Toys n Playthings

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

2015 June 9 4 No. Vol. 3

Independently audited ABC circulation of 5,130 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 Š2015 Mattel, Inc. All rights reserved.

Brands that celebrate individuality! .

THIS YEAR MEET THE EMOTIONS INSIDE YOUR HEAD

Film in cinemas 24 July 2015

Projects memories on the screen!

HEADQUARTERS

Comes with Joy and 3 collectible memory spheres

CONTROL CONSOLE Works with all small figures

Includes memory sphere

Five to collect

Marketing Support: TV, Cinema, Digital, PR, Social Media, Partnerships

Also ask about Large Talking and Moving Figures and Feature Plush To place an order please contact TOMY customer services on 01392 281 928 or email ukcustomerservices@tomy.com

© TOMY

© 2015 Disney/Pixar

CORE FIGURES

Figures magically light up when standing next to the Console!

CONTENTS Regular 5 Leader - with Mirella Anstey

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6 News - hot off the press 7 Media News – the multimedia rundown

2015 June 4 No.9 Vol. 3

TEAM TnP

8 People News - checking in on the movers and shakers 9 Quick Coffee Break - with Green Board Games CEO, Keith Grafham 10 Media Charts - the latest kids’ TV viewing figures and toy TV advertising spend 12 Exhibition News - the latest on global fairs and shows

Group Editor Mirella Anstey mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

18 What’s New - new products that you need to get your hands on 23 Toy Talk – the retailers have their say 75 Trade Talk – we give suppliers the chance to talk business

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Media Solutions Manager Bradley Mason bradley@lemapublishing.co.uk

99 Don’t Miss – unmissable products for all buyers and retailers 100 Licensing News – the hottest news from the toy licensing industry 101 Movie News - the latest from the box office 103 Step Back In Time – a slice of toy history from the industry’s longest running magazine

Features 28 Licensing Expo preview – your guide to this year’s licensing show in Las Vegas 32 Construction – building blocks are big business in 2015

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48 Girls’ Collectables – the latest playground musthaves for girls making the tills ring 60 Arts and Crafts – messy play is a winner across the board

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director

76 Role-play, Dress Up and Party Time – it’s all about dressing up, parties and getting into character 88 Bikes and Trikes – The hottest products on two or three wheels

Special Report

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

14 TnP TV is here! – the latest from TnP’s boundary pushing new weekly TV show

Design and Production

17 Cover Story – Mattel’s Monster High brand heads to BooYork with a brand new toy range, content and more

Marian McNamara marian@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

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20 Retail Interview – Marcello Rossi, MD of This Is It, discusses the role of toys in his chain of six variety stores 96 Toymaster May Show review – TnP reports back from the buying group’s fantastic event

Columnists 16 Media Whisperer – Clive Crouch gets animated on the subject of cartoons 24 High Street Highs – The Entertainer’s Gary Grant talks licensing 25 Shop Talk – John Ryan gets political in the wake of the General Election

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

26 The Independent and Secret Supplier – this month, our dynamic duo tackle the tricky topic of what makes a good toy 27 Business Driver – balance your life to get the best out of yourself says former European head of Hasbro John Harper

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98 Safety Column – Bureau Vertias’ Malcolm Horner talks safety 102 Licensing Opinion – Kelvyn Gardner harks back to days of yore

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

toysnplaythings.co.uk

Helping everyone sell more

LEADER Mirella

A

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

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

magazine

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

PICTURE BUSINESS

Featuring FRAMING BUSINESS

Anstey told me at Toymaster last month, ll eyes are on Las Vegas that although MV is the wheeled this month, with the goods haven for all licences, their Licensing Expo due to actual non-licensed business is in doubleopen at the beginning of digit growth! Equally, construction was an the month. area where licences traditionally It got me thinking, as a consumer never delved, but now, much rather than a toy business journalist, of the LEGO and Mega how often my life is touched by movie or business is driven by the TV licence. So my day goes along these properties. But don’t lines – Thomas, Hungry Caterpillar or Star just take my word for it, Wars mugs and bowls at breakfast, Paw check out pages 88 and Patrol and Peppa toys being brandished 32 to learn more about during the cartoon time in the morning what’s happening in these before the little ones head out the door, categories.

Iron Man and Spider-Man making friends And if all that excitement is with the Incredible Hulk as tea is being too much for you, perhaps readied, and Buzz and Woody Malcolm Horner of Bureau in the bath, along with the Veritas can give you the obligatory bath products and benefit of his wisdom shampoo – for the toys as well and experience as he as my kids. writes about the latest All this without even mentioning MV’s Disney Princess updates and topics in the their school bags, lunch boxes, My First Crystal Trike safety testing aspect of this t-shirts, pyjamas, undies and wonderful business we are all in. the toys that I tread on As always, we have all your usual favourite getting out of bed, sit on columnists – John Harper, The Independent and as I get into my car to The Secret Supplier fighting it out, John Ryan drive to work or find in and Gary Grant giving you their perspectives my handbag as I delve on what is happening on the High Street right in to pull a card out for now and how it could impact your business. an important meeting or Lastly, I want to thank you all for your interview. support of TnP TV (see it on www.

So, it is with a sense toysnplaything.co.uk) – it is growing and of excitement Team going from strength-to-strength, so please TnP head out to do continue to tune in every week and tell Vegas to learn your colleagues about it too! more about what will be hot on the coming 18 months to two years in toys.

And while my purchasing power may be firmly pointing towards the boys’ side of things, just take a look at page 48 and read our Girls Collectables feature – you will see that while there is a healthy amount of new and unlicensed product, there are some great properties showcased there too. Likewise in our Bikes and Trikes Rubie’s feature – in fact Phil Iron Man Ratcliffe of MV Sports

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

Toby, Toymaster’s mascot was in great form at the May show

NEWS Happy 70th birthday Thomas!

Peterkin acquires Brookite Peterkin UK Ltd has acquired Brookite Ltd, with effect from 7 May 2015.

Nigel Seary, Managing Director of Peterkin UK said: “The Brookite brand has a fantastic Brookite’s Nick and Mandy heritage, Harrison with Nigel Seary and having been in Andrew Moulsher from Peterkin existence for over 100 years.

We are delighted to take control of the ‘strings’ and aim to soar to even greater heights for years to come! There’s a synergy between the two long established family businesses that make this a perfect match.”

Mandy and Nick Harrison of Brookite added: “The decision to sell the business after four generations of family ownership was not easy, but we are thrilled to be handing the Brookite brand to Peterkin, a company whose way doing of business is very much in line with our own.”

For more information, contact Peterkin on 0116 254 3645 or email sales@peterkin.co.uk

Last month, Thomas & Friends marked 70 years since their first appearance in The Railway Series, a collection of stories featuring Thomas the Tank Engine created by the Reverend W. Awdry.

The historic milestone was celebrated with a VIP party at the British Museum in London over the weekend, with a host of special guests including the Awdry family and the star of the show himself, an eight foot Thomas replica engine.

Celebrities and their children, including comedian Rufus Hound and The One Show’s Alex Jones, were also among the party guests. Christopher Awdry, son of Thomas creator Reverend W. Awdry, said it was “a pleasure to see the joy that Thomas and his friends are still bringing to the lives of children today.”

Wendy Hill, Brand Activation Director for master toy partner Mattel UK added: “2015 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years ever for Thomas & Friends.

Thomas’s birthday party has been an exciting start to a strong programme at retail, marketing and PR activity with our partners that celebrate Thomas’ 70 years of pre-school heritage as well as communicating the timeless values of this much loved property.”

Rufus Hound with his son at the event

TREND SPOTTING: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS This month, Kristin Morency Goldman from the US Toy Industry Association digs into the dinosaur trend Though dinosaur playthings have been popular for generations, we at the US Toy Industry Association (TIA) have noticed a definite spike in this trend for 2015. In fact, we’ve identified ‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ as one of the top toy trends of the year, due in part to the release of this year’s muchanticipated Jurassic World and The Good Dinosaur movies.

From licensed and educational playthings to innovative tech toys, Dawn of the Dinosaurs toys and games are now present in just about every aisle at retail. We love that many of these trending toys promote discovery and exploration, and in some cases teach children about different dinosaurs and their

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We’ve identified ‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ as one of the top toy trends

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fascinating history. For younger kids, stuffed dinos, collectible figures, and costumes help to spark their creativity by encouraging them to role play and imagine a time when these aweinspiring creatures once roamed the earth. The following are just a few examples of this year’s hottest dinothemed toys, many of which were first seen in February at TIA’s 112th North American International Toy Fair in New York City: Playskool Heroes Jurassic World T-Rex Figure (Hasbro) Little kids can enjoy some epic dino adventures with this incredible T-Rex figure that has an enormous chomping jaw and includes lights and sounds.

Raptor Run (Buffalo Games, autumn 2015) The fate of the dinosaur

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

NEWS Millions tune in for Tom

Play

Disney feels the force all the way to infinity The Star Wars universe just got a little bigger recently.

Disney UK announced an incredible new release which will see Star Wars join Disney, Disney•Pixar and Marvel in Disney Infinity 3.0: Play Without Limits, the latest installment of the hybrid toy-videogame of 2014.

The Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars Starter Pack will be available this autumn. It will include three Star Wars playsets, one set in the timeline of Episodes I-III, the second set during the original trilogy, Episodes IV-VI, and the third available this winter based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Additional playsets include a Disney•Pixar game based on the upcoming film Inside Out and a Marvel Play Set featuring Hulkbuster Iron Man, Ultron, and other Marvel characters. More figures of fan-favourite characters from across The Walt Disney Company, like Mickey and Minnie, Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy, Mulan and Olaf will also be included.

The premiere episode of Talking Tom & Friends, the animated series picked up nearly eight million views on YouTube in its first seven days. The show launched 30 April on YouTube to great fanfare and there was a launch party at the YouTube Space LA for the series’ stars: Colin Hanks, voice of Talking Tom; Tom Kenny, voice of Talking Hank and SpongeBob SquarePants; and YouTube star Lisa Schwartz as Talking Angela.

WOOLLY AND TIG AGREE MEDIA DEALS We will be seeing more of CBeebies series Woolly and Tig after it secured two new licensing deals.

The first is with Immediate Media who have confirmed a further two years inclusion of Woolly in their pre-school CBeebies magazine. The second deal is with Redan who are going to be including Woolly in their Fun to Learn series. Talking about the new deal, Julie Jones (Joint MD at Redan) explained: “We have seen the rise of Woolly as an evergreen property that is much loved by our young pre-school audience.

Our audience research proved that it had to be an essential part of our product line.”

population rests in kids’ hands as they race their raptor to the top of Dino Mountain and help rescue baby dino eggs on the way. The 3D volcano, raptors and die all store neatly in the box when the game is over.

Kids use plaster, moulds and paint to create their own realistic dinosaur fossils. They can even make an actual size replica of a T. Rex tooth, and claws from velociraptor and deinonychus dinosaurs.

Miposaur (WowWee) Meet Miposaur, a robotic creature with an incredible, evolving intelligence and personality. It can sense its own surroundings and environment and interact with them in a ‘lifelike’ way.

The Good Dinosaur – Journey from Home Game (Wonder Forge, autumn 2015) A licensed race-to-the-finish game for kids ages 3+, players must follow the river and build the game board piece by piece as they go along.

Dinosaur Sand Glove (HABA) A more traditional toy that is great for playing at the beach or in the home.

It encourages children to use their imaginations and engage in openended play as they build their fine motor skills.

Dino Predator Fossil Lab (Uncle Milton Industries, autumn 2015)

JUNE 2015

Play

Dinosaur Train Set (Bigjigs Toys) A fantasy Dino Range rail set in which railways and dinosaurs come together in a colourful prehistoric landscape.

Includes a dinosaur train, volcano tunnels and a group of wooden dinosaurs.

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Dawn of the Dinosaurs toys and games are now present in just about every aisle at retail

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Roto-Motion Mixer Dino Lab (Mattel, autumn 2015) This dino lab allows kids to cast dinosaur figures in less than 15 minutes from start to finish. Figures can be customised using the included dino paints and aging washes.

Dinomundi (Toys Talk, autumn 2015) Through a patented augmented reality technology, dinosaurs spring to life from playing cards to a tablet or smartphone screen, allowing kids to feed and interact with the creatures.

Kids can also create their own customised track set for the included motorised explorer vehicle to travel on while interacting with the dinos.

For more information about TIA visit www.

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

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NEWS Steve Williams joins The Entertainer The Entertainer announced the appointment of Steve Williams as Head of Logistics.

Williams joins The Entertainer from third party logistics company FedEx, prior to which he spent more than ten years at Claire’s Accessories where he rose from Head of Logistics to European Supply Chain Director, overseeing an estate of over 1000 stores across 13 countries. He will now lead the expanding Logistics and Operations team.

Ravensburger details BRIO UK distribution transition Following the acquisition of BRIO AB in January 2015 by Ravensburger AG, an agreement has been reached between Ravensburger, Marbel and BRIO AB for changes to distribution arrangements in the UK and Ireland from 1 July 2015.

Marbel has been the exclusive distributor of BRIO in the UK and Ireland market since 2011 and will continue to stock, distribute and market the BRIO product range until 30 June 2015.

From 1 July 2015, Ravensburger will become the new distributor for BRIO AB in the UK and Ireland.

BRIO AB, Marbel and Ravensburger will work closely together to ensure the smoothest possible transition.

Red Dot for Green Science series The Green Science series from 4M, which is distributed in the UK by Great Gizmos, has been awarded the internationally respected Red Dot Award for Product Design 2015, the latest in a string of prestigious awards. Now in its 60th year, the word-class design competition attracted 4,928 entries from almost 2,000 participants from 56 countries.

The Green Science series received high marks for innovation, functionality, ecological compatibility and other evaluation criteria to win the sought after Red Dot seal of quality.

Pictured: Malcolm, Derek and Les Nurse

Happy birthday to Derek Morris TnP’s MD Malcolm Naish had the pleasure of celebrating industry veteran Derek Morris’ 85th birthday recently. Malcolm says: “I was delighted to accept a lunch invitation to celebrate Derek Morris’s 85th birthday at Copt Heath Golf Club just a few miles from Solihull.

Derek was in good spirits with all his family, friends and a few toy trade buddies to boot. Derek has been one of the very best party throwers in the toy trade over the years!”

Fence Club inducts David Bramford The Fence Club Spring Meeting was held at the Leander Rowing Club in Henley-upon-Thames in May, where David Bramford of Character Group was welcomed into the club as a new member by deputy chairman Richard Keel. Guest speaker for the evening was Alex Gregory, who won a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics as part of the Coxless Fours, whose talk made for a truly memorable evening.

SCRABBLE IS DENCH! Scrabble just got a little more dench (excellent), thanks to the inclusion of 6,500 new words in the latest edition of the Collins Official Scrabble Words, the most comprehensive Scrabble wordlist ever produced, and endorsed by Scrabble owner Mattel. Internet talk, street slang and names of social phenomena head the new list, with words such as lolz (laugh out loud), twerking (a form of dance), and hashtag (social media function) making the cut.

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Guest speaker and Olympic gold medalist Alex Gregory with two other finely honed athletes, TnP MD Malcolm Naish, and James Triptree

The latest inductee, Character Group’s David Bramford, receives his Fence Club pin from deputy chairman Richard Keel

toysnplaythings.co.uk

PEOPLE

NEWS

New appointment at Mattel Mattel UK have appointed Simon Price as Director, Consumer Products, UK & Nordics. Simon rejoins the Mattel team after spending time working on the sales team during 2002 and 2004. From here Simon joined The Walt Disney Company working in Sales and Marketing and also Category Management. He was promoted to Category Director for the UK toy and consumer electronics business in 2006 and was responsible for key successes including the substantial licensed proposition for Toy Story 3.

Most recently Simon has been working for Universal Music Group as Senior Director for Digital and New Business for the Benelux region and has been responsible for driving new business and strategic partnerships across both marketing and licensed products. Dominic Geddes, VP & Country Manager, UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Nordics comments: “Simon brings with him a wealth of experience built within key licensing businesses in the UK toy industry. I am confident with his skills and experience he will keep us on our journey towards being best in class for Consumer Products partnerships and executions.”

Disney names new Consumer Products head Leslie Ferraro has been appointed as the new President of Disney Consumer Products, effective immediately. It’s the latest move in a recent reshuffle of Disney’s senior team.

Leslie moves from her former role as Executive Vice President of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division to fill the space of former DCP President Bob Chapek, who stepped up as Chairman of the Parks and Resorts division in February. Bob moved to fill the Parks and Resorts vacancy left by Thomas Staggs, who was appointed COO of the Walt Disney Company, also in February.

Leslie has held several senior-level positions over her 16-year tenure at Disney, including heading up marketing sales and travel operations for the Parks and Resorts division.

JUNE 2015

COFFEE BREAK Green Board Games’ CEO Keith Grafham talks international expansion, hero products and the importance of supporting independents

How is 2015 shaping up for GBG as we close in on the half-way point?

We are very pleased with our growth this year, we continue to expand our business both in the UK and overseas. We have our best product offering for many years, and are now selling BrainBox in over 60 countries and translating into nearly 30 languages! We have added a number of new team members and we are very excited for this year and the next.

We understand that you have some new partners from China. What can you tell us about that?

That’s right, good news does travel quick! We have been working with Sea Rainbow group for many years and so when they offered to buy a majority stake from Gary Wyatt, the founder and owner of GBG, he decided it was fortuitous all round. The deal happened at the end of February and very little has changed, other than Gary is playing more golf and driving a nicer car! It hasn’t and won’t change what we do, how we do it and who does it, but it may well give us greater opportunities going forward, it’s an exciting time.

What are your three hero products currently?

Our hero is still BrainBox, specifically The World, it continues to outsell every other game we produce.

From a new product perspective we have had lots of interest in our new preschool BrainBox range which will be in stock very soon. This is a range we will be expanding in 2016. Outside of the BrainBox ranges it has to be Qwirkle, an award-winning bestseller around the world, a great game and we know this will be even bigger this Christmas.

How do you help independent retailers sell more?

Independent stores is where GBG began and we have many customers who have been with us for a long time. As well as in-store promotions, demo days, posters, promo packs, stickers and other marketing support, we always do a good show deal to give our customers great margins. This year we have restructured our field sales team with more in-house reps ready and willing to support the independents and build closer relationships. If anyone wants us to visit, just let us know!

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MEDIA

CHARTS 3000

Egg-stra spend over Easter

2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

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elcome to the Media Report for April 2015. We will be looking at the TV viewing levels for All Boys, Girls and Housewives with Children.

As the chart shows, The Cartoon Network is market leader and this is followed by Pop. It’s interesting to note that Tiny Pop does well here.

Although this station is a pre-school channel, my feelings are the older boys are watching with their younger brothers, and we also see this for girls as well. Overall the boys viewing levels are up by 8.5%.

Looking at the girls’ viewing levels, we see Tiny Pop shows a major increase. Part of this is because they are on the Freeview platform, however, we also feel there is an element of dual-viewing within the family unit. The overall increase for girls is also 8.5%.

In Housewives with All Children, we see that Good Morning Britain is number one with both Tiny Pop and Nick Junior very close behind. As mentioned in a previous report, although all these viewing levels are for Housewives with Children, GMB is more likely to be the Working Mum. Both Nick Junior and Tiny Pop are likely to be Housewives with Younger Children, and more than one child in the family unit. As both these stations are pre-school, it’s fair to say that both the child and mum will be watching together.

Reported toy expenditure is up by a massive 28.9%, part of this increase is likely due to the Easter holidays in April, while TV revenue is up by only 5.9%. To put these increases in some form of proportion, the increase of 28.9% for toy companies represents £2 million, while the TV revenue increase of 5.9% represents £20 million.

In the next issue we will look at the younger end of the market for both Girls and Boys and Housewives with Children – Pre-School.

Housewives & Kids TVR’s April 14 vs April 15

Apr-14

Apr-15

Apr 14 Apr-14

Apr 15 Apr-15

Apr-14

Apr-15

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

Boys TVR’s April 14 vs April 15

6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0

Girls TVR’s April 14 vs April 15

April 2014 Toy Company April 2015 Toy Company TV Expenditure TV Expenditure Company Name

TV Expenditure

Company Name

TV Expenditure

Hasbro (UK) Ltd Mattel UK Ltd LEGO UK Ltd Character Options Ltd Bandai Uk Ltd John Adams Leisure Ltd VTech Electronics Ltd MGA Ent Spin Master Toys Ltd Epoch Making Toys Ltd

£1,001,777 £860,982 £697,699 £589,700 £455,392 £387,570 £349,126 £280,430 £212,202 £197,178

Mattel UK Ltd Hasbro (UK) Ltd Flair Leisure Prod Ltd Character Optiuons Ltd Lego Uk Ltd Vtech Electronics Zapf Creations UK Zuru Toys (USA) Vivid Imaginations Ltd Mookie Toys

£1,504,950 £1,428,886 £1,139,340 £645,368 £574,735 £555,710 £383,278 £353,931 £251,311 £238,850

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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TV Helping everyone sell EVEN more!

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

EXHIBITION

NEWS

The road to BLE begins Registration is now open for Brand Licensing Europe 2015, the UBM Advanstar organised licensing exhibition, which will run 13–15 October 2015 at London Olympia. Visitors can now register for free at www.brandlicening.eu.

The show also launched The BLE Blog recently (www. thebleblog.com), featuring posts from the team on getting the most from the show.

BLE Event Director Darren Brechin said: “BLE has so much to offer, alongside the exhibition there are the free educational programmes, the only retail mentoring programme of its kind in the UK and a competition to bring new properties to market. The BLE Blog is the next step in the show’s evolution - providing an ideal platform for us to shout about what we do, but also gather together our huge network of show partners to offer valuable content to the licensing industry.”

In other BLE news, one of the show’s most popular initiatives grew even further as six new retailers signed up to the Retail Mentoring Programme, which launched late last month. Asda, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Limited, Claire’s Accessories UK Limited, Lloyds Pharmacy, Matalan and Stanfords join existing participants J Sainsbury PLC, Boots PLC, Lakeland, Blue Inc and Mothercare Group in the six-month programme - the only one of its kind in the UK.

Toymaster May Show 2016 dated After a fantastic Toymaster May Show in Harrogate last month, the Toymaster team has announced that next year’s show will run between 17-19 May, 2016.

“A big thank you to all who attended the May Show and helped Toymaster demonstrate the true spirit of the toy trade,” said Toymaster MD, Ian Edmunds, in a statement. “We are already planning 2016 (17-19 May) so put the date in your diary.”

Head to page 96 for TnP’s full report for the show.

Pictured: Toy Division takes to the stage

PlayCon 2015 a success Play professionals in the States heralded the US TIA’s PlayCon event a major success last month in Arizona. PlayCon 2015 kicked off with a lively evening of networking for 171 participants, including a dinner and fundraiser in support of the Toy Industry Foundation.

Gary Grant, MD and Founder of The Entertainer and TnP columnist, delivered the event’s keynote address, offering insights into his chain’s expansion and ways to better engage with customers and staff.

10. – 13.9.2015 Experience diversity, discover new ideas!

A guarantee of diversity for over 50 years: The leading international trade fair for the baby and toddler outÒtting sector. In addition to plenty of new ideas, you can also look forward to the Kids Design Award 2015. Aspiring young designers present trendsetting design concepts.

Let yourself be inspired – we are looking forward to seeing you! www.kindundjugend.com International Business Media Services 42 Christchurch Road | Ringwood | BH24 3JU | United Kingdom | Tel.: +44 1425 486830 | info@koelnmesse.co.uk

210x138-KJ15 GB-Toys_n_Playthings.indd 1

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TV

Mirella and Toby Toymaster

TNP TV HITS THE ROAD TnP TV headed to Harrogate in May to bring the industry unique coverage from the Toymaster Show

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s well as our regular shows from the studio, TnP TV headed up to Harrogate last month to bring the toy industry unparalleled access to the Toymaster Show. On the show floor, Mirella took to the stands to see all the fantastic product currently making waves in the industry and the fresh Claire Olewnik, Product Strategy Manager, Mookie releases coming for the second half of the year.

The support for this special coverage remains phenomenal, as an increasing amount of the industry makes TnP TV part of its weekly routine. For many, no week is complete without checking in with the industry’s only dedicated toy show.

“We’re continuing to push the Amy Allbon, Sales Manager, Bandai boundaries with TnP TV, with our regular shows and specials from the industry’s most important events,” says TnP Editor-in-Chief and TnP TV presenter, Mirella. “Alongside TnP’s signature flip cover Toymaster show guide, there was no better way to keep up with all the products and happenings at this year’s event.

