Sector Focus

GET DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

Dress up is an important part of role-play and in turn, development, for preschoolers. While events throughout the year provide key selling periods, costumes for the under-fives do well all year round. PPS finds out what’s hot right now, and what suppliers are looking forward to for the coming months.

“T he preschool dress up market is unique in that it isn’t necessarily event-led,” begins Elliott Peckett, director of Smiffys. “Preschool costumes are worn yearround by little ones for playtime, helping to develop imagination skills and bring their favourite characters to life.”

Providing a valuable selling opportunity for the market all year round, dress up is an important category for preschool retailers. One important event is World Book Day, which returned to settings this year after lockdown celebrations in 2021.

“World Book Day was a major success,” explains Samuel Taylor, category manager, dress up at Amscan. “We saw lots of traction on social media with people really enjoying the celebration.

Above left: Baby Shark is new to Amscan’s licensed offering and is proving a popular addition. Above middle: Amscan’s existing licences, including PAW Patrol, continue to be popular in the preschool category. Above right: Smiffys’ licensed costume offering is growing, with a focus on the preschool audience. Left: Animals, both licensed and non-licensed are key for Smiffys

Dr Seuss, Cat in the Hat, The

Very Hungry Caterpillar, Elmer, were all great successes for Amscan. We are excited to add further key licences to our ranges for 2023.”

Georges Ghougassian, group director licence and brand at Rubies, added: “As an official corporate partner

of World Book Day, we were overjoyed to see all of our campaigning and work with the charity pay off in celebrations that were bigger and better than ever before.”

Disguise is seeing a shift from classic literary costumes, as marketing manager, Lianne Barber, shows: “We are seeing a trend that children want to be their favourite characters – wherever they originated from, be that film, TV or gaming. World Book Day ranges have expanded wider than traditional book characters. With publishing an important category in licensing, the opportunity to read about characters who jump from the world of TV to a book is there 99.9% of the time.”

There are other events to look forward to, Sam says: “With preschool parties back in full swing, and fancy dress always being a common theme, we are looking forward to a spring and summer of celebrating.

“We are also seeing dress up days returning to schools with Pirate Day orders already being placed and Jubilee lines selling through fast. We are looking forward already to Halloween and Christmas. But honestly, preschool kids love to dress up, so there are opportunities all year round.”

Licences are crucial for the dress up market, as Lianne continues: “For Disguise, licensed costumes are key, preschoolers want to dress up as the characters they see in the content they consume and role play the stories they see on screen.”

Georges agrees: “Non-licensed has historically performed well, but at the moment, with the widespread use of streaming services combined with the strong return of cinema, we’re finding more and more parents are wishing to dress their little ones up as the characters they see on screen.”

Equally important for many are the generic costumes including professions, animals and fantasy. Sam tells us: “At Amscan, we see sales for this category almost equal, with 50% to licence and 50% to everyday role play.

“Our licensed portfolio continues to grow and with new preschool licensed partners, we’re able to continue to build the portfolio within this category with Peter Rabbit, Roald Dahl (from 2023) and Pip & Posy being new additions.”

It’s a similar split for Smiffys, Elliott says: “We continue to grow our licence portfolio, with preschool being a key category of expansion. Our main range costumes are still popular, however, and cover all eventualities. The costumes can be reimagined into a multitude of characters and are more budget friendly, appealing perhaps to a different market.”

Some trends remain steady, as Lianne explains: “Within Disney Princess, dressing up is the number one product purchased for four to six year olds. Outside of Disney, My Little Pony, LEGO and Super Mario

Left: Streaming and a return to the cinema have created an increased demand for licensed dress up at Rubies.

have proved popular in toddler and preschool sizes, as well as with older children.” Nostalgia is emerging as a trend at Rubies. Georges expands: “The fun part of preschool costumes is that there’s no shame in parents putting kids in their own movie or TV interests by going for fun costumes such as Gremlins, which are the perfect nod to nostalgia for parents.”

For Smiffys, it’s the animal kingdom. Elliott explains: “Our toddler animal costumes continue to be in demand year-round. The fluffy jumpsuits have a wider appeal due to the genderless nature of the costumes, as well as being comfortable.

“Animal licences are also popular, with constant demand for characters such as The Gruffalo, Zog, Bing and the Tiger Who Came to Tea. We have recently added to our licence animal offering with a Dear Zoo collection.”

