58-59 LSB Toikido (SL)_GF.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 21/09/2023 21:29 Page 1
IN CONVERSATION WITH… TOIKIDO
With the Roblox game successfully launched, the toy range from PMI now hitting US and UK stores and an animated series in the works, Toikido’s head of marketing Andrew Matjaszek outlines the next moves for the company’s first in-house IP Piñata Smashlings.
Smash hit
“W
e're not here to build something that shines brightly for a very short period of time, like a physical boxed video game would do,” Andrew Matjaszek explains. “We want a game that’s going to be here to support toy series after series, the animated series, music albums, books, magazines, trading cards, all of that great stuff.” Toikido’s launch strategy for Piñata Smashlings is ambitious – with physical products debuting just weeks after the game – but this is a team with form; many Toikido major players, Andrew included, are former Mind Candy staffers responsible for internet
Above: Andrew Matjaszek, Toikido’s head of marketing. Inset: Euro 2024’s official mascot Albärt appears in the Piñataverse as part of Football Island.
sensation Moshi Monsters, which saw exponential growth in the early 2010s. And judging by the numbers, Piñata Smashlings is off to a strong start: the Roblox game has hit 10 million trailer views and been played 1.5 million times since its July launch, while Smashlings Plushies have made Walmart’s 2023 Top Toys List – unusual for a brand new IP. “That is down to our fantastic toy partner PMI,” says Andrew. “They've created a product line that we’re incredibly proud of, and that’s also incredibly accessible. Our Surprise Pods, which come in little eggs with legs, are just £2.99, for example. We've then got action figures, which are Piñatas that come with Smashlings inside, and plush and play-sets as
Branding together “We are keen to partner with brands that have credibility not just with kids but with parents, too,” says Andrew. “We have been working with UEFA on a Euro 2024 promotion, where their mascot Albärt will appear in-game from April next year. We’ve also partnered with Chuck E. Cheese in the US. Piñata Smashlings will be promoted in all 487 of their outlets, while we have created a Chuck E. Cheese in-game integration where players can collect Chuck E. Cheese characters, who have been turned into Smashlings, and win prizes they can redeem in the game.”
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK 2023