We have lots more exciting things coming in the future, so watch this space!”

TnP TV airs every week and is delivered directly to your inbox as well as being available on www.toysnplaythings.co.uk.

The only way to be part of TnP TV is to get in touch with Ryan Horwood now, on 01442 289930 or at ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

Play

David Allan, Sales & Marketing Director, DKL Marketing

Play Phil Ratcliffe, Sales & Marketing Director, MV Sports

Fredrik Wolff, Sales Director, Tomy

Play Trudi Bishop, Head of Marketing & Licensing, Cartamundi

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Play Jim Young, Marketing Manager, Amscan

Sue Lockey, Co-Founder, The Puppet Company

toysnplaythings.co.uk

MEDIA

OPINION

Animation is alive and well Fresh from a visit to the Italian city of Venice for the Cartoons on the Bay festival, Clive Crouch is encouraged about the future of animation

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ast month I returned from the 18th Cartoons on the Bay. The event is an international television and cross-media animation festival hosted by Italy’s RAI, and held in Venice.

The purpose of my attendance was to see Sylvia Anderson receive the prestigious Pulcinella Special Award. Sylvia is best known to animation fans as a voice artist, producer, and costume designer on the many iconic British animated series she created together with her husband Gerry Anderson. RAI showed clips of Thunderbirds, Supercar, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Stingray, and others. Sylvia most famously voiced Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds.

The mood was set with an excellent presentation from ITV Studios on their new Thunderbirds production, together with an exhibition of 50 years of Thunderbirds.

ITV Studios were also honoured jointly alongside DreamWorks Animation as International Animation Studio of the year.

Sylvia addressed the assembled delegates taking everyone back in time with anecdotes and visuals from the Anderson library. Sylvia also announced details of the next Anderson production called The Last Station, a space adventure created with her daughter Dee. Moving on from the fictional location of Tracy Island to the recent history of animation from Israel, which was chosen as the guest country of the 18th Cartoons on the Bay. Albert Hanan Kaminski was awarded the Pulcinella Career Award and among his achievements was a 1995 animated feature of The Real Schlemiel, based on a novel

by Nobel Prize winning writer Bashevis Singer.

Kaminski studied Art & Design at the Rijksakademie of Amsterdam and began working in Israeli children’s programming with the Children’s Television Workshop.

Kaminski was mentored by famed French animator Paul Grimault and developed both an Israeli and a Palestinian version of Sesame Street.

This was followed by a series of Israeli animations presented in order by age band and genre over the next seventy-five minutes.

It was a pleasure to view such high levels of

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creativity and original work that appeared so innocently to entertain without any obvious commercial product agenda.

That is not to say that licensing does not have a part to play, it just happened to be positioned separately and was scheduled alongside Women in Animation, Animation in Italy, and company-specific spotlights from Nickelodeon, Mad Entertainment, Toon Boom and Cartoon Network.

Cartoons on the Bay is a very different proposition from the two events held in Cannes. MIP TV in March is less about children’s shows; MIP Junior in October is almost all about children’s shows, as is Kids Screen in February in New York.

Consistent with other animation events, Cartoons on the Bay hosted an awards ceremony.

Venice is not short of a good venue to stage a show. Once comfortably seated at Cipriani, we viewed a lengthy candidate play list covering eight categories in recognition of the work of animators from all corners of the world.

The chosen categories were TV series for Pre-schoolers, TV series for Children, TV series for Tweens, TV series for Education and Social Work, TV Pilots for Advertising and Promotion and Interactive Animation and Short Film.

The advertising and promotional work was most enlightening, while equally unlikely to get past our UK regulator Ofcom.

Wrapped outside of the competition element was an exclusive Italian animated preview of The Book of Life which was excellent. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable event which reassures me that the future of animation is very much alive and well.

ITV Studios were also honoured jointly alongside DreamWorks Animation as International Animation Studio of the year

”

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

1

toysnplaythings.co.uk

COVER FEATURE MATTEL

Too ghoul for school

Play

Mattel’s empowering girls’ brand Monster High makes a move into the world of musicals with BooYork BooYork. With an accompanying toy line, talent show for fans and much more, Mattel reveals what’s coming soon from this spooktacular brand

S

chool to freaky fab ghouls, Monster High empowers girls to express their individuality, embrace their imperfections and form friendships that last beyond a lifetime. This autumn sees a new term for the ghouls of Monster High with the release of a new entertainment title, BooYork BooYork.

Monster High presents…

Coming later this year, the first ever monsterrific musical from Monster High, Boo York, Boo York, shows fans’ favourite ghouls take a bite out of the Big Apple.

When Cleo de Nile is invited to attend a fancy gala celebrating the return of a magical comet, she brings her beast friends along. But it’s not all fun and frightseeing, because Nefera de Nile, Cleo’s sister, uses the comet’s powers to plot against Catty Noir. Can the monsters unwrap the mystery of the comet in time to save their friends?

The musical film release is also supported with a freaktacular new range of characters and toy line including Luna Mothews™, Elle Edee™ and Mouscedes King™, who are all set to show off their fiercest fashions and out-ofthis-world accessories.

The range is completed by the Astra Nova™ Accessory Playset, which sees new character Astra Nova™ levitate and impress with an interactive

JUNE JU J UN NE E 2015 20 0115

light show that flashes to the beat of the girls’ own music.

Monster High’s Got Talent To celebrate this freaktacular musical extravaganza, girls will be given the chance to unleash their freaky talent in the Monster High Academy – where, for the first time, seven countries across Europe will be competing in a fangtastic talent show.

Girls will be invited to log on to a creeptastic website to create a profile, choose their own freaky flaw and get watching the trailer to the film release BooYork BooYork.

To inspire girls to create their own monsterriffic singing and dancing video to upload to the site, they can watch some amazingly scare-tastic instructional videos. Entries will then be judged and several special ghouls will be picked to meet and perform with an exclusive celebrity band. Working in partnership with a major kids’ broadcast channel, the Monster High Academy will be brought to life through engaging content and a powerful call to action.

And that’s not all; Mattel will be teaming up with Stagecoach Theatre Schools for a second year to create a one-of-a-kind

Monster High show with some of their star performers.

The campaign will also be supported by an extensive marketing and retail programme, which will include an extensive product TV campaign, plus social media, mummy bloggers’ reviews as well as competitions in key press.

Alongside the release of BooYork BooYork, Monster High continues its freaktacular brand campaign, We Are Monster High, by inviting current and new fans to fly their freaktastic flags and show their ghoul spirit. The campaign will be supported by strong marketing plans, engaging with girls, giving them ownership of the brand and asking them to unleash and celebrate their inner monster – freaky flaws and all.

Le freak, c’est chic Last but not least, is the freakishly fabulous Freak Du Chic. The Monster High ghouls have to fight to save the school dance, all dressed in over the top circus-inspired fashions, so decide to highlight everyone’s freaky flaws in the ultimate monster show – Freak Du Chic. Here fans meet the supersize Gooliope Jellington standing at a huge 17 inches – she is the tallest ghoul in school.

CONTACT: Call 01628 500000 or visit www. mattel.com for more information on Monster High and the rest of Mattel’s brands

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

Handy hideoutt THE PUPPET COMPANY 01462 446040 www.thepuppetcompany.com

Ballooning sales

For a few years now, The Puppet Company has been designing a range of puppets called HideAways.

The latest addition to this range is the fantastic Old Tree and d Pond. This features a gnarled old tree with seven residents including a tawny awny owl, kingfisher, robin, frog, mallard, greater eater spotted woodpecker and, a blackbird on his is nest. This puppet also has a carrying handle in the form of an old ivy-covered branch.

All the seven birds and animals are finger puppets and create a delightful and educational toy. This is a fantastic addition to the Hide-Aways, which should be available to retailers in early September 2015.

AMSCAN INTERNATIONAL www.amscan.co.uk 01908 288500 Amscan International has extended its offering with a brand new range of fourcolour print latex balloons, featuring some of Disney’s best-loved licences. The are five licensed designs featuring major Disney and Marvel properties, including Frozen, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess and Spider-Man. Each pack of 11” balloons provides a mixture of high-quality, coloured latex balloons combined with up to three different character pose designs.

Also added to the latex collection are 14 new four-sided print designs, featuring popular licensed characters from pre-school favourite Peppa Pig to the action-packed Marvel Avengers.

The new balloons can also be coordinated with Amscan’s range of licensed foil balloons

by Anagram, in addition to its broad selection of tableware, decorations and party accessories to create a complete theme. All are in stock and available now to retailers.

18

All the fun of the farm VTECH 01235 546810 www.vtech.co.uk This year sees the introduction of new additions to the highlycollectable Toot-Toot Animals Range. The original safari park, with its much-loved Tiger, Hippo, Monkey, Elephant, Lion and Zebra, has now been joined by five new additions for spring/summer 2015: a sheep, pig, donkey, cow, horse and chicken coop.

VTech will also introduce a fun and interactive Toot-Toot Animals Farm. This interactive farm playset features nine Smartpoint locations, which respond to the animals with fun phrases, animal and nature sound effects and melodies. Three buttons teach colours, vegetables and numbers. Featuring a swinging door that plays a fun mouse sound effect when the animal passes through it, a fun slide that the animals can slide down into the farm, a swing, a rotating eating trough and a lovely vegetable garden, there is plenty for little ones to explore on the farm. The playsets also feature three happy sing-along songs and 15 melodies and includes a Toot-Toot Animals electronic cow.

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NEW Mario speeds into toy stores HOBBYCO 01908 605686 www.hobbyco.net The latest incarnation of Nintendo Super Mario storms into the UK this summer courtesy of Carrera, with the launch of its new licensed Mario Kart 8 items in radio control and slot racing.

Mario swaps his kart for a quad with the Carrera RC Mario Kart 8 Quad featuring everybody’s computer game hero on a 1:20 scale big-wheel radio controlled machine. Complete with full suspension, Mario is able to go outside, over jumps and rough terrain, for maximum excitement.

Full function control is via the latest 2.4GHZ RC technology, allowing up to sixteen cars to be run at the same time. Mario Kart 8 Quad RC is ready to run. Just Install batteries and let the off-road fun begin.

Mario and Luigi also do battle once again on the ever-popular Carrera Go!!! 1:43 slot racing track system.

The famous plumbers speed around the high-quality 4.9 metre track, which includes a power loop and two challenging bends. The set includes two all new 1:43 scale Mario 8 slot cars. Controllers feature turbo function for extra power when needed, while lap counters keep the fun but fair.

Carrera Go!!! sets represent great value and racing fun for the whole family.

JUNE 2015

Thunderbirds are go!

VIVID 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk The hero product of Vivid’s Thunderbirds range is the Interactive Tracy Island, which is packed full with features and intelligent story telling.

With a unique launching experience, all the vehicles with sounds fit inside Tracy Island and children can replicate the amazing launch sequences from the TV series.

As a craft prepares to launch, the iconic “5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Thunderbirds are go!” phrase commences and starts an International Rescue mission.

At the centre of controls is John Tracy who can be heard through the communication device that is included with the playset. When kids hear “International Rescue, we have a situation!” it’s time to let the adventures begin.

Tracy Island has more than 50 lights, sounds and features, including the iconic pool which slides back into the island, the folding down palm trees, as well as Brains’ lab.

Tracy Island has its own dedicated marketing campaign. This innovative island will be heavily TV promoted from launch, and will be joining the ToyTesters tour this summer, reaching over a million people across three different locations. With a dedicated print and online PR campaign targeting boys, dads and original Thunderbirds fans, this pioneering playset is sure to be on the top of any fans Christmas list.

Think inside the box SCHLEICH 01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk The new, boxed collections from Schleich provide the perfect instant play scenario for fans and are being launched across the whole portfolio.

These new ready-to-play sets include both figures and the expanding range of accessories that are great for gifting. They also cover a range of price points, are easy to merchandise and offer retailers a chance to diversify and expand their Schleich offering.

There are many to choose from, such as the Lion Cave Playset, with the queen of the jungle resplendent with a cave to dwell in. Even the ever-popular range of dinosaurs is to be enhanced with new boxed gifts, such as the impressive Velociraptors on the Hunt Set.

19

RETAIL INTERVIEW THIS IS IT

Head of Retail Marcello Rossi (left) and Buyer Jason Parnell

Variety is the spice of life I “ TnP’s MD Malcolm Naish visits ‘this is it’ in Newton Abbot

t was down to Newton Abbot, Devon that I went to meet up with Marcello Rossi – Managing Director – of this is It. They currently have six variety stores in the South West with more store openings planned and a sophisticated EPOS and Warehouse Management System that can cope with hundreds more.

To be frank, I wasn’t quite sure what a variety store comprised of. Marcello soon put me right.

All six have a big toy presence, but depending on the seasons they also offer the customer the following categories: Outdoor/Camping Giftware Home Fishing Pet products Gardening Christmas Decorations Arts & Crafts Stationary Greeting Cards Luggage Electrical Accessories

20

The sky’s the limit and in ten year’s time we could have as many as 80 stores

”

When I visited their Taunton store in mid-April, I was immediately greeted by several metres of outdoor and camping products from floor to ceiling.

Toys were well displayed, but as Marcello explained, visit in September and the toy presence is hugely increased, along with extra staff to cope.

I was intrigued to find out how Marcello came to be running this Is It. Eight years previously, Marcello received an offer to build up a retail business which only had one store. The catch was the role was in Devon and he was Bournemouth-based but he

toysnplaythings.co.uk

decided the challenge was exactly what he was after and wanted to be involved in a business which wasn’t reliant on toys only.

Move forward to 2015, the this Is It group has a most impressive set-up that allows them to retail almost anything with a mix of current products across all of the above categories plus margin mix with end of line products that blend in with the current ranges.

The company likes to offer great bargains and every month promotes new ‘Special Offers’ on planogram end caps and plinths.

Due to the fantastic product selection in store, you can almost guarantee that once a visitor has walked into the shop, they will walk out with several purchases.

Above the items on display in the store is a light-box system that gives a very clear indication as to each product group category, making it very easy for the consumer to walk the shop. The graphics can be updated within the lightbox so can change the feel of the category and be up to date. When Marcello joined the company they had just the one shop in Paignton, selling mainly pound lines, fixtures were poor and navigation was confusing.

He soon realized the potential and made changes so what you see today is as a result of the changes Marcello has made.

With nightpicking from their central warehouse in Newton Abbott, stores receive deliveries two to three times per week and in store by eight in the morning.

The EPOS management system generates picks based on minimums and target stock levels so the stores receive the right stock at the right time to maximize sales. Special promotions can be preset in advance which overrides Min and Target stocks.

Every morning at 4am he and his buying team receive automated best seller reports telling him best sellers by sales value and by units in performance order enabling them to react quickly on any up and coming trends. When for example a craze like loom bands takes off a bespoke report is created which is also emailed daily and weekly so they can

“

I love what I do, I love trading and doing deals with such a great variety of products

”

react immediately to maximize the opportunity.

The six stores are: Paignton Bridgewater Exeter Barnstaple Poole* Taunton *Poole (used to be a Woolworths store) is the jewel in the crown with a floor space of 11,000 sq.ft.

”

JUNE 2015

27

RETAIL INTERVIEW THIS IS IT

“ Constantly refining what they do has enabled Marcello to create the stores that you see today and this has made every one of those six profitable.

Marcello is a born trader and loves the excitement of closing a deal that will bring not just profit to this is it, but also great value to their customers.

In 2014, a new and very sophisticated warehouse

management system was installed that includes a pick, pack and despatch for online that is 100% totally paper-less.

The growth curve for online sales has been phenomenal, 60% up in 2014 with this year currently running at 90% and for April to date over 120%. this is it has been trading online for five years now and is representing around 30% of annual turn-over.

Marcello believes that with the staff and systems they use, this is it are primed for serious growth.

“The sky’s the limit and in ten year’s time we could have as many as 80 stores.”

The existing stores are in big holiday areas and he quite often is asked by a holiday maker, “Why don’t you have a store in our

22

town?” They could be from Huddersfield or Hitchin, any other part of Britain.

Toys are the fastest growing category, but still after eight years he can’t persuade LEGO to supply them.

“LEGO is the finest toy in the world and our customers are constantly asking us for the product. This is so sad and I really hope that sometime soon we can persuade them to think again.

“After all, they supply the likes of Tesco, so why not a variety store where customers know the value of the LEGO brand?”

Certainly, the sort of figures Marcello was quoting that he believes he could sell of LEGO might make them reconsider.

The group has a fully modular training system that helps to cultivate their staff. This has definitely led to big increases in retaining staff longer and naturally translates into better customer service and improved store sales. Regular end-cap and store promotions supported by eye-catching point of sale has also paid big dividends, helped by back-up window displays that are professionally created.

“I love what I do, I love trading and doing deals with such a great variety of products. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see a toy or range that I believe will sell through in store. We have brilliant supplier relationships and are always looking for clearance

I surround myself with a great team of smart people who contribute and share my passion for delivering a first class retail experience and we constantly strive to do better in everything we do

”

opportunities to help drive our promotions which is borne out in the variety of product on display in all our shops.”

“I surround myself with a great team of smart people who contribute and share my passion for delivering a first class retail experience and we constantly strive to do better in everything we do”.

I enjoyed my visit to this is it.

I first met Marcello Rossi when, as a 21-year-old, he opened his first toy shop in Bournemouth.

Known as a bit of a firebrand wanting to change the toy world, Marcello gradually realized that you can’t change the way of things overnight and he admits that he had Barry Walker, Peter Oval, Neville Jennings and Roger Dyson to thank for their patience in moulding his toy career.

Twenty-five or so years on and Marcello most definitely has created a group of stores that have found a niche in the UK toy and allied categories.

I now know what a variety store consists of, and have to say, I’m most impressed with this is it’s mode of operation.

Marcello can be contacted on 01626 835400 or email Marcello@ thisisitstores.co.uk

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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

Toy talk We catch up with retailers to find out which licences they think are going to sell well this year and how 2015 has been shaping up so far

SIMON ADAMS Toytown Woodbridge, Suffolk Simon has worked in toy retail at various shops for nearly 30 years.

Along with sister Kym, he took over Toytown Woodbridge in late 2014 and is busy working on first anniversary celebrations for this September Halfway into 2015, how is the year shaping up for you?

Yes it’s looking to be a very good year. I think we’re slightly down on what we could be so far, but that’s because we’ve had to build stock levels up and drum up business after the previous owner retired last year. I’m really confident about the second half of the year though.

What’s selling really well for you at the moment? (brand, range, product) LEGO is still doing very well, and we’ve just taken orders of the new Ninjago, Star Wars and CITY lines. TY Beanie Boos have also been very popular recently, as well as the blind bag, pocket money ranges - Shopkins and Zomlings in particular.

What local marketing are you doing to drum up business?

We had a big launch day back in October last year with goodie bags and this year we’re celebrating our first anniversary in similar style.

We’ll have the Sylvanian Families’ Freya costume character down along with Toby Toymaster. We also did a hunt for Toby Toymaster treasure hunt in the store with a prize draw. It was very popular and a great way to get customers into the store.

Do you stay on top of licenses and how does that impact your buying decisions?

We certainly do. In fact, I just this morning took an order of Star Wars product from Thinkway Toys.

We will definitely be ordering in from Hasbro’s Star Wars range very shortly too.

AUGUST 2013

CAROLINE ANSTEY, Imagine…! Toy Shop, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire Caroline is celebrating 12 years at Imagine…! Toy Shop in the picturesque town of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire Halfway into 2015, how is the year shaping up for you?

It’s shaping up quite well. When the sun’s shining things are good, but when we have hailstorms like we have recently, it does set us back. We have lots of products that are selling well and steady though, so that’s good.

What’s selling really well for you at the moment?

Magic Tattoos from Tobar are selling really well, as are LEGO Ninjago and Minifigures. TY Beanie Boos are popular and Silverlit’s DigiBirds have really taken off too. I think we’ve probably sold a copy of Dobble to everyone in the local area as well, which we demo in-store.

What local marketing are you doing to drum up business?

We’re very strapped for space, so we don’t do any in-store events. There are a few arts and crafts groups around us that we’re in close contact with though, as we offer lots of crafty toys.

KAREN CHRISTIE Fun Junction, Perth, Perthshire Karen is the owner of “wee independent” Fun Junction. She runs the store with her two daughters.

Halfway into 2015, how is the year shaping up for you?

We’re slightly up on last year so far, and things are certainly going the right way for an even better second half of the year.

What’s selling really well for you at the moment?

We always do really well with jigsaw puzzles and they’re still going strong. We sell a lot of adult jigsaws from Gibsons, and for children, Galt and Orchard Toys are always winners.

Do you stay on top of licenses and how does that impact your buying decisions?

Yes, you have to stay on top of them.

We certainly keep up with trends and are anticipating a good uplift in the popularity of dinosaurs throughout the year. We do really well with Schleich’s super range of dinosaur figures.

23

HIGH STREET

HIGHS

Mega Bloks

LEGO

A star sell

Tomy

With licensed product increasingly prevalent in toy shops across the country, The Entertainer’s MD Gary Grant spoke to TnP about how they approach the licensing sector and the importance licences hold for the toy industry

F

“

Avengers is absolutely outstanding.

We’ve had four fantastic weeks with all of the Avengers lines selling through, we are really pleased with that

”

or the past five years, The Entertainer has sent a team to Las Vegas for Licensing Expo, the world’s largest and most comprehensive gathering of licensing professionals in the world. For three days, from 9 to 11 June, some of the most important decision makers in licensing are in one place, and Gary says that for The Entertainer, it is important to be there.

“The team have attended since 2010 and tell me Licensing Expo in Vegas is worth going to and I believe them. This year Phil Geary, Stuart Grant and Rebecca Rees will be attending. The importance of Vegas has grown as we have grown. It is like Toy Fair, for example, if you are in this business, there is nowhere better to be if you want to meet a concentration of the right people in one place.

“It is very fruitful to attend these shows, you get to know the people you work with. At The Entertainer, we are a company built on relationships and we want to work with people we know, and that is what a lot of these shows can do for you.”

What is selling well?

In 2014, Disney’s Frozen took the industry by storm, and Gary says that it is still a key brand for them with product continuing to sell well.

“Right now, Frozen is still the most dominant licence and I would say it is a female-driven property. Shopkins is another which is doing exceptionally well for The Entertainer.

“When it comes to boys, Avengers is absolutely outstanding. We’ve had four fantastic weeks with all of the Avengers lines selling through, we are really pleased with that.”

Predicting which licences will be a hit and which won’t, is a guessing game for all of the best buyers in the business, but Gary says he and The Entertainer team have high hopes for a few upcoming gems.

“I certainly have expectations for Minions, particularly as things ramp up for the film’s release. It is going to be a great film launch which will really benefit the industry and of course, it is not just toys, there is also everything from lunch boxes to stationery, it is a complete range and I’m sure the whole Minions event will be really good.”

24

Interestingly, Gary also cites another film as having huge retail potential – and that, of course, is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is due for release in December.

“When I first came into the toy industry in 1981, I was selling Star Wars product. So I’ve been selling it for nearly 35 years and I don’t think I’ve had a year where some sort of Star Wars products haven’t been sold. We really think Star Wars will be good for us again.”

Licensed turnover In terms of overall sales, Gary estimates that around 40% of sales are of licensed product.

Using one example, Gary says that Avengers has been going great guns for The Entertainer in recent weeks, in fact, Gary attributes roughly 10% of licensed turnover to Avengers product. And this is all down to a concerted effort from The Entertainer, Hasbro, LEGO and Disney to build an awareness campaign in-store.

“We’ve had a marvellous four weeks because of our Avenger promotion and working closely with the licensor and manufacturer, we’ve even had children turning up in their costumes to the shop, it has been great.”

Gary speaks of a 360 degree approach to promotions involving the licensor, manufacturer and retailer. If everyone MV is singing from the same hymn sheet, the end result is consumers become more and more engaged in a property which results in sales.

“This holistic circle is becoming more and more important, certainly from The Entertainer’s perspective,” says Gary.

RETAIL

OPINION

But what does it all mean for me?

W

ith the political gyrations of the past few months out of the way, for the time being at least, retailers can once more concentrate on the business of winning the high street battle.

Things are now set in stone and we have a lot to look forward to. That, or a version of it, is what many will now be thinking and if your business happens to involve shifting large numbers of toys from a retail environment, in-store or online, the hope must be that things will now settle down.

Except that they probably won’t. There’s still the matter of retail rates to be settled. And if you rent your premises, who knows what the next rent review will mean in terms of an increase? Except that, of course, an increase will be involved.