Amscan is seeing popularity in licensed and non-licensed. Sam concludes: “Licensed characters such as PAW Patrol are continuing to be popular, as well as new licences such as Baby Shark and Blues Clues. Peppa Pig characters, from Peppa Fairy to Peppa Vet continue to also grow, however we also see key career styles such as doctors and nurses, as well as police be popular, continuing to play on that imagination factor.”

Left and below: Disguise expects Mario to grow even more popular with all ages.

KEY RELEASES AND ANNIVERSARIES

With movie releases and anniversaries in the pipeline, suppliers are readying for sales spikes. Lianne outlines: “Sonic the Movie was released in April – the film is a PG, but the toddler version of the Disguise Sonic costume has been very popular. Mario the Movie is also being released in December, but we expect to see the licence grow even more popular with all age groups.”

Georges adds: “We’re excited to see the launches of streaming hits, whose launch dates and events will certainly play a part in parents’ wishes to dress their children up, for example Star Wars Mandalorian Grogu The Child costume.”

Elliott looks forward to key milestones: “2022 marks the 120th anniversary of Peter Rabbit and 25th anniversary of Teletubbies. These events will be celebrated throughout the year, giving customers ample opportunities to market these ranges.”

DRESS UP & PARTY

RUBIES

Rubies has brought the magic of the Wizarding World to life through its range of officially licensed costumes. The phenomenally successful range of bewitching costumes is expanding just in time for a year full of Harry Potter celebrations, with brand new character costumes including Hagrid, Luna Lovegood, Dumbledore, and Hogwarts House dress-up and accessories, bolstering Rubies already impressive reach.

Tel: 01491 826500 www.rubiesuk.com

DISGUISE

The toddler version of the Disguise Sonic costume has been very popular. It’s a perfect preschool costume - bright, cuddly and cheeky. Mario the Movie is also being released in December this year and it expects to see this license grow even more popular with all age groups.

Email: info@disguise.com www.disguise.com

SMIFFYS

New for 2022, Smiffys has launched a Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom collection. The children’s TV series has been popular with the preschool market for over a decade. It has launched the range with a Holly costume, available in ages 3 – 6 years. The pink dress features a glitter mesh skirt, character print and fairy accessories.

Tel: 03303 338005 www.smiffys.com AMSCAN

Everyone’s favourite preschool character has joined Amscan’s party, balloon and costume portfolio; the educational animated series of Blue’s Clues! Children can join Magenta and Mailbox by being Blue themselves with its new costume comprising plush character hooded jumpsuit, complete with three Velcro patches. This range is available in ages 2-6 and can be pre-ordered now.

Tel: 01908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk

SMIFFYS

New in this month, Smiffys’ range of The Very Hungry Caterpillar party tableware is in stock now. This instantly recognisable, nostalgic license remains as popular as ever. With a focus on the environment and caring for the planet, this range contains positive messages to encourage the next generation to make more environmentally friendly choices. The range is also plastic free and planet friendly.

Tel: 03303 338005 www.smiffys.com

Masters of disguise

A powerhouse in the US dress up category, Disguise Inc has been building a strong EMEA team over recent months. Having been a North America costume partner with Disney for over 30 years, the EMEA division has recently gained the costume rights for the brand and has been readying the launch of the all-new Disney portfolio in the territory on 1 April, 2022, set to bolster its presence.

Disguise already boasts a robust portfolio of licences in the EMEA region, including Mario, Minecraft, My Little Pony and Power Rangers, to name a few. The addition of the Disney rights to the offering, alongside an experienced and knowledgeable team both in EMEA and North America, provides a strong foundation for growth.

And that’s exactly the plan. Tony Lewis, sales director, explains: “We hope to continue the growth pattern in EMEA and build a sustainable business servicing the dress up market both directly and via key distribution partners,

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Parent company, Jakks, will offer a key partner in the EMEA growth of Disguise, as Kim outlines: “Disguise in partnership with Jakks on toys are able to offer costumes that compliment popular toy brands. Leveraging well-established toy customer relationships, we have been able to jointly offer costumes with our toys. The history of Jakks relationships means our customers are confident we will provide a quality product and service.” whilst becoming a best-in-class supplier.”

