Toys n Playthings June 2014

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

2014 June No.9 3 Vol. 3

CREATIVITY IS JUST CONNECTING THINGS. STEVE JOBS (ENTREPRENEUR)

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

CONTENTS Regular 2014 June No.9 3 Vol. 3

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Leader with Mirella Cestaro

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News – what’s the latest?

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Quick Coffee Break with Lauren Hayward, Group Brand Manager, Posh Paws

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People News – checking in on the movers and shakers

TEAM TnP 11

Exhibition News – the latest on global fairs and shows

Group Editor

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Movie News – we give you the hottest updates

Mirella Cestaro mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Media Charts – the latest kids TV viewing figures and toy TV advertising spend

Editor

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

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Toy Talk – the retailers have their say

57

Trade Talk – we give suppliers the chance to talk business

89

Licensing News – the hottest news from the toy licensing industry

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

Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Sales Manager Ian MacFarlaine ian@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

P19

Features 24

Construction – we delve into the industry’s range of construction sets to find out what’s hot

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Feeling arty! – the Arts and Crafts sector is examined

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Girls Collectables – getting to grips with collectability

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Role Play – using your imagination has never been so much fun!

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director

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Special Report 19

Cover Story – Mattel’s Hot Wheels take center stage in this month’s TnP. Read all about it!

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Feel the roarsome power of Character’s Teksta

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Being iconic! Icon Live talk TnP through their exciting new range of licensed products

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Retail Interview – TnP sat down with Andrea Gornall, Toy Buyer at online retailer Shop Direct, to talk about toy buying for the tech savvy market

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Columnists Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

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

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The Media Whisperer – media expert Clive Crouch takes a look at advertising

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Shop Talk – columnist John Ryan gives us the latest lowdown from the high street

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The Independent and Secret Supplier – the toy trade’s most vocal columnists talk customer service

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TnP Ambassadors – Our tester families try out some fun toys!

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Licensing Opinion – LIMA’s Kelvyn Gardner talks about the appeal of collectables

P57

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

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

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If you want to reach 5,195* total average net circulation, then call Ryan Horwood on 01442 289945 or email ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk *. Circulation figure relates to period from 1st July 2012 to 30th June 2013

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LEADER

F

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

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

PUBLISHING

At the heart of retail Also published by Lema Publishing

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Featuring FRAMING BUSINESS

or many of us, visiting the Toymaster Harrogate show has been one of the highlights of the toy trade year and 2014 was no exception.

From their golf day on the Monday, through to the final day on the Thursday of that week, not only did the sun shine, but a positive attitude seemed to be the order of the day.

To date, 2014 hasn’t been that fantastic at retail.

Agents, those foretellers of doom and gloom, all having to put up with declining numbers of bricks and mortar retailers were all telling me how tough business was.

In their 25th year, Toymaster tell me that visitor numbers were very similar to last year – not bad when you consider how tight business is, but orders were certainly being placed.

Our congratulations to those retailers pictured in our report who have been with the Toymaster group for 25 years. (See pages 72 – 75 for our Toymaster review!)

It is always great to witness a ‘Golden Teddy’ award. Given to those unsung heroes of our industry, who quietly get on with their business and are the backbone of the toy trade. Be they buyers, suppliers, agents or licensing people they are always thoroughly nice people.

So on the Tuesday evening of the show, Toymaster’s M.D. Roger Dyson said of this double award: “Tonight the recipients fit the bill to a tee, tonight is something of a first as it is a shared award.

They have worked in the industry for over 40 years each and are a fine example of the very best we have to offer in the Toy Industry, they are two of the nicest, most honest and hardworking people you could wish to meet and have made their company what it is today. For me what makes them so special is for them it is people and relationships that hold the highest value.”

Roger was referring to Mandy and Nick Harrison – owners of Brookite.

Shows are great places to hear the latest gossip. Gary Wilmot has left Schleich to join Character Group, leaving a vacancy that will be most interesting bearing in mind Schleich’s recent acquisition in Germany by private investment company Ardian.

We also have a reminder to toy industry golfers that our 6th Goring & Streatley golf day will be held on 24 June. As we go to press we have 40+ confirmed players and will be happy to see more of you at this beautiful golf course. Give Malcolm Naish a call on 01442 289930 or email malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk for full details.

But now back to the business of this month’s magazine, we’ve got some great reads lined-up for you.

Our cover story is given over to the mighty Mattel who have focused in on their Hot Wheels property. Hot Wheels, even if we say so ourselves, really is scorching! Currently leading the vehicles category as the

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

number one brand within the Super Vehicles and Mirella Mini Vehicles categories Cestaro according to January 2014’s NPD data, Mattel lets us in on their plans for the property, which includes a Hot Wheels Roadshow which kicks off on the 30th July and visits five shopping centres in Essex, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow. Turn to page 19 for more. We’ve also sat down with Character Options Jerry Healy to find out more about their plans for Teksta. It is fair to say that Teksta has taken the retail market by storm and it is interesting to see how major toy companies like Character push and drive their brands forward. I suppose that is what makes them the powerhouse they are! Turn to page 20 to see what is in the pipeline for Teksta.

Another interesting read is on page 70. We spoke with Icon Live’s Licensing Director, Warren Traeger – and guess who has Frozen products coming onto the market! Warren tells us that the stock is there on a first come first serve basis so buyers need to pick up the phone and fast! Luckily for you, we’ve got Icon Live’s contact details! Our feature categories this month are Construction (page 24), Arts and Crafts (page 42), Girls Collectibles (page 58) and Role Play (page 76). Before we sign off, we’d like to give a nod to all of the independent retailers we met at Toymaster. It was good to chat to you and make sure you pick up the phone to let us know how you are getting on! Contact our editor Mairead (mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk) and writer Rhys (rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk) if you ever fancy a chin-wag.

This is our last call for readers to consider donating to the Toy Trust Bike Ride taking place on the Isle of Wight Saturday the 7th June. 250 superfit heroes from all sides of the industry are taking part (see page 6) for what is a most worthwhile cause – Whizz-Kidz, the UK’s leading children’s mobility charity. Toys ‘n’ Playthings is playing its part along with John Harper who is taking part in the Bike Ride. John has very kindly waived his fee for a series of articles he is writing for us and suggested we add the £1,000 to his Toy Trust account. It is the Toy Trust’s main fund-raising event of the year and they are well on the way to beating last year’s fantastic £150,000. The following online rather long address is the one to use when donating. http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/ displayEventDetails.action?eventId=16275&charityId =1000802&invocation=evt0050

Loyal Toymaster retailers celebrate 25 years!

NEWS Helping Rubik’s Cube celebrate the big FOUR-O

Toy State acquires Nikko Toy State has acquired Nikko and Nikko Entertainment BV by acquiring the operations of its Japan and Hong Kong offices. The move will extend Toy State’s global reach, creating new offices in Amsterdam and Japan, as well as expanding its current Hong Kong headquarters.

“Over the last 30 years, we have grown Toy State into a global player through a relentless focus on quality and innovation,” said Simon Cheng, Toy State’s CEO and founder.

“Nikko’s own long history of quality and innovation make it a compelling fit to join the Toy State family. This acquisition is a powerful move for Toy State, because it gives us more critical mass in the key global RC category, and strengthens our already strong retail position.”

Anyone who uses Google will have spotted the Rubik’s Cube taking centre stage on their homepage earlier this month. And rightly so because Rubik’s Cube is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year!

The John Adams Rubik’s Cube collection has evolved since the company acquired the UK distribution rights in 2011 and now includes the new Rubik’s Void and family favourite Rubik’s Race - the No. 1 in the Family Games Category (The NPD Group FY 2013) - alongside the classic 3 x 3 cube.

John Adams’ PR and Marketing initiatives to support the anniversary in the UK kicked off with an exclusive feature in The Sun newspaper and The Sun online recently with further activity scheduled to run across 2014.

The Rubik’s Cube’s success continues, holding the position of the UK’s No.1 Brainteaser Game (The NPD Group). “The Rubik’s Cube continues to fascinate every new generation. 40 years on from its inception, the Rubik’s Cube is still hugely popular,” said Mike Townend, CEO of Rubik’s Brand.

LEARNING RESOURCES CELEBRATE IN STYLE! As we reported in last month’s TnP, Learning Resources celebrated a very big birthday recently. The company turned 20 and naturally enough, they celebrated with a party! The team have kindly sent us pictorial evidence of the event and it looks like a great shindig.

Guest of honour at the event held in the company’s hometown of King’s Lynn on 1 May was Rick Woldenberg, chairman

Celebrating 20 years of Learning Resources

of Learning Resources’ parent company in the USA. Employees past and present attended the event, hosted by Learning Resources MD Dennis Blackmore.

Toy Trust Isle of Wight Bike Ride – 7th June 2014 The Toy Trust joins Twitter!

The toy industry’s charity, The Toy Trust, has launched its own Twitter account, @TheToyTrust.

The Trust will use Twitter as a tool for engaging with participants before, during and after charity events.

Follow them @TheToyTrust, and use the hashtag #ToyTrustIOW2014 to keep up to date with the forthcoming Toy Trust Isle of Wight Big Challenge, which takes place on 7 June.

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This event is a major fund raiser for the BTHA. 250 riders will be taking part from across all sectors of the toy trade. This is definitely not for the faint hearted and the quota of riders was completed very early on. It is not too late for anyone reading this to donate to the Toy Trust and we remind readers what lies in store for our intrepid 250 riders.

The event features a round the Island 80 mile bike ride, 12.5 mile run plus a 12.5 mile walk and biathlon that will see these superathletic riders take on 80 mile

John Harper

bike ride and 12.5 mile run all in the same day Whizz-Kidz, the U.K.’s leading children’s mobility charity will be the beneficiaries of this year’s bike ride.

The event will use the hashtag ToyTrustIOW2014 and the BTHA are encouraging everyone involved in the event and all supporters to use tat on the day. Both riders and supporters please feel free to share your progress, photos and experiences of the event with the Toy Trust Twitter handle #TheToyTrust.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

And the winner is!

Mattel and HIT Entertainment launched their inaugural Licensing Awards recently and honoured a number of their licensee partners.

Presented at the event in London, the awards recognise the expertise, dedication and achievement of UK licensing partners across all Consumer Products categories over the last 12 months.

The winners were: • Most Innovative Product of the Year – Carlton Books for Thomas • Product Range of the Year – Blues Clothing for Monster High • Overall Product of the Year – IMC for Max Steel • Newcomer of the Year – West End for Barbie • Licensee of the Year – MV Sports Maria Maranesi, VP Consumer Products at Mattel said “We wanted to recognise and reward our partners for their development of product and continued commitment to growing ranges in partnership. It seemed fitting to celebrate their dedication to our properties over the past 12 months in this way. We are looking forward to more celebrations with our partners in all our key territories over the next coming months.”

Traditional Garden Games unveils new display solutions With summer on its way, families s will all be looking to get out o into the garden or hit the beach for some fun in the sun.

Traditional Garden Games’ range of classic G family favourites - including rounders, family fami croquet and quoits - are perfect for an afternoon of games, and now the th company has revealed a new selection of handy POS bins. se The new POS displays allows the game sets to be neatly showcased ga in store and make them stand out with wi some great visuals. With this new ne display solution, it’s easy to stock sto the game sets and will look superb on the shop floor. su To T find out more about the new display options, contact sales@ dis traditionalgardengames.co.uk. traditio

New appointment at Toy Essentials Toy Essentials has appointed Andy Roberts as a Sales Agent, adding to its rapidly expanding sales force.

Andy will represent the Toy Essentials portfolio, which comprises educationally orientated product lines such as DuneCraft, Popar, Hoberman, Plastwood and Learning Journey, across the South West of the UK. Sandra Cambridge, Business Director at Toy Essentials commented: “We are delighted to have Andy on board as our latest sales agent and look forward to working with him to expand our portfolio.”

Schleich acquired by Ardian News broke at the Toymaster May show that Schleich has been acquired by French firm Ardian.

The independent private investment company announced Schleich’s acquisition from the European private equity investor HgCapital.

As part of the deal Schleich’s management has acquired a stake in the company and the deal is believed to be worth in the region of 220m euro.

Dr Thomas van Kaldenkerken, CEO of Schleich said: “Since the beginning of 2013, we have not only managed the turnaround of our existing core business but have also set the course for further significant growth, which is already producing strong results.”

That’s fencing!

The Fence Club started off May in jovial fashion with a gathering. Donning their best black tie ensembles the toy industry’s main men gathered at the famous rowing club, Leander Club, in Henley-on-Thames on Wednesday (6 May) for an evening of fine dining.

Guest of honour for the evening was World Rowing Championship winner and Olympic Medalist Tom Ransley who also addressed the crowd on his trials and triumphs as one of the world’s best rowers.

Welsh comedian Rod Woodward was also on hand to entertain the masses and went down a storm!

We’re told everyone was in high spirits, optimistic and confident as we go into the second half of the year.

Ian Dayus, Tom Ramsley, Colin Lisle and Joe Kissane

JUNE 2014

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NEWS

Surrey will play host to toy trade for AGM The BTHA’s AGM and Toy Industry Day will take place on Wednesday 25 June. The Great Fosters Hotel in Egham, Surrey plays host to the event.

The day will start with the BTHA AGM and is free to attend for BTHA members who only want to go to the AGM. The Industry Day itself will begin at 10am and will feature presentations from Tony Stockil, CEO at Javelin Group, Europe’s leading consultancy in ecommerce and multi-channel retail. Delegates will also have the opportunity to hear from Dr Aric Sigman, a leading psychologist who will speak on the relevance of toys in a digital age. The morning’s presentations will end with a presentation from Phil Hesketh, a motivational speaker specialising in the Psychology of Persuasion & Influence.

The Industry Day will conclude with a drinks reception where guests can enjoy a chance to network with industry colleagues.

This is then followed by a threecourse lunch in Great Fosters’s atmospheric Tithe Barn.

DKL announce new range and new agent!

It has been a busy month for the DKL team as they announced a new range and the appointment of a new Scottish agent.

DKL is now the exclusive distributor of the Scentco Range, scented pens and pencils made from 100% recycled newspapers, throughout the UK and Ireland.

The re-launch of Scentco under DKL will take place in August with new packaging and design to keep the brand fresh.

David Allan, Sales and Marketing Director at DKL said: “Scentco is a great range... It is really exciting working on launch plans for August as we have already seen great interest in the product.”

Karen Muircroft has been appointed as new exclusive Scottish agent. She will be selling all of DKL’s ranges.

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Moshi app reaches 1.5m downloads Mind Candy’s chart topping Moshi Monsters Village app has been downloaded over 1.5 million times worldwide, the company announced recently.

To coincide with the success of the game, players will be able to add new character Mr Moshi, based on Mind Candy founder Michael Acton Smith, in-game for special quests.

Since Moshi Monsters Village’s global launch in February this year, the app has been hugely successful. As well as over 1.5 million downloads, over 10 million Moshlings have been rescued in-game and over 12 million game missions have been played globally by users.

Mind Candy will continue to offer content updates to the game.

Epoch go totally TV Epoch making toys ltd are targeting their fans through the medium of TV! In a bid to attract a new generation of UK fans to its classic collectable brand Sylvanian Families, Epoch ran a very successful TV campaign which aired on 10 May and ran until 1 June.

The Sylvanian Family advert showcased the new Cosy Cottage starter home and the new connectability feature. The new home comes with furniture and Freya, the Chocolate Rabbit Girl, who is the main character in the Sylvanian World, making it an ideal set for beginners.

EPOCH making toys’ key objective is to recruit new consumers by at least 20% year on year to the brands.

By highlighting key starter products such as this in the advertising campaign they will attract and receive new players. The adverts aim is to reintroduce the world of Sylvanian Families and will highlight the key concepts of the brand.

Famosa committed to diversity Famosa showed it is committed to diversity last month when it supported the World Diversity awareness campaign. With a focus on different cultures, races, and backgrounds of children in customs, languages lang countries, the campaign encourages, and different cou educates kids about, encourages respect and values for each culture on a global scale.

Famosa says it has been mirroring this with multicultural and ethnic dolls, such as black skinned or Asian race Nenuco dolls or Nancy Annabell, from Latin America.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

COFFEE BREAK

A whizz of an idea The team at GP Flair are proving they are just as good at giving as they are at toys. They have created a list of fundraising projects and aim to raise in excess of £7,000 before the Toy Trust Charity Challenge event takes place on 7 June.

The chosen charity this year, which all funds will be donated to, is Whizz-Kidz. GP Flair hopes to raise enough money to provide Whizz-Kidz with some brand new wheelchairs and mobility equipment that will help disabled children in the UK lead fun and active childhoods.

So far almost £3,000 has been raised from creative activities which have included: a traditional Jamaican Curry Day, Charity Boxercise, in-house lotteries and a pub quiz, with plenty more to come!

To sponsor GP Flair’s team in the annual Toy Trust bike ride, visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/ team/FlairIOW2014

Sarah|& Duck

What are Posh Paws hoping to achieve professionally in the next year?

We had an incredibly successful 2013 and are set to achieve even more this year. On the back of our huge distribution channels we have been able to establish ourselves in other categories. While keeping plush our core, we’ve been able to develop and see success in pocket money items and school bags. We hope to continue to develop these categories and work with new licenses to bring something new to market.

Moshi makes a splash with h Sea Life!

The launch of Moshi Series 10, available now, sees 16 new characters to collect including Lubber the whimsical whale!

Each foil bag contains two Moshi shi Monster Collectible Figurines with more in the Collector Pack, both th at pocket money prices.

To build excitement, Vivid has as partnered with Sea Life centres s in the UK. With the purchase off any Series 10 Pack, consumers are eligible to receive free entry into Sea Life Centres across the UK (until 31 March 15), and enables a child the chance to win from a host of Sea Life prizes. Sea Life will be featuring Vivid’s Moshi Series 10 products throughout all their above the line advertising this summer.

D Dinsey Princess

A beary good deal Simba Dickie has signed on as master toy licensee for the Russian animation Masha and the Bear. Licensing agent Ink released details of the European wide deal in which Simba Dickie is set to develop a huge range that includes plush, construction, wooden toys, summer toys, wheeled toys and arts and crafts. The new deal covers much of Europe and the UK, with product set to launch from Q1 2015.

Ink is looking to replicate the brand’s success in the Russian market, where over 100 partners are in place generating 1000+ individual SKUs across many consumer product categories.

JUNE 2014

Lauren Hayward, Group Brand Manager at Posh Paws has a coffee break with TnP and tells us about Posh Paws’ plans for the future

Doc McStuffins

Posh Paws work with a fantastic array of licenses, tell us about some of them.

We have the UK and Ireland license for Disney Plush and are able to bring some great product from classic TV shows and hit movies to the market.

It goes without saying that there is always new content from Disney which means that characters like Doc McStuffins, Disney Princess and Winnie the Pooh continue to do well for retailers. We also hold the plush license for CBeebies’ Sarah & Duck property which is an adorable duo and perfect for pre-schoolers. A more recent addition to our licensed portfolio is our Despicable Me 2 bag license which has allowed us to bringt a great range of backpacks, messenger bags and trolley bags to the market with some exciting new design in pipeline for 2015/16. We have lots of things in the pipeline for 2015 and 2016 – so watch this space!

What are your top three hero products at the moment?

Well I think it would hard to be a Disney licensee without mentioning the word Frozen as our hero product for 2015. Our Olaf and Sven plush product flew off the shelves and A/W listings of the new Frozen Anna and Elsa plush dolls looks to be a sell out. Palace Pets is also shaping up to be another best-seller, just like Doc McStuffins which continues to do extremely well. We’re also starting to see fantastic initial results for our Despicable Me backpacks and hope to see this continue during the back to school retail period.

What has been your highlight of 2014 so far?

We’ve achieved 20% growth so far, which has been fantastic, and that’s included some great new distribution in fashion retailers. We’ve also received some really positive feedback on our properties so far and with lots of new product in development we’re looking forward to showcasing them to retailers for SS15/AW15 selections.

Palac Pets 9

PEOPLE

NEWS

Leaping forward with new team members LeapFrog has welcomed two new members to its UK marketing team - Emily Brown, Product Manager UK, EMEA & Australasia and Gail Fisher, Content and Licensing Manager UK, EMEA & Australasia. Gemma Lewington has also been promoted to Retail Marketing Manager UK, EMEA & Australasia.

All three will play a key role in continuing to build the brand’s success in the UK and International markets which will see the company further grow its market share and develop on-going innovations. Emily Brown joins from Fox’s Biscuits and will oversee product development and marketing for LeapFrog’s award-winning learning toy and reading categories, including television, online and an extensive PR programme.

Gail Fisher joins from Prima Toys Disney Interactive Studios division to manage LeapFrog’s licensing partnerships to deliver interactive and educational content across LeapFrog’s product portfolio, from the LeapPad family to LeapReader. Gemma Lewington has recently been promoted to oversee all retail communication from in-store to online. She will be responsible for creating a first class experience for consumers across all product categories, including demonstration units, catalogue content and brand pages on retail websites for UK and international markets.

US TIA President and CEO to retire from role Carter Keithley has announced that he will retire as President & CEO of the US Toy Industry Association, effective April 30, 2015, after nearly a decade of leadership with the trade organisation. Carter announced his retirement at the TIA Board of Directors meeting held on 8 May. “My years as chief executive of the Toy Industry Association were the highlight of my 40-year career as an association executive,” said Carter.

“My only regret is that I did not come to TIA as a younger man able to sustain the pace and workload for a longer time. As I enter my seventieth year of life, it is time for me to pass the baton to someone with fresh energy, vision and ambition, so that TIA can continue to serve its members and support the growth and health of the toy industry.”

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Twice as nice at Learning Resources Investment in two new team members at toy specialist Learning Resources sees the company further consolidate its position as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of high quality educational toys and learning aids.

Peter Ward and Joanne Moore, a former teacher, join the company as it celebrates 20 years of success in the UK, boosting staff numbers to 30.

The strategic appointments are designed to reinforce the company’s leading position in education markets and to drive expansion in new consumer channels.

Dennis Blackmore, Managing Director, Learning Resources Limited, says: “These two

strategic appointments have been carefully aligned to complement our business objectives and we are delighted to welcome Peter and Joanne to our close-knit team.

“Peter is a sales stalwart of the toy industry, having previously worked with well-known brands Brio and Marbel so his contacts in the retail sector are second to none. Joanne’s background in education brings extensive inside knowledge and understanding of how teachers and schools operate - as well as how children play in school - which we will leverage in our sales and marketing strategy.”

Take me to the East Coast East Coast Nursery have announced the appointment of Angela Jablonski as Account Development Manager. Angela brings plenty of experience to the role having previously worked as a Development Manager in the Pharmaceutical Industry. In her new role Angela will be expanding and maintaining relationships with new and existing clients to enhance sales and increase brand awareness. Angela comments: “I am very happy to have joined the East Coast team and everyone has made me feel very welcome. I have so much to learn within this industry with me being new to it, but with my past experience as an Account Development Manager and working close with the team I have no doubt that there are exciting times ahead.

I’m truly going to enjoy working with East Coast and I feel very confident in selling their amazing, good quality products.”

To the power of two Bandai has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of two new members of staff at its Southampton office. Karl Young will be working with Amy Allbon. As Sales Managers they will be responsible for the development of all major accounts. Gareth Warne joins the team from L’Oreal in the newly created position of Key Account Manager and will focus on new business opportunities across Bandai’s brand portfolio.

Pictured: Karl Young, Sales Manager, Amy Allbon, Sales Manager and Gareth Warne, Key Account Manager

toysnplaythings.co.uk

EXHIBITION

NEWS

BLE is now open!

When your year is peppered with trade shows it just seems to fly by!

But such is the nature of the business. With that in mind, registration for BLE 2014 opened recently. The show takes place in London’s Olympia from Tuesday 7 to Thursday 9 October and last year was it’s biggest ever. Now in its 16th year, BLE 2014 is set to be as special as ever and will once again be divided into three helpful areas – Art, Design and Image, Brands and Lifestyle, and Character and Entertainment. Already a whopping 80% of the floor space has been filled and as with last year, the Licensing Academy will once again run alongside the event. Must attend keynote sessions from leading industry experts will be unveiled throughout the summer so make sure to keep an eye on these pages for more information. Last year the show hosted over 7,000 attendees from 69 countries.

Visit www.brandlicensing.eu to more sure your name is on the list.

Get ready for Kind + Jugend!

You still have a few months left before Kind + Jugend. The specialist baby and toddler show will run in Koelnmesse, Cologne from 11 to 14 September and there is a lot to offer baby specialists! Last year over 20,000 trade visitors from 110 countries visited the show. And for the first time, there were over 1,000 global exhibitors. As with last year, visitors can look forward to exhibitors covering everything from children’s furniture, safety seats, textile goods, prams and pushchairs, hygiene articles and toys to name but a few. The Innovation Awards are also a must-attend where the best products in the industry are honoured.

