68-69-71 Toy Fair_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 12/01/2017 18:02 Page 68
TOY FAIR ACTION
Toy stories It’s January, which means it’s time for the licensing industry to pack its collective bags for the annual toy fair merry-go-round. Both London Toy Fair and Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg are vitally important for showcasing new licensed product to the trade and retail, with many being seen for the first time. LSB catches up with some of the exhibitors to find out what they have planned.
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owhere is the influence of licences on the toy market highlighted more than by taking a stroll down the aisles of Toy Fair at London’s Olympia and Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg. The sheer breadth of properties – from evergreens such as Peppa Pig and Thomas & Friends, to super heroes and movie-inspired lines, through to new brands from territories outside of the UK looking to make their mark lining up alongside the biggest licence of them all, Star Wars – both shows are perfect illustrations of how the toy and licensing industries work hand in hand. “The impact of licensed products on the industry grows each year, and this is the same with Toy Fair,” explains Majen Immink, the show’s head of operations and sales. “Each year we welcome the hottest new licences showcased in a variety of categories and these are often featured in the show’s Best New Toys. “Last year winners included BFG, PAW Patrol, Teletubbies, Thunderbirds and Danger Mouse licensed products. With the continuingly strong PAW Patrol, Star
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2017
Above: The Teletubbies made an appearance at last year’s Toy Fair to coincide with the relaunch of the brand into toys.
Wars and super hero licences such as Batman and Marvel, and leading up to movie licences like Despicable Me 3, Cars and the latest Spider-Man, we can expect to see more licences than ever at Toy Fair 2017.” The beauty, however, is that while show floors are packed with big players such as Character Options, GP Flair, Golden Bear, Bandai and Hasbro to name just a few, smaller companies with licensed lines still
TOMY readies new licences
TOMY will be using London Toy Fair (Gallery 520) as a platform to unveil a number of new properties, including plush for CBeebies’ Kazoops and the hotly tipped Kawaii brand Molang from Millimages. TOMY signed a pan-European and Australian master toy licence for Molang with UK agent Licensing Link at the end of last year. Known as the ‘happiness property’, Molang arrived on TV screens in May 2016 with a series of three and a half minute animations. TOMY’s new range – launching in June - will include basic and feature plush toys that encourage role-play activity and emotional connections to Molang, as well as premium super soft plush. Meanwhile, following record breaking sales driven by the success of Pokémon Go and the launch of new games Sun and Moon, TOMY will continue to expand its Pokémon range with a line of collectables. Left: TOMY’s Molang toy range will launch in June.