at the end of May 2021

As the UK distributor of Disney Plush, Simba Smoby Toys UK has a much-loved character for every fan to discover.

Having launched in 2020, this adorable collection includes a whole host of Disney’s properties including Frozen II, Toy Story, Disney Princesses, Dumbo, Lion King, Classics, Minnie and Mickey and more. Cuddles of all sizes are part of every collection, including 25cm and 35cm animal core classics together with other such favourites as The Child, who arrived this autumn, direct from Star Wars: The Mandalorian. This cutest of Star Wars characters comes in at 25cm tall and is 100 per cent produced in plush.

Newly available for November, and just in time for the Christmas gifting period, is the 50cm Extra Large Dumbo Plush.

Irresistibly soft, and suitable for the youngest of children, this cute elephant will be fresh in every child’s mind following last year’s box office release.

In 2021, Simba Smoby Toys UK will continue to grow its Disney plush offering. Launching for SS21, the super-soft range of 20cm Classic Beanies includes a series of six fan-favourite characters to collect, each fashioned in their classic Disney style. With the upcoming release of the new Cruella movie, the Dalmatian is sure to be a hit, as too will Dumbo, who is as cute as a button! Be sure to also keep your eye out for an assortment of four 25cm plush pups from 101 Dalmatians.

Cuddly Crossing stars Tomy 01392 281928 www.tomy.com The popular Mocchi-Mocchi trend from Japan is now available internationally. These addictively huggable plush toys feature iconic characters and items from favourite video games including 2020’s break-out game Animal Crossing.

Bringing to life the key characters from the Nintendo games, Club Mocchi Mocchi has a squishy texture and is incredibly soft to the touch, allowing children to recreate their island utopias.

Club Mocchi Mocchi toys are available in super-portable 6in styles, ideal for carrying around, or as mega 15in versions – the perfect hugging accessory!

The Animal Crossing series features fan-favourite characters and items including Isabelle and Tom Nook.

40 million

Number of Animal Crossing games sold worldwide

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FEATURE Boys collectables

One for the boys After a couple of years being outshone by the likes of LOL! Dolls and Shopkins, boys’ collectables seem to be gaining traction once more

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oys have always collected things. After the Second World War, boys were likely to collect stones, conkers or maybe cigarette cards. In the 1970s, it was Star Wars Toys, and a decade ago it was Match Attax cards that held young boys enthralled (and still do).

As we come to the end of 2020, the influence of TV and YouTube stars is what now drives much of the market in boys collectables.

The popular film, book and TV franchise How to Train Your Dragon has hatched a whole range of collectable figures including Spin Master’s mini Mystery Dragons, featuring favourites from the films, such as Toothless and Stormfly.

Funko is appealing to mini Marvel fans with its collectable range of mini marvel heroes. The Marvel Battleworld Mega Pack offers a starter pack for your collection along with gameplay to defeat the evil Thanos. The obligatory blind surprise pack comes in the shape of two Thanostones - break them open to discover the two surprise heroes!

Young YouTube watchers have made toy reviewer Ryan from Ryan’s World a household name, and his range of toys from Vivid continues to dominate. New for 2021 are the Ryan’s World collectable figures and playsets.

There are 80 figures to collect each with their own style and flag, so plenty of opportunity for your young customers to keep coming back for more. Also popular with younger boys is Tomy’s range of toys based on Ricky Zoom, the first all-bike TV show for preschoolers.

Dinosaurs have always been much-loved by boys of a certain age, and one of the favourite collections of dino figures come from Schleich, whose range of realistic prehistoric creatures just keeps growing. New for this year are the spiny backed, longnecked Agustina and ferocious Cryolophosaurus. If you’ve never 64

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Tomy

Collecting may also help children develop skills such as negotiation Dr Amanda Gummer, The Good Play Guide Bandai

Ask the retailer How popular have boys’ collectables been over the past few months? heard of them you probably need to find a six-yearold dino-fan to tell you all about them!

It’s been a challenging year for us all, and retailers will no doubt be glad of any help or initiatives from suppliers of boys collectables. Mary Wood, general manager UK&I at Tomy says: “Tomy has always tried to be a good friend to the independent retailers and they are still a very significant part of our turnover.

“We will continue to support them in whatever way is appropriate.

One example is that we are about to launch a social media campaign that champions the independent retailer and encourages consumers to shop locally.’’

“We’ve seen record demand for toys, and boys collectables has been one of the standout categories. The challenges of entertaining children in a variety of ways from screens to games, puzzles, indoors and outdoors has been a superhuman effort from all those parents out there. Within boys collectables, Pokemon is the standout brand - particularly the trading cards - and we expect that to continue over the coming months especially with the 25th anniversary in February. Other brands such as Funko and Heroes of Goojitzu and Bakugan have also done well.”