These awards will be held on the opening morning of the show. By attending the show, you will be one of the first to view the winning products selected. The winners will represent new products that are outstanding in terms of their form, visual appearance, materials used, ease of use and/or technology. To find out more about the show, log onto www.kindundjugend.com

The Entertainer to Reveal its Top 10 Christmas Toy miPR has signed up The Entertainer to exhibit at its Christmas media event – mi-Christmas Open House. The event, which takes place on Thursday 3 July, will exclusively reveal The Entertainer’s Christmas Top 10 toys and games. National media will be invited to a photocall during the morning of the media event to take the first look at the toys The Entertainer predict will top children’s Christmas wish lists this year. Key personnel from The Entertainer will be on hand all day to offer the media with a one-stop shop for everything it needs to know about key Christmas trends. miPR has secured a striking and centrally located home for this year’s event. The miChristmas house is located just off Baker Street and provides an attractive, real life setting for brands to display their key product lines. miChristmas attracts high profile national and consumer media who will use the event to plan their Christmas gift guides, which provide exhibiting brands unparalleled media exposure during the build up to the key Christmas sales period.

Spaces are filling fast so get in touch soon to book your place at the UK’s best Christmas media event!

For more information about exhibiting, please contact Fern Milne on: fern.milne@mi-pr.co.uk or 01494 775250

11.–14.9.2014 Curiosity pays off !

We can certainly learn a lot from our children. Set off on a journey of discovery at the leading international trade fair for the baby and toddler sector, take a long look at the diverse and extraordinary range of products on show, and use this opportunity to secure new and exciting business contacts.

It’s well worth a visit – and we look forward to seeing you there !

www.kindundjugend.com International Business Media Services 42 Christchurch Road | Ringwood | BH24 3JU | United Kingdom | Tel.: +44 1425 486830 | info@koelnmesse.co.uk

JUNE 2014

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MOVIE

NEWS Sneaking into theatres

I’m Batman...

Batman fans around the world have been shining their bat signals in the sky in the hope of new details from the Dark Knight’s next outing. Last month they were in luck. Zack Snyder, director of the forthcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, tweeted a picture showing the first glimpse of Ben Affleck in the iconic bat ears.

Standing next to his trusty Batmobile, Affleck’s Batman is a change of pace from the previous incarnations of the caped crusader, with a more physical Batsuit.

Joining Affleck, Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman from Man of Steel, and Jesse Eisenberg will play Lex Luthor.

Award winning actress joins Max Steel movie Award-winning actress Maria Bello has signed on to the highly anticipated, live-action Max Steel feature film Max Steel, based on the popular superhero property from Mattel and Dolphin Films.

Bello will play Molly McGrath, the resilient single mum to hero Max McGrath.

Maria Bello is an awardwinning actress best known for her powerful turns in The Cooler, Prisoners and Coyote Ugly. She also starred in the critically-acclaimed film “History of Violence” for which she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress and was also nominated for a Golden Globe.

“Maria Bello is a critically acclaimed actress who immediately grounds her role

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and elevates our film,” said Bill O’Dowd, CEO, Dolphin Films.

“She brings the perfect blend of compassion, strength and intrigue to the Molly McGrath character, who is absolutely essential in the Max Steel mythology.”

Julia Pistor, producer at Mattel Playground Productions added: “Welcoming Maria Bello to our cast brings a new dimension of talent that will complement the depth and feel of the Max Steel story. Production is well underway and we are tremendously excited to bring the cast together to create an emotionally charged, action packed performance that will excite audiences around the world.”

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced Ninjago, a new addition to the growing LEGO movie franchise. Based on the company’s popular line of ninja themed construction sets and minfigures, Ninjago will release on 23 September 2016.

The Ninjago brand has already had animated success with Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu (pictured), an animated series on Cartoon Network which followed the exploits of master ninja Sensei Wu and his four young apprentices.

The Ninjago movie will be directed by animation veteran Charlie Bean, and written by Bryan Shukoff and Kevin Chesley. The writer/directors of The LEGO Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will reportedly join the team as producers.

The LEGO Movie 2, the direct sequel to The LEGO Movie, will release 26 May 2017.

The Saga begins...

Filming has begun for Star Wars: Episode VII in a galaxy not so far, far away. The first day of shooting took place on location in Abu Dhabi, and production company Bad Robot tweeted a picture of an ‘Episode VII clapper board along with the hastag #dayone.

Director JJ Abrams also released a special video message from the set, revealing a never before seen creature (pictured). He also announced Star Wars: Force for Change, a new charity initiative from Disney, Lucasfilm and Bad Robot focused on creative solutions to the worlds biggest issues.

New Harry Potter film release date announced The release date for the recently confirmed Harry Potter spin-off series has been announced.

The new trilogy, which is set 70 years before the events of the Harry Potter book series, will kick off with the first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, set for US release 18 November 2016.

J.K. Rowling will write the film, which is her first foray into screenwriting. The film will follow the adventures of ‘magizoologist’ Newt Scamander, a kind of Steve Irwin for magical creatures.

No other details have been announced.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

NEWS

Drawn to the page In conjunction with Activision, IDW Publishing has revealed the first-ever Skylanders comic-book series, penned by renowned comic-book writer Ron Marz with Mike Bowden and David Baldeon as lead artists. In the world of video games and the toys to life category, Skylanders is a global phenomenon. Now fans have the opportunity to follow the adventures of all their favourite characters from Skylanders through the magic of comic books. “We are thrilled to be combining Skylanders, the pioneer of the toys to life video game genre, with IDW, one of the industry’s leading comic-book publishers in the US,” said Ashley Maidy, vice president of global licensing and partnerships at Activision.

Nintendo announces interactive figurine line Nintendo are getting into the toys to life business, the company announced at its annual financial briefing on Thursday 8 May. Pioneered by Activision’s Skylanders series and later Disney’s Disney Infinty, Nintendo is planning a range of toys to life figures that interact with its WiiU and 3DS consoles and games. “We have decided to release character figurines with built-in NFC functionality that are compatible with video games starting from this year-end sales season,” said Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata. Iwata revealed that the figures are currently codenamed NFP, standing for ‘NFC Featured Platform’ and ‘Nintendo Figurine Platform’. “What is especially unique about NFP is that it is not classed as an accessory product of a certain software title but as a platform itself. And it has been designed to be compatible with multiple software titles for Nintendo platforms. Iwata also mentioned additional, potential licensing opportunities for the company’s characters, and hopes to “discuss some of the details before the end of this calendar year.”

Driving the brand forward New for Hot Wheels in 2014 is the launch of Team Hot Wheels Origin of Awesome, a cool new animation with an actionpacked narrative and a brand new Team Hot Wheels featuring four fun and unique characters. The content provides kids with great entertainment whilst driving brand engagement and reinforcing the ‘Go for It’ brand messaging.

The story begins with a mysterious black car which starts transforming the sleepy town of Hilly Woodlands into a wild mess of orange track and outrageous obstacles. Four kids are tasked to stop it before the whole world is overrun with chaos. With the help of an eccentric gearhead scientist named Larry, Gage, Rhett, Wyatt and Brandon get the keys to the fastest, coolest cars of all time. Now they must learn to work together in order to out-race the mystery car and ultimately become Team Hot Wheels!

An extensive marketing programme will support the new content, including placement of the 22 minute episode on top boys websites and parent blogs in spring, as well as being available to watch on Netflix. Activity in autumn includes the launch of an adrenalinefuelled 70 minute DVD release which kids can get their hands on from September.

UK Director of Customer Marketing and Brand Communications, Wendy Hill commented: “Origin of Awesome is a fantastic platform to emotionally engage kids, allowing us to bring the brand to life in a new, fun and contemporary way.”

Lalaloopsy up for Daytime Emmy award MGA Entertainment is celebrating success in the US following the news that its Lalaloopsy animated TV series has been nominated in the prestigious Daytime Emmy Awards.

The Lalaloopsy programme which airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. has been shortlisted within the Achievement in Main Title and Graphic Design category.

The Daytime Emmy Awards honour excellence in all fields of daytime broadcast production. The Awards ceremony has been going for 38 years and it culminates in a televised show that pays tribute to the exceptional work of daytime broadcasting’s elite.

The winners will be announced on 22 June 2014 at a ceremony which is being held at the Beverley Hilton Hotel, in Beverley Hills, CA. Marian Davis, MGA Marketing Manager, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the Lalaloopsy TV series has

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struck such success in the US. Being shortlisted in the Achievement in Main Title and Graphic Design category is a fantastic accomplishment for us, and we feel this further highlights the extraordinary creativity that went into the design work behind the Lalaloopsy brand. Needless to say we have everything crossed for 22 June.”

The excitement certainly doesn’t stop there for fans. May saw two Lalaloopsy movies premier on Nick Jr. 2 in the UK, entitled Search for Pillow and Sew Magical Tale.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

CHARTS 7000

Have video games killed the TV star?

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elcome to the Global Media Report covering the TV market for April 2014.

As mentioned in previous reports we have seen the viewing levels for Boy 4-9 years dropping in a dramatic fashion since the beginning of this year.

However, when we look at April we see that the decrease in viewing levels is slowing down. April as a total is only down by 15%, and we are still seeing a balance of big decreases with some stations and big increases with others. Nicktoons shows a decrease of 45% while Kix shows an increase of 51%, for example.

The Cartoon Network is the only station that is holding its own compared to April 2013. The reason being that on 31 March CNToo came off air and was replaced by Cartoon +1, giving the station a second bite of the cherry, and we tend to see that the +1 stations do very well in holding on to their audience levels.

In the previous report we said we would try and find out why viewing levels for the Boys 4-9 years market have fallen so dramatically. Discussions with various research companies have indicated that boys have switched from TV viewing to playing games with friends on video game consoles and similar devices. It appears that online is playing a big part in this move, where they are getting involved in game play videos. It is clear that this group now seeks interaction with friends and others within their social group. The TV stations need to address these issues quickly.

Looking at the girls market, we see an overall increase of 15.2% compared to last month’s figures of a 7.9% decrease. Things are looking better in the girls market, and it’s interesting to note that they don’t seem to be as interested in gameplay as the boys.

Looking at the Housewives with Children – Pre School, we see an overall decrease in viewing of 26% for this period, with Nick Junior losing the biggest share of viewing, partly at the expense of Disney Junior and Tiny Pop. TV revenue for this period shows an increase of 8% and reported TV expenditure for the toy business is up by 21% compared to April 2013.

On 9 June we will see the launch of a new station called Encore, available on the Sky platform and touted as: “home to some of ITV’s most successful drama series of recent years.”

Next month, we will report on the viewing data for the kids 10+ years market. We will also look at the effect that new breakfast station Good Morning Britain is having on the breakfast viewing market, and how Encore has performed.

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Housewives with Kids TVR’s April 2013 vs April 2014

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Boys 4-9 TVR’s April 2013 vs April 2014

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Girls 4-9 TVR’s March 2013 vs March 2014

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March 2013 Toy Company March 2014 Toy Company TV Expenditure TV Expenditure Company Name Mattel MGA Ent Hasbro LEGO Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Character Options Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd Vivid Imaginations Ltd Zapf Creations UK Bandai

TV Expenditure £1,191,108 £787,692 £783,499 £701,703 £532,498 £278,873 £162,571 £153,329 £134,832 £116,582

Company Name Hasbro Mattel LEGO Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Character Options Ltd Bandai John Adams Leisure Ltd Panini VTech Electronics Ltd MGA Ent

TV Expenditure £1,001,777 £860,982 £697,699 £589,700 £455,392 £387,570 £387,574 £354,054 £349,126 £280,430

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

All graphs and information supplied by Global Media Services

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WHAT’S NEW

NEW LAUNCHES TO HELP YOU SELL MORE

Let’s band together LEAPFROG 01895 202840 www.leapfrog.co.uk LeapFrog unveiled the latest addition to their range this month with the LeapBand, the first wearable physical activity tracker designed just for children that encourages active play and healthy habits while nurturing their very own personalised virtual pet.

The LeapBand activity tracker gets kids moving and having fun with 50 different activities and challenges, tracking a child’s physical movements so the more active a child is, the more points they earn with their virtual pet. As the child earns points through active play, they can unlock additional games, challenges, levels of play and virtual rewards for their on-screen pet.

The LeapBand activity tracker comes with eight different customisable pets from LeapFrog’s popular Pet Pals franchise – a cat, dog, dragon, monkey, panda, penguin, robot and unicorn – which can be customised by colour and name.

In addition to the active play on LeapBand, the fun is extended to include a free downloadable companion app called the Petathlon. In the Petathlon app, kids can compete as their virtual pet in six mini-games like archery, surfing and bobsledding to win extras including medals and new tracksuits for their virtual pet. The Petathlon app is available for download to a child’s LeapPad Ultra, iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.

The LeapBand activity tracker (RRP £29.99, for children 4 to 7 years old) will be available in green, pink, blue and orange online and at major UK retail locations in August 2014.

Winging their way to you CARTAMUNDI 01268 511522 www.cartamundi.com Playing card giant Cartamundi has announced the arrival of a new addition to its popular Disney portfolio: the Disney Planes Wings Around the Globe Game Box. Available now, the Game Box is targeted at a wide range of retail including toy and gift shops, supermarkets and online retailers. Its core audience is expected to be pre-school and primary school Disney fans and their families.

The Disney Planes Wings Around the Globe Game Box is an addition to the exciting Disney Planes range, which includes the very popular Planes Happy Families game and Planes Top Tricks Game Box. The new arrival is a three-in-one game box. It contains the Wings Around the Globe Action game, the Planes Action game and the ever-popular Happy Families adapted to a Planes format.

Cartamundi Disney game box ranges — such as the Minnie Mouse and the Disney Princess editions — have already enjoyed great popularity at retail. At only £9.99, this latest addition to Cartamundi’s very successful game box output is sure to be a hit with young players and their families all over the UK. Trudi Bishop, Head of Marketing and Licensing, Cartamundi Group, says: “The continuing popularity of Planes and the arrival of a new film later this year are expected to keep demand for Planesrelated product high. This wonderful games box is a stylish and entertaining addition to our very successful Cartamundi Disney range and will no doubt be a big favourite with fans.”

Looking stylish has never been so easy HASBRO 020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com Hasbro’s DohVinci Style & Store Vanity Kit is one to watch! Aimed at ages 6 years and up with a suggested retail price of £19.99, the is definitely one for budding fashionistas and helps you to keep your room just a little more organised with a customisable place to store your favourite things! Use the styler tool to make this mirror and drawer set uniquely yours with colourful designs that pop. Once your DohVinci design is complete, assemble your vanity and voila, a perfect place to store your jewellery, notes, and other favourites!

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toysnplaythings.co.uk

The toys smart kids love to play with!

Don’t box your brains in, let them shine!

GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494 538999 www.greenboardgames.com With the summer holidays upon us, and the sun (sometimes!) shining, Green Board Games have a whole host of new and exciting products to get you playing from dawn until dusk.

The long awaited BrainBox Board Game will soon be available due to popular demand and will provide endless fun in a brand new fabulous family game. Simply roll the dice and land on a coloured square, then answer the BrainBox card correctly to win the card. The first player to collect a BrainBox card for each category wins. Topics range from Entertainment to People and Places to Sport and Food and Drink. Watch out! If you land on the white square, you can battle your opponent for their cards. Let the battle commence!

Ever fancied life down on the farm? We’ve got just the thing for you. In this splendid range, four brand new animals have appeared in our farmyard: Chicken, Cow, Pig and Sheep, to keep the little ones entertained and learning for hours.

These fun farmyard friends are wooden models that come with pre-made skins printed on, so there is all of the fun building, and instantly coming to life once they are build. As the wooden pieces simply slot together; they are easy to create, and there is no need for glue or mess. Each animal comes with interesting information and fast facts to learn while you build, to make this the ultimate pal for all.

Made from a minimum of 70% recycled material, the

Frozen gets crafty ASOBI 01628 200077 www.asobi.co.uk Asobi have jumped on board the Frozen train by unveiling five craft kits inspired by the hit Disney film. Designed by multi award winning Canadian based craft brand, The Orb Factory, the Frozen sets are available in the bestselling and beloved Sticky Mosaics range. With the popularity of the chartbusting film showing no signs of slowing down and the craft trend still on the rise, these kits are sure to be a hit and Asobi is thrilled to announce that they will be officially available to retailers at the end of June.

JUNE 2014

VTECH 01235555545 www.vtechuk.com Following the continued success of Toot-Toot Drivers, VTech are also launching their brand new range, Toot-Toot Animals. The entry price-point in the range is the Toot-Toot Animals assortment, which includes an Elephant, Zebra, Tiger, Hippo, Monkey and Lion. Each animal features three fun sing-along songs and six melodies, as well as teaching the animal’s name and letter sounds. They introduce pretend play and interact with the Toot-Toot Animals playsets. The Toot-Toot Animals Tree House includes a twisting bird, turning telescope, opening door, swing, spinning basket, a SmartPoint Panda, three extra tracks and a shape sorter slot complete with three shape blocks to help handeye coordination and cognitive development.

The Tree House also has five SmartPoint locations that trigger phrases and sound effects when driven over. Also in the Animal range is the Toot-Toot Animals Safari Park. This interactive, electronic zoo play set features seven SmartPoint locations which respond to the animals with fun phrases, animal and nature sound effects and melodies. Includes two fun modes of play, three animal press buttons which introduce animal names, their sounds and sing-along songs. Featuring a lift-up launcher for launching the animals down the tracks and a turning mouse gate to give different routes for the animals! There is also a press and spin Alligator pool and a resting meadow with a turning tree and a sliding Koala. This fun, interactive play set also includes a Toot Toot Animals SmartPoint Rhino.

Also look out for the eagerly anticipated Kidizoom Smart Watch launches this Summer. This smart watch just for children is packed with eight cool features including: • over 50 different analogue/digital clock face designs for personalisation, • an alarm mode with 10 different tones or use your own voice, • in-built camera to take photos, • in-built camera also takes videos, • different effects and filters to customise your photos and videos, • stopwatch & countdown timer with fun and cute themes, • voice recorder with fun voice changing effects, • three built-in games for play on the go!

The Toot-Toot Animals range and Kidizoom Smart Watch will be supported by heavyweight TV campaigns during the second half of the year.

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MEDIA

OPINION

Hey, big spenders!

Get it right and you’ve really got it right! This month our media expert delves into advertising

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he advertising industry is frequently sighted as an early indicator for the health and recovery of the economy. Advertising is an indicator closely linked to consumer spending. Whilst the rising price of property (8% nationally) and “help to buy mortgages” are both attributed with leading the recovery charge; the Advertising Association (A.A.) have a very meaningful message to support their industry.

The A.A. chief Tim Lefroy made his contribution with “Another set of positive indicators to support the growth story - every pound spent on advertising returns six to GDP.” To relate that statement to one particular industry, I wondered what figure Toys and Games are contributing to GDP, on the ratio of “one to six”.

From figures published in this very magazine by my neighbour columnist Mike Penfold’s Global Media, I can attempt the calculation.

Between the periods of Jan 1 – Nov 30 2013 ten toy companies spent a total of £54.8m and £59.8m re-profiled to a twelve month period.

The ten were made up of Hasbro, Mattel, LEGO, Character, Flair, John Adams, MGA, VTech, Fisher Price, and Drumond Park. Reassuringly over the same period advertising expenditure from Jan 1 – Nov 30 2012 re-profiled to twelve months totaled £52m. The line-up was consistent with only one variance, Spin Master in 2012 replaced by Drumond Park in 2013. I think we can all agree that’s a “robust” base from which to calculate the toy companies contribution to GDP. Cue drum roll! The top ten toy companies advertising spend in 2012 contributed to the UK GDP an estimated £307.6m and in 2013 that figure was £358.8m. I know that understates the bigger picture of all participating toy companies together with everything that surrounds this wonderful industry. However this snapshot picture alone contributed £358 million plus, last year on the A.A’s formula.

Needless to say, I look forward to Global Media producing the stats for 2015. Having established the Toy Industry contribution to GDP a brief overview on 2015 advertising forecasts, and where the money is being spent.

Research published by the industry trade body The Advertising Association in conjunction with marketing company Warc put “last year’s UK advertising spend at £17.87bn breaking 2007s record £17.4bn and is set to grow by 6.6% this year to £18.4bn and 7.3% in 2015” which will take the figure to just

“

The shift towards digital media placement is likely to continue to get bigger and increase its market share

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

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under £20bn. The growth in mobile advertising and digital formats is driving this increase year on year. The constituent parts of this year’s model is forecasting internet advertising to grow by 12.4%, of which mobile is set to grow by a staggering 73%.

The developments in mobile phone technology have contributed to the creative delivery of advertising formats on mobile, thereby expanding the market and the money that follows.

Tash Whitmey, UK chief executive at creative agency Havas EHS commenting on this subject last month said: “Mobile will grow and grow until it becomes the predominant way that people interact with brands… Mobile is a key trend today.

Anything you do as an agency has to work in mobile”.

The rate of change in mobile advertising has come a long way since being able to purchase and view David Beckham’s top ten pick of goals on a fat mobile phone.

We now receive advertising messages via mobile that are highly targeted and likely to be highly relevant to an individual’s lifestyle. Traditional broadcast media got better at targeting and appropriate/clever placement of commercials in the right environment, to inform and entertain. However advertisers always wanted more and mobile is able to sift through huge amounts of data and blend that information with creativity and technology; it works and it’s effective.

We should not forget that not everyone buys everything online, people still go into shops. Television remains the most powerful media in terms of impact and is very much a daily part of people’s lives, as are newspapers, magazines and cinema. Traditional media has a role in the advertising process and is also showing growth. However the shift towards digital media placement is likely to continue to get bigger and increase its market share.

Each month for TnP I endeavour to write about a different subject rather than a continuation or serialization. This month however I would like to return briefly to my May subject of the “tech stock bubble”, and the relatively high price listing of some new tech stock including King Games Candy Crush Saga.

So what happened next? Well the maybe “one-hit wonder” struggled to convince investors as shares fell 15% after its listing in New York. Profits in the last month have fallen from $159m (£94m) to $127.2m (£75m). The good news is that “More people are also playing King’s games – 143 million people around the world played one of its titles daily over the last three months compared to 124 million at the end of 2014”.

That is an impressive 15% increase on “people playing King’s games”.

However despite “the players” the lower profits were explained away on the cost of launching its new game Farm Heroes Saga supported with TV commercials. In addition the biggest source of income arrives from the number of people paying for “in-game-boosts” from $12.2m to$11.9m. Total revenue did creep up by $5m to $607m.

To close on new matters City, last month I read a City release from Character Group announcing a profit ahead of forecast at £3.5m. There is a different King at the helm here and no crush to get out of this stock as the share price continued to rise.

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toysnplaythings.co.uk

COVER FEATURE MATTEL

Hot Wheels is just scorching!

If you have ever pondered what the Origins of Awesome is – then look no further! Mattel’s Hot Wheels has had a scorching year and more is planned!

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fter a fantastic start to the year, Hot Wheels continues to lead the vehicles category as the number one brand within the Super Vehicles and Mini Vehicles categories.* With a dynamic and fully integrated brand campaign running all year, plus great new product introductions, Hot Wheels is stepping up a gear in 2014! The year kicked off with Catch the Gold Car, an exciting initiative supported with an extensive PR and digital campaign that encouraged boys to collect 10 Hot Wheels diecast cars in order to send away for an exclusive gold car. Live from April, the adrenalinefuelled Race to Connect campaign has been implemented to excite and educate boys about the new Hot Wheels system range of products. The campaign challenges boys to be masters of track design; they can design, connect and customise to create their ultimate Hot Wheels track system. The impressive range of cool tracks and stunt accessories across City, Race, Workshop and Off-Road themes allows boys to build the ultimate Hot Wheels World!

Race to Connect has been brought to life in a dynamic year-long media partnership with leading boys gaming site Roblox.

Kids can build awesome digital Hot Wheels tracks before racing on them with the Hot Wheels Track Builder Game and from June, boys can enter their tracks into the ultimate competition that gives kids the opportunity to see their track design built for real as part of the Hot Wheels Roadshow! The Hot Wheels Roadshow kicks off on the 30th July visiting five

JUNE 2014

leading shopping centres in Essex, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow.

Running throughout the summer holidays, kids will be able to race their cars on the ultimate Hot Wheels track creations as well as being able to take part in lots of adrenaline-fuelled, fun challenges! This activity will also be amplified through the ongoing partnership with leading boy’s title Toxic magazine and an extensive PR programme of activity. Also new for Hot Wheels in 2014 is the launch of Team Hot Wheels Origin of Awesome, a cool animation with an action-packed narrative and a brand new Team Hot Wheels featuring four fun and unique characters. The content provides kids with great entertainment whilst driving brand engagement and reinforcing the ‘Go for It’ brand messaging. An extensive marketing campaign will support the new content, including placement of the 22 minute episode on top boys websites and parent blogs as well as being available on Netflix with a DVD release in September. An extensive TV campaign will also support key drivers including the Super Loop Chase Race; an awesome new track set that features a three foot tall loop for high-speed looping, chasing and crashing action! There’s also the highoctane Total Turbo Takeover - a great new track set that features a two-speed booster allowing for the ultimate in configuration and customisation for car-activated, action-oriented stunts! It’s an action packed year for Hot Wheels, engaging kids with the brand and encouraging them to start connecting with the all-new Hot Wheels system - if you can dream it, you can build it! *NPD Data January 2014 – Hot Wheels

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SPONSORED FEATURE CHARACTER

Roarsome, pawsome, AWESOME… Teksta stomps into 2014 BURP!