The US experience will support the emerging markets, as Kim Lucas, business development UK and Ireland, explains: “As relative newcomers to the European/ UK costume market, we will use the full support and expertise of our US colleagues to create quality licensed costume opportunities through all distribution channels, whether that is key multiples, value, toy or independent retailers, offering a fabulous depth of ranges in both Disney and non-Disney licences.”

Lianne Barber, marketing manager EMEA believes the US strength is part of what sets Disguise apart from its competitors: “Disguise benefits from decades of experience as the largest US costume supplier, Disguise has worked with licensed product for 32 years and treats every brand as its own. The quality of the Disguise costumes shines through in comparison to competitors.

“The variety of costumes, the ranges, the licences and the innovation mean Disguise can stand out from the competition.”

Lynda Morris, design lead EMEA, agrees: ”Innovation is such a key strength within the Disguise DNA and in order to continue this legacy a handpicked, hugely creative and technical team with a wealth of dress up industry knowledge has been gathered together. By doing this, the UK

team works closely in partnership with our US counterparts to continue to deliver the newness and innovation our customers want and expect.”

The EMEA business has been building steadily, as Tony outlines: “We have already appointed new partners in the UK, France, Benelux, Spain, Portugal, Germany and CEE to complement our existing distributors in the toy and apparel sectors.

“Our retail partnerships have grown during the last two years, but of course, Disney will help and add to our profile and offers. We’ve already seen doors open and this will culminate in the penetration of a mixture of properties and licences across the territories.”

Licensing is central to the plans, as Mike McGillion, EMEA business development, explains: “Licences are key to our growth in EMEA – whilst there are many local properties in each market, we have focused on key multi-national properties that have universal appeal.”

The EMEA response to the Disney portfolio has been strong so far. Disguise has a multitude of orders both from its domestic stock in the UK and Rotterdam and FOB.

Mike continues: “We have an expansive range of Disney product in the US that has been slightly adjusted for European styles and tastes. Disney remains the most popular licence across EMEA and with the retail and distribution network that has now been put in place, we are confident this range will reach the consumer.”

Lynda expands: “We are incredibly fortunate to be able to draw on the wealth of designs available to us from Disguise US. The only changes we needed to make in order to adapt the costumes to the EMEA market were tweaks to the sewn finish of the garments and to ensure all testing meets EU requirements, thus enabling customers to select from a comprehensive and exciting catalogue of costumes across multiple licences.

“It’s incredibly important to be able to offer various price points across all licensed characters in order to supply every retail channel throughout EMEA. It is paramount when designing, the essential essence and integrity of each character is retained ensuring the costume is instantly recognisable.”

The Disney partnership has also bolstered the marketing efforts, as Lianne describes: “We have been lucky enough to benefit from Disney’s tent pole campaigns this year and you may see a couple of our costumes feature.”

Lianne tells us about the marketing plans for Disney: “We will lean into digital and social media campaigns, getting costumes into the hands of fans of the brands. We also benefit from working closely with the Jakks toys teams and opportunities to be included in toy TV and digital campaigns.”

The team will also be working on global campaigns, as Lianne explains: “We will work closely with our US colleagues, learning from their marketing campaigns and partnerships and anything we can be involved in from a global level. Any of our digital or influencer

Top left: Kim Lucas, business development UK and Ireland. Top right: Lianne Barber, marketing manager EMEA. Middle left: Mike McGillion, EMEA business development. Middle right: Lynda Morris, design lead EMEA. Bottom left: Nathalie Ferrier, business development manager France and Benelux. Bottom left: Tony Lewis, sales director.

campaigns will be featured across Europe based on the popularity of the costumes in each region.

“We also hope to build relationships with the local EMEA licensor contacts on joint marketing efforts across Europe.”

Once the Disney range launches, it seems Disguise will hit the ground running with strong foundations in place to support future growth. One to watch in the EMEA dress up space.

THE FRENCH APPROACH

As the second most important market in the EU, France is key for Disguise. Nathalie Ferrier, business development manager France and Benelux, says: “For the France and Benelux markets, the idea is to go step by step. This first year is a year of construction. We are laying the foundations to attack the second year at full speed. We expect 35% growth over the next 12 months in France and Benelux.”

That growth will be achieved through distribution via the existing Jakks partnerships and a distribution partner; market-specific product offerings; and careful communications and marketing.