Nicole Sweeney, category manager at The Very Group

More than just a pastime Dr Amanda Gummer, founder of the Good Play Guide (www.goodtoyguide. co.uk) explains the developmental benefits of boys collectables: “Collecting and trading cards and toys promotes social skills and can help children with a sense of belonging.

Children who struggle with making friends can find it easier to start a conversation, or are more likely to have other children come and talk to them if they have a common interest - a conversation starter.

As well as promoting social

interactions, collecting gives children a sense of accomplishment when they complete a set and may also help them develop skills such as negotiation when agreeing trades.

Collecting toys that have additional play value can help provide a more balanced play diet for children and help parents find alternatives to screen-based play.’’

tnp.media 08/12/2020 14:59

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FEATURE Boys collectables

A need for speed Tomy

01392 281928 www.tomy.com

Masters of collectables Spin Master

01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com

Collectables have emerged as a major trend for children and young teens in recent years, and Spin Master has built on this with a wide range of collectable toys that are popular with boys from brands including Dreamworks’ How To Train Your Dragon, DC’s Batman, Monster Jam and Tech Deck.

Monster Jam fans won’t be disappointed with two different sizes and endless designs of trucks to collect. The die-cast, 1:24 and 1:64 scale Monster Jam trucks are just like the real thing — only fun size.

Followers of the How to Train Your Dragon movie franchise over the past 10 years can keep the magic alive with mini Mystery Dragons. The whole gang is available to collect, including fan favourites such as Toothless, Stormfly, Skullcrusher, Meatlug and Lightfury.

Collectors and skater boys alike will love Spin Master’s Tech Deck Four Pack. The authentic 96mm fingerboards are the real deal, each featuring graphics from the biggest skate companies in the world.

Finally, Bakugan is back this year for season 2, with the awesome Armored Alliance range. With more than 100 Season 2 Bakugan to collect, battling against friends is bigger and better than ever. Each features awesome detailing and faction symbols to help form powerful alliances, allowing kids to become the ultimate Bakugan Master.

Guess what...

How to Train Your Dragon mini Mystery Dragons include Toothless, Stormfly, Skullcrusher, Meatlug and Lightfury 66

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This year, Tomy launched its newest line, Ricky Zoom – the first-ever all-bike show for preschoolers. Partnering with property owner Hasbro as Master Toy Licensee, Tomy has created an engaging Ricky Zoom range that brings the popular bike show to life.

The toy range has been designed with interactive features that reflect the show’s core brand values of action, rescue and adventure so that kids can immerse themselves in the world of Ricky Zoom beyond the TV screen and replicate his adventures at home.

The fun-fuelled range includes Light and Sounds Ricky, a 6x7in large Ricky Zoom that is ready to soar to the rescue. Including an articulated front wheel for multidirectional movement and an etched light-up visor with interactive sounds, the Lights and Sounds Ricky features superior stability so that he can stand up unaided. Eight different sounds and phrases featuring littles ones’ favourite soundbites from the popular TV show can be heard at the press of a button.

Part of the range includes a new interactive playset, inspired by the Adventure Park location from the show.

Load Ricky into the super launcher to watch him zoom into action or add the adjustable track for a range of zooming fun from a ‘Super Race’ or a straight-line speed dash. Ricky can also be launched up the games ramp to fly through the colourful hoop via the ‘Super Jump’.

Speed and excitement are always high on the agenda for Ricky Zoom and this new launch lets children have a slice of the action from home.

Did you know?

The new interactive Ricky Zoom playset has been inspired by the Adventure Park location from the show

tnp.media 08/12/2020 15:00

FEATURE Boys collectables

What’s that noise?

Funrise

Pokemon on the go

01908 555640 SalesUK@funrise.com www.funrise.com

Character Options 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Character Options unveils a new world of Pokémon play with its feature-filled Pokémon Carry Case Playset.

With this epic new playset, kids can enter the world of Pokémon and take it with them wherever they go! Pokémon fans will be able to explore the Pokémon world and re-enact their very own Pokémon battles.

Offering the ultimate roleplay experience, this super cool Carry Case Playset is packed full of different locations to explore and plenty of interactive features to discover. But perhaps one of the coolest parts of this playset is the design.

The playset easily folds away into Ash’s iconic Kanto Region backpack when the adventures are complete. This not only adds to the Pokémon roleplay, it also makes for a great place for kids to store their Pokémon figures, and it means that they can take their Carry Case Playset wherever they go.