Character Options reveals more about what’s coming for the industry’s Toy of The Year

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eksta Puppy 2013’s Toy of The Year and Dreamtoy is stomping into 2014 with his new friends and awesome campaign! Last year saw the dominance of the blue and pink Teksta puppies both in the media and most importantly on kid’s Christmas lists, and to ensure they stay there, a Teksta T-Rex and Kitty are about to launch with a mighty marketing drive behind them. Character Options is definitely thinking outside of the box and creating one of its most impressive campaigns ever, ensuring Teksta is once again the toy that every kid wants! We spoke with Marketing Director Jerry Healy about how the firm will keep Teksta top of the charts come Christmas.

Jerry, do you feel you can match the success of 2013 this year?

Teksta Puppy was a complete sell out in 2013, our aim is not just to match but to build on all the great things that Teksta achieved last year. We always knew year one would just be the beginning for Teksta and even now, the Puppies remain one of the top selling toys of the spring/ summer season. With the new additions to the range in July there is little doubt of how important this brand is in the Character portfolio and therefore we have massive plans to ensure on-going success.

So what is in the pipeline in terms of product?

Everyone who visited Toy Fair will have seen Teksta’s new friends T-Rex and Kitty. Just like their puppy friend both T-Rex and Kitty react to hand gesture technology and have emotive eyes to tell you how they’re feeling. Each has their own unique tricks and different personalities that will appeal to both boys and girls. T-Rex is comical! He roars and clumsily stomps. He chews his bone and spits it out with an almighty burp.

Kitty on the other hand is the purrfect sweet kitty on the prowl and begs for her mouse before she pounces, her purring sound effect will indicate just what kind of mood she’s in. All in all, there’s a Teskta for everyone and they’re bound to become the much loved friends of many a child.

We’ve heard that Character has brought in creative experts to create the 2014 campaign. What can you tell us about this?

That’s true, and we are definitely thinking on every level when it comes to the long term strategy for the brand.

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Teksta 2014 will see Character’s biggest campaign to date, driving category growth with heavy investment and commitment to making Teksta a top brand of 2014

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Teksta’s table manners are a little challenging!

Teksta is now not just a standalone toy, but a property in its own right and in recognition of this we have engaged with creative experts and key kids media agencies to ensure our campaign approach is impactful, cohesive and resonates with both boys and girls. More of this will be revealed in the coming weeks, but needless to say we are all excited about what’s in store.

We guess we will be seeing a lot of Teksta on TV? Without a doubt our TV Campaign will be huge to echo the strength of the Teksta Brand. There are 1200+ TVRs in the schedule and we have 4 TVCs planned; one each for T-Rex, Kitty and Puppy and one that will be campaign driven. We believe many kids will identify with one particular pet and the commercials are intended to bring out each toy’s features but keeping the Teksta branding throughout. The addition of sponsorships will also allow us to have fun with the Teksta brand and engage the kids further into the campaign.

There are 1200+ TVRS in the schedule and four TVC’s planned!

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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Can we expect to see Teksta Events?

Definitely. Experiential activity is a great PR driver and an important part of the Character marketing strategy; with Teksta at the heart of it. We will kick off the campaign with a high profile press event in late June and follow these up with further events throughout Q’s 3 and 4. We have a great, fun mechanic to draw in the crowds at heavy footfall locations on the run up to the main buying season to give us a huge PR impact, everyone will know when Teksta is in town! Coupled with this will be a huge amount of in store activity, we have Teksta demo stations planned for Q4, plus POS, FSDUs and online takeovers to ensure the impact echoes that of the Teksta campaign.

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The Character team picking up the Toy of the Year award for Teksta

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How else will you engage with kids?

With the market changing we must ensure we engage kids not only on TV but through digital kids platforms where they can play, interact and have fun with the Teksta brand. TV and girls and boys print press will be the key campaign drivers to an online Teksta brand hub.

This is a big part of the overall campaign, we are working with our press and digital partners on this at the moment and can reveal all in the coming weeks, but what we are seeing to date is hugely exciting and unique!

So it looks like you will leave no stones unturned, is there anything else we should look out for?

With the great retailer support we received last year we are currently working again to define individual launch plans and Christmas PR events.

The media presence is also vital to our success, last year saw Teksta just about everywhere in the press.

Our aim is to surpass this for 2014, media tours and press pushes are imminent and with the impactful press launch we have planned for the end of June expect lots of roarsome coverage and excitement.

So how would you sum up the coming months for Teksta?

Teksta 2014 will see Character’s biggest campaign to date, driving category growth with heavy investment and commitment to making Teksta a top selling brand of 2014.

PR surrounding Teksta events will ensure the consumer knows when Teksta is in town

The Teksta Puppy wears his Toy of the Year badge with pride!

A T JUST ERTY O N W P A IS NO A PRO TEKST E TOY, BUT N E ALON AND I STAND WN RIGHT HIS WE HAVERTS O IN ITS NITION OF T EATIVE EXP S TO G RECO ED WITH CR IA AGENCIE ENGAGEY KIDS MED OACH IS AND K E OUR APPR IVE AND AND ENSURTFUL, COHESBOTH BOYS IMPAC ATES WITH RESON GIRLS

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RETAIL

OPINION

Beacons of light Beaming out information to shoppers may not be as enticing as it sounds.

Our retail expert John Ryan takes a look at the business of iBeacons and what they might mean to your store

I

magine the following. Shoppers passing your shop are aware that you have a promotion although you’ve put nothing in the window. They seem to know about a new range of toys that you’ve just had delivered that have yet to make it onto the sales floor. They even seem to know when you’re going on sale.

Shoppers are a clever lot, but they’re not normally that clever. And in this instance, they’re no smarter than usual. The difference is that you’ve told them what’s happening via an iBeacon. An iBeacon? Well, apart from the usual poor business of putting an “i” in front of anything tech that moves these days, an iBeacon is a widget that can be installed in a store that will allow a shopkeeper to beam out information promotions and suchlike to passing smartphone users (and let’s be clear, that means most people in the UK with economic potential these days).

The iBeacons are pretty small and the idea is that shoppers will respond rather better to messages that are tailored to their needs than to blunderbuss-like campaigns executed via a shop window. All well and good, but what if you don’t want to be ‘spammed’ as some might view it – surely this is worse than being able to ignore the latest offering from a toy company that appears in a shop window?

This is certainly the case, but there is the matter of ‘opt in’. Remember those forms that you never tick allowing you to receive information and promotions from airlines, retailers and sundry others? The idea is that by checking the box you are amenable to a company and its products.

And yes, there are those who will do this.

Something of the kind is what iBeacon opters-in are doing. They are trusting retailers to tell them good stuff.

But how do you opt in?

Once again, the IT department has excelled itself. Those choosing to download a retailer’s app and therefore opting to be sent information can now be the proud recipients of things sent straight to their phones as they happen to pass a shop. And because the shopper will have expressed preferences about which brands and items they have a preference for, this will be a message that could be, in theory at least, unique to the individual user.

All clear? Well perhaps, but as the CEO of one major retailer put it recently: “Would I really want to spend

money installing a system in my stores that is about creepy marketing?” Opt in is one thing, but incessant, generally overfamiliar messaging is quite another and there is a fine line to be drawn between relevant information and spam.

The other point is does it work? Currently, there are a good number of bigger retailers testing the technology and seeing whether there really is merit in ‘talking’ to shoppers directly. Perhaps there is, but is this likely to translate into additional sales or longer-term loyalty?

Again, maybe, but nothing should be taken for granted.

If you are a toyshop owner or are perhaps fortunate enough to have a few toy and gift outlets then you are, if you’re worth your salt, a destination in your own right.

People will come to visit your store on the basis that there may well be no other shops with the kind of offer that you have in the neighbourhood.

If this is the case, then iBeacons or geotagging, as the whole area is sometimes referred to, may well be largely redundant. There is also the matter of price.

Technology for retailers is generally expensive when it first appears and becomes (much) cheaper over time.

On this reckoning it is normally better not to be an ‘early adopter’ when something new makes its debut on the market. The sage will wait and wait and wait. Early glitches with new systems will be ironed out, prices per installation will come down and you may, just may, have something that will have been test-driven by shoppers and found to their liking.

Be a late adopter therefore. Be suspicious of the new-fangled and do not imagine that just because others have picked up on something that it will be right for you.

A final caveat would be to ask if you remember QR codes? These are black and white patterns put on the sides of boxes and containers that enable computerlinked readers to identify an article. For a time, about four years ago, it seemed that if a retailer didn’t put a QR code on everything in a shop then they weren’t doing their job. Retailers fondly imagined that QR codes were some kind of new marketing tool.

They weren’t and in the middle of the second decade of the 21st century there are still QR codes, it’s just that they are not used for any kind of marketing initiative.

So it goes with all new tech. There are no guarantees and quite a lot of money may be involved.

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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toysnplaythings.co.uk

RETAIL

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

JAMES CARDELL-OLIVER Toys & Tales, Pynton, Stockport and Bramhall, Stockport James runs Toys & Tales with his wife Kaye. They have been having success recently with arts & crafts and activity days, leading to strong sales of creative play ranges.

Now at the midway point, how has 2014 been so far?

It’s a bit difficult to tell this early on, but it’s a definite improvement on last year, if not a vast one. We’re trying not to rely on the Christmas period, and have been concentrating on stock and marketing, and trying different things like craft days to drum up business.

We’re certainly optimistic and pro-active in making it a strong year.

Do you find that playground-staple collectables sell well in the summer holidays despite kids not being at school each day?

It’s only recently we’ve had lots of demand for collectables this year. But from years past, they sell well throughout the summer with kids eager to spend their pocket money, and parents treating their kids.

Do you find that kids fall into traditional gender roles with their role play toys?

Kids don’t see these barriers and want to go across the board, but occasionally you have a worried dad whose son wants a pink pram or a tea set.

What’s been your hit of the year so far?

Aurora’s YooHoo & Friends have been flying out the doors, but our two biggest hits have been Galt’s arts and crafts products and Depesche’s Top Model lines.

If you were a kid today, what toy would you be nagging your mum for?

I’ve recently started stocking Manhattan Toy’s customisable Motorworks range, and I did think to myself that I would have loved one of those when I was young.

Toy talk TnP talks to retailers about how our feature categories are selling and we ask about what they are looking to add to their stock for this coming summer (which will be hot!)

CAROLINE HUBBARD Hubbard’s Toy Cupboard, Hinckley, Leicestershire Store owner, Caroline Hubbard opened up shop in November last year. After her past careers as a chef and pre-school teacher, she noticed a gap in the local market for a good quality toy shop and opened Hubbard’s Toy Cupboard.

Now at the midway point, how has 2014 been so far?

Yes, not too bad at all for a first year! The weather has come out recently and lifted everyone’s spirits, and I’ve been taking advantage of that by ordering more from Interplay’s My Living World insect observation ranges.

Do you find that playground-staple collectables sell well in the summer holidays despite kids not being at school each day?

We have a whole collectables and pocket money section. They sell really well throughout the holidays as parent use them as a reward for good behaviour or kids filling out their chore charts.

Do you find that kids fall into traditional gender roles with their role play toys?You do have the typical boys will be knights and girls will What’s been your hit of the year so far?

Frozen licensed Bullyland for Marbel has just flown off of shelves. Our order came through in March and we keep selling out. I’ve constantly got it on back order.

If you were a kid today, what toy would you be nagging your mum for?

I’d have to say the Bug Safari from Interplay; I was a bit of a tomboy.

JANE HILLS Toys Ahoy!, Hythe, Southampton Former nursery nurse, Jane set up Toys Ahoy with her business partner Amanda, who was previously a teacher.

Both fancying a change of pace, the pair opened the shop to meet demand in the village of Hythe.

Now at the midway point, how has 2014 been so far?

The year started off slowly for us, but we are now up year-on-year and the past few months have definitely been better than last year.

Do you find that playground-staple collectables sell well in the summer holidays despite kids not being at school each day?

Collectables and pocket money items are a big chunk of our business. Sales probably increase over the summer as kids like to bring in their pocket money to pick up a little something and, being close to the sea, we have seasonal trade from tourists.

AUGUST 2013

23

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

Building the future This month TnP took a closer look at what is on offer in the construction category. And let us promise you one thing, it is busy - very busy!

B

uilding, breaking, smashing and slamming, tempered only with hours of intense planning and all because you are endeavoring to create architectural perfection. This is the life of a construction fan and getting between a child and their toy when they are in the midst of creating a Gaudi-esque masterpiece is really not recommended.

Building and constructing has engaged children for as long as they have had the power to move their little hands, so it is no surprise that construction is one of the most popular sectors at retail. But what is new on the market, what is making the buyer tick in 2014? TnP spoke to some industry experts to find out a little more about what retailers should be looking out for.

In terms of performance at retail, LEGO is dominating with figures from NPD proving that. But how have others been performing?

David Martin, Vice President International Mega Brands, reported positive growth.

“The growth of the construction market as a whole is already a positive 18% year to date,” says David. “If we break this down further, the junior construction market is up 30%, and further more we are really pleased to be in a strong position in this category, with Mega Brands up more than 30% at retail.”

For Interplay, who are breaking into the sector, things are also looking good.

“Traditionally construction has not been the largest part of Interplay’s portfolio, as our main focus is Science and Nature, but

24

our existing brands that have a construction element, Rivetz and Technokits are doing well at retail,” explained Interplay’s Marketing Manager,

Mega Brands

Gemma Porter.

“Later this year, however, we will become even more involved in construction with the introduction of GoldieBlox which has been received well by our retail partners and has already launched to huge acclaim in the US. We are very much looking forward to this new brand coming to market and have our own extensive launch plans for it.”

Anyone who has seen K’NEX’s impressive Ferris Wheel at trade shows or in shop windows will know they ‘get’ construction! And this year, MD Paul Fogarty, promises a strong line-up with a new TV campaign due to be broadcast from July. “At the heart of our range is a collection of building tubs and treasure chests which showcase the best of K’NEX and offer great value for money as well as ultimate open-ended creativity. Complementing this we have the exciting Thrill Rides collection of roller coaster building sets – this range will see six brand

new additions this year. A new range of tubs and the Typhoon Frenzy Roller Coaster Building Set will be featured in our new TV campaign to be broadcast from July.”

There is also something exciting coming from the Learning Construction Resources camp with MD Dennis Blackmore telling us: toys also “As construction sets become encourage more and more complex, embracing technology to social play and widen market appeal, our language best seller at Learning development, Resources couldn’t be more allowing simple! Design & Drill had very humble beginnings children to being based on some interact with components looking for a friends and product idea. That idea was that very young children family enjoy imitative play that involves a hands-on activity.

David Martin, Vice Throw in some noise, colour President International and the gratification of simple Mega Brands

“

”

25 toysnplaythings.co.uk

NPD Top 10 best-selling Building Sets ytd in £ LEGO Group - Lego Minifigures LEGO Group - LSW Gr. Vehicles 2014 LEGO Group - LSW MF 2014 LEGO Group - Great Vehicles 2014 PP1 K’NEX

LEGO Group - The Movie Melting Room

success and the first Design & Drill set was created. As with all of our products it’s the hands-on learning that is the important ingredient, in this case kids learn about colour and pattern, counting and following directions while practising their motor skills which is vital when handling a ‘drill’! Four sets down the line and our new Socket to Me employs the satisfying repeated click of a ratchet doing the work for them.

They are still benefitting from all of the hands-on learning while getting some very early insights into simple engineering and technology.”

As pointed out by Dennis, building toys offer children a real chance to further their dexterity.

And this is something all of our experts agree with.

“The developmental benefits of construction play are huge, offering children the chance to explore limitless creativity, imagination and problem solving as well as developing motor skills and hand eye coordination,” agrees Mega Brand’s David. “Our products are designed specifically to have multiple benefits. For example, while building and stacking are already hugely beneficial skills, some Mega Bloks First Builders toys feature numbers, letters and animals to add another layer of learning to the play experience.”

Taking the educational benefits further again, Interplay’s Gemma Porter points out: “Construction toys are definitely beneficial to a child’s development and, yes, everyone is aware that they help with a child’s developmental dexterity but they can also play a part in improving kids’ numeracy and future engineering skills. The best part is they don’t even realise they are learning. With these kits children can also benefit from

JUNE 2014

improving on their cooperative play skills; learning that by working together something greater can be achieved.”

But what about the great gender debate? Does this have an impact on who buys construction toy? Not so, says K’NEX’s Paul Fogarty. “With K’NEX we see strong interest from both boys and girls. Many of our themes appeal across the board.”

Licensed Mega Brands also have a building sets strong offering for girls with David revealing there is add a new something for everyone in dimension to their portfolio. our range in so “With a line up including doing I believe Hello Kitty, Power Rangers, Barbie, Smurfs and soon they will Spongebob Squarepants, we introduce new believe there is something for fans both to everyone in our portfolio of K’NEX and the licensed brands. When it comes to our Mega Bloks First construction Builders range, girls and boys aisle in general alike love the fun packed Paul Fogarty features of our toys so in the K’NEX preschool market our products are enjoyed by both genders.”

As mentioned, licensed ranges have also helped to bolster the construction sector with several companies opening doors on very appealing unions.

“

”

Lego

“Licenced products certainly play a key part in the toy industry, and we are proud to have a strong portfolio that is part of this market,” says David but he adds that non-licensed construction toys are also hot properties. “There is still a demand for high quality, non-licensed innovative toys that offer value and innovation.”

This is something which is echoed by Paul. “Our K’NEX classic product line is strong and evergreen in its appeal and we’re delighted this year that it will be complemented by some hot new licenses including Plants vs.

Zombies and Titanfall along with new introductions in our Mario line from Nintendo. Licensed building sets add a new dimension to our range in so doing I believe they will introduce new fans both to K’NEX and the construction aisle in general.”

Interplay’s Gemma Porter says the beauty of construction is that it’s all about the project and hands on creation of something from smaller items. “Licences can be incorporated and attract many kids that would not normally look at construction toys, but it’s not necessary for a range to be successful,” she adds.

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FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

Some MEGA building MEGA BRANDS 01844350033 www.megabrands.com www.megabloks.com This autumn, Mega Brands is set to introduce exciting new properties to its portfolio of powerhouse licenses, including Spongebob Squarepants, KAPOW! and Assassins Creed.

Mega Bloks SpongeBob SquarePants collectible figures and playsets allow fans to build an underwater universe. Mega Bloks KAPOW! Battling Blok Bots encourage kid-powered lightning-fast action so players can literally knock their opponents’ blocks off! Mega Bloks Assassin’s Creed Collector Construction Sets will join the award winning Mega Bloks collectors’ series.

Mega Bloks is also set to deliver additional engaging creative experiences for pre-schoolers, girls, boys and collectors so there truly is something for everyone.

The Mega Bloks First Builders range offers new, creative ways for pre-schoolers to play, with toys packed full of educational elements, big blocks and storage solutions for mums. Mega Bloks First Builders Fast Tracks Raceway and Rescue Team has mix and match vehicles plus easy-to-build tracks, while Mega Bloks First Builders Bobby Barn Musical Farm combines stacking

Be a pro JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk Heading up John Adams’ construction portfolio is ProDeck.

The range enables boys and girls to create, shape and customise real laminated mini deck skateboards, then play with them on theirr own n unique skate park. The original five in i one workshop k h comes complete with enough ough material for ten boards, enabling kids to laminate, aminate, bend, sand, seal and add trucks and d wheels to create unique personalised boards. ds. New for 2014 is the ProDeck Longboard rd Workshop which can be clipped to the main workshop or used on its own. The Longboard ard Workshop kit includes udes materials to make 10 mini longboards and will be TV advertised.

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play with cute characters and farmyard sounds for hours of fun.

New additions to the Mega Bloks Barbie range will include a Fantasy Collection featuring Mermaids and Fairies, including the Mega Bloks Barbie Fairy Treehouse. All-new Mega Bloks Barbie Rooms to Build allow kids to customise each modular room, then build them up into condos, mansions or a shopping mall!

The Mega Bloks Halo line is refreshed with over 20 new items bringing to life the iconic entertainment franchise, including Mega Bloks Halo UNSC Remote Control Attack Mantis. Mega Bloks Call Of Duty Collector Construction Sets will continue to offer fans an unprecedented level of detail and sophistication, including Call Of Duty Mob Of The Dead, Zombies TranZit Farm and the Heavy Lift Copter.

A wonderful world DKL MARKETING LTD 01604618780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL distribute the fantastic brands Wonderworld Wooden toys and Miniland Educational, both offering unique ranges of construction toys to suit all ages. The brand new Wonderworld Trix Track is different from any other construction toy on the market. The Trix Tracks unique brick locking system makes it incredibly stable, each piece is calculated to scale so children can mix the four different sets and construct the ultimate Trix Track creation! Miniland Educational also offer a superb construction range that is extremely versatile and engaging. New for 2014 are the Miniland Super Blocks. All Miniland Construction Sets come with an educational leaflet, including examples of constructions to maximise play value. To really enhance your range of construction toys is the Miniland Giantte, a giant stacking game which is formed by 10 small cups in progressive sizes helping to teach children the concept of big and small.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

2000 TV CAMP R AIGN LAUN CHING JULY, SUPPO R T E D 360째 M BY ARKET ING PROGR AMME

Contact sales on 01189 253270

www.knex.co.uk

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

A toy legend LEGO 01753 495000 www.lego.co.uk

A successful launch of LEGO Legends of Chima and a strong performance from classic lines such as LEGO CITY contributed to a very satisfactory annual result for the LEGO Group last year.

In 2013, evergreen product lines such as LEGO CITY, LEGO DUPLO, LEGO Technic and LEGO Creator, all grew double digit.

LEGO Star Wars remained one of the top-selling lines within the boys core themes while LEGO Legends of Chima was successfully established as a major theme globally. The Legends of CHIMA story and products are developing into 2014 and is a great example of how LEGO bridges physical and digital play. Perhaps another promising example of this is the newly launched Mixels. A ground breaking global franchise created by the powerhouse partnership of two of the biggest forces in kids’ entertainment – Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group – this wacky collection made its UK debut on multiple screens and platforms in February 2014.

With the release of The LEGO Movie DVD and Blue-Ray scheduled for July, LEGO is adding three new sets to its LEGO Movie line-up. Performing as the number three property in the total market for the third year running, LEGO CITY themes and product launches have been developed to maintain this position in the UK market. Classic, expandable playthemes include Police and Trains and an entirely new introduction – Arctic – for later in the year. Launching in June, the LEGO Friends girls are going to the jungle! Fans can join them on their adventures as they rescue and care for endangered animals. New independent play themes include Ultra Agents, while established ranges such as Ninjago and Hero Factory remain popular choices for fans and new recruits. The number one blind bag collectible and fourth best-seller across the entire toy market, LEGO Minifigures continues to perform as the choice for impulse and reward purchases. 2014 has already seen the launch of Series 12 based on The LEGO Movie characters, and the most recent unveiling in May of the Simpsons 25th Anniversary minifigures.

32 2

Construct a great fairytale GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 enquiries@greatgizmos.co.uk www.greatgizmos.co.uk Retailers looking for construction toys will love the exciting projects from Great Gizmos, where modern meets traditional play with toys suitable for preschoolers and pre-teens.

A perfect introduction to construction play is the Plan Toys 50 Blocks set; a collection of brightly coloured shapes from rectangles and triangles to columns and stairs, which allows children to build architectural creations from their own imaginations.

For a magical construction set kids can build a castle fit for a princess with the Fairytale Blocks. This includes purple turrets and pink flags and even a wooden horse and carriage so any princess can find her prince.

Soldiers can keep watch from the Castle Blocks set, which includes four turrets, brightly coloured bricks, bridges, soldiers and a horse.

Make way for a stackdown FLAIR www.flairplc.co.uk 0208 6430320 Flair’s new WWE C3 construction series offers young fans an exciting way to build their very own WWE universe. Fans can even construct the grandest stage of them all with the WWE StackDown Wrestlemania XXX Ring Playset. The Battle Brawlin’ Ring Playset is at the centre of the WWE StackDown Universe where Superstars John Cena and The Miz battle it out to become the StackDown Champion. The action packed play experience is different every time! A brand new boys’ construction collection from GP Flair will bring all the WWE action to life and with WWE StackDown Starter Sets which each include one WWE Superstar and over 70 pieces to build, makes them the perfect start for growing the WWE StackDown Universe. All starter sets can be attached to additional bigger ring sets expanding the exploits of the WWE stars.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Socket to me!

LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 762276 www.learningresources.co.uk Design & Drill - where creativity and construction combine!

Power up imaginations with these creative construction sets, children design their own learning fun with colourful bolts and realistic tools that help develop early skills, from colour recognition and counting to motor skills and following directions. Design & Drill Socket to Me offers a set of novelty y activity boards including robot, car, rocket and submarine shapes. This most recentt addition to the Design & Drill range e also includes real-working tool features sounds and actions as it helps to screw the 30 coloured bolts into one of the exciting novelty boards. Take a look at the Design & Drill Take Along Tool Kit, the portable compact edition featuring electronic screwdriver with reverse function and interchangeable bits, 60 colourful plastic bolts and activity guide featuring 10 design ideas to get little ones started!

JUNE 2014

33

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

The K’NEX big thing K’NEX 01189497000 www.knex.co.uk With its unique qualities of scale, movement and open-ended creativity, K’NEX quite literally takes construction to new heights this year. As the K’NEX UK re-launch continues to gain momentum, a heavyweight 360 degree marketing programme with its tagline ‘The K’NEX Big Thing’ focuses on challenging children to think about their next big build.

At the heart of the K’NEX range is a collection of building tubs and treasure chests. With generous piece counts and complete with dozens of inspiring creative building ideas, new sets for the second half include 35 Model, 52 Model and 70 Model Building Sets, all of which feature in the Company’s aspirational new TV advertising campaign. Additional themed building sets are also available at a range of key price points. These include the Transport Chopper and 4 Wheel Drive Building Set Assortment, each with over 300 pieces w and moving parts or a lights to create li challenging vehicle c constructions. Kids who co love construction will lo enjoy the ultimate en challenge delivered by the cha popular and unique K’NEX popu Thrill Rides collection. This year six new roller coasters join the line-up with TV driver, the Typhoon Frenzy, taking centre stage. The Supernova Blast brings another dimension to the line-up with its glow-in-the-dark track for out of this world building fun.

Delivering K’NEX play to first time builders, the TINKERTOY collection includes colourful plastic spools and rods that snap together and stay together for confident construction. With two hotly anticipated licensed ranges launching this summer, K’NEX will capture the unique appeal of popular digital games, Plants vs. Zombies and Titanfall, bringing them to life in the construction aisle for the first time. Already demonstrating strong results in the US, the K’NEX Plants vs. Zombies range will launch in the UK in June with its line-up of building sets delivering on key price points, supported by highly collectable Mystery Figure Bags. Also in the second half, the Titanfall collection from K’NEX showcases the explosive action from this bestselling video game and enables builders to recreate the Titanfall frontier in their own homes. Key sets in the range are the Titanfall MCOR Ogre Titan and Titanfall IMC Atlas Titan Building Sets.

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Revell in your hobby REVELL 01442890285 www.revell.de/en With new tooling and nearly 100 new land, sea and air releases in the pipeline, along with a host of iconic model kit licenses, the Revell brand will continue to dominate the model and hobby sector in 2014. Iconic 1:24 scale releases include the Mini Cooper Gift Set, featuring old and new Minis; the Mini Cooper Rallye, famed for its 1964 Monte Carlo victory; La Ferrari, the most powerful Ferrari to date; the cult cars VW Golf 1 and VW Golf 1 Cabriolet; and the 1:24 scale Red Bull Racing Model Sets.

It’s a race to space for experienced modelers with a stunning range of 1:144 scale model kits: the ground-breaking SpaceShipTwo and CarrierWhiteKnightTwo from Virgin Galactic, the impressive 77 cm high Saturn V Rocket to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the historic first landing on the moon.

Ready, set, build!

BIGJIGS TOYS 01303 250400 www.bigjigstoys.com New for 2014 in the Bigjigs range is the Wooden Construction Set which comprises of 51 play pieces including varied wooden plinths, wooden blocks and nuts and bolts.

For DIY enthusiasts, the My Tool Bench provides a fun way for children to participate in home improvements. Bigjigs Toys also have a whole range of workbenches including The Powertools Workbench, the Carpenters Bench and the Carpenters workbench which can be used as both a bench and a carry case, all suitable for youngsters 3 years+.

The magnificent Junior Tool Box, suitable for children aged 8 years+ is a must have for any enthusiastic wood worker looking to take their skills to the next step.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

EI-4119 Socket to Me™

EI-4117 Take-Along Toolkit

For more information call Chris Beardmore on 01553 819380 or email cbeardmore@learning-resources.co.uk today!

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

That’s golden!

INTERPLAY 01628 488 944 www.interplayuk.com Interplay continues to grow in the construction sector with the addition of the new GoldieBlox range!

Together with Rivetz and Technokits, the team aims to open up the world of construction to a much wider audience.

A new and exciting construction range this year for Interplay is GoldieBlox introducing a brilliant concept that combines a book featuring Goldie the girl inventor, with a variety of fun construction sets. Developed by engineer, Debbie Sterling, the range is designed to inspire young girls to follow in her footsteps into the engineering world. The launch series will have three GoldieBlox sets to choose from; Spinning Machine, Parade Float and Dunk Tank each priced between £19.99 and £24.99.

The Rivetz range includes five fun titles, with each project giving children the opportunity to rivet together pre-cut coloured card using the patented Rivetz gun to create giant masterpieces!

In addition, there is the classic Technokits range, the ‘build and play’ collection encourages children to explore the world of technology and physics. With these construction sets costing from as little as £9.99, they are very obtainable for the target audience and also make a great gift idea.

Let’s get racy!

GALT TOYS 0161 428 9111 www.galttoys.com

Get plugged in ASOBI 01628 200077 www.asobi.co.uk

PL-UG is the British born and utterly unique construction toy. PL-UG is an incredibly clever concept that allows children to build any den they imagine by attaching PL-UG to the world around them. There are currently seven PL-UG components to choose from including connector discs, rods, suction cups, clamps, pegs and hooks that are all designed to connect together, and be attached to different objects around the house or garden such as chairs, tables, trees and benches. Once they have a structure, all they then need to do is secure a sheet over the top and put their ‘keep out’ sign on the door!

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Galt Toys launches the Marble Racer, an exciting marble construction game in which up to four players can build a high-speed marble racetrack and compete against each other to reach the finish line.

This exciting construction set features three special racing pieces; a starter gate, a racing vortex and a podium, as well as a variety of chutes and wheels for a really fascinating race. What’s more, the Marble Racer is also fully compatible with the Galt Marble Run! Once players have constructed their racing track from the pieces, each player then places their marble in the starter gate at the top, twist and they’re off! Players track their marbles as they whizz down tubes, chutes and through wheels. The marbles enter the three racing vortex, which change the racing order as the marbles spin around the dish in a race to the podium finish.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

‘Lite’ up your world CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.com Character Options set the construction sector alight in 2013 with the introduction of the constructible ‘Lite Up’ Lite Brix portfolio and 2014 is about to get brighter for the impressive boys and girls brand.

Lite Brix is a concept like never before and means that construction can light up with impressive multi-coloured flashing LEDs that when pieced together completes an electrical circuit, bringing projects to life like never before. Plus, with Lite Brix being compatible with all other brick brands, the sky’s the limit when it comes to illuminating possibilities!

The Lite Brix boys’ collection continues to strive with the popular Space Trooper Robot and the turbo charged Lumi-Cycle. Another impressive line is the Lumi Star Racer Car, with fantastic 3D light up designs.

This constructible vehicle will have boys racing to build their Lite Brix collection.

This autumn also sees the introduction of the brand new LiteWars themed playset collection. This will feature constructible projects with a battle theme that double to make an incredible light up display in any boy’s bedroom.

For girls, the Lite Brix range takes on a shopping theme with the introduction of the Sunset Mall, girls can now shop till they drop in the Fashion Store, Toy Shop and even take a ride on the musical Light Up Carousel!

In addition; there is a spooky twist with the brand new Moonlight Monsters collection. Girls will now be introduced to the glam ghoul characters; Skyla, Luna, Starlet, Maia and Aura and the playset which will be on every girl’s wish list is the Moonlight Mansion. This features over 100 special parts, 2 dolls, 11 Lite Brix, plus loads more to build with. Other playsets will include Starlight Stage, Moonlight Ride, Ghoulish Glamz, Spooky Spa plus Vampire Vanity; which makes the ideal beginners playset.

JUNE 2014

Oi! Get involved ved with the latest craze raze MARBEL LTD 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk Marbel toys have recently launched the he newest brand in their eir portfolio OiDroids. s. These are collectable, buildable and pop out robots that don’t require any glue or tape to assemble. They come in either a four, twelve or forty pack and are set to be the newest playground craze as they can be traded too in order to gain your missing cards or one of the ultra-rare cards. Also available to download is the OiDroid App which is a virtual reality game enabling children to drive a robot around the screen. Due to the price point these cute little robots fit perfectly as a pocket money impulse line and come in large robot display units which will look great on shelf.

Get the building bug INNOVATION FIRST 01925 453144 www.innovationfirst.com The popular HEXBUG Nano V2 habitat sets offer kids total creative freedom to construct and customise the layout to test the Nano V2 bug’s climbing proficiency. Builders can enjoy even more control over the bug’s journey by adding accessories such as rotating flags and pegs in the Hex cell base of the habitat to direct these micro robotic creatures. Sets can also be collected to combine and create a truly unique habitat.

With two more sets added to the existing range this year, the Hive and Bridge Battle, kids can explore with their Nano V2s more than ever before. Also available are the Orbit, Gravity Loop, Infinity Loop, Sky Max, Barrel Roll, Helix 180°, Watchtower and Hurricane.

8

RETAIL INTERVIEW SHOP DIRECT

Directly talking toys

Senior Toy and Nursery Buyer with Shop Direct, Andrea Gornall, sat down with TnP for our retail interview. As a toy buyer for six digital brands, Andrea is brimming with knowledge about all things toys Firstly, Andrea, thank you so much for taking the time to chat to us. When you think Shop Direct, you immediately think online – but the history of the company dates back some time.

What can you tell us about that?

Shop Direct was formed from the merger of Littlewoods and Great Universal back in 2005.

Both businesses had a long history in catalogue retailing, with Littlewoods formed in 1932 and Great Universal even earlier than that, in 1900. Around the same time as the merger, we sold the Littlewoods stores and, since then, have focused our energy on developing the online side of our business. We now have six digital department stores: Very. co.uk, Littlewoods.com, isme.com, KandCo.com, Woolworths.co.uk and LittlewoodsIreland.ie.

More than 80% of our sales are now online, with over a third of those from mobile devices. Our

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Andrea Gornall

“

ambition is to become a truly world class digital retailer and we’re well on the way to achieving that. One of the advantages that our long heritage gives us is tons of experience in remote retailing and probably the richest customer data set in UK retail.

Knowing our customers better than anyone else means that we’re in a great position to develop a highly personalised offer for them and that’s one of our key ambitions for the next few years.

Buyers should always be thinking about the customer, no matter what type of business they work in

”

Tell us a little about yourself, how did you come to find yourself in the toy business?

I’ve worked for Shop Direct for nearly 25 years; you don’t see that coming when you leave university! But I can honestly say I love my job and working for a company that has evolved

so much means that it’s always exciting. It’s a fantastic place to work.

I wanted to be a buyer when I started working at Littlewoods but my first job was actually as an assistant merchandiser. Within six months, I moved over to the Index brand as an assistant merchandiser on toys and got completely hooked! I quickly moved to the merchandiser position and, after a couple of years, switched to a trainee buyer role on toys.

I was so lucky to get to work with Alan Cowley and Alan Burgess, who were legends in the toy trade at the time. I’m still here now heading up the toy and nursery departments at Shop Direct, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

And what does your role as Toy Buyer within Shop Direct entail?

As a senior buyer, I now work in a management position across the toys and nursery department…

Kidsworld, as we call it. But I’m still buying for the girls and arts and craft categories, which means I get the best of both worlds.

I work with a fantastic team of

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people and that in itself makes the working environment a good one. We’re also busy every day as we’re growing massively, so planning for the future is really exciting. But working in toys means you’re particularly lucky as the products themselves are fun and supplier meetings are always interesting!

At Shop Direct you’ve got some huge online names like Very. co.uk, Littlewoods.com, isme.com and Woolworths.co.uk, do you buy toys for all of these websites?

We do have some fantastic brands under the Shop Direct umbrella, many of which are now household names. Toys play a major role across all our digital department stores and we buy for all six brands.

How has trading been overall this year in toys?

Following on from last year’s success, we’re having another amazing year across all core toy categories, both indoor and outdoor. Toys are an area within our digital department store identified as having huge growth potential. Customers are aware of our increased product offer, our easy shopping and delivery options and the level of affordability we’re able to provide via our financial services options, which means that we’re attracting new customers all the time.

How does buying for online stores differ to bricks and mortar, or does it at all?

I don’t think it really makes too much difference. Each business type has different criteria, however buyers should always be thinking about the customer, no matter what type of business they work in. If we consider an item good enough to sell in our

JUNE 2014

“

Online has advanced massively over the last few years. In particular, we’ve focused on improving our delivery options to make the shopping experience as simple and convenient as possible for customers shop, then the online execution or in-store display needs to be right regardless of whether you’re talking online, mobile or bricks and mortar.

Are there any specific challenges to buying toys for online retailers, in your opinion?

I think every retailer faces challenges, but we work closely as a team and with our supplier base to overcome them and move things forward.

Bringing products to life online is probably the biggest challenge we face when compared with bricks and mortar retailers. Some suppliers are less experienced in providing us with online assets and programmes to offer customers solid lines versus assortments, which can be a challenge.

Being online-only also means that our customers can’t touch, pick up or test products, so it’s really important that we find other ways of bringing products to life and giving them the best possible shopping experience. Luckily, we’re extremely experienced in working with suppliers to support them through the online journey.

Shop Direct won the BTHA’s Online Toy Retailer of the Year at London Toy Fair. You must have been thrilled with the win?

I can’t begin to tell you how excited and thrilled we all are – still! We’ve worked really hard to develop our toy offer and it was the icing on the cake to have that recognised. Everyone in the team

”

has played a major role in winning this amazing award…a real team effort and something we’re all very proud of. And we’ll be working even harder to try and keep it!

Talk to us a little about how you keep on top of trends within the toy industry?

We talk as much as possible to customers, build good relationships with suppliers and license partners and work hard to develop a solid understanding of TV programming and advertising.

Attending trade shows and reading trade press are also key. I’ve been around a long time, which brings experience and a personal feeling about a product. But maintaining a good, up-to-date understanding of the market we trade in plays a critical part in building a successful business.

How often does your stock change online?

We tend to select our offer with a full season in mind. However, some categories and product types will be selected for a shorter period of time if they’re season-relevant or part of an event. Pools and back to school products are good examples.

And how do you react if a product isn’t selling well?

Not every item selected is going to be a winner. Managing intake and stock levels are critical to our business and growth plans. We monitor demand and sales daily.

Best Sellers • Little Tikes • Disney Frozen range • Small Wonders outdoor range

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RETAIL INTERVIEW BEALES

What attracts you to a particular line of toys?

Obviously, we can’t buy every line available in the market. So the ones we do select have to enable us to offer our customers the best possible range each season.

Having said that, instinct comes with experience and we all know some products simply jump out at you as winners.

We often ask about merchandising in-store, but a similar process must exist with online retail too. What advice would you give to other stores with an online presence when it comes to making product looking attractive online? Are there any tricks of the trade?

The beauty of online means that there aren’t any limits when it comes to adding products to our websites. Of course, some products simply translate better than others, particularly on smartphone and tablet

screens. In those instances, we’ll invest more heavily in telling the story of the product through descriptions, via Toys are an demonstration videos area within our and by tapping into and digital sharing customer reviews.

“

department store identified as having huge growth potential

Can you ever recall being surprised by the popularity of a product?

All the time! I would say Tellytubbies the first time round, Zhu Zhu Pets (wow!) and, more recently, Disney’s Frozen. This is why this trade is so exciting…you just never know what customers are going to love!

”

Have you noticed an increase in the amount of people buying toys online in say, the last two or three years?

Absolutely. We’re a pureplay online retailer and we’ve been growing and winning market share for a few years. When it comes to buying toys, customers now look for choice and convenience in exactly the same way as when they buy fashion. Online shopping enables people to shop around and very quickly have a view of the entire market. Of course, that also makes it highly competitive!

Are there benefits to buying online as opposed to say, a bricks and mortar store, in your opinion?

Online has advanced massively over the last few years. In particular, we’ve focused on improving our delivery options to make the shopping experience as simple and convenient as possible for customers. As well as having products delivered next day to their homes, we also offer click and collect from more than 5,500 local newsagents, post offices and petrol stations via Collect+. Customers can pick up their purchases whenever is convenient for them and, if they need to, return items in exactly the same way. As a retailer, that gives us all the benefits of the high street without any of the overheads.

And how do you tempt your customers to purchase toys online?

Breath of offer is obviously crucial.

But as important as that nowadays is making sure the customer shopping experience is an enjoyable one and seamless across all devices. Online assets, easy to use navigation and availability are key.

We’re running features this month on Girls Collectibles, Arts and Crafts and Role Play toys – how are these categories performing for you?

All three are in growth for us, in particular girls and arts and crafts.

And finally, our must-ask question!

If you were a child today, what toy would you be nagging your mum for?

That’s easy…it’d be the Disney Frozen Castle and Ice Palace playset and dolls!

ANDREA’S VIEW If you were to divulge your top tip to a novice Toy Buyer – what would that be?

Listen to the advice of the experienced people around you and work closely with your supplier base.

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PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS

The art of it!

The Arts and Crafts sector is an age-old favorite that is being brought bang up to date by some very clever toy companies. TnP found out more…

W

hen it comes to a classic sector like Arts and Crafts, the sheer breadth of play variety is mesmerizing.

Whether it is knitting, sewing, drawing, colouring, gluing, sticking, sparkling or glittering – the sector has it covered for mini-Kirstie Allsopp wannabes. With an everincreasing trend towards up-cycling, (it’s fashionable to turn the old into the news nowadays, don’t you know!) Arts and Crafts have never been so popular.

So with that in mind, what is the lay of the land when it comes down to the brass tax of retail?

What is working well and frankly, what would Kirstie Allsopp want to use to test her mettle on?

Speaking with Depesche’s UK Sales Manager Dave Kelly (Despesche’s TOPModel range is a big hit with the retailers we speak to each month!) the sector is performing well.

“It is incredible! Sales with some of our major retailers are up by over 100% this year and we are constantly showing performing g as a ‘Top p 3’ p g line in many Art and Craft departments.

Depesche in the UK is growing every year and a cornerstone of this growth is our Arts and Crafts range.”

It is a similar story for John Adams with their MD Simon Pilkington telling us their Arts Our Arts and Crafts range is “performing and Crafts strongly year after year and we continue to increase our market lines have share within the craft category.” always been Encouragingly, Great Gizmos strong for us are reporting a similar story.

“Our Arts and Crafts lines have as we try to always been a strong line for offer products us as we try to offer products and kits that and kits that are a bit different are a bit to everyone else,” reported Director Judith Dayus, who different to added: “We like to mix both everyone else creative and educational aspects so children are learning Judith Dayus, through play without realizing Great Gizmos it.”

With the sector so varied, covering smaller niche items to full-scale design-led toys, price points must play an important factor. “They are always important!” says Judith, with Simon revealing: “It depends on the time of year.

Smaller Smalle kits with lower price points sell be better during Q1 and Q2, so we have a fantastic range of craft and

“

”

fashion kits in convenient hanging packs, designed to hit the growing pocket money / impulse buy market.

The more extensive kits with higher price points sell better during the Q3 and Q4 as consumers start to think about Christmas gifts.” When asked if Depesche see price point as being particularly important in the sector, Dave told us: “To an extent yes, most of our products are under £10 which we believe is fantastic value.

However, price points shouldn’t be a stumbling block when developing new lines. A great example was our TOPModel ‘Pop Star’ book which also played music when opened.

This meant the book sold for £13.50, which was the most expensive creative book we had launched – it still sold out.”

Despite being such an age-old favourite, Arts and Crafts still has to stay relevant, what worked in the 90s won’t work today. But how do companies keep products fresh and relevant for today’s crowd of techsavvy children?

“We have a fantastic creative team who are challenging themselves to come up with new ideas all the time,” explains Dave. “We also study the latest crazes, fashions, music

John Adams

WE ASKED… W How do you ensure your products stay current?

Ho “Jo “John Adams has a hugely successful heritage in creative play. Our craft range has always been a stimulating way for play boys and girls to create something of their own from an early boy age, with easy to achieve results. With our years of age expertise, we look at what’s selling well and what the market exp wants, to develop new lines each year. We also work in wan partnership with some of the most successful licensed par characters too, including Disney Princess, Minnie Mouse, My cha Little Pony and more recently, Tatty Teddy and Doc Litt McStuffins.”

McS Simon Pilkington, John Adams Sim

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Great Gizmos

WE ASKED… How do you ensure your products stay y current?

“We always see what children and parents are e interested in and react accordingly. We also stay tay on top of trends so we can produce products that are up-to-date and current.”

Judith Dayus, Great Gizmos

and trends. When we develop new lines or concepts we road test them with the target consumer. We invite parents and children to our HQ and give them a selection of products to play with and ask for feedback – this is invaluable to our development as a company.”

be seen as just a girls only zone – or should it? We put the question to our industry experts. ind “Our craft portfolio contains craft products aimed at both boys pr and girls girl and although we have a larger craft collection aimed at the cr girls market, our ProDeck range has mar continued continue expand with strong sales

Depesche

arts and crafts.”

Encouragingly, Judith says that they have found boys love Arts and Crafts just as much as girls. “We have some great craft lines that are not ‘girly’ that feature robots, dinosaurs and cars which appeal to the boys

WE ASKED… W How do you ensure your products stay current? c “ “TOPModel in particular is inspired by the current high street fashion trends, so it is always totally h relevant to the kids of today. We invest heavily in new re product innovations and we always update the pr designs of our top selling lines to ensure the kids keep desi collecting th them. We have teams of designers based at our head office in i Germany and they keep a constant watch on the fashion industry indus for trends and inspiration.”

Depesche Dave Kelly, De

For Great Gizmos, Judith told us: “We look to see what the current trends are and develop new ideas with the design team. We have some fab new craft lines launching for all to see at Autumn Fair!”

Brainstorming works for John Adams with Simon telling us: “Our team of product managers and inventors are constantly brainstorming and working on new concepts. Part of our process is to play test products to ensure we have the right mix of creativity, and level of challenge for our target market.”

But just as boys love their toys, the Arts and Crafts sector shouldn’t

JUNE 2014

since launch which whic shows that boys like making things as much as girls!” revealed Simon.

Sim The same can be said by Depesche. “Boys are just as interested in stickers, glue, colouring and making things as girls,” insists Dave, who adds that We have a the subject matter obviously fantastic has to appeal to them. “From creative team our perspective, TOPModel is collected mostly by girls. who are But we recently launched a challenging creative range for boys called themselves to ‘Monster Cars’ and this is already selling well and means come up with our retail partners have a new ideas all creative selection to offer to the time boys as well. So if products are available for boys then it’s Dave Kelly, evident that both boys and Depesche girls will get enjoyment from

“

”

whereas the girls seem to like the fairies and princesses. Many of our craft lines are non-gender specific. In the end it’s just about having fun!”

This level of appeal across both genders is helping bolster the sector’s popularity even more – as is the fact that that it has managed to stay relevant in an ever-changing toy market. At the heart of the sector though is the fact that it is hugely important to children’s creative development.

“The key to our range is providing a range of craft kits that allow children to make something themselves that they can be proud of,” says Simon. “Arts and Crafts kits should encourage creativity and fuel imagination and that’s what we aim to do with every item in our portfolio.”

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PREVIEW PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS ARTS CRAFTS

Vividly brilliant VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

This autumn sees Crayola launch the Marker Maker into its ever- expanding toy offering. Making it super easy to create custom coloured markers in minutes, kids can either use the mixing guide or let their creativity run riot, to create colours their friends definitely won’t have.

Included with the Marker Maker are customisable labels and marker boxes that you can colour in, enabling you to truly make your very own colour combinations.

Now budding jewellery artists can create dazzling charms with the Crayola Creations Beadola Charm Maker. As fun to make as they are to wear, this TV

advertised item enables you to create up to 120 personalised and unique charms, in a range of different designs, colours and effects. The four include glossy glazes and gem stones add a touch of glamour for gorgeous end results. A must-have for all fashionistas. New to My First Crayola, comes Doodle Magic Colour Mat, an all-new marker and drawing surface system for toddler’s 36mths+. Offering colouring-in fun for toddlers and worryfree creativity for mum, as any doodle can be magically wiped away, using just water.