Equally, how will fluctuations in the value of the pound sterling affect the price you have to pay your friendly, local wholesaler in order to get your hands on the latest musthave toy?

The answer to all of these is, naturally, that there is no answer, and whatever the nature of the cross that appeared on your ballot paper last month, it is pretty certain that nothing will be any clearer in the months to come.

The truth of the matter is that when it comes to the business of retailing, politicians talk a good game, but hand-outs do not exist and the things that preoccupy those who are active in the sector will take a back seat now that a new administration is in place.

You may have been tempted to think that retailing matters in the grand scheme of things. Well it does, if you are one of the legions of workers or owners on whom the success of UK Retail PLC is of more than passing importance for the wellbeing of your nearest and dearest.

Yet suffer no illusions. You are on your own in this. Toy shop commercial triumph will have little to do with the colour of the party that finds itself ensconced in Number 10.

There is, however, one certainty in all of this. You and all who are like you are cash cows. You are there as a source of revenue for the government, whether in the form of direct or indirect taxation. So what does all of this mean and are you, as a retailer of toys, any better off than you were before 7 May? Once more, things are not that encouraging. There are more retailers selling the same sort of products as you do than you would like to see and at the top end, it’s funny how the biggest names seem to get more favourable

terms than you do. At the discount end by contrast, why is it some of your new stock is already appearing with price tickets that make you look expensive? In sort, nothing is right and everything is the same.

So how about looking elsewhere? In Germany, for instance, the UK phenomenon of near-constant sales is pretty much unknown, thanks to a government edict that prescribes when retailers can be on sale. This does not prevent them from selling merchandise at a lower price than when the goods first appeared in-store, it’s just that they can’t be (too) shouty about it.

The effect of this is that there is a greater degree both of seasonality and of trading pattern predictability which makes planning what to bring in when a rather more straightforward business. This alone makes a big difference to the manner in which retailing is carried on in Germany from how it is conducted here.

And in case you were thinking ‘what difference, that’s somewhere that’s not the UK’ then perhaps an overseas trip might be in order. As it is, we are free to live in one Europe’s most unregulated retail markets and there are many who appreciate this – but it does come at a price and that may mean, at your expense.

Toys and the shoppers who seek them out are as subject to the vagaries of the economy as anything else – shopping budgets are not infinitely elastic. It’s pretty easy to bury your head in the sand but it’s as well to pay attention to what’s going on, even if the world outside retail is alien, hostile and broadly seemingly pointless, depending on your point of view.

Toy retailers are in for a rough ride for the next five years. But then so is every other part of retail and will probably be so for the five years beyond that and on and on and on.

Ben Franklin’s “Death and Taxes’ aphorism is as true today as it was more than 200 years ago and for toy shops it’s a case of battening down the hatches and just trading.

The biggest operators with the deepest pockets will continue to look overseas for alternative sources of revenue, but for more modest types what the new political climate means is business as usual and as frustratingly.

Sit back therefore, take a deep breath and exhale, slowly. You are in fact no better off than you were this time last month, but you’re no worse off either.

Last month’s General Election was billed as the most uncertain in a generation, but has it made any difference?

John Ryan exams the possibilities

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.

JUNE 2015

1

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it Are toy designs becoming poorer? The Independent is disappointed this month – read on to find out why

I

am happy, especially as an anonymous writer, to take a certain amount of abuse for posing the following question. But I feel it must be asked. Is it just me or is the design of new toys becoming poorer?

Let me explain myself. I look around the fairs, shows, previews, stores and catalogues, and I feel like everyone is trying to do something new and innovative. The problem, in my view, is that all they do is ruin something that didn’t need altered because it worked.

Now, there are loads of ranges of toys out there that I love, and certainly most toy ranges consist of figures, vehicles, playsets, role play, plush and, if it is

Best sellers VOLUME:

1) Simpson’s Minifigures SeriesLEGO 2) Disney Frozen Flash’Ems Character Options 3) Shopkins 2 Pack - Flair VALUE: 1) Little Live Pets Birdcage Character Options 2) Elsa’s Castle - Lego 3) Snow Glow Elsa - Jakks

a collectable, blind bags, five-packs, medium playsets and large playsets.

Anything that I have just described gets two big thumbs-up from me as a buyer.

However, it does beg the question, why would people bother trying to mix it up by creating odd ranges that just don’t sell?

I have been in the position three times in the past 12 months where I have wanted to stock a range of products in my stores, as I know they will be sought after.

Yet, when I see the range in person for the first time, it just doesn’t work.

Each of the three times I have been let down has been from three well-known ranges that I stock in my action figures section.

On the flip side of this, when I see what I could call proper toy ranges I feel my hands twitching to write orders, and surely this is what it is all about.

Looking at Big Hero 6, Inside Out and Thunderbirds to name a few, shows how toy design should be.

Kids although each unique and intelligent in their own right, love soft toys, or role playing, or smashing figures together in a pretend battle.

So why am I constantly being shown the latest innovation based on research with kids?

It could very well be that I am out of touch with what kids actually want, and

that I look through old eyes with nothing but a shake of my head and zero enthusiasm, but I don`t think this is right.

I monitor our sales every day, and I know the core toys that have always been around sell.

One of the best ranges I have seen for 2015 is Thunderbirds from Vivid. Their Tracy Island playset is nothing short of fantastic. Massive box, even bigger contents, lights, sounds, storage for the vehicles, what else could a little boy want?

I can’t wait to get a sales read on this range, and I thoroughly hope it works for them as they couldn’t have done the products any better. I am constantly watching my customers and speaking to my staff, and their opinion seems to match my own with a vast majority telling me ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

This rings true when I look at the stock on my shelves and I dig into my sales data. The only issue is, do I not order a range because it is poor? I feel I am in a catch 22 situation because if I don’t order it my customers will think that I don’t have the most up-to-date stock, but if I do order it, pretty much no one buys it because they are disappointed in what they see.

THE SECRET SUPPLIER

Licence to thrill Is the toy industry wary of creating new product without a licence attached?

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s ever The Independent raises an interesting question for the whole industry, are we selling good toys to children?

That, of course, takes us into the realm of defining what is a good toy?

For simplicity’s sake let’s assume a good toy is one which a child will play with for some time and which the parents will think is both safe and good value.

So where do new toy designs come from? In the past we turned to a mysterious body of toy inventors who understood the needs of the industry and children. While this body of fine people still exists, sadly they are less influential because increasingly, the industry turns to Hollywood and our TV screens.

Over one third of all toys carry some form of licence, even LEGO does it now!

So today we have situation where, to a large extent, it is the popularity of the film or the TV show which determines which are the good toys or not.

Disney’s hugely popular Frozen is a good example of what is

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now regarded as good toys.

In most cases the function and design of the toys are excellent and The Independent gives a fine example in Vivid’s Tracy Island, which once again will wow children and their parents.

But, because licensing companies have learnt how to cut deals salami thin, there may well be a lot of other licensed product in the market that inevitably won’t live up to the high standards laid down by the master toy licensee.

A good licence does not make a bad product better! Perhaps this is the point that The Independent is making? And you certainly don’t need research to determine what makes a good toy. Save your money and use observation and common sense.

But I suspect that we are seeing fewer and fewer truly new and innovative products as the industry has become, understandably, more risk adverse in these tougher times.

In the meantime we just have to have to hope that there is a steady flow of characters like Frozen, Turtles and of course, The Independent’s favourite, Thunderbirds!

toysnplaythings.co.uk

BUSINESS

DRIVER

It should be a family affair T

he date is 11 September 2010. I am feeling also pursue your passions. happy and emotional.

One of my passions is supporting Spurs. I still take my Dad Our eldest daughter Abi is about to get to most home games and my son was also a season ticket married to Amar and it is one of those special family holder until he emigrated. So watching Spurs has been a occasions. double whammy for me. It has combined family time with one As I walk Abi down the aisle, my emotions get the of my passions. better of me and I shed a few tears. Fast forward to Pursuing your passions as part of your work life balance is 8 August 2012 and my water works are at it again. important. Throughout my career I worked hard to plan my Abi has just given birth to Leo, our first grandchild. business schedule alongside my family time and Spurs games.

He is gorgeous and I am holding him for the first Now that I am semi-retired I can reverse this process and give time. Another family relationship has just begun. priority to my passions. My latest project is a wildlife video in Special, special moments and ones our garden. Today I filmed a red kite landing that truly enrich your life. on our lawn. It has taken me several days to My life is as get this footage and I am feeling elated and Whoever came up with the busy now as it expression “big boys don’t cry” fulfilled. was when I was clearly was not a father. Nothing So then, how do you ensure you maximise affects your emotions as much as your enjoyment of life with your family and by running the your children. They can make you the pursuing your passions? My advice would be European happiest person, as I was on those to focus on three main areas. business for two days, or they can stress the hell Firstly, stay connected with your family at all Hasbro. The out of you. times. I travelled a lot during my career but my difference now The fact that your children have children knew they could call me at anytime is that I have the and I would always take their call. They all left such a strong emotional bond with you is hardly surprising. You nurture, home many years ago but we communicate time to pursue coach and care for them over 18 most days through Skype, WhatsApp, email or all of my years or more. They have your genes. by phone. passions They are the nearest you will get to Secondly, schedule time with your family immortality. An expression that all on a frequent basis, whether it be a holiday parents can relate to is “you are as together or simply meeting up for Sunday happy as your least happy child”. lunch. If you can link these times with one This is so true. Your family is at the heart of of yourr passions then so much the better. Finally, your emotional happiness and having a strong consider er early retirement so that you can relationship with your children helps you to get the pursue e your passions and make real inmost out of your life. roads into that bucket list.

Your bond with your parents is nearly as strong Having ng semi-retired over two years as with your children. During your life you progress ago I can highly recommend it. from being part of one family to starting another.

My life is as busy now as it was Maintaining a strong bond with your parents is when I was running the European equally important to your happiness. business ss for Hasbro. The So far we have covered the importance of your difference nce now is that I have the home, shared experiences and your family in time to o pursue all of my passions maximising your enjoyment of life. rather than trying to fit them in In addition to these areas it is important that you around d my work schedule.

“

Manage your life better and your work will benefit, says John Harper

”

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

JUNE 2015

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PREVIEW

LICENSING EXPO Licensing Expo Show Preview

Licence to thrill The 35th annual Licensing Expo is taking place from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 June and boy what a line-up. TnP delves into the show and gives you a comprehensive guide to what is what at Vegas 2015

L

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as Vegas’ impact on the UK toy Licensing industry, in fact, Expo is a mustits impact on the attend show global toy industry, should because not be underestimated.

Toys and licences are attendees can intricately linked, we all see the largest know that, and Licensing selection of Expo in Las Vegas is where brands in the the fates of many toy world available licences decided. for licence, all in Its importance to the industry should not be one place underestimated. Licensing Jessica Blue, Expo 2015 takes place from Vice President, Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 Licensing Expo June in the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas.

Over 5,000 brands and properties will be represented at Vegas with 482 exhibitors spanning various categories such as characters and entertainment, brands and agents, fashion, and, art and design.

In 2014, 15,702 visitors attended

”

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the show representing a 5% increase on the previous year and there was a 33% increase in retail attendance.

Make it count Organised by Advanstar, the same people behind Brand Licensing Europe in London, the show is really a must-attend for anyone serious about licensing.

Jessica Blue, Vice President, Licensing Expo, explains why the show is so important: “Licensing Expo is a must-attend show because attendees can see the largest selection of brands in the world available for licence, all in one place. Nearly 400 of our exhibitors don’t exhibit at any other licensing trade shows and only 80 of our 450+ exhibitors show at our sister show, BLE. Licensing Expo is a unique opportunity to meetand-greet and make deals with the industry’s leading power brokers, all in three days.”

Facts: What: Licensing Expo 2015 When: Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 June Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas

UK visitors One visiting licensee will be the team from Icon Live with Dominic Galvin, CEO and Joint Owner, and Warren Traeger, Licensing Director arriving in Vegas to meet existing and prospective licensing teams at the show. Their aim? To find more partners to extend their accessories portfolio. Hot on the heels of a very successful 2014 driven by their Disney Frozen line, a big focus for Icon Live in 2015 is their Minions and Inside Out lines.

Speaking about the appeal of Vegas to Icon Live, Warren says: “Licensing Expo offers a multitude of opportunities for Icon Live and Dominic and I are looking forward to meeting the industry to shape the future of our portfolio. Whether jumping on recently hot brands, upcoming stars for 2016 or quirky and outside the box opportunities,

toysnplaythings.co.uk

opportunity to align our company to best in class licensees both existing and new to help bring products to fans and consumers around the globe,” says Hasbro’s VP of Brand Licensing, James Walker.

Describing Licensing Expo as “a fantastic platform for all the key players in the entertainment industry to come together under one roof,” Trudi Hayward, SVP Head of Global Merchandise at ITV Studios Global Entertainment says the show also gives retailers an opportunity to see what is causing a stir in the industry and gives them a steer on what they need to look out for.

“Trade shows such as Vegas are the ideal setting to engage with brands in the early stages of their development, giving partners a chance to get involved sooner, rather than later, in the licensing programme,” Trudi adds.

The same is true for Johanne Broadfield, Vice-President of Cartoon Network Enterprises, Turner Broadcasting System, EMEA: “For Cartoon Network, as a licensor operating globally, Vegas is a great opportunity to showcase our we pride ourselves in offering consumers high quality, creatively designed and value product, all sourced to the highest of compliant and ethical standards, to bring their favourite worlds to life and are seeking like-minded partners.”

portfolio of properties to retailers and licensees from right around the world. It’s the event to observe your competition and network with the industry, together with Brand Licensing Europe later in the year.”

Top tips For UK retailers and visitors who may not have been to Licensing Expo before, we asked Jessica to give us her top tips for getting the most out of the show. She reveals: “One of the best tips for first-timers is pre-planning. Start your research early about which companies you’d like to see, set up appointments and connect socially with the show as well as other attendees.

It sounds obvious, but use the floorplan to plan your schedule so that you are working one area at a time. There will be more than 230,000sqft of booth space so make sure that you work in some time to get from one place to the next! We offer many complimentary resources on licensingexpo.com from LicenseConnect.com, a brand search and networking platform for licensing professionals, to webinars and other educational components.”

We asked…

What are you hoping to get out of Licensing Expo 2015?

World-class exhibitors One of the major appeals of a show like Vegas is that it brings world-class and serious contenders together for a money-making show, something which appeals to Hasbro.

“Licensing Expo provides a great

“While at Licensing Expo we look forward to continuing recruitment of our licensing base across EMEA for all DreamWorks Animation properties via our fantastic collection of agents. We’re really excited about a number of properties including Trolls, which arrives in theaters next year, along with two upcoming Netflix shows: Dragons: Race to the Edge and Dinotrux. Spin Master continues to do incredible work as the lead toy partner for the Dragons franchise and we’re thrilled to have aligned with Mattel on Dinotrux. At the show, we’ll also conduct strategic reviews with our agents and look forward to networking and reconnecting with friends within our amazing industry!”

“We’re hoping to appoint European licensees for The BFG and to build awareness of the brand with retailers.

We will continue to build the UK and international consumer products programmes for Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom which are gaining traction in a number of overseas territories. We’ll be liaising with key retailers present at the show to drive our brands forward in 2016 through events and activity.

And finally, introducing our lifestyle brands SO SO Happy and Skelanimals to international markets where rollout is just taking place.”

Hannah Mungo, Head of UK Licensing, Entertainment One

Andrew Alsop, DreamWorks Animation’s Head of Licensing, EMEA

JUNE 2015

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PREVIEW

LICENSING EXPO

Leaders in play Hasbro Global Licensing & Publishing +1 401 431 8697 www.hasbro.com

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Hasbro is committed to leveraging its beloved brands, Stan including TRANSFORMERS, d F1 21 MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAY-DOH, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS to help create the world’s best play experiences.

At Licensing Expo 2015, Hasbro will continue to tell brand stories across multiple mediums including entertainment, digital, publishing, and branded experiences.

Hasbro’s brands will also showcase a broad range of consumer products including fashion, home goods, sporting goods, toys and games and party goods at the show.

Boom goes Sonic SEGA Veg as

+1206 418 6400 www.sonicthehedgehog.com

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After more than 20 years as one of the world’s biggest entertainment characters with more than 140 million video games sold or downloaded worldwide, the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise is continuing its momentum in 2015.

SEGA fuelled the franchise by introducing a new look and feel to the blue blur and his friends with the Sonic Boom branch of the franchise. Led by Tomy as the global master toy partner and anchored by a top rated series that successfully debuted on Cartoon Network in the US, and on CANAL J and GULLI in France in November 2014, the Sonic Boom TV series will be racing onto screens across EMEA from summer 2015 onwards.

SEGA of America’s merchandising programme set a foundation with Bioworld, Fifth Sun, and Isaac Morris; and is bolstered by recent signings of Accessory Innovations, Rubie’s Costume Company, Inc., Franco, Bulls I Toys, World Tech Toys, Bakery Crafts, Advanced Graphics, and teNeues to create a brand new line of Sonic Boom toys, comics, apparel, and novelty. SEGA of Europe continues to also acquire new partners for the Sonic Boom franchise including recent signings with Hachette for publishing in France, Winning Moves for Top Trumps and Monopoly for EMEA, and TVM Fashion Lab for the UK market to launch a range of apparel.

Living an awesome dream DreamWorks Animation

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+1818 695 5000 www.dreamworksanimation.com

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DreamWorks Animation arrives at Licensing Expo with a deep portfolio of new and classic properties for film, television and online across multiple categories. Led by a talented, global team of veteran consumer products executives, the company is poised to make a splash at retail in 2015 and beyond.

Highlighted properties include the upcoming Trolls and DinoTrux, as well as DreamWorks Dragons, Kung Fu Panda and Voltron. DreamWorks Classics will continue to engage fans with initiatives around Felix, Noddy, Lassie, and Waldo.

Franchise favourites Shrek and Madagascar, along with the recent smash hit HOME also join in the fun at Licensing Show.

The show will also see the debut of AwesomenessTV as a standalone presence on the show floor. The exploding multiplatform media company continues to captivate an enormous p audience with short and long form content, led by an everaudie expanding roster of incredible talent. expan

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Making it matter DHX Brands +44 208 5636 400 www.dhxmedia.com

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ITVS GE

DHX Brands heads to Licensing Expo with an exciting, diverse slate of properties this year - headlined by brand-new additions Make It Pop and Slugterra, alongside pre-school phenomena Teletubbies and Twirlywoos.

The original Teletubbies is one of the most successful children’s brands of all time. The hotly-anticipated new version, set to air late 2015 on CBeebies, features the characters with a refreshed, contemporary look and will be supported by heavyweight national PR and advertising campaigns.

Twirlywoos is innovative, inspiring entertainment with slapstick humour encouraging young audiences to gain confidence in their perceptions of the world through laughter. Currently airing on CBeebies with strong ratings, the property is going from strength to strength in the licensing arena. Leading toy partner Golden Bear has come on board as master toy partner for the brand, and will launch toys from July. With the acquisition by DHX Media of Vancouver’s Nerd Corps, hit boys action property Slugterra has joined the DHX Brands line up with top ratings, toy sell-outs and new licensing deals for the brand around the globe.

Talking entertainment Outfit 7 +44 207 432 4567 www.outfit7.com

Licensing is go

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Stan d B1 47 Outfit7 Ltd is new to the field of entertainment, but has come out in a big way with their Talking Tom and Friends series which premiered on the YouTube Kids App and www.talkingtom.tv.

Based on the wildly popular Talking Tom and Friends franchise, the series follows the adventures and hijinks of the optimistic gang as they make their own show from the (relative) comfort of Tom’s garage-turned-app studio.

Outfit7 started less than six years ago with one app Talking Tom to a series of 15 apps boasting 2.6 billion downloads and 250 active users a month. Now the company is launching into a full blown multi-media company, from their former webisodes with Disney, to their new Talking Tom and Friends Series (52x11) and their feature film in the works with Mythology Entertainment.

Outfit7 also looks to expand its consumer products line in the area of toys, apparel, publishing, gift and novelty, home entertainment and much more.

+44 207 157 6163 consumer.products@itv.com

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A121 ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) will be heading to Licensing Expo this year to forge new global partnerships and strike deals for its spectacular portfolio of ITV owned and third party brands.

Thunderbirds Are Go, the highly anticipated new boys’ action adventure series, will spearhead this year’s presentation slate which will also feature Classic Thunderbirds, the iconic toy property Playmobil, the new “inspired by Playmobil” kids’ TV series Super 4, digital game sensation Cut The Rope, and 1970s iconic music brand Village People.

Thunderbirds Are Go is the ground-breaking remake of the classic 1960s TV series. The new show, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Classic Thunderbirds later this year, is produced by ITV Studios in partnership with Pukeko Pictures and the highly acclaimed Weta Workshop.

Paying tribute to the original show, Thunderbirds Are Go is produced using a unique cutting-edge blend of CG animation and live-action miniatures.

The long-awaited series successfully debuted on TV screens in the UK at the beginning of April and has international broadcast partners secured in Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Middle East.

ITVS GE is making significant strides in bringing the Thunderbirds Are Go franchise to a new generation of children aged five-11 years and to new international audiences. The brand has already secured an extensive raft of top tier licensing partners in the UK and with products poised to launch at retail from Q3 2015, the licensing programme for the series already spans all major categories including toys, publishing, digital, apparel accessories, wheeled, lunchwares, health and beauty, nightware and homewares.

ITVS GE has the expertise to build an evergreen global franchise as the firm is one of few licensors that can offer a strong broadcast platform, in addition to content production, consumer products management, brand support and distribution.

June 2015

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JUNE 2015

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FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

Brick by brick Construction has always been a toy shop staple, but recent surges in licensed play sets and parents keen to buy developmental foot-ups for their kids has seen the category’s popularity explode over the past few years

A

sk any retailer and they could give you a list of construction brands and playsets as long as your arm that are at the heart of their product offering. From traditional wooden blocks for pre-schoolers, to big-ticket construction sets, licensed ranges, and scale replicas of the worlds’ most iconic vehicles and structures, this category covers the full spectrum of interests, themes and ages. Giving kids the means to make, break, play with

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Construction toys combine hands-on creativity and problem solving whilst developing fine motor skills Chris Beardmore, Learning Resources

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and display anything their vivid imaginations can dream up is always going to be a winner with both kids and parents.

There’s no denying the impact LEGO has had in recent years, not just on the construction sector, but the entire toy industry, becoming the world’s largest toy manufacturer in 2014. Just last month, retailers the length and breadth of the nation were highlighting the company’s Star Wars and Jurassic World ranges as their must-haves for Christmas in our regular feature, Toy Talk. And all before we’ve seen more than a few days of springtime sun.

But beyond the iconic brickmaker’s rise to prominence, a huge amount of toy companies are driving real innovation to refresh the traditional, tried-and-true play

LEGO

patterns at the sector’s core. Take construction-set-come-blaster range K-Force, for instance, a new release for 2015 from K’Nex – a company best known for its towering ferris wheel and rollercoaster sets. K-Force combines the fun of making a blaster with the action of firing it, and was inspired by consumer demand after K’Nex found endless searches online for blaster designs.

Paul Fogarty, Managing Director at K’Nex UK explains: “As well as refreshing core ranges so they are constantly relevant, we also listen to what children are actually asking for.

A great example is K-FORCE, a range of buildable blasters we launched this year. This line was inspired by more than 350,000 online searches asking how to make blasters from K’Nex. “Likewise, we know that girls want more options when it comes to

WE ASKED: How do you keep construction toys at the fore of consumers’ minds?

Learning Resources

Wendy Hill, Mattel: As a member of the Mattel family, Mega now has access to worldwide consumer insights that drives enhanced marketing strength to support its portfolio of leading brands.

David Kelly, Engino Toys UK: Engino has a really exciting merchandising plan in place, with in-store demonstrators, highquality bespoke designed POS and in-store promotions to help drive sales and ensure product awareness. We are planning a TV ad campaign towards the end of the year to support Christmas sales.

Adrian Leafe, John Crane: Bristle Blocks often spark memories in parents and grandparents, but we use Social Media to talk to our consumers’ about our products.

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“

As a growing segment within the toy industry, retailers are keen to support construction as it provides so many opportunities Wendy Hill, Mattel

construction play which is why we are launching Mighty Makers this year. The line will offer girls STEM learning experiences through aviation, architecture, horticulture and marine biology themed playsets allowing them to play out aspirational careers.”

This focus on education and developmental benefits is a big driver behind the category’s success, with traditional play patterns built around imaginative, creative fun.

