Toy World June 2018

June 2018 Volume 7 Issue 9

The Team...

CONTENTS June 2018 Volume 7 Issue 9

John Baulch

Publisher and Managing Editor john@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 408 07932 651 207

40 Feature: Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

28 Feature: Wheeled Toys

Mark Austin

Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

Anita Baulch

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

News

05 From the Publisher 06 News 14 Industry Moves 16 Marketing World 18 Licensing World 80 Fresh 98 Allegedly

Opinion

22 NPD column 25 Talking Shop 52 Company Profile: Funko 54 Viewpoint 60 Company Profile: Brainstorm 78 Brand Profile: Bear Grylls Young Adventurer 81 Brand Profile: SuperZings 82 Company Profile: Tobar

Features

28 Feature: Wheeled Toys 40 Feature: B oys Action Figures & Collectibles 62 Feature: Art & Craft 84 Feature: Infant Toys

Contributors David Ripley | The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | Jim Hawker Jonathan Chambers | Rowena Shorey | Tristan Brooks | Gillian Logan

Rachael Simpson

Deputy Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

84 Feature: Infant Toys

62 Feature: Art & Craft

Casey Goodman

Editorial Assistant casey@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Mark Crowford

Design and Production Manager markc@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

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T from the publisher

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o say that the toy market is having a lively year would be something of an understatement. Just as we went to press last month, Smyths announced that it had acquired the Toys R Us operations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in a deal worth around 80m Euros. It was a big, bold, brave move, illustrating the extent of Smyths ambition to grow its business beyond the UK and Ireland. The deal offers yet more evidence of the strength of the specialist UK toy retail channel, especially those independently-owned operators.

As one toy company general manager wryly pointed out to me: “If you listen to Argos, Tesco, Amazon and the like, there is apparently no profit in toys.”

While this move would suggest otherwise, it is also fair to say that the UK toy retail channel as a whole remains somewhat turbulent and unpredictable.

Few people foresaw the major retail development which followed a week after the Smyths news broke; the planned merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda. Except, of course, it’s not really a merger (it never is); Walmart is passing on the responsibility of looking after Asda to Sainsbury’s, in return for a substantial minority shareholding. What might this historic deal mean for toy companies? I’ve pulled together a piece which answers some of the most FAQs so far, which you can read on page 55.

The deal is likely to take a while to reach fruition, which may be just as well, as Sainsbury’s is still in the process of reorganising and integrating the Argos business after last year’s acquisition. Indeed, last month saw some significant developments, with trading director Linzi Walker set to leave the business, a move which has come as a major shock to everyone I’ve spoken to. The general consensus is that Linzi was a valuable asset to the organisation and will be sorely missed.

There is also genuine concern as to whether the new streamlined team will find the workload a challenge, not to mention trepidation at the perceived differences in both business model and strategy (less emphasis on promotional offers, more just-in-time buying and so on). There are still more changes to come, with the remaining buying team due to be trimmed further, from four people to three. All of this uncertainty is inevitably making suppliers a tad nervous, and it will be interesting to see what surprises the new catalogue holds next month.

Recent events at Mothercare have taken the definition of uncertainty to a whole new level, while proceedings have also taken a distinctly surreal turn. Store closures and job losses were expected as part of the recently announced CVA, but the hokeycokey with reinstated CEO Mark Newton-Jones took everyone by surprise (you put your CEO in, your CEO out, in-out, in-out…). A month previously, he had been relieved of his duties. Now he’s back, with the man brought in to replace him moved ‘sideways’ from CEO to Group MD. Mark oversaw the previous year’s staggering decline, when Mothercare went from making a £7m profit to a £72.8m loss, so I guess he’s under no illusions as to the scale of the task ahead.

With all this upheaval at certain major accounts, the independent and specialist sector has provided a stark contrast, with last month’s plaY-room and Toymaster shows offering ample evidence that the indie sector is currently in rude health. The new early May date for plaY-room appears to have been well received, while the Toymaster Show was another triumph. I’m told that 106 members signed in on the first day, with more arriving over the course of the next two days. That appears to represent a healthy turnout to me; the retailers I expected to see were all there, and they seemed happy with their prospects for the year. The TRU closing sale has obviously had a short-term impact on many independent stores, but hopefully the effects won’t be felt too much longer. And while no-one knows where TRU’s customers will go now, I liked the suggestion that if they were the sort of people who just wanted to sit behind a computer and buy with the click of a mouse, they probably would have migrated online a while back.

So, hopefully they are the sort of consumers who value the bricks and mortar experience and their spending power will remain rooted in that area.

We have another packed issue for you this month, with features on the Art & Craft category, Boys Action Figures, Wheeled Toys and Infant Toys, together with exclusive interviews with Funko, Brainstorm, Magic Box, Tobar and an extended viewpoint section brimming with interesting opinions and perspectives. Throw in a first-look at hot new property Bear Grylls Young Adventurer, feedback from a selection of prominent Toymaster members on the May show and all the very latest news from around the trade and you have an issue that has something for everyone – enjoy!

HARDWORKING PR FOR TOYS & GAMES B2B & consumer-facing PR Hands-on, bespoke approach Award-winning team of senior PR professionals Specialist understanding of the toys, games & fun sector

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16/03/2018 10:13

News Sainsbury’s and Asda agree merger

Mothercare unveils plans to axe 50 stores and re-hires CEO

Mothercare is to close 50 underperforming stores and re-hire the chief executive it sacked just weeks ago as part of a wide-ranging shake-up.

The closures, which will result in hundreds of job losses, will be carried out through a CVA. Mothercare employs about 3,000 people across 137 outlets.

In a bizarre move, Mark Newton Jones, who was sacked last month, will return to the fold and once again take the role of CEO. David Wood, who had been brought in to replace him, will now become managing director.

As part of the restructuring, Mothercare also announced a refinancing package worth up to £113.5m. It comprises £28m through an equity capital raising, an extension of its existing debt to £67.5m, £18m in shareholder and trade partner loans.

Chairman Clive Whiley commented: “The recent financial performance of the business, impacted in particular by a large number of legacy loss-making stores within the UK estate, has resulted in an unsustainable situation for the Mothercare brand, meaning the group was in clear need of an appropriate resolution.

These comprehensive measures provide a renewed and stable financial structure for the business and will drive a step change in Mothercare’s transformation. These measures provide a solid platform from which to reposition the group and begin to focus on growth, both in the UK and internationally.”

The deal will create Britain’s biggest supermarket chain with combined revenues of around £51b.

In a statement released to the City, the two companies claim the merger will be “a great deal” for customers, staff, suppliers and shareholders of both businesses.

The statement reads: “The retail sector is going through significant and rapid change, as customer shopping habits continue to evolve. This has led to increased competition across grocery, general merchandise and clothing, as customers seek ever greater value, choice and convenience.”

“Bringing Sainsbury’s and Asda together will result in a more competitive and more resilient business that will be better able to invest in price, quality, range and the technology to create more flexible ways for customers to shop.”

Although it’s billed as a merger, Sainsbury’s is in the box seat. The deal values Asda at roughly £7.3b, and Walmart (Asda’s current owner) will end up owning 42% of the combined business. Walmart is also receiving £2.975b in cash as part of the deal.

Sainsbury’s shares jumped 20% following the announcement.

While both companies are promising to cut prices on popular products by up to 10%, if the merger goes through, Britain’s unions are demanding guarantees for workers at Asda.

Tim Roache, general secretary of the GMB, fears that staff at the supermarket will pay the price as Sainsbury pursues the £500m of cost savings promised this morning.

He commented: “Hundreds of thousands of workers stand to be affected, and all know such announcements tend to be followed by management speak like ‘rationalisation’ in the name of ‘efficiency’. What that usually means is job losses or cuts to pay, terms and conditions which would be wholly unacceptable. Not least because Asda workers have already voluntarily agreed to change their contracts to be more flexible in order to play their part and help their employer be more profitable.”

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News Is Asmodee exploring a sale?

Sources suggest Asmodee Group is exploring a sale that could value it at more than 1.5b euros.

The Guyancourt, France-based company, owned by private equity firm Eurazeo SE, has hired investment bankers to run a sale process, according to sources who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential.

The company generates about 100m euros in 12-month earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to one of the sources.

Reuters states that a spokesman for Eurazeo declined to comment, while Asmodee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since Eurazeo took over Asmodee in 2013 in a 143m euro deal, Asmodee has been aggressively expanding beyond Europe and into the United States. The company publishes or distributes titles including Catan, Ticket to Ride, Splendor and the Star Wars: X-Wing board games.

Toys R Us’ bankruptcy fees expected to reach $348m and intellectual property sold off

MGA Entertainment becomes No.2 toy company in the UK for the month of April

Toys R Us is expected to pay as much as $348m for the bankers, lawyers and consultants used over the past year.

The giant payout, detailed in company documents, shows how lucrative corporate bankruptcies can be for professionals, while leaving many workers and creditors with scraps.

More than 30,000 employees are losing their jobs as the company shuts its doors across the United States in the next few weeks. Store workers say they will not receive severance, even though they were originally promised modest payouts.

Vendors are struggling to get paid and landlords are scrambling to find new tenants for the stores that Toys R Us is leaving behind, while bankruptcy professionals are largely assured of getting paid.

Meanwhile, CEO David Brandon and at least eight other senior executives exited the bankrupt chain ahead of schedule, having shared $8.2m in retention bonuses.

Toys R Us, based in Wayne, NJ, filed its Chapter 11 case in federal court in Richmond, Va., which has a reputation for approving large professional fees.

Toys R Us bankruptcy lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis said in a court filing last year that they were charging as much as $1,745 an hour in the case. That was 25% more than the average highest rate in 10 of the largest bankruptcies in 2017, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

Bankruptcy professionals say that working to reorganise or liquidate a company is time-consuming, complicated and intense. Toys R Us is made up of multiple corporate entities — in the United States and internationally — that have hired lawyers and advisers. So far, the company said, it has shelled out $108m on professional fees.

Toys R Us has also announced its intention to sell intellectual property, including its name. Brand specialists claim the sale could be one of the most valuable brands ever sold by a company going out of business.

This is a departure from previous implications that the Toys R Us name was not on the table as part of the liquidation process.

According to court records, the intellectual property up for sale includes the Toys R Us name, Geoffrey the Giraffe logo and the Babies R Us brand. The company also owns hundreds of website addresses, including many related domain names such as recipes-r-us.com, burgers-r-us.com, cigars-r-us.com and even sex-toys-r-us.com.

As of April 2018, MGAE has become the No.3 toy manufacturer in 2018 YTD and the No.2 toy manufacturer for the month of April.

MGAE has an extensive portfolio of award-winning, family favourite brands including Little Tikes, Num Noms, Project Mc2, Crate Creatures, and L.O.L Surprise!

According to NPD, the L.O.L Surprise! Doll Assortment was the No.1 toy in the US, UK, Canada and Benelux for 2017.

The strength of L.O.L Surprise! sales results also helped lead the overall growth of the dolls category, with sales holding steady in 2018. Currently, L.O.L Surprise! has over 95 licences, with 62 scheduled to launch worldwide in 2018.

“Our growth is unstoppable and unparalleled in the industry. I’m ecstatic to see the hard work and dedication of our passionate and ingenious creative teams paying off. This achievement belongs to the hardworking and passionate MGAE employees,” said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment.

“I stated earlier this year that MGA Entertainment expected to more than double its growth in 2018, and we are on track to surpass that. As we continue to make and break trends in the toy industry, I thank the fans and families who love our innovative toys and promise to continue to surprise and delight generations of children to come.”

“Our new goal is to become No.1”, he added.

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News Barbie softens Toys R Us effect for Mattel When excluding $30m of sales lost in the liquidation of Toys R Us, Mattel’s latest results show that revenue rose 2% in Q1, fuelled by the toymaker’s biggest brand.

Barbie sales surged 24%, marking the second straight gain after a rough stretch and the best quarter since at least 2009, when Mattel started releasing its figures.

“We’re off to a strong start,” Joe Euteneuer, chief financial officer, said in an interview. “Getting to sales growth of 2%, excluding Toys R Us, is a big deal, given where we were last year.”

Barbie’s strength helped Mattel’s biggest properties – which also include Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends – grow a combined 2% during a quarter when the world’s largest toy-store chain announced the shuttering of operations in the US and UK. “Barbie and Hot Wheels are just flying off the shelves,” Joe said. “We’re spending more time trying to figure out how to manufacture more.”

Revenue of $708.4m beat analyst estimates in the first quarter, despite a 4% decline from the previous year. Analysts had projected sales of $689.8m.

The company’s adjusted loss was 60 cents a share, excluding some items mostly tied Toys R Us. Analysts had projected a loss of 40 cents. Mattel also reported bad debt expense tied to the retailer of $57.3m.

Ynon Kreiz, who became the new CEO of Mattel on 26th April after Margo Georgiadis stepped down, said in a statement: “While Toys R Us will present a near-term challenge, our transformation plan remains our focus. We continue to see strong momentum in our key power brands.”

Mattel took the biggest hit from Toys R Us in North America, where sales fell 5%.

Hasbro says worst of Toys R Us collapse damage is behind it Hasbro posted declining sales in all business areas, after Toys R Us announced the liquidation of its operations in the US and UK. Hasbro’s shares initially declined, only to rebound after CEO Brian Goldner told investors the impact would lessen going forward as retailers, such as Walmart and Target, likely expand their toy offerings.

“We’re working aggressively around the world to put the impact of Toys R Us behind us,” Brian said. “Importantly, this is not something happening to our company.”

The Toys R Us bankruptcy has presented a hurdle for the company, yet Hasbro reiterated on Monday 23rd Apil that free-cash flow this year would be $600m to $700m and that operating profit would be at the same level, a positive sign. Brian also said the company stopped shipping to Toys R Us in January and that the liquidation of the chain’s US stores will be completed this quarter.

In April, shares of Hasbro gained as much as 3.7% in New York on Monday 23rd April, after falling as much as 4.6%. The stock had slid 8.9% this year through to Friday’s close.

The Toys R Us effect could be clearly seen in Hasbro’s first-quarter results. In North America, sales sank 19%, while revenue in Europe declined 28%. The liquidation also generated expenses of $61.4m.

Brian has said that revenue will take a hit this year, but declined to give more specific sales guidance. He said the company would update investors later this year.

“The opportunity to absorb all of the Toys R Us business is present for our remaining retail partners,” he said. “We are just building those plans to do that, but it takes some time.”

Character Group releases latest half-year results Revenue in the period was £50.5m, against £61.5m in the comparable 2017 period (FY2017: £115.3m).

The Group reported a profit before tax for the period of £4.5m, down on the comparative period in 2017 (HY2017: £7.1m; FY2017: £13.4m). Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were £2.0m (HY2017: £ 7.9m; FY2017: £14.8m).

Gross profit margin in the period amounted to 35.2%, compared to 32.2% in the same 2017 period, and 32.6% for the August 2017 financial year. The improvement in margin reflects the change in mix, with a greater percentage of revenues being derived from UK sales and a lesser amount from the lower margin FOB sales.

A statement from the company reads: “Although trading in the first half was lower when compared to 2017, we believe that in view of the sector disruption and upheaval, Character delivered a very solid performance in what has been a very turbulent time at the retail level.”

“We continue to have great strength and depth across our brands and a wide range of long-term customers and suppliers; potential concentration risk is well diversified.”

Leading in-house ranges include Peppa Pig, Stretch, Teletubbies and Scooby Doo and exclusive, third-party lines, including Little Live Pets and Mashems, all continue to trade well. Core ranges will be strengthened as innovative product extensions are added.

Character also continues to add new ranges, such as the new line up of Pokémon products, to be launched at retail this summer, and a collection of new craze items, including Soft and Slo memory foam toys, Make Your Own Slime, Cup Cake Cuties and Mine iT. “The directors remain optimistic that the business will see a return to its previous growth pattern during the second half of this financial year and this will be fully reflected and significantly strengthen the trading results for the financial year ending 31st August 2019.”

Toy World 10

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News Jakks Q1 results reveal areas of strength

BTHA Briefing

Rebecca Deeming The BTHA’s Rebecca Deeming brings Toy World readers up to date on the current news from the association.

Shortfalls caused by the Toys R Us bankruptcy were offset by strong sales in Incredibles 2, Squish-Dee-Lish and DC Toddler Dolls.

Net sales for the first quarter were $93.0m compared to $94.5m reported in the comparable period in 2017.

Jakks chairman and CEO Stephen Berman commented: “We are relatively pleased with our sales in the first quarter, despite the negative impact caused by the liquidation of Toys R Us which began near the end of the quarter. Despite this sales disruption, we saw several areas of strength, including Incredibles 2, Disguise Costumes, Tangled: The Series, Squish-Dee-Lish and DC Toddler Dolls.”

“The investments in C’est Moi and Morfboard are off to a great start and sales are growing rapidly week after week. Our Morfboard product line, for example, has become the No. 1 selling scooter at Target, and we are seeing strong upselling in various components and accessories both in store and online.”

“As we look ahead to the next few quarters, we will continue to focus on margin improvement and our long term strategic goals. Our fall lines are moving forward as planned and we have a strong line-up of new product introductions that are a balanced mix of owned IP and licensed brands, including Morfboard Xtensions, Real Workin’ Buddies Mr. Banks, Pop A Zit, Fancy Nancy, Harry Potter, Incredibles 2, and Mega Man.”

Epoch Making Toys hosts party to celebrate new London HQ

Last month, we hosted a webinar in association with SnapDragon on ‘Fighting the counterfeits online’. The webinar provided companies with advice on how they can monitor and report their own infringements on Amazon and eBay, as well as tips on how to protect their brand online. BTHA members can benefit from a free trial of the services SnapDragon provides and should contact Rebecca@btha.co.uk to find out more.

The Big Toy Trust Challenge at Marlow is just a few days away now, with 200 members of the industry taking part in various activities to raise money for the Toy Trust. Hopefully the sun will make an appearance on the day, as participants will be taking part in a triathlon, bike ride and run over multiple distances. The day will culminate in a celebratory BBQ, as we celebrate the fundraising efforts and sporting achievements of participants, as well as drawing the highly anticipated tickets for the Big Toy Trust Raffle winners.

We’re also looking forward to welcoming members and the wider industry to our AGM and Industry Day, which will take place at the end of the month.

It should be yet another great event, including some interesting talks from Dame Stella Rimington, former director general of the Security Service (MI5) and Don Williams from KPMG UK, who will deliver a presentation on current retail trends.

Epoch Making Toys, the company behind best-selling toys Sylvanian Families and Aquabeads, opened its new UK headquarters in Uxbridge.

Toy World was invited, along with retailers, press and other special guests to the event, which was also marking the 60th birthday of parent company Epoch, whilst recognising the start of the UK business’ fifth year of trading.

Michihiro Maeda, Global CEO of Epoch, cut the ribbon and officially opened a new, state-of-the-art toy showroom, built to replicate the Sylvanian Families Cosy Cottage, the brand’s most iconic product.

Mr Maeda gave a short presentation detailing the 60-year history of Epoch, while UK managing director Neil Bandtock set out the company’s sales and marketing strategy and future plans. The presentation finished with a highly anticipated ‘sneak peek’ of the new Sylvanian Families products to be launched in 2019.

Neil Bandtock commented: “The fact that our offices are not only so close to Heathrow, but also only half an hour from about 80% of the UK Toy Industry, will allow for easier access for our customers and some exciting times ahead for Epoch Making Toys, both internationally and throughout the UK.” The event culminated with the appearance of Sylvanian Families character mascots, who posed for photos with guests and gathered around Mr Maeda as he cut a celebratory cake which marked Epoch’s special anniversary.

The celebrations come off the back of a busy start to the year for Epoch Making Toys, which has just launched the Sylvanian Town series into the UK market, the biggest new product launch in the brand’s history.

Toy Fair has now set up a presence on LinkedIn, as well as a LinkedIn group for Toy Fair 2019 exhibitors. The aim of this group is for members to ask questions, share tips and advice with one another, acting as another tool for ensuring each exhibitor has a successful show. If you would like to join this group, please contact Majen@btha.co.uk.

We’ve got a busy second half of the year coming up, as our Public Affairs team continue to represent members’ views in front of policy makers, providing more training and events, and of course building up to Toy Fair 2019. If you would like more information on BTHA membership, please contact Tracey@btha.co.uk.

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© 2018 Alpha All rights reserved.

Industry Moves Halilit welcomes Lyndsey Sample

Alan Smith announced as Posh Paws’ new managing director Posh Paws International is pleased to welcome Alan Smith to the role of managing director.

Alan joins from his own company, Maad Toys, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the role From past senior management positions at Tomy, Ideal/Playmates and Sega, Alan’s knowledge of the toy industry, licensing and international markets will be invaluable in ensuring Posh Paws delivers on its multi-market and multi-channel objectives.

Phil Setter, owner of Posh Paws commented: “We are pleased to welcome Alan to the company at such an exciting time for the business.

Alan’s strong understanding and key connections both in licensing and overseas, plus his previous wide experience made him an obvious choice for the position.”

Alan added: “I could not be more pleased to be joining a management team so full of drive and ambition for the future of Posh Paws and am excited by the opportunities the business has planned over the coming months and years.”

Two new appointments for Bandai UK sales team John Carlaw joins Bandai as national account manager, and Joanne Airey takes on the role of key account manager.

John will join the team this month, bringing with him 17 years of knowledge.

His most recent role was senior national account manager at HTI, and previous roles include senior buying manager for boys at Tesco together with retail roles with M&S, Virgin and Woolworths. John will be focusing on growing existing accounts and taking them forward into autumn 2018 and beyond.

Joanne comes with 17 years industry experience, having previously worked as a national account manager for Plum Products and as key account manager for Rainbow Designs. Since joining Bandai earlier this year, Joanne has already opened new accounts and extended distribution within the key account base, and her focus will now be to explore new business opportunities.

Amy Saunders, head of sales, Bandai UK, commented: “We are thrilled to have John and Joanne join the company at this busy and exciting time. With our portfolio growing year on year, it’s essential to have a strong team helping to drive the business forward and the experience that both of them can bring to the company is the perfect way to achieve this.”

The pre-school specialist has announced the addition of Lyndsey Sample to its sales team.

Amy Wildman, national account manager, commented: “Lyndsey will be focusing on ensuring our current customers are aware of new developments within our core ranges, and will be instrumental in establishing some of our newer ranges such as the delightful Rosa & Bo within the market. Bringing years of industry experience and strong customer relationships with many independent retailers, we’re thrilled to have Lyndsey joining the Halilit team at such an exciting time for the company, enhancing the support we are offering to our loyal customer base.”

Lyndsey can be reached on lyndsey@halilit.co.uk or on 01254 872 454.

Vivid takes on Carl Raven as international sales director Carl Raven will replace Jonathan Busher who is leaving Vivid to build his own consulting business.

Carl comes with a wealth of international toy industry experience from Hasbro, Tomy, as sales director EMEA for Summer Infant and, most recently, as head of international sales at K’Nex. Tony Hicks, CEO of Vivid Toy Group, is delighted to welcome Carl to the Vivid leadership team, and commented: “Carl brings experience and passion into our expanding Vivid team and we are very much look forward to welcoming him to the company. At the same time I want to thank Jonathan Busher for his unrelenting passion for the Vivid business and his incredible commitment to the company. He has been a fantastic ambassador for Vivid across the world for these many years and we wish him all the best going forward.”

Carl can be contacted via the main Vivid number: 01483 449 944.

Infantino UK bolsters team with two strategic appointments Jerome Lomer has been appointed as senior national account manager and Nivi Bhide as marketing director, both joining the UK team.