Simply pick your colors and doodle, then swipe, wipe and color again! All three lines will be TV supported from launch, and throughout the autumn. This season Vivid have put their own spin on the current bracelet-making craze hitting playgrounds across the nation with the Moshi Monsters Friendship bracelet range.

Each pack contains an array of superbright micro moshi style beads and neon ribbons to help make and share bracelets with your friends!

Chalk it down DKL MARKETING LTD 01604618780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL ranges, Breyer Horse Models and Hama Beads, provide unique arts and crafts fts fun! The Chalkboard Horse offers hours of creativity, use se chalk to colour, write on, and d decorate the horse. Then clean up the horse with a damp cloth and start a new design.

The Paint Your Own Horse sets offer three different designs and include paints, brushes, a model horse and instructions- all that is needed is the touch of a young artist! Hama has recently launched new items which are not to be missed. The unique Jewellery sets offer something different to the range; Fashion Jewellery, Bracelets, Hair Clips and the new Charms set create stylish pieces you wouldn’t believe possible with Hama! Whilst the Open Gift Boxes makes an ideal present, with 6,000 beads and six different pegboards children can really get creative.

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Be a creation station!

ARTSTRAWS 01792486002 www.artstraws.com Artstraws Creation Station range of Arts & Crafts for Kids is one to watch. Best merchandised on their 5-sided spinner display stand, the Creation Station range consists of wiggle eyes to pom-poms, feathers to pipe cleaners, lollipop sticks to masks – a really comprehensive range for children.

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PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS

Bloomin’ great FLAIR

Get crafty!

EPOCH MAKING TOYS LTD 0843 557 4062 sales@epochmakingtoys.com With craft more popular than ever, EPOCH making toys is promoting a Deluxe Set which will be available in the autumn, within its art and crafts range, Aquabeads.

Aquabeads, which is suitable for children aged 4 years and above, comprises colourful beads which stick together when sprayed with water. Users arrange the beads in a desired pattern in a layout tray – a design template is provided for guidance – and then spray their beads with a mist of water using the refillable spray. Once sprayed, it’s just a short wait for the creations to set and dry.

These nifty beads are available in two varieties: Solid Beads and Jewel Beads. Solid Beads are opaque, bright and spherical, while Jewel Beads are translucent and multi-faceted. Both varieties are available in a range of colours.

Children can either arrange the beads into patterns based on the templates provided, or let their imaginations run wild and create their own unique designs. With no need for glue, Aquabeads avoids the traditional mess associated with kids’ craft activities such as collage and painting, but still retains the fun, creative element.

The Deluxe Set, which is due to launch later this year, will be one of the highlights of the Aquabeads range. With more than 1,200 beads, this Solid Bead set has templates ranging from a rainbow to a pony.

The Aquabeads range also has 4 Hello Kitty licensed products, with the stand out items in this range being the Hello Kitty Fashion Set and Hello Kitty Nail Art Studio.

EPOCH making toys has a TV advert for Aquabeads planned for later in the year.

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0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk Building on their reputation as a number one craft kit supplier, Flair’s 2014 range is an exciting and varied mix of new and unique products combined with established formats and key licences.

Bloom Pops is an exciting unique flower-making range.

Girls can create cool new kinds of flowers by picking your fabric petals, stacking them in any way you like, adding your colourful buttons and then pop them together with your Bloom Pops Maker! For serious florists there is the Flower Design Studio, this contains everything needed to create up to six flowers over and over again. Not only does it provide the perfect studio for making and creating, but it doubles up as a storage station too. Other sets in the line-up are Flower Jewellery, and Flower Bouquet Pack to create beautiful flowers that you can keep, customise to suit your mood or give to friends! Flair’s Cool Cardz has proven successful over many years but now new Cool Cardz are on their way including a set that will inspire fans of the multi-million record selling band, One Direction.

Go loony for Loom H. GROSSMAN LTD 0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.co.uk HGL’s Loom Twister is easy to use and comes in various kit sizes with easy to store compartments for colour matching. The larger kits have carry handles and there is even a small ‘training kit’ to see if looming is for you! HGL are also introduced a wide selection of Craft Sets at pocket money prices -including beadcraft, bracelet and jewellery making kits.

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www.ggtrade.co.uk

PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS

Can’t wait to BLOpen them JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk

John Adams further expands its successful Arts and Crafts range in 2014, with the new BLOpens range leading the way. Targeting children aged 4+, BLOpens introduces the unique and fun concept of colouring by blowing ink directly onto paper. Washable and non-toxic, the range will contain a variety of packs from low price point sets suitable for spring/summer, to the larger, Super Activity Workshop. A host of licensed BLOpen kits will also appear from launch including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney Princess, and Minnie Mouse Bow-tique. The Studio 3D Card Maker enables girls to make their own 3D morphing cards. They simply choose their image, add a lenticular lens and wind it through the card machine to make amazing 3D animated cards. Brand new for the autumn is B-Creative; 12 new arts and crafts kits aimed at girls aged 6+. Combining the wibbly-wobbliness of jelly and the fun of slushy making, the innovative Jelly Fun Slushy Maker joins the hugely popular Chocolate Lolly Maker and the Golden Coin Maker in the Food Craft range. The Jelly Fun Slush Maker is easy to use and comes complete with Jelly Dispenser Carousel, sweet mould tray, spoon, jelly cube cutter, three plastic glasses and three strawspoons. Available in June, the Jelly Fun Slush Maker will be supported by a heavyweight TV campaign from launch.

A mountain of fun HASBRO 020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com When it comes to arts and crafts, Hasbro know a thing or two. Take a look at the Play-Doh Cake Mountain Playset!

With the new Cake Mountain playset there are tons of ways to make amazing cake creations. The fun starts at the top when you load one of three different cake moulds with Play-Doh compound, then ‘press and pop’ to make your cake! Use the half moulds on the playset to add fun details and Play-Doh treats, then pile on the Play-Doh Plus frosting!

Separate the bottom layer to uncover more half-moulds and fun ways to play! You can even decorate the outside of the cake, adding colourful plastic candles or turn them into Play-Doh lollipops! Next up is the DohVinci Style & Store Vanity Kit. Keep your room just a little more organised with a customisable place to store your favourite things! Use the styler tool to make this mirror and drawer set uniquely yours with colourful designs that pop. Once your DohVinci design is complete, assemble your vanity and voila, a perfect place to store your jewellery, notes, and other favourites!

5

Geek chic!

THAMES AND KOSMOS 01580 212000 www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk New from Thames and Kosmos, the Geek & Co! range offers more than just Science – with six kits covering arts and crafts.

Get funky with the Flip Flop Bead Party kit, design and bead your own pair of fashionable flip flops using the variety of beads, buttons and cord provided. With the left over beads you can also design bracelets and necklaces.

For those who are more interested in intergalactic space travel the Do-it-Yourself UFO is the perfect kit to create your own extraterrestrial space ship using holographic foil, silver cardboard and everyday recycled materials found around the house. The new range which is available from September will also include craft kits for more hands on crafters such as Plaster Sculptures.

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TV Camp aigns Christ mas

2014

Make

Spray & they y stay

u now yo in us on can Jo

aquabeadsart.com/uk abeadsart com/uk m/uk making toys Limited

4 Ramsay Court, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FY

For more information call: or email: sales@epochmakingtoys.com

PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS

Build a masterpiece ASOBI 01628 200077 www.asobi.co.uk

Look stylish INTERPLAY

In an era when it’s quite common for children to be playing with iPads and various other electronic toys, it is all the more important to ignite their imagination every now and again!

Asobi is delighted to be the UK distributor for CALAFANT, 100% recyclable cardboard models that are easy to build, fun to decorate and wonderful to play with! Whether your little one wants to create their own fairytale castle, pirate ship or tree house, CALAFANT cardboard models make these dreams a reality. Using an extremely sturdy, yet light and flexible cardboard material, CALAFANT has made it possible for every child to have their very own magical escape!

01628 488 944 www.interplayuk.com Interplay expands its creative offering this year with additions to the myStyle craft collection and introducing new ranges such as Craft Box and Mr. Men and Little Miss.

The award-winning myStyle craft and jewellery collection continues to follow fashion trends with the addition of funky new Festival Jewellery, Shrink Design Jewellery and Super Loop Bands. The 17 strong myStyle range is supported by TV advertising, online social media and a high profile advertorial campaign across teen magazines throughout the summer. With the choice of price points from £7.99 through to £19.99, tweens can make high quality fashion accessories for every occasion. One of the major kits this year is Festival Jewellery, which helps to create that all- important festival look this summer. Nine festival themed pieces of jewellery can be fashioned by simply following the 16-page step by step activity guide and using the colourful feathers, beads and cords included. Festival Jewellery, as with all myStyle kits, enables girls to make beautiful on-trend jewellery and inspirational gifts that they can wear and share with friends. Craft Box is new to Interplay’s craft portfolio for 2014. The range is a collection of kits that encourage a child’s imagination, to inspire both role-play and intelligent thinking while enhancing their creative skills. Craft Box has 10 different projects to choose from, such as creating a magical Fairy Garden, Paint and Play Ponies and a Pirate themed Theatre Land kit. What’s more, with kits costing as little as £7.99, price points are perfect for smaller gifts and party presents.

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Creative character!

CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.co.uk Character Options has an impressive collection of creative brands that brings a virtual world to life for boys and a touch of shimmer for girls. The Cra-Z-ART Shimmer and Sparkle collection has brought a fun, fresh and fashionable approach to the world of arts and crafts. The story began with the Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet Maker which has taken the industry by storm since its launch in December. It’s taken the popular concept of friendship bracelets and given it a whole new twist using rubber bands. Now serious ‘loomers’ can now get their hands on a Cra-Z-Loom Neon Brite Refill Pack which includes 900 bands to keep hands looping and weaving. This Autumn the Shimmer and Sparkle brand is expanding with a host of new product including the new Super Cra-Z-Loom, Designer Nail and Body Art Studio. Twist and Wear Fashion Maker, the highly anticipated Cra-Z-Knit and the dazzling Fashion Lights.

Cra-Z-loom is the hot girls brand to get on board with as each range comes with its own dedicated TV commercial and active PR which kicks off in August.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS

Be TOP at having fun and getting arty!

DEPESCHE 07760 305321 www.depesche.co.uk The popularity of TOPModel’s large portfolio of beautiful, creative activity books and stationery is growing every year and its product range has been updated extensively for 2014. With dramatic imagery and enchanting, magical settings, the Create Your Fantasy Model Colouring Book inspires children to design and create the clothing the models wear and bring to life the mystical world in which they live.

There are template outlines of the models with sticker sheets, accessories and props of a fantasy theme to be used to complete their outfits and hairstyles. It lets the imagination run wild and children will love the dramatic imagery laid out in this enchanting creative book.

As with the entire TOPModel range of over 200 products, the Fantasy Model Colouring Book is linked to Depesche’s own TOPModel magazine, available monthly from leading newsagents, which encourages girls to share their designs and gives hints and tips from TOPModel’s own artists. With the majority of TOPModel products priced under £10 and offering retail margins of 50%, the brand’s demographic target is primarily young girls aged from seven years old to early teens. All products inspire creativity, encourage a flair for design and kindle a passion for fashion and art.

Sock it to ‘em THE PUPPET COMPANY 01462 446040 www.thepuppetcompany.com The Puppet Company produce a wide range of toys which are perfect for creative play. They are the largest designer and wholesaler of puppets in Europe, producing over 900, ranging from finger-puppets through to large Full-Bodied puppets. The Puppet Company Toys are not powered by electricity but by their user’s imagination and creativity.

The Sockettes are a fantastic example of the original toys available from The Puppet Company. Inspired by Sock Puppets; they feature brightly coloured knit fabric, expressive working mouths and a fun squeaker. The three new additions, Mango, Kitty and Rupert, add even more colour and character to this lively collection. To see the full range please visit www. thepuppetcompany.com

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Your big creation BIGJIGS TOYS 01303 250400 www.bigjigstoys.com The Bigjigs Arts and Crafts collection provide hours of creative fun whilst helping to develop fine motor and coordinations skills. Bigjigs offer a wide variety of Arts & Crafts products including favourites such as the wooden Junior Arts Easel. Youngster’s creative minds will run wild with three different creative opportunities including a whiteboard, a chalkboard and the paper roll; which can be attached to either board. This set comes complete with four paint pots, a paper roll, chalks and eraser.

For a different type of creativity why not try the best selling French Knitting Doll. This set comes complete with a wooden knitting doll, four balls of colourful wall, and a sturdy wooden kitting needle.

Once children have got the hang of the French Knitting Doll they can extend their skills and learning with the Bigjigs traditional Weaving Loom which is perfectly sized for little hands, and encourages creative creations.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

PREVIEW

ARTS & CRAFTS

Crafty Creations 4 Kids GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk Great Gizmos is renowned for its highly successful arts and crafts kits. They continue to take creative play to another level with exciting new additions to the 4M range that will appeal to every artistic mind.

Butterflies feature prominently in the new 2014 collection with kits that take a modern twist on traditional craft activities. The Mould and Paint Mosaic Butterfly lets kids create beautiful tiled creations for friends and family and the Butterfly Masks will make colourful masks that are a perfect craft activity to do with friends. For a creation that can be displayed, the Paint Your Own Trinket Box Russian Dolls has six dolls to be painted and then each doll fits neatly within one another in the true traditional style.

The latest fashion trends are now at girls’ fingertips with the coolest fashion accessories available from 4M. Girls can get creative with craft jewellery sets including the Friendship Bracelets kit that lets girls weave bracelets from colourful strands of fabric. Other accessories can be created from the Woven Bracelets kit that allows girls to braid their own bracelets and add sparkly string for an added touch. Kits also available include the Fancy Charm Bracelet and Cool Colour Wristlet.

New this year is Dinosaur World and Dragon World, where children can create and colour their own dinosaurs or dragons from templates and slot them together to display.

Alternatively the Sock Puppet Monsters kit allows fun puppets to be created and includes a cardboard scene for added play value, and the Grass Head Growing Kit is a simple yet fun kit where comical characters are made using socks as bodies and grass for hair.

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The fun is looming RE:CREATION 0118 973 6222 www.recreationltd.co.uk It’s wrists at the ready as Re:creation’s new Fun Loom continues to make waves in the Creative Play aisle this autumn with extensive marketing support, including PR. The unique 4-row loom is perfect for little wrists whilst allowing for creative and detailed designs and encouraging imaginative play for both girls and boys from 8+.

More to love!

GALT TOYS 0161 428 9111 www.galttoys.com Galt Toys has introduced seven new crafty kits to its range of Activity Packs. The brand new Activity Packs, include jewellery making, face paints and design kits.

Yummy Jewellery is a fun activity pack for creating cool necklaces and bracelets.Animal Pop Beads activity pack is a great first jewellery set with pop beads that simply snap together. Fairy Princess Face Paints is a kit of six pastel face paint colours, glitter gel and face stickers, perfect for creating beautiful fairy princesses for parties or playing dress up! Zombie Face Paints is great for creating ghoulishly ghastly zombie and monster faces.

Racing Cars activity pack allows children to create two racing cars by simply slotting together the car pieces around the mechanisms, axles and wheels, then adding stickers! Wooden Pirate Ship, a fun activity pack for children to create their own boat, includes wooden boat pieces, plastic sails, acrylic paints, a paintbrush, glue and stickers for them to build, paint and decorate their own pirate ship to sail the seven seas or display in their room. Monster Wind-Ups kit includes pre-cut foam, sticky pads and wiggly eyes for children to imagine and create their own scary monsters.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

www.interplayuk.com

TV

NEW FOR

2014

ADVE HEAV RTISING YWEIGH

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NEW FOR

2014

tel: 01628 488944 email: sales@interplayuk.com

...toys & gifts designed to inspire

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Grabbing the bull by the horns The Independent points out a few basics this month

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anyway, signifies the importance of having money available to you. Whether this is to buy new stock, pay your staff or more specifically cash-flow, it certainly is the most important aspect of the toy business. For what it is worth, I also feel equal to cash is product, but that discussion is for another time.

From the moment a customer enters your store, to the moment they leave your store, you have a certain of power at your fingertips - to subtly prod them into becoming the best type of customer, a returning customer. And every aspect of their experience should be under extreme scrutiny.

One of the most simple rules in customer service is, no matter how nice your staff are, how well laid out the store is and what else you do to make a visual impact; if you don`t have what the customer is looking for, you can’t sell it to The Independent’s top-selling toys them. And this raises the issue for April 2014 about having stock of every line of every range, which is clearly VOLUME: impossible. I can`t tell you how 1) Simpson`s Minifigures - Lego many retailers I have spoken 2) Fun Snaps - Peterkin to recently who say something 3) Cra-Z-Loom Neon Refill - Character Options along the lines of “I have plenty VALUE: of product in the store so I’m 1) Gas N Go Mower - Little Tikes not buying at present.” How 2) Simpson`s Mini Figures - Lego long will it take for us to realise 3) Jura Lodge - Smoby that there are always key lines

he first thing that comes to mind when writing this is how glad I am this is an anonymous article. I can only imagine how unbelievably patronising it must be for me to sit and “list” my opinions of what makes a store have good customer service.

I simply thought, after having some rather lengthy discussions over the past while about the fear that is instilled in many of my fellow buyers’ minds when it comes to purchasing goods from suppliers, that it would be well worth my time making a few rather obvious but seemingly difficult decisions while we all try to survive in this never-ending nightmare we call the economic downturn.

The first lesson I learnt in retail was simply “cash is king”. This saying can take on various forms but it mainly, for me

across various brands that are “flying” out the door?

And if you don`t have these in stock and ready to be purchased, the ripple effect is that your customers may get fed up with being disappointed by your product offering and not return! Your suppliers will be (relatively) understanding that you don`t want the entire range of their latest and greatest toys. Cut out the crap from your ranges and over time, merchandising, displays and cash flow become easier to manage. Any agent that tells me there isn`t a weak line in their range of this or that brand is corrected immediately by being shown the worst line or two on the offering.

The second aspect of customer service is the atmosphere you give the customers.

This is very broad, and ranges from staff to layout, tidiness and pricing. If you don`t grab the bull by the balls and make sure that, within the various restrictions of your own store and business, these things are as good as they can be, you will miss sales and this is not something you can afford to do often. I feel the best way, as I did in each of my own stores, is to walk in as if you are a customer, two or three times if necessary and see if you get a good feel from your layout and product offering. This will allow you to make subtle changes to improve things, and you can go from there.

THE SECRET SUPPLIER Are you seeing the bigger picture?

Our Secret Supplier has a bone to pick with The Independent this month!

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he first lesson The Independent learnt was that “cash is king”.

In the toy industry it was a good lesson to learn! It applies to both retailers and suppliers and inevitably, it is the supplier who takes the biggest risks, but this is where I can’t agree with the Independent when he suggest “cash is product”. The toy industry has a history of company disasters caused by companies with over stocked warehouse full of unsaleable stock and no cash.

The most common cause of failure within our industry is excess inventory so, yes, cash is king! His principal argument is that service revolves around making sure he has in stock the product that his customers are seeking in his store. On this point may I humbly suggest that The Independent is not seeing the big picture? The fact is that very few customers actually know what they are looking for when they enter a toy shop and the opportunity for service excellence rests in the ability of the sales staff to gently persuade the customer to purchase what he does have in stock! It is this customer interaction that very often defines what good service is all about. For independent toy retailers this is their secret weapon with

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which to fight multiple and online retailers. Service is a challenging concept which can be defined in many ways but its metrics are simple. Does the service you give create a consumer who is a loyal returning customer? Internet retailers can’t give help or advice but arguably they do give good service because most people know that when they order a product today it will be delivered tomorrow and they nearly always have what you want in stock! The battle facing the bricks and mortar retailer is to give his customers something that his competitors can’t provide and service is the best weapon to fight with. Add in-store theatre, interactive displays, play days, character visits and competitions for kids, plus sound consumer advice and you have created a magic wonderland that will fascinate both purchasers and children. Creating such a retail environment is actually a lot easier than trying to pick the winners being offered by your ever-friendly agent. While some retailers have a natural instinct for picking the winners, the rest of us are best advised to study the market intelligence and to react quickly one the trend has started Pick the winners when you know they are winning!

toysnplaythings.co.uk

RETAIL

OPINION

Trade talk

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

This month we talk to some of the industry’s finest to find out how things have been and what they will be focusing on as we head MANDY HARRISON Director, Brookite into the second half of the year What is your focus as we head into the ANDY COOPER Marketing Director & Partner, Worlds Apart What is your focus as we head into the second half of 2014?

We’ve had a busy year so far, which is set to continue as we enter into the second half of 2014. We are very excited to be making noise around our new suite of master brands (HelloHome, GoGlow, ReadyBed, ReadyRoom, GetGo, BrightPlay, Skoot, and Freezeez) and some of our fantastic new products.

The majority of the toy-focused trade shows for the year are now under our belts, what have been your highlights from them this year?

A major highlight was the launch of our licensed ice cream maker - Freezeez.

We unveiled it for the first time at Toy Fair with a Freezeez ice cream parlour.

We were delighted with the response, and the latest addition to the Worlds Apart family has been well received by the industry.

How have you been creating a buzz about your toys for the summer holidays?

Our recent focus has centered on Freezeez, which is a strong summer product. We’ve been building excitement across a number of mediums. When all of these elements are integrated, we can really build momentum in consumer interest.

If you were a child today, what toy would you be nagging your mum for?

It would still be a skateboard

JUNE 2014

second half of 2014?

As our products are mainly outdoor toys our business is being done now. Maybe we need to find a range of products suitable for the back end of the year!

The majority of the toy-focused trade shows for the year are now under our belts, what have been your highlights from them this year? Going back to Toy Fair after an absence of a few years was exciting. It was great to feel the buzz of the show again. The AIS show was really good for us this year and probably the highlight of all the shows was winning the Golden Teddy Award, which was presented to us at the Toymaster Show.

If you were a child today, what would you be nagging your mum for? Anything to do with bugs or nature would be on my wanted list.

TRUDI BISHOP Head of Marketing and Licensing, Cartamundi Group What is your focus as we head into the second half of 2014?

Our key focus will be on our new category launch of the Shuffle range and our associated key partnership with Hasbro. Not only are we bringing some great Hasbro entertainment brands to our card game portfolio — names such as Monopoly, Play-Doh, Littlest Pet Shop and Transformers — but we’ve introduced the downloadable Shuffle app to add to the fun and possibilities of card play.

What have been your highlights from the trade shows this year?

For us it’s all about Shuffle: we launched it at the trade fairs and had a fantastic response both from retailers and licensors.

If you were a child today, what toy would you be nagging your mum for?

Shuffle of course! But outside of our own product range, there would be three things on my list. Firstly anything LEGO Movie related. The NERF Rebelle range of dart blasters and super soakers from Hasbro.

And the tomboy in me rather likes the look of the new Matt Hatter cell blaster from Simba Smoby.

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Swap shop TnP’s Rhys Thomas takes a look at what makes a strong girls collectable range and how diverse pricing and product offering can lead to repeat sales for retailers

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ears before we sit down with the salmon-tinged pages of the Financial Times, or pour over the fluctuations in the FTSE or NASDAQ, we learn about trading on the playground. The lunchtime ‘hedge funds’ are just that, kids swapping their favourite collectables by the evergreens and shrubs on the edges of the playing fields, and having the coveted ‘rare’ or a full collection is the ultimate status symbol.

Collectables are a universal playground staple; simple play patterns and a range of price points ensure that every child can get involved.

The big strength of these toys is the built-in hype machine that word of mouth and playtime chitchat can drum up; once the toys break out on to the school playground, they almost sell themselves. The hurdle is getting the toys out there, attracting fans, and for girls, the hunt for that lucrative next swap alone just doesn’t cut it.

There are differences in the ways that boys and girls play with their pocket-money collectables.

Boys, for example, “don’t just want their own toys, they want

those of others,” says Nikki Jeffrey, UK Marketing Manager at Famosa. “Therefore boys collectables need to be more of a game, a conquest, a chance to own their opponent’s toys,” Marian Davis, Marketing Manager for MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation believes that while boys “tend to hunt for rare collectables and have more of a desire for volume in order to compete with their peers,” girls are after something a little more involved.

Andrea Smith, Girls Manager, Character Options agrees. “It helps if they come from a desirable property,” she says. “We have an extremely successful girl’s collectables portfolio which includes The Zelfs and Disney Princess Palace Pets. Girls love when characters have their own biography, with both The Zelfs and the Disney Princess Palace Pets each character is brought to life with its own personality.”

Similarly, Epoch’s range of Sylvanian Families collectables builds upon the brand’s ‘world’, its nostalgia factor, and the strength of a preestablished property. “Our collectables range, Sylvanian Families, is a longstanding brand

“

Offering retailers impulse purchases is really important as it introduces customers to the range Verity Groom, Girls Product Manager .