Learning Resources’ UK Trade Retail Sales Manager, Chris Beardmore, says there is uptake across the board, “because they combine hands-on creativity and problem solving whilst developing fine motor skills.”

He adds: “We focus on educational ranges that encourage learning and development. As an example, our Gears! Gears! Gears! Build and Bloom Flower Garden develops skills such as expressive arts and design, colour recognition and critical thinking. We have educational experts in house that monitor trends and stay abreast of developments and trends within all of our product categories. We are then able to provide products that are innovative and fulfill our consumer’s needs.”

Tapping into the traditional roots of the category, on the building blocks end of the spectrum, is John Crane’s Bristle Blocks, sales of which are “mega” according to Senior National Accounts Controller, Adrian Leafe, with very pleasing

Mega Bloks

JUNE 2015

performances in both independent and major retailers.

“We began selling B Spinaroo’s and Stackadoo’s in 2012 before introducing a whole range of Bristle Blocks in 2013 with nine products including the best selling 85pc Big Value Case,” says Adrian. “This year we have 14 Bristle Blocks lines in our portfolio. This year’s new products include not only basic blocks but also safari and animal figurines.”

Sales are strong across the category, and Mega Bloks, an established name in construction and now part of the Mattel family, is pushing forward in 2015 as it celebrates a milestone year in business.

“Celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Mega Bloks is showing positive momentum and we have had a great reaction to the line from our retail partners,” says Wendy Hill, Brand Activation Director at Mattel UK. “We are currently the #2 manufacturer within the Building Sets category and #1 manufacturer within the Junior Building Sets category, with nine of the top 20 Junior Building Set lines.

“As a growing segment within the toy industry, retailers are keen to support construction as it provides so many opportunities, Not only does Mega Bloks create toys for toddlers, but we also cater for older children and adult collectors, so there is something to suit every retailer.”

But it isn’t only established brands that are thriving. Lessknown but just as creative companies are finding construction a burgeoning and profitable sector to be in.

New to the market just this year, Engino Toys UK has already found a good footing in the UK. “Within the first two months we have signed up to supply the Toymaster group, Easons in Ireland along with plaY-room/ AIS members and some of the country’s leading garden centers,” reveals David Kelly, UK and ROI Sales Manager, Engino.

Possibly the best in wooden toys (and plasƟc)!

85pc Bristle Blocks in case - Safari

36pc Bristle Blocks in tube

85pc Big Value Case

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

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FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTIO ON

Shine bright GOLDFISH & BISON 020 8568 6398 www.goldfishandbison.com

Building on success K’NEX 01189 497000 www.knex.co.uk K’Nex enjoyed great success in spring 2015, with sales up 400% due to a strong product line.

The company is set to build on this success throughout 2015, with new additions to its strong and diverse product portfolio.

K’Nex has launched into the blaster category with brand new range K-FORCE, an entire line of buildable, customisable blasters, created to cater to overwhelming demand online. Leading the line-up is K-Force Dual Cross, a giant blaster bow with 371 pieces and instructions for five custom blaster builds.

Also new for 2015, the K’Nex Beasts Alive range offers dinosaur and dragon themed construction play. X-Flame is a real showstopper. With motorised walking and wing movements, and three alternate models to build, it adds up to great play value.

Dinosaurs and dragons are currently firm favourites in the trend stakes, X-Flame and his fiery friends bring relevant innovation to the construction aisle. A partnership with National Geographic Kids magazine will bring the range to life both in print and online.

K’Nex is also set to drive innovation in the girls market, ket, with the launch of Mighty Makers, a range of building sets designed to empower girls through creative and stimulating building ideas. The line encourages girls aged seven plus to explore STEM concepts and aspirational careers. Each Mighty Makers playset includes colourful parts and engaging story-based instructions.

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Goldfish & Bison has a strong line-up for the illuminated Laser Pegs construction system. A must-have for any construction fan, Laser Pegs light up in all the colours of the rainbow. Laser Pegs are also compatible with virtually all other constructions sets, so kids can combine their existing construction collections with new light-up Laser Pegs.

Laser Pegs also has an exciting partnership with the world famous National Geographic brand. The new range will enable kids to recreate dazzling, lit-up Laser Pegs models based on prehistoric creatures, famous landmarks and much more.

Make your own world DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL distributes the Wonderworld Wooden toys and Miniland Educational brands, both offering unique ranges of construction toys to suit all ages.

The award-winning Wonderworld Trix Tracks gives the original concept of track and balls and marble runs a brand new lease of life. Each piece is calculated to scale so children can mix the six different sets and construct the ultimate Trix Track creation.

Miniland Educational also offers Miniland Super Blocks, themed in fun city and racing track designs to encourage imagination.

Do the robot SPIN MASTER 01628 535000 www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Meccano’s new Meccanoid G15 and G15KS took the world by storm earlier this year.

The four-foot four-foo and two-foot tall personal Meccano robots are fun and easy Mecc to build using the latest Meccano b parts. part The advanced, yet easy to use, open source Robotic Building platform makes them accessible to a broad range of ages age and skill sets.

Meccanoid uses its on board ‘Mecca Brain’ and voice recognition to say thousands of recogn phrases, tell jokes, jokes offer fun facts, play games, initiate conversations and even give high-fives. conversat The entire Meccano range will be re-launched Mecc in autumn with interesting innovation within in the sectors and a new look and feel.

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LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2015 The LEGO Group

• Exciting new Pop Star theme including new character, pop star Livi

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#41106 -

Tour Bus Pop Star

Pop Sta #41105 -

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Room Dressing Pop Star #41104 -

Lim Pop Star #41107 -

• Broad price point distribtution from £9.99 to £49.99

g Recordin #41103 Studio

Five sets introducing glamour and transformation play to the Heartlake universe

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Extensive 360 marketing support

Weekly content available on LEGO.com including videos, quizzes and downloadables

• For more information visit: LEGO.com/FRIENDS

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

The iconic brick LEGO 01753 495000 www.lego.com LEGO CITY is the largest and longest running brand for LEGO, now in its ninth year. For 2015, LEGO CITY has seen introductions to its sub-ranges: Great Vehicles, Demolition and Swamp Police, and will launch the exploration themes of Deep Sea and Space for the second half of the year.

LEGO is the number one Star Wars toy licence with 71% share of the market (Source: WK9, NPD EPOS data). The much-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens sees LEGO Star Wars unveil an assortment of sets including the introduction of constructible figures for the first time in the brand’s history.

New for June in LEGO Friends are five brand new sets based around the world of the newest LEGO Friends character, Livi! Skus include a Recording Studio, Dressing Room, Limo, Stage Show and Tour Bus. Also available from June are the Grand Hotel, Jet Plane, Skate Park and Emma’s Tourist Kiosk.

Brand new for 2015, LEGO Elves offers sophisticated construction with a fantastical theme. The range revolves around normal girl Emily Jones’ quest to get home after being transported to the magical land of Elves, and includes six sets with two more launching in June.

Ready, set, build

Build Peppa’s world

BIGJIGS TOYS 01303 250400 www.bigjigstoys.com New for 2015 from Bigjigs Toys is the colourful collection of wooden Click Blocks, boasting assorted colours and shapes. The 40-piece Intermediate Pack makes a fantastic starter set of building bricks – a comprehensive set that can be added to with the Zesty Basic Pack and Primary Basic Pack, each with a further 20 blocks. The miniature wooden blocks are perfectly sized for little hands to grasp and stack on top of each other.

The Bigjigs Toys My Workbench, My Toolbox and Carpenter’s Workbench all receive a redesign for 2015 with a bright colour scheme to appeal to youngsters of three years and up.

These compact construction sets allow budding mini mechanics to create and build whatever they like, while developing dexterity, hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills.

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SIMBA SMOBY 01274 765030 www.simbasmoby.com/en

Plan your play GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk 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, that allows children to build imaginative architectural creations.

For a magical construction set kids can build a castle fit for a princess with the Fairytale Blocks, including purple turrets, pink flags and 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.

Little ones can start constructing from an early age with the 30-piece Construction Set that includes chunky wooden blocks, wheels and brightly coloured nuts and bolts. For construction on a larger scale, the 60-piece Construction Set is available.

For the first time, Simba Smoby and Peppa Pig enter the expanding construction category with a range of new PlayBIG Bloxx Peppa Pig. Suitable for pre-school children aged from 18 months plus, the range includes six play themes to reflect those iconic locations and scenarios in the TV series.

As one of the UK’s biggest pre-school properties, which continues to experience year on year growth, Peppa Pig brings recognisable, character-led appeal to building sets, with the PlayBIG Bloxx range offering children a creative environment for endless building possibilities and roleplay scenarios. A great value range offering affordable price points, the PlayBIG Peppa Pig sets are available now.

TM

TM

TM

Brands that build the imagination Š2015 Mattel, Inc. All rights reserved.

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

Rebuild history JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289 www.jumbo.eu

Better get to Worx!

Constructo from Jumbo Games is a high quality, model ship-building range featuring some of history’s finest wooden ships including the famous Mayflower (1:65 scale) HMS Victory (1:94), Enterprise (1:51) and others.

Constructo is designed for dedicated modellers, and includes wooden and metal building parts all organised and classified efficiently, packed in a luxurious presentation box. Each kit comes with detailed step-by-step instructions with images and a tool kit.

INTERPLAY 01628 488944 www.interplayuk.com Interplay is exclusive UK distributor for Wood WorX, a range of wooden construction activities that are excellent examples of how traditional toys can deliver great quality play values.

With projects appealing to both girls and boys aged five years plus, the wooden models are glued together, painted and decorated providing kids with a perfect introduction to DIY wooden construction.

Available for girls are Jewellery Stand, Jewellery Box and Pencil Case kits and for boys there are Robot, Jet Fighter and Dinosaur kits. An exciting new development for the Wood WorX brand are Impulse Lines, smaller versions of the larger kits that have all the same qualities and come attractively packaged in a CDU. Interplay’s evergreen Technokit brand offers strong sales at good margins. These kits, aimed at kids aged eight plus, deliver appealing construction activities designed to promote a practical knowledge of electrical or mechanical principles. Perennial best-sellers include Stunt Buggy and Dragster.

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The power of invention ENGINO 01270 881160 www.engino.com Engino’s new Inventor creative construction series boasts a huge range of builds, covering cars, motorbikes, aircraft and industrial machines. Each colour-coded theme, which extends from packaging and into the colour of the unique Engino parts themselves, has four sets containing multiple model builds. The standard Inventor series offers boxed sets containing either four, eight, 12 or 16 models there really is something on offer for everyone.

For those children looking for more ambitious construction projects, the Engino Inventor Motorized range is the ultimate challenge and is suited to intermediate and advanced users.

Following the same themes as the standard Inventor series, these models are bigger, more elaborate and incorporate additional technical features. Models are brought to life with the high-torque, geared motor included, which is also connectable to the Engino solar panel found in other sets. The Inventor Motorized series starts with a 30-in-1 models set and goes all the way up to the mammoth 120-in-1 models set.

The patented design of the Engino parts allows connectivity of up to six sides simultaneously.

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FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

Magnificent build!

VALTECH +31 (0)165 743 060 www.magnatiles.com Magna-Tiles Clear Colours by Valtech is a fantastic toy range that teaches little ones about shapes though play. Brightly coloured and translucent like stained glass, each shape is lined with magnets which easily connect for hours of play. The secret is the unique ability to attract - even when flipped! The Magna-Tiles also come in Solid Colours. These brightly colored design tiles have two colours per tile.

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Building for the future TOY ESSENTIALS 01285 762039 www.toyessentials.com For quality construction toys, Toy Essentials is a one stop shop. Classic builder, the latest introduction to o Toy Essentials’ construction portfolio, enables bles children to construct their very own masterpieces terpieces – from lean, mean, flying machines to motorbikes..

Classic Builder, der, part of the Classic World collection of eco-friendly wooden toys, is a unique construction system ystem that comprises wooden oden rods and various shapes hapes that connect with L-shaped joints. The range ge includes the Classic Builder ilder Airplane, Helicopter copter and Motorbike, and d can be transformed d into more structures es s such as robots. s.

Build it to the max SMART TOYS AND GAMES 01903 885669 www.smartmax.eu Smart Toys and Games’ award winning pre-school construction system, Smart Max, allows children over 12 months the chance to explore the fascinating world of magnetism in a fun and safe way. The products are safe and durable and made from the highest quality materials, and the magnets are incredible strong and can carry up to 6o times their own weight.

Each SmartMax magnetic bar features unique colour codes: the blue, green and purple bars attract, while the warm colours of red, orange and yellow repel.

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...toys & gifts designed to inspire

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Available boxed or in impulse CDU’s

www.interplayuk.com

tel: 01628 488944

email: sales@interplayuk.com

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

It’s all in the imagination JOHN CRANE 01604 774949 www.john-crane.co.uk Perfect for any budding ‘grand designer’ or construction crazy fanatic, John Crane Ltd has the right tools for the job with Bristle Blocks. These blocks are fun and easy to connect. Kids can copy a design from the box or just go ahead and create their own colourful construction.

Choose from the many different sets including the cases: the Basic Builder Case, a 50-piece set for those small jobs, the Big Value Case, a set that comes complete with 85 pieces, or the Deluxe Builder Case with 113 pieces for the really big jobs.

All of these come in a re-usable storage case with a handy carry handle. New for 2015 is the 85-piece Safari Case, which comes with basic building blocks as well as safari figurines. Plus, continuing into 2015 are the 56-piece Basic Builder Box and the smaller Basic Build Box which has 36 pieces.

Kids can build their own make believe scene, such as a safari park with Jungle Adventures, a 54-piece set that comes complete in a reusable storage tube.

Bright sparks LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819386 www.learningresources.co.uk

Blok party MEGA BLOKS

Construct creative play with the Design & Drill range from Learning Resources.

Illuminate inventions with the Brightworks Activity Centre. Budding designers can see their creations light up using the power drill with translucent bolts to create dynamic designs with colour and light. Just snap one of the drill bits into the power drill, grab a handful of bolts, and turn on the glowing fun! New for 2015, this construction set is complete with an illuminated black activity board, 80 multi-coloured plastic bolts and a power drill with two drill bits.

Add some sparkle to construction with Dazzling Creations Studio. With four activity boards, children can choose from the enchanting castle, beautiful crown, darling dress or magical unicorn to create their designs.

01628 500000 www.megabloks.com Celebrating 30 years in construction play, Mega Bloks, now part of the Mattel family, continues to show positive momentum as the number two manufacturer in the Building Sets category* and number one manufacturer in the Junior Building Sets category*, owning nine of the top 20 Junior Building Set lines*.

A first-class product range for autumn/winter includes exciting collaborations with some of Mattel’s world class brands including Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, Barbie, Monster High and Hot Wheels as well as impressive Mega Bloks partnerships including Minions and the Collector series.

A strong pre-school line, now endorsed by Fisher-Price, offers young builders’ hours of open-ended play, with the popular Mega Bloks First Builders range continuing to grow. Firm favourites, including the Big Building Bag and Build ’n Learn Table, are complemented by the exciting vehicle offering including the Push ‘n Pull Block Picker, while the playsets inspire imaginations with engaging themes. Innovation leads the way in the Mega Bloks Thomas & Friends collection with the launch of the new Zooming Along at Brendam Docks playset featuring a buildable and motorised Thomas engine.

A range of new Mega Bloks Barbie career-themed playsets and figures allow girls to transform Barbie and her workplace from one career to another, while the Mega Bloks Monster High range, including mini-monster playsets and figures, feature full articulation to hold any drop-dead gorgeous pose. From Mega Bloks Hot Wheels is a range of racer figures and matching cars representing the iconic Team Hot Wheels colours to allow boys the opportunity to create adrenaline-fuelled racing adventures.

Following the highly anticipated Minions movie release in June, a range of brand new Mega Bloks Minions construction sets, including over 65 buildable Minion characters, will invite kids to play out their favourite adventures of Bob, Dave and Kevin. *March 2015 NPD data

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LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2015 The LEGO Group

Comprehensive Explorer Launch Marketing Activity Includes: • Experiential Sea Life Centre partnership • National Schools programme • National Geographic Kids advertorials • Binweevils.com takeover with specially created games • Cartoon Network advertising and interactive competition

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The UK’s number one boys’ toy property builds on success with a brand new LEGO® CITY Deep Sea Collection.

For more information, visit LEGO.com/CITY

FEATURE

CONSTRUCTION

Pole to pole MAGFORMERS UK LTD 07585 332 587 / 07481 155 075 www.magformers.co.uk Magformers construction toys are already very successful across USA and Asia and have just been launched into the UK market.

Magformers are super-powerful magnetic construction toys that take children (and adults alike) to a world of limitless imagination and creativity.

Magformers are a range of hard, plastic shapes (squares, triangles, pentagons, etc) with magnetic sides. They always connect and never reject because they contain 360º rotating neodymium magnets that always find magn their attraction position, so shapes connect and fit sh perfectly every time. perfec Through fun and Thro innovative play, children innova whatever can construct c they can imagine: houses, towers, castles, cars, towers aeroplanes, robots aer and even animals a and flowers - almost a anything. Children can also transfer 2D plane shapes to 2 different 3D geometric d structures. str Magformers are sold Ma in sets with currently 21 available in UK with sets av different sets suitable for differen children from 18 months to about six years old. They a ab out s are also extremely safe for a ar e als children of all ages and childr have received CE and EN71 certification.

As well as pure fun there are many other benefits of playing with Magformers.

They are designed to enhance children’s core development skills.

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Cool tools ASOBI 01628200077 www.asobi.co.uk Asobi bring to the UK market the respected Red Tool Box wooden construction brand –it is a new and innovative concept of woodworking for children offering parents and children the opportunity to spend quality time together while learning new skills .

Red Tool box kits come complete with all that is required – including real tools in the larger sets – to bring to life wooden construction sets , the sets range from Mini kits – including popular favourites Mini Soccer Table and Candy Maze, the new exciting pull back range , real working Go Kart! for age eight and up, and the traditional Workbench Red Tool box range covers price points from £9.99 to £199 and offers both consumer and retailer a product that is truly different and truly appealing.

Farm time TOMY 020 8722 7300 www.tomy.com

Collect and construct FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk GP Flair’s WWE Stackdown collection allows boys to collect and build their very own WWE Universe in C3 form featuring all of their favourite WWE Superstars, including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Sheamus. Kids can also disassemble their figures and create their own unique WWE Superstar mash up combinations, or use the body parts to create their very own C3 Superstar to challenge the likes of John Cena for the StackDown championship.

This year the Stackdown Universe has body slammed single figure foil bags into retailers, allowing kids to kickstart their collection of WWE C3 figures. Also available are triple figure packs and Brawlin’ Sets, which come with two C3 figures and a constructible battle set. With a goodie versus a battle theme running through the series, new sets to collect include the immortal Hulk Hogan Vs. Macho Man and John Cena Vs. The Rock.

Britains Big Farm is the number one choice for young farmers aged three and up, allowing youngsters to have their own fun on the farm and recreate every element of the farming life, from ploughing and harvesting to breeding and raising lifestock. This range of licensed 1:16 scale models have realistic features, including lights and engine sounds, ideal for budding farmers.

New additions to the range include the Massey Ferguson 6613 Tractor, which has all of the usual Big Farm features including working headlights and engine sounds. The tractor also has a removable cab and fully functioning steering wheel. Ready to go right out of the box, kids can hitch it to a matching implement or trailer and be the talk of the farm.

The Bulk Tipping Trailer is one of the best selling accessories from the range and now comes in a new, cool silver colour, and complete with four replica rocks to add to the fun.

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WHERE FUN MEETS CREATIVITY

Magformers is the super powerful magnetic toy which leads children into the world of limitless imagination and creativity FUN – for kids and ‘grown-up kids’ BUILD – limitless creative constructions DREAM – go beyond your imagination LEARNING – key skills through play CREATIVITY – and brain development

Contact Simon or Chris for further information Call Simon on 07481 155 075 or email simon.mccrickard@magformers.co.uk Or call Chris on 07585 332 587 and email chris.singleton@magformers.co.uk

Visit us online at

www.magformers.co.uk @Magformers_GB

Magformers UK

FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Gathering greatness Icon Live

Girls collectables are hot-to-trot at retail, TnP checks in to find out more about the category appeal

T

he urge to collect, gather and store anything small, shiny and new is not just the reserve of the young – adult collectors are just as prevalent! But the hunter-gatherer in us starts from a young age and where better to feed our habit than with gorgeous collectables.

Shopkins, LEGO Minifigures, Zelfs, Pinypon, anything Frozen Famosa’s – if they are in mini-format, girls love them. And that is an Marketing undeniable fact.

Manager Nikki “Girls like to have a relationship with their toys,” Jeffery points out Famosa’s Marketing Manager Nikki Jeffery. “They like to create a complete world into which they can escape. At around age six, children start collecting, so giving girls the opportunity to build their world over a period of time is key. The world also needs to exist outside of the product - on TV, social media

“

Girls like to have a relationship with their toys

”

and via apps.”

As mentioned, Shopkins is having a bit of a moment of late, certainly any retailer we speak to says so. Flair’s Brand Manager Verity Groom tells us about the appeal of collectables and this unique range. “Ultimately whether it is girls or boys, the enjoyment of gathering entire groups and sub-collections within a brand remains the same, but with girls it must be a theme that appeals to them. This is where Shopkins has the full package. The characters are really quirky, but are all based on things that girls relate to. The way they are presented in groups or shopping aisles means that there are two ways to collect; by series or by theme.”

Retail flexibility Offering retailers ultimate flexibility is key so we asked suppliers how SKUs for their collectable ranges give retailers that very flexibility in-store while also

promoting collectability and sales.

“It’s all about choice and stocking a comprehensive range,” says Verity. “Stocking the latest series and a good selection will ensure children come back to the same store every time. Additional purchase opportunities arise when supplementing the offering with higher priced items that can be requested as birthday gifts or items to be saved up for.”

Nikki picks up on the importance of making it easy for girls to create their own world.

“Entry price point needs to be low or promotional to make access to the range easy and affordable.

BOGOF deals work well here as not only are they perceived as great value, but they also generate a buzz of demand, instantly hooking consumers into a brand.

But she adds: “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.”

RETAIL COMMENT: We asked Brian Simpson of SMF Toytown what is selling well in the girls’ collectables at the moment “The biggest demand for girls in our stores is Shopkins. Frozen is still high in demand. Other than that the Little Live Birds are among our top sellers and this should continue right through until the end of the year. It is a really tough question to answer now though as so many properties are seen as unisex, for example Minecraft and LEGO Minifigures. However, the brands that you would consider to be aimed at girls seem to be doing well.”

Famosa

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Collect them for your Zelf Character Options www.character-online.co.uk 0161 633 9800 The Zelfs is a brand that has captured the hearts of little girls across the globe as fans strive to collect each series in its entirety as soon as it launches. Whether they are medium Zelfs, the ultra-rare characters or the mini Lil Zelf pods, each new series brings with it a host of new characters to collect. For 2015 there’s a brand new feature Light-Up Zelf, Princess Crystella.

This intricately decorated Zelf doll stands taller than all before her and has beautiful light up hair that illuminates when the crystal heart on her chest is pressed. She will be a must have centrepiece for any collection.

Autumn will also see the launch of the new Crystal Zelf series - a beautiful range that combines the colourful hair that The Zelfs are famous for with an added intricate crystallised feature. Each series launch comes with additional marketing activity that will drive sales instore, such as the popular redemption campaigns to collect the seasons’ most rare Zelf of all, which in autumn will be Angelic Mermaid. Added to this will be TV and girls’ print advertising plus the roll out of collector’s club at the end of the year.

Disney Princess Palace Pets also offers the chance for treasured collections to be accumulated. Six new Furry Tail Friends have just been introduced, soon to be followed by more in autumn.

Flipping onto the scene!

VTech 01235 546810 www.vtech.co.uk In 2015 VTech is entering the girl’s collectables category for the first time with the fun and cute Flipsies, for girls aged four to seven years. The adorable Flipsies are a group of collectable friends that transform from the real world into their dream world.

With the introduction of Flipsies, VTech ch combines interactive role-play with traditional collectible dolls and playsets for a truly innovative play experience for girls. Using MagicPoint technology, which is a first for this sector, the Flipsies interact with their friends and playsets along the way.

They offer endless ways to play with unique features, such as 2-in-1 play, lights, sounds, music and interactive components that not only strengthen the play experience, but capture a child’s imagination.