Where will their adventures take them? In a quest to catch them all, kids will need to travel across the land! They’ll have to make their way across the shaking bridge, search the secret caves, and make use of the treetop platform look-out spot. But Pokémon Trainers are sure to face plenty of challenges along the way. There are spinning whirlpools that they’ll need to swim through, wild Pokémon to battle in the tall grass, and bounding boulder traps to dodge.

Plus, they’ll have to watch their step when they come to the treetop trap door.

The Pokémon Carry Case even has its very own battle arena, complete with launch pads. Never has the Pokémon world been brought to life quite this. The adventures are endless!

Scaled for any two-inch Pokémon figure, the Pokémon Carry Case Playset comes with one two-inch Pikachu figure. More two-inch figures can be sold separately.

For a boys’ collectable range that is Fart-tastic and bound to cause a laugh in store, look no further than Fart Ninjas from Funrise. These fun-packed and totally uncensored Fart Ninjas are sure to blow you away and are perfect for kids who love pranking their friends and family.

Since launch last year, these must-have farting bad boys have made their presence heard with millions of views across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more. Now there are even more ninjas, with 36 to collect in a range of new colours and poses. Add to this the interactive motionactivated FSDU that lets one rip as customers walk by, and you can be sure they’ll get themselves noticed.

Let’s play ball...

Bandai 0208 324 6160 www.bandai.co.uk Fans of mega-hit Dragon Ball - one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time - can now create their very own piece of Super Saiyan action with Bandai’s latest range of action figures.

Re-create epic battles from Dragon Ball Super at a massive scale with the super-Saiyansized Limit Breaker figures. Standing at an awesome 30cm, each figure features a showinspired design and comes with five points of articulation.

The all-new Dragon Stars are highly-detailed and poseable 17cm figures. With 17 or more points of articulation, these figures can be posed in more than 9,000 positions!

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The highly articulated Evolve Action Figures bring 12.5cm versions of Golden Freeza, Goku Ultra Instinct, and Jiren to Dragon Ball play. An Evolve triple pack containing Golden Freeza, Goku Ultra Instinct, and Jiren action figures is also available.

Kids can super shrink their Super Saiyan collection with the 5cm Super Collectable figures, available in surprise mini bags.

McFarlane Toys, meanwhile, makes highly-detailed and articulated model figurines. Bandai spoils DC Multiverse Batman fans with figures including Arkham Asylum Batman and Joker.

tnp.me08/12/2020 15:01

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

Product: Rocky’s Reuse It Truck Company: Spin Master Tel: 01628 535000 Web: www.spinmaster.com

Product: Active Snap Company: Tomy Tel: 01392 281928 Web: www.tomy.com

Product: Crystal Art Disney designs Company: Craft Buddy Tel: 0203 417 6565 Web: www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk Product: Marvel Battleworld: Mystery of The Thanostones Company: Funko Tel: 0203 957 7018 Web: www.funko.com

Product: Ryan’s Mystery Microverse figures Company: Vivid Imaginations Tel: 01483 449944 Web: www. vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Product: Barbie Fashionistas Company: Mattel Tel: 01628 500000 Web: www.mattel.com

FEATURE

RIDE ONS

Climb aboard!

Ride-on toys have experienced high demand, as parents have wanted to keep children active and in the fresh air. But what do they need to retain their popularity over winter and into 2021? TnP investigates...

E

arlier in the year, cycling was named the most popular family activity for getting outdoor exercise in a poll carried out by OnePoll, and cycling to work schemes saw a 200 per cent increase in uptake among emergency workers. It seemed as if everyone was out on two, three of four wheels as other leisure opportunities were restricted.

And demand continues to be strong as we head towards Christmas, with e-scooters being a particularly popular category.

Looking ahead, remember that the postponed Tokyo Olympics in summer 2021 will see the first skateboarders competing for those coveted medals, so interest in skateboards and probably scooters is likely to peak again.

As we mentioned, e-scooters seem to have captured the public imagination this year. So how important is it to keep up with the trends for ride-on toy suppliers?

“It is important,’’ says MV Sports’ sales and marketing director Phil Ratcliffe, “and I like to think that MV is instrumental in creating the trends too, if one looks at the direction we are taking.

There’s our own brands such as uMoVe, which is now focusing on unique designer prints as well as quality. Then we have ride-ons emblazoned with plush, sequins, glitter, lights - you name it!

MV is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

“Right now the youth market is heavily trending towards e-scooters and we have a comprehensive range of triedand-tested models available both domestic and FOB. Due to huge demand this year our challenge has been keeping in stock so we do encourage 70

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“

Due to huge demand of e-scooters this year our challenge has been keeping in stock, so we do encourage all our customers to order early Phil Ratcliffe, MV Sports sales and marketing director

MV

all of our customers to order early.