GP Flair

”

with a history in the marketplace,” says Chris Watt, Sales Manager at Epoch making toys. “To make the most of this longevity, we are focusing on the regeneration of the brand at retail level. For Sylvanian Families, it’s this longevity, combined with an emphasis on social play values and respect of the natural world, which marks it as a great children’s’ collectable.”

Driving licenses Girls cherish their collectables. Their collections give them ownership over a small part of their favourite worlds, stories and brands.

Licenses, of course, can be a

COMING SOON TO A PLAYGROUND NEAR YOU...

Marian Davis, MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation Marketing Manager: “Our new line of Lalaloopsy collectables, which is set to launch in July, will offer collectable play at a micro scale with over 100 cute as a button dolls with tiny details and portable playsets.”

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toysnplaythings.co.uk

COMING SOON TO A PLAYGROUND NEAR YOU...

Verity Groom, Girls Product Manager, GP Flair: “Shopkins is being launched this summer and includes a multi-platform marketing strategy of TV, digital, PR, sampling and retailer events… With over 140 characters in the launch series, Flair has high hopes of it becoming a phenomenal playground craze for 2014/15.”

driving force here, as girls jump at the chance to interact with the characters and on-screen friends they are already invested in.

“Sofia the First is instantly recognised as a leading licensed property of today, and with the well know appeal of the brand we believe that it will be hugely successful,” says Verity Groom, Girls Product Manager at GP Flair. But, Verity explains, licenses aren’t the be all and end all. “Licensing is not the only factor in determining success. Shopkins will be launched as a toy brand, but our retailer reaction tells us that it has great prospects for the year ahead and beyond.”

Nikki agrees. “Clearly, TV and films create a natural demand for merchandise,” she explains.

“However, having a great collectable range which is kept alive by a significant amount of play factor will meet the demands of a child and therefore generate the ‘crave and craze’. Most of the playground crazes were born from product and play, not license.” In fact, some girls collectable brands have spawned their own licensing programs. MGA’s Lalaloopsy, which launched as a toy property, spawned its own TV show that has gone on to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy award in the US. “Licensing has a big role to play in

building the brand and engaging the consumer through entertainment. After building a solid fan base we launched the Lalaloopsy TV series on Nick Jr last October. The TV show can be seen at 3pm every week day and 6am on weekends on Nick Jr., and it also appears on the Nick Jr +1 channel,” says As Maria. The collectable toys’ ability to offer accessible collections ways to interact with their grow the favourite properties and be customer will social is a major part of then come their appeal for girls. But back for more despite this, Andrea Smith, Character Options’ Girls to keep on Manager explains that the building their fundamentals remain the collections same: “All collectables whether boys or girls have Andrea Smith, Girls to be just that – Manager, Character collectable.”

Options

“

”

The spice of life

Variety gives girls collectables their wow factor. Regular updates and refreshes keep things new and exciting, with diverse characters, colours, shapes, sizes and licenses. The launch of a new series adds a temporary buzz to a collection and avoids the range stagnating. The roll out of new product injects energy and new excitement into a range, making girls collectables a truly evergreen category.

And, Marian stresses the

importance of this breadth of range. “Brands need to ensure that there are a number of products within a range that will spark a playground craze. Once a brand has achieved collectability success within one range, it can then look at range extensions and this is something that we’ve done with much success for Lalaloopsy.”

Perhaps most importantly for retailers, parents and gift buyers, girls collectables offer a huge range of price points, from pocket-money impulse buys to multi-packs and gifts sets. With barely any barrier to entry, flexible pricing offers great value for retailers and consumers.

“Offering retailers impulse purchases is really important as it introduces customers to the range and means they are likely to return to buy higher price point items,” explains GP Flair’s Verity Groom. “By offering a range of price points all customers will be targeted, which is very important.”

Character Options’ Andrea agrees, adding that low prices that start as an impulse buy or treat can often lead to repeat business. “Most girl’s collectables have low price points which attract young girls wanting to spend their pocket money. I would initially say it is an impulse buy, but as collections grow the customer will then come back for more to keep on building their collections.” This repeat business and investment in a range of collectables makes product at higher price points attractive to parents and gift buyers; they know their little ones are already fans. Nikki Jeffrey explains that, although cheaper items on the counter top are perfect for making a range easily accessible, “there needs to be not just the pocket money wins but also the larger add-on SKUs which fall into the gifting price points and can be used as promotional leverage.”

So, for the collectables that get the playground nod of approval, the benefits and potential sales are big for retailers. They tick all the boxes and fit in with almost any store setup.

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Cute collectables FAMOSA 07903 843241 www.famosa.es Pinypon, the unique range of cute interchangeable mini dolls and playsets has made an impactful comeback for 2014. The only dolls with removable hair, head, body and accessories plus double sided faces with different fun expressions to add to the dress up fun, Pinypon launched with new pricing, new features and an aggressive marketing campaign. In addition to the impressive line of collectible themed figures, Pinypon has launched the first of many playsets. The Pinypon Campervan hides a host of surprises and has received a great reaction since launching in January. The roof is a pedal boat with slide, there is a little swimming pool with working shower, a fridge, kitchen accessories and a table with one deck chair for your picnic. This great set also includes one Pinypon figure. The Campervan is one of two playsets, which are the focus for Q3 and Q4. July sees the introduction of the Pinypon Hotel which is packed with fun features. A heavyweight TV campaign is planned to support these sets with a targeted 1,500 TVR’s and tactical promotions will also be put in place to encourage collectability across the brand. Nikki Jeffery, Famosa UK Marketing Manager says “With new aggressive price points to drive awareness and collectability, plus marketing investment four times larger than any previous investment on the range, Pinypon is sure to mirror the huge success in the UK it currently enjoys around the World.”

Minion mad!

H. GROSSMAN LTD 0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.co.uk The Minions, the stars of Despicable Me 2, are headlining on a huge range of HGL products and HGL are introducing the Despicable Me Stacking Sets. Other pocket money toys include the ever-popular Fizz Pods. Fizz pods have been a pocket money success story for girls as the pods dissolve to reveal new characters to collect and swap. For 2014, girls can reveal the latest collectable collection from Mermaid Magic joining the ever popular Fairy Magic and Princess Fizz collections.

Build it like Barbie MEGA BRANDS 01844350033 www.megabrands.com www.megabloks.com There are now more than 25 themed playsets in the Mega Bloks Barbie range, including an all-new Fantasy Collection which includes Mermaids and Fairies. Girls will love helping Barbie ‘fly’ over the pretty Mega Bloks Barbie Fairy Treehouse. Also new, the Mega Bloks Barbie Rooms to Build modular system allows girls to customise rooms and build them their way, whether they want to create an apartment, mansion or shopping mall! All items in the range offer inspiring ways to play, encouraging girls aged 4+ to build the Barbie world they imagine.

This year is Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday! The cute and collectible world of Mega Bloks Hello Kitty includes fun buildable playsets, charming figurines and accessories galore for fans of the powerhouse license to personalise their Hello Kitty world.

Galloping girls collectables SCHLEICH 01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk Schleich’s brand new Horse figures and playsets collection are the perfect girls collectable for those that like their ponies! New for 2014 is the impressive Horse Stable which will complete the World of Nature equine play world for any young horse fan.

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toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Parisian fashion DKL 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk

Girls go Lalaloopsy for their dolls MGA ENTERTAINMENT 0845 0533 333 www.mgae.com www.lalaloopsy.co.uk MGA Entertainment adds to the collectability factor of its girls doll brands with new range launches and additions to the existing ranges. New range launches from Lalaloopsy include a button-sized collectable line, which will introduce over 100 new characters into the brand family. The range also includes some cute themed playsets for additional play value. Expanding the brand even further, Lalaloopsy is preparing to introduce another new launch, which will offer a wholesome twist to the Lalaloopsy dolls. The dolls are targeted at children aged six above and will be supported by TV, PR, digital and merchandising. The Lalaloopsy Babies range continues to grow this autumn with the new nurturing doll that includes a surprise charm feature. Each doll has a soft, huggable body and comes with a bottle, dummy and hat. The Lalaloopsy Babies range is suitable for ages four and above. Lalaloopsy and Lalaloopsy Littles continue to introduce new characters throughout the year, with the Lalaloopsy range increasing to over 50 dolls and Lalaloopsy Littles to over 24.

Lalaloopsy and Lalaloopsy Littles are suitable for children aged four and above.

The Moxie Girlz brand continues the trend of brand growth and expansion with the introduction of new themes in autumn. Baking, creativity and hair play themes are going to be evident in the new doll ranges. All Moxie Girlz dolls are for children aged three years plus. Each range aims to encourage girls to reach for their dreams and embrace their individuality through self-expression, friendships and fashion.

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DKL is the exclusive UK distributor of Corolle, premium dolls, fashions and accessories designed in France. Each Corolle doll carries a signature vanilla scent. The Mademoiselle Corolle collection features gorgeous dolls ranging in size from eight, 14 and 17 inches tall.

The Mini Corolline’s are the perfect pocket sized, carry along dolls. The bestselling Mini Corolline collection features six dolls in Blonde, Brunette, Coco and Redhead, dressed in adorable outfits.

Corolle Les Cheries are modern fashion dolls that are styled according to the latest fashion trends. Standing at 13 inches tall, with realistic sleeping eyes & pretty glossed lips, together with fully proportional bodies - Les Cheries are a perfect collectable doll.

New for 2014 is Camille Soiree Theatre, she is dressed in an on-trend gold jacket, deep purple skirt and matching shoes. Also new to the Les Cherie collection is Clara Sunny Days, she is beach ready with a bathing suit, sun hat and towel.

A fantastic array of accessories and fashions are available for the Les Cheries collection. The Corolle Hair care set is ideal for styling and maintaining Les Cheries long, voluminous glossy hair.

Lots to collect!

MARBEL 0845 6000 286 www.marbel.co.uk Last year saw the launch of Marbel Toys’ new collectable Lottie dolls. Lottie dolls were developed based on 18 months of research into what retailers, mums and children wanted. As a result the dolls were sized to an actual 9 year old child. Lottie dolls are different to other dolls as they enjoy childlike activities such as horse riding, looking after their pets and karate. They want girls to be girls and enjoy their childhood. The dolls are flexible, the arms, legs and head all move but the dolls can stand on their own.

New to the Lottie dolls range this year are the Kawaii Karate doll, Pandora Box doll, Butterfly Protector doll, Lighthouse Keeper doll, Pirate Queen doll and Robot Girl doll. Also within the Lottie range are beautiful accessory sets including new outfits and toys for play including Seren the Pony and a Persian Cat. Lottie dolls are packaged in a cardboard gift bag style box with minimal plastic so will look great on store shelves. They are targeted at girls upwards of three years and the dolls themselves measure 7.5 inches tall.

The dolls have won various awards including the Oppenheim platinum best toy award.

For more information on the above range or to place an order please either contact the office or your local Sales Representative.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Contact details: famosauk@famosa.es 01623 237 433 www.famosagroup.com

FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Collect them all your Zelf CHARACTER OPTIONS www.character-online.com 0161 633 9800 Character Options has an impressive girls portfolio to get excited about and with two of the most popular girls collectables, The Zelfs and Disney Princess Palace Pets, there is lots of collectable fun to be had.

This spring the Zelfs swung into party mode with the introduction of a brand new Masquerade theme. Within this series each Zelf doll comes with mysterious masked faces and hair-riffic accessories. Another addition to the popular collection will be seen this autumn and will introduce The Zelfs to a whole world of sweet scents that are fun to collect. The Zelicious series of Medium Zelfs are all scented with familiar delicious smells such as chocolate, mint, and strawberry. The brand new introduction for the girls collectable market that has experienced massive success since launch in spring has been the Disney Princess Palace Pets collection which includes a whole range of playsets, plush and figures to swap and play with. The Furry Tail Friends and Primp and Pamper Ponies were introduced in spring and each come with their very own accessories and brush to keep their fluffy tails soft. The Furry Tail Friends

include familiar faces such as: Jasmine’s Tiger; Sultan, Rapunzel’s Skunk; Meadow, Rapunzel’s Puppy; Daisy, Pocahontas’s Raccoon; Windflower, Tiana’s Kitty; Lily and Aurora’s Kitty; Beauty. Brand new Primp and Pamper Ponies refreshing the collection include: Tiana’s Pony; Bayou, Ariel’s Pony; Seashell and Snow White’s Pony; Sweetie.

Girls can also enjoy collecting the brand new Fashion Tails which feature Aurora’s Kitty, Beauty and Belle’s Puppy, Teacup. Each pet comes with 3 interchangeable tails and accessories to keep the Disney Princess Palace Pets in style.

Introducing new friends BIGJIGS TOYS www.bigjigstoys.com 01303 250400

Shop ‘til you drop FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk Flair has a whole host of girls’ brands to get excited about this year, with the launch of Sofia the First and brand new collectible Shopkins, plus treasured favourite Doc McStuffins. This summer Flair is introducing a brand new girls’ collectible from the makers of The Trash Pack, Shopkins! Shopkins are super cute, fun, small characters that live in a big shopping world. These quirky shopping themed mini characters will be available in impulse ‘shopping baskets’ and collectable packs. Adding to the Shopkins experience are interactive playsets such as the Spin mix Bakery Stand, Easy Squeezy Fruit & Vegetable stand and a Small Mart Supermarket. Each playset has moveable interactive features, for play and display and the Bakery and Fruit & Veg playsets can connect to each other to create one super Shopping Mall.

Launch plans include a multi-platform strategy of TV, digital, PR, sampling and retailer events. With over 140 characters in the launch series, Shopkins are not to be missed.

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Bigjigs has an extensive range of cheerful and traditional plush dolls with accompanying accessories to extend play.

These wonderfully crafted cuddly dolls come in a variety of different sizes, including 38cm, 35 cm and 28cm, perfect for youngsters aged one+. Bigjigs Toys have introduced six new dolls for 2014, including Pippa and Arthur, both who are sporting their pyjamas, perfect for comforting children at night time.

To complement the plush range, Bigjigs Toys have also introduced their own range of furniture, allowing little ones to take role play with their dollies to the next level.

Sonny side up ASOBI 01628 200011 www.asobi.co.uk In 2012 Asobi entered the collectable market with Sonny Angels, a brand that has fast become a worldwide phenomenon. The collectable range with a difference comprises of over 100 different angels to collect. However what makes the brand unique is the figurines are sold in blind boxes so the customer never knows which angel they’ll get.

The brand has already become a sensation in France and Japan and with exciting plans in the pipeline for 2014, this is a craze retailers shouldn’t miss.

29 toysnplaythings.co.uk

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Stepping out from the screen BANDAI 01489 790944 wwww.bandai.co.uk

Figuring out furniture!

Bandai will be releasing a second wave of fashionable designs for its popular Tamagotchi Digital Friend this autumn.

There will be six new patterns for girls to choose from and they will also be able to play three new games to earn Gotchi points to spend in the shop. The device will also interact with the Dream Town website at www. tamagotchifriends.com where users can play games, earn rewards and exchange tickets at the fortune teller by inputting codes in return for gifts for their Tamagotchi. The Tamagotchi Friends toy line is also being extended with the introduction of adorable miniature figures so girls can now collect figures of the characters from their Tamagotchi screen. A variety of figure packs will be available, from single figure packs and figures with themed accessories to a special Dream School Classmates set that includes the legendary figure of Mametchi. A Music Café playset with exclusive Pianitchi figure, and a Shop and Performing Stage playset are also being launched.

EPOCH MAKING TOYS LTD

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0843 557 4062 www.epochmakingtoys.com

Paw-some fun!

According to recent market research, fans of Sylvanian Families love to collect the family figures, but buying all the different items of furniture that go with the various Sylvanian houses is just as important. With this in mind, brand-owner EPOCH making toys has developed new product lines that meet this consumer demand, as they combine one main character with a selection of themed furniture.

Each featuring a different member of the iconic Chocolate Rabbit Family, the new figure and furniture sets are ideal for children who already have a Sylvanian property, and are looking to build up their collection.

The Chocolate Rabbit Family, with their pink, heartshaped noses, cream coloured fur and hazelnut dipped ears, are the key family in the Sylvanian Families range. The six sets each focus on a family member and include a range of themed accessories. For example, the Chocolate Rabbit Father Set includes the figure Frasier Chocolate, a sofa, plant and picture accessories, and the Chocolate Rabbit Mother Set includes the Teri Chocolate figure, fridge and various food accessories from vegetables to ice cream. The other sets are: the Chocolate Rabbit Brother Set, the Chocolate Rabbit Sister Set, the Chocolate Rabbit Baby Set and the Chocolate Rabbit Twins Set. Sally Carnall, Marketing Manager at EPOCH making toys has said: “Sylvanian Families is a great nostalgic collectibles brand, which teaches social values through play, and encourages a healthy interest in everything from household tasks to nature. We’re especially proud of our new figure and furniture sets, which encourage children to explore their imaginations within day-to-day activities.”

EPOCH making toys is currently running a TV campaign for their Cosy Cottage Starter Home and is planning TV advertising for their soon-to-launch Country Tree School.

HASBRO 020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.com With the Singles Combo, a wide new range of adorable pets encourages play and collectability. Pets come with a unique accessory and feature the cute and quirky bobble head motion. Scan in the paw print at the back of each pet to activate and play in the LPS app.

Pet adventures take place all around town! Girls can create, decorate and style the stackable, half-size Scene Style Sets with 35+ pieces, including unique transparent wall panels, reversible scene backdrop, Deco Bits, stickers and accessories. With the Littlest Pet Shop Style Set, girls will love creating their very own Pet Shop - the place where the LPS pets and Blythe have so many incredible adventures! Style Set features 130+ pieces girls can use to decorate and style, including customisable wall panels, reversible scene backdrop, accessories, sticker and Deco Bits. Fans can build out their LPS world with Blythe’s stackable Bedroom Style Set. This style set lets girls create, decorate and style in their own individual way, with customisable panels with signature hole patterns and 100+ pieces including a sticker sheet and Deco Bits to decorate. The set includes a reversible scene backdrop so that girls can play out two different stories. Includes Blythe doll and one pet.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Dollicious girls collectables MATTEL 01628 500303 www.mattel.com Barbie is turning heads with her new Barbie Style collection, expanding on the spring range, the new collection showcases aspirational fashions inspired by the latest trends.

Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse continues to be brought to life with new additions including: Barbie Malibu House, Barbie Malibu Avenue Shops, Barbie Family Camper, and Barbie’s Ultimate Closet. Further strengthening her fashion positioning, Barbie introduces Barbie Endless Curls and Barbie Sparkle Studio. Barbie will also be celebrating her 150th career with Entrepreneur Barbie, as well as adding Chelsea Flipping Pets and Barbie and Tawny to the pet play collection.

This autumn sees a new term for the ghouls of Monster High, with Scaremester Dolls and the release of the new entertainment title, Freaky Fusion. The release is also supported with a toy line including: Fusion dolls, Hybrid dolls and Frankie Re-Charge Accessory.

Released last summer, Ever After High has captured girls’ imaginations and this autumn it will expand on its creative, original storylines and characters. Fans will be able to discover new content on EverAfterHigh.com and the brand continues to boast fashion

dolls, consumer products and publishing.

Ever After High continues with the brand communication Are you a Royal or a Rebel? engaging girls with the duality of the brand and introducing new Royal and Rebel characters through content and supporting product lines.

In 2014 the Disney Princess partnership continues. A beautiful range of dolls and accessories brings these classic stories to life for girls, enabling them to play out their favourite movie moments.

Disney’s 2013 winter release, Frozen, continues its range of beautiful dolls and play sets including the Frozen Ice Skating assortment of Princesses Anna and Elsa. Sofia the First continues with Sofia’s Talking Castle and Talking Sofia and Animal Friends.

Disney Princess introduces Rapunzel, Cinderella and Ariel Light Up Gem dolls and a Sleeping Beauty collection.

Catch of the day

Some n-ice plush!

TOBAR

POSH PAWS

0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk

01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk

New Tropical Robo Fish come in a mix of nine colours. Plus the new LED Robo Fish swim around while the lights flash, illuminating the depths with a fascinating visual effect that looks great whether it’s light or dark! This upgraded Robo Fish is available in six colours, giving collectors and fans a new range they will want to buy and add to their collection. Tobar also has a range of fun themed erasers, which girls love to collect and swap with friends. Some bright patterns including FlipFlop, Mini Animal, Patisserie and Carousel Horse from all at pocket money prices.

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Posh Paws is excited to be launching its Disney Frozen Anna and Elsa plush dolls to the market.

The detailed plush product replicates the two stunning, magical and heroic princesses. New ranges into the girls collectables market for autumn/winter 2014 includes brand new My Minnie collectables. The My Minnie Collection sees six brand new miniature Minnie’s available in a variety of different outfits and hair bows. As usual TV is a driving force in the girls market and new Disney Junior plush set to hit shelves includes the Palace Pets plush collection, which offers great collectability, alongside existing Disney Princess lines. Plus Posh Paws’ Sofia the First and woodland friends plush collection brings the popular preschool property life. Posh Paws also continues to extend its own brand range of plush collectables. In 2013 the company launched the Little Us soft rag-doll collection, which is in stores now, and this year it brings to market its new animal range PP Pals and PP Ponies.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

For the animal mad fun fans VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449 944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

For little girls who love animals, AniMagic are Rescue Hospital allows girls to collect and care for injured animals from puppies, kittens, e bunnies and ponies. Animal fans will be able to build their pet collection with Blind Bags and Collector Packs at pocket money prices. y, Each pet will come with their very own injury, a which will magically disappear when the area is rubbed or pressed allowing girls to make them better. The collectables are supported by a range of playset vehicles for rescue on the ars go! The playground craze of the past few years is back and bigger than ever with the recent release of Moshi Series 10. Offered as both a Blind Bag and Collector’s Pack at pocket money prices, each pack allows a child free entry into Sea Life Centres across the UK. Featuring 16 of Moshi Fans’ favourite Moshlings, including Lubber the Whale, and a strong TVC campaign, this series should allow Moshi to continue being a phenomenon throughout 2014.

Collect them all GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk Great Gizmos’ plush portfolio introduces a new range of NICI collectables and charms that girls will be eager to get their hands on, plus an exciting collection of dolls from NICI Wonderland.

New from the 2014 NICI range is a whole host of soft beanbag keyrings available in a wide variety of characters and animal designs. From cute faced lions and tigers to penguins and meerkats the beanies are designed to the smallest detail.

Each character has dangly arms and legs and with over 60 varieties to collect, girls will be hard pushed to find a favourite.

Also from the mini accessories range is a micro collection called Beauties. Highly collectable, the range of creatures can be attached to a phone, purse, keychain or bag and are the must have accessory which will be a definite hit in the girls market.

For collecting on a larger scale, girls can immerse themselves into NICI Wonderland: a collection of super soft plush dolls and accessories that inspire the imagination.

2014 sees a new friend join the portfolio in the shape of Veterinarian Minilina, a wonderfully soft plush doll who loves to care for her animals. Minilina is suitable from birth and makes for a perfect first time friend.

Minilina is a 30cm doll who wears a veterinarian tabard and comes with a whole host of accessories to help care for the animals. Her plush pink bag folds out to show all her medical instruments including a stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, bandages and plasters. A collar is also included for a realistic touch to stop animals from licking their wounds.

JUNE 2014

Playing their cards right ESDEVIUM GAMES 01420 593593 www.esdeviumgames.com Collectibles specialist, Esdevium Games, is the distributor for a number of popular properties such as the Pokémon TCG, Yu-GiOh!, Magic the Gathering and new collectibles sensation, Zomlings. In addition, Esdevium stocks a number of exciting girls collectibles with the My Little Pony brand leading the range. The newly launched My Little Pony Collectible Card Game (CCG) has been widely praised for its original gameplay, enticing an older audience to collect and play the game.

Based on the series’ slogan ‘Friendship is Magic’, players must work together to solve problems and defeat troublemakers. The CCG is available to buy in booster and theme deck format as well as a 2-player starter deck to start playing immediately.

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FOCUS

ICON LIVE

An iconic line-up!

Icon Live are about to take the girls’ market by storm with an array of must-have licenses and designs. With everything from Frozen to Barbie on offer, we recommend getting your retail hands on them fast, very fast!

F

rozen, Hello Kitty, Barbie, Despicable Me, Scrabble, Monster High… any company with those properties in their portfolio knows a thing or two about a hot license, so step up Icon Live.

The company’s girls’ accessories ranges are growing at a pace, with a full roster of brands and products for A/W14, with new ranges of Hello Kitty, Monster High and Barbie available now. August sees the new Scrabble jewellery range launching in Claire’s Accessories including initial necklaces, charm bracelets, fun stretch bracelet, stud earrings and key rings. Further products will roll out throughout the season and the whole range available for delivery into all retailers for August and September. While we all hope to be basking in an Indian summer in September /October, Icon Live intends on bringing a sparkling flurry of snowfall to retailers with a stunning range of

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‘Frozen’ jewellery and hair accessories.