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Bespoke ‘Girls Love Pinypon’ magazine

Another perfect Pinypon year planned

National in store promotion

Pinypon Fantasy Figures

Pinypon Tales

Pinypon Princesses

CContact on ac a td details: deta etails: il : ffamosauk@famosa.es amos osauk@ @famo mosa es 01623 0162 0 623 2 237 37 43 433 3 ww www.famosagroup.com w ww. w ffamosagroup w.famo mo osagro group.co gr u .com co com om

FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Fit for a Pinypon princess Famosa 01623 237433 www.famosa.es

Pinypon, the unique range of cute interchangeable mini dolls and playsets has been a key collectable range since launch, with an estimated 50,000 dolls being in the hands of little girls - a result of a strong TV and marketing campaign, plus tactical retail promotions. 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 is launching Pinypon Princesses for 2015, tapping into an ever popular theme and role-play with girls.

Four different models of glittering princesses, their frog pet and accessories, plus princes to

Caring and sharing VIVID 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Animagic Rescue Hospital comes into 2015 with a number of new lines to bolster the already successful range. The Series 2 collectables, blind bag and collector pack, add over 30 new figures to the collection. Coming for autumn to build on the new pony play theme is Bluebell Stables, where girls can take care of and play with all their Rescue Hospital ponies and collectable pets. The playset includes stable blocks, a medical area, jumps and loads of horsey accessories. Puppy Play School is the second new introduction and a brand new theme for 2015. This dog agility themed set includes 15 accessories and two pull-back puppies.

Girls can set up the course however they like, pull back their puppies and watch them whizz around the course – a true test of their training skills. Moshi Monsters puppy trai will be launching its next new series cent Moshi for A/W. The Magnificen collectables will be Circus series of collecta available from July, availab with 16 new w circus-themed figures to collect in the blind bags and collector packs.

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complete the fairytale and a Palace playset are the key items for spring/summer. Pinypon Tales, a further addition, sees muchloved characters Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland and Rapunzel brought to life in Pinypon style with a cute little pet to match.

A strong marketing campaign is planned for S/S 2015 including the launch of a standalone Girls Love Pinypon magazine in conjunction with Signature Publishing and its Girls Love brand.

On sale throughout spring for eight weeks, the 36 page magazine is packed full of all things Pinypon, as well as a Pinypon themed cover mount gift. The print run will be around 30,000 and is distributed in all the major supermarkets. Press activity continues in other leading girls’ titles and tactical BOGOF promotions are in place to maximise the pocket money market.

C’est fantastique!

DKL Marketing 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL is the exclusive UK distributor of Corolle. Each doll dol is dressed in sophisticated and trendy clothes and they all have a signature vanilla scent. The Mon Classique collection includes four soft-bodied dolls Clas standing at 14 inches tall. Also available in the Mon stan Classique collection are bath babies and interactive Clas dolls.

New updates for 2015 include Camille do Ballerina and Chloe Ballerina dolls from the trendy Ba Les Le Cheries range. Corolle fashions are expertly made and completely

Minnie treats Posh Paws 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Posh Paws has a whole host of girls’ brands for little ladies to get excited about this year, from the launch of Frozen Fever dolls to the brand new Doc McStuffins Pet Vet range and My Minnie plush collectables.

Posh Paws is introducing brand new Frozen Fever Anna and Elsa plush dolls, available for pre-order now.

Posh Paws also has the very latest from Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First, as well as the fantastic My Minnie miniature plush collection. The My Minnie range sees Minnie in variety of outfits, and at a pocket money point it is the perfect impulse purchase for girls.

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Celebrate in style MGA ENTERTAINMENT

Girls love Evi

0845 0533 333 www.mgae.com

SIMBA SMOBY

MGA Entertainment is set to celebrate five years since the launch of collectable dolls range, Lalaloopsy.

To celebrate, everyone will be invited to the brand’s Super Silly Party from summer 2015 - supported by TV advertising, a full PR and social media campaign, the popular animated series on Nick Jr., and a partnership with Burger King. Further strategic partnerships will be made to build brand awareness planned in the autumn.

Launching for autumn/winter will be a brand new, innovative addition to the Lalaloopsy family in the form of a TV-advertised interactive, function doll.

Following success in 2014, the Lalaloopsy Diaper Surprise doll - from the Lalaloopsy Babies collection – will carry over into 2015. The extremely collectable range, Lalaloopsy Tinies, will also see the addition of new characters and playsets, encouraging even more creativity and imaginative play.

Older girls five to eight can continue to get their style in a twist with the Lalaloopsy Girls Crazy Hair dolls – with the Lalaloopsy Girls range welcoming a new fashion doll, with a craft edge that is sure to inspire creativity, for autumn/winter.

01274 765030 www.simbasmoby.com/en Steffi Love’s little sister Evi has been a favourite of young girls for decades, offering a range of play scenarios with the ultra-cute Evi mini doll.

In 2015 Evi has her widest range ever available in the UK, and following on from the huge success of Steffi Love in 2014, this year Evi gets her own packaging makeover as well. The new design features a strong, powerful, pink overtone with increased value added through sparkling foil details and a cute CGI Evi character.

Perfectly collectable, Evi Love appeals to young girls with a huge array of various themes including fashion, fairytale, animals, travel and babies, all at pocket-money prices. The completely new Evi website (www.evi-love. co.uk) is up and running now with games to play and a feature that records and manages your Evi collection online. With a new animated campaign scheduled for 2016, the Evi Love brand continues to grow and offers retailers a great high-margin collectable segment in the fashion doll space.

Build the collection K’NEX 01189 497000 www.knex.co.uk

Under the sea TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk Tobar has a range of girls’ collectibles to suit any budget, including Wooden Animal Stamps, Mini Animal Erasers, Wooden Animal Paper Clips and Glitter Art. Tobar’s Make Your Own Kits, which can be collected, have wonderful designs including: Puppy, Pony, Owl, Ballerina, Patchwork Bunny, Teddy, Felt Doll and come with everything kids need inside the box.

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K’Nex is set to drive innovation in both the girls’ market and construction aisle with the launch of Mighty Makers, a range of building sets that encourage girls to explore STEM concepts in a fun and engaging way, with a wide range of price points.

Each K’Nex Mighty Makers set includes colourful parts and engaging story-based instructions that allow girls to play out the adventures of the figure included, with an exploration card for additional educational fun.

Collectable Building Sets, which include construction parts, mini figures and accessories include: Mighty Makers Up, Up and Away, Mighty Makers Going Green, Mighty Makers Fun at the Fair, Mighty Makers Deep Sea Dive, and Mighty Makers Home Designer.

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Build a fantasy collection SCHLEICH 01279 870000 www.schleich-s.co.uk Schleich offers the best in girls’ collectables, bringing fairy tale and fantasy to the playroom alongside favourite themes such as farm life with its collection of beautiful horses.

2015 has seen the addition of many exciting play opportunities for the collectors of the beautiful and intricate bayala figurines and familiar, elven core characters Sera, Surah, Feya, Eyela and Marween. These have been remodelled for 2015 and come both standing and on horseback, looking resplendent in their festive dress.

In addition and increasing the collectability even further, are the introductions of six new colourful rainbow animals that join the world of bayala this year. Picki, Nitaya, Miriel, Mita, Apalu and Shalu are the names of the mythical creatures, which will brighten up any girl’s collection.

Schleich’s Equine World also continues to enthral, and pony-mad girls will have many new breeds to collect for 2015, plus the addition of a major new play set, The Big Horse Show, with its dressage ring and jumps for an equestrian extravaganza.

30 years in the family

Cheeky guys

EPOCH MAKING TOYS

RE:CREATION

0843 557 4062 www.epochmakingtoys.com EPOCH making toys’ Sylvanian Families continues to grow as a collectable brand during its 30th year. The expansion of Sylvania to include the new imaginative play areas of Sea Breeze Cape and Adventure Island is proving popular with retailers and customers alike. The new seaside-themed products include the Seaside Cruiser Houseboat, the Adventure Treasure Ship, the Splash and Play Whale, the Seaside Camping Set, and the Seaside Birthday Set. This new seaside-themed Holiday range joins other sub ranges, including Village Life and Baby & Child. Connectability remains a key selling point, and both the Adventure Treasure Ship and Splash and Play Whale connect with each other, as well as existing products.

To expand the growing collection there are five new families all with new profiles, totalling 30 families in the range this year.

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01189 736222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Building on plush success stories Snuggables from 2014, Re:creation introduces the Zigamazoos collectible plush line in the second half. With their infectious giggle this cuddly cast of cute animal-themed characters are set to capture girls’ imaginations.

Re:creation’s LEGO Lights portfolio continues to excite LEGO fans and deliver impressive results. The LEGO Friends keylight range features five collectible friends, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia, Emma and Andrea. Each keylight is pose-able and features LED lights, making them the perfect accessory for school bags, belts and more.

Top dogs SPIN MASTER 01628 535000 www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Chubby Puppies is the soon to launch collectable range of puppies from Spin Master.

Girls can collect and adopt the entire assortment and there are 12 different breeds of Chubby Puppies to adopt, including a French Bulldog, a Pug and a Husky, each with its own accessory. In addition four exclusive pups are available within the Mini Playsets and the Ultimate Dog Park.

The Mini Playsets include a carrier to take Chubby Puppies on the go and an obstacle such as the Weave Pole which are activated by the Chubby Puppies waddling. There are three Mini Playsets to collect.

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FEATURE

GIRLS COLLECTABLES

Frozen fever to Minion madness!

ICON LIVE 01444 238365 www.iconlive.com Icon Live has experienced an extremely successful 2015 to date with its range of girls’ licensed accessories and this certainly seems set to continue.

With the Frozen phenomenon hitting the nation in 2014, Icon Lives’ range of accessories proved extremely popular and continues to be retailers’ top seller as Icon Live extends the ranges in time for summer, including accessories from the Frozen Fever short film.

Frozen is still a key driver but the recent release of Cinderella has further reinvigorated sales of girls’ accessories and has also captured the imagination of the adult market with ASOS and Truffle Shuffle selling out of their statement pieces within weeks of launch.

Additionally, Icon Live and Universal are expecting Minions madness to hit heady heights this summer! The movie will be released in June and the wide range of licensed, gender-neutral merchandise, including a broad range of accessories, impulse and gift products from Icon Live, will ensure all fans can celebrate and dress in style!

The following month, Inside Out will be a major focus for Icon Live, supporting the film launch with a range of jewellery and accessories to bring the animation to life for movie-goers. The colourful and fun range includes necklaces, alice bands and purses.

Icon Live is working hard to ensure it maintains its strong performance in the girls’ licensing sector and is confident that it can continue to secure key licenses to further grow this category for years to come.

Collect them all GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk Great Gizmos’ portfolio introduces a fashionable new range of 4M make your own bracelets and necklaces that girls will be eager to get their hands on, and there are also lots of new NICI collectable accessories.

New for 2015 is the Gemstone Wristlets Kit, which lets little girls create their own dazzling style with beautiful, handmade gemstone wristlets. They can get creative with the Macramé Owl Necklace kit and challenge themselves by transforming everyday strings and beads into chic jewellery. The Spiral Charm Bracelets create an enchanting spiral pattern when braided and also include two beautiful charms.

New NICI ranges for the summer include Wild Friends Sloth, Classic Bear and the Sloth Backpack. There are lots of cute designs such as Jolly Candy, Donkey and Hansel and Gretel to choose from.

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Shop ‘till you drop GP FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk With hot collectable Shopkins in its portfolio, GP Flair has an enviable line-up for girls to discover, and for autumn a parade of mini pooches will add to the choice for retailers with the introduction of Pet Parade.

Already the number one new property and girls’ collectable of the year, the market is going shopping mad for Shopkins. Now with Series 2 selling like hotcakes, and Series 3 imminent, there’s little doubt that this is the pocket money collectable of the moment.

The legions of Shopkins fans will be delighted to know they can continue to ‘shop till they drop’ for these highly sought after shopping inspired characters. Available in 2, 5 and 12 packs, each quirky character belongs to a fun shopping inspired group.

Collecting each group and hunting for limited edition characters is at the heart of the brand, and with hundreds of characters to collect in each series there’s endless appeal and swap opportunities.

Encouraging swaps with friends will be key to the marketing drive for 2015, with digital, print and in-store activity already activating nationwide Shopkins Swapkins clubs. Traditional TV advertising and the roll out of the licensing programme will continue the Shopkins success story. Series 3 will see the introduction of themed segments within the range. The Food Fair will house cool food themed characters and playsets, while the new Fashion Spree collection will include fabulous playsets styled on shoes and makeup.

Flair’s girls’ portfolio will see a brand new pet collectable join the line-up, Pet Parade. This adorable property holds realistic, cute puppy breeds plus a host of accessories and playsets for girls to discover.

The 10cm puppy figures come fully articulated, allowing for realistic movements. Using a special ‘joystick’ button in the puppy’s back, girls can make their new friend walk and move their eyes, head and tail, just like a real puppy! Watch the puppy pick up the bone and be taken for a walk using the special lead. Six dogs will be in the main range for launch, including a Labrador, Pug and Dalmatian, with an additional three exclusive puppies to collect!

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!

W rse E N Ho Big how S

An Equine Extravaganza!

This July the Big Horse Show joins the world of Schleich promising young horse fans hours of fun and imaginative play.

All part of Schleich’s increasing range of box sets that are not only amazing value for money and great for gifting, but also cover multiple price points and are easy to merchandise!

Schleich UK, 4 Stansted Courtyard, Parsonage Road, Takeley, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 6PU T: 01279 870000 E: schleich@schleich-s.co.uk W: www.schleich-s.com

FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

Get arty!

Arts and crafts is having a real trend moment these days, so is fashion making its way down to the toy sector?

T

he sheer open-endedness of arts and crafts products is astounding. From colouring, sticking, knitting, sewing and weaving, to glittering, decorating, cooking and now even 3D printing, the only limitations are imagination and time. When it comes to value it’s hard to beat the best messy play products. And when arts and crafts products spark the imaginations of little ones, it’s hard to stop them creating.

Get crafty Perfect for toy shops, craft products work equally well in gift shops, post offices, greetings card retailers, party shops – need we go on? This mass appeal and flexibility gives the category a tremendous presence on the High Street, and the sales speak for themselves.

“This year looks set to be a fantastic year for the John Adams’ arts and crafts range,” says MD Simon Pilkington. “We have a number of exciting new ranges launching from June / July, including Sands Alive, Bangle Blitz, Frozen Snow Glowbz and more!”

DKL Marketing is having a similarly good year with its Hama Beads range, a proven seller for the distributor for the past 25 years.

Sales and Marketing Director, David Allan, says the company has seen high growth from the brand: “Hama is a trusted brand offering a unique and trusted concept with the largest range of beads and accessories.”

Excitingly and encouragingly for retailers, Sarah Lawless-Relf, Head of Marketing at West Design Product says the category “has grown faster than any other sector. The explosion of craft-related magazines, TV shows and social media channel Pinterest has engaged adults who, in turn, have shared their new enthusiasms with their children. So much so, that we have recently launched our own West Craft brochure.”

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Sarah adds that their Faber-Castell Creativity for Kids (CFK) craft kits are popular with both children and parents.

Tried and tested

“

Innovation always needs to be at the forefront of what Crayola do, particularly as we go deeper into the digital age Leon Jarmolowicz, Vivid

”

Tried and tested craft lines are popular at retail. Consumers understand what they’re getting and so can purchase with confidence.

Great Gizmos has great success with its 4M range. Director Judith Dayus tells us that the category is performing “very well” for them.

“We have a huge range of arts and crafts from 4M,” Judith continues.

“Many are old ideas with a new twist which is a formula that seems to work well for us with many repeat orders being received.” Showing no signs of abating in popularity is Crayola – and who doesn’t have fond memories of this classic? Leon Jarmolowicz, Head of Marketing

EMEA, Crayola Division at Vivid Imaginations reports back on a fantastic spring, saying the Crayola brand is up +26% at retail (NPD).

Leon says that Crayola’s core stationery range remains the backbone of their line, adding: “we are seeing our creative tools perform as strongly as they have ever been”.

And while Crayola certainly falls into the ‘tried and tested’ bracket being adored by children for generations, Leon points out that the brand is ever-evolving.

“Innovation always needs to be at the forefront of what Crayola do, particularly as we go deeper into the digital age. Our fantastic new launch, Color Alive transforms colouring as we know it.”

With the arts and crafts sector shining so brightly at the moment, it is hard for retailers to ignore this favoured category. Read our feature to learn more about what is out there.

IN A SPIRAL This year marks the 50th anniversary of Spirograph, Goldfish & Bison’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Lee-Anne Neale tells us how they plan to celebrate the classic toy’s big birthday How are you marking the 50th anniversary of Spirograph?

Goldfish & Bison is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Spirograph with campaigns highlighting the fun of the creative toy through the decades and the innovation it enjoys today. Parents and grandparents have loved drawing with the toy and now they can enjoy the same experience with the next generation. The campaign will reminisce the fun Spirograph events that has taken place over the decades and promote the innovation of new range of fantastic Spirograph toys available to kids across the nation.

How are you keeping Spirograph fresh for a new generation?

We are introducing new features into the much-loved traditional play-pattern. With the new Spirograph toys, kids can draw the geometric patterns and admire them jump out of the page in glorious 3D patterns. We are also launching a new motorised Spirograph Design Studio, where kids can create the most intricate designs in minutes.

John Adams

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FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

Cute as a button ASOBI www.asobi.co.uk Asobi is now a go-to company for unique creative kits, following its acquisition of the award-winning craft range from one of Britain’s leading craft design companies, Buttonbag.

The Buttonbag offering of knitting, sewing and crochet kits, all packed in eye-catching vintage-style suitcases, appeals to children and grown-ups alike, and is surprisingly affordable.

Each kit is packed with high-quality materials and fullcolour, fully road-tested instructions - vital for building trust with both retailers and consumers. All the patterns in the knitting kit, for example, have been developed with beginners in mind and are perfect for getting children started on this favourite craft.

Another brand new launch this year is the highlycollectable Buttonbag Mini Kits. Priced as perfect pocket-money treats , each of the eight different designs comes in a tiny button-print suitcase and has everything kids need to make an adorable feltie friend or a mini cross-stitch picture.

Asobi is also the exclusive UK distributor of the bestselling ORB range from Canada. Highlights include the ever-popular mosaic craft featuring Disney Frozen and in 2015 a new launch of Bedazzling fun called My Design, the stunning Glitter petz and a wonderful relaunch of Plushcraft.

The Seedling range of creative crafts from New Zealand continues to inspire and sell in volume. Its distinctive packaging and brightly coloured components make it stand out on the shelves. Best-sellers include the Make your own Superhero Cape, Designer Tutu, Good Things for Girls, Good Things for Boys, and Design your own Bird House.

Crafting crazy ALEX TOYS 020 7118 8335 www.alexbrands.com Why buy a card when you can create your own? Kids will love making the perfect greeting card with the DIY Card Crafter kit. This 250 piece kit includes everything you need for cardmaking.

With the Selfie Journal you can write, sketch and save. Click some selfies then tape them into your journal. Save mementos in the envelopes and big pocket! The Selfie Journal is a great way to scrapbook. For ages 7+, it contains 355 pieces, a 40 page hard cover journal (7.25 in x 9.25 in / 18.4 cm x 23.5 cm), 35 pre-cut shapes, 230 stickers, four pre-cut envelopes, pre-cut pocket, two gel pens, 30 notes, 50 sticky gems, two washi tape rolls, glue stick and easy instructions for page idea.

Drawing straws ARTSTRAWS 01792 796151 www.artstraws.com Artstraws’ range of Creation Station arts and crafts materials are hugely successful in the school supply market and the company uses that knowledge to keep its retail Creation Station range up-to-date with what the kids are doing in school.

New products have recently been added to the range including Dinosaur Sponges for painting, a Messy Play Smock, a brightly coloured Rolling Pin for small hands and sets of Creepy Crawlies and Wild Animal Stencils at very competitive prices and with excellent margins.

The range of over 60 lines of materials and kits is best merchandised on Artstraws’ five-sided spinner, but slat-wall displays have proved to be equally successful. Artstraws can create a balanced, customised range for whatever space retailers have available.

Easel does it CASDON 01253 608428 www.casdon.co.uk Bringing traditional arts and crafts into the home is Casdon’s choice of Little Easels that encourage children to create and show off their artistic masterpieces.

The traditional Wooden Easel houses a chalkboard surface on one side and a wipeclean magnetic side on the other for no-mess drawing. Children can use the chunky chalk included to create their masterpieces, or hang paper for colourful drawings using the contained clips to make sure their works of art stay in place.

The Dual Chalkboard is the perfect canvas for little artists who love to create pictures over and over again. This chunky board has a wipe-clean felt pen surface on one side that features a clock to help tell time, as well as the full alphabet to help little ones learn.

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FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

Sow the beads of creation DKL 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk The much-loved Hama brand is a leading range of beads in the UK, offering a large range of bead craft sets and accessories in both generic themes and popular licenses.

Best-sellers include the fantastic Space set, where kids can use Hama beads to create a fun, crafty version of the solar system.

This year Hama offers brand new special pick-up lines at pocket-money prices. Available in Elephant, Mouse or Seahorse.

New licensed sets include the Disney Princess Palace Pets, Hello Kitty, and Doc McStuffins all in a variety of gift boxes and blister packs. Children will be thrilled as they watch their favourite

Two scoops, please!

CLEMENTONI 020 3206 1397 www.clementoni.com Clementoni is a well-respected and popular brand across Europe and this year it is putting itself on the UK map as a leading provider of quality, interactive and educational toys for children of all ages.

Clementoni is committed to offering toys that combine creativity with a love of food. With the Frozen Ice Cream Crafts, children can discover how to make delicious ice cream and become the master of ice cream making. Simply put the machine together and have fun creating unique decorations with the utensils included in the pack. This creative set includes an informative manual explaining the making process, plus lots of top tips.

In addition, Clementoni offers a range of both licensed and unlicensed craft sets for children to discover their creative side. Other products include jewellery sets, candle making and musical instruments.

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characters come to life in bead form.

The unique Jewellery sets offer a new element to the craft range; choose from Fashion Jewellery, Bracelets, the Hair Clip Holder set, Charms, and the brand new Jewellery Activity Box. Also don’t miss the Maxi collection, which offers larger beads for smaller hands. Children aged three and above can enjoy the fun of arts and crafts with great sets such as Maxi Food and the Large Blister Butterfly.

Also on offer from DKL is the fantastic arts and crafts collection from Breyer. A best selling line from the range is the Chalkboard Horse set which comes complete with a horse, sponge eraser and four pieces of chalk. Brand new for 2015 is the must-have collection of Horse Crazy Arts and Crafts. Children can enjoy a variety of three different painting sets, including the Colourful Breeds Paint Kit, Watercolour Painting Kit, and the Surprise Paint Kit.

Looks good enough to eat!

CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.co.uk The new Yummy Nummies brand is a sweet and savoury selection that lets children create tasty, super-tiny treats such as cookies, gummies, pizza and even burger and fries that both look and taste like the real thing. There are three collections to choose from - Bakery Treats, Candy Shop and Dinner Delights - each with their own range of food sensations to make at home.

This autumn Character will also be introducing Easy Nails Nail Spa, a new and fun way for children to effortlessly paint their nails. This auto nail painter uses childfriendly polish to instantly add a perfect touch of glamour to fingertips each and every time!

With beads that stay with a simple spray of water, Beados remains a favourite creative brand for girls. This autumn the Beados fun adds sparkle with the Beados Gems collection which has multi-faceted transparent gem to discover.

Rainy day play TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk Nothing is better on a rainy day than a series of craft products. With so many to choose from, Tobar offers Mini Modelling Clay, Scratch A Doodle, Sequin Craft, and Colour and Stick Tattoos.

Making waves EPOCH MAKING TOYS

The Crea Creativity ati tivity ivi vitty For Kids rang range nge e iis s ava a available v ila va vaila able from:

0843 557 4062 www.epochmakingtoys.com Arts and crafts brand Aquabeads has grown rapidly since the beginning of 2015, expanding from a portfolio of 14 to 29 products. The three key products in this expanded portfolio are the Beginners Studio, Artists Carry Case, and the Rainbow Pen Station.

There are seven new refill packs for experienced Aquabeaders to ignite creativity. The highlights of this portfolio include the Bracelet Set, which has 500 beads in eight colours and allows wearability; the 3D Animal Set, which has 500 beads in nine colours, four template sheets and a 3D layout tray; and the Alpha Set, which has 500 beads in eight colours and eight letter stands, and can boost a child’s understanding of language and spelling.

There is also a themed crossover set with Epoch making toys’ iconic collectible brand, Sylvanian Families, which contains 600 solid beads in 10 different colours and four template sheets.

JUNE 2015

...and all good toy shops!