Nivi brings with her a wealth of experience following more than a decade working with big toy brands Mattel and Fisher-Price. In her new role, Nivi will be responsible for increasing awareness of the brand’s portfolio in Europe, working across both traditional and digital marketing platforms. Nivi’s core objective is to emulate the brand’s US success in the Baby, Infant and Pre-school arena here in the UK, as well as in France and Germany.

Jerome joins Infantino having worked within the toy industry at Manhattan Toys and Au Sycomore for over 13 years. In his new role heading up sales in the UK, Jermone will be working closely with the US and European team.

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Marketing World Hasbro unveils Royal Lost Kitties campaign Royal Lost Kitties make appearance in Windsor to celebrate the launch of new collectibles range Lost Kitties.

In celebration of this year’s royal wedding, Hasbro has introduced The Royal Lost Kitties, a limited edition couple created to celebrate the launch of its brand new collectibles range Lost Kitties.

The regal kitties are the only figures of their kind in existence, and wear an engagement ring and groomsman outfit.

Each of Hasbro’s new Lost Kitties collection can be found hiding inside a carton of compound. The Lost Kitties will be available from 1st June, with up to 100 characters to collect throughout the year.

They each have their own mischievous interests and are part of eight Lost Kitties squads, a group of characters with similar personalities including the #Nomz, #Cattitude, #WorkinIt, #ifIfits, #Adorbs, #ScaredyCats, #Cathletic, and #NotFelineIt. Craig Wilkins, marketing director at Hasbro, commented: “We’re delighted to reveal the limited edition Royal Lost Kitties today. Lost Kitties is an exciting new brand for us, full of humour and surprise that we’re sure kids will love, and we can’t think of a better way to introduce them than with our very special Royal Couple.”

Learning Resources brings forward launch of Beaker Creatures

Vicki Marler-Hausen launches Elmer Marketing

This summer, Learning Resources is launching Beaker Creatures, a new range of science-themed collectibles aimed at children from the age of five.

By dissolving Reactor Pods, kids can discover and classify 35 collectible Beaker Creature characters from five different families. The signature Liquid Reactor Super Lab reveals dozens of characters including Astrolytes, Frostonians, Oceanites, Buglettes and Minisaurs. Kids can then take on the role of scientist, identifying their creatures with classification cards, and exploring their worlds through science facts and experiments. There are also rare mystery figures as part of each series.

Dennis Blackmore, managing director of Learning Resources, commented: “We’re really excited about Beaker Creatures. It was unveiled at the New York Toy Fair earlier this year, and having seen the extremely positive response we have worked hard to bring the release date forward meaning they are now expected to be available this summer.”

He continued: “Collectibles are very popular, and kids love the thrill of science experiments. Beaker Creatures is unique in that it combines both of these things. Children will also love learning about the creatures using the magnification chamber and the classification cards, so there is lots for them to discover. It’s a great way to learn through play.”

Beaker Creatures will be supported by a targeted marketing campaign including digital and social media, bloggers, YouTube advertising and in store marketing resources.

There is also a launch FSDU deal for retailers, including free stock.

Toy industry marketeer Vicki Marler-Hausen is delighted to announce the unveiling of her new marketing agency, Elmer Marketing, which officially launched on 1st May as a specialist support service to the toy trade.

The former Bandai and Bladez Toyz marketing manager is setting up on her own to help support toy companies with their product launches, trade show planning and media campaigns. With over 16 years’ experience in licensing and marketing, Vicki is ideally placed to guide and advise on all elements of the marketing mix.

She has valuable understanding of many product categories, from nursery and pre-school to tween and retro, having worked on brands including Thomas & Friends, Tamagotchi, Hot Wheels and Monchhichi.

Vicki commented: “I feel the time is right to embark on a fresh challenge in the Industry I love and I am very excited to see how Elmer Marketing evolves over the coming months. I view myself as a trade marketing specialist who is very well connected, passionate and driven, as well as skilled at making modest budgets work really hard to deliver great results. I am looking forward to welcoming clients on board, so we can work on fun projects together and really make a difference.”

Vicki can be contacted on 07733 336971 and via email at vicki@ elmermarketing.co.uk. More information can also be found on her new website www.elmermarketing.co.uk

Toy World 16

Opinion

The future is bright, the future is…TV? This month, Toy World welcomes new Generation Media columnist Jonathan Chambers, who explores a tried and tested, but lately less talked about, digital media platform.

W

hat if I were to tell you that there is a new digital media platform on the market? Its sophisticated ad serving technology has been developed so that audiences can be reached en masse, at the same time. These audiences can be targeted and served ads in contextually relevant and brand safe environments.

These environments are of high quality, typically HD, and adhere to rigorous regulatory checks.

What's more, this platform has been proven by multiple independent bodies to provide the highest ROI per £1 media spend. The platform will also remove the burden of wastage, allowing advertisers to only pay for views from their chosen buying audience.

Let me give you an example of how things work.

GDPR compliant data capture software will track your desired audience’s behaviour, allowing the buyer to select the best placements for your ad to maximise reach and awareness. The ad is then inserted into the live video broadcast across multiple households nationwide, to be viewed by mass audiences at the same time. This is something that traditional digital channels have struggled to deliver as they typically only reach individuals at a singular point in time.

Some of the best performing placements regularly achieve c.50,000 children’s impressions.

This means 10 placements over a week can quickly exceed 500,000 impressions - outperforming many influencer channels - at a fraction of the cost. In fact, 500,000 impressions can cost as little as £500£750 dependent on the time of year. Furthermore these impressions are guaranteed - if the targets aren't met then you will receive your money back in media value.

I could go on.

You would have spotted early on that of course the "new" media platform being referred to is good old TV. And whilst the tone might be tongue in cheek, the message is genuine. Pound for pound, TV still regularly outperforms other media channels when it comes to fulfilling campaign objectives for toys and games brands – be that awareness,

engagement, or - most important of all sales.

This doesn't mean that other media channels do not have their place however, and we will be using this column moving forward to continue extolling the virtues of new and emerging media opportunities.

So why the focus on TV? And why is it still the future despite all of the emerging elements? Beyond the immediate media efficiencies (which cannot be ignored), there is one other factor to consider. TV is everywhere. Nearly every home has one. Nearly everyone uses one, every day. In fact, in the month of March this year alone, 98.8% of children aged 4-9 watched TV for an average of 1 hour and 26 minutes per day. When assessing the infant/pre-school market, this position only strengthens, with 99% of housewives with children aged 0-3 spending an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes per day with the main TV set.

Importantly, TVs are getting smarter. BARB reported that in 2016 63% of UK households had a “TV set with connected access to broadband-delivered VOD services”, inclusive of complementary devices associated with subscription TV. This figure will only continue to grow as older models are phased out of production (think how hard it is to get a non-smart phone now).

Content has for a long time been, and will continue to be, king when it comes to attracting audiences. Therefore convenience of access to this content becomes paramount when competing for attention, and Smart TVs offer a one stop solution for children. A large screen, where both live and On Demand content can be sourced (increasingly via voice control), across a multitude of channels including CBeebies, CITV, Pop, Disney, Nick, Cartoon Network, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…the list goes on. And the research backs up TV’s potential as the predominant viewing device.

According to Giraffe Insights, 71% of Subscription VOD (Netflix, Now TV, etc.) viewing occasions by 2-9 year olds occur on the main TV set.

By 2020, we estimate that connected TV

Toy World 17

Jonathan Chambers

Director of AV Investment, Generation Media.

Tel: 0207 307 7906 Jonathan.Chambers@generationmedia.co.uk

penetration in the UK will exceed 80%. At which point the way in which advertising is traded may well be disrupted by new media owners.

Accessing VOD services such as Netflix via a TV set, much like a mobile or tablet device, requires an interface/home screen. How long will be it be before major tech players such as Samsung or LG start to leverage their penetration (not to mention their potential data capture) to offer sponsorship and display opportunities on these interfaces? Or even the loading screens as apps open?

Alternatively, it will allow traditionally smaller media owners to emerge which capitalise on the advances made in technology. We are already seeing this to some extent with channels such as Ketchup TV – a free VOD service targeting preschoolers that can be both accessed via a channel on the linear broadcast stream, and a dedicated app on a growing number of connected TVs (as well as mobile devices for on the go viewing).

As media planners and buyers, we welcome this disruption. Challenging the status quo will present advertisers with new opportunities, but in an environment which is tried, trusted and tested by brands and audiences alike. So maybe we don’t need to go searching too far for the next big media and advertising trend – maybe the answer has been sitting in our living rooms (or bedrooms, kitchens, etc.) all along.

Licensing World Hasbro acquires Power Rangers from Saban A number of children’s entertainment and merchandising franchises, including Power Rangers, have been acquired from Saban Entertainment for around $520m in cash and stock.

A deal between Hasbro and Saban Entertainment, the owner of the Power Rangers franchise, has been formally announced. The agreement also includes franchises such as Luna Petunia and Popples.

Earlier this year, Hasbro and Saban signed a deal for the toy maker to design, produce and bring to market a wide variety of toys and role-play items inspired

by Power Rangers.

Cartoon Network unveils plans for Ben 10 toy range The fresh take on Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 sees adventure-loving Ben Tennyson return in his original and favourite form - a 10 year old boy who transforms into 10 different aliens. The merchandise roll-out for this latest iteration kicked off in July 2017 with the launch of Playmates’ new toy range, which Flair is distributing in the UK. Building upon the first product line, a second wave of toys is now rollingout across the UK, supported by a comprehensive marketing and digital campaign. Ben 10 is now ranked No. 4 in the Action Figure Assortment category and the Deluxe Omnitrix is No. 2 in the Role Play sub section, according to the latest NPD report.

The expanded toy offering for fans includes a diverse new collection of figurines, role-play items and vehicles. Key SKUs that launched for spring/ summer include the Heatblast Rocket Flyer and Diamondhead Power Tank vehicles, a range of Omni-Enhanced figurines, and the new Omni Launch Battle Figures. These figures allow kids to use the included Omnitrix Launcher and watch as the figures transform into aliens in mid-air.

Cartoon Network also has a line-up of Ben 10 brand and retail activations planned throughout the remainder of 2018. The toy range has laid a strong foundation for the wider licensing programme, and categories including secondary toys, apparel, accessories, homewares and publishing are also now rolling-out.

Toy World 18

ITV Studios Global Entertainment announces Thunderbirds: Beyond the Horizon ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE), in collaboration with Limelight Productions and ebp (Emma Brunjes Productions), has announced the world premiere of a new live interactive theatrical event, Thunderbirds: Beyond the Horizon.

Based on the original series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, audiences are invited to enter the secret world of International Rescue in this theatrical event created by the teams behind Alice’s Adventures Underground, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Secret Cinema: Back to The Future and The Game’s Afoot.

Taking place at brand new venue The Buzz, performances will begin 7th November 2018. The Buzz is the first venue of its kind, and is being specifically built for immersive theatre at Mercato Metropolitano in Borough, SE1. In addition to the live interactive theatre show, there will be retail and dining offerings for visitors, creating a fully immersive entertainment destination.

Exclusive pre-sale ticket access is available from yesterday for those following @BeyondThunderbirds on social channels, with tickets on general sale from Friday 27th April.

Trudi Hayward, SVP global head of merchandise at ITVS GE, commented: “This is an exciting new iteration of the Thunderbirds brand that will allow visitors to actually be immersed in the secret world of International Rescue, and we know that the experts at Limelight Productions and ebp will bring that world to life in incredible and remarkable ways through this interactive theatrical experience.”

New episodes of Clangers screen on CBeebies Coolabi Group’s top-rated Bafta-winning animated series Clangers returns with 13 x 11’ brand new episodes.

The much-anticipated new episodes of the pre-school animation are set to air from Sunday – Thursday at 6pm each week and will conclude the 26 x 11’ second series of Clangers.

Clangers is co-produced by CBeebies, Coolabi Group and Smallfilms with BBC Worldwide for its international channels. BBC Worldwide is also the international distributor for the show.

The new episodes are once again narrated by Michael Palin, and will feature Major, Mother, Small, Tiny and Granny Clanger, and their old friends The Iron Chicken, Soup Dragon and Baby Soup Dragon. Joining the Clangers for the first time will be The Moon Whale, a rare giant that none of the Clangers except Granny Clanger has seen before, alongside The Space Tortoise and The Moo Flower.

Jeremy Banks, CEO Coolabi Group, commented: “It is always brilliant to deliver new episodes of Clangers for their fans old and new. The show’s appeal is ever-growing and so it’s exciting to share such wonderful new characters and adventures.”

On Sunday 13th May, Coolabi Group celebrated the return of the popular show with a BFI Family Funday screening.

Hosted by the BFI, and presented by popular CBeebies presenter, Rebecca Keatley, parents and their pre-schoolers were treated to a special interactive event and screening at the BFI Southbank.

The event included an exclusive preview of three of the new episodes, alongside insights into the show, a whistling lesson from series producer (and chief whistler) Dan Maddicott, and an appearance from Tiny Clanger.

Nickelodeon acquires five series of Horrid Henry The UK & Ireland division has acquired the complete catalogue of Novel Entertainment’s Horrid Henry.

The series launched with a seven-day themed takeover during May half term on the Nicktoons network, before becoming a fixed part of the channel schedule.

A new series of 42 x 11’ is currently in production and will be broadcast on Nicktoons in 2019. A total number of 250 episodes are now available, making Horrid Henry one of the biggest ever animated shows in the UK. The television series is based on characters created by author Francesca Simon and has been produced by Novel since 2006.

Alison Bakunowich, SVP and general manager Nickelodeon UKNEE, commented: “Horrid Henry is a fantastic addition to the Nicktoons lineup and a hilarious juxtaposition to our optimistic SpongeBob.” The brand has been extended to include film, stage, radio and online extensions as well as being at the heart of a successful licensing and merchandising programme.

To date, Horrid Henry has sold the series to over 90 territories with broadcasters on board across the globe including: ABC Australia, RTE Eire, Mediacorp Singapore, Gulli France, NRK Norway, Hulu US, SVT Sweden, YLE Finland, RTP Portugal, TVP1 in Poland, and Al Jazeerah Middle East.

Mattel announces new Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie The movie will receive a UK nationwide theatrical release in partnership with National Amusements, running in over 400 cinemas from 20th July.

Additionally, Channel 5’s Milkshake! has signed up the new series of the same name, to air from September 2018.

The series has undergone a major refresh by opening up the world of Thomas & Friends. The changes will be first seen in the 2018 tentpole and action-packed, feature-length film, Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie, where Thomas will embark on an ambitious trip around the world, leaving Sodor for the first time. Travelling across five continents, Thomas will discover new sights and cultures, while making friends with an inspiring and fun Kenyan engine called Nia. Following the movie, Series 22 (26 x 11’ episodes) will see the iconic blue engine’s adventures continue, with a few visits to Sodor along the way. The show will have a more contemporary feel, increasing global appeal for pre-school viewers. This all-new format series will feature faster-paced action, increased humour and music, new international friends and animals and exciting fantasy elements.

Sanjay Luthra, managing director, Mattel Europe, commented: “We are delighted to announce the theatrical launch and Milkshake! signing of Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!. 2018 is going to be an incredibly exciting year for the brand as we see a huge transformation to the content which offers many opportunities for the franchise, taking Thomas & Friends from an evergreen to a must-have property.”

The new UK deals follow the recent signing for the refreshed new show of broadcaster’s ABC TV (Australia), Televisa (Mexico), TV Cultura (Brazil), Super RTL (Germany) and Nick Jr. (USA).

Toy World 19

11” Feature Elastigirl on Elasticyc

Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2, the long awaited sequel to the original 2004 release, launches on the 13th July. With nearly 150m trailer views on YouTube by early May alone, Jakks is preparing for a huge launch to tie in with the new release, in what should be a long-term and highly successful licence for the company.

The ever increasing level of demand following the original movie means collectors and kids are already engaged with the line even before The Incredible 2’s cinematic release. Offering price points for every budget, the Jakks line has exciting options across action figures, basic dolls, feature dolls and vehicles.

The range includes a Super Junior range for younger kids, featuring fantastic play-sets and figurines.

Jakks’ marketing will be heavily focused on ATL, digital and social during the theatrical launch, continuing from September through to December.

Disney Pixar’s marketing and partner tie-ins will also add to the mix, further enhancing the reach of marketing activities.

• Wind up Launch Ramp to send cycle speeding on its way • Incredible stretching and speed • Includes: Elastigirl, Elasticycle, helmet, & launch ramp • Recommended for Ages: 3+

Incredibles 2 Hydroliner The Ultimate Junior Supers Play-set. Includes: 1 Hydroliner, 1 Elastigirl Figure, 1 Watercraft, 1 Lifesaver, and 2 Missiles

Four TVCs will be targeted at kids and family audiences with strong media flights for products including the Power Couple, Stretch & Speed Elastigirl, Jack Jack & Raccoon and the Hydrofoil Play-Set. All digital plans will benefit from engaging content prior to direct links to Jakk’s retail partners, who will be empowered by the new online content package, and a selection of YouTubers will also be employed across various stages of the campaign. Classic press will continue to play its part; Jakks will be running substantial and engaging competitions alongside adverts to spread awareness of the range.

• Launching missile • Fold out Ice Slide • Push the watercraft out of the side door • Grabbing arm • Trap Door

• Rotating cooling • Hydroliner rolls f

For further details contact: 01344 638900

Feature Jack Jack Attacks Doll

cle When Elastigirl needs to get someplace fast, she hops on her trusty Elasticycle! Place the cycle on the launch ramp and turn the handle to power up.

Watch as Elastigirl str-r-e-e-e-tches out, then launches into exciting action as she speeds across the floor, ready to take on trouble!

Little Jack-Jack is full of surprises and no one knows what to expect from him - especially when he can go from spontaneously combusting and shooting lasers from his eyes, to simply being adorable in the blink of an eye! Recreate the most epic battle of all time as Jack-Jack takes on the Backyard Invader!

• Press his tummy once to hear him laugh and giggle • Press on his belly repeatedly and Jack-Jack cycles through all of his “powers” • Press and hold his belly to make Jack-Jack “explode” into ultimate power mode – all colours, lights and sounds are activated • Rooted hair, soft body, moulded head and hands • Recommended for Ages: 3+

Playset

chamber forward

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12” Feature Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl Power Couple is the Ultimate Team!

Use Mr. Incredible’s super strength to slingshot Elastigirl into the fight and save the city!

• 45 plus sounds including the voice of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl

jakksuk@jakks.net

NPD Insight

A Whole New Toy Market?

As toy ranges are continually reinvented, NPD’s Melissa Symonds considers the importance of newness and innovation to the ongoing success of the industry.

T

he UK Toy market has always embraced change, at least as far as product is concerned. With over 27,000 new items in 2017, accounting for 31% of annual toy value, the toy market has a continual refreshment of items, ranges and brands each year.

In fact, over 72% of sales Year-To-Date April 2018 are from items launched in the last three years. With so many new launches and product refreshes, UK consumers are rarely faced with the same choice on each purchasing occasion and have shown a remarkable affinity for embracing these new and different offerings. Even with the challenging retailer environment this year, newness still sells with eight out of the top ten best-selling items YTD new in the last 12 months.

New properties are also becoming bigger as consumers take to them more quickly than they used to. The top new property in 2016 was Trolls with £12m. However, the top three new properties in 2017 all sold over £17m, with LOL Surprise! at number one with £23m, PJ Masks with £18m and Lego Batman with £17m.

well where stocked. The UK toy market has regularly been disrupted in the most innovative ways with new crazes, and squishy is looking to be the one for 2018.

Whether Loom Bands in 2014 or Fidget Spinners in 2017, crazes often break into the national conscience with non-traditional toy shops picking up on these popular trends. Already a number of market stalls have been spotted selling non-branded squishy items.

Another top selling new item in the last couple of months is Panini’s Russia World Cup sticker packs.

Every major football tournament sees a short-lived but strong uplift in the Football property, (depending on the length of the national teams’ campaigns). In 2014, during the last World Cup, sales were £21m for the year, while the 2016 Euro Championship brought £22m sales and we could see similar levels of sales again this year.

New doesn’t always mean new brands or licences though, as evidenced by the regular Panini uplift, but can include extensions of existing properties and related products. Looking at 2017’s largest new property L.O.L Surprise!, its continued success doesn’t rest solely on the original seven layer ball, but is shared with quickly expanded features which offer pets, confetti and pearl shapes. Fingerlings,

The best-selling new property so far this year is Flair’s Pikmi Pops, with sales over £1.8m YTD April and weighted distribution reaching 84% in April, still leaving some room to grow. Similarly, Bandai’s Smooshy Mushy is hot on its heels as the number two new property with YTD April 2018 – ranked on Value Sales £1.5m and 70% weighted distribution. Both contribute to the on-going collectible themes but have different packaging and sweet smells as added bonuses. However, 2018 Soft N Slo Smooshy will probably be known as Pikmi Pops Squishies Mushy the year of the ‘squishy’; as well as Smooshy Mushy, £1.8m £1.2m £1.5m Character’s Soft N Slo Launched: Dec Launched: Feb 18 Launched: Dec 17 Squishies leapt up the 17 property ranking in the last month and Squish-DeeDocumentThe classification: Client/Third Party Confidential Lish from Jakks is selling NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Melissa Symonds

Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD another top new brand last year, has expanded to offer unicorns and baby velociraptors this year. Other long running brands constantly refresh the product line up with Lego City, Barbie and Transformers good examples of well-known brands with fresh SKUs added regularly to keep the range exciting for consumers. For Lego City, two thirds of value sales came from new lines YTD April 2018 compared to 2017.

While some classic lines remain top-sellers year after year (original Monopoly and Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, for example), the continual re-invention and related marketing of new products keeps the toy market dynamic. But why does it appeal so much to consumers? Is it the innovation, the excitement?

According to NPD’s Consumer Panel Service, product features is the number two reason for choosing an item (behind price) and has increased in the last ten years, from 15% of the market in 2008 to 19% in 2017. Such added features, whether colour, texture or added extras appeal to consumers appetites.

Top 10 New Properties in Total Market

Toy World 22

Enchantimals

Smashers

£0.9m

£0.8m

Launched: Jul 17

Launched: Jan 18

1

With close to 90% of the toys on shelf being different from what was on shelf five years ago, newness is an integral part of our industry and one that needs to be encouraged. New types of toys can create a whole new category, or new view of the toy market, which helps makes toys one of the most exciting categories.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/food service, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.

To monitor what’s happening in the ever-changing toy market, NPD collects point-of-sale information from all major toy retailers. This information, combined with our analysts’ industry perspectives, delivers a comprehensive view of what’s selling and where. We also field over 12m consumer surveys annually to help industry leaders understand why consumers shop where they shop and why they buy what they buy.

For more information visit www.npd.com. Follow NPD on Twitter @npdgroup.

Property Progression Soft N Slo Squishies

Licence share by category With £1 in every £4 spent on toys spent on licensed products so far this year, licensing is a key part of the UK Toy Market. The most heavily licensed supercategory, Action Figures & Accessories, has 75% of sales going to licences, heavily influenced by movie and TV properties like Star Wars, Power Rangers, Total Marvel and Total DC. Vehicles has the second largest share of sales going to licences, helped by Cars the Movie as well as the various car licences such as Porsche and Lamborghini. The Building Sets category features similar licences to Action Figures, but also includes Disney Princess and Cars. Outdoor & Sports Toys and Youth Electronics are the least licenced categories, with just £1 in every £10 spent on licenced product.