Whether girls want to sparkle with rings, bracelets and necklaces or become Elsa or Ana with gorgeous dress up hair bands, there is plenty to choose from across the range.

“The demand for ‘Frozen’ product is incredible and we will be ensuring as much product is brought in for the AW period,” says Icon Live’s Licensing Director, Warren Traeger.

The range will be available to buy by line as well as CDU and FSDU packages which will enable retailers to create impulse / promotional spots in store.

“With a brand like Frozen, we will aim to service as many accounts as possible, but the sooner buyers can talk to us, the more we can guarantee fulfilling all their requirements,” added Warren.

Also new, and a world away from the glamour of Disney Princesses, is the hugely successful and hilarious Despicable Me franchise. With 2 films down and a new spin-off Minion Movie planned next spring, in October Icon Live will launch the first of its ranges of jewellery and accessories. Primarily aimed at girls’ aged six and above, there will also be fun gifts for boys, teens and dads for the Christmas season.

Warren adds: “Our design team has had such fun designing the Despicable Me range and the concepts have had a great reaction from all who have seen them. Samples will be available very soon for our customers to review and we look forward to seeing a sea of Minions at retail for the festive season.”

If all this excitement wasn’t

“

The demand for ‘Frozen’ product is incredible and we will be ensuring as much product is brought in for the AW period Warren Traeger, Icon Live

”

enough for the Icon Live team, the release of a new Union J single this summer followed by a second album launch in October has inspired a new collection of jewellery. Picking up on the recent trend for acrylic jewellery, the must have line in the range is the Union J script mirrored acrylic necklace.

But the Icon Live team have not stopped at younger girls’, there is an increasingly growing demand for teen and adult licenced products in this category. With the trend and demand for Minnie Mouse at an amazing peak, the style icon of the Disney stable has inspired an exclusive collection, launching this summer with ASOS, tuning into the increasing trend of fun and fashionable headwear for the festival season.

With more styles in development with ASOS for AW14, a high street range is in development for SS15 bringing some of the looks to a more mainstream collection. “2014 has been overwhelming for us so far and with so many opportunities going forward, we have had to build and support our existing team to cope with the growing demands on buying and selling,” Warren says. “With the Licensing Show in Vegas looming, we are not resting on our laurels and looking to see where we can augment and build on what we are doing now for 2015 and beyond.”

For further information contact sales@ iconlive.com or call 01444 240000

REVIEW

TOYMASTER

The show with The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate played host to hundreds of toy industry professionals for the 2014 Toymaster show. TnP were on the ground to find out how things were going…

I

“It has been really good,” Sue t is one of the most highly Lockey of The Puppet Company anticipated shows of the year. So told TnP from her stand in the when May comes around, Marquee. “We’ve had a great thoughts always turn to reaction to our new lines and we Toymaster. And for very good reason really got to talk face-to-face with too! The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate our customers.” plays host to buyers, suppliers, Sue also complimented the agents and retailers of all shop amount of non-Toymaster members shapes and sizes. This year they who attended. “We’ve met with descended on the beautiful people who have come from spa town for three days There is outside of the Toymaster group from Tuesday 20 to positivity out there, that is great. The show is Thursday 22 May, and like people seem to be in and beautifully organised. I take my 2013, this year proved a a better place, nocap off to the organisers, it has hugely successful show. one is talking doom been very positive and a lovely “We just want to and gloom venue.” say a huge thank you - Ian Edmunds, Toymaster Speaking to TnP after the to everyone,” said Ian show, Ian revealed that footfall Edmunds, Marketing g and had been similar to 2013. “The Operations Director at suppliers are happy, some are Toymaster Ltd. “This year’s even elated but that can be show really was brilliant, product driven. They have all found we had nothing but it very worthwhile and more and positive vibes.” more independents are coming too And that sentiment which can’t be a bad thing.” was echoed by suppliers When on the ground who all asked showered praise on what Toymaster 2014.

“

Possibly the best-dressed Toymaster member Dave Middleton of Midco with his team

retailers thought g of the show, Ian revealed: “Retailers on the ground are telling us that 2014 is not a record year but it has certainly got off to a better sta start than 2013. There art th is positivity out th there, here, people seem to be in a better place, place no-one is p talking doom and gloom.” d glo They certainly weren’t were talking w doom and gloom m on the t Posh Paws stand in the Marq Marquee quee with Group Brand Manager Lauren Laure Hayward L reporting a good show show. “We’ve had lots of orders and d new accounts.

This is our second d year yea at Toymaster and yes, I would ssay w we have taken more orders than n last year and we’ve had a great reaction reaction tto our Frozen lines and our Disney Pets.”

Disn ney Palace P really positive Also reporting a rea show were the tteam from Learning came out with Resources w who c sales increase year on a 10% sale es inc year.

Beardmore, Retail Chris Bea Sales M Manager, Learning Mana Resources Resources Limited, said: “The Toymaster Show is Toym T an important fixture in im mpor the Learning Resources Lear calendar. cale enda This year’s improvement in improv performance is pe erfor good news for the g

Puppet Puppe time with Rob Trupp on the Fiesta stand Fi

a soul business Drage revealing lots of orders and reflects were taken from both new and a general old accounts. feeling in the One of the biggest parts to market that Toymaster is the social aspect! the economy Tuesday night saw the fancy has turned a dress event with people being corner and it asked to dress as their favourite was reassuring toy. There were definitely some to receive memorable ensembles and such positive entertainment was provided by feedback Take That 2 who had the crowd across the singing their hearts out to the board for Andrew Moulsher of Peterkin demonstrates their new range of band’s greatest hits. But noLiontouch swords, shields and capes etc. with Laurence Halsteg while our product one overshadowed on Simon Adams and Michaela Blowers of Toytown, Woodbridge look on range. the th real stars “We had of o Wednesday an extraordinarily e th night, Brookite’s n ho w Not sure busy first day gent Mandy and Nick M well dressed , but of the show, in the suit is Harrison who were H an sm Martin Gros whilst reporting presented with p rge is Looming la steady business the first ever joint over days two Golden Teddy. and three.

Although shocked, With summer the couple just around the were genuinely corner buyers honoured honoure and thrilled with were looking for their award. award (Turn the page traditional play to see our chat with Mandy). and exploration This year, of course, saw products to Toymaster turn 25 years T capture the old and this was celebrated o interest and on Wednesday night. The imaginations Majestic’s ballroom was decked Ma of parents out in silver for the event and to Great n ew rang and children e shown mark the momentous occasion, ma

by Kelly of all action c ars from Ric John Ca alike. Our Toymaster members who have 25 T Kriya llingham hardson to Mallets fr o m fantastic , Cornw been with the group for all Primary 25 years were honoured.

Science And finally, for those range already looking to book clearly fitted the their rooms in Harrogate bill, with strong sales across our for 2015, we’ve been collection of value items. informed that Toymaster “In addition to our strong 2015 will take place from in-show performance, we are Tuesday 12 to Thursday anticipating a strong post14 May. show period as Toymaster See you all there!

Suitably relaxed are Dave Bramford and Joe Kissane on customers have until 30 May the Character Group stand to submit their show orders. All in all, it has Clive Wooster of Famosa tells been another great us that Pinypon show for Learning is flying out the Resources and we stores right now look forward to attending in 2015.”

Another positive show was had by the Thames and Kosmos team with Joanna

JUNE 2014

All smiles on opening morning are David Allan (centre) of DKL with Brian and James Parrish of Toys Direct

Toymaster Ltd Celebrates 25 Years!

Toymaster made sure to celebrate their 25th anniversary in style. In a fitting tribute to the retailers who have supported them, they honoured 25 members who have been with them for 25 years. A commemorative plaque was presented to the following Toymaster Members.

Congratulations!

Andersons – Whitby Bambola – St Helier Banba – Dublin Caballs – Tralee Crawfords – Maghera Crottys – Kilkenny Fagans – Mullingar Faheys – Castlebar Foys – Ballybofey Goslings – Marple Grahams – Portlaoise Grovers – Northallerton Harpers – Penrith Heaths – Barrow-in-Furness Hopkins – Wicklow Town Langleys – Norwich Murphys – Dungarvan Nappy Pin – Dundee Osbornes – Rushden Rogers – Banbridge Spot on Sports – Kilkeel Starlings – Dereham Thorpes – Ilkeston Walkers – Ballymoney Whelans – Tipperary

The Flair team are having a tur tle-y awesome show

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PREVIEW TOYMASTER

Liz Nield and David Bottomley showing off Asobi's brand new Disney's 'Frozen' craft range

A golden event!

Brookite were honoured at Toymaster 2014 as they picked up the BTHA’s Golden Teddy award!

When Mandy and Nick Harrison of Brookite sat down to dinner on the Wednesday night of Toymaster – they had no idea they were about to become stars of the show. In a momentous first for Toymaster, a joint Golden Teddy was presented to Mandy and Nick by Toymaster’s Roger Dyson on behalf of the BTHA. The Golden Teddy is presented to those who have been in the industry over 15 years and who have contributions and dedication exceeds expectations.

“It is just fantastic!” a thrilled Mandy told TnP following the win. “We had no idea at all. We just feel very privileged that that BTHA felt it was right for us to have this award. It is very touching, heartwarming and very humbling when something like this happens.”

Brookite were nominated for the Golden Teddy by Michael Gibson of Gibsons and Mike Wares, Brookite’s Scottish agent.

“We’ve known Michael for many years… there has been a family association for forty years and Mike has been our Scottish agent for 33 years,” said a genuinely thrilled Mandy. “We’d really like to thank the BTHA too.”

Mandy also passed on Brookite’s thanks to “all of our customers business without them. And who are so loyal, we wouldn’t wouldn t be in bus team so it is really nice to be everyone in Brookite, we are a small tea recognised.”

As for the prestigious Golden Teddy, Mandy said he has now taken pride of place in the Brookite office!

Mandy said it went well for As for the Toymaster show, Ma importantly she pointed out that Brookite, but most importan retailers and suppliers had fun. “Fun is what the toy industry should be about. The serious bit is in the day you let your hair down!” time and in the evening, yo

Girl power at Great Gizmos, plus lots of orders for their Nicci range

K'Nex are building great business, just ask Paul Fogarty pictured showing off their new Titanfall range, based on the Xbox1 video game to Alan Collins from Whippes Toys, Plymouth

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Kiddimoto's Ian Ham has a sweet ride!

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Toymaster golf day report – Girl Power wins the day

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JUNE 2014

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Sue Lockey from The Pup

The fantastic weather that we had all enjoyed over the weekend stayed good for the Monday at Oakdale golf course, Harrogate for Toymaster’s first golf event held at Oakdale.

With MD Roger Dyson organising this event, ably assisted

by Chloe Farrow and the Toymaster team, I also have Paul Reader to thank for the fantastic fo quality photographs qu that appear in this review. Not only is he an excellent selector, but an ace photographer to boot. b What an amazing debut for Dr. Amanda d Gummer aka Mr. John G Nicholas’s daughter. Amanda made her golfing debut Ni winning the individual Stableford with 40 points, wi second was Craig Bousfield with 38 points and third se Ian n Dayus with 36.

Obviously, golf runs in the blood in the Nicholas O family, Amanda’s brother Stu, who was unable to fa attend the golf, normally wins something and Dad John has featured in the prizes over the years. I think a few die-hard gentlemen golfers would have preferred a separate Ladies prize, but I for one tthink it is totally fantastic that the highest points sscorer won on the day.

The best Toymaster member winner was John Hopkins from Hopkins Toymaster, Wicklow, who has H played in the Toymaster golf day for many years and pl nally won this award. Daughter Jean also did pretty fin well with her three-ball of Adrian Wiles and John we Nicholas coming third. The three-ball team prize Ni went to Roger Dyson, Rob Todhunter and Jerry Healy we with second Dr. Amanda Gummer, George Rogers wi and Ross McDonald.

The four Nearest the Pin winners were Jean Hodgins, Craig Kidd, George Rodgers and Richard Harris with the Longest Drive winners Richard Harris and Hugh Burnett.

Best endeavor went to Bubba Naish – I believe this was for turning up rather than my pathetic haul of points! Also my commiserations to my captain Bradley Dodds for putting up with me.

All in all a fantastic day. Can I request that next year I can tee off from the first rather than the 4th that saw me and my team walk what seemed five miles to find the 4th tee, by which time I was knackered! With my 5 for 3 points on the 4th I felt I was in for an excellent day, shame about the next 17 holes!

around her stand

Bubba Naish

75

FEATURE ROLE PLAY

On a role!

Travis Designs

TnP takes a look at the popularity of role play toys, and how sometimes boys will be girls, and girls will be boys

W

hen I grow up, I want to be… Whether that sentence ends with police officer, doctor, astronaut, or even Spider-Man, all kids love to role play and let their imagination run wild as they carry out important missions and take care of their poorly teddy bears.

Role play and stepping into the shoes of a grown-up or fictional character is a great way for kids to explore their imaginative side.

In a world of strict bedtimes where mum and dad rule, it also allows them to show off their individual personalities and aspirations – whether as a web-slinging super hero or a diligent train conductor.

“They have the chance to become their hero or heroine, who wouldn’t want that!” says Kate Springett, Head of Design at Travis Designs.

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“

Kids will always be drawn to role play as it enables them to bring both loved fairy tales and their own imaginative stories to life Kate Springett, Head of Design, Travis Designs

Creative, imaginative play is essential for kids as they learn to become social and look to exert their own influence on the world.

It’s also simply a lot of fun to pretend to be your favourite character for the afternoon.

“Kids will always be drawn to role play as it enables them to bring both loved fairy tales and their own imaginative stories to life,” says Kate. “They can enter into the story on a more tangible level, feeling like they really are the character and they get to explore how they can make the storyline develop in a way that is personal to them.”

Role play toys give children all the tools they need to create their own imaginary worlds, but they can also make children feel included in day-to-day life.

Mimicking parents is a classic play pattern, and one that kids

”

love. Whether it’s cooking, cleaning or mowing the lawn, children’s desire to copycat their parents or older siblings means that role play toys are a stalwart of the toy shop.

“Children love to mimic mum and dad and copy everyday scenarios,” says Rebecca Snape, Product Manager at Plum. “Role play toys are therefore great for stimulating children’s imaginations and allow them to do just that.”

Role play toys can become a big part of a child’s social development as well, as they play with other kids or get stuck in with ordering mum and dad about and taking on missions from police HQ (read: Grandma).

And children, it seems, aren’t shy about ignoring gender stereotypes.

Travis Designs’ research suggests that kids are far more interested in what interests them than what may be expected of them.

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“It depends on the environment they are in and outside direction they are given,” reveals Kate. “But our research has shown that younger children are less bound by stereotypes and are more than comfortable with exploring less traditional roles.”

Plum’s Rebecca Snape explains that while there are plenty of boys that want to play builder and girls who want to run their own kitchens, the opposite is also true.

“I think until a child learns otherwise they’ll play happily with all toys; we took our range to local play groups for this very reason and sure enough girls went straight to the workbench and were busy building away for the majority of the play session.Likewise boys were playing with kitchens of all colours and sizes.”

In fact, Rebecca reveals that Plum has recently had success with the release of a domestic role play line with gender neutral colour palette and styling. “Last year we introduced a range of wooden role play kitchens in gender neutral colours and designs and the response to these was fantastic.”

With kids going their own way on this one, the potential market is huge. And of course, outside of generic role play toys, licensed products perform very strongly, with kids looking to imitate their favourite fictional characters.

Travis Design’s Kate believes that evergreen licenses are particularly suited for this category.

“Iconic brands that are identified the world over will always have an established following, hence Travis’s decision to move heavily into this market,” she says. “The key to longevity in this area is picking evergreen licenses rather than the craze of the month.”

So how has the category been performing over the last 12 months? Philip James, Director of Sales at Plum, says that the company’s products have had a brilliant response. “The wooden role play sector aligns itself well with the Plum brand and its values, and since entering the role play sector our products have received a fantastic response,” he says. “Although 2013 was a great success for us, our new developments incorporating traditional role play and technology have been brilliantly received and we can’t

JUNE 2014

Putting on a performance PUPPET COMPANY 01462 446040 www.thepuppetcompany.com The Puppet Company puppets are the perfect toys for role play. When a child makes a puppet speak they are developing their own language skills. When a child makes s a puppet move they are developing their own fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. When a child makes up an adventure for their puppet they are developing their story y telling abilities. When a child imagines how a puppet would uld feel on their adventures they are developing their own ability to empathise. Of course, the child has no idea they y are doing any of these things, they are just having fun and d playing.

The recently updated Puppet Buddies collection is perfect fect for role play. They are an expressive range of people puppets, pets, with easy to use working mouths. The range was recently completely re-designed. By making use of new embroidery ery and contouring techniques The Puppet Company have made ade these popular puppets even more expressive and engaging. ng.

There are 8 fun characters to choose from in this revised collection. Four medium and four small scale puppets, in a range of skin tones and new brightly coloured clothes.

“

Children love to mimic mum and dad and copy everyday scenarios Rebecca Snape, Product Manager, Plum

”

wait to introduce them to the market place.”

Travis Designs has also enjoyed promising sales in the past year, finding that consumers are happy to invest more money into higher quality items.

“We have seen strong sales over the past year, particularly on products that offer good quality

and lots of design detail. These areas have been favoured over items at a lower price point,” explains Kate. “We have found consumers are willing to spend more, provided they can see where that money is going.”

The company’s signature Dress up by Design range is also continuing to sell well, celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year with a special price promotion on 10 different styles.

“There will of course always be a market for generic dress up around the traditional areas of princesses, fairies, knights, pirates and the like, proven by the success of the Travis Dress Up By Design range,” adds Kate.

With strong sales being reported from manufacturers and distributors, and a large potential market of kids of all ages looking for some good oldfashioned fun, this sector continues in its role as a staple of the toy shop.

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FEATURE ROLE PLAY

Real life fun and play the Casdon way!

Casdon 01253 608428 www.casdon.co.uk

Bringing play to life HTI 01253 778888 www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s Barbie & Me roleplay toys range offers a unique twist with accessories that enable girls to involve their Barbie doll in the same role-play experience. From the Colour Change Nail Bar, Sweet Stylin’ Hair Rollers Set and Hair Band Designer Set to the Coffee & Smoothie Bar, Cupcake Creations and Ice Cream Creations Sets, the range provides total Barbie role play experience!

The new Barbie & Me Colour Changing Glam Bag brings amazing colour matching technology. Imagine if you could change the colour of your handbag to perfectly match your outfit....well now you can! Just hold the stylish bag against whatever you want to match it to, press the button and the bag magically changes colour for a perfect match. It also includes cute clip-on decorative accessories. For the girl’s Barbie doll there’s a mini matching handbag too.

Under license from Hasbro, HTI launch an exciting new range of My Little Pony roleplay toys this year, including character Cases, a Dressing Table and a Styling Head. HTI’s fashion-forward range of Hello Kitty role-play sets includes a new Beauty Clutch Bag, a Lips and Nail Polish Set, Kitty shaped Cases containing cosmetics, and accessories as well as a Dressing Table with cosmetics.

HTI’s new Peppa Pig Sing-along Kitchen introduces preschoolers to food preparation role-play.

JCB role-play toys include a Power Tool Drill Set, Nail Gun, Tool Cases and a Workbench.

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Taking household names and developing them into brilliant role play toys is what Casdon has been doing successfully for generations,.

Whether it’s iconic Dyson vacuums or the much loved Henry and Hetty – all with working suction – little helpers love having toys that look like their parents’.

And it’s the same for shopping play. Casdon has an extensive range of toys including the ever-popular Pick & Mix Sweet Shop (with real sweets) and classic Post Office with accessories. While both feature tills, Casdon has brought the role play shop up to date with Chip & Pin Till as well as Self-Service Supermarket Till.

New for 2014 is the lovely WoodPlay range aimed at 3+ brings the interchangeable Varoom range, made from sustainable plantation wood, including a digger, excavator, cement mixer and more.

Doll play FAMOSA 07903 843241 www.famosa.es Nenuco sees further line introductions for 2014. Already successful internationally, the products come with unique accessories enabling young girls to have the closest experience to playing a ‘real mum’. There’s a broad variety of price points and play patterns within little girls to nurture, and have hours of fun.

The key line for AW will be Nenuco Happy Hiccups.

Mischief makers GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.co.uk For role play with a little mischief and magic, the new Sooty toy range from Golden Bear is the perfect addition to any collection.

Golden Bear’s collection of hand puppets is set to appeal to Sooty fans of all ages, as the series carries with it a great affection across generations.

Central to the collection are the authentic Sooty, Sweep and Soo Hand Puppets which are bound to be family favourites as they recreate their own Sooty shows, sure to encourage imaginative role play.

The ultimate production can be created with the Pop-up Sooty Puppet Show; a puppeteer box can be adapted from the packaging. Available from August.

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FEATURE ROLE PLAY

Dressed to impress TRAVIS DESIGNS 01442 289898 www.travis.co.uk

Travis has a wonderful heritage of producing beautiful baby and children’s dressing up styles and is delighted to be adding licensed brands to the range.

The new Licensed Character Collections in the baby and toddler arena includes the iconic Disney Baby license for dress up apparel styles up to 24 months. The products are cute, soft and comfortable and Travis has chosen the best loved characters to launch the range including: Winnie the Pooh and friends, Mickey and Minnie, 101 Dalmatians, The Aristocats and Kermit with other characters in the pipeline! Styles include plush rompers with great feature heads, gorgeous soft tabards, baby tutus and jersey styles.

Sophie la girafe is a well-known sophisticated brand that all babies and toddlers know and love. The dressing-up styles are available for 3m – 3 years including plush rompers, a pretty tutu, fun tabard and a very popular puppet.

The Travis, ‘Dress up by Design’ brand is a firm favourite with toy stores, department stores, independents and online shops. The selection includes generic

Princesses, Pirates, Fairies, Knights, Plush animal styles, Baby styles, Ballgowns, and Limited Editions. There really is something for everyone with over 150 styles to choose from.

Dress up by Design styles are held in stock and Travis offers an excellent delivery turnaround. Disney Baby and Sophie la girafe will be available for stock orders from August.

As well as our stock ranges, Travis works with major retailers to offer exclusive development and design for own label.

Treated like royalty GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk

Ready, steady, GetGo Home grown!

ASOBI 01628 200011 www.asobi.co.uk Seedling is undoubtedly one of Asobi’s most significant brands, with craft kits that are sure to bring role play to life. With Seedling kits, little ones have everything they need to create the perfect character for play, and also make a costume that is completely unique to their individual personalities.

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WORLDS APART www.worldsapart.com 0845 6022119 Worlds Apart has launched a family of master brands, including GetGo, home to outdoor and active products, and BrightPlay, which houses the company’s development and role play products.

GetGo offers a simple solution for instant role play with the ever-popular play tents. They include accessories, such as the doctor’s bag and bandages with the Doc McStuffins role play tent.

The BrightPlay brand adds shine to playtime with the help of a child’s favourite friends. Table top role play games Dress & Play are available in popular licenses such as Sofia the First and Minnie Mouse.

Great Gizmos’ Great Pretenders line of children’s costumes and accessories is the perfect way to dress up for school activities or imaginative play at home.

Adding a touch of magic to any play experience is the selection of Fairy Wings, Wands and Tutus that complete any princesses’ adventure.

For double the play value for boys, reversible capes mean they can be a Bat Superhero one minute and a Spider Superhero the next.

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FEATURE ROLE PLAY

Cooking up a storm PLUM 0344 880 5301 www.plumproducts.com Plum continues to innovate in traditional role play, bringing exciting new toys into the wooden role play category for AW 2014. The Plum Interactive Kitchen range combines new technology with traditional role play to bring fresh new ways to play and inspire children’s imaginations.

Children love the way that Plum has made active traditional role play interactive. With Plum’s new Interactive Kitchen range they can still enjoy the key traditional role play features that inspire their imagination – knobs that turn and click, taps that twist, removable sinks and even real chalk boards. But now they can also interact with the kitchen in even more ways, introducing technology with a tablet for life-like cooking fun. The Plum Interactive Kitchen range features a compartment which adapts to hold any tablet securely.

Parents can then download the free Plum app which turns the tablet screen into an interactive microwave held within the kitchen unit. Children then select the type of dish they want to make, set the timer and watch and listen as their food cooks (or burns!).

Also new for 2014 is the Plum Cook-a-lot wooden kitchen range. This range includes the unique Plum Trolley Wooden Kitchen, a portable kitchen with a pull along handle and 360° play; the Plum Cook-a-lot Chive Kitchen; and the Plum Cook-a-lot Brunch Kitchen which boasts a curved design and integrated handles.

Other additions to the range include the new portable Fortress Wooden Play Set and the Plum Build-it Wooden Table, an activity table compatible with most major branded construction blocks complete with boards for children to build upon and ample storage space within the play set itself.

All products in the range are made from responsibly sourced timber and are supplied with carefully crafted wooden accessories. Plum’s entire role play range provides real play value and these new exciting introductions will be available from September.