“When it comes Nicole Sweeney, category manager to licences we have at The Very Group, says: “Despite the a real first with our NerfScooter with winter weather setting in, the second Blaster and Darts, soon lockdown has continued to see strong to be followed up with demand for ride-ons, particularly a go-kart loaded with electric scooters from Razor and even more Nerf kit Zinc, and brands such as Peppa Pig. on board. Our Frozen We all want to get the kids out and Scooters have fur and sequins to make them about, particularly with no sports or more desirable to the clubs to burn some of that energy off.

Frozen fan.

We expect the success to continue “Last but not least after Christmas with bigger ranges of is our new ‘Switch e-scooters coming to market and a It’ concept where renewed focus on getting outside.” scooters and bikes come with not one but four swappable plaques, which allow kids to role play with different characters.’’

Scott Eden, product director, Wilton Bradley, believes scooters will continue to be strong in 2021: “We pride ourselves in developing and selling the right products, at the right price, introducing progressive and eyecatching product design. I think another important factor is that a large selection made it our duty to get kids out of our product range, especially exploring and spending less time within the outdoor and wheeled cooped up indoors.’’ toy categories, And what about licensed promotes products? Surely they help to active breathe new life into the sector play and each year. But with so few movie encourages releases, what will be big in 2021? kids and “Licences do help to keep the families to category fresh,’’ agrees MV’s Phil move outside more. As this subject Ratcliffe, “and with Covid affecting production schedules and release is very important dates there has been a focus on to parents, we’ve

Retail comment

tnp.media 08/12/2020 15:03

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FEATURE

RIDE ONS classic no-risk licences and we have been developing new items that sit comfortably into our existing portfolio. That said we do have two or three properties already in development for 2021 including Disney Pixar, Baby Shark, Kindi Kids and Blues Clues & You. Barbie has had a fantastic year in the toy space and we now expect that to percolate through into rideons - and we have a brand new range to kickstart sales in 2021.

“Look out also for some big news on the youth sectors (stunt scooter, BMX, skateboards)!’’

Wilton Bradley has a different approach, says Scott Eden. “We see licensing slightly differently to much of the toy trade. We choose to work with like-minded, likehearted people and businesses to develop a product together, rather than focusing on the newest movie or YouTube stars.’’

Indie shops often have little space, especially with social distancing measures in place, so can they still stock a good selection of ride-ons? Phil Ratcliffe thinks so: “Scooters, foot to floor ride-ons, skates, helmets and accessories all have a relatively compact footprint even compared with some of the larger toy playsets, and are very shelf friendly.

Many toy independents have had a very strong year with MV.’’ Wilton Bradley has taken an innovative approach to space saving, says Scott Eden: “We have been creating video launches on our new ride-ons. This gives the buying team a chance to explain the models and spec and the choices made on each of the vehicles. We also invest in lifestyle location photo shoots to give the retailer the best images to use on their own websites and in stores.’’

Finally, how else do suppliers plan to help retailers at the end of a very unusual year? Phil Ratliffe says MV is “bringing in more domestic products than in previous years and for our FOB customers, keeping MOQs low and offering mixed containers so that retailers can benefit from little and often.’’ Wilton Bradley, meanwhile, offers: “the full package, great products, flexible supply, marketing campaigns to drive sell-through and aftersales to ensure consumer satisfaction, all with a customer focus,’’ says Scott Eden.

The benefits of ride-on toys Clare Stead, creator of educational app Oliiki, explains why ride-on toys are so beneficial to children’s development “Learning to use a ride-on toy is more than just fun, it’s a huge learning opportunity. Obviously, it develops a child’s gross motor skills, helping them strengthen their trunk, legs, arms and neck. But it is so much more than that!

There are the sensory experiences that a child gains. The vestibular system, which helps keep us upright, is stimulated, as is balance, with the speed and effort that is needed to keep themselves and the bike from falling over. Children are developing their sense of self in space (the proprioceptive system) and of course there’s the auditory, tactile and olfactory stimulation of being outside and hearing, smelling and feeling the sounds, textures and smells that are all around.

Using a ride-on toy also stimulates creativity, as the child finds different ways to use it (think about the ride-on toy becoming a fire engine, which then becomes the family car, which morphs into a tractor -

all in the child’s imagination).

Playing on a ride-on toy also develops independence as the child learns to get on and off it on their own, and as it gives them the ability to move around under their own steam.

As a result, it also builds confidence.

The new skill requires focus, concentration, precipitance, tenacity, bravery, as well as problem solving (think manoeuvring around obstacles, knowing when and how to stop and how long to leave it before you do).