Rank March

Rank April

83

28

With squishies rising quickly to the top of the top sellers, April saw Character Options Soft'n Slo Squishies establish itself as the fastest moving property in April, rising 55 positions to #28 for the month, with sales over £735m, despite only have 73% weighted distribution for the month. The Soft'n Slo Sweet Shop assortment is the best-selling line in the range. All squishies are currently in the Miscellaneous Toys category, helping drive it to the second fastest growing subclass Year-To-Date April (behind Playset Dolls & Collectibles). There are nine Squishy items in the top ten in Miscellaneous Toys YTD, from not just Soft'n Slo Squishies, but also Smooshy Mushy and Squish-Dee-Lish.

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Talking Shop Harrogate heart to hearts Rachael Simpson caught up with some of the Toymaster members at this year’s show, to find out which products had caught their eye, the benefits of being a member of the buying group, and how the ongoing Toys R Us bankruptcy was affecting their businesses as they look towards the latter half of 2018.

Steve Kerrison - Kerrison Toys, Norwich The last of year of trading had been pretty good for us, and the first few months of the year was going well, but when the Toys R Us bankruptcy started, everything became a little up and down. It would be nice to think that it means more customers for us independents, but the worry is that manufacturers have a fair amount of business to make up as a result and it’s unclear at this stage where they will choose to put their stock. Currently we are fighting to get stock, and if some of it were to come our way it would really help us out. It’s concerning when you start to see product turning up in places like B&M; I do appreciate that some manufacturers have difference to make up, and they are exploring their options, but independents really should be a bigger part of that picture.

L.O.L Surprise! is flying out, when we can get the stock. It’s probably still the biggest brand for us. There are a lot of squishies out there and certain ranges are becoming diluted, but we are finding they are selling really well for us. Independents have always been strong on Playmobil and Sylvanian Families, and sales of these brands also continue apace.

Nothing has taken us by surprise; the performance of various lines has been pretty much what we expected. If anything, some ranges have been disappointing. There was a lot of poo product around at the beginning of the year, and a lot of it hasn’t worked out as we would have expected it to. Sometimes that comes down to price points; if something works well at £3.99, but the next series out costs £1 more it can completely kill it off. Price points are still key. Under £5 works, and I feel that manufacturers shouldn’t be inflating the price of

successful lines unless they absolutely have to. I can think of a couple of lines last year that saw prices creep up, and they never recovered.

At Toymaster there was plenty to see that looks good, but the unknown factor is whether it will work out. That’s half the fun – predicting if it’ll work, and whether it’ll beat L.O.L! Educational Insights has a nice fizz-bomb game I’ve spotted, I really like Bandai’s Poonicorns, and there are some nice Harry Potter bits about too. I think most people are also excited about the return of Polly Pocket.

It’s early days on Jurassic Park, but dinosaurs have always sold well in toys and that’s why Jurassic World as a brand has remained popular. It seems like this time, the licensees have got on board a bit more too,

Toy World 25

and I think there is a bigger opportunity with this movie than there was with the first rebooted offering. We intend to cover all categories because dinosaurs always sell. Sometimes we find with licensed goods that price points are slightly higher, but they always perform well for us, so we don’t worry too much about that. Harry Potter is popular as ever, Mattel has some nice dolls and they look really good. The way these products are packaged and marketed lends the brand to teenage and adult buying and certainly this is what we see at Kerrison Toys.

Over the years, Toymaster has seen an increase in show deals and offers, and the group is putting a lot of effort into ensuring suppliers come here with something to draw the retailers. Because the show is the middle of the year, it’s an opportunity for these suppliers to present their very latest products too, and Toymaster has very much become the place to do so. I’ve seen brand new products from Character and Hasbro, and it’s important for the whole independent toy industry to see new product here, as they won’t see it any other way.

As members we really benefit from Toymaster marketing, especially the catalogue. This is vital for a lot of members, and we try very hard to pick an even spread across the range, demonstrating that toy shops will offer products from suppliers that aren’t always big household names; we offer a really wide choice.

I think the general retail scene at the moment is pretty unpredictable, and the high-street is certainly undergoing a torrid time. The difference with independents is that we can react much faster; if something takes off, or something starts

Talking Shop moving fast, we can make decisions on stocking and ordering much quicker. From that point of view, we are optimistic that we can keep on top of emerging trends and continue to offer toys that consumers really want to buy. The coming months might be tough; a lot of stock has been dumped in the marketplace because of Toys R Us, and there is also a risk that during the closing down sales, parents will have bought Christmas and birthday gifts for a year or two ahead, thus robbing the independents of those guaranteed year-round sales. That will take a while to wash through, but no one really knows how long.

Another consideration is that following these sales, people’s perception on pricing is not what you want it to be. When a customer starts demanding a lot of

product for not much money, having been to a sale and picked something up half-price, they may then balk at its full, true cost. The sales took a lot of money out of the toy marketplace for those six to eight weeks. However, summer is coming through, and everyone seems to be feeling good at the moment.

We’ve seen a really strong start on summer lines like water pistols and outdoor balls, and obviously we are hopeful this will continue as we head into the main season.

Retailers have got to keep an eye on what people want. There is no point overloading yourself with toys no-one will buy, so you have to keep on top of what will sell. Toymaster is great at sharing information. I don’t know how many Toymaster

members look at NPD, but the first thing I do when results come out is sit down and look through them to see what is selling, and whether I’m missing out.

Generally I’m not, but there is the odd occasion where retailers are doing well with something I’m not, and I’ll take a look at why that is. Knowing what the trends are is important.

I would like to think that everyone will be trading up this year at Christmas, because of the Toys R Us situation, and I would be amazed if we weren’t. Let’s wait and see though – if the stock I mentioned earlier starts showing up in the discount shops, we may see a different result.

Simon Adams - Toytown Woodbridge If I had to sum up how business has been recently in one word, it would be ‘quiet’. The main problem is the Toys R Us effect; at the moment there are a lot of toys in the marketplace. Everyone went to Toys R Us during the closing down sales, and I do think that this has had a knock on effect on our sales. This will probably continue for around four or five months.

Ultimately I think we will see the loss of Toys R Us driving added customers through the doors of independent toy retailers, but that won’t kick in until the back end of the year. Saying that, people who shopped at Toys R Us may not have been the sort of people to shop at an independent, but I am sure we will pick up a few of them anyway.

Squishies are performing really well for us at the minute, especially the Soft’n Slo range from Character Options. Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty, which we get from Green Elephant Trading continues to be a top line for us. We got another shipment of L.O.L Surprise! dolls recently too - it’ll come as no surprise to anyone that they are still incredibly popular. I had a customer come in to buy an entire box of L.O.L Surprise, 18 of them. I asked her why she wanted so many, and she told me she was having nine of them, and giving the other nine to her mum. Whether she was actually looking to resell them on the likes of eBay, who knows, but she paid the full retail value for them and I’ll always be happy with a sale like that. There hasn’t been a craze yet this year in the same way that there was with fidget spinners last year, so nothing has really taken

Toy World 26

me by surprise, but there is still time.

The Toymaster show has been hectic for me this year, but in a really good way – there seems to be a lot of people here. I’ve been very impressed by the Siku range of die cast models, which are distributed

by Alpha Toys, and Asmodee’s offerings are always really strong. Orchard Toys have some products which really caught my eye, including Superhero Lotto and One Dog Ten Frogs. We’ve always done well with games, and it’s nice that there are strong offerings out there which are a step away from the bigger manufacturers. We stock Rory’s Story Cubes from Asmodee, Dobble - which is as popular as ever – and Bananagrams too.

I was at the first ever Toymaster show in 1989, which was held in Solihull, and I’ve probably been to all of them bar two. I used to have my own business, but I sold that and went to work for someone who was happy for me to keep attending the show. That company was subsequently sold, and the new owner wasn’t keen on anyone attending - which accounts for the two years I couldn’t make it - but I opened my own shop again four years ago and started coming once more. The show has stayed pretty much the same throughout its entire lifespan, and it’s nice to have that continuity running across the years.

As a member of Toymaster, I benefit hugely from the central invoicing system. I can vividly recall doing the individual cheques every month years ago, but with Toymaster you don’t have that headache at all. And they are a really great bunch of people to

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boot; every time I phone the ladies in the office they know exactly what’s going on, and they know everybody by name, which adds that extra personal touch.

Towards the latter half of this year, I believe we will see things picking up slightly, and I reckon Christmas will be up. Not by a huge amount, granted, but in this climate every little helps. Once the consumers realise that Toys R Us is gone, and that the bigger multiple retailers are out of stock of the toy they want, they’ll find us independents and we will be able to help them. We don’t sell online, as frankly I don’t know enough about how it works! If you don’t know what you’re dealing with, it can be a minefield. On top of that you have marketplace fees which eat into your margins, meaning that by the end of the process you really haven’t made much money at all.

We don’t have as many customers looking for action figures like Batman or Spiderman anymore; I think the category has moved away from that sort of things, but we do well with collectibles like Mashems and SuperZings instead.

Lego has waned over the past six months – it’s just absolutely everywhere, and the market is saturated. You can even buy it in B&M. My biggest piece of advice for other independent toy retailers out there is to sit tight. Generally, I feel that people are being quite pragmatic, but we all need to hold on and ride this out. Listening to your customers is key. We get customers asking for a particular product, and if we don’t have it for any reason we can usually get it from somewhere, which keeps the customer really happy.

We also run a monthly giveaway competition, where people can win a prize simply by liking and sharing our Facebook page. The prizes change every month, with four or five up for grabs, and the winner can choose what they like, be it squishies, putty, or whatever else is popular at the time.

Facebook works well for us; we don’t do much on Twitter as again I don’t know much about the platform. We share pictures of new products when they come in on Facebook, and we do find that customers will visit to buy those products having seen our Facebook page. Using social media in that way really can convert to sales.

Toymaster award presentations The Wednesday evening of this year’s Toymaster show saw Grovers Toymaster of Northallerton presented with an award to mark the retailer’s fifty years in the business.

For the first time ever, Toymaster gave a New Supplier of the Year award, the inaugural recipient being Green Elephant Toys, whose best-selling range of putty has become a huge favourite with Toymaster members.

Nici Wilcox, MD Green Elephant, commented: “We are so thrilled to receive this award. We couldn’t have done it without our incredible team and an amazing product – thanks to all at Crazy Aaron’s. We’ve really enjoyed being a Toymaster supplier over the last year or so and getting to know so many lovely retailers. Toymaster is a great organisation to work with and we’ve never enjoyed a trade fair so much!”

Golden Teddies were presented to Michael Berg and Trevor Simmonds, while Vivid’s Ross Macdonald, agent Graham Hurrell and Character’s Colin Rossiter and Roger Brown were all recognised for the major contributions they have made to the industry ahead of their impending retirements.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Unknown Pleasures

A

s we write this, we are on the M1, heading back home after three intense days at the Toymaster show in Harrogate. As ever, it was a great event, superbly organised by the Toymaster team; the amount of planning that goes in to making the event work never fails to impress us. For us, the show is really intense on the buying front, but also very heavy on the social side. When we get back later, we will be ready to collapse, our batteries exhausted after three manic days. This year the weather was kind as well. It was a bit hot on the Tuesday, but we were pleased to see the ice cream van, which helped cool us down after being in the marquee.

The Wednesday evening event made us feel very young. With only nine years in the trade, we are novices compared to the four people celebrating their retirements, who between them have over 150 years’ experience. One of them was one of our reps and good friend Graham Hurrell, with a mere 44 years in the trade. He and the others will all be missed. Hopefully we will be around for a few more years yet.

Our hats go off to the Toy Division band, who played a great music set. Given that all of them had been working the show all day, to perform in the evening was a big commitment from them. Well done guys!

As ever, it wouldn’t be a column from us without a food element. Having tried out several venues now, for lunch we would recommend the Lucia Bar & Grill, which does very nice ciabattas. Then for dinner, we absolutely loved William & Victoria, which serves fantastic classic food. Harrogate is a beautiful place, which is a huge factor in what makes the show such a success, and we always enjoy our visits there.

On the buying front, it was a very productive show for us. It is always a deal related show, and once again there were some great deals on offer. It was useful to see the final versions of products we had initially seen at Toy Fair, along with some new lines too. Character has a great new boys collectible, which there is certainly a gap in the market for. They also had some additions to the squishies side with Bubbleez that will help keep the craze going.

We were pleased to see a lot of new Harry Potter products finally appearing, as this has been something we have been asked for by our customers for years.

The action figures from Mattel looked great, and we were impressed with the interactive wands from Jakks Pacific. Winning Moves had some great licensed Harry Potter games, with Trivial Pursuit looking a great fit for fans. A really good supplier for us is Padgett Bros., which has a range of pre-school products at fantastic prices, and the quality is great too. Peterkin had some attractive products, especially in its vehicles and Dolls World ranges. Our sales agent for Peterkin, Rob Staff was so pleased that he bought us an ice cream and then a pint at the bar.

Looking forward now, we are hoping the good weather continues, as it would be nice to start to clear some summer stock, before all the stuff we ordered at the show starts to arrive. In June, our tip for the best film licence of the summer, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is released. The early signs on the products have been good, hopefully this will continue. Happy trading.

The team from Grovers Toymaster clebrate their achievement.

Toy World 27

Feature

Wheeled Toys

Along for the ride The wheeled toys category can bring the advantage of high price-points, but the amount of space they require can present retailers with a challenge. Casey Goodman found how retailers can address this, as well as exploring recent trends in the category.

W

heeled toys come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s the amount of choice now available that has grown the category over the years.

Phil Ratcliffe from MV Sports explains: “I think that the diversity of the category has grown immensely and there is more choice than ever. For example, not that long ago a scooter was a scooter and differentiated mainly by size and price. Nowadays, scooters are often purchased for a specific function or task such as stunting, commuting or according to a child’s favourite character. The same applies to skateboards, trikes and other wheeled toy categories.

The number of licences applied to wheeled products has also increased dramatically which, alongside the plethora of options available, puts pressure on retail space. In the past, it could be said that there was too much choice coming from too many suppliers, all competing for a finite amount of space. That has all changed with the growth in online retail, which can accommodate more variety and specialisation. Product can be launched on-line and consumer reaction gauged, before placing orders to take account of potential demand.

Advancements in technology have also brought change the category. For example, there has been a growth in powered wheeled products such as

electric scooters, hoverboards, and bluetooth skateboards.”

Another trend in the wheeled toys category is that older children and adults are increasingly using scooters as a way of commuting. Antje Horn, key account manager at Hudora, explains: “In the past few years we have seen a growing trend towards the use of scooters by children past the very young age and adolescents. Initially, only young children would use typical kids’ scooters with small wheels.

Now, when passing by a schoolyard, you will see at least the same number of scooters as bikes, if not more. This is why we have been concentrating on developing Hudora scooters to make them suitable for intense daily use. Our Big Wheel scooters with a minimum wheel diameter of 205mm and a patented folding mechanism are robust, sturdy and comfortable as well as being fast-moving and easily manoeuvrable. In an environment where children and young people are increasingly distracted by sedentary activities provided by electronic games and mobile phones, it can only be a good thing that they travel to school by foot, on a bike or on a scooter - self-propelled and not electrical. This benefits their health and the environment.”

One of the key trends for 2018 is the growth of high-end products in the wheeled toys category.

For example, there are far more companies offering

Toy World 28

electric scooters and ride-ons now than there were a few years ago. Due to their higher price points, such items sell particularly well in the run-up to Christmas, when consumers are looking to invest in an impressive purchase, or around Black Friday, when the price points lend themselves to attractive offers.

Kingsley Li from Rollplay explains why he thinks electric ride-ons are so popular: “Electric Ride-on is a rising sector, not only in licensed replica vehicles, but also in product innovation. Parents want to encourage their children to enjoy outdoor activities from a young age and a ride-on is great way for kids to have fun in the fresh air. Also, children love to mimic their parents’ lifestyle and cars are a familiar item to them. We are passionate about getting kids outdoors with cool, authentic and fun-filled products.”

Phil explains why he thinks there has been a growth in the high-end and higher price-point products in this category: “There has been deflationary pressure on the category for many years which has resulted in some key products becoming homogenised. This is all well and good if consumers are constantly looking for the lowest price, however sooner or later this will stifle innovation and differentiation. However there are discerning customers out there with money to

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spend on something a bit different, more special and innovative. If a bricks and mortar retail space can’t cater to what they’re looking for, they can now find it on-line or in the indies.

We have launched over 200 products this year, incorporating own brand, customer own label and licensed product. We offer a complete wheeled toy solution based on individual customer needs.

Whether it be a bike, skateboard, scooter, ride-on or hoverboard; licensed or non-licensed, we can do it.”

Antje believes that the rise in popularity of higher-end price points is partly due to consumers becoming increasingly wary of lower-quality items posing a potential risk: “We have noticed a drop in consumers striving for the lowest price. People can feel concerned by cheap, mass-produced products of doubtful/uncertain quality. From experience, they know that buying cheap will cost them more in the end. They look for guidance when selecting a product and find it in brands which they identify with high product quality, reliable service and sustainability.”

“We constantly strive to make our products safer with every product launch. We equip them with additional brakes, reflectors and other safety gadgets. Through our QM-team, we control the whole production process, thus making sure that the products comply with the highest industry standards, often exceeding European regulations.

Hudora also plans to extend its range of safety products - we already carry helmets and protector sets for knees and elbows. These products are going to be upgraded for our 2019 product launch.”

Kingsley believes that innovation and creativity

are the key to producing high-end products, “Our parent company, The Goodbaby Group, combines many years of juvenile manufacturing knowledge with world class engineering to launch products which are innovative and creative, yet still offer great value for money. Furthermore, we offer extensive customer service from our headquarters in Germany. We are planning to launch some fantastic Rollplay products in autumn. Rollplay’s motto is to bring more play value and fun to UK households. In August we will launch our most ground-breaking and exhilarating ride-on yet, Nighthawk: an innovative special sit, slide and glide ride for ages six and up which we know kids will love.”

One of the challenges of the wheeled category is being able to carry enough stock of the products, particularly in independent toy shops, due to the amount of space which is needed to display them.

Phil offers the following advice: “Focus on the key licences and product types and blend in some differentiation which delivers margin, something that the multiples maybe haven’t got the space for or don’t want to risk. MV offers a wide range of products, not all of which are listed by the multiples, and we have evidence that certain lines perform well and deliver cash profit in an independent outlet because they are not always available at the bigger national chains.”

Kingsley explains that Rollplay has an alternative approach: “At Rollplay, we offer carriage paid on low domestic orders, plus a drop shipment service. This provides our customers with an opportunity to sell our complete catalogue of products to consumers,

without the need to consider a huge space for the stock. We are also happy to help our customers with POS and in store display materials.”

Antje believes that independent retailers could gain an advantage by stocking wheeled products, as unlike online retail, customers can see the physical product before they commit to a highprice point purchase. She explains: “Bricks and mortar retailers, as well as online retailers, should offer advice to potential buyers of their wheeled products. Successful retailers not only know the features of their products – they also have the specialist knowledge to sell the right product to the right consumer with his/her specific needs.

Through the clever bundling of wheeled products with accessories (LED lights, helmets, protector sets, backpacks) retailers can boost their turnover with incremental sales.

An additional advantage of bricks and mortar shops is that they can allow consumers to try out the scooters, skates or skateboards before buying them. Of course, giving space to children to do this is a challenge in store. It very much depends on the shop’s individual focus whether the Hudora mission to “make people enjoy moving” can be acted out in the shop. On the other hand, a retailer can just display one unpacked/unfolded scooter for trial use.

Hudora boxes are designed in a way that product picture and description are visible on all kinds of racks which the retailer may use.”

Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a wide selection of wheeled products from a range of suppliers.

MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk MV Sports has a comprehensive line up of top own brand and licensed wheeled toys suitable for pre-school age and up. The range caters for all levels, with unique bespoke features and innovative designs, from new better and bigger entry level ride-ons to the new design trike with blow-moulded wheels for a smoother ride.

Taking the wheeled market by storm are PJ Masks and Paw Patrol. Both these sought after ranges include scooters, skates, skateboards and bikes, along with battery operated mini quads and authentic moulded battery operated ride-ons. These are joined by a wealth of new pre-school licensed ranges, Super Wings, Nella the Princess Knight and Rusty Rivets.

In the girls’ evergreen arena, Peppa and Disney Princess lead the way. For 2018, Peppa designs have been refreshed with brighter colours, new design and a bespoke plaque feature.

The classic Disney Princess collection delivers a wide range of wheeled toys with pretty diamante touches and tassels.

MV’s line-up of classic licences such as Batman, Star Wars, Thomas and Fireman Sam is joined by new properties such as Hatchimals, JoJo Siwa, L.O.L Surprise! and Jurassic Park.

Established ranges such as Wired and Stunted have had a refresh with new colours and modern designs. Stunted goes from strength to strength with 47% growth last year, and this year it has introduced new models with even more features and better value.

The new range of Electrick scooters boasts edgy new designs and trade up features. The Electrick Hoverboard range has expanded with brand new innovative patented design UL2272 hover boards.

Twista is a refreshing range of trendy tri-pod hip-swinging self-powered scooters and offers two different ways to ride and glide in vivid colours and with light up wheels. Other rides-ons include the Viaggio trike, a pedal trike and Ozone: a hubless 6v ride-on in bright bold colours.

Toy World 30

HUDORA BigWheel – The Original

HUDORA scooters – the best choice for both school and leisure time Away from the gaming console and off having fun staying active every day. Our BigWheels enable us to pursue our mission to inspire children, adolescents and adults to stay active in their everyday lives as well as in their leisure time.

THE BENEFITS AT A GLANCE: •

Children improve their coordination and balance.

•

When they are on a BigWheel, they are riding a trendy product and the cool alternative to a bicycle.

•

It‘s how children and adolescents get to their destinations safely and flexibly.

Learn more about HUDORA, the German market leader in leisure sporting and play equipment for indoor and outdoor use, at www.hudora.de/uk.

HUDORA GmbH | Jägerwald 13 | 42897 Remscheid | Germany Contact Person: Antje Horn | Tel +49 (0)2191 934 84-34 | a.horn@hudora.de

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Wheeled Toys

Rollplay 0798 6971 902 | www.rollplay.com Rollplay is thrilled to announce the UK launch of new wheeled products throughout 2018 and beyond.

Nighthawk is a sit, slide and glide ride for preteens, available from July. With its leading-edge design creating a new sub-segment of ride-on toys, riders steer Nighthawk by leaning into the glide of the curve and feel the control as they learn how to master the unique riding action. Gas and brake pedals allow variable speed control and handlebars are placed either side of the seat to protect hands, with a rear flag for safety. Nighthawk runs at a max speed of 12 km/h, has a two metre turning radius, and the rechargeable 12V battery has a run time of approximately one hour. For ages 6+.

Turnado takes go-karting to another level. With an aggressively distinctive design inspired by Hammerhead sharks, Turnado offers a real racing experience, operating on a rear swivel castor to allow drifting action. At top speeds of 16km/h, the streamlined chassis features an anti-rollover structure for safety and has a direct charging system for the 24V rechargeable battery. For ages 6+.

Uprider is the ultimate standing ride-on for kids. Featuring a balance sensor so Uprider knows when to power into action, the product offers smart ‘tilt’ turning and two training wheels for practice and safety. With top speeds of 6km/h, Uprider is easily recharged with 12V of power and has adjustable handlebars for comfort. For ages 6+.

Turnado, Uprider and Night Hawk join the impressive portfolio of product from Rollplay which includes an assortment of licensed vehicles such as Porsche, BMW, VW, Audi, Mercedes, Mini Cooper and General Motors and also offers a full catalogue of Rollplay-branded ride-ons.