Just like mum!

ZAPF CREATION 0845 0533 333 www.zapf-creation.co.uk Creative role play is central to Zapf Creation’s ethos. Launching this autumn Baby Annabell Learns to Walk sees the brand extend the role play from baby to toddler. Going back to its much-loved heritage doll, Baby Annabell will also be refreshed in autumn to include a brand new rock to sleep function.

Spring saw the launch of the new brand, Mooshka, a line of soft dolls.

The brand will be extended in autumn this year with an interactive singing-themed doll that will encourage children in group role play. BABY born will focus on three role play themes this autumn: bathtime, medical and princess.

Pure fantasy!

All aboard

VIVID

BIGJIGS TOYS

01483 449 944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

www.bigjigstoys.com 01303 250400

Vivid’s role play sword replicates Bilbo Baggins’ Sting sword as seen in The Hobbit movies. With motionactivated battle sounds, a cool blue glowing light feature and scabbard, plus ‘gold’ ring, boys (and big kids) can get the complete character experience. Let the battle begin!

Make believe LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 762276 www.learningresources.co.uk

Bigjigs Toys range comprises of over 1500 products, spanning fourteen ranges including Bigjigs Rail, Cooking & Roleplay, Heritage Playsets and more! Each range allows youngsters to use their imaginations and develop creativity through role play sessions. At the forefront of the range is Bigjigs Rail – the most extensive wooden railway system on the market. The Bigjigs Cooking & Roleplay collection is ideal for budding chefs who enjoy creative play.

The Pretend & Play range allows kids to role play various everyday situations, including teacher at school, working in a post office and operating a till at the shops.

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toysnplaythings.co.uk toy ysnplaythings.co.uk

The Puppet Company

The Puppet Company design and wholesale over 800 fabulous puppets and finger puppets of all shapes and sizes.

Have a puppet - have Fun!

www.thepuppetcompany.com

FEATURE ROLE PLAY

Tea time!

LEAPFROG 01895 202840 www.leapfrog.co.uk

Fireman’s role!

CHARACTER OPTIONS www.character-online.com 0161 633 9800 Character Options provides a unique take on role-play products, letting children identify with and transform themselves into their favourite hero.

It’s pre-schoolers to the rescue with the Fireman Sam range of role play items. Top established TV favourite, with products guaranteed to sell, Fireman Sam gives a heroic touch to traditional dress-up play patterns. The Helmet with Sound and Utility Belt with Jacket & Accessories are perfect to instantly transform little ones into a truly heroic fire fighter.

Turtle transformation

It’s Spidey time!

FLAIR

020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.co.uk

0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Hands on fun!

LITTLE TIKES 0800 521 558 www.littletikes.co.uk Little Tikes’ range of role play products allows little ones to interact with one another in a fun, safe way.

The range includes Splish, Splash Sink and Stove, Buildin’ to Learn Workshop and Ultimate Cook Kitchen. All come with accessories.

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Recognised as a top 20 infant toy (NPD UK April ‘14), the innovative Musical Rainbow Tea Party from LeapFrog teaches important pre-school skills in a role play environment. Suitable for children two-five years, the lovable light-up teapot bubbles with personality and engages children with bright colours and vivid sound as they learn lessons in sharing.

Perfect for household and domestic toy role play, parents will love the brightly coloured design and engaging sounds which are designed to captivate a child’s attention and keep them focused while enhancing social interaction and creativity.

The fun-filled Musical Rainbow Tea Party teaches colours and matching, manners and greetings and counting and features over 50 songs. Kids will love building motor skills as they role play with 10 play pieces, including two tea cups, six colourful cake slices, a cake plate and a teapot which realistically moves and gurgles as it is tipped.

Role play goes hand in hand with favourite licences at Flair, as children emulate their favourite heroes and follow the adventures of Tree Fu Tom, Doc McStuffins and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Fans of the Turtles can look like their favourite Turtle characters with the four Deluxe Masks.

HASBRO The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Spider Vision Mask activates glowing web discs that let kids pretend to take down their foes with a single sling, just like The Amazing Spider-Man! Press a button to activate the mask’s spider vision, throw a web disc, and watch as it flies through the air with an amazing spider glow!

Put a big hurt on the forces of evil with the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Spiral Blast Web Shooter! The enemies of the web-slinging superhero will fall before kids with one blast of the shooter.

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TNP

AMBASSADORS

Boys and their toys

Reach for the Sky(landers)!

Scott Birch is dad to Gabe (7) and works in events publishing. He tell us about Gabe’s experience with MEGA Bloks SWAP Force Frost Guard Battle Arcade Based on the third video game in the Skylanders series, this SWAP Force battle arcade brings the popular computer characters to life. The computer game was released at the end of 2013 on various formats, including PlayStation, X-Box and Wii. Aimed at kids aged 5 and up, the set comes with two buildable characters (Hoot Loop and Grilla Drilla, so I am told) and spinners, essentially making this a battle of spinning tops.

My seven-year-old son had no problem putting the game together by himself, but did not show the

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same dedication to reading the instructions – as usual! This meant we started playing without really knowing the rules, but that didn’t affect our enjoyment.

There is something about these kind of win or lose games that seems to particularly appeal to the male of the species, regardless of age. The competitive edge saw us playing this game for far longer than I at first expected.

The spinners come with powerful rip chords which slot through the base.

These are then pulled quickly to set the mechanism in motion.

There was an element of trial and error as we worked out the best way of achieving a good spin, but we soon mastered that aspect. We found it worked best when we held the spinner and rip chord above the game board and then placed the spinners on the elevated ramps. In fact, it wasn’t long before my son worked out he could gain some extra momentum by placing the spinner on the down slope rather that the level platform.

Once spinning, the two characters make their way down the ramps and enter the arena proper. Here, we wait with bated breath to see what will happen when the spinners come together.

However, rather than simply sitting back and watching the action, you can use the rip chord to push your character around and into the

path of the opponent. There are four points where you can push the opponent out of the arena, and we also decided to award a victory if the other character stopped spinning first.

Just to add a little more excitement to proceedings, there are also two sheep that can be launched into the arena (one for each player) which acts as a bomb and also a spinning hazard. I joked that they were woolly jumpers but my son looked at me blankly…

This was a fun game for us both and we agreed it would be even better if you were a collector of the Skylanders and could pitch more characters into battle.

The Frost Guard Battle Arcade also combines with other Mega Bloks Skylanders SWAP Force Battling Islands, making it a buildable, versatile game with hundreds of character combinations to experiment with.

WHAT THE KIDS SAY! GABE’S FAVOURITE TOY: Match Attax Football cards and Star Wars LEGO MOST WANTED: Star Wars LEGO Millennium Falcon FAVOURITE FILM/PROGRAMME: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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Having a blast!

Brothers Scott and Tom got their hands on Mattel’s new blaster BOOMco. Did they like it?

Well… we’ll let you guess that for yourselves!

Why should high-energy action play be restricted to the world of video games? Boys want to feel like action heroes too, not just direct them! Mattel’s new offering to the blaster world, BOOMco., offers exactly that – high energy action that will see boys (and tomboys!) off the sofa and ducking, diving, chasing and shooting in real time.

Brothers Scott (11) and Tom (12) were the lucky TnP Ambassadors this month, putting the Clipfire and Twisted Spinner models from the BOOMco. blaster range to the test. BOOMco. tells players to have a blast, and following these instructions obediently, a blast is exactly what our boys had! Mums will be thrilled to learn that with the BOOMco. the darts use a new exclusive technology developed by Mattel whizz engineers that means they only stick to selected surfaces.

This unique new Smart Stick adhesive system means the darts will only bond with the targets

JUNE 2014

supplied – they stick but they are not sticky. Not only does this mean that the darts won’t accumulate a whole load of gross stuff like dust bunnies and hair, more importantly, players will know when they’ve nailed a shot or not – so no excuses or disputes about who the champion is!

Scott and Tom said the blasters provide great outdoor play value now that they are too old for paddling pools and swings. Perfect for sunny afternoons, team play, target practice or soldier role-play, Scott said that the other boys at his school would be jealous of this cool new toy. Tom even said that the coolest warriors would shoot with one in each hand, meaning the player could never be caught off guard whilst reloading darts: “If you were reloading the bigger one and someone came running at you, you could pull the smaller one [the Clipfire model] out of your pocket, like a side-arm!” Another thing the boys like about BOOMco. is the weight and solidity of the darts; the boys have found in the past that foam alternatives are prone to being blown off course by the wind or being bent out of shape when stored after play. These darts, however, shoot straight and

far. Tom explained. “The bullets do stick well, I was shooting from the other side of the garden and they shot straight.”

When asked who has the best aim, Scott relented that his big bro Tom is the crack shot, but to be fair, he has had more practice, having been taken air rifle shooting.

So Tom may know how to handle a weapon, but Scott is also no novice to recognising quality when he sees it, saying, “They just feel really cool to shoot.” The boys were quick again to express their appreciation of the BOOMco. blasters’ design. They said they loved the red and blue colours – with the dominant red even making the blasters look more powerful and menacing! These are for serious play only, so scaredy-cats better give up now! Tom added, “They’re not hard to reload either. The bullets don’t fall out or drop out the bottom like some others… It’s quite cool how you reload it, I’ve never seen one like that before. The plastic is not thin or flimsy and with some toy guns it can be a bit trickier fitting the magazines in, but with this you don’t have to worry about that.”

Dad Mark appreciated the sturdy features too, “they’re nice and chunky, they look quite substantial.” Mark knows the appeal of boys toys well, having had a Johnny Seven (O.M.A) from Topper Toys as a kid himself. Although great for kids to play with alone, the BOOMco. blasters are perfect for extreme sports team warfare, something the boys are looking forward to when it’s sunny outside. But whatever you do, just make sure the kids don’t have to take it in turns – then there really will be war!

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PREVIEW VEGAS

It’s Vegas time baby!

There is only one place the licensing community will be this June and that is Las Vegas! TnP’s sister magazine LTW will be in Sin City for the show.

Here we take a look at what you can expect to find at Licensing Expo 2014

L

icensing and toys are forever linked – so the largest licensing expo in the world is sure to have an impact on the global toy industry. With just the words Las Vegas sending some folk into tremors of excitement, it is surely a fitting venue for one of the most dynamic, trend-setting of industries – licensing. Licensing Expo 2014 is going to be jam-packed, and please trust us when we tell you that! With a total of 412 exhibitors and over 5,000 brands on show, you will have walked the length of the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre several times over the three days and you still won’t see it all.

This year represents the 34th year of Licensing Expo, the world’s largest and most influential trade show in the business.

“Vegas is the one global occasion where the whole industry comes together: licensees, licensors, buyers, and retailers. The show provides everyone a great feel for what is happening in the industry as well as a look into the following year,” said James Walker, Vice President Brand Licensing and Publishing EMEAP, Hasbro. This is echoed by Richard Hollis, Head of International Consumer Products UK, for DreamWorks Animation who said: “A show of this scale and stature in

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Vegas is an unrivaled opportunity to present our brands in the creative and dramatic fashion that they Vegas is deserve. Our properties are also the one global shown in context against other occasion where players in the industry, providing the perfect opportunity to the whole industry comes demonstrate how we will be able to stand out at retail.” together: Nearly 100 countries are licensees, represented in Vegas with everyone from licensees, licensors, licensors, manufacturers, retails, buyers, and advertising, marketing, media, retailers. The wholesales and distributors show provides gathered in one place. And in terms of product categories, well everyone a – there is a lot covered under one great feel for roof! Toys and games, apparel, what is accessories, footwear, mobile, consumer electronics, home and happening in housewares, health and beauty, the industry as food and drink and gifts – and if well as a look you can think of any other type into the of consumer product, that is probably represented too! following year

“

James Walker, Vice President Brand Licensing and Publishing EMEAP, Hasbro

”

One of the hottest, and freest, tickets in town will be the Opening Keynote delivered by DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg on Tuesday, June 17, from 8-9 a.m. at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

This will be followed by “The Big Interview” with Nicole Richie, fashion icon and founder and creative director of House of Harlow 1960, June 17 at 2:30 p.m. Both keynotes are free to attend to registered attendees and exhibitors. The mix of exhibitors and show goers really makes Vegas a must-attend. 15,000 people will attend Licensing Expo 2014 and this year there are more than 125 new exhibitors including NFL Players Inc. and Grumpy Cat. We’re told that retailer attendance is also up with 14% more attending at Licensing Expo 2013. So if you happen to be in Vegas this June, make sure to stop by the Mandalay Bay for what is guaranteed to be a show-stopping expo!

SHOW FACTS What: Licensing Expo 2014 When: Tuesday 17 June – Thursday 19 June Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada Why: To make licensing deals!

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licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

Some cool new beastly partners

Flair play!

There was good news coming from the Coolabi Group this month after they announced a raft of licensing deals for Beast Quest.

SkyJack Publishing and Pedigree Books have come on board and will both be printing Beast Quest-themed publications, while in the games space, Winning Moves UK will produce a collection of Top Trumps cards based on the property. SkyJack will release up to three magazines over the period of a year entitled ‘100% Beast Quest’ with the first due to launch in August 2014 in the UK and Ireland. A Beast Quest annual is also due hit shelves in the UK this autumn, adding to the legendary collection produced by Pedigree Books. Winning Moves UK is set to design and release a set of gaming cards to sit within its Top Trumps range. These will also be available in the UK in digital format as an app. Both products will launch at retail in the autumn. The Beast Quest franchise (published in the UK by Orchard Books and owned by Working Partners) boasts over 100 books published to date, and is translated into more than 30 languages. Over 13.5 million copies of Beast Quest adventures have been sold worldwide.

Valerie Fry, Director of Sales at Coolabi says: “The Beast Quest franchise is starting to build momentum and we are thrilled to be launching a series of magazines for the brand in addition to the game which we have recently announced with MiniClip. The Beast Quest audience will soon be able to enjoy the fantasy stories across a number of media platforms.”

Suzie Howes, Head of Marketing at Winning Moves UK commented: “Top Trumps is a great way for the kids to explore the amazing adventures within the Beast Quest stories.

They can learn endless facts about the characters and the kingdom whilst enjoying playing a great game at the same time.”

The team at GP Flair are celebrating after Glitzi Globes scooped Girls Licensed Toy of the Year at the Australian Toy Fair. Glitzi Globes is the creative play brand by Moose and is distributed in the UK by GP Flair. This is the second year running that it has scooped a major award at the show.

Speaking about the win, Kirsty MacKenzie, Flair’s Creative Play Marketing Manager said: “We are delighted to see that Moose has won this prestigious award for the Glitzi Globes Disney Princess Castle Playset.” The Glitzi Globes Disney Princess Castle Playset, which is new to the 2014 collection, was named Girls Licensed Toy of the Year. The Glitzi Globes range launched in 2013 and is an innovative mix of cute collectable characters, creative play and delightful DIY glitter globes. At the very heart of the 2014 collection is the award winning Disney Princess Castle Playset, featuring Disney Princess themed mini and mega globes.

There is no mystery here, it is going to be a hit!

When two powers combine, you’ve got a sure-fire hit!

Or at least, that is our take on news that LeapFrog and Mattel’s Barbie are now best buddies.

LeapFrog announced recently that ‘Barbie: Malibu Mysteries’ would be added to its games portfolio.

The game involves players helping Barbie to catch a culprit responsible for a series of missing items (think shoes, cupcakes, sparkles) through collecting clues and solving three mysteries. Along the way, they can build foundation literacy skills, key to building confidence in reading at a critical stage of their education.

This latest addition will sit alongside a brand new range of Barbie apps and videos in the LeapFrog App Centre including ‘Barbie: Mermaid Tale’, ‘Barbie: Princess Charm School’ and ‘Barbie: Mariposa’.

“Barbie is an iconic brand whose popularity has spanned generations. We

are thrilled to add Barbie to our world class learning library and are sure she will be a huge hit.” says Sally Plumridge, International Marketing Director, LeapFrog.

Sally adds: “At LeapFrog, all of our content is designed or curated in conjunction with an inhouse team of educational experts to guarantee the best learning experience for children. We recognise that every child’s educational development is unique and continuously endeavour to offer customised learning experiences which parents can trust and children will enjoy. This content is key to helping children discover and develop their passion for learning.”

‘Barbie: Malibu Mysteries’ is available as a cartridge game or a downloadable app and works with all LeapPad learning tablets, Leapster Explorer and LeapsterGS game systems.

Mask-arade adds new London-themed and Breaking Bad masks to its offering There can’t be many people in the UK who are not familiar with Mask-arade’s world famous Royal Family masks, and now the award winning company has launched a new range of hilarious London themed halfmasks. The newly stocked items include a Policeman, Crowned Queen and Coldstream Guard masks with more to follow.

Sales Director, Chris O’Nyan, said: “After shipping 250,000 masks for Kate and William’s wedding in 2011, followed by nearly a million for the following year’s Jubilee, we expect our new half-masks to

JUNE 2014

be extremely popular. Advanced orders are already making them one of our biggest selling lines - tourists love them!”

Historical Masks and Animal Masks have also recently been added to Mask-arade’s ever growing portfolio, and they have also secured the license for the cult American crime drama, Breaking Bad. Already huge in the UK and gaining more fans by the day, masks of leading characters Heisenberg and Jesse Pinkman are now on general sale and went down a storm at the recent ComicCon event.

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LICENSING OPINION KELVYN GARDNER

Carefully collecting Our main man when it comes to all things licensing, LIMA MD Kelvyn Gardner, takes a look at the art of collectability. And he knows a thing or two about it!

“The message is that girls are probably a lot choosier before they decide to engage with a collectable, but, once they are in, they are in big”

G

irls and ‘collectables’, do these two words go together? Well, of course they do, but probably not in the way that they apply to boys (and men!).

With a background which includes spells as a director of Panini in the UK and co-owner of Merlin Publishing (now part of Topps), I’ve looked at this issue from all ends up. I don’t suppose many people collect postage stamps these days (apparently, the bottom has dropped out of this market in value terms anyway). When folks did do so, the stereotypical image that sprung to mind was always the solitary male, never the female.

When trading cards were invented in the 1950s, they were initially ‘free’ with packs of bubble gum. Now, girls chew gum as much as boys, you may justifiably say. However, the first ‘free’ trading cards were baseball, and, if you’ll allow me to risk accusations of sexism, baseball is a boys’ game, and was even more so in the America of the 1950s.

So it seems that commercial operators early on caught on to the fact that you could more easily attract boys as collectors than you could girls. Someone once said to me ‘boys collect, girls nurture’. There is clearly something in this, though it’s not as black and white as it may seem at first. Every year, the big collectable tends to centre around association football in the UK. Yes there have been exceptions, but Premier League football from Topps, FIFA World Cup stickers from Panini, Match Attax trading card games, these stay the course year after year. There is no ‘female

equivalent’, even though, to be fair, many women enjoy football as a spectacle, they are largely impervious to the appeal of collecting images of the players. When football collectables are at their zenith, girls join in so as not to be left out of the ‘craze’. Meanwhile, they do a different sort of collecting – linked to the idea of nurturing or caring. Dolls like Barbie, Bratz in their day, and Monster High are collected, not in the millions like pocket-money ‘blind bags’, but probably a lot more carefully preserved and looked after by their buyers.

Indeed, in the case of Barbie (and maybe others) there is a range of ‘Couture’ dolls retailing for £50 and more which appeal to the adult woman collector with fond memories of her childhood favourite, but a bigger budget in her older years. Surely the theme of ‘Disney Princess’ is a way to create a ‘collection’ of out what, on the surface, are a group of disparate characters inhabiting different worlds, races and even historical periods. In fact, girls may not be so inclined to collect, but once they find something they like, their passion for that collection probably surpasses the boys. Girls have been a huge contributor to the success of all the Moshi Monsters collectables, of course. Back in the day, brands like My Little Pony and Care Bears, licensed into sticker album collections, enjoyed sales in the tens of millions, and, to be sexist the other way for a second, didn’t win a lot of their revenue from the male collectors.

In parts of Europe, Disney’s Violetta has been huge in stickers and trading card games.

But the message is that girls are probably a lot choosier before they decide to engage with a collectable, but, once they are in, they are in big.

All we have to do is wait for the next one.

LIMA the trade association for the licensing business www.licensing.org/uk email rbeaird@licensing.org

toysnplaythings.co.uk

TNP T

LOOKS S BAC BACK

Step back in time TnP MD Malcolm Naish looks back at some of the events and news stories that made our pages in June 1984, 1994, 2004 and 2009

JUNE 2009 • According to NPD overall sales for the first four months of 2009 are running 14% down. This makes the UK the worst performing market in the developed world. We beg to differ, citing who in the U.K. is taking up the market share recently relinquished by Woolies, particularly as they were so strong in certain categories such as Action Figures and Building Sets. Checking these figures out with certain major U.K. toy companies, a number of them are quoting increased turnover year on year.

• Brio shut up their U.K. office appointing Treasure Trove as their U.K. distributors. Brio’s U.K. Managing Director Paul Sirret joins Treasure Trove.

• A management buyout led by Simon Pilkington sees John Adams Toys and Toybrokers acquired from Drumond Park. Brands include Fuzzy Felt, Tiny Tears and Intex.

• Toys ‘n’ Playthings re-introduces the Goring & Streatley golf day that had previously been run by the Youngsters Buying Group.

Inaugural winner of the individual Stableford is New Bright’s M.D. Kevin Moore.

• Go-Go’s ‘Crazy Bones’ seems to be the only craze line selling well. Interestingly, a number of our retailers that we speak to in our ‘Toy Talk’ feature are talking up business due to the demise of Woolies in their towns, as if to contradict the NPD figures.

• Poundland reports that operating profits soar by 47% to £11.8. million having opened 41 new stores bringing their number up to 212. Perhaps this reflects how things were back in 2009!

June 09 Volume 28 Number 9

JUNE 2004 • Kidz Biz/Jakks Pacific decide to appoint J.A. Magson to handle all U.K. retail business with their company concentrating solely on the ‘Majors’.

• RC2 buy pre-school specialists The First Years.

• I highlight that certain Major buyers keep changing their dates for visiting Hong Kong, having previously agreed appointment dates with suppliers who had purchased flight tickets in advance for these appointments. Naughty, naughty, I don’t think it is any better in 2014!

• The Hedstrom company who manufacture outdoor products in Anglesy call in the administrators with the loss of 130 jobs.

• John Nicholas receives a ‘Golden Teddy’ from BTHA chairman Clive Jones • Bandai begins delivering ‘Tamagotchi’ and they are flying out of the Independents’ stores.

Also selling well are Yu-Gi-Oh, Lord of the Rings, Sylvanian Families and a first mention in our ‘Toy Talk’ pages for Hypro’s football products.

John Nicholas receives a Golden Teddy from BTHA Chairman Clive • Dr. Mark Tilden the brains behind Robosapien is in town. Character Options are the U.K. Jones distributors of this latest robot.

• We visit the local junior school and check out with seven kids what their current favourite toys are. Items mentioned are LEGO, Bratz, Playstation2, Dance Mats, Xbox and Baby Annabelle.

• Hasbro report that their ‘Shrek’ line has started selling well, very impressive as this is a few weeks prior to the film’s release. This makes Argos’s decision to cut up to 25% off certain Shrek lines hard to fathom.

JUNE 1994 • As we go to press both Hasbro and Mattel are locked in mortal combat to acquire J.W. Spear & Co. – suppliers of ‘Scrabble’ amongst many other great toy products. Mattel have just capped Hasbro’s offer of £9. Share up to £10 valuing the company at £55m. Lefray – one of the U.K.’s last manufacturer of soft toys goes into administration. However it isn’t all bad news in the industry as I visit Exeter to visit Ertl’s new European H.Q. • 12 leading toy companies are becoming partners of Toymaster in a TV campaign that will see £500,000 being spent in November. Some of the companies advertising with us in 1994 were Riko, Cassio, Titan. Sadly these aren’t in the toy trade now, but the following still very much are Bandai, Mondo, Revell, VTech, Falcon (now Jumbo Games), Clementoni and Fuzzy Felt (now John Adams).

JUNE 1984 • Mintel have just published their report on the toy trade to December 1983, valuing it at retail at £750m. This also includes sales of video and electronic games which is said to be worth £145m. at retail last year. The report also points out that imports have more than doubled in the last 5 years while domestic output has plummeted by 36% - sadly a sign of the times back in 1984.

• The BTHA at last announces that they will be allowing non-British companies to become full members of the Association.

Previously only BRITISH companies were allowed to be members.

• Ideal Toy Co. can’t keep up with the demand for the ‘Cabbage Patch’ dolls.

• Possibly the very first Toymaster show when they took over the Northampton Moat House Hotel where 150 suppliers set up their stands to await the arrival of around 450 Toymaster members. The evening event followed at ‘Turners’ where several hundred of us enjoyed an excellent buffet and much revelry.

JUNE 2014

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