You may have thought you were just selling a ride-on toy to play with, but you are actually giving a child an opportunity to develop important skills for life! Letting children learn through play enables them to develop new life skills without even realising it.

They will apply them in their school work, in and around the home and later in their working life. They won’t know that they learned them while they were using their pretend tractor to take their pretend vegetables to market, but you will!’’

Wilton Bradley 72

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tnp.media 08/12/2020 15:03

S N O E RID

01626 835400

;RRW] 7R\ZRUOG $' ; LQGG

sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk

www.wiltonbradley.co.uk

FEATURE

RIDE ONS

Get in top gear Wilton Bradley 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com

Wilton Bradley has been creating a real buzz around its new Xootz electric wheeled toy range.

The officially-licensed Audi TT RS Plus Electric Ride-On Sports Car in bright red is ideal for sports car-mad kids to enjoy a drive to the park or around town. They will have a really fun time cruising along in style and turning heads with this sporty kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; electric ride-on.

With its sporty looks, rear spoiler and shiny red paintwork they will be the most stylish kids in town.

The included 6V rechargeable battery gives a powerful and fun top speed of 2.5 km/hour, controlled by kids themselves with a foot accelerator pedal. The car will last for one to two hours on one charge (depending on terrain).

The car can go forwards and backwards, has working headlights, an adjustable seat belt, working wing mirrors and a musical steering wheel. There are even six songs pre-installed so you can listen to music as you ride around.

Just as special is the Range Rover SVR Electric Ride On/Push car, which won the Top WOW Factor in the Active category of the Right Start Awards 2020.

This officially-licensed car is perfect for car-mad kids who want to enjoy an authentic driving experience in their very own car. It combines trendy SUV styling and amazing performance. All kids will love driving their own electric rideon Range Rover.

Making trips out that bit more exciting for younger kids, the car features a push handle that provides extra control and safety until they get the hang of driving the car for themselves!

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Did you know?

Wilton Bradley â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s S

Range R VR Elec t o won the ric Ride On/Pu ver sh car T Active c op WOW Fact or in th ategory e Awards of the R 2020 ight Sta rt

tnp.media 08/12/2020 15:03

01626 835400

9URRP 7R\ZRUOG $' LQGG

sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk

www.wiltonbradley.co.uk

FEATURE

RIDE ONS

Electric dreams reams MV Sports

0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.co.uk

MV Sports has seen double-digit consumer sales growth this year with a portfolio of best-selling wheeled toys to cover all ages and tastes. Developing own-brands and procuring additional hot new licences consolidates MV’s reputation as the one-stop solution for all things wheeled.

2021 will see the exciting expansion of the lithium range of scooters in own-brands Wired, uMove and Li-Fe. This will offer something for everyone from first-time electric riders aged fiveplus right through to adult riders commuting and scooting around in an ever-more eco-conscious world.

An expansive range of sizes, speeds and tech features will cover all specification requirements in stylish and sleek designs.

MV Sports is making a splash as it dives deep with hot new licence Baby Shark. Look out for the ‘fintastic’ new range of wheeled toys and water-based inflatables that will certainly keep sales swimming along.

Join in the fun with the YouTube sensation and new licence Kindi Kids. With MV Sports’ new licensed products - featuring the 10in 2-in-1 bike, which transforms from pedal to balance bike, and rainbowinspired tri-scooter - you can ride and play with your favourite snacktime friends.

The highly-anticipated new Barbie look is sure to encourage any young lady to follow her dreams and stay strong as she scoots along in style. This refreshed range will feature iconic doll photography and unmissable polaroid design.

Are you ready for your close-up? In addition to this, MV Sports is proud to present the shimmer-tastic Barbie mermaid range, featuring

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mer-mazing pink and purple reversible sequin mermaid tail. Transform your Barbie into a mermaid and scoot away!

Finally, blasting on the go just got even more epic with the all-new creation; the ultimate Nerf Blasting Go Kart. This kart includes a removable wrap with holster loops and blaster sheaths for the included 10 Nerf darts and two blasters. The solid frame and sturdy wide tyres provide a smooth, fast, high-grip ride that keeps kids ready for action!

“Join in the fun with the YouTube sensation and new licence Kindi Kids!’’

tnp.media 08/12/2020 15:04

S N O E RID

01626 835400

9URRP 7R\ZRUOG $' %0: LQGG

sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk

www.wiltonbradley.co.uk

INFO

KEY ACTIONS: SUPPLIERS

Consumer Goods Let’s get going

Consumer Goods companies are being urged to get going on key actions as the UK counts down to its new trading relationship with the EU after 31 December.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is holding a new series of webinars to help businesses understand the important actions they need to take to be ready by the end of the transition period.