Simba Smoby 01274 765 030 | www.simba-dickie-group.de/en

Hudora (49) 2191-9348434 | www.hudora.de/uk

Simba Smoby offers a wheeled collection ideal for tots on the move.

The Be Move licensed trike collection offers parents and their little ones an outdoor ride with their favourite characters. Disney Cars, Frozen and Disney Princess are included in the collection, making this a catch-all range for the most popular pre-school properties. At a reasonable price point, the Be Move trikes are sturdy and durable with a storage facility also incorporated for added value. A whole new collection of tricycles will also be available this year including the Be Fun, Baby Balade and Bay Driver collections.

Hudora is a full-range manufacturer of leisure sporting and play equipment for indoor and outdoor use. A specialist in a wide range of skating equipment, Hudora is a German market leader in scooters, skateboards, balance bikes,roller skates and inline skates.

Hudora also has significant market share in the categories of trampolines, nest swings and goals.

Its mission is to get children, young people and adults to enjoy moving together in sport and play.

Retail partners such as toy retailers, non-food retailers, DIY and garden centres and online retailers value Hudora because they are able to cultivate long-term customer loyalty. Parents and grandparents who place particular value on the reliability and safety of sporting equipment for their little ones are happy to come back when their kids are ready to upgrade to their first scooter for school runs or want to hit the pipeline on a skateboard.

The Hudora brand generates sales all year round, and the company assists retail partners in Easter, back-to-school and Christmas promotions, developing special edition models.

Hudora‘s range of wheeled toys includes scooters for children, youths and grown ups; stunt scooters; a wide range of skate- and longboards for beginners and semi professionals; children’s bicycles; balance bikes; go-karts and roller and in-line skates.

Toy World 34

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Wheeled Toys

Hy-Pro 01582 670 100 | www.zincsports.com

Jakks Pacific 01344 638 900 | www.jakks.com More than a skateboard or scooter, Morfboard is a system for active play that generates ongoing revenue through its everexpanding ecosystem. Seasonal expansions of the system build brand loyalty as kids buy the latest X-Tension and engage with their board in new ways.

The board transforms in seconds thanks to its innovative LRT Lock & Release Technology, which allows riders to simply drop X-Tensions into the board, turning it into a skateboard, scooter, balance board or bounce board.

Benefitting from a summer TV advertising campaign to create mass awareness and boost sales, the initial Morfboard Skate/Scoot/Deck combo includes a Morfboard, Skate X-Tension, Scoot X-Tension and durable cast aluminium alloy front and rear skate trucks for riding and grinding. 53mm Urethane wheels allow for smoother, faster riding, while performance ABEC 5 skate bearings let kids to reach high speeds. The combo also includes a three-position adjustable Scoot T-Bar with super-grip handles, a lean-to-steer wishbone front scoot truck for sharper turning and a rear wheel with inset pressure brake.

TV support will follow up the summer advertising in Q4, while a targeted digital campaign will drive further recruitment and engagement in the Morf system through apps, websites, pre-rolls and paid search. Key endorsement from relevant YouTube influencers will be employed to test the system and create desire, while Jakks will push all digital and social media to retail websites, which are backed by the company’s digital tool kit.

Morfboard features a compelling signature design, and new X-Tensions will launch every season for all types of terrain H20, snow, off-road, street etc. - keeping kids engaged and the brand current.

Zinc unveils its new product offering which will be available from July. This year, the already diverse portfolio will make room for several never-seenbefore products from the brand.

The Smart Cruiser, Zinc’s first electric skateboard, offers an exciting twist to the traditional way of riding. Users can cruise along using the wireless remote for easy speed control.

After the success of the Smart X hoverboard, launched last November, Zinc is proud to release its Smart RX with Pro Pack. This powerful off-road hoverboard features XL hybrid rugged tyres, built to overcome 25° inclines and rough urban terrain.

Bluetooth connectivity means that riders can stream their favourite music through the onboard wireless speakers and the free app gives live ride info. Working closely with trading standards, Zinc is proud to be one of the approved companies in the UK to sell hoverboards, demonstrating that it will go above and beyond to meet safety requirements.

Those looking to upgrade their drifting experience can opt for the Smart S4 with its extreme carving action. Featuring a unique and sophisticated design, thrill seekers can lean and steer for up to 90 minutes of continuous ride time.

All products are powered by sleek lithium batteries, the signature feature from the range.

Zinc is aiming to lead the charge for greener energy and lithium is proving to be the smartest technology.

The new products will be supported by a strong marketing campaign encompassing a range of digital, online and offline activity in the fourth quarter. With a redevelopment of the website and the appointment of a global development manager, Hy-Pro also plans to take the brand into international markets, staring with Europe, to continue its success.

HTI 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk As a leading manufacturer of wheeled toys in the UK, HTI offers a vast selection of wellknown licences, along with its own in-house brand, EVO. Equipped with eye-catching graphics and providing excellent value for money, HTI’s wheeled range is perfect for children of preschool age upwards.

EVO My 1st, EVO Jnr and EVO+ range scooters cover all spec levels, from entry level for preschoolers, up to the top of the range 200mm commuter scooter for adults. Riders can scoot in style with a choice of the Moove’N’Groove or Electric 3-wheel for beginners, or the stunt scooter or dirt rider for avid riders.

EVO is positioned as a high-end range.

Children can also ride along on HTI’s EVO Battery operated toys, with an exciting range of vehicles to choose from; including the quad bike, retro style vespa, realistic motorbike, outdoor tractor and many cars. After a successful 2017 for HTI’s battery operated ride-ons, the company believes 2018 is going to be even bigger. Following significant investment into its own tooling, all EVO ride-ons are one of a kind and unique to HTI. The range features life-like colourful graphics, either a pedal or button to control acceleration and reverse, and multiple sizes to suit a variety of ages. The battery-operated vehicles are perfect for hours of outdoor fun.

Toy World 36

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Wheeled Toys

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com The Little Tikes range helps to guide children from beginner to experienced rider.

The new Pack ‘n Go Trike is perfect for families on-the-go. An easy fold mechanism and light-weight design means parents can carry, fold and store the Pack ‘n Go Trike with ease. With three stages that adapt as little ones grow, it is suitable to push along or for independent riding, as little explorers learn to steer, pedal and ride on their own. Whether parents are hitting a summer festival, heading to the local park or just fancy a Sunday stroll, the trike is the ideal takealong accompaniment. Suitable for 12 months to 5 years.

My First Trike is suitable for all stages of riding and designed to help with balance and exercise, My First Trike has four different formats. Parents can start with the stroll or push settings, using the adaptable parent handle to provide an extra guiding hand, and then progress to free or supported pedalling. With added features including non-slip pedals, shade canopy, storage bucket and safety belt and harness, it is the ideal ‘adventure-mobile’ for all little explorers. Suitable for 9 months to 5 years.

Blue, pink or multi-coloured, the 4-in-1 Trike is great for babies, beginners and established riders, being suitable for children aged nine months to three years. Designed with convenience and comfort in mind, it includes an adjustable seat, quiet-ride tires and a removable sun canopy, covering all the bases for its adventurous driver. Parents can take control while little one puts their feet up or remove the footrests and steering lock so that the rider can practise taking the lead.

Kids@Play 01423 611047 | www.kids-at-play.com Kids@Play offers a wide range of outdoor play items with high quality ride-ons from Falk, perfect for children to spend hours of fun outside. The range is available on a domestic basis, with price points starting at entry level and reaching up to the more luxury, premium ranges. A particular hero item is the Baby Claas Tractor.

In addition to high quality pedal and foot to floor products, Kids@ Play holds a range of battery powered ride-ons for those who want a little more zip when they put their foot down. A best-seller in the range is the Land Rover Defender 6V, which offers a realistic driving experience of the 4x4 legend. A comprehensive range of ride-ons for this outdoor season is available to order now from the Kids@Play Chepstow warehouse.

Re:creation 0118 973 6222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Leading outdoor brand Razor celebrates 18 years of innovation this year and now available are the innovative Razor Turbo Jetts, lithiumpowered heel wheels. Selected by hit day time show This Morning as one of only two top toy trends for 2018, these easy-to-clip-on motorised heel wheels give any trainers a turbo boost like no other. Reaching speeds of up to 10mph, and offering 30 minutes of continuous ride time, Turbo Jetts have already caught the attention of vloggers, bloggers and global press, and a major marketing programme will keep them in the spotlight throughout the year.

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk The best-selling Lightburst scooters have all been updated with brand new decks and new packaging.

The Lightburst scooter has a solid feel, with an array of lights on the deck which stay on as long as children scoot and is available in two colourways.

Torq is a range for expert scooter fans and is robust, tidy and tough. Designed to carry up to 100kg in weight and perfect for the older, more experienced enthusiast, these scooters have a tough aluminium chassis and a non-adjustable one-piece T-bar system. The high strength steering bar is fitted with a triple stacked clamp for extra strength and has a 360-degree rotational mechanism for real high impact turning.

Also in the range is the Torq Aero for real cooter style.

Toy World 38

Feature

Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

Go figure!

A category almost inexorably linked to blockbuster movies, the market for action figures has seen a sharp decline, which many attribute to the overwhelming number of films being released each year. Rachael Simpson catches up with some key players to gauge their views on how this sector of the toy market can shake things up for the better.

N

PD data reveals a slightly sorry state of affairs for the Total Action Figures category at the moment. Worth nearly £33.5m YTD April ‘17, it has seen a 15% decline (taking it down to £28.5m) in the 12 months to April ’18. Dave Middleton, MD of Midco Toys, told Toy World where he feels the category has gone wrong in recent years.

“Action figures are all licensed, and there are simply way too many films,” he states. “There is less excitement, and there are only so many times you can buy an action figure of the same character.

Before, you had maybe three blockbuster movies in a year. Now you’ve got one or two a month.”

He’s not the only one to feel this way. Steve Kerrison of Kerrison’s Toys gave almost the exact same response, pointing to the relentless deluge of films like Star Wars and Marvel movies. “Collectors are being far more selective now with what they are buying,” he says. “Maybe because they can’t afford

it, but also because there is so much gear coming out, linked to so many movies.”

Marvel Entertainment has released a staggering five movies since August 2017, with a sixth, Ant-Man and the Wasp, due for release on the 6th of July.

Disney is adopting a slightly different strategy on Star Wars by putting out one film a year; a franchise instalment followed by a spin off, such as Solo: A Star Wars story. But that’s still four films since 2015, with Episode IX, the third part of the so-called ‘sequel trilogy’, slated for release next year.

“Suppliers need to look at different licences,” suggests Dave. “Manufacturers tend to look at films, thinking they are the only way to go, but games like Fortnite and Overwatch are what the kids are really into at the moment. Kids just aren’t going to the cinema as much because they have smartphones and tablets they can sit on 24 hours a day, enjoying Free to Play apps and games instead.”

Funko has a very successful range of Overwatch

Toy World 40

Pop! Vinyl figures based on the playable hero characters, a line which demonstrates the company’s ability to get to market quickly, staying abreast of fast-developing properties. “When you consider games like Overwatch, where the characters come in thick and fast, 12-18 month development cycles don’t work,” explains Andy Oddie, Funko’s managing director of EMEA. “Funko is at retail within a few weeks or months of a character becoming well known to an audience.”

“It’s almost like the toy industry is scared of stuff like Fortnite,” Dave muses. “Films are tried and tested, and companies know what to expect, but with a game like Fortnite they have no idea what the longevity might be. But consider how well we are doing with Roblox figures – which are based on a game.”

Jazwares has also enjoyed long-term success with its Minecraft range, illustrating the opportunity provided by gaming brands.

AW 18 LAUNC H TTVV PPR ROOMMOOTE TEDD

TRANSFORMING FIGURES

3 SKU’S in the Top Ten Role Play, Deluxe Omnitrix at #2 Top 5 Action Figure Assortment 1.6M UK Downloads on SVOD Platforms (Q1 ’18)

CREATION CHAMBER

6.8M UK views for Ben 10 Content on YouTube (Q1 ’18) NPD March ‘18, Month Only 8

Minifig Blind Bags

Feature

Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

For Steve Kerrison, pricing and quality also has a part to play in the decline of the once mighty action figure. Noting that a number of his own customers appear to have been put off figures by their quality, he also harks back to the pricing of old. “It’s all very well and good having a collector’s range at £25, and a standard range priced at £12.99, but most die-hard collectors will remember how these figures used be £7.99 just a few years ago – and better quality too.” Increasingly high royalty rates and guarantees charged by some licensors – with Disney the major culprit – have contributed towards this increase.

Dave also raises a particularly pertinent point and one which many will understand the frustrations of – embargoes. Disney, he says, didn’t do Hasbro any favours when it decided to keep the biggest credited actors appearing in The Force Awakens under wraps. “As a result there was no Han Solo in the first wave of figures, no Princess Leia figure, no Luke Skywalker,” he laughs. “But there was a character called Constable Zuvio who actually got cut from the film; you could walk into a toy shop today and still find that figure, two years down the line.”

That said, there have been numerous bright spots away from more traditional action figures, with a variety of new collectible ranges coming to the fore in recent years. Ranges such as SuperZings from Magic Box Toys and Grossery Gang from Flair successfully generate the urge to collect miniature figures, while Funko’s enormous range of stylised product offers fans the option to collect hundreds of numbered items associated with a particular IP. Midco toys sells thousands of Funko Pops! Vinyls,

according to Dave. “We sell tonnes of Deadpool gear from Funko, which is interesting because it’s an adult film. That said, kids know who Deadpool is - he’s a cool character and there is an element of naughtiness to being aware of him and collecting licensed Deadpool merchandise.”

That are also high hopes for Mattel’s new Jurassic World range, which has been praised by retailers for both its innovation and its competitive pricing.

Looking towards the run up to Christmas, there is also a considerable buzz around GP Flair’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figures. Eagle eyed followers of our Twitter feed will know that Toy World has already had a sneak peek at an early production run, and the product is looking fantastic.

Bandai, the company behind one of the most successful slow-rise foam lines for girls, Smooshy Mushy, is looking forward to releasing its new collectible squishies range targeted at boys – Smashy Mashy. “Smashy Mashy is the first squishy that is really targeting boys with a combination of surprise, grungy smells, slime reveal and funky mutated pets while maintaining that great tactile squishy feel,” explains Nic Aldridge, Bandai MD. The company has also announced a range of Big Hero 6 action figures, following the launch of the popular TV animation Big Hero 6: The Series.

“The original movie certainly had a broad family appeal and I think that the TV series maintains that feeling,” enthuses Nic. “Moving to a TV series also means that we are more regularly in contact with the kids that love the characters, and who will then want to own the toys.”

Funko 020 3376 3223 | www.funko.com Funko’s upcoming Premier League Football Pop! Vinyl range is ideal for lovers of sport. Featuring players from English footballing powerhouses Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, kids and collectors can choose from a selection of players including Eden Hazard, Mo Salah, David De Gea, and Paul Pogba. The figures stand at approximately 9cm tall and come displayed in an illustrated, branded box with clear window display. Each figure also boasts a detailed club kit, and more teams are expected to join the line-up soon.

For Star Wars fans, the latest film in the franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story, also has its very own Funko collection. Fans of Han Solo can collect Solo and Chewbacca with Goggles, as well as new characters Qi’Ra, Tobias Beckett, Dryden Vos, and the loveable scoundrel Lando Calrissian, portrayed by Donald Glover. The figures are slightly different to the usual Star Wars figures, and the space cowboy aesthetic of the range should appeal to kids of all ages. Fans of the movie can also collect the Solo Mystery Mini figures.

These blind-bag boxes include popular characters from the movie, with varying odds of which character they’ll get.

Deadpool proved to be a fan favourite, and with the release of Deadpool 2, Funko has launched a host of new collectibles for fans. The Deadpool Parody range of Pop! Vinyl features the new Deadpool figure, as well as a collection of characters from the new film in alternate outfits, including Colossus, Domino, Negasonic and Cable. The Deadpool Playtime range includes Pop! Vinyl and Mystery Mini products – figures include Deadpool Wizard, Deadpool Samurai, Deadpool Clown, and Deadpool Mermaid.

Toy World 42

He continues: “We still maintain focus on Power Rangers, and we will be launching our Super Ninja Steel range in late July. Power Rangers still holds its top three position in Boys Action Figures, despite having no 2018 movie to anniversary 2017’s blockbuster box office performance.”

It’s also important to remember the influence of adult buyers on the action figures category, with NPD data released in April showing that 12% of the action figure category could be attributed to ‘kidult’ buyers. For Andy Oddie, the generational appeal of properties like Star Wars, Batman and Marvel is very much a factor in the success of Funko products.

Midco sees the same. “We have an action figure section with Star Wars, Marvel, Power Rangers, WWE, Roblox and Minecraft, and a collectibles section with Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and Walking Dead - more adult stuff,” Dave explains.

“We see loads of adult buyers, and I’d say that at the moment they are buying action figures for themselves more than the kids are.”

And as Frédérique Tutt, global industry analyst, Toys, NPD, commented in April: “The growing kidult trend shows that where manufacturers and retailers can understand and meet the evolving needs of their audiences, they can grow sales in a very competitive and fast-paced sector. That is equally true whether your brand enjoys a strong heritage or features the very latest cool pop culture figure.”

Over the next few pages, we take a look at the latest collectibles and action figures to hit the marketplace for young (and older) fans.

BAYMAX RETURNS! SQUISH TO FIT BAYMAX

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Substantial digital activity Influencer campaign Heavyweight TV campaign throughout the season Product range launching July 2018 © Disney

For more information, contact Sales on 020 8324 6160 or sales@bandai.co.uk

Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

Eolo 01604 401 719 |

www.eolo.com

The Fartist Club is the grossest, noisiest farting club in town. Kids simply pull their character’s finger and listen to them let rip. With 10 random fart sounds, the characters also feature a 10 second delay mode so kids can prank their friends and family by playing hide’n fart. Four detailed figures are available to collect: Farty Flip, Ripping Randy, Windy Wendy and Munchy Max. The Fartist Club will be available in stores from July/ August and will benefit from the support of a comprehensive, targeted marketing campaign. Kids can follow the club’s gross adventures at www.fartistclub.com, watch 3D animation webisodes, and download the Fartist Club DJ-Fart app to create and mix the best fart sounds.

UK customers can place orders by getting in touch with sales@geemac.biz, while international customers should contact sales@eolohk.com.

Playmobil 01268 548 111 | www.playmobil.co.uk Available from June is Playmobil’s new Top Agents range. With the Top Agents team vs. the evil Dr. Drone, children can choose a side and battle with their opponents to save the world.

Using the SpyTeam Battle Truck Agent General, kids can help Jet Girl and her jet plane, which is able to float and do battle either on land or on water. The Agent P. with Racer is fit for missions in the air, on land and on water and features two cannons at the front. The Agent T.E.C.s’ Robot completes the range. With its transformer function, it can turn from a car to a robot in seconds.

On the other side is Dr. Drone and his team in the Command Base, which comes equipped with two drones. Kids can attach Playmobil figures to the drones and shoot at the enemy. When closed, the command centre acts as a shield to protect the characters from their opponents. The Mega Drone has a dual shot function and is equipped with two moving blades.

Also launching in June is a selection of new Special Plus figures, which can be played with alone or added to any of the Playmobil sets. Rock Blaster with Rubble is joined by other new launches including Alchemist with Potions, Skateboarder with Ramp, Singer with Keyboard and Pastry Chef. Also part of the new range is Firefighter with Tree, so children can help save the day when a blaze breaks out.

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Added to Mattel’s Justice League Movie range is the 6” figure assortment, with characters including Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Cyborg, The Flash, and Wonder Woman. Each detailed figure features 14 points of articulation, a signature weapon accessory and an iconic power suit.

Mattel also introduces the Aquaman toy range, in support of the new film release in December.

Due for release in autumn/winter, the Aquaman Basic Figure Assortment and 6” Figure with an 18 Inch Deluxe Shark include battle accessories with soft capes, 14 points of articulation and the King’s Trident.

Wrestling fans can bring WWE Superstars to life with the 6” Sound Slammers Figure Assortment.

Launching in autumn/winter, the figures include push-button sound activation. The Sound Slammers Destruction Zone Playset features a WWE ring, construction vehicle, crane, chain link fence and a Championship Title belt.

Mattel also offers a comprehensive toy range for this year’s summer blockbuster Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Inspired by the movie, the toy range includes the Jurassic World Thrash ‘N Throw Tyrannosaurus Rex, and autumn/winter will see the Jurassic World Ultimate Villain Dino with features including authentic sculpting and decoration, chomping and stomping sound effects, plus roaring and biting action.

Rounding off the portfolio is Batman Missions, a 6” collectible Figure Assortment with 14 points of articulation, while the Batman Missions Batmobile features air power pump activation. The iconic vehicle boasts two weapons which can fit in the figures’ hands or be attached to the vehicle.

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Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

Alpha Animation & Toys 01293 804 599 | www.auldeytoys.us Alpha Animation & Toys’ new property Screechers Wild has received positive feedback since its launch in February. Further brand development will see the range step up a level for autumn with the launch of all-new Screechers Wild vehicles, collectible discs and the Fossil Fire Stunt Set. Shellgame, RacerTooth, DoomCrawler and Scornet, four new Level 1 vehicles, will launch this autumn. Each vehicle will include two collectible discs that will activate the morphing action. Also added to the collection will be six new Level 2 vehicles, offering players a larger vehicle that will morph into an even more impressive creature. The six new lines all feature three collectible discs for morphing fun.

Players can race, stunt and win with the Screechers Wild Fossil Fire Stunt Set. The game play encourages children to strategically launch their vehicle at the perfect time to catch the disc, flip over obstacles, and activate the final winning sequence. If they miss, their vehicle will launch into the air and end up stuck in the pit. The set includes a collectible disc and one Screechers Wild vehicle.

With more to come for 2018, Screechers Wild will be supported with 40 x 22 minute episodes, two new TVCs for autumn/winter, a retail demo tour and further digital activation to ensure maximum brand awareness.

Zuru 01604 401 719 | sales@geemac.biz Following a successful Boxing Day launch of its collectibles brand Smashers, Zuru unveils a second series for the autumn/winter period. With Series 1 exceeding expectations, Series 2 will continue to drive the brand through its innovative Smashball element and new Eyeball Smashball, which houses a crew of Gross Smashers characters.

A nod to the still-popular unboxing trend, children can only discover which Gross character they’ve collected by smashing open the Smashball. Zuru introduces 100 new ‘freakishly gross’ creatures to collect in Series 2. Set to hit shelves during the Q3 period, the Gross collection is also a timely addition to the Halloween market.

Once unboxed – or smashed – children can battle, collect, swap and score with their Gross Smashers, as each one has its own Smash Point Value, allowing for extended play. Inside select eyeball Smashballs will be a Smashers polybag with characters inside covered in slime. The newest slime trend will drive the desire to find the few Smashball eyeballs with a slime surprise. Series 2 includes Odd Bodies, Icky Insects, Ooze Dudes, Awful Animals, Filthy Food, Toilet Humour and Smash Trash, with rare, ultra-rare see-thru characters plus play set exclusive characters to collect.

Aimed at pocket money, treats, and gifting budgets, SKUs include the Smashers one pack, three pack and eight pack, alongside bigger hero items such as the Scary Collectors’ Tin and Smashers Sludge Bus, which unfolds into a restroom so kids can shoot Smashers into the toilet. All come complete with Collector Guide.

Extensive marketing support is planned for the launch of Series 2 including traditional on- and offline media, unboxing influencer outreach, events, sampling, social media and retail activations.

Additional webisodes and content is also in production for the dedicated Smashers YouTube channel, which has received 9.3m views to date.