Distributed in the UK & Europe by West Design

www.WESTDESIGNPRODUCTS.co.uk 65

FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

A 3D revolution GP FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk k

Upward spiral

Inspired by 3D printing nting technology, I-DO-3D 3D is a revolutionary pen that allows kids to draw in 3D. D. The UV s the ink in light included sets seconds and allows ws kids to draw straight in the he air. Top ll be the of the wish list will 3D Deluxe Activity y studio, nge in price and other sets range points, starting with ith the I-DO-3D themed starter sets or single pen in a range of colours.

GOLDFISH & BISON 020 8568 6398 www.goldfishandbison.com

Chaos theory

Goldfish & Bison will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Spirograph brand in 2015.

First introduced in 1965, Spirograph is the famous creative toy that enables kids of all ages to draw cool, geometric creations in bright colours.

New for Spirograph is the Spirograph Design Studio, which comes with a motorised function that enables kids to draw the famous Spirograph patterns by simply inserting their pens and starting the motion.

A new Spirograph Animal Set will also be available, with two fun lion and dolphin templates, six Spirograph wheels and three coloured pens, allowing kids to draw cool spiral patterns and cute animal shapes.

Also available will be the new Spirograph Complete Starter Set. It comes with a handy carry case containing everything kids need to get creative.

GALT TOYS 0161 428 9111 www.galttoys.com The new Chemical Chaos kit from Galt Toys contains eight horribly chaotic experiments.

Suitable for children aged over 10, the kit includes everything needed to learn about awesome atoms and rotten reactions.

Grow creepy stalactites, perform the acid test and make a chemical cocktail!

Skoobies are back!

H. GROSSMAN LTD 0141 613 2525 www.ozbozz.co.uk H Grossman is reintroducing Skoobiesm the award-winning craft sensation from 10 years ago. The Skooby strings are knotted together to form bracelets, keyrings, necklaces – the permutations are endless.

After the success of the Loom Twister and the current popularity of creating and designing jewellery, Skoobies are already seeing new howto websites and blogs springing up, teaching the art to a brand new generation of fashion conscious crafters.

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Number 1 Bead Brand

facebook.com/DKL.Toys

DKL Marketing Ltd 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton NN3 6QD, UK

twitter.com/DKLtoys

tel 01604 678780 • fax 01604 678787 • email dkl@dkl.co.uk • web www.dkl.co.uk

Easy ordering online www.ggtrade.co.uk Or call 01293 543221

TOYS art and crafts!

FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

As if by magic MOOKIE 01525 722722 www.mookie-toys.co.uk

Creations 4 kids GREAT GIZMOS

With arts and crafts more popular than ever, Mookie Toys is aiming to make a big impact in the sector in 2015 with the 3D Magic Maker and Skwooshi.

3D Magic Maker is a revolutionary toy that allows children to create 3D masterpieces from scratch using gel pens and the UV Creation Station. For A/W 2015, Mookie will be bringing a new and improved Skwooshi to the craft sector, launching a range of new higher price point themed packs alongside the always popular pocket-money SKUs. Skwooshi is the incredible compound that stretches, moulds and shapes into any shape, and for 2015 there is a brand new compound that stretches further than ever before.

01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk Great Gizmos continues to take creative play to another level with exciting additions to the 4M range that will appeal to every artistic mind. There are also new additions from award winning Meadow Kids.

The Meadow Kids collection has a variety of craft, bath toys and educational games that will excite kids of all ages.

Boys and girls can get arty at home or on the move with the new Stencils and Pencils set that will transform everyday cards and envelopes with the included stencil designs and colouring pencils.

The Puzzle and Play sets allow kids to create their own tropical island, racing track or construction site scene that will float on water.

The latest fashion trends are now at girl’s fingertips with the 4M Spiral Charm Bracelets kit that lets girls transform everyday strings and beads into chic jewellery. There are other cool kits including the Gemstone Wristlet and Woven Rope Bracelet kits so girls can create stylish gifts for all their friends.

If embroidery is a favourite hobby then kids can create their own fashion accessories and gifts for friends and family. The Embroidery Buttons teaches children how to cross stitch using the thread and canvasses included.

For the boys, there is a whole host of motorised kits to create. The Insectoid creates a robot including a motor, wires and screws that looks just like a stick insect and will crawl and wriggle along the ground. Another project that will speed along the ground is the Mecho Motorised Kits Racer Car. This fab new kit helps kids become a young mechanical engineer and explore important mechanisms like pivots, linkages and levers, a must for a first project in mechanical science.

For creative kits with a difference, the Tubee Animals Kit contains EVA foams, joints and straws to help construct animal creations, and the Tubee Aircraft Kit contains enough materials to build a helicopter, airplane and glider.

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Perfect for mini artists JOHN CRANE 01604 774 949 www.john-crane.co.uk John Crane Ltd’s wonderful Tidlo Height Adjustable Easel was added to the range last year. This easel is large, double-sided, and has a height adjustable feature that means both sides of the easel can be at different heights to allow children of different heights to play simultaneously.

Tasty creations RE:CREATION 01189 736222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Creative kids will love getting their hands on the new Makea-Bar Chocolate Factory kits by Magic Choc. Including everything that children need to design and make their own chocolate bars in minutes.

The launch line-up includes the Make-a-Bar Chocolate Factory Single Bar Pack and a special edition Minions Twin Bar Pack, capitalising on the buzz around the hotly anticipated June release of the Minions movie.

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FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

Blo with the flow JOHN ADAMS 01480 414361 www.johnadams.co.uk The John Adams creative play portfolio continues to expand, boasting a whole host of new crafty offerings for children to explore their creative side.

The new Sands Alive range offers a complete line of products based around special super soft modelling sand for children amazingly soft feel with a aged three plus. Sands Alive has an ama light and fluffy texture that doesn’t feel gritty.

Sands Alive doesn’t dry out A and is super easy to mould s into detailed shapes for lots de of play value. The range, which includes a Starter Set, a Classic Set, themed sets and a Super Set, will a roll out o from July and will be TV T advertised.

The Th popular Blo Pens range now includes ran Disney Frozen themed Dis sets. set The T Disney Frozen licence also extends lic

This is sew cool!

SPIN MASTER 01628 535000 www.spinmaster.com Kinetic Sand is the squeezable sand where you can really feel the fun. The range contains bright neon-coloured sands and exciting new gem and metallic tones, alongside natural sand.

The revolutionary threadless sewing machine Sew Cool Sewing Studio was a hit when launched last year as it made it easy for first time sewers.

Now Spin Master is making knitting easy with the Knits Cool Knitting Studio.

The Post Knitting system lets kids create trendy knitted creations without the use of traditional knitting needles which beginners often find hard to handle. Different project kits are available with various sized knitting posts for use with the studio.

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further into the creative play range with larger craft offerings coming later in the year.

These include the Snow Globe Maker, where fans can create two re-usable snow globes; Snow Glowbz Light & Sparkle Globe Charms, which comes complete with three mini reusable snow globes and magical glowing light; and the Snow Glowbz Light & Sparkle Palace Studio, which includes a sparkling snow globe ice palace and mini snow globes.

Aimed at girls aged six plus, Bangle Blitz facilitates the design and creation of fabulous bangles with fun and funky wraps. This simple but innovative set includes wooden bangle sticks, a unique bangle maker tool, lots of wrap designs and stickers to embellish and personalise the designs. There are two options available, City Girl and Festival Girl.

The company’s food craft range is also growing with two new introductions, the Mini Make Cupcakes set and the MixUbbles Candy Flavoured Drinks Maker. The Mini Make Cupcakes kit enables kids to make mini cupcakes simply by mixing and melting. Tasty drinks are on the menu with the MixUbbles Candy Flavoured Drinks Maker, which comes with everything to make a whole host of different flavoured drinks.

Choc-tastic SIMBA SMOBY 01274 765030 www.simbasmoby.com/en With a new European-wide distribution deal signed Simba Smoby is entering the arts and crafts category with Chocolate Picture Maker, Gelli Baff and Slime Baff.

Offering children the ability to make and personalise their own chocolate bar, the innovative Chocolate Picture Maker brings fun to food play. Containing only 100% Belgian chocolate, the Chocolate Picture Maker is as delicious as it is fun and easy to make.

Turning bath time into fun time, Gelli Baff is a unique, safe and fun waterbased product that enables children to turn water into malleable goo and back again. New for 2015, Slime Baff powder transforms bath water into actual gooey slime, which can be easily diluted by adding more water.

Perfect for mini Monets KIDKRAFT +31203058620 www.kidkraft.com Creativity, functionality and style come together in KidKraft’s Deluxe Wood Easel, with classic lines that will bring out a child’s inner artist. Another option is the Wooden Adjustable Easel, a perfect gift for young artists, with lots of exciting options to let their imaginations run wild.

With smart, sturdy, solid wood construction, it is also height adjustable.

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Button Bag Learn how to Knit BBKNIT Seedling Design your own Super Hero Cape 10SPRHO

Seedling Design A Dragon 13PWDGN

Button Bag Mini Piggy Feltie Friend Kit MINI565

Seedling Good Things For Boys 10GDBYS

Button Bag Learn How To Cross Stitch BBCROS

Seedling The Fashion Designer’s Kit 10TFDSK

Disney Frozen Sticky Mosaics® Sparkling OSM11446

Plushcraft® Fancy Fish OSM70120

My Design 3D Dog 73695

Sticky Mosaics® Twinkle Tiaras OSM62699

See our full range of creative craft inspired toys and gifts

www.asobi.co.uk

T: 01628 200077 • E: info@asobi.co.uk asobitoys

@asobi_toys

FEATURE

ARTS & CRAFTS

Riot of colour VIVID 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Crayola’s new Creations product, Thread Wrapper, is sure to be a hit with any young girl this year allowing them to personalise their accessories.

They can choose from the included threads or colour their own with the rethreading unit, and feed whatever they want to wrap through the machine to add their own personal style.

Headphones, bracelets, pens, necklaces, sunglasses and much more can all be wrapped.

Creating custom paint colours is fun, fast, and easy with the Crayola Paint Maker. Follow the mixing guide and add the mess-free pigment strips to the base

Fun in the summer sun n WEST DESIGN PRODUCTS www.westdesignproducts.com 01303 297888 With festivals in full swing and birthdays rthdays and garden parties on the cards, Faber-Castell ell Creativity For Kids kits offer inspiring projects to make ake the most of the season. Beads and hair decorations ns are very much on trend at the moment and greatt fun to create and customise.

CFK Headband & Bracelet Studio comes with assorted 65cm lengths of stretchy fabric to decorate with stamps, paint, beads and bows to make 16 pretty accessories to wear and share. CFK Bright Bead Boutique has over 800 cute flower-shaped beads in assorted summer colours to make eight bracelets and three rings - enough to make some customised gifts for friends as well as keep some. And with CFK Flower Crowns kids can make the season’s hottest accessory for festivals and weddings.

CFK Pop-Up Cards comes with everything needed to make birthday greetings, invitations or simple Have a Nice Day cards – the decoration and greeting can be anything!

It comes with 10 honeycomb pop-up shapes, foil and colour-in stickers, marker pens, glue stick and 10 cards and envelopes.

West Design Products is the sole UK distributor of Faber-Castell CFK kits.

Lucky charm WOOKY EUROPE 0151 494 3821 www.wookyentertainment.com

paint, load it in to the unit and crank the fun DIY style paint mixer to shake it all up and create the desired colour of paint.

Kids can draw just about anything with Sketch Wizard, which projects a ghosted image on paper, making it really easy to draw. Simply place the object on the shelf, and away you go.

Anything is possible with the Crayola Sketch Wizard.

Crayola is famous for being easy to wash, and this year introduces an all new innovation in washable ink formulation.

Called Ultra Clean, it sets a new standard for washability with colours now coming out in just a cold wash. Crayola’s UltraClean Washable Markers range is even more washable from skin, clothing and painted walls than ever before.

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Charmazing is the perfect design-ityourself jewellery craft line for young designers. Style Me Up!’s Charmazing keeps tweens designing expandable and stackable bangle bracelets that can be charmed-up with style, making their own custom charm bracelets with colourful threads, beads, gem, chains, pearls and much more.

For young artists looking to create innovative fashions that reflect their own style, Style Me Up! offers a range of new sketchbooks.

Glitz and glamour TRENDS UK 01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk Girls can bring sparkle to their world with the beautiful Glitza Glitter Tattoos, available from Trends UK. Add the glamorous glitter tattoos to skin for an instant cool body art look, or apply to different surfaces to decorate nails, make clothes unique, personalise stationery and much more with glittery tattoo prints.

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ne u J 23rd 15 20

GOLF £95 FOR THE DAY

CLASSIC 2008 - 2015

£95

A E R Y S 7 Goring & Streatley THE PACKAGE INCLUDES • Coffee and bacon rolls on arrival • 9 hole morning Texas Scramble from 9.30 • Lunch (ham, egg and chips) • 18 hole individual Stableford and team four ball, longest drive and nearest the pin • 3 Course Presentation Dinner Email: malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

FOR THE DAY

TNP

AMBASSADORS

Zoom into the future of fun VTech recently launched their Kidizoom FunCam aimed at children aged from five onwards. Scott Birch, father to nine-year-old Gabe, tells us how his family got on with the latest in kid-friendly technology Let’s get one thing straight – the Kidizoom FunCam is not going to compete with your average smartphone in terms of image and video quality, and it’s not designed to.

This rugged camera is, however, something that you can happily leave in the hands of the kids and let them use their imagination to boldly go where no other expensive electronic device should.

Straight out of the box, it looks an impressive collection of kit. As well as the small, tactile camera there is a holder, waterproof case and two mounting devices to stick the camera to virtually anything.

Having a nine-year-old boy, we skipped the instructions and went straight for the power switch (while charging it via USB cable).

The whole point of this camera is that it’s designed to be put through its paces in tricky terrain – like a Land Rover Defender!

We worked around our schedule and immediately strapped the camera to a cricket bat handle on the way to weekly practice.

‘BatCam’ proved a hit with the other children and after shooting a minute or two of video (with the camera pointing down the face of the bat), we set the camera up to take still photos every 10 seconds.

The results were obviously mixed, but that was all part of the appeal. It was like stepping back to my own childhood, where you didn’t know what you were going to get until you developed the photos.

Following this initial success we decided to follow the BatCam with the CatCam. Despite my son’s desire to fix the camera to our poor cat’s collar, we decided instead to set the camera up in the cat’s territory and effectively spy on him with those 10-second shots.

The camera comes with

Play

Gabe and his dad attached VTech’s Kidizoom to his cricket bat The camera proved to be a real hit!

Play

Gabe made sure he was in full view

“

Straight out of the box, it looks an impressive collection of kit. As well as the small, tactile camera there is a holder, waterproof case and two mounting devices to stick the camera to virtually anything

”

built-in memory to store a few hundred shots, but we added a 4GB memory card to allow more than 34,000 shots, or almost 10 hours of surveillance.

We didn’t test the battery’s resolve on that score, but did manage to view a few thousand photos of the cat, mostly sleeping, having the occasional stretch and disappearing for food.

The concept was more important than the results.

This camera is great for attaching to a bike, skateboard or plunging into the bath with other toys, and will provide new angles and perspectives on everyday activities – that are perfect for sharing with friends and relatives, too.

View from the ground

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SUPPLIER

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

Trade talk This month we ask toy industry personnel about deliveries to retailers and Argos’ roll-out of digital stores...

PHILLIPA MACDONALD

SARAH DAYUS

Director, Ackerman International Do you think Argos’ continued roll-out of digital stores has the potential to change the face of retail?

The buying demands and patterns of the consumer have changed so dramatically over the past five years. While some customers will be happy to work purely with technology to make their purchases, others like to experience good old fashioned customer service, advice and to touch and feel the products. The face of retail will always continue to change.

What is your year-on-year growth for online sales?

Ackerman International takes the decision not to supply directly to the consumer online, however we have noticed a significant increase in our customer base of online retailers from the small one man band operating from home to large organizations with amazing technology and warehousing behind them.

What efforts do you go to ensure deliveries arrive to retailers on time and intact?

As a relatively new company our customer service is paramount to the success of our business. We are approached on a daily basis by various transport companies touting for our business, but we are very happy with the companies that we use for both carton and pallet deliveries. Sometimes it’s not all about the cheapest transport costs it’s more about reliability and trust as whilst they are delivering our orders they are representing our company.

Let’s talk product, what is your favourite line in your current range?

As one of the owners of Ackerman International, I have to believe in every product that we buy and sell so it’s difficult to have favourites! However, we are especially excited to be the exclusive UK distributors for The Irish Fairy Door Company.

Brand Manager, Great Gizmos Do you think Argos’ continued roll-out of digital stores has the potential to change the face of retail?

Many retailers are now offering click and collect services which may have contributed to an increase in online sales due to consumer convenience and reduced postage costs. Argos’ digital stores will allow them to deliver more products faster and cheaper than competitors. It may well change the face of retail for Argos but I’m not sure other retailers will follow the trend. Consumers still like to browse and physically see products. The advanced technology may also put some consumers off!

What efforts do you go to ensure deliveries arrive to retailers on time and intact?

We go to great lengths to ensure our deliveries arrive intact and on time. We double check all the orders as packed to ensure no short deliveries. All deliveries go out on a next day service or on pallets where possible. We pride ourselves on our customer service so this is important to us. Orders are booked in when requested. We have a great long standing team who work closely with our customers.

CHRISTIAN HERISSON UK Sales Director, Usborne Publishing Do you think Argos’ continued roll-out of digital stores has the potential to change the face of retail?

I don’t think the continued rollout of Argos’ digital stores will immediately change the face of retail. They had a major issue when customers reacted badly to the removal of catalogues from the stores. Now catalogues are back in the stores sitting alongside the tablets and digital displays the initiative is working.

What efforts do you go to ensure deliveries arrive to retailers on time and intact?

We have KPIs in place with our distributors to insure that deliveries arrive on time and to the required goods in specifications of our customers.

These KPIs are monitored monthly.

Have you got the best partner?

Amethyst is the brand leader in UK Toys and Games Logistics

Our flexible and proactive service optimises costs for our clients and we deliver a pain free peak year after year.

For a stress free, multichannel, logistics solution, please contact: info@amet info@amethystgroup.co.uk 01580 895600 www.amethystgroup.co.uk JUNE 2015

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FEATURE

Rubie’s Elsa costume

DRESS UP - ROLE PLAY

Party on!

Stocking party, role-play and dress-up products offers retailers a fantastic opportunity to maximise profitability.

But why does it work so well?

O

ur imagination is one of our greatest gifts, it separates us from the rest and for a child, imagination opens up a whole world brimming with opportunity, fantasy and fun.

Role-play, dress-up and party toys and accessories all help add to the magic and allow a child to create a special world entirely unique to them. As more and more toy shops diversify their offering to consumers to maximise profit, party, role-play and dress-up has never been so important.

What works well

Rubie’s Iron Man

Party specialists Amscan have a whole host of exciting ranges which, according to Marketing Executive Charlotte Cox, work extremely well in toy shops.

“Ranges featuring hot licensed characters work particularly well, we have over 100 properties within our portfolio including; Frozen, Minions, Paw Patrol and Avengers.

Party products can create great in store theatre, we always encourage retailers to get product out of its packaging and create a display to entice customers into the Our store. The products can also ranges are draw store visitors to certain doing well and parts of the shop once inside.

Party products and balloons we are adding make a great impulse purchase new lines to it to increase basket spend.”

Smiffys Marketing Director this summer, Dominique Peckett adds that but we’ve also the party products which are had great the most appropriate to stock success with in toy shops include wellour Super Hero known characters, particularly those from books or games. ranges “Where’s Wally is a hugely popular costume year round, Struan Robertson, and is perfect for the various Rubie’s dress-up events primary schools take part in, including World Book Day,” she says.

“

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Rubie’s are another company whose products sell well and fit nicely into toy shops. Trade Marketing & Digital Manager Struan Robertson explains why party and dress-up products work so well in toy shops.

“Licensed products work well across the board in retail, and dressup is no exception,” says Struan. “Tying in products to the current big movie, hot game or TV show works well for the dress-up market in that it inspires kids to immerse themselves in an imaginary world of their favourite characters of the moment while encouraging group play and activity.”

Putting party and dress-up aside, another favourite is role-play, and Casdon have a superb range of roleplay toys, perfect for encouraging more grown-up play.

Speaking about sales, Joint MD Phil Cassidy tells us: “Casdon’s roleplay toys have their own unique place both in the toy shop and in the play room. Our sales are consistent from one year to the next. This year has been no exception with lines such as the toy Dyson Ball Vacuum and Morphy Richard Kitchen Set, performing well alongside many of our Little Helper, Cook and Shopper generic lines.”

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Peterkin

Step into licensing Attaching a licence to party, dressup and role-play products gives added oomph to a line and means that these ranges sit perfectly beside licensed toys in store, which is crucial for boosting your offering to consumers. So what licences are working in the sector at the moment, and what should retailers keep an eye out for?

“Frozen, of course, has been as popular for us as it has been across the retail sector in general,” says Rubie’s Struan.

“Our ranges are doing well and we are adding new lines to it this summer, but we’ve also had great success with our Super Hero ranges following the popular TV show The Flash and the recent slew of Marvel movies like the most recent Avengers: Age Of Ultron blockbuster. Later this year we’re hoping that the new Star Wars movie will award us new opportunities for more great kids’ costumes.”

For Smiffys, classic character licences are a hit, Dominique tells us: “For children there are several licenses which work really work, particularly in the toy market.

These include the Roald Dahl, Horrible Histories and Where’s Wally licenses.

“There is huge potential for addon sales of these costumes where retailers already stock the series of children’s books. Merchandising these costumes with Smiffys point of sale displays will ensure they have maximum impact and increase the potential for add-on sales.”

Casdon hold licences for Dyson, Morphy Richards, Henry & Hetty and Phil says they have “high hopes for our new Annabel Karmel collection. This brand new collection is actually fully functional bake wear in miniature form and not just for pretend”.

Popular with parents While you can tempt children, the buck tends to stop with parents, they have to buy into the licences and the concepts behind them.

So how do you lure parents in too? World Book Day, for example, really has the parental seal of approval and it is crucial toy shops are on board too. Smiffys

JUNE 2015

Dominique explains more: “World Book Day is the biggest dressup event of the year outside of Halloween, so maximising on this promotional period is imperative for toy retailers. Retailers can take advantage of free point of sale materials available from Smiffys when ordering the minimum quantity of costumes.”

Struan adds that movies releases offer another avenue of appeal and are a popular tie-in.

“This is due in part to the amount of advertising and press that surrounds a blockbuster, but also the excitement that movies nowadays impart in kids and adults.

Digitally-enhanced filmmaking is so good now that completely fantastic worlds, and the characters that inhabit them, are brought to life in a way that would have been unimaginable in the fairly recent past. This in turn offers up all manner of dress-up opportunities which kids love for playtime as it encourages them to imagine themselves in the fantastical and exciting worlds which they’ve seen in the cinema or on television.”

Amscan

Impact Making an impact in-store is crucial, but what time of year does party and dress-up really take off? The good news for retailers is that it is an all-year phenomenon.

“Birthdays are an obvious occasion for toy retailers to Party take advantage of as parents will already be visiting the products can stores to buy presents,” create great in points out Charlotte. “By store theatre, we offering party products as always additional extras customers can have the convenience of encourage getting everything at once retailers to get and increase their overall product out of its spend. Seasonal events packaging and such as Halloween also hold a great opportunity to create a display maximise sales, in particular to entice as this year 31 October lands customers into on a Saturday.”

You’d be foolish, as a the store. retailer, to ignore the party, Charlotte Cox, dress-up and role-play sector given the phenomenal levels Amscan of opportunity to crosssell, but most importantly, everyone loves dressing up.

“

”

Retail comment “We sell licensed fancy dress and dress-up products and in general it sells very well for us. It is a range that has seen growth year-on-year. We have one store this year expanding the space dedicated to this category to span just over 500 sq ft. Which household doesn’t need a fledgling Spiderman or Cinderella?”

Bhav Patel, MD, Toy Galaxy

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Heart of a lion PETERKIN UK LTD 0116 254 3645 www.peterkin.co.uk Throughout history, children have wielded swords in imaginary battles and fought off make-believe enemies, and it is still an everyday sight to see a child playing knight or pirate.

This is why Liontouch active fantasy toys represent a truly classic yet very modern play experience that will appeal to children everywhere. These high quality toys with elaborate, intricate illustrations will entice kids to play out their fantasies while parents can be assured that safety has been made the highest priority.