Webinars are free and, depending on the topic being covered, take between 45-90 minutes. They will cover issues including conformity assessment and tariffs and rules of origin.

Here are the top three actions consumer goods companies need to take to be ready for 1 January 2021: 1. Check if Import VAT is due at the border Your business could face delays, disruption or administrative costs if you do not comply with new customs procedures from 1 January 2021.

Find out more about changes to VAT: www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-vat-treatment-ofoverseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021

2. Use GOV.UK to identify changes affecting manufactured goods, such as new marking requirements or approvals needed, to ensure your business is ready to sell them in the UK and EU. You may not be able to sell your goods in the UK and the EU if you do not comply with the relevant goods regulations and standards from 1 January 2021.

Different web pages can give you further information, depending on the area your business operates in: • Placing manufactured goods on the GB market from 1 January 2021: www.gov.uk/guidance/placing-manufactured-goodson-the-market-in-great-britain-from-1-january-2021

• Placing manufactured goods on the EU market from 1 January 2021: www.gov.uk/guidance/placing-manufactured-goodson-the-eu-market-from-1-january-2021

• Moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol: www.gov.uk/government/publications/moving-goods-under-the-northernireland-protocol

3. Get ready to make customs declarations Import and export declarations are complicated, requiring specialist skill, knowledge and IT. If you are not able to make declarations or provide the wrong information, your business could face delays, disruption or administrative costs.

Find out more about appointing customs declarations specialists: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ moving-goods-under-the-northern-ireland-protocol

Further information To register for upcoming webinars, or to watch previous sector-specific webinars on demand, visit bit.ly/UKTwebinar Speak with your lawyer and accountant for more information, or visit the www.gov.uk/transition checker tool for tailored business information and to sign up for email updates.

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Dept Trade.indd 1

This article was supplied by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

tnp.media 09/12/2020 12:50

PRODUCT LAUNCHER Get the results you are looking for in January 2021 with the TNP PRODUCT LAUNCHER PRODUCT LAUNCHER

With Toy Fair cancelled how are you going to promote your 2021 ranges?

TNP has the answer; with the TNP PRODUCT LAUNCHER LAUNCHER! Traditional previews are there to help retailers plan who they are going to see at the exhibitions. With no shows a traditional style preview will not cut it!

TNP PRODUCT LAUNCHER effectively is the show, which is why we want it to be as useful and convenient for buyers and retailers so they can quickly and easily find what and who they are looking for.

TNP PRODUCT LAUNCHER will be split by category, every full page advertiser will automaticaly get a full page of editorial facing their advertisement with further options for those that really want to take advantage of this format with special rates offering REAL value.

ONLINE DIRECTORY In addition launching in January is the TNP Online Directory. This is a full Directory featured directory allowing you to upload your own content as the year goes on and the best part is we are offering this completely free of charge to all full page advertisers for Q1!

For more information contact Athee Waran on 07581 336952 or email him at athee@lemapublishing. co.uk

Dept Trade.indd 2

09/12/2020 12:57

INFO

KEY ACTIONS: RETAILERS

Retail Let’s get going

Retail companies are being urged to get going on key actions as the UK counts down to its new trading relationship with the EU after 31 December.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is holding a further series of webinars to help businesses understand the important actions they need to take to be ready by the end of the transition period.

Webinars are free and, depending on the topic being covered, take between 45-90 minutes.

They will cover issues including personal conformity assessment, data and tariffs and rules of origin.

Here are the top three actions retail companies need to be taking to be ready for 1 January 2021: 1. Use GOV.UK to identify changes affecting manufactured goods, such as new marking requirements or approvals needed, to ensure your business is ready to sell them in the UK and EU. You may not be able to sell your goods in the UK and the EU if you do not comply with the relevant

80

Dept Trade.indd 3

goods regulations and standards from 1 January 2021.

Different web pages can give you further information, depending on the area your business operates in: • Placing manufactured goods on the GB market from 1 January 2021:

www.gov.uk/guidance/placingmanufactured-goods-on-themarket-in-great-britain-from-1january-2021

• Placing manufactured goods on the EU market from 1 January 2021: www.gov.uk/guidance/placingmanufactured-goods-on-the-eumarket-from-1-january-2021

• Moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol:

www.gov.uk/government/ publications/moving-goods-underthe-northern-ireland-protocol

2. Check if Import VAT is due at the border Your business could face delays, disruption or administrative costs if you do not comply with new customs procedures from 1 January 2021.

Find out more about changes to VAT. www.gov.uk/government/ publications/changes-to-vattreatment-of-overseas-goods-soldto-customers-from-1-january-2021

3. Get ready to make customs declarations Import and export declarations are complicated, requiring specialist skill, knowledge and IT. If you are not able to make declarations or provide the wrong information, your business could face delays, disruption or administrative costs.