WowWee 0203 598 5119 | www.jazwares.com The Untamed Raptors are fierce and unpredictable dinosaurs - a world away from their Fingerlings cousins. Kids can choose whether their raptor is friend or foe; a shake or poke will unleash their ferocious side, causing the raptors to roar, hiss and chomp. However, if kids pet their noses, the raptors can be tamed and will hum, coo and purr.

Complete with snapping jaws and gripping claws, the interactive dinosaurs react to touch, motion and noise, with over 40 different sounds and animations.

Distributed by Jazwares, the Untamed range was launched with high-level global marketing support, including YouTube influencer videos, TV campaigns and a global PR campaign, including UK specific activity securing reviews, features and social media support.

Toy World 46

@PlaymobilUK Phone: 01268 548111

Who you GoNNa call?

9385 Venkman with Helicopter

9388 Stantz with Skybike

Extensive PR programme

9387 Zeddemore with Aqua Scooter

Consumer press advertising within key titles

Strong TV campaign across the year from August

4 new sets based on the popular Ghostbusters™ animated TV series

9386 Spengler with Cage Car

• • • •

The Real Ghostbusters ™ & © 2018 CPT Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com/en Action and adventure is the key to the fantasy world of Eldrador Creatures, a new franchise joining the Schleich portfolio in Q3 with a line-up of monsters and creatures to explore.

Under this franchise will be four key collections; Lava, Ice, Water and Stone worlds will each have three figurines to collect at three different price points, and will include characters such as Stone Monster, Ice Dragon and Hellhound. Many of the figures will have articulated features, bringing the creatures to life.

At the centre of the adventure is the hero playset Battle for the Superweapon – Frost Monster vs Fire Lion. This large playset is a first for the Eldrador franchise and will create a playground for the Eldrador Creatures to roam.

The collection offers a wide spread of price points and SKUs, and a full PR and marketing campaign is in place to ensure Eldrador Creatures is a top choice with the target market.

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com Stretch Armstrong, winner of this year’s Action Figure of the Year Award, has seen two new spring characters get off to a strong start. Stretch’s transparent nemesis, mini stretch X-Ray, has the classic stretchy play pattern paired with a visible skeleton and guts. Also new to this year’s collection is a smaller 7” Vac-Man with the same pump action as the original.

The licensed line up of Stretch toys will also expand as a new female superhero, Mrs. Incredible, AKA Elastigirl, joins the selection. Sonic the Hedgehog will also take on a new stretchy persona. Added to this will be fresh Marvel and DC Comics Justice League heroes, while later in the year WWE will enter the scene with a number of favourite personalities from the wrestling ring in stretchy iterations.

Launching in July is Character’s new Pokémon collection.

Both collectible and action figures continue to be central to the Pokémon toy range, but for the first time ever each Pokémon figurine will be to scale with small Pokémon only available in 2.5” size, and larger legendary figures only at the 12” scale.

The new range features a unique level of figure articulation, with 3” and 4.5” figures featuring a DAPS (Dynamic Action Posing System) which allows figures to hold different battle poses. In addition, the 4.5” and 12” figures come with a special range of motion feature articulation, creating realistic launching, gripping and rolling actions.

Bandai 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk New for autumn from Bandai is Big Hero 6, which will provide fans with characters to collect from the new TV series, which launched in February. The range will include a selection of 12.5cm Action Figures with nine points of articulation for dynamic poseability, and the Micro Chibi Figure Assortment of blind boxes.

Minimax is a new character with nine points of articulation and in-built phrases from the show. Alternatively, Armour-Up Baymax 2.0 replicates the character from the original movie range, while the Flying and Flame Baymax features automatic wings, rocket fists, motion sensor sounds and phrases, and flame blasts that come from its feet.

This year, Bandai’s Power Rangers celebrates its 25th anniversary, and the Super Ninja Steel line will also launch. The 12.5cm Action Heroes will return featuring all new ranger modes, villains and weapons. These figures have multiple points of articulation for imaginative play. Also available for Power Rangers fans are the 30cm Action Figures from the new series, plus the new Heavy Assault Rangers.

Added to this will be the Ninja Super Steel Blaster, Morphin’ Blasters, the Lion Fire Morpher and the Ninja Lion Fire Blade and Megazord. The Blaze Megazord is fire-themed with a roulette style chest launcher, while the Gorilla Guard has an intruder alert, countdown sounds and motion sensors, and launches five projectiles at once.

Toy World 48

Boys Action Figures & Collectibles

GP Flair 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk The introduction of Ben-to-Alien Transforming Figures will add to Flair’s Ben 10 Master line in July, along with the launch of the foil bagged mini figures. Also set for release is the TV-promoted Alien Creation Chamber, which lets fans create their very own aliens. Kids can simply load the body parts into the chamber and use the Omni Creation Dial to assemble their alien. These new figures and playsets will join other key TV lines such as the Omni Launch Battle Figures and the Ben 10 Rust Bucket Playset.

Voltron has also made its debut into the Flair boys’ portfolio backed by heavyweight marketing support. The Dreamworks Voltron Legend Defender collection includes everything required for kids to recreate their own retro galactic battle scenes.

Grossery Gang is back with the new series Bug Strike, which introduces a new wave of 150 characters. Collectible options include two flushed Grosseries inside a toilet, the 4-Pack & Launcher, or the 10-Pack & Crossbow. In autumn, the Grossery Gang will be calling upon allies from throughout the ages in a new Time Wars theme.

Also new for GP Flair this autumn, and yet to be revealed, The Rise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection will launch with a fully weighted PR campaign behind it. For younger kids, the heroes from PJ Masks will go on a space themed adventure with a trip to the Supermoon.

Jazwares 020 3598 5119 | www.jazwares.com Roblox went offline last year with a new toy line from Jazwares designed to ‘Power Imagination’ in the same way it inspires participants on the online platform to express their creativity. Fans can take apart the characters in the physical toy line and mix and match parts to create new characters, just like they can in Roblox’s virtual world. The collectible characters are based on the creations of some of the most popular community developers.

Following the success of Roblox Series One toys in 2017, Jazwares launched Series Two earlier in 2018 and now Series 3, which includes 24 collectible blind boxes, is available at retail. The blind boxes contain a mystery figure, accessories, collector’s checklist and an exclusive virtual item code for Roblox users to redeem online.

Series 4 launches later this year.

Roblox is the largest social platform for play that allows children to imagine, create, and play together in immersive 3D worlds. Over 22m user-generated online games have been produced on the Roblox platform with over 64m players visiting Roblox every month to create adventures, play games, role-play, and learn with friends in a family-friendly environment. Roblox is accessible on all modern smartphones, tablets, desktops, Xbox One, Oculus Rift, and other popular VR platforms.

Toy World 50

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk With Ant-Man and the Wasp arriving in cinemas next month, Hasbro’s offering of movie-inspired toys and figures make ideal companions for fans of the latest Marvel movie.

The 12” Shrink and Strike Ant-Man figure features a hidden launcher that can send the included miniature Ant-Man figure or Quantum ship accessory flying, while the 12” Marvel’s Wasp with Wing FX figure features a set of wings that flap when kids squeeze the figure’s legs together. The Wasp with Wing FX includes two movie-inspired stinger accessories.

The Ant-Man and Wasp Titan Assortment with Power FX include 12” scale figures from the Titan Hero series, inspired by the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie. Each figure includes a port for the Titan Hero Power FX pack, from the Avengers: Infinity War range, so that, when connected, kids can power up their figures and activate character-specific sounds and phrases to continue their Marvel adventures with characters from both films.

The movie-inspired range also includes an assortment of masks. The 3-in-1 AntMan Vision Mask features three different views, and basic masks are also available.

Boys Action Figures &Boys Collectibles Action

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Tech Deck allows kids to build and customise their favourite boards, and then let their fingers do the skating as they flip and spin around mini ramps and rails. Spin Master is supporting the original finger boards through a digital brand campaign which features authentically decorated mini-skateboard kits and accessories, including the great value Tech Deck Container Ramp Set, plus other park-building kits.

Working at grass roots level, Spin Master recently announced its partnership with Team Rubicon’s Skateability, a new skateboard training scheme available nationwide. With the growing popularity of skateboarding, and the sport recognised for the first time in the Olympic Games in 2020, Skateability provides coaching to tens of thousands of kids each year. Skateability has been designed as an introduction to skateboarding, improving the safety of young people as they learn. Featuring three key levels, the programme aims to support riders and give them confidence as they progress.

The 360° Tech Deck partnership includes activity at over 150 primary and secondary schools nationwide, extensive media outreach, promotional activity at over 20 local events including park openings, jams and demos, a strong presence at 20 national events including festivals, pro-competitions and premieres, camp promotion at more than 16 residential camps and 100+ parks, and headline sponsorship of the King of the Camp event.

Spin Master introduces Flush Force, a collectible range of creatures from deep inside the bowels of Flushville that have been mutated by toxic sludge. With 150 to collect, kids can now start their own gang of Flushies. To reveal whether they have a common, rare or ultra-rare figure under the toilet seat, they simply fill the toilet’s tank with water, shake it up and peel away the toilet cover.

The Range includes 2-packs featuring two Flushies and The Collectabowl with real flushing sounds. The product is supported by advertising and PR activities including influencer programmes and twitter parties. To extend the entertainment value beyond the reveal, episodes are available on YouTube Flush Force, allowing kids to join the Flush Force characters as they go in search of adventures.

Untamed 1-2 page Toy World trade ad.indd 1

15/05/2018 09:55

Company Profile

Funko

Pop stars Funko’s Managing Director of EMEA, Andy Oddie, spoke to Toy World’s Rachael Simpson about the company’s success in the collectibles market, how the acquisition of Underground Toys in EMEA has boosted Funko’s strength, and why pop culture has become cool.

The market for action figures has been in decline recently; how has Funko bucked this downward trend with its audience?

We’ve been able to acquire licences for just about every piece of relevant IP in existence and translate it into our stylised Pop! vinyl figures. Our unique look can be applied to just about any TV show, movie, animation or video game character, and brought to market very quickly. While the licensor obviously has input into the development process, it’s primarily down to us when it comes to deciding how to make a character whimsical or humorous. It can become something of a moot point as to whether it’s on style or not – it’s Funko’s style.

It’s also worth noting that up to half of our audience is female, and they’re often buying Funko products from properties that would traditionally be thought of as male oriented, such as Star Wars, DC and Marvel. Characters such as Groot and Harry Potter are made cute with our stylisation, appealing to a female audience. Our POP! Vinyl price point is attractive too, averaging at £10, whereas some action figures are now well in excess of this at retail.

What is the target age range for your products?

Six to sixty! We have every imaginable property, from Disney Princess through to Freddy Krueger, covering all the realms of pop culture. Each Pop! is numbered, so fans can keep track of how many they have from a series and which are still to collect. Not including the exclusives within our current ranges, we have approximately 245 Pop! Star Wars figures and over 6000 items in the full Funko vinyl range.

You’re unlikely to find many enthusiasts who would collect every single one of those, but you’ll definitely see people collecting pockets of product from several specific areas.

Do you feel that Funko products encourage older children back into

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toy shops they may otherwise have outgrown?

I’ve got childrens, and I’ve noticed that once they approach eight they move away from toys, and onto tablets and smartphones. This creates a vacuum up to around 15 years, which is when you’d expect to see older kids making ‘geek’ purchases and buying specialty toys. In that vacuum, however, you have a strong but young pop culture fandom based around television shows, movies and video games, the content for which tends to be marketed at the 8+ consumers. Character action figures might be a bit too juvenile in the mind of a child aged 8-15, whereas Funko is selling an image that’s cool.

How important is Funko’s fast product turnaround when it comes to keeping on top of emerging trends and consumer demands?

Gaming studios bring content through so quickly, and with such secrecy, that most toy companies couldn’t cope with the timescale required to turnaround new and relevant product. We can develop an item and bring it to market within three months, which means we have a natural marry-up with these studios. Fans also want to start collecting

Funko a new line straight away; today’s consumers want everything to be immediate. Our speed to market suits this pattern, and as a result our items are always current and on-trend.

Looking specifically at Pop!, the modular nature of our packaging allows us to swap out items very quickly at retail. We can come out of Black Panther and go straight into Infinity War, for example, because of our modular packing, and we don’t need to worry about planograms or sizing. This same modular packaging structure applies across other ranges like Pint Size Heroes and Mystery Minis.

Which retailers have seen particular success with Funko lines?

Starting out it was Forbidden Planet and HMV, but in the last 12-18 months we have seen retailers like Smyths and Tesco adopting dedicated bays of Funko product. We are constantly refreshing lines and bringing newness through, and this gives retailers a nice, consistent revenue stream. On average, we unveil 65 new products a week. This is absolutely unprecedented in toys and collectibles. Not only does this keep us on top of emerging trends, it also keeps the shelves fresh for our retailers, driving repeat footfall and purchases.

This approach helps retailers avoid getting stuck with a line from the previous buying cycle, which eight months later is not as hot as they thought it would be. With Funko this isn’t an issue – we will rotate the stock out for something else. Retailers can benefit from a dedicated Funko area in store, and we will keep the product new, bringing in fresh lines much faster than a traditional toy manufacturer could. We’ve taken some hits; we still need to make the product, but we can turn off a line far quicker than other toy manufacturers can. To a certain extent we are doing the buyer’s job for them, telling them what’s hot right now, and what might be – or might not be - in eight months’ time.

With such a broad range of products and properties to choose from, how can retailers best maximise on their selections?

After a retailer makes a general selection we aim to mix plenty of exclusives into their deliveries. Our marketing department will then message fans using social media, letting them know which exclusive content is available from which retailers, driving foot traffic into those stores. Up to a third of our range

Company Profile

is exclusive and those items are an integral part of our business, keeping retailers and fans alike excited about our ranges. When a consumer has gone to a particular shop to buy an exclusive, they are likely to make additional purchases and keep returning for more.

Retailers should maximise on selections by curating a section of their store just for Funko. Ideally, we don’t like to see our products merchandised within other ranges – we wouldn’t typically expect to see Star Wars Pop! Vinyl displayed with general Star Wars toy products unless it was in event space– but merchandised together with other Funko items, so that people can see the full breadth of the range. We will still dual-site where appropriate, if that retailer particularly wants us to, but it’s not what we recommend at the offset.

There are some lines like Pint Sized Heroes and plush where dual-siting makes sense, because of their toyetic nature, but for Mystery Minis and Pop! a dedicated space is far more beneficial.

What are your main aims for 2018 and beyond?

We are spending a lot of time on the road at the moment, delivering the message to retailers across EMEA and increasing our penetration. To support this trade exercise, there are many Comic Cons opening up across EMEA, driving and appealing to the grassroots fanbase. Last month we attended Dubai Comic Con, followed by the Cape Town Comic Con, places where you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see an influx of fans joining the Funko ecosystem. Within EMEA we are continuing to focus on core territories such as France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Nordics, where growth has been strongest recently. For example, we have a dynamic campaign underway at Carrefour in Spain, with gondola displays featuring TV screens showing our animated content, which is proving a huge success.

Connecting with fan communities in these regions is key; our social media team spends a lot of time ensuring we are speaking to all regions, not just the UK. We want fans to know that we truly understand what they want, and that we aren’t just rolling out product for the sake of it. Getting this message across is sometimes a challenge, but with our exclusive items and the huge range of licences we have (over 600 at the moment), plus the diligence required to ensure what we are bringing through is worth it, we make it possible.

Alongside EMEA penetration, one of our goals is to be more operationally ready for our increasing sales, so we have opened up a new distribution centre in Holland, to increase our efficiency and access to mainland Europe.

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We’ve also acquired an animation studio in Bath, formerly known as Evil Corp, now known as Funko Animation Studios. Currently it’s primarily producing shorts for our marquee properties and everyone is very excited about this division.

We are also growing very quickly in the mini figures category, particularly with Harry Potter, Marvel and Star Wars. Away from our hardlines we have Loungefly, a bags, wallet and purses brand, which was launched in Europe very recently. It has got off to a great start and we are placing the line in select retailers across the region. Loungefly has a similar feel to our collectibles range in that it has its own specific interpretation and execution. It’s very exciting to be exploring IP in this way.

How has the acquisition of Underground Toys helped the business?

I think the biggest factor is the added resource.

Funko brought its financial strength, operational and product development expertise, plus importantly its growth story in the US – then we layered this onto Underground Toys’ existing EMEA customer base and brought in new faces to support the growth we expected. That’s why we are sitting here in these nice offices in Hammersmith, benefitting from our expanded team. At the acquisition point in January 2017 we had around 110 heads, now we are up to around 170.

Being part of the Funko family makes the message to retail a lot simpler. The distributor relationship of Underground Toys in EMEA was slightly confusing for people, but we caught that before it became a major issue by becoming a part of Funko. We recognise the licensors that have been extremely generous to us, spending a lot of time and effort building our partnerships here since the acquisition.

As a business, we have become more mature, growing through the types of individuals we are hiring to support us. The experience and backgrounds of our new hires have resulted in a more developed outfit than we had pre-acquisition.

It was always our intent to keep core talent in the business, but we’ve introduced new people with experience in specific areas, adding people in finance, operations, purchasing and sales. Many of our sales hires have come from companies like Hasbro and Lego. In other areas, where it’s not crucial to have someone with toy industry experience, we have simply hired the right kind of character for the business, with the right experience.

Even in a fun business like toys and collectibles, we need structure and professionalism - and our new faces help us with that immensely.

Viewpoint Three Lions and a ton of bunting

David Ripley David is currently EMEA category director for Toys, Nursery, Sporting Goods & Pet Care at Groupon. His long career as a toy buyer has included stints at a number of the industry’s largest retail accounts.

Ranting or raving?

Jim Hawker Co-founder of Threepipe agency: a team of PR, social, content, SEO and paid media experts

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n this month’s column I will take a pass on the circular reference to the demise of the UK as a retailing nation of shopkeepers. Instead I will make a botched and obscure attempt to combine my professional toy industry interests with those of my more personal passions: supporting the mighty Reds (Liverpool FC) and coaching Youth Football, both very timely considering the FIFA World Cup is about to kick-off in Russia.

When walking into your local supermarket ahead of the World Cup, it will be hard to imagine the product selection torment that the various buyers will have endured to bring together what often looks like a disjointed pile of stuff. It rarely looks pretty on shelf, even with an attempt

to standardise point of sale and display units, with every sponsor and brand having a different football related style guide and obligatory ‘must enter’ competition - family holiday to Kiev anyone?

For any retailer stocking World Cup merchandise, beyond the basics of beer, crisps and televisions, they will be aware that there is a seduction to the margin advantage that novelty products allow vs licensed football-related products that typically offer less generous profits. If a retailer gets the ranging balance wrong, they risk selling residual England bunting and wing mirror flags well into 2022.

From personal experience, I still have the scars from buying Outdoor Toys for an unpredictable

UK summer season and buying World Cup Novelty merchandise in the same year. The tried and tested buying strategy is to buy tight, with just enough stock to support the home nations (being the first teams to be knocked out of the competition) and then - just to be sure - halving that buy volume.

Only the brave or the uninitiated buyers will go bullish on branded World Cup and generic novelty merchandise – this type of product sticks like glue after the event regardless of the depth of price cut. As this year has proven so far in retail, there will be winners and losers, I just hope for once the Three Lions can prove the doubters wrong.

t’s a small world, the toy world. Having had the pleasure of working with clients in the toy sector since 2004, I have created some great friendships as well as working relationships. If I ever leave Threepipe, I would definitely look to build a second career directly working in the toy industry.

I love the combination of creativity

brands during that time.

With CMOs now changing jobs every few years on average - and more often than any other C-Suite role - it’s key that individuals think about their own personal brand.

Especially in an industry where many people know, or know of, each other. Personal reputation is key.

Social channels (as well as trade media titles) allow individuals,

content that I like to read or share myself on social channels.

LinkedIn especially is creating lots of new tools (often mimicking the consumer channels) which are making it an easier platform on which to create and share content.

Like most other platforms, it is keen to encourage as much video content as possible and the LinkedIn community is responding. The

and commerciality that this industry balances in order to deliver profitable, enjoyable and often life enhancing experiences to children.

I love the blood, sweat and tears that goes into creating and launching products and also the sheer unpredictability of whether it will be a success or not. I also love the intelligent problem solving that media fragmentation has created in order to build out effective marketing campaigns. There can be no other industry like it.

However, while they may stay in the industry for a long time, it is very common for people to have worked for four, five or even six different toy

no matter how senior the person, the ability to establish oneself as an expert within the toy industry.

Blogging and Vlogging has become hugely popular within the business community, and people are just as likely to follow an individual as a traditional and historical source of considered opinion, such as a new media outlet.

There are many vocal people on LinkedIn from the toy industry, but you don’t have to be ‘shouty’ or a founder of a toy company to be respected and gain a following. Some people I follow are just very good at what I consider ‘filtering’ news and spotting great news, stories or

great thing has been the fact that people no longer expect a really polished piece of production; the more authentic the better. Whether, it’s filmed in the car or between meetings on your phone, it’s more about what is being said than how it looks.

I think there is a real opportunity for someone in the toy industry to emerge as an interesting thinker and to use Linkedin as a platform to reach an audience, which wasn’t possible before through more traditional channels. The question is will you give it a go and will it be you?

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The Sainsbury’s / Asda merger: a handy guide

How should we refer to the newlyconjoined operation?

Being a fan of the literal, we are going with ‘Sasda’. Or perhaps ‘Assburys’. No, definitely not that one.

Will there be a culture clash between the two organisations?

Probably not as much as you think.

Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe is ex-Asda, while Asda chief executive Roger Burnley is ex-Sainsbury’s.

That should help. It is interesting that, in the past, Sainsbury’s has been quoted as saying that it was a good thing that it wasn’t exposed to large format stores like Asda’s.

Maybe some revaluation is needed on that score.

John Baulch John has worked in toy trade publishing for over 35 years, and will be well known to our readers for his personal analysis of industry matters and forthright opinions. If they get past Anita.

Does the deal offer Sainsbury’s a route to expand into the US market?

It’s possible, but unlikely. The deal is more a reflection from Walmart’s desire to withdraw directly from the European market. Asda was its last remaining European outpost.

Indeed, rumours suggest that Walmart has been looking to unload Asda for the past two years. Asda seems a huge operation here in the UK, but there are more branches of Wal Mart in Texas than there are Asda branches here in the UK. At $118bn, Walmart’s international business represents less than 25% of its overall $500bn turnover.

Growth markets such as China and India remain the primary focus for Walmart’s international expansion.

Walmart CCO Judith Mckenna was appointed to run the retailer’s international business unit in January. It has taken her less than five months to decide that it would be better to strike a partnership and take a (minority) shareholding, rather than go it alone in Europe.

So why does Walmart want out now?

At the time Walmart acquired Asda in 1999, it was the UK’s third largest supermarket chain, with

annual sales of more than £8bn from 229 stores, employing more than 78,000 staff.

Today, Asda has annual sales of over £22bn from 584 stores and employs more than 146,000 staff.

On paper, it’s a substantially bigger business. But it’s still only the UK’s third largest supermarket chain.

And the price at which it is being valued? £7.3bn – a mere £584m more than Walmart paid for it 19 years ago.

Will there be store closures and job losses?

The initial announcement stated optimistically that there were “no plans for any store closures.”

However, the Competition Market Authority may insist on individual branch closures to ratify the deal. In the past, the yardstick it has used to determine whether closures need to be made to maintain competition is a 5-15-minute driving time. Of Asda’s 630 stores, 526 are within five miles of a Sainsbury’s outlet. 76 stores are within the same postcode district.

While media reports of a North / South divide are overly simplistic (perhaps as simplistic as the notion that Sainsbury’s shoppers are all middle class and Asda shoppers come from a less affluent background…), it is likely that some judicial pruning of the store estate will be required.

Will the Competition Market Authority intervene?

The CMA is already said to be looking into the deal. But as it is broadly considered to be a ‘chocolate fire-guard body’, the likelihood is that it will wave the deal through, merely insisting on a few store closures to quell any potential dissent. Anyway, why is there only one Competition Market Authority?

Isn’t that the ultimate irony?

In addition to store-based job losses, will there also be head office job losses?

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Get ready for management speak such as ‘rationalisation’ and ‘efficiency savings.’ Argos and Sainsbury’s are still in the throes of merging, and now an additional head office buying and admin team has been thrown into the mix.

Assuming there are significant job losses at store and head office level, it will add to the already depressing retail employment statistics. Even if you are a heartless neo-liberal and you aren’t concerned about the impact on their families and dependents, look at it another way; many of those people will be toy consumers, and every retail job loss reduces our potential market value.

What are the main opportunities and challenges or suppliers?

Suppliers unanimously hold the opinion that Argos and Sainsbury’s toy divisions are head and shoulders above Asda’s. The deal could end up with Asda becoming more of a force in toys. It is also likely that Argos collection points will be added to many Asda stores, boosting Argos suppliers’ turnover.

As for challenges, the inevitable request for better terms and increased contributions for incremental business writes itself.

Plus, if a toy company is trading with all three accounts, those terms will presumably end up being visible to all sets of remaining buyers. Will they be happy to take an average of the three sets of terms, or will they pick the most advantageous of the three choices (this is obviously a rhetorical question)?

Is everyone happy?

Well, Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe certainly is. In case you missed his impromptu ‘caught off guard’ performance, it was caught on camera. All together now, “We’re in the money”…

Viewpoint Holding your nerve - marketing budgets under pressure

Tristan Brooks Tristan is client services director at Arena Azure, a specialist media planning and buying agency focused on child markets

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arketing budgets seem to be under increasing pressure this year. For many advertisers, the real ‘head scratcher’ has been whether they feel confident that their sales forecasts can justify advertising support. The conundrum faced is at what level to invest in media to maximise returns, as the advertising-to-sales ratio seems to be going up yearly. In the current market, with retailer mergers (but hopefully not more closures) on the horizon, coupled with increasing costs, companies are having to manage spend very carefully. Some advertisers may start to feel the pinch and be increasingly muscled out of advertising. But leaving competitors with advertising budgets to invest could allow them to capitalise on a weakened ad market by increasing their audience share, influencing distribution and sales as a result. There are multiple research pieces undertaken by the advertising industry that have analysed the benefit of advertising through a period of market fluctuation. This takes confidence and an order book that will allow. However, if advertising has been working for your business demonstrating tangible returns, it makes perfect sense to continue as you were.

Many conversations I’ve had with clients have indicated major retailers are requesting TV advertising as part of volume deals, which shows the positive influence retailers are

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still seeing from TV advertising driving sell through, regardless of the naysayers. The good news is that broadcast TV reach still remains high (-2% January to March YOY commercial reach), and the cost remains low in comparison to other media. With time spent on the internet beginning to plateau, this is good news and allows us to plan Q4 with some confidence.

Being supplied with accurate transparent information is crucial.

More than ever, marketers should be challenging their service providers to make sure they are getting the best informed and balanced advice to support increasingly complex investment decisions. This requires relationships built on trust, not a blame culture; rather one where all parties are working together and invested in the client’s success.

Collectively aiming to build, test, interrogate and learn from campaigns to inform and shape future decisions is critical. Making sure you have the best advisors and support during this time will help to mitigate risk to poor performance.

This is a time for straight, honest talking not ‘spiel’.

A few thoughts to consider Be brave but be measured, test new media at an investment level you’re comfortable with, but make sure you’ve put measures in place so you can analyse how the activity performed against those benchmarks. If you have no guide or

means to measure performance by, then you must accept you may never know how this actually worked.

Don’t be sold just because it’s new and others are doing; that doesn’t always mean that it’s something you should be doing. Question if it is right for the target audience, the budget, is it good value, does the format ‘sell’ the product, is there previous data to support this investment? If you’re not sure, don’t invest.

Be efficient and limit wastage with media delivery, to make sure your budget works as hard as possible to drive the greatest returns. This should be considered across all media.

Build campaigns bottom up, start by building the foundations of campaigns with channels proven to have worked. Only extend to other channels when you’re confident you maximised delivery in your core channels, rather than diverting budget to their detriment.

Be integrated as a marketing team that brings your relevant agencies together to ensure knowledge sharing and collaboration. This should give your campaigns the best chance of being more creative, focused, aligned and consistent.

Give yourself time. Rushing often limits creativity and delivery.

With all the above considered, hopefully you’ll be feeling more confident about the year ahead. If not, please get in touch.

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

- S pecial features on Construction Toys, Tech Toys, Gadgets & Accessories, Educational Toys, Dress-up and Party, Stationery, Farm Toys

For editorial enquiries, call Rachael Simpson on: 01442 502406 rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk For advertising enquiries, call Mark Austin on: 01442 502405 mark@toyworldmag.co.uk Toy World 56

Viewpoint The impact of a multigenerational workforce

Rowena Shorey Rowena is a director of recruitment specialists Tinderbox Search Consultants.

Her recruitment experience spans over 11 years. The last five years have been specifically within the nursery and toy markets, recruiting sales, marketing and product development professionals.

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or the first time in the history of our generation, the workplace is a truly multi-generational one.

Horns will be locked over differing opinions and the gulf in difference of mind sets may at times prove a significant challenge, but with the in-depth skills of experience and the willingness to learn of youth, never have our businesses been better positioned to operate at their greatest and best. The key to successfully unlocking how to manage the multi-gen workforce involves understanding people as individuals rather than typecasting them as generational. So how do the five generations like to operate and what values do they place in the work environment?

The Traditionalists (the Silent Generation) - born between 1927 and 1946 Aged 73 – 91, this group is more about the personal touch and face to face interaction than emails or texts.

They are hardworking, loyal, good team players and usually possessing great interpersonal skills which helps enable them to positively interact. Face to face engagement is the best way to communicate with this group. They expect to be respected for their experience. These days they constitute only around 3% of the global workforce.

The Baby Boomers - born between 1946 and 1964 Aged 52–72, Baby Boomers are optimistic, yet driven and ambitious.

Motivated by responsibility and recognition for their efforts, they are also loyal but office-centric and therefore cynical over those who are not seen in the office all the time. They expect younger generations to work in the same way as their generation and will therefore probably be the hardest to convince about the rising trend for flexible working hours and work/life balance.

Generation X – born between 1965 and 1980 Aged 38–53, this group places a far higher premium on flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home. Having seen

their parents hit burnout or job loss, their motivator is a healthy work/life balance allowing for quality family time, so companies which can offer flexible working conditions are highly desirable.

Often entrepreneurial, ambitious and just as hardworking as the baby boomer generation, Gen X will not respond positively to strict or rigid constraints. They like to be challenged with exciting projects and thrive best in open door cultures where their opinions are valued. Management styles they will respond to best are autonomous rather than micro-managed; they can be sceptical of authority and often prefer to work on their own instead of within a large team. They are very tech literate. Meetings need to warrant purpose – Skype or alternative communication means are preferable to in person. They will not hesitate to leave for a company which can better meet their requirements.

Generation Y (Millennials) – born 1981 - 2000 Aged 20–38, this young, aspirational and tech-smart group is also known as the Millenials and by 2020 this group will comprise 50% of the worldwide workforce.

Inspired and motivated by team leaders who want to engage with them to help ensure their career development plans are on-track, Gen Y don’t have time for too many in-person meetings; they are busy multi-tasking and would rather Skype whilst simultaneously carrying out other important tasks, so they can plough through their working day successfully and get out the office on time, or even early. This group places significant value on work/life balance, so tools which will help enable them to work on the go or away from the office will be essential, and a company which offers flexible working conditions will be more desirable than one which doesn’t. They are not motivated by an office culture which pedals on rewarding those who arrive at the crack of dawn and leave late at night – Gen Y will work extremely hard for the right company and will be motivated

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by a culture which allows them to leave early if they have successfully completed their working day ahead of the official clocking off time. They like a collegiate environment and feeling part of a tight knit team is important to their feeling supported.

Managers will need to be very hands on with this group and will need to book in time for appraisals and be there to help mentor and support as well as listen and coach. This generation will also be attracted to companies which embrace diversity and are socially connected within the workplace.

Generation Z (nexters) – born after 1997 Currently Gen Z comprises only 3% of the global workforce, but they make up 25% of the global population. By 2020 they will be out of school and constituting 20% of the workforce. Whilst our workforce is really yet to embrace this group, Gen Z exit the womb embracing the digital world and can adapt quickly and easily to the rapidly changing landscape of technology. Gen Z are said to be creative but may have shorter spans of attention, and interpersonal skills could be lacking due to the way in which they choose to communicate within their own peer groups. Similar to Millenials, they thrive on feedback and are motivated by rewards and a flexible lifestyle rather than money. Their preference is for smaller, structured team environments and face to face communications, whether Skype, facetime or in person.

From exploring these five groups, we can see where benefits can be drawn from but equally where tension could occur. Understanding and accepting the values of each generation will be paramount to a successful multi-gen workforce.

In the next four years, our global workforce will constitute 70% of the two youngest generations whilst the older generations are still working.

The potential and wonderful opportunity this presents to create a truly dynamic multi-gen workforce is unique in its time, but this can only be successfully achieved by a willingness to accept change.

The future of out of town retail

Gillian Logan Gillian is a professional architect and the inventor of Skinny Sketcher - a range of children's drawing kits aimed at budding architects.

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appreciate that, to many, my double life of architect and toy maker is an unusual combination. I’m not going to deny that initially, I had my own doubts about running two very different careers in parallel.

However, I soon realised that there was merit in practising what you preach; especially when encouraging kids to engage in STEM activity.

But what took me by surprise was just how much my architectural priorities had shifted, since immersing myself in all things toys.

With the demise of Toys R Us, I feel there’s a debate to be had on the future of out of town retail, within the bigger context of planning policy, as very soon there will be a move towards the smart city, where the driverless car will play a pivotal role.

Architects embrace change and innovation; it’s in our psyche to create a better world. However, we should also be critical of how our designs impact on society, especially when much discussion is currently focused on smart cities. Although it sounds like a notion belonging to sci fi, smart connected cities are not that far off, with the Scottish Government voicing its ambition to get driverless cars on the road by 2021. I admit that I was sold on the notion that a fuelefficient car could drop my husband at work in the city, then drive back to collect me for the school run. The technology is almost there, even if safety concerns prevent the public from embracing it whole heartedly.

But what does the smart city mean for retail and toys in particular?

Apparently driverless cars will revolutionise the way we shop, with online retailers welcoming the ability to cut costs and streamline deliveries. The big debate is what cost will there be to society if consumers continue to value convenience and efficiency above all else. There’s a danger that products

will simply go from distribution centres direct to door, making all bricks and mortar stores a distant memory.

We should reflect on past mistakes made by planners, who embraced an out of town planning model, inspired by the American mall, to the detriment of our high streets and social fabric. Sadly, my town no longer has a sport shop and children’s footwear is a tricky online purchase, so I have no option but to make the fifty-mile round trip to the nearest mall. Depressingly, the mall lies outside my council boundary and therefore the business rates, generated in part by my shopping trip, go to support local services in a distant area. Whereas the business rates collected from my high street help fund my own local services directly, including education, elderly care, bin collection…. to name but a few.

The out of town shopping mall remains popular, due in no small part to an abundance of free parking. There’s no doubt that it’s good business for toy shops to be where the footfall is and there are still plenty of customers at the mall.

Primark continues to be a huge draw for bargain shoppers, since it doesn’t trade online, for now, due to the cost implications of shipping a £2 t-shirt.

But what’s in store for the mall when we have driverless cars reducing delivery costs and free customer parking is less of a priority?

As technology evolves we need to have a debate on what type of retail experience we’d like to see in the future and insist on a planning policy to create mix use towns and cities where we want to live, work, shop, socialise and play. It’s great to see more recreation within our towns such as an increase in the number of coffee shops. The public is more design conscious than ever, with many supporting the high

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street renaissance because they’ve learned from past mistakes, with a realisation that they have to use it or lose it. There’s certainly an appreciation that a unique shop front provides a town with a cultural identity, often lacking in the soulless mall with little architectural merit.

Should architects continue to design out of town sheds with a huge volume of toys, fifty years after psychologist Alvin Toffler identified that “overchoice” is overwhelming?

Independents are the life blood of our high streets and they deserve a huge pat on the back for hanging on in there during tough times, when footfall drained from town centres and manufacturers rarely passed on discounts enjoyed by the larger retailers. I personally owe a huge debt of gratitude to independents who have continued to be fantastic advocates of Skinny Sketcher. They appreciate that I have set a low price point, in an attempt to make my product as accessible as possible.

It speaks volumes that not one independent has ever asked me for a discount, whereas it’s the first topic raised by large retail buyers.

My local toy shop is a fantastic example of everything that is great about indies. Having recognised that many large purchases are now made online, they’ve carved out a niche of catering for parents like me, who are buying gifts for parties most weekends. Impressively the owner points me in the direction of toys that the birthday boy/girl prefers and steers me away from gifts purchased by other guests. I’m sent on my merry way with a gift wrapped present, and my kids are happy because they’ve managed to shake me down for yet another pocket money toy in the process. But most importantly, I’m grateful for being able to pop into a toy shop that is very much part of the community, and long may that continue.

Company Profile

Brainstorm

Brainstorming session Nick Saunders, sales director, spoke to Toy World about how Brainstorm has maintained its core values alongside ongoing growth and success, as well as sharing details of new additions to the company’s expanding portfolio.

The retail landscape is changing rapidly and sadly, some have struggled to keep up. Of course, in the life of our company, we have witnessed the huge shift to online purchasing - and we can only see that accelerating, as new generations of consumers have grown up using the technology that makes web shopping so easy.

How is 2018 shaping up – which ranges are you excited about this year?

Can you give us a brief history of Brainstorm and how the company has evolved over the past two decades?

The company has evolved massively since its launch in 1995 as Dowling Magnets. Back then the company was owned by a California-based manufacturer of magnetic resources, which we mainly sold to school suppliers. In 2003, the company was acquired by three families in an MBO and a representative of each family still works full-time for the business and comprises its operating board. Soon after the acquisition, The Original Glowstars Company was incorporated and re-launched with a new look and a much broader range of glow-in-the-dark stickers and room décor.

This was followed in 2011 by the introduction of the Brainstorm Toys brand, and more recently Craft Time. The company now sells its home-developed brands all over the world and has continued to grow on the domestic front, thanks to exclusive partnerships with brands such as Aqua Dragons, StikBots, Addict A Ball and more.

What do you think has been the secret of your success?

We have been fortunate to develop a great team here at Brainstorm and I think that has stood us in good stead over the years. As we have grown, we have worked to maintain our core values of a familyrun team, working hard to provide the high service levels our customers have come to expect. Of course, product is king, and including both our own and our distributed brands, we have a compact but diverse range of high-quality, educational and fun products.

What changes have you seen in the retail market since you launched?

We often get asked that question and we always say “ask again in November” but so far so good; we’re certainly way ahead of 2017 so far this year. The London Toy Fair is always a brilliant show for us and since then we have managed to range new items with existing customers, as well as opening up new retail channels. The 2018 additions to our Brainstorm Toys and Glowstars lines are already out in the market and selling well. We are very excited about the prospects for our StikBot Dino lines, early sales have been extremely positive. We are encouraging customers to get orders to us as in time for the TV advertising campaign which coincides with the UK release of the new Jurassic World movie in June.

The trend for toys that can be shared on social media has exploded in recent years – would you say that Stikbot was the pioneer of this whole trend?

Stikbot is most definitely the pioneer, it was the first social sharing toy of its kind. Not only does it appeal to kids who cannot wait to use the latest app and engage with YouTube, but it is also popular with parents who value the creative and STEM aspects of the toy, allowing their children to enjoy social media while still harnessing the important play elements of a traditional toy.

How important is it to keep the Stikbot range fresh?

It is very important and thanks to the amazing creative minds at Zing, that freshness will be ongoing. StikBot has already spawned accessories, pets and now the new Dino range will make it even more popular, by appealing to a wider demographic.

Adding new lines not only keeps children who are already StikBot fans engaged and creating new

Toy World 60

StikBot animations, but it also attracts a whole new legion of fans who want to collect the toys themselves, as well as get creative. The StikBot movie sets are another brilliant way to keep the range fresh, as they offer kids new backdrops for their video creations.

What in-store promotional material have you developed to support the range?

Most of the lines are supplied in compact CDUs, and there is a fantastic floor display unit for single units, Studio and Zanimation sets. The StikBot Dino range features Dino Eggs, which come in a CDU of 24 pieces. This blind assortment includes rare pieces that kids will want to add to their collection. We also work closely with individual retailers to provide off-the-shelf and bespoke POS solutions to support products in-store.

What TV advertising plans do you have for your brands this year?

We’ve increased our TV advertising spend year on year, and 2018 will see us employ our largest budget to-date. TV remains an important tool for us, but we continue to work hard with online marketing and general PR.

What are your aspirations for 2018?

Continued well-managed growth across our stable of brands both on the domestic front and internationally. It’s also nice to have a bit of fun along the way; as a good friend of mine always says: “We are not here for a long time, we are here for a good time!”

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Arts & Craft

Which craft?

From the traditional – crayons, paints and chalks – to the modern and eclectic (think DIY slime kits and kinetic sand), the arts & crafts category continues to provide retailers with tangible opportunities for demo days and year-round sales, as consumers look for ways to unleash their creative potential. Rachael Simpson finds out what the category has to offer this year.

I

t should come as no surprise to anyone that making your own slime has become one of the biggest developments within the arts & crafts category in recent months. Although this provides retailers with a fresh new take on the category, concerns have been raised regarding the potential risks of kids making slime at home, usually from household cleaning products and other questionable ingredients sourced online.

“A parent normally wouldn’t dream of letting their kids play with the contents of the cleaning cupboard, as most people are aware that combining chemicals can lead to dangerous chemical reactions,” explains Ginette McGee, owner of Toytown Seaford. “Yet there are parents making slime involving glow in the dark paint (I can’t imagine that’s been tested for prolonged skin contact) and iron oxide powder, which I’m sure isn’t part of a healthy digestive system. Recently I was surprised to see a retail chain offering a bundle of PVA, poster paint and glitter as a make your own slime deal. What happens when a parent buys the bundle, adds some borax they had kicking around, and the child ends up burnt? The retailer has no safety certificate to show, and a massive PR problem on their hands.”

She continues: “Every variety of slime we sell as toy retailers has been through rigorous toy testing. Slime can be ingested, and by the nature of playing with slime, there is inevitably prolonged skin contact. There have been numerous cases of children receiving third degree burns, leading to necessary but painful skin grafts, after making their own borax based slime.”

So what reliable options are there for lovers of all things slimey? Paul Clark, head of UK at Canal Toys, has just the thing – complete kits that offer kids the option to make their own slime at home, using nothing but water.

“As the creator of the 100% Original DIY Slime brand, Canal Toys has come to the UK with an excellent reputation and fantastic range of products,” Paul tells Toy World.

“Retailers love the bright and attractive So Slime DIY packaging, and the fact we offer a complete DIY slime range from affordable impulse buys through to our larger sets, which are ideal as presents. They also like the fact they

can keep up with the trend from a small number of SKUs, which helps with space management in-store as well as maximising sales opportunities.”

For Ginette, complete DIY slime kits have a major perk – customer safety. “We currently stock Character’s Cra-Z Slimy Creations, So Slime DIY from Canal Toys, and a pocket money MYO Slime kit from Keycraft,” she says. “Yes, they all cost more than making your own at home would, but safety tests cost money. We try to explain that to consumers, and most understand, but I do think more could be done to educate people about the testing that goes into everything we sell.”

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Looking at the arts & crafts category in general, Paul feels that ready to go kits are generally key to success, believing that demand from parents and kids for ready to go packs will continue to soar.

“Time poor families are looking for fun activities which offer their children creative learning, a satisfying end result and an alternative to screen time and electronic gadgets,” he says.

Likewise, Whirligig Toys, an independent retailer that specialises in all things ‘make & do’, finds that kits which contain everything kids need to get started work best for its customers. “If you are giving a set as a gift, you don't want the parents to have to go out and find the right glue or thread etc., so we select products that have all the instructions and materials included,” explains owner Peter Allinson. “We have seen an increase in painting and drawing products recently and have a great range of products that show children how to get started and build on their ideas. Our customers love that the presents they give allow the child to produce something and give them a memorable experience.”

The retail success of complete craft kits is reflected in NPD results, which show that Craft Kits is the largest area of sales in Arts & Crafts as a category, accounting for 51%, followed

by Reusable Compounds at 27%. The NPD POS Service, (Full Year 2017) shows Arts & Crafts was the 6th largest supercategory in 2017 with £142m sales, although it did decline 11%.

For retailers, arts & crafts is a particularly well-suited category when it comes to holding demos and activity days. These events not only provide kids and their parents/guardians with the opportunity to engage together on a creative and enjoyable project, but also convert footfall to sales; parents who can clearly can see how much their child is enjoying a product are far more likely to go ahead and buy it.

“In-store demos definitely

Arts & Craft help to boost sales,” enthuses Selina Clarke, senior buyer at the department store Jarrold. “We have seen a spike in sales on the days when we do hold a demo, although we do try to back up the demo with a promo or GWP (Gift with Purchase), which helps.

What we also see is a sales boost in the following days or week, where customers may not have bought on the day but have come back after they have thought about it or been pestered.”

Alongside consumer engagement drives on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, alerting fans to events in their area to encourage footfall into those stores, suppliers might also consider providing demo packs which consist of play stock.

“DKL supplies bulk boxes of Hama Beads,” says Selina. “Some suppliers also provide ‘make and take' packs, small sets with no packaging - these are good as everything is in one small package. Working with suppliers on promotional offers to coincide with a demo is also helpful as it gives customers a reason to buy on the day. GWP packs are handy too. We use them the week after a demo if we are selling a complementary product, and this gives us an opportunity to talk to the customer about other ranges which they can then trial for themselves.”

Licensed arts & crafts line are seeing success too, with popular properties catching the interest of kids looking for a creative way to engage with their favourite characters. Manufacturer John Adams has found that licensed properties offer a great way to bolster an existing range and get a fanbase interested in an established product line. Lynette Norris, marketing manager, explains: “We’ve benefited from working with some fantastic licences

such as Paw Patrol and My Little Pony in the arts & crafts category, which has also been a positive marketing opportunity for brands such as eZee Beads, Blopens and Fuzzy-Felt.”

Regardless of the type of arts & crafts product or kit they are engaging with, the category provides kids and their parents with some time out from modern living that many would feel vital in today’s world. “Arts & craft play gives children the opportunity to explore their creativity,” comments Selina. “It introduces quiet time in an age where everything is so busy and manic. It gives children the ability to explore their imagination and create what comes into their minds and, as there is no right or wrong way to create, what they come up with should always be praised and encouraged.”

Over the next few pages, Toy World takes a look at the latest products the category has to offer for creative kids.

brandprofile

Hama time Toy World spoke to David Allan, sales & marketing director at DKL Marketing, about the enduring success of Hama Beads, what sets the brand apart from its competitors, and its marketing plans for the rest of the year and beyond.