It is a combination of long experience and a passion for detail that marks Liontouch apart. In order to maintain its position as the quality brand, strict attention is paid to every aspect of design. That is why you will find battle scars on the shields and feathering of the swords tip. The effect of sun streaming down on a shield from above breathes life into a toy, and that in turn adds a little extra to the experience of the young knight or princess.

Liontouch is well paired with Peterkin UK Ltd, and together they look forward to welcoming kids to the mythical, magical and fantastical world of Liontouch.

Leading role HTI 01253 778888 www.htigroup.co.uk HTI will be TV advertising three exciting new role-play toys in 2015, supported by integrated marketing and PR activities.

These include the Disney Frozen Colour Match Snowflake Bag, the My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Style n Groom and the new Mamas & Papas ‘Armadillo’ dolls pushchair. HTI offers an extensive selection of role-play toys.

Cookin’ up a storm SIMBA SMOBY 01274 765030 www.simbasmoby.com/en Smoby has long since become a household name for role-play toys, and its portfolio is now bigger than ever boasting an established collection of product across various themes including kitchens, shopping, DIY and parenting.

As well as being great fun for children, kitchen role-play helps to exercise the imagination and enhance social skills. With over 20 kitchens in the Smoby range - from high-end Tefal-branded super kitchens to compact versions and even barbecues the whole portfolio includes varying accessories with most models having integrated light and sound features. There’s also a character-licensed kitchens range available featuring Minnie Mouse, Frozen and many others.

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Avengers resembled HASBRO 020 8569 1234 www.hasbro.co.uk Blast like Iron Man with the Iron Man Arc FX Armour, which includes two gloves and one is equipped with a repulsor light and sound effects that make kids sound like the invincible Iron Man. Nothing can stop Tony Stark’s cutting-edge technology, that becomes more powerful with each new suit. And now, with Iron Man Arc FX Armour, kids can wield the power of Iron Man as they charge into their own adventures.

toysnplaythings.co.uk

A world of adventure awaits!

From role play sets, to themed costumes and fun wearable accessories Amscan have a varied dress up collection to inspire children of all ages.

Take a look online to view the full range of over 12,000 party products, costumes, balloons and accessories.

TEL: +44 (0)1908 288 500 E-MAIL: sales@amscan-uk.co.uk WEB: www.amscan.co.uk ŠAmscan 2015, ŠAnagram 2015 All rights reserved

FEATURE FEAT ATURE

DRESS S UP - RO ROLE OLE PLA PLAY AY Y

Something smells delicious LITTLE TIKES 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk

Superhero style RUBIE’S 08453 070707 www.rubiesuk.com Rubie’s licensed costume ranges continue to grow with new additions to its successful line of Disney Frozen dresses, sales of which have been spurred on by the recent Frozen Fever animated short film. The latest additions to the range include Frozen Fever Anna and Elsa dresses, while Rubie’s Disney Frozen itself has expanded with a brand new premium range of Elsa and Anna dresses with a more luxurious feel and detailed features, which come in at a higher price point.

Two completely new designs of Coronation Elsa and Anna dresses also land this month, while following the success of the Disney live-action Cinderella film, Rubie’s Cinderella dress has already become a popular new addition to its range of Disney dress-up.

Later in the summer, Rubie’s will be introducing new Minions kids’ costumes following the release of the Despicable Me spin-off movie to build on its Minions and Despicable Me dress-up ranges.

Rubie’s evergreen superhero ranges have seen recent additions with new licensed DC costumes of Batman, Superman and The Flash in the shape of the new Comic Book range. Following the success of the recent Marvel Avengers: Age Of Ultron movie, Rubie’s range of Avengers costumes for boys continues to grow from strength to strength.

A new addition to the range will land in July to tie in with the upcoming Marvel movie, Ant-Man, which will see an entirely new character added to Rubie’s extensive range of Marvel superhero costumes.

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Role-play is essential for any budding little one keen to learn about the world. This spring/summer, Little Tikes has a range of toys that will keep kids entertained for hours, while encouraging individual development and creativity and not forgetting helping them to enter into an exciting world of imaginative play.

The only kitchen that comes fully assembled and magically folds up, cooking has never been so tidy than with the Cook n’ Store Kitchen.

Coming fully assembled, all accessories can even be stored inside the compact role-play toy while it is collapsed down. A carbon copy of mum and dad’s kitchen at home, it even includes a stove top and true to life clicking knobs.

There’s hours of fun to be had with this culinary creating treat for little ones and storage comes easily as it comes with spinning shelves and 34 accessories including plates, cups, silverware, pans, cooking utensils, and play goods and spices.

Spring will see the new Sizzle n’ Serve Grill launch, adding lots of fun and creativity as kids role-play BBQ fun, just like mum and dad. Cool colours and styling, and lots of accessories make barbequing time the best time ever! Features include easy assembly, an easy-open lid, 12 accessories, fun styling, and wheels for easy maneuverability.

To the rescue!

VIVID 01483 449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk International Rescue has made a sensational return to TV in the new Thunderbirds Are Go series. Foiling the Hood’s plots and saving the world from disaster, the Tracy brothers are never short of adventure, and Thunderbirds fans can join the adventures with the International Role Play Uniform.

Based on Scott Tracy’s uniform, this role-play costume makes kids a member of International Rescue.

This costume is suitable for kids five to seven-years-old and fits up to 130cm tall.

Under pressure TRENDS UK 01295 768078 www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK’s new Kärcher for Kids High Pressure Cleaner looks like a real adult version, but is smaller and perfect for kids to role-play cleaning up their bikes, toys and outside patio with water from the garden tap or hose. It requires no batteries.

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LIONTOUCH Available from Peterkin Highest quality EVA foam

Peterkin UK Ltd - 85, Commercial Square - Leicester. LE2 7SR Phone: 0116 254 3645 - Fax: 0116 247 0618 Email: sales@peterkin.co.uk - Web: www.peterkin.co.uk LIONTOUCH© by Visiodan A/S

•

© Visiodan

•

All rights reserved

16/01/

•

www.Liontouch.com

LIONTOUCH© by Visiodan A/S • © Visiodan • All rights reserved • www.Liontouch.com Strandvejen 171, 1 • DK-2900 Hellerup • Tel.: +45 39 62 39 44 • Fax: +45 39 62 39 84 • Info@Liontouch.com

_105x148_ 2015.indd 3

1

FEATURE F EATURE

DRESS D RESS UP - RO ROLE OLE P PLAY LAY

On a role DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk

Get into Character CHARACTER OPTIONS OPTION 0161 633 9800 www.character-online.co.uk www.character-online.co.u Character Options provides provid a unique take on role-play role-pla products, letting children childre 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. New for summer 2015 is the piece of equipment that no rescue hero should be without: the Fireman Sam Rescue Scissors. No emergency is too big for this pretend piece of hefty kit that can cut though a car to rescue anyone trapped inside in an instant!

DKL’s role-play range from Wonderworld has been strengthened this year with the addition of new and updated kitchen sets. The collection includes a Cooker & Stove, Sink, Washing Machine, Little Chef Station and Refrigerator – all of which are made from durable, top-quality rubber-wood.

To complement the kitchen sets, Wonderworld also has a great selection of accessories to enhance the role-play experience. The Fruit and Veggie baskets come with six food items, and the Wonder Cash Register features a real calculator and toy money.

Mini friends, mega fun GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221 www.greatgizmos.co.uk Great Gizmos’ luxury plush portfolio introduces a new duo to the NICI Wonderland range that kids will be eager to get their hands on for the ultimate role-play experience.

New to NICI Wonderland are Minilucas and Minisophie who are the best friends down on their farm, and love to look after their animal friends. Minilucas and Minisophie are available as 30cm plush dolls and have matching accessories available, including a cushion and miniature farm animals. Minilina the Vet is a wonderfully soft plush dolly who loves to care for her animals. Wearing a veterinarian tabard and carrying her plush pink bag with her medical instruments, she is the ready for any animal emergency.

Who will you be?

SMIFFYS 0800 590 599 www.smiffys.com Try not to get lost in the Where’s Wally? costume!

The officially licensed costume is great comedy fancy dress and is guaranteed to bring the fun to the party, included are Wally’s iconic top, trousers, glasses and hat, ensuring kids definitely stand out at the party.

Smiffys has teamed up with Roald Dahl to create an officially licensed range of exciting character fancy dress, including the Willy Wonka Costume. With top, trousers, bow tie, hat and cane, kids can enter the scrumdidlyuptious world of Willy Wonka in this fantastic costume.

Kids will love dressing up as their favourite historical characters in Smiffys’ range of officially licensed Horrible Histories dress up.

Perhaps most famous for his six wives, Henry VIII is one of the most memorable Tudor kings and this costume is complete with a brown embellished tunic and hat.

History has never been so much fun!

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Look who’s joined the Casdon family!

My Perfect Pastry Set

Microwave, Kettle & Toaster Set

FOR

2015!

Just like the real thing!

Cake Stand

Inventors of Fun & Play!

Casdon plc. Cornford Road, Blackpool, Lancs FY4 4QW Tel: +44 (0)1253 766411 Fax: +44 (0)1253 691486 Email: roger@casdon.co.uk www.casdon.com

FEATURE

DRESS UP - RO ROLE O PLAY

One stop party shop AMSCAN 01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk Amscan International has a fabulous range of costumes to suit babies and children of all ages, whatever the occasion! Popular everyday dress up themes within the range include; pirates, storybook characters, animals and more.

Receiving great interest are the adorable new Flutterby and Little Dragon costumes available in six to 12 and 12 to 18 months.

Amscan has also expanded their exclusive Barbie costume range for 2015, adding a new superhero option Barbie Power Princess, as well as pretty ballet and princess outfits.

Role play goes hand-in-hand with dressing up and with this in mind Amscan has added a range of role playsets to their collection. With over 15 new sets to choose from there is great choice covering key themes from western to medieval, careers, fairy tales and more.

Not only do Amscan offer a wide variety of everyday costumes, retailers can also benefit from seasonal occasions with their extensive Halloween and Christmas costume collections.

Children’s parties are as popular as ever, with the influence of hot children’s properties including Disney Frozen, Minions and Marvel Avengers driving part of that demand.

Amscan’s extensive collection of over fifty licenced children’s ranges of partyware, balloons and accessories offers a fantastic choice to suit any child!

Amscan can provide everything to create a fantastic party theme from tableware, to decorations, balloons, favours and accessories. There is even a fun selection of party games to keep the little ones entertained for hours!

New unlicensed ensembles available for 2015 include Amscan’s new Owl range ideal for girls of all ages.

Continuing the trend for animals Amscan also has a separate new ensemble suited to both boys and girls including a hedgehog, frog, rabbit and fox. Those wanting to make a great statement at a party will love Amscan’s m range of over 60 AirWalkers and AirWalker AirWalke Balloon Buddies. These impressive balloons are able to ball move around freely themselves; adding a whole new dimension and play dimens factor, making them more mo like a toy than a standard balloon. sta New Ne additions include Disney Frozen’s Elsa, Di R2D2 from Star Wars R2 and an look out for Chase from Paw Patrol fr coming soon! co

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Party time!

TOBAR 0844 573 4299 www.tobar.co.uk Get ready for a great party with Tobar’s new range of fun Party Fillers. There’s everything your customers need to top up party bags and let children go home with a huge smile on their faces. Take their breath away with Magic Relighting Candles, which always entertain young children.

For fun activities at home or during parties why not try the Make Your Own Fairy Crown and Wand, and Rhinestone Princess Crown.

Tea, anyone?

LEAPFROG 01895 202840 www.leapfrog.com The Musical Rainbow Tea Party from LeapFrog features a light-up teapot that bubbles with personality. It features ten play pieces, including, tea cups, cake slices, a cake plate and teapot.

The Mobile Med Kit for children aged two years and up helps prepare little ones for real medical check-ups through fun role-play.

Kids can practice giving and getting check-ups with four tools and learn all about the human body.

Little fun CASDON 01253 608428 www.casdon.co.uk Role-play goes hand in hand with favourite licenses at Casdon, as children emulate traditional play with big brands such as Dyson, Morphy Richards and DeLonghi.

Casdon combines pretend play with household names to bring replica kitchen appliances and role-play accessories to the play room. Children can feel all grown-up as they play house with their friends using toys that mimic those used by mummy and daddy.

The Little Cook collection is a firm favourite and houses instantly recognisable home items. Kids can cook up a storm with the Morphy Richards Kitchen Set that includes appliances with contemporary styling such as a toaster, kettle and fillable coffee maker, plus a whole host of colourful crockery and cutlery. While the DeLonghi Microwave has a rotating turntable, flashing lights and cooking sounds to help cook treats at home.

New to the Little Cooks collection for 2015 are the Annabel Karmel toy baking accessories, which are bang up to date with the nation’s bake-off obsession. Offering real life baking as opposed to role-play, there’s everything a Casdon Little Cook could need, including mixing bowl and utensils, cookie cutters and cake tins to create real and edible treats, plus of course an icing set to make it all look scrumptious.

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FEATURE

DRESS UP - ROLE PLAY

That’s handy GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308 www.goldenbeartoys.com An exciting addition to this year’s Something Special range is the Mr Tumble Hand Puppet, which enables children and parents to put on their very own Something Special show to encourage roleplay. Soft and cuddly, the Mr Tumble Hand Puppet comes complete with Mr Tumble’s recognisable spotty bow tie and trademark waistcoat, as well as featuring embroidered facial detail and tactile materials for added play value.

The company’s Sooty collection includes replica Sooty, Sweep and Soo Hand Puppets as well as the Pop-Up Sooty Puppet show.

Cooking up an adventure LEARNING RESOURCES 01553 819386 www.learningresources.co.uk Cook up a new recipe for imaginative play with New Sprouts. This popular range from Learning Resources encourages role-play from an early age with bright and durable plastic pieces, perfect for little hands to hold.

Step into the outdoors and create a summer feast with Grill It! My very own barbeque set. This set of 21 includes a BBQ grill and cooking tongs along with everything to prepare and share delicious burgers, chicken, steak and salad. The sturdy plastic grill also acts as a storage bucket for easy pack away and storage.

An adventure awaits around the campfire with Camp Out! My very own camping set. Kids can pitch up indoors or out and create their own campsite for imaginative play that lasts all day. This set of 11 includes a duffle bag packed with a glow-in-the-dark lantern, two logs with pretend open flame, hotdog, two biscuits, marshmallow, chocolate and toasting fork.

Ice, ice baby GP FLAIR 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk

Gotta catch ‘em TOMY 020 8722 7300 www.tomy.com For role-play, Tomy’s Pokémon range empowers fans to reveal their inner Pokémon Trainer and drive them to train, battle and catch ‘em all! With lots of new characters for 2015, there is plenty to excite fans and take the world of Pokémon to new levels. For older children who want to perfect their skills as a Pokémon trainer, the Pokémon Clip ‘n’ Carry Poké Balls are the perfect choice. Collect the full range including Pikachu + Poké Ball, Talonflame + Quick Ball, Pumpkaboo + Dusk Ball and Tyrunt + Poké Ball. Each ball comes with a belt clip that is compatible with the role-play items and holds a 5cm Pokémon character.

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When it comes to children’s role-play, pretending to be a favourite character always makes for a fun filled game and never more so than with Flair’s licensed accessory collections.

“Let’s pretend we’re Queen Elsa”, is a game that most little girls will have played in the past year, but now they can use Flair’s Frozen Magic Ice sleeve to enhance the experience. All they have to do is slip the silk sleeve and glittered bracelet on to their arm and ‘let it go’ by spraying ice and snow into the world around them. The Ice Sleeve comes with a can of ice spray and a refillable water bottle attachment so that the fun is never-ending.

Another favourite Disney heroine is Doc Mcstuffins, who little girls can emulate with Flair’s growing range of role-play accessories. They can branch out and specialise with Dottie’s Eye Doctor Bag or in autumn they can turn their attention to healing poorly toy animals, just like Doc in the Pet Vet episodes.

There will be new accessories such as the Vet Bag Playset and the Pet Vet Desk, which will allow children to create their own clinic at home, ensuring all of their cuddly toy animals are kept fit and healthy.

Its cries of Cowabunga that can be heard from boys with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles role-play collection, including Ninja Combat Gear and Masks for each of the four brothers.

Battles of another kind can be had with the awesome new World of Warriors Battle Gear, including soft masks and weapons of hero Warriors: Gunnar, Crixus and Kuro.

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FEATURE

BIKES & TRIKES

Cycle of life TnP checks in with some of the UK’s top bike and trike suppliers to see how the market is faring

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n the pursuit of providing children with exciting and active play outdoors, toy companies have dreamed up and manufactured a whole host of wheeled toys and pedal-powered contraptions.

From animal-shaped ride-ons to scooters, scaled-down car facsimiles and more, the choice for consumers is broader than ever.

MV Sports’ Sales and Marketing Director, Phil Ratcliff, admits that “the outdoor category in general has been showing growth.”

Bike happy

“

We always try to offer something extra or different, whether it be extra design features, an added-value accessory or exclusive models

”

So how are bikes and trikes Phil Ratcliffe, MV performing in 2015 so far?

Sports Bikes and trikes sell steadily throughout the year, but the sector undoubtedly benefits when the sun shines brighter and later in the day.

Michelle Lilley, Marketing Manager – UK, Little Tikes, MGA Entertainment UK says the

MV Sports Star Wars bike

Little Tikes category is currently doing “extremely well”, and expects this strong performance to continue well into the second half of the year.

“We have seen a strong uplift in sales across all lines into the spring and anticipate this continuing over the summer – a key time of year for us,” she says.

Keeping it fresh For a product category as established as this one, keeping products fresh and exciting is hugely important, and all innovation must strike a balance between safety and wow factor.

Phil says this is all down to first class design: “We always try to offer something extra or different, whether it be extra design features, an added-value accessory or exclusive models,” he explains. “On licensed items we always endeavour to capture some of the license’s DNA and incorporate it into the product. Safety is a given, all our products must conform to stringent safety standards.”

Phil highlights Star Wars, Batman and Avengers for older boys, Disney Princess for girls and Thomas and Peppa for preschoolers as particularly strong licenses for MV currently.

Getting the right balance A relatively new addition to the world of bikes and trikes is balance bikes, which are gaining popularity each year. These products offer similar play experiences as their counterparts, but, with the omission of

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pedals, kids focus instead on their balance with a view to transitioning directly to push bikes – no stabilisers necessary. This novel approach is making waves in the marketplace, and balance bike specialist Kiddimoto has enjoyed growth of 25% every year for the past four.

“Our entire business is based on reinvigorating the category and offering something different to our competitors,” explains Kiddimoto Brand Manager, Hannah Strohmeier.

“As the balance bike category is so young, there is a huge opportunity for Kiddimoto, as awareness and the benefits of a balance bike versus stabilisers increases with both trade and consumers,” Hannah adds.

With sales of bikes and trikes riding high, and the summer promising even better trading, it’s time to stock up or be left behind!

This year’s hero products Phil Ratcliffe, MV Sports: Peppa 12” Bike, Star Wars 16” Bike and Batman 14” Batbike Hannah Strohmeier, Kiddimoto: Kurve Wooden Balance Bike range, Super Junior Balance Bikes, BoxKart Michelle Lilley, Little Tikes: 4-in-1 Sports edition, the forthcoming 5-in-1 Ride and Relax Trike

toysnplaythings.co.uk

FEATURE

BIKES & TRIKES

Grow as you go LITTLE TIKES 0845 0533 333 www.littletikes.co.uk Learn, grow and go! That’s Little Tikes’ mission for children this summer. Responding to consumer demand for high-quality and moveable toys, Little Tikes introduces its new Trikes and Ride-On collection.

Designed to develop physical, balance and steering skills, the brand new 4-in-1 Trikes will see hours of outdoor fun.

Cleverly designed to grow with a child through four separate learning stages, the 4-in-1 Trikes can be used from nine months to 30+ months, adapting with ease from a parent-guided stroller to an infant-powered trike.

The Guided stage one (nine plus months) has the infant rest down and safety harness in place so parents can push and are in control. The Learning stage two (12 plus months) sees the infant foot rest up so a child can start to pedal and learn about speed control with the parent steering. The Developing stage three (18 plus months) sees the trike being both parents and childpowered, and the removed waist bar allows the child to pedal and turn the wheel, while having steering help from the parent. The Independent stage four (30 plus months) gives the child full control so they can travel and discover at will.

The range of Trikes is packed with features that parents will love, such as durable, quiet ride tyres; five-point seatbelt harness and protective safety bar; durable metal and plastic construction; removable shade canopy; and detachable parent handle.

The sporty and cool styling of Sports Edition is perfectly suited to any budding sports stars. Coming in funky pink, blue and red, it’s sure to be a winner.

A heavy-weight media campaign will see parents looking to the new range for outdoor ‘Ride Happy, Grow Happy’ fun this summer.

Little feet PRINCE LIONHEART 0208 997 7054 www.princelionheart.com Prince Lionheart’s balanceBIKE, for children aged two years plus, helps beginner cyclists feel secure and learn to balance, a crucial skill to master before transitioning to a traditional pedal bicycle. The range includes the Original balanceBIKE, the CHOP balanceBIKE and Whirl balanceSCOOTER. Sleek, modern and powered by little feet, the clever steering mechanism of the yoMOTO, for children aged 18 months plus, means it’s easy to get around by leaning on the handlebars. Available in white with blue or red flash, the team at Prince Lionheart likes to think of it as the bike before bikes.

Adventure awaits travellers with the new yetiZOO, for children aged 18 months plus, a fabulous ride-on with a secret compartment for little ones’ things. Two designs, Joey the Smiley Hippo and Jerri the Happy Elephant, come in red, blue and green.

Wheeling out the big brands HTI 01253 775544 When it comes to bikes and trikes, HTI wheel out the big brands with bikes and trikes for children of all ages.

From the most successful Disney animation in the UK, HTI provide a selection of Disney Frozen wheeled toys including bikes for children from two to seven years.

Light the Fuze RE:CREATION 01189 736222 www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation’s Fuze bike accessories brand continues to light up the bikes and trikes aisle with exciting products that deliver innovative fun for young cycling or scooter fans.

Evergreen item, the Fuze Wheel Writer, continues to ride high in popularity.

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Learn… Grow… Go! Steer your sales with our brand new Trikes range Our 4-in-1 trikes are: • Designed to develop physical, balancing, and steering skills.

• Adapts from a parent guided stroller to infant powered trike.

ge of styles n a r l l u f C h o o s e f ro m o u r

t gh i e w ia n y av ed paig e H Mm Ca

Visit www.littletikes.co.uk to find out more Call us: 0845 0533 333 | Email us: Little.Tikes@zapf-creation.co.uk MGA Entertainment UK Ltd, 50 Presley Way, Crownhill, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ES

FEATURE

BIKES & TRIKES

Riding licence MV SPORTS 0121 748 8000 www.mvsports.com

MV has a broad range of bikes and trikes for 2015, for all ages in must-have licenses, such as Disney Princess, Thomas and Avengers, and in its popular own brand Grow & Go – perfect for kids to get wheeling around this summer!

Disney Princess has proven itself as an evergreen license in the girls’ pre-school arena.

MV’s Disney Princess trikes and bikes have been enhanced with magical features such as throne-shaped seats and delicate touches like pretty tassels, bespoke mouldings and sparkly details fit for a princess.

The ever-successful Peppa Pig range of bikes and trikes, which adapt as the child gains more confidence, is showing great growth. All feature a sweet polka dot print and cute character graphics, and are a must have for any little girl’s Peppa Pig collection.

MV’s awesome boys’ pre-school classics, Thomas the Tank Engine and Fireman Sam, both boast a selection of innovative designs such as the popular 2-in-1 training bike. The 2-in-1 is a cool convertible bike that transforms from a balance bike to a pedal bike as the child builds confidence - a sure fire win for any little boy.

Always looking to add more value, MV’s Grow & Go range is focused on a parentfriendly combination of convertibility and reconfigurable bikes and trikes, which allows each product to adapt to the child’s needs as they grow in confidence.

Another great new pre-school range is In the Night Garden. As one of CBeebies’ top rated shows, MV Sports have developed a unique range of trikes featuring multi character designs alongside Iggle Piggle specific products.

For older boys, Avengers and Star Wars promise to be the blockbuster hits of the year and MV has created a range based on striking character-driven designs for 14” and 16” bikes. Batman is still a tr trusted favourite and this year saw the introduction of the 14” Bat Bike, which makes a real rea statement with bat-shaped plaque and fin, and iconic graphics.

The smart choice MOOKIE 01525 722722 www.mookie-toys.co.uk ys.co.uk Mookie Toys continues tinues to strengthen its trike ke portfolio with Scuttlebug and Smart Trike in 2015.