Find out more about appointing customs declarations specialists: www.gov.uk/guidance/appointsomeone-to-deal-with-customs-on-your-behalf

Further information To register for upcoming webinars, or to watch previous sector-specific webinars on demand, visit bit.ly/UKTwebinar Speak with your lawyer and accountant for more information, or visit the www.gov.uk/ transition checker tool for tailored business information and to sign up for email updates.

This article was supplied by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

tnp.media 09/12/2020 12:50

NEW

Playhouse:

Mucky Mud Kitchen & Marvellous Mud Bradley introduces a selection Kitchen Wilton of new Playhouse Kitchens to their ToyrificÂŽ brand.

Wilton Bradley 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com

The Playhouse sub-brand introduces a collection of interactive toys imitating every-day items used by grown-ups. The awardwinning Playhouse Marvellous Mud Kitchen will provide hours of exciting fun for all kids who love mucking around in the garden, especially playing in the mud. This high quality, ready varnished, solid FSC Canadian Hemlock wood play kitchen will last for years and is ideal for year-round fun in the garden.

Pretend play is a brilliant way for children to develop their creativity and imagination, while having masses of fun.

Just add some water to the fitted sink and mix up some mud for some fabulous pretend cooking fun with the added excitement of mud.

This set includes 3 stainless steel pans for cooking up a variety of mud pies using the 2 stainless steel utensils.

There is a preparation area at the side and storage tray above and below the sink, providing plenty of space for storing all your ingredients and utensils.

2020 Untitled-3 1

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TNP

LOOKS BACK

Step back in time TnP founder Malcolm Naish takes a look back through time to reflect on industry goings on in November 2010, 2000, 1990 and 1982

November 2010 •

Olympia toy fair was sold out with an increase of 18% compared to the previous year. There were worries concerning the Chinese currency as their government had recently announced that the minimum wage would be increased by a guaranteed 20% for each of the next five years and had also introduced a ‘right to strike’ measure.

•

Bandai announce that Rob Todhunter was named ‘Agent of the Year’ for 2010 at the company’s annual sales conference.

•

Some toy suppliers are getting very irate over the subject of ‘returns’ charges. Certain customers are allegedly charging up to £50 for returning a faulty product to a supplier, in addition to the cost of the toy. We accept that damages sometimes occur, particularly given the nature of our end consumer, but is this sort of charge reasonable?

November 2000 •

The BTHA’s first ‘Total Fun’ consumer show at Earls Court 2 is a huge success. Packed stands with loads of kids and parents getting first-hand experience of all that was good in toys in the build up to Christmas.

•

Sadly, the show only lasted for a few years, but what a brave attempt by the BTHA to showcase toys to the end consumer.

•

Amanda Root who had left Woolies at the end of July to start work with an on-line retailer is left high and dry when the company she was due to join failed to raise sufficient funds to launch. Amanda’s answer was to set up her own consultancy to help toy companies requiring her areas of expertise such as own brand selecting, product sourcing and product design.

•

In 1999 Wal-Mart notched up a 17.4% market share in the USA. Even more interesting was the fact that e-tailers came in at 2.9% only 4% lower than American department stores.

Evidently, 43% of American households now owned a computer – as we say ‘the rest is history’.

due to the shortage of the genuine article which prompted Georgie Pound – a famous clearance specialist – to comment to Bandai “Received your trade letter regarding counterfeit Turtle figures. We would like to know what a real Turtle figure looks like as I’ve never seen one to compare with a counterfeit.

•

Our W.H. Smith’s ‘top 40’ games chart is headed up by Pictionary (Tonka), second T.P. Genus (Tonka), third Space Crusade (M.B. Games) , 4th Rubik Triamid (Universal) and 5th Scrabble (Spears).

•

Terry Venables the then manager of Tottenham had launched a new family board game – The Manager. Terry Venables went on to manage the England team with mixed results, which probably also applied to his game The Manager.

•

I wonder how it would fair in 2021 with maybe Jose Mourinho?

November 1982 •

Back in 1982 it always seemed to me that the National press would ear-mark this period of time just before Christmas to run a toy-related news story and so in November 1982, it was the dear old golliwog that came in for a bit of a bad publicity.

•

Many right-minded people would probably say “about bloody time!” and of course they were duly axed as a traditional toy product.

•

My point at the time was that the national press would always run to Hamleys or Harrods to obtain their stories and my point was why not ask less well known toy retailers what their opinions might be

•

I also publish a pull-out supplement on the growth of TV games and cartridges where they are making huge inroads into the American toy trade and I am urging British toy retailers to leap on the bandwagon and not leave all of this lovely potential in the hands of other retail outlets. I make the point that to really succeed the retailer must stock an extensive range of games cartridges, which perhaps in hindsight was a problem for the average toy retailer.