How does Hama stand out from competitors in the arts & crafts marketplace?

As Hama beads are fused together with heat, they allow for much larger and longer-lasting creations compared to water based bead brands on the market. Thousands of designs have been shared across social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, and these creations aid in building communities online, creating a new generation of Hama fans. The Hama Universe App also offers a unique point of differentiation to other craft brands in the market. Users can explore the island in Hama Universe, and create designs to make in real life.

DKL also spends a lot of time working closely with retailers. Every brand has a variety of support tools, including Hama.

Retailers can receive bespoke planograms, POS material such as shelf talkers, ready-made display model’s dioramas and more. During the holidays, we also support our customers with free demonstration and play kits, plus giveaway prizes to encourage customers into the store.

What has the reception been to the Easter TV advertising campaign?

The recent TV advert was a phenomenal success, exceeding TVR predictions. The goal was to highlight that Hama beads require no drying time and can be instantly played with, displayed or given as a gift. The advert also did a great job of showcasing the wide variety of Hama products, and we are planning another campaign for October half term off the back of this success.

Why did you feel the timing was right for the Hama YouTube channel, and what feedback have you received?

We have seen growth on social media, with Hama fans creating time-lapse and How To videos, so the time was right for Hama to launch an official YouTube channel. We have seen a great response from consumers and there has been special interest in the seasonal videos, such as Easter and Birthday inspired designs to give as gifts.

How is DKL supporting the Hama range throughout the rest of 2018?

We have had a great year so far, with the biggest marketing push in decades reinforcing Hama as a top bead brand. There are now plans for another TV campaign in October half term, to reinforce the Hama name and bring customers into stores. There will also be free demonstration kits and products for instore promotions. We work with retailers on an individual basis, tailoring our support to meet the needs of the retailer. There will also be more investment into social media and other digital marketing avenues to support the summer TV campaign.

How can retailers best maximise on the Hama range?

Over the years Hama has developed the widest variety of price points, starting from £2.50 RRP for a complete kit. There are over 70 different sets to choose from, alongside small blister kits in CDU displays to large, eye-catching bead tubs. The range includes over 60 different bead colours from glitter to glow in the dark. Each kit includes an array of different colours, or customers can purchase 1,000 coloured bead bags if they are after a specific colour. The range has been carefully curated to offer something for every retailer, regardless of their store size and customer base.

As we work with customers on an individual level, our reps and agents have a vast knowledge of the range and can recommend products, POS and advise on how best to sell through Hama, based on the retailer’s individual store.

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Arts & Craft

Sambro 08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk Sambro offers an extensive collection of licensed arts and crafts products aimed at children of all ages. This year the company introduces a new line – Meltums. This range of colourful picture beads allows children to re-create their favourite characters. When they are finished creating, the beads can be ironed with the help of a parent or guardian, which will fuse them into solid characters. Each set contains different coloured beads along with templates and trays to create different characters. Kids can also make their character stand upright, and the sets allow for the creation of keyrings too. Set sizes vary from 3,000 beads, right up to refill tubs of 10,000 beads.

The Meltums range from Sambro features Disney lines including Disney Princess, Frozen and Incredibles 2, which launches ahead of the movie release in July. Nickelodeon licences also get the Meltums treatment, with Paw Patrol, Shimmer & Shine and Jo Jo Siwa lines on offer.

GP Flair 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk GP Flair’s Cool Create portfolio has a host of brands on offer for kids with creative imaginations.

Cool Cardz provides a way for kids to make their own club cards, swing tags and book marks that can be swapped and traded with friends. Each set comes with a handbagstyle design studio and contents for artistic results every time. New for 2018 is the JoJo Siwa Cool Cardz Design Studio, which takes inspiration from the online star‘s favourite fashion themes.

Another classic brand, the Original Spirograph achieves proven sales for retailers of all sizes. This year the Original Spirograph Travel Set is added to the existing Spirograph line up, which includes the Original Spirograph Design and Deluxe sets. Each set comes with its own assortment of accessories to create a range of attractive designs.

Creativity with a food theme is a popular combination, and Mr Frosty offers everything required to produce a wide variety of frozen treats. This TV-promoted brand includes the original Mr Frosty Crunchy Ice Maker, an Ice Cream Factory and The Choc Ice Maker. Also available is the Cool Create Chocolate Bar Maker. Kids can simply melt chocolate, pour it into the moulds provided, and add their own creative touches.

A creative brand that has been enjoyed for generations, Plasticine never shrinks or hardens and can be used again and again. The range includes strong pocket money options such as the BaSix Assortment, right through to project kits such as the Plasticine Softeez Noodle Doodle sets. Also new for this year is a range featuring PJ Masks.

Epoch making toys 08435 574 062 | www.aquabeadsart.com/uk Epoch making toys is set to launch a new range of Aquabeads sets in July 2018. Inspired by one of the biggest trends of recent years, the new Aquabeads Magical Unicorn Set contains over 2,000 beads in 14 different colours. Children can make a whole range of the mythical creatures, and special plastic pins are now included which allow the tails of the unicorns to move up and down – a first for the brand. A play mat scene also accompanies every set, so children can engage imaginatively with their creations.

Also launching are the Mini Bling Ring and Mini Key Chain Packs. Each containing over 140 beads, these packs offer an ideal impulse purchase option. The Bling Ring Set gives Aquabeads fans the chance to create a range of fun and flashy rings, perfect for dressing up or wearing out and about. The Mini Key Chain Set provides fun for both boys and girls, giving children the chance to create elephant, parrot and rainbow keys chains for themselves or their friends.

For those looking for a wider variety for their play jewellery boxes, there is also the new Aquabeads Sparkly Accessories Set. The kit has over 300 beads and includes bases for two charm bracelets, a necklace, a brooch and a ring.

Epoch making toys is also releasing a new licensed product into the Aquabeads range.

The Rapunzel Character Set is based upon the popular Disney TV show, Tangled the Series. The set includes beads and templates to make Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse. The pack also comes with two display stands.

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Arts & Craft

Bandai 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk Trusted brand Crayola comes to the arts & crafts aisle in the form of dough, as Bandai UK enters the category with a line-up of dough and play sets.

Creating things with dough is an ever-present feature of creative play, and Bandai’s Crayola Dough collection provides safe and high-quality dough in the brightest of colours. Made from the finest Japanese flour and presented in nonPVC packaging, the range is designed in the style of the recognisable Crayola crayons.

All the colours are true to the fully patented Crayola pantones. Available as affordable foil wrapped refill packs, the dough can be placed into existing tubs to minimise the use of plastic. The foil bags make interesting party bag gifts for creative kids, a sales angle which further enhances the retail appeal of the line.

Crayola also offers a range of themed dough play sets to choose from, at a variety of price points. Each set complements the next, ensuring there is no cross over of accessories and encouraging additional purchases in store. Smaller sets include the Bakery and Candy Shop and include two tubs of dough, while foodthemed play can be extended with the Burger Chef and Ice Cream Parlour. Each set contains moulds, tools and accessories to create a pretend feast.

Another popular play pattern is hair play, and the Crayola Dough Hairstylist Sets feature an extruder character which can sit in the barber’s chair, ready to receive a new do that can be re-styled time and time again. Alternatively, the Construction Zone play set includes road making tools and more.

The Crayola Dough collection will launch with a mass sampling campaign and awareness drive, specifically designed to reach parents and grandparents.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Kinetic Sand is the No. 1 sand brand in the UK, a perennial favourite and a strong seller. Kids and adults alike are drawn to the feel and texture of this mouldable sand.

New introductions for 2018 include Kinetic Sand’s 4oz Gems & Metallics multipack, which offers kids the chance to get their hands on three different shimmering pastel shades. Each colour comes in a castleshaped container that doubles as a re-useable mould.

Kids can now build impressive sandcastles with the Kinetic Sand Beach Day Fun Set, which features over 20 ways to play. The sandbox doubles as both play space and storage, making creating and clean up easy. Easy for kids to shape, this set comes with four raking tools and five moulds.

Finally, the new Kinetic Sand Mega Beach Kingdom allows kids to build their own sand castle with 3lbs of Kinetic Beach Sand. Soothing and relaxing, this Kinetic Sand feels like wet sand but is actually dry - and it never dries out, so kids can build again and again.

John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams Leisure will be expanding its creative play portfolio in 2018, with over 20 new and refreshed product lines.

Continuing to build on the success of the Blopens range, a new Puppies and Kittens set will be introduced. A Mini Blopens Kit with four mini Blopens and 10 mini stencils will also be available. eZee Beads continues to expand with four new lines across key price points, including Emergency Vehicles, Trucks, Jewellery, and a Blossom Tree set. Due to high demand there’s also a new refill and accessory pack for added play value.

Face painting just got easier with Face Art. Kids can choose their stamp design, paint it and apply for great results every time. Face Art is easy for parents to apply on their child, for friends to do together, or for a child to do by themselves.

With the new Glitterizz range kids can personalise pictures with five themed sets to add sparkle to, while keeping mess to a minimum. Kids take the glitter tube and pour it over their drawing, then sweep excess glitter from their picture and return it to the tube using the funnel.

The Eraser Studio lets kids mix up their stationery by making bespoke erasers with moulds and ‘magic’ clay, while, for pre-schoolers, Playstuff Dough Play Worlds kits come with fold out double play area packaging. The packaging is wipe clean and features an attractively illustrated play scene.

All key lines will be TV advertised and will benefit from heavyweight digital, social and PR plans.

Toy World 68

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Arts & Craft

Learning Resources 01553 819 386 | www.learningresources.co.uk Playfoam topped the sales charts for Learning Resources last year and has had an impressive start to 2018, growing both customer numbers and sales. Building on this success, a number of Playfoam brand extensions have been introduced including a new range of collectibles called Playfoam Pals.

Playfoam never dries out and is mess free. The non-stick formula means it can be used over and over again and also means it can be taken anywhere for creativity on the go. Produced in a number of colours, Playfoam is available in hanging blister packs of four and eight pods, a boxed combo party pack of 20, and a counter display pack containing 64 pods. For children who want to add sparkle to their creative play, there’s also the Playfoam Sparkle Starter 4-pack.

Targeting the growing collectibles market, Playfoam Pals combines creativity with collectibles, with hidden animal friends inside Playfoam pods. There are 12 to collect in Series 1, plus a super-rare gold version of each animal. Each pet has a pop-apart body and head for mixing and matching with other pals, and creating brand new species. Once children have discovered their Playfoam Pal, they can use the Playfoam to build perches, nests, beds and more for their new pet. Playfoam Pals are supplied in two pack or 12 pack with shelf-ready display packaging.

Further innovations include Playfoam Squashformers - non-stick flexible moulds that encourage children to sculpt colourful items and Playfoam Designables Princess Crown and Princess Necklace, which encourage kids to customise jewellery, combining creative and imaginative play.

The Playfoam range is supported by a targeted marketing campaign including digital and social media, bloggers, YouTube advertising and instore marketing resources. Playfoam is by Educational Insights and is available from Learning Resources.

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.com With over 15 years of success, Aquadoodle from Tomy is still a market leader in the mechanical design category. Aquadoodle encourages creative play with a collection that uses only water and provides developmental benefits for infants and pre-schoolers by encouraging drawing ability and learning, without mess.

This year, Aquadoodle enters new territory with the launch of its first 3D model, Dress Designer. Launching in autumn/winter, Aquadoodle Dress Designer allows children to design their own fashions. Included is a stamper and pen for children to use as they create their designs. Kids can stamp or draw their way to the ideal dress, and when they are finished the designs simply fade away, ready to be started again.

Aquadoodle will also launch a rehydrated version of its best-selling Super Colour Deluxe – now Super Rainbow Deluxe. As children create doodles on the super-sized mat, they’ll reveal the scene underneath. The mat features one pen, three stampers, a paintbrush and water tray.

Throughout spring, Tomy supported its hero items with a targeted TV campaign; adverts aired over a three-week burst, delivering 150 TVRs and highlighting the Super Colour Deluxe and Peppa Pig. In addition to TV, Tomy supported the collection with VOD reaching over 350,000 viewers. Tomy will continue to invest in the collection with strategic partnerships and in-store activation.

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk Hama has achieved over 29 years of success in the UK & Irish market, remaining a leading brand in the Arts & Crafts category.

For 2018, Hama will continue its sales momentum with the launch of the new 10,000 Bead Tub. The packaging has been designed exclusively for the UK & Irish market, featuring two colourful pegboards, 10,000 beads in 10 different colours, ironing paper and instructions.

Also available are the new Design Studio kits by Hama. Targeting different price points, the kits offer either 6,000 or 12,000 beads and include three pegboards, a design guide and ironing paper, all stored in a three tier carry case with compartments to keep bead colours separate.

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Arts & Craft

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com

Jumbo is expanding its educational arts & crafts range this June with the launch of four new Dessineo Learn to Paint craft kits.

Children will be able to learn to paint using the specially designed step-by-step picture stencils. By building a painting in three easy steps, children can create and paint four different pictures. The painting by stencils Animals and Character sets all include five paint colours, a paint brush, roller brush and artist’s palette, plus sheets of paper with picture frames printed on them.

There will also be two painting by numbers Farm and Jungle Animals sets, each including four picture painting sheets and six paint colours, a brush and an artist’s palette.

In August, Jumbo will also be introducing the Dessineo artist painting easel into the range. The durable and easyto-use easel rotates so children can paint on a horizontal or vertical platform, and allows them to create over 30 different animal combinations. Various compartments mean children can store the paints, paper, rollers, brushes and stencils in the easel.

The collection of Cra-Z-Slimy Creations all-in-one kits have everything a kid needs to create their own slime at home. New for summer and TV advertised is the Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio, which comes complete with a slime-making machine and base, plus paints, glitters and more.

Alternatively, Character’s new Cra-ZSlimy Stress Ball Maker is available from September and features in its own TV spot.

Elasti Plasti is a new super-soft plastic that expands, stretches, bubbles and much more. Launching this month with TV advertising behind it from the off, Elasti Plasti lets kids blow giant bubbles – up to 20x the size of the product required - with nothing but a regular straw. Non-sticky and available in a choice of vibrant colours, each pot is a sizeable 425g.

Make It Real 01613 024 100 | www.makeitrealplay.com

Maped Helix 01384 286 860 | www.mapedhelix.co.uk

This spring, Make It Real has increased its range of arts & craft kits. The new products occupy four key categories - DIY jewellery making, fashion design, home décor and cosmetics items – with price-points starting from under £5.

Dream Guides magazines are included within each kit, profiling successful females within the creative industry as ambassadors, with these women also appearing in videos both online and via the Make It Real app. Aiming to improve the play experience within the arts & crafts sector, the free Make It Real app features step by step instructions for each kit, alongside a Help function which links in directly with the Make It Real HQ, and a forum where kids can post pictures of their creations.

Most of 2018’s range is available now, with additional launches set to arrive this autumn. New titles include Terrarium and Cross-Stitch Emoji Jewellery Kits, Mermaid-Makeover Sets and a DIY Unicorn Hoodie blanket. In addition to its branded range, Make It Real also works with Disney and Nickelodeon and, new for this season, is collaborating with the California-based fashion label Juicy Couture on a competition which aims to identify up and coming fashion designers. The winner will have the chance to attend a Juicy Couture Fashion Shoot with the label’s creative director.

Online plays a fundamental part of Make It Real’s direct-to-consumer communications strategy, and the company is becoming increasingly connected with influencers who post unboxing videos, further increasing the company’s reach and its product awareness among consumers.

Designed as the ideal introduction to colouring, Maped’s My First range is set to make its mark. Created with little ones in mind, it features simple, safe to use stationery for children up to three years of age.

New to the colouring range is My First Baby Crayons. Made of soft wax and featuring a large round handle, the crayons have been specially designed for small hands to grip, so that colour can be applied with ease and minimal pressure.

A great gift for toddlers, My First Jumbo Colouring Pencils, Wax Crayons and Felt Tips are available in 12 bright colours. The felt tips are also mess-free and feature ultra-washable ink.

The range also includes My First Finger Paints, four pots of dermatologically tested ultra-bright paint with a smooth texture that doesn’t drip.

Finally, the My First Colouring Kit includes 10 Jumbo Felt Tips, 12 Jumbo Wax Crayons and a jumbo-size poster, contained in an easy to open and close, decorated case.

Toy World 72

Changing the face of arts & crafts with four new exciting & innovative brands…

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Canal Toys 07492 411 142 | www.canaltoys.fr/en Canal Toys, creators of the 100% Original So Slime DIY, is preparing to release new brands for the UK this 2018. Summer will see the launch of Power Dough, So Glow DIY and Style 4 Ever, an innovative selection of DIY arts & crafts activities.

Power Dough, launching in July, will be supported by a comprehensive TV and digital media marketing campaign. The range of modelling dough play sets allows children to mould, decorate, and then bring their creations to life. Sets available for 2018 will include Animals, Vehicles and Monsters. Each set offers dough and a selection of accessories so kids can customise their creations in a variety of ways, while the Power Parts add light, sound and action to bring the dough to life.

So Glow DIY Magic Jars are new for 2018. Each set comes with everything required to create and customise a light-up mood jar. Kids can simply mix the powders with water, add glitter, decorate and shake to light up. Each kit includes a collectible surprise figure, and with six different styles to collect there’s a magic jar to suit every mood. The range will also be supported by a TV advertising and marketing campaign throughout the year.

Having enjoyed success in France, Spain, Italy and the US, Canal Toys is also introducing the Style 4 Ever range, an innovative and on-trend DIY arts & crafts fashion range. The key TV line for this year is the newly refreshed Style 4 Ever Tape Machine. Kids can create colourful personalised rolls of tape with the included stickers, stencils and markers, then use them to decorate their personal belongings, notebooks, and phone cases.

Canal Toys’ 100% Original So Slime DIY kits offer safe, simple and fully certified slime that kids can make at home without mess or hazardous chemicals. For 2018, the line will see the introduction of new neon pastel and rainbow colours, plus a new creepy range which includes a creepy collectible surprise with all slimes. The full So Slime range will be backed by continued PR and TV advertising campaigns.

Remaining a core focus for 2018, support for the Crayola Color Wonder range will include TV advertising and digital activation alongside social media initiatives launching across the new Crayola UK Facebook and Instagram pages. The Color Wonder range features the most current licences, with new licences launching in autumn/winter.

Leading on from the crayon melting craze that has become popular across social media, the award-winning Ultimelt Pen is a safe and easy way for kids to get involved in creating crayon melting art. Kids can simply unwrap their Crayola crayons using the included Wrapper Ripper and then break them up before inserting them into the end of the pen. The Melter is ready to go in seconds, and can be used like a pen to draw with the melted wax. The wax dries in seconds and isn’t hot to touch. The Ultimelt Pen can be used to create designs on paper, card, glass, wood and more, and will benefit from an extensive marketing campaign including TV and digital activity.

Also new for autumn/winter is Washimals Pets. With cats and dogs in the Washimals Pets packs and in the Washimals Pets Scrubbie Tub Playset, Washimals Pets can be coloured, washed and coloured again. Each Washimals Pet comes with Crayola Marker Pens that can be used on the pet. Each Washimals Pets Pack comes with two pets, three Washimals Marker Pens and a Washimals Scrubbie brush. The Washimals Pets Scrub Tub Playset comes with four Washimals Pets, six Washimals Markers and a Scrubbie Tub with a functioning shower. The Washimals Pets range will be fully supported with a 360 marketing campaign including TV and digital support.

Autumn/winter also sees the expansion of the Silly Scents stationery range. More scents are being introduced with refreshes to the existing Silly Scents Twistables Crayons and Silly Scents fineline marker packs.

In addition, new core lines are being introduced including the 12ct Silly Scents Broadline Markers and the 8ct Silly Scents Stinky Markers, with scents including garlic, mud and sock smells.

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk The multi award-winning Paint Sticks range, developed by Little Brian, has been awarded a Good Toy Guide Recommended award. Popular with pre-schoolers, parents and teachers, the Paint Sticks range offers mess-free painting on multiple surfaces, with a twist up format and paint that dries in 90 seconds. Distributed to retailers by Trends UK & Wind Designs, the range is being expanded in spring with a selection of new products.

A Jumbo pack, featuring 24 Paint Sticks in the original chunky size, offers classic, metallic and dayglow colours. The new Mini Paint Sticks are great for finer detail. Pack sizes of either 24 or 12 sticks are available, in vibrant colours such as classic, metallic and fluorescent, allowing kids to create artwork with a range of techniques including painting, scraping, stamping and dotting.

Kids can now also create chalky, dust free pictures with the new creamy smooth Chalk Sticks, which come in 20 colours. Finally, the new Fabric Paint Sticks let kids decorate their own clothing and other suitable materials; they can simply paint the fabric item and seal it with an iron, leaving lasting designs that can be washed up to 40˚C.

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the home of vision, innovation & creativity

1

©Disney

©2018 DWA (LLC All Rights Reserved)

3

2

©2018 Hasbro

©SpinMaster 2018

CONTACT US TODAY FOR FULL RANGE!

Sales enquiries +44(0) 845 873 9380 or sales@sambro.co.uk or visit us at www. sambro.com

©Disney

Arts & Craft

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk With Play-Doh’s autumn/winter offering, kids can imagine themselves as barbers or ice cream connoisseurs, or can create their own imaginary characters with Play-Doh’s new poo-themed tool set.

With the Poop Troop set, kids can squish, squash and roll the Play-Doh to create more than 50 emojis with facial expressions. The set includes a variety of eyes, mouths and arms, as well as other accessories, which can be attached to bring life to different characters.

Based on the popular classic, the Play-Doh Buzz ‘n Cut Barber Shop set comes with two character thimbles that can be styled up with braids, bows, moustaches and other accessories. Kids can give them a trim or shave all the ‘hair’ off with the electric buzzer, which makes buzzing sounds when it touches the Play-Doh compound.

For the first time ever, the Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Ultimate Swirl Ice Cream Maker can create two dishes or cones of Play-Doh ice cream at the same time. This 3-in-1 ice cream machine comes with plenty of accessories to spark kids’ creativity.

Bertoy (32) 03 777 0533 | www.bertoy.com Mudpuppy’s new Colouring Rolls come in two sizes - Big and Mini.

The Big Colouring Rolls contain 10ft of colouring to do featuring several themes and designs. An ideal group activity for play dates or birthday parties, the Big Colouring Roll includes six crayons. The Mini Colouring Roll contains 30 inches of paper and four crayons, making it ideal for travel.

Mudpuppy Activity Rolls offer 6ft of rolling paper and feature activities such as mazes and spot the difference, as well as colouring.

The activity roll includes five coloured pencils. Kids can open the box and pull out the amount of paper needed, then simply roll the paper back inside when they are finished.

Fiesta Crafts 020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk

MGA Entertainment 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com

Fiesta Crafts’ new large Stickabouts play-scenes, Magical Island and Pirate Ship, feature a large scene that can be stuck to any flat surface, along with character pieces such as mermaids, pirates, fish and treasure. The scenes are complemented by the range of washable and reusable Stickabouts glue-free stickers.

Glam Goo encourages children to decorate, customise and wear their slime creations. The range includes the Glam Goo Deluxe Pack, Glam Goo Fantasy and Glam Goo Confetti Theme Packs.

Gel-a-Peel’s autumn range will include the new Mega Rainbow Kit, two new Accessory Kits in Boho and Gem themes, as well as the Deluxe Kit and Fashion Maker, while the new Nail-a-Peel range includes a Deluxe Colour Kit and Theme Kits, offering 50 nail designs in exclusive colours and styles.

Re:Creation 01189 736 222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Play Dirt, from Re:Creation, has the look and feel of real dirt and is easy to mould and clean up.