Scuttlebug continues ntinues to prove hugely successful ccessful within the foot-toofloor ride-on market. rket.

These innovative e toddler trikes are e perfect for children ren aged one year and over. er.

As well as being ng fun, bright and funky, they have front wheel steering for greater manoeuvrability and a clever but simple threeclick folding system, making them portable, easy to store and practical for the modern family.

For 2015, Mookie Toys has also introduced new colourful designs with the Grasshopper and Butterfly, and will continue to be supported

by TV advertising as well as mummy blogger reviews. For 2016, Mookie is very excited to announce that it will be introducing a range of licensed Scuttlebugs for 2016.

Smart Trike continues to perform well with its revolutionary trikes proving hugely popular with parents.

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One in a Minion H. GROSSMAN GROS LTD 0141 613 2525 2 www.ozbozz.co.uk www.ozbo Grossman is famous for its H. Grossm products and this year outdoor p Despicable Me Minionsits Despica balance bike is themed ba pavements. taking to the t Designed for younger kids to get used use to riding bikes themed with the everand theme Minions, this balance popular M appeal to the millions bike will a of o Minions fans out there. No bike or trike would be safe without a helmet Minions safety helmet is very popular. and the M slightly older children there is the Elektra brand encompassing For slig popular hog trikes, alongside other outdoor wheeled products. really po Elektra brand is a co-ordinated range designed in The Elekt colourways and includes matching safety gear neon colo - a design-led brand very much for today’s fashion conscious kids. The Elektra Hog is great fun and is ever popular.

Cool lights that can be set to static or flashing, adjustable seat position and a sturdy tubular frame all add to the safety features. Wide wheels, front braking system and easy grip handles add to the stability. This trike is perfect for kids aged six and up.

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outdoor adventures start with a kiddimoto balance bike award-winning wooden and metal balance bikes for 2 years +

for more information or to order, speak to Ian or Nikki on 01749 871175. full range can be seen on www.kiddimoto.co.uk.

FEATURE

BIKES & TRIKES

Storming ahead CHICCO 01623 750870 www.chicco.co.uk

Balance is key y KIDDIMOTO 01749 871175 www.kiddimoto.co.uk Kiddimoto has set the bar high when it comes to balance bikes. Its products help develop balance and coordination while being cool, stylish and great fun to ride. The skills developed while riding a Kiddimoto balance bike enable children to make a seamless transition to a pedal bike without the use of stabilisers.

Wooden and metal balance bikes for boys and girls aged two to six are now available in new fun and colourful designs. There are two brand new designs to the Kiddimoto Kurve range: the girly butterfly and the skull and crossbones design, perfect for little boys. To complement the bikes, there is a stylish range of helmets and gloves in matching designs to complete the look.

Kiddimoto’s latest creation, BoxKart, offers a nostalgic glimpse back to when the original soapbox racers ruled the hills. However, BoxKart brings the four-wheeled kart racing up to date in a new, slick black or blue-and-orange striped colour way, an adjustable frame, handbrake and pneumatic tyres for a super smooth ride. These retro children’s wooden go-karts are designed to bring the whole family together and will be a must-have for children in summer 2015.

Kiddimoto balance bikes are designed in the UK and all the wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests.

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Adding to Chicco’s range of pre-school trikes es and balance bikes,, the Yellow Thunder er Balance Bike will wow any little one.

Yellow Thunder is the brand new balance e bike from Chicco for 2015, which joins the already popular Red Bullet and Pink Arrow models in the he range. A sporty bike with a semi hydro-formed rear fork and double-place, cross-style fork, the two-wheeled design encourages children to learn key skills including balance and coordination, which helps them in their first step towards using a bicycle with pedals.

Made from ultra light metal it is lightweight and easy to transport and the soft, no-slip saddle also offers a comfortable and safe ride, ensuring parent’s minds are at ease. Made with EVA tyres and a 12” frame, Yellow Thunder is suitable for ages three to five years old.

Ride on time DKL MARKETING 01604 678780 www.dkl.co.uk DKL’s portfolio of brands includes Miniland Educational and Wonderworld Wooden Toys – both of which have a fantastic selection of wheeled toys and trikes.

Miniland Educational’s Large Plastic Vehicles range includes the Monster Truck, which doubles up as a sit-and-ride toy when the dumper is flipped backwards. The Monster Truck is designed with eye-catching primary colours and it is suitable for indoors and outdoors. Children aged two and above can enjoy playing with this sturdy ride-on vehicle.

Wonderworld is a top quality range of wooden toys, which are made with a strong eco-friendly policy. The products are made from high-quality sustainable rubber-wood and they are packaged in material made from over 70% recycled material. For every tree used in production, two more are planted.

Older children aged 18 months and above can also enjoy the Sit & Rides collection from Wonderworld. The Red Buggy Car has reinforced wheels and an easy-to-manoeuvre handle bar for easy play and steering; the Recycling Truck and Fire Engine have handy storage space; and the Puffy Dragon can double up as a toy when the detachable dragon is lifted off its wheels.

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Spend ÂŁ200 (ex VAT) on Prince Lionheart products with Babyprice and receive a yetiZOO of your choice FREE. Promo ref: yetiZOO valid for orders received before end of June

REVIEW

TOYMASTER

Toymaster triumph

Play

The Toymaster show is over for another year and Team TnP were there for the full three days. We give you a snapshot of what went on in Harrogate

T

“

he Toymaster 2015 show went off with a bang with suppliers and retailers alike – with both sides of the fence enjoying business chat and deals during the day, but mingling and letting their hair down together at night.

Michele Marziliano, Few events on the toy Country Manager, calendar garner universal rave Clementoni reviews but Toymaster manages just that. Team TnP chatted to Stuart Crawford of MV Sports who says: “It is always an interesting show and there is lots of interest in our ranges.

StarWars Stormtroopers has been taken up very well. Disney Princess and Thomas have also been good".

The good feeling and orders taken were also felt in other corners of the Majestic.

Our first time at Toymaster has been truly very positive

”

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Robert Craddock and Ian Biddleston, both Sales Managers for Hobby Company agree that the show is a cracker: “People have been positive and there has been very good support here at Toymaster, particularly for our Mario Kart and Carrera ranges”.

And first timers up at the Harrogate show not only enjoyed the vibe but also loved taking the orders. Michele Marziliano, Country Manager of Clementoni gave his perspective: “Our first time at Toymaster has been truly very positive. We have met a lot of new customers and a lot of orders have been taken. The feedback has been fantastic especially to our Baby Clementoni range – which has gone down very well indeed”.

TnP TV filmed some terrific interviews with great suppliers while up at the show which can be seen

on the TnP website – details below.

But for many the social aspect of the show really makes it a highlight of the year, with so many really embracing to fun fancy dress themes.

A special mention must go to the guys from Character Options and to Amy and Edel from Bandai – Team TnP has never seen men riding on donkeys with such aplomb, nor have we seen Mexican footballers with such great pins!

All that remains to say is, we look forward to next year with eager anticipation and if you want to see more pictures from Toymaster 2015 and read more from those who exhibited and attended, as well as check out TnP TV from Toymaster 2015, go to the digital edition of TnP on www. toysnplaythings.co.uk

toysnplaythings.co.uk

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TECHNICAL COLUMN BUREAU VERITAS

EC-type examination Malcolm Horner, Toy Technical Consultant, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services on understanding EC-Type Examination

“

An EC-type examination can only be carried out by a notified body

”

When is an EC-type Examination necessary?

Toy manufacturers will usually apply the harmonised standards (EN 71, EN 62115, etc.) to demonstrate that a toy complies with the essential safety requirements of the EU Toy Safety Directive. However, an EC-type examination may sometimes be necessary: A. Where harmonised standards covering all relevant safety requirements for the toy do not exist (see example 1).

B. where harmonised standards exist but the manufacturer has not applied them or has applied them only in part (see example 2).

C. where one or more of the harmonised standards has been published in the Official Journal with a restriction by the Commission (see example 3).

D. when the manufacturer considers that the nature, design, construction or purpose of the toy necessitate third party verification (see 4 below).

Examples: 1.

2.

3.

4.

This would be applied when a toy includes an aspect that is not fully addressed by the harmonized standards. For example, a chemistry set might contain a chemical that is not on the specific list in EN 71-4, but a toxicological risk assessment has shown that the additional chemical presents a low risk.

This might be a case where a toy has failed to comply with a particular requirement in the standard but nevertheless the manufacturer has carried out a safety assessment, the results of which show that the failure presents a low or acceptable risk of injury and is deemed to meet the relevant essential safety requirement.

There was a situation several years ago where the EU Commission held the opinion that suction cups on arrows should withstand a 90 N tension force and not the 60 N specified in EN 71-1. (EN 71-1 has since been amended to specify 90 N).

This might occur when the manufacture has designed a particularly complicated toy and wishes a Notified Body to scrutinize the manufacturer’s safety assessment. (I have never yet come across this having been requested).

Who can carry out an EC-type Examination?

An EC-type examination can only be carried out by a notified body, this is to say a body that has been

Malcolm Horner

specifically approved by the Notifying Authority (for example BIS in the UK, SQUALPI in France and ZLS in Germany) and by the EU Commission, for the specific Directive in question. Up-to-date contact details for all Notified Bodies, as well as details of their scope of notification, can be found via the European Commission’s NANDO (New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations) database.

What is the process?

EC-type examination is covered by Articles 20 to 38 of the Toy Directive 2009/48/EC. Testing to the harmonised standards should be carried out by the manufacturer (using an appropriate accredited testing laboratory) together with any additional testing and expert assessments that are considered necessary for the manufacturer to compile a satisfactory safety assessment and for the Notified Body to ascertain that the toy complies with the essential safety requirements.

Such expert assessments cannot be carried out by the Notified Body and the Notified Body is unable to engage in consultancy with respect to the technical solutions. (It is a condition of the Notified Body’s accreditation that they have to remain independent of the toy’s design and safety assessment). If the toy is considered to comply with the essential safety requirements of the Toy Safety Directive, the manufacturer will then formally apply for an EC-type examination. The application, assessment of the documentation and issue of the certificate is carried out in accordance with the procedure set out in Module B of Annex II to Decision No 768/2008/EC. The manufacturer’s application should be accompanied by at least the following: • name and address of the manufacturer.

• description of the toy.

• a written declaration that the same application has not been lodged with any other notified body.

• technical documentation. This must make it possible to assess the toy against the essential safety requirements and must include: ■ ■ ■ ■

■ ■ ■

■

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services UK is a Notified Body for the Toy Safety Directive.

Bvsales@uk.bureauveritas.com 01925 854 360 www.bureauveritas.co.uk/cps 98

■ ■

list of components materials used (Bill of Materials) safety data sheets on chemicals used (if applicable) the safety assessment carried out by the manufacturer (including a chemical safety assessment) a general description of the toy design and manufacturing drawings and schemes of components, sub-assemblies, circuits, etc. descriptions and explanations necessary for the understanding of those drawings and schemes and the operation of the toy a list of the harmonised Standards and/or other relevant technical specifications used, either in full or in part sample of the toy test reports

toysnplaythings.co.uk

DON’T MISS… In our new feature we bring to the fore a selection of the hottest and newest products that will help you sell more!

Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contacts!

Product: Jurassic World Lights and Sounds Figure Assortment / The Jurassic World Indominus Rex Dinosaur Company: Hasbro Tel: 02085 691234 Web: www.hasbro.co.uk

Product: GeoSafari Jr Science Utility Vehicle Company: Learning Resources Tel: 01553 819386 Web: www.learningresources.co.uk

Product: Peppa’s House Construction Set Company: Simba Smoby Tel: 01274 765030 Web: www.simbasmoby.com/en

JUNE 2015

Product: Disney Frozen Snow Glowbz Light & Sparkle Glowbz Charms Company: John Adams Tel: 01480 414361 Web: www.johnadams.co.uk

Product: Tumble Train Company: Little Tikes Tel: 0845 0533 333 Web: www.littletikes.co.uk

Product: Air Hogs Hyper Disc Company: Spin Master Tel: 01628 535000 Web: www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Product: Coronation Street True or False Trivia Game Company: Jumbo Games Tel: 01707 289289 Web: www.jumbo.eu

Product: DigiPenguins Company: Silverlit Tel: 01923 606147 Web: www.silverlit.com

Product: Lamaze Rainbow Glow Rattle Company: Tomy Tel: 020 8722 7300 Web: www.tomy.com

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Brought to you by

LICENSING

NEWS

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

The Simpsons take two We know LEGO’s Minifigures are a hit and as of last month, the company introduced Series 2 of their Simpsons range to retail.

The licensed range based on the iconic cartoon was released on 1 May and the second series features a collection of 16 of your favourite characters from TV’s longest-running animated comedy.

Characters include Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie along with Comic Book Guy, Groundskeeper Willie, sisters Paddy and Selma, Smithers, Edna Krabappel and Dr. Hibbert all included in the new release.

TO O THE E POWER OWER OF TWO

It’s a goal!

Cartamundi have unveiled not one but two cracking new ranges of late. The first is their new Disney Retro range, a series of card games with packaging and design inspired by classic early Disney.

The first three releases, under the name Disney Mickey Mouse Retro Edition, will star the world’s favourite cartoon mouse as he appeared in his earliest years.

They are Disney Mickey Mouse Retro Edition Happy Families, Disney Mickey Mouse Retro Edition Game Box and Mickey Mouse Retro Edition Game Box Compendium (Deluxe version). All three games will be available in autumn/winter 2015.

The card company are also launching a Frozen Tripack, a three-in-one pack of card games inspired by the Disney hit. The games hits retail in July and will contain a happy families game, a Mega Memo game and a specially designed Frozen action game.

Panini and The FA have signed a new four-year deal meaning the official England kit will appear in Panini’s products for the first time since Euro ‘96.

The team will feature in a range of products sold across the world and the first collectable series, following the team on their quest to qualify for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, will be distributed globally and will appeal to England fans everywhere.

Although traditional football

stickers and trading cards will form the basis of this partnership, Panini’s expansion in other product areas will bring new merchandise, including 3D collectables, digital and multi-media format collections.

This will increase opportunities for England fans everywhere to connect with the team.

The FA and Panini will offer unique experiences for collectors, creating a ‘swap shop’ in the family enclosure of Wembley Stadium where fans can complete their collections.

Pioneer fly high with new products Pioneer Balloon Company and The Walt Disney Company have collaborated on a range of Disney latex balloons, resulting in the launch of 53 new Qualatex products.

The latex balloon specialist’s new balloons feature an all-over print, which is unique in the marketplace.

A selection of the most popular properties such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, and Frozen, are now available in 5” and 11” rounds as well as 12” Quick Link Balloons.

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The remaining properties are available in 11” rounds (6-ct. and 25-ct. bags).

“This brings a new dimension to Disney theme parties, and creates an opportunity to expand our retail proposition,” said Marie Gransbury, Managing Director for Pioneer Europe Ltd. “Our new range of Disney latex balloons offers more decor opportunities as well as profitable coordinated bouquets with a high perceived value. We look forward to seeing what our customers will create with this new range.”

MOVIE

NEWS

Movie calendar 2015 Cinema operators have already been blessed with record breaking box office takings almost every month this year, with superhero smash hits and family animations from the world’s biggest studios leading the way. And that’s only a good thing for the toy industry, a market that feels the full force of a blockbuster and the full disappointment of a damp squib. As we head into the summer months there’s even more big-screen excitement, with potential hits releasing every month until year’s end. Here, TnP has rounded up 10 of the biggest for the second half of the year – a director’s cut if you will. All promise to inject life into the toy aisles, and drum up big sales throughout the summer and all the way up to Christmas.

June Jurassic World 11 June: Action, A-list actors and dinosaurs - a killer combination.

Minions, 26 June: These yellow fellows are taking over the world!

July Inside Out 24 July: A hilarious-looking return for the world class animation studio after a quiet 2014.

Ant-Man 17 July Pixel 24 July

August

Age of Ultron smashes records Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron continues its phenomenal run at the UK box office taking an incredible £22.5 million in just one week, setting a new record for the studio as the highest-grossing Disney seven-day opening of all time.

The film has already dominated the UK box office since its release last Thursday, delivering a bigger opening weekend than any other film in 2015 and entering the record books as the biggest ever

Play

April opening. Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron not only recorded the highest-grossing opening weekend for a Marvel title, but the all-time biggest opening for a superhero movie.

Last Saturday alone, Avengers: Age of Ultron garnered an astounding £6.18million as it set records as not only the biggest single day for a Marvel or Disney film ever, but also the biggest ever single day for a superhero movie.

The film has just opened in the US.

Turtles fan-fav spotted on set

Play

The Fantastic Four, 6 August: Marvel’s original superhero group gets a modern re-imagining.

Shaun The Sheep the movie 7 Aug

The first glimpse of a classic TMNT character’s debut in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 movie had fans young and old excited recently. Director Michael Bay posted a photo from the set of the movie, currently filming, depicting fan favourite character Casey Jones, a handyman-turned-vigilante that uses his tools of the trade as weapons.

October Pan, 9 October: Hugh Jackman stars as Blackbeard in a new adventure in Neverland.

Spectre, 23 October: Bond is back. Let the bad Connery impressions and love for Aston Martin die cast cars commence!

November The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part Two, 20 November: Jennifer Lawrence’s time as heroine Katniss Everdeen comes to its action-packed conclusion.

The Good Dinosaur, 27 November: Pixar’s second original release of the year also gives us our second dose of dino action.

December Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 18 December: The biggest film franchise in the universe returns.

Jem and the Holograms, 26 December: The 80s pop music classic is back in this reboot.

All UK release dates taken from IMDb.com

JUNE 2015

Play

Fedoras at the ready – Indy’s back Star Wars wasn’t the only blockbuster film franchise Disney added to its growing list of cultural icons when it picked up Lucasfilm for a cool $4 billion in 2012.

Alongside the beloved space opera came globetrotter Indiana Jones, last seen in 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Disney has already begun talks for a new movie according to

Lucasfilm’s president.

Studio boss Kathleen Kennedy spoke to Vanity Fair about the franchise’s future in early May, where she revealed that, while still early days, the fifth Jones flick is a definite possibility. “We haven’t started working on a script yet,” she said, “but we are talking about it.”

“When it will happen, I’m not quite sure,” she added, but if the script has yet to be written it’s likely a long ways off - someone better crack the whip!

Men of the moment Bradley Cooper and Chris Pratt are favourites for the role of Indiana Jones should Harrison Ford not return, according to the Independent.

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LICENSING OPINION KELVYN GARDNER

The language of licensing In 1999, the licensing industry was a very different place.

LIMA MD Kelvyn Gardner harks back to days of yore

T

he summer is just around the corner, it seems.

An official Met Office announcement confirms that April was the driest and sunniest in the entire recorded history of UK weather. In the licensing business, thoughts of the summer inevitably lead us to anticipate the annual Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, a permanent fixture of licensing diaries every June.

For me, taking advantage of the dry April weather allowed a bit of an office clear out. Among the melee, I came across a box of small books that I thought had been exhausted long ago.

This discovery is relevant as the books concerned are copies of The Licensing Phrase Book.

This light-hearted guide to ‘the language of licensing’ was something I originally created in 1999. The occasion?

The very first Brand and Licensing trade show at the Landmark Hotel in London.

This fledgling show was subsequently acquired by Advanstar Communications – already owners of Licensing Expo – and now thrives under the expanded title of Brand Licensing Europe.

Back then it was an attempt to revive a UK based show amongst much competition and no clear pathway.

For me at the time I had very recently

after fifteen years with Panini, and then my own Merlin sticker company. Brand and Licensing was going to be my first trade event to promote our licensing consultancy services under the name of Asgard Media.

Anyone who has ever run a stand at any trade show knows that the first challenge is how to get visitors to stop at your stand, among the dozens of others, and give you the chance to sell your stuff. And so I was looking for

“

I will be carrying The Licensing Phrase Book with me in Las Vegas as we contemplate a world where, in licensing terms, so much has changed and so much stayed the same

”

a classic stop-and-talk idea. It suddenly struck me that, as a new event, visitors might appreciate a guide to interpret the licensing world’s language as they made the round of the stands.

Thus was born The Licensing Phrase Book. Here’s an example of the content - licensing speak: ‘This property has equal appeal to boys and girls’, English: ‘Boys don’t like it and neither do girls’, licensing speak: ‘We’ve decided to make this a limited edition’, English: ‘Sales are extremely limited.’

I’m pleased to say that the phrase book went down very well with licensing folk old and new. Subsequently, two further

editions were updated and printed, and sold to raise money for the licensing industry’s own charitable company, The Light Fund. It is copies of the third edition that I found in my office clear out.

Amazingly, this third edition was done in 2007.

Tellingly, there is no reference to social media, to downloads, to streaming video, to digital licensing properties, the world has moved on so far. I really must produce a fourth. Meanwhile, the book lives on in the form of the Kindle edition, on sale at the Amazon store. As a small book, it works especially well on smartphones. Please do go and check it out as, once again, all proceeds from the sale go to the Light Fund.

I will be carrying some of the remaining copies with me in Las Vegas as we contemplate a world where, in licensing terms, so much has changed and so much stayed the same since the 1990s origins of the current UK show. Star Wars?

Jurassic Park/World? The BFG? Clangers? Teletubbies? Thomas and Friends? Back to the Future?

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 the pages back in April 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2010

June 2010 • We are all just getting to grips with the new Coalition government and the fact that VAT is due to increase to 20%.

• Seven Towns announce that they have appointed John Adams to handle sales of Rubik’s Cube, taking over from Drumond Park from January 2011.

• Toy Story 3 is topping the box office in the States having raked in an estimated $109 million in its opening weekend.

• John Crane finally bids farewell to the company he founded.

• There is much talk about the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa with quite a few retailers running various promotions. Paper Jamz super cool guitars from WowWee are beginning to really take off sales wise.

• Great to see Alan Munn being presented with a ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award from BTHA President Nick Austin.

June 2005 • Mega Bloks acquires the Rose Art company. Together they have an annual turnover of around $500 million.

• The BTHA confirm that from 2006 Toy Fair will open on a Wednesday.

• The government is seriously considering banning imitation firearms.

• I am saddened to report the deaths of Leslie Smith the co-founder of Matchbox Toys and two larger than life toyboys Alan Sage and Lee Bowerbank.

• Summer selling toys include Scoobies, Wristbands, Tamagotchi and anything Star Wars.

• Asda buy 12 Safeway Stores in Northern Ireland from Morrisons for £73.6 million cash.

• In the licensing area Apax who had recently acquired Hit Entertainment are rumoured to be looking to buy Entertainment Rights – a licensing company that employs quite a few ex Hit employees. Should be interesting if this buy comes to pass.

June 1995 • Richard King’s Toy Options company – the forerunner of what today is the Character Group enjoy a successful share flotation that raises £2.7 million to further grow the business.

• With the growth of electronic learning aids I organise

JUNE 2015

an ‘Electronic Learning Aids of the Year’ award and Syd Hyde – M.D. of VTech agrees to sponsor this with a £1,000 cash first prize.

• Corinthian launch their football figurines at the Complete Angler, Marlow and I get to meet my hero David Seaman. We then get to see England play Brazil at Wembley and guess what? David Seaman is sitting next to me.

Fantastic!

• Pogs are very much the ‘Most Wanted’ line so far in 1995 with Power Rangers also much mentioned by our retailers.

JUNE 1985 • A Mintel market research report puts the independent retailers’ share of the toy market at 22%, they claim that this is a drop of 13% from 1975.

Hasbro also commission an independent report on the penetration of toys to the 5-10 year old boys segment of the market. It shows that ‘Transformers’ is the number one toy for this age segment with a 64% share . The report also finds that 75% of all boys contacted refer to convertible robots as being ‘Transformers’.

• The Burton Menswear Group make a bid for Debenhams that includes Hamleys. Our Financial Times consumer affairs correspondent describes this as a “bitter war of attrition in the City”.

• As well as Transformers other big sellers in 1985 are My Little Pony, Masters of the Universe and Pound Puppies. Fisher Price Rollerskates are also selling well.

• 1985 saw Spain join the Common Market and in our annual doll feature Spanish Dolls are gaining impressive to the E.U. • I am invited by Mattel to join them in Paris to visit the ‘Magic Train’ that will also visit a further 11 stations in France to publicise Barbie. Evidently in 1985 the French government controlled how many TV spots any one company could book, hence Mattel’s train journey.

• I manage to take my camera and later found it had no film in it. A certain Mr. Tony Norton was Mattel’s brand manager at the time and luckily for me had also been taking camera shots.

• Thanks Tony!

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