•

Who remembers these brands, Atari, Action GT with Philip’s version, Parker video games, Mattel Intellivision, CGL and Imagic distributed by Hales.

•

Kiddicraft celebrate their 50th anniversary. Set up in 1932

by Hilary Page with just £100 the company’s pre-school toy ranges had certainly stood the test of time with quite a few of their early designs still manufactured today.

November 1990 •

Ravensburger set up their own U.K. company by acquiring U.K. games company Michael Stanfield Ltd.

•

Another toy company in the news is Bandai. They are enjoying unprecedented success with their ‘Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles’. Their M.D. Stephen Green tells me that he is having a hell of a problem in attempting to scrupulously distributed product to all sections of the trade – WELL AT LEAST HE TRIED!

•

Evidently, there were counterfeit Teenage Ninja Turtles about

Step back in Time.indd 1

09/12/2020 14:08

CONSUMER

INSIGHT

What do UK children want for Christmas this tear?

T

he purchasing of toys and fight between Playstation 5 and the games this year - and indeed Xbox Series X? Currently, 25% of UK purchasing in general kids state their favourite console is has seen a massive shift the Playstation 4, with the Xbox One to online, in fact it has seen a 37% battling for the top spot - at present increase worldwide in 2020, with it comes in at a close second place at almost 7 million kids 21%. So, this could be an in the UK now buying indication for Christmas online. These online console sales. While Between sales look set to February and April Nintendo are the oldest save the traditional incumbent member of the this year, Science / console market, the Switch Christmas shopping, STEM toys which is good isn’t in direct competition news. However, for with Sony and Microsoft. witnessed an brands and retailers, The exclusive catalogue increase of 53% this could impact of games, in addition to where they will the lack of support for need to place their triple A titles, means that advertisements in the run up to the it is a very different offering which holidays, and may require updates to appeals to a different audience. In their online shopping experiences. total, 18% of 8-12 year olds in the Online advertising - within the UK say the Nintendo Switch is their gaming world in particular - has favourite console, so expect the new seen a huge surge in the last couple Switch Lite console to be high on the of years. Content creation gaming Christmas wish list, too. has become a bigger part of kids’ Property wise Iron Man tips the ecosystems, therefore, this has top of the list - with 4% of UK teens become a common way for brands to citing as their favourite character engage with kids, and it is proofing over the last 12 months - as we head successful, too. For this reason, Kids towards the holidays, closely followed Insights began building a media

by Spiderman. While among 3-7s planning tool six months ago, which LEGO has grown in popularity over is set for release this quarter. the last 12 months in the UK, with 8% The big gaming question ahead of of kids stating it’s the toy they’d like Christmas 2020 is, who will win the to own. This represents an increase

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Kids Insights, the global leader in kids’ market intelligence, survey more than 5,000 children every week, across 5 continents and 11 countries, and more than 270,000 children a year. To download a complimentary Kids Insights report & get access to the demo version of the award-winning portal, visit http://kidsinsights.com/ toysnplaythings

of 65%, the highest gain of any in the top 10 for this demographic. With a vast array of products and characters available under the LEGO umbrella, the brand seeks to serve a significant portion of the toys market, and it’s expected that these products will be purchased for kids in abundance this holiday season.

A new stocking filler predicted to make its debut this year is the face mask, with 4% of UK teens thinking masks will be the next big thing.

Whether they’re high fashion luxuries or branded novelties, if manufacturers are quick to react to the demand of their audience with this new product line, it could result in additional and unexpected revenue.

Toys that have seen an increase in popularity include edutainment toys.

Between February and April this year, Science / STEM toys witnessed an increase of 53% when 3-9 year-olds were asked about their favourite toys.

Voice activation toys and devices also look set to be big this festive season.

Toys and games manufacturers have already started to incorporate AI voice assistants into their products.

The most popular games for kids tend to be virtual, particularly those which feature content creation abilities.

Roblox remains a firm favourite with 20% of 6-9s using the game, and 29% of this demographic want to learn to code, increasing to 31% among Roblox users.

In a year of change, it is imperative that toys and games manufacturers are knowledgeable about their advertising, content, licensing, marketing, product and sales strategies, and Kids Insights is here to help in that department.

To download the inaugural Trends Across the Planet report which identifies some of the key trends in the kids, tweens and teens marketplace please visit: www.kidsinsights.com/ toysandplaythings

In what has been an unusual year to put it mildly we look at what kids will be looking for this Christmas and which brands are proving most popular

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