Launch sets include Bugs in a Jar and Monster Truck Rally. Floof offers indoor snow-style play, and is available at price points from pocket money blister packs to larger scale themed sets, including The Mr and Mrs Snowman Set.

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NEW, Chalk &

Fabric ks int Stic a P i n i M le now! availab

Email: customerservices@mapedhelix.co.uk Website: mapedhelix.co.uk Phone: 01384 286860

A new range of colouring products specially designed for babies and toddlers aged 1+

Brand Profile

Bear Grylls Young Adventurer

Bear essentials

The result of a partnership between Platinum Films and Bear Grylls Ventures, the world-renowned adventurer, writer and television presenter’s merchandising company, Bear Grylls Young Adventurer follows the childhood exploits that ultimately formed Bear into the role model we know today. Toy World finds out more.

T

he son of a British Conservative actors Zac Effron and Channing Tatum. Alongside politician, Edward Michael ‘Bear’ Grylls his TV programmes, which are broadcast in over shot to fame following the series Man 200 territories, Bear is also a highly published vs. Wild, which charted his dangerous author and has sold over 8m books globally. Of and thrilling adventures in some of the course, the animated series will also present strong world’s most remote and challenging locations. His licensing opportunities within the kids’ sector, with blend of courage, daring, enthusiasm and spirit opportunities for categories such as apparel, action made Bear an instant hit with children of all ages, figures, play sets and outdoor accessories. and in 2009 he became the youngest ever Chief “Bear Grylls Young Adventurer will present Scout at the age of just 35. a positive role model for both boys and girls,” Having teamed up to produce the new animated explains Nigel Stone, CEO of Platinum Films. show, Platinum Films and Bear Grylls Ventures “Bear’s kindness, his courage - these are the are preparing for the release of Bear Grylls Young qualities I would want in a hero of one of our shows.

Adventurer next year. Embracing and embodying It’s essential that our licensing partners embody the spirit of adventure and exploration, the the key pillars of the show - adventure, lifestyle, show centres on 13 year-old Bear as he balances action, coolness, functionality and fun - and drive schoolwork and teenage insecurities with his innovation in the products they produce.” highly secret job – the most recent recruit of a It’s also anticipated that the show will lend itself covert organisation dedicated to rescue missions well to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality in exotic and wild locations across the globe.

(VR) in the form of games, experiential activities, Though possessing a natural talent for adventures, educational apps and other engaging offerings for Bear finds that his improvisational skills and Platinum Films CEO Nigel Stone with Bear Grylls. ability to succeed will be tested to their maximum on the missions he undertakes. Alongside overcoming some of the most brutal terrains and conditions the planet can throw at him, he must also get his schoolwork in on time.

The show will tap into Bear’s substantial pool of followers. As Chief Scout, he is looked up to by 53m individuals within the worldwide Scouting organisation, and boasts a number of celebrity fans including former President Barack Obama, actress Kate Winslet, and

Toy World 78

fans of the series, and of Bear in general.

“Young Bear Grylls is all about bringing the spirit of adventure and exploration to young kids in a way that fires their imagination and brings out the survivor in them all,” says Bear Grylls. “What’s great is that it’s funny, translatable and thrilling at the same time; it instils values that are important for everyone – to follow your dreams, to succeed through failure and to never give up – but it also takes kids on epic adventures in far flung places around the globe. Bear Grylls Young Adventurer is inspiring, exciting and unique, but above all it is rooted in fun, friendship and survival. All vital things for kids.”

Joining Platinum Films to take up the role of digital ops director at the company’s new digital division Giant Pixel, Paul Brunton will develop the global digital strategies across Platinum Films’ rich IP, with a primary focus on Bear Grylls Young Adventurer.

“Our aim is to create original and groundbreaking digital content for Bear’s millions of fans - both children and adults,” he explains. “His universal appeal and the new animated TV show will deliver huge opportunities within the licensing sector and the digital space as well.

My role is to build long term relationships with ambitious partners and I will work very closely with them to activate our digital strategy to bring value and success to all parties. I am excited to explore new partnerships with other experienced studios within the digital sector, so invite you all to join the adventure.”

The Puppet Company Ltd.

The

Pup Co pet mp any Ltd ÂŽ .

We are a UK based Design & Wholesale company supplying over 1000 high quality puppets and soft toys of all shapes and sizes! Have a puppet - Have fun!

www.thepuppetcompany.com Tel: +44 (0) 1462 446040

Fresh

FRESH THIS MONTH:

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone.

In June we have new releases from: Zuru, IMC Toys and Brainstorm.

Play Fun games IMC Toys 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com IMC Toys is introducing new additions to its popular Play Fun range of family games.

New releases for autumn/winter 2018 include Truth Detector. Players select a question from the card and pick a friend or family member to interrogate. The interrogated players must put their fingers on the detector – if they’re lying the machine will let the player know, but if it’s not sure and flashes amber the player must ask them the question again. If the machine catches someone lying a siren sounds and the red bulb flashes. If a player tells a lie and gets caught by the Truth Detector they lose a life. The winner is the last person left with life cards.

Plumber Clash is a game that brings friends and families together to clear the blocked pipe. Using skill and speed, players must pump the plunger as fast as they can to unblock the pipe. The suspense builds as players try to rotate the pipe towards their opponent. The player who doesn’t get splashed wins.

The latest games will join the successful game Boom Ball, which launched in 2017.

The new additions to the IMC games portfolio will be supported with strong media investment with over 800 TVRs planned in for October to December. In addition to a media campaign, the range will be supported with a strong digital campaign, as well as being present at experiential consumer events.

Influencer marketing will also be central for game launches.

Robo Alive Attacking T-Rex and Robo Alive Spider

StikBot Dinos Brainstorm 01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk

Zuru 01604 401 719 | sales@geemac.biz Zuru has unveiled two new additions to its Robo Alive portfolio. Utilising pioneering robotic technology, the Attacking T-Rex and Spider will be available from July.

Based on real-life creatures, Zuru’s Robo Alive brand currently includes best-seller, Robofish, followed more recently by snakes and lizards. Using robotic enhanced motion sensors, Zuru’s design team has applied paleontological and arachnological research to create realistic characteristics, while retaining an affordable option within the tech toys market.

Robo Alive’s Attacking T-Rex walks like the real thing, is available in two colours, and opens its mouth to roar and bite, while the new Robo Alive Spider scurries realistically and includes the authentic colourings and markings of a Black Widow.

Renee Lee, global marketing manager, Zuru, commented: “The new dinosaur and spider models have been introduced to further grow the Robo Alive brand. Each of our Robo Alive categories offers our customers innovative and value-driven lines, while realising consumer demand for even more exciting and appealing creatures – pre-historic or otherwise.”

A new Dino themed TV ad will broadcast from the beginning of June and will be at the forefront of the company’s marketing efforts.

The StikBot Dino range is made up of the StikBot Mega Dinos – three Dinosaur breeds (T-Rex, Carnotaurus and Brontosaurus) that are bigger than any other StikBot released before. Not only will they allow children to create unique animations with the StikBot app, the Dinos come in red, green and blue, so kids can create their own dinosaur collection.

Featuring even more Dino breeds, a specially created CDU contains all 24 blind StikBot Dino Eggs with one rare Dino in every 24. This pocket money version of the range will allow children to experience everything the StikBot range has to offer in terms of imaginative play, as well as learn how to create their very own stop-frame animations using green screen technology. Children will also be able to enjoy the multitude of StikBot videos on the StikBot Central YouTube channel, where they can upload their own videos.

Nick Saunders, sales and marketing director at Brainstorm, commented: “Early sales of the StikBot Dino range have been extremely positive, and we are already taking more orders for the second wave, so we would ask customers to get orders in early.”

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Magic Box

Company Profile

If it ain’t got that zing…

Toy World spoke to Ben Harper of Magic Box about the art of sustaining the success of collectible ranges, such as the company’s popular SuperZings brand, and the plans in place for the launch of Series 2.

Are you happy with the performance of SuperZings since its launch?

Yes, very happy, the launch of SuperZings Series 1 has been a great success. It’s a really engaging collectible with many layers; for each character a child collects, there’s also a rival to find, so this makes it an even more exciting purchase.

Having such a successful first series bodes well for Magic Box Toys, as we have a proven track record of growing sales progressively with each new series that we launch. This has been evident with our previous collectible IPs such as Gogos Crazy Bones and Zomlings, and so we have every confidence that the next series of SuperZings will be even more popular than the first.

fantastic new rivalries to introduce.

We are also introducing a new ‘super crystal’ finish for some characters, making them even more collectible. Our £1.50 Hideouts offer more value than Series 1, having undergone a complete revamp, and we also have four new Superjets for kids to collect and patrol their own Kaboom City.

Our boldest move yet, though, is that we’re introducing a range of premium playsets as part of the launch of Series 2. SuperZings is proving so popular that we felt it was the perfect opportunity to expand our offering beyond the traditional collectible, and so we have three playsets, all offering a wealth of different play options: The Secret Lab (£20), Kaboom Race (£20) and Police Stations (£25).

The challenge with each new series is to make it better than the last and we believe that Series 2 really takes SuperZings to a new level, with even more play options to bring the characters and stories to life.

Given Magic Box’s success has been founded on lower price point collectibles, the move to incorporate a broader product range and higher price points is a game-changer – what has prompted that?

Retailers really warmed to SuperZings and could see we were committed to making it a huge success with our most elaborate, award-nominated PR and marketing campaign to date. In addition to extensive TV advertising, we created a wealth of online content targeting both parents and children, as well as an engaging schools’ initiative to get the product into the hands of our core audience, and this has certainly had a positive impact on sales.

Can you tell us about the plans for the launch of Series 2?

Series 2 launches at the end of August with a host of new features and another outstanding marketing campaign. The core concept of everyday items transformed into battling super heroes and super villains remains unaltered, and we have some

It’s been a progressive and natural change over the course of the last few years. We create exciting IPs which are so much more than just a blind bag, and by introducing bigger, premium playsets, we can make that even more of a reality. Our concepts already have full stories, characters and landscapes – we have an opportunity to engage with our customers on a much broader level by giving them playsets to complement the characters and accessories they’re collecting.

We also see this as an opportunity for toy retailers to really embrace our brands – there’s a whole adventure for SuperZings fans to enjoy across the year and the bigger playsets offer longevity beyond the new series launch phases.

Do you see this move taking Magic Box more firmly into the toy aisles?

We will continue to develop our ranges, from the lower priced items such as blind bags, right

Toy World 81

through to the full playsets at the higher price point, offering toy retailers the opportunity to sell at different times of the year, across a wider range of retail prices. This means we can establish a stronger position within the toy aisles, whilst maintaining our firm presence in the news-stand space. We also see this development giving the consumer more choice: we’re confident family and gift-givers will welcome the added choice for young SuperZings fans this Christmas.

The collectibles market has become crowded in recent times – how do you see it evolving over the next few years?

The market is indeed very busy. There are a lot of great collectible products out there, and competition generally promotes innovation. The good news is that sales and demand is also strong. Consumers are motivated by these products and we deliver a lot of fun from a small package. Retailers, too, are consistently committed to them and the space and attention given to collectibles in-store is growing.

Collectibles is going to be a very healthy, albeit busy, part of the toy sector for several years to come.

In terms of evolution, licensing will grow in importance – the strongest and most popular collectible IPs will crossover successfully, not only into the toy aisle but also into wider spaces through licensing, giving them longevity beyond a couple of series. We’re confident that with the multiple layers of quality storytelling and collectability woven into this brand, SuperZings can continue to flourish globally for some time.

Company Profile

Tobar

Stronger together Toy World spoke to Tobar CEO David Mordecai about the recent acquisition of HGL from Martin and Elinor Grossman, how the companies will operate moving forward, and where Tobar sees both itself and HGL in the years to come. in terms of products. HGL is very strong in the same areas that we are, although it has a slightly different portfolio of products on offer.

When we got to know Martin and the company in-depth, it became apparent that it was a match made in heaven. Admittedly some of the products overlap, but the target audience is completely different, which, for us, is the best part of the deal.

HGL concentrates mainly on national accounts that we don’t deal with, which was a plus-point in itself.

Our own UK customer base is huge - much broader than HGL’s - and it was very appealing that not only would we have that access to national accounts, but we could also supply HGL products through our huge customer database. Additionally, HGL has a showroom in Hong Kong. We’d been looking at establishing a similar facility for some time, and the acquisition now gives us access to it.

Why did you feel the time was right for Tobar to go on the acquisition trail?

We’ve been looking at this for a little while now, so the acquisition wasn’t something that just suddenly happened. We’d been thinking about making an acquisition for two or three years, and we started to look into Martin’s business around 18 months ago. Everything developed from thereon in, and we sealed the deal at the beginning of April.

What appealed to you about the H. Grossman business?

When we first started looking into making an acquisition a couple years ago, we wrote down all the companies that we thought would be ideal for us, and HGL was number one on that list. When we came up with this list of potential targets, we didn’t know much about the inner workings of the company, but from the outside it looked a perfect fit

In terms of exports we are very strong in most of Europe, whereas HGL is less so, and we saw an opportunity there because we weren’t overlapping on customers. On top of that, Martin has an outstanding reputation for creating innovative products and bringing them to market before anyone, especially on trend lines. Pocket money items is not only our strength but HGL’s strength too, and combined we have the potential to become masters of the pocket money sector. With Martin’s knowledge, we can bring these products to market quickly, and to a much wider audience.

How will the two companies operate?

Both HGL and Tobar will continue to trade separately. We are not going to change HGL or Ozbozz – they will continue onwards and will still have their own stands at toy fair, and Tobar will have its own too. We feel that it’s very important for the customer to see two different brands.

What are the biggest challenges in buying a company located 200 miles away?

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In the last three or four years we have laid strong foundations for ourselves so that we’ve got a stable, professional workforce; our own warehouse with good capacity and our own office space, precisely because we had such an acquisition in mind.

Because of this strong framework, we don’t see the distance between the two companies as much of an issue.

What are you hoping the acquisition of Grossman will achieve?

We will have a wider product offering for both sets of customers. Martin can offer the accounts that he deals with our products and vice versa. We aim to dominate the pocket money area; we’ll be first to market with on trend products, and this is the area where we see huge growth for us – not just in the UK but overseas as well.

So you would say that your long term goal is to become masters of the craze and pocket money category internationally?

Yes, but we offer much more than just pocket money and craze ranges. Martin also has strong outdoor ranges, and we have an eclectic mix of traditional products, but the cornerstone of both our companies is pocket money and we want to become the main player in the international field for that.

Are you looking forward to working with Martin and his team?

Very much so. I think Martin is a great guy, and he’s been in the toy industry longer than most.

He’s a real personality. To be truthful, the whole acquisition process has been quite fun; Martin and I have got to know each other quite well and I am really looking forward to working with him. I’d like to think Martin is looking forward to working with me too!

Feature

Infant Toys

All the small things The lines between the infant and pre-school categories are often blurred, but the infant market offers great opportunities in its own right. Casey Goodman spoke to a range of suppliers about how the infant category can benefit retailers.

I

nfant toys are not just something to comfort and amuse young children but are also very important for early development. Gail Fisher, senior brand manager for LeapFrog explains how this is a key feature of the LeapFrog range of toys: “Young children are naturally curious and learn through play. LeapFrog toys provide opportunities for them to experiment with sensory play, engage in pretend play, experience stories and explore numbers, letters and sounds. This fosters early concept development and helps them to develop language skills.”

One of the key trends in the Infant toys category is the growth in demand for sensory toys. Judith Stark, MD at Halilit, explains how stylish colour choices are also becoming important to consumers: “Over the last few months, we have noticed a significant increase in demand for sensory toys such as Edushape’s classic Sensory Balls and the new Curiosity Cubes, which went down particularly well at trade shows at the start of the year. Families with young children are increasingly feeling a squeeze on finances and so value for money is paramount, as are toys that offer more than one activity or developmental opportunity.

Within our Taf Toys nursery toy range, we are seeing a clear movement towards softer colours, particularly when it comes to larger items such as play mats and baby gyms. Parents seem to be looking for toys that complement the styling of their home and nursery, such as our new I Love Big Mat – Soft Colours and the new autumn/winter 2018 Taf Toy developments, which echo the recent movement towards stylish shade of greys and greens.”

Mike Hartshorn, head of sales at Orange Tree Toys, has noticed that one of the key trends for 2018 is that parents are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of consumer goods.

He explains: “People are becoming ever more environmentally conscious and so I think there is

generally a growing desire for toys made from natural materials within the toy industry.

Specifically within the infant category, such materials have always been popular, which is why traditional wooden toys are always in such high demand. Our licensed ranges also continue to post strong growth; within nursery the evergreen characters such as Peter Rabbit have always been seen as safe and wholesome, after all most of us can remember Peter from our own childhood! These favourites have also been given an extra boost by the impact of big movie releases (Peter Rabbit & Paddington) in recent months.”

Another trend in the Infant Toys category is that parents are becoming more aware of the importance of interactive play with their little ones. Michelle Lilley from Little Tikes explains: “Parents want their children to have fun learning experiences, and as such STEM toys continue to be a growing category and an area of product development for Little Tikes. With the rise of millennial parents, we’ve also seen a resurgence in good old fashioned hands-on play, quality time without the interruption of technology, sat engaging with their children playing together.

Judith believes that the way infant ranges are merchandised in store is key: “For parents with young children, possibly pushing a pram, time is at a premium, so it makes sense to have distinct areas that are easily recognised and especially in the case of baby toys, easy to navigate to (so not at the back of a busy shop). Merchandising all baby toys together

Toy World 84

Russian Matryoshka Dolls, Halilit

rather than separating items by brand will help to give shoppers the widest choice and ensure that nothing is missed because it is sitting in a different section.

The Infant toys category is extremely diverse, and retailers can use this to their advantage. Mike explains: “I’m a big fan of concepting and think that a strong visual display that has been well merchandised will always catch the eye of the consumer. With infant purchases, as it is an adult making the buying decision, it is important to make sure that the products are eye catching and themed.

Make use of any point of sale that the manufacturer can supply, shelf strips, header cards and boards; all of this helps to create the visual concept.”

Michelle agrees that the diversity of the category provides an opportunity for retailers: “It provides the opportunity to create different themes. We have sub-categories within our brand which help to define products for the consumer e.g. Learning and Development, On-the-go and Role Play – they help consumers find what they’re looking for. They also help with gifting which is often a driver factor in the purchase process.”

Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a range of the latest products in the Infant toys category.

Bring the magic of science to life!

ec

Igni t

and ity ! H ur ios

s-o n

play !

NEW STEM RANGE LAUNCHES THIS AUTUMN! + HEAVY WEIGHT TV, DIGITAL, SOCIAL AND INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS.

Call 0845 0533 333

Email Uklittle.tikes@mgae.com

MGA Entertainment UK Ltd 50 Presley Way Crownhill Milton Keynes MK8 0ES

Web www.littletikes.co.uk

Infant Toys

Chicco 020 8953 6627 | www.chicco.co.uk Chicco’s First Dreams Lullaby Sheep comes complete with lights and 30 minutes of soothing nature sounds and white noise and is the perfect toy to accompany a baby to sleep. With a voice recorder function, parents can record their voice, and there is a sound sensor which is automatically activated when it detects certain sounds, such as a baby crying. The sheep is machine washable and available in both pink and blue.

Chicco First Dreams Baby Bear is designed to comfort and reassure babies as they drift off to sleep. It features a soft tummy with a projection to serve as a soothing night light, as well as the ability to play a goodnight message that can be activated at the touch of a button. There is also the option to play soothing melodies or a light show as babies fall asleep, all of which can be controlled by parents to suit individual needs. First Dreams Baby Bear is available in light blue, light pink and neutral beige.

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 | www.LearningResources.co.uk New from Learning Resources is Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog. Early learning skills will be enhanced by this peg-play hedgehog. Featuring 12 coloured 'spikes', young learners can push their pegs into Spike's back as they build colour recognition, counting and matching skills. This early years themed set builds fine motor skills in small hands and encourages early maths learning. Set includes Spike the Hedgehog, 12 coloured pegs and a multilingual activity guide.

Snap-n-Learn Matching Dinos is the latest addition to the hugely popular Snapn-Learn range, joining Colour Caterpillars, Shape Butterflies, Alphabet Alligators, Number Turtles and Counting Cows. Each set features colourful chunky pieces that can be snapped together and pulled apart easily by little hands, helping develop fine motor skills and creating endless imaginative play opportunities. The bright and fun toys come in strong, clear tubs and look fantastic on shelf.

Learning Resources’ New Sprouts range features bright coloured, chunky, rubberised pieces in the shape of real life domestic items such as fruit, vegetables, kitchen utensils and cleaning items. The range encourages early role-play skills as children can mimic their parents by making cups of tea with New Spouts Brew It! and enjoy using pretend squirting ketchup and mustard bottles with the New Sprouts Picnic Set! There is a wide range of products available, visit the Learning Resources website for more details.

The Puppet Company 01462 446 040 | www.thepuppetcompany.com The Puppet Company designs various puppet ranges, each targeting a different end user. My First Puppets are suitable from birth and are designed for parents to entertain babies. There are over 20 puppets in the collection, available in ranges such as farm animals, zoo animals and pets. The company also offers a collection of traditional animal hand puppets in various forms and price points, with products ranging from finger puppets to puppet theatres.

The CarPets range is a new collection. The name comes from the owner, whose children got bored on long car journeys. There are now 35 products in the range, suitable for 12 months and older, and available in a range of popular animals. Particularly popular are the Border Collie and the Ginger Cat. The new Wilberry Toy collection includes life-like animals and design led pieces. The Wilberry range is carried by department stores, traditional toy shops, and gift and interior design outlets. Wilberry will be launching a new range of soft toys suitable for infants, which will feature the favourite animals from the range. They will be joined by a new range of Wilberry dolls, which have happy smiley faces, different haircuts and dresses.

Toy World 86

PLAY DIFFERENT..... with Janod

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Tel +44 (0)20 8878 2133

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a lexbrands.com

Infant Toys

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Fisher-Price encourages parents to let kids be kids, allowing children the freedom to explore, discover and develop at their own pace and in their own way. Fisher-Price also helps to support parents by giving children the best start in life, with an innovative Infant product range that best suits baby’s age and stage.

New interactive learning buddy Dance & Groove Rockit provides hours of hands-on play, as children can use the voice record feature and repeat it back in three silly voices. While colourful lights and textures, bat-at roller and slide the shapes door initiate curiosity and wonder, exciting developmental content and Smart Stages technology offer three levels of play that grow with baby.

The Bright Beats range expands with the new Learning Train. Children are introduced to cause and effect as they discover how to activate lights, sounds and motion. This joins BeatBo, BeatBelle and BeatBowWow. Thomas & Friends continues to encourage developmental skills with the My First range, introducing the new Count With Me Thomas, teaching toddlers to count as they play. The My First Railway Pals engines and playsets; Destination Discovery, Mountain Adventure and Rescue Tower continue to encourage little ones to use their imagination.

LeapFrog 01895 202 840 | www.leapfrog.com Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Jumbo’s range of high quality wooden toys, puzzles & games from the Goula brand is ideal for infants and pre-schoolers, as they take their first steps in learning and play.

The Goula portfolio encompasses children’s play alongside each stage of early development in their first steps and there is a variety of product categories to choose from; Puzzles, Construction and Ability Toys, My First Games, Do-It-Yourself and Educational Material.

New items for 2018 include the 3 Little Pigs Game, the Antarctica Matching Game and Pull-Along Duck and Dog. These new additions sit perfectly beside the top-selling Goula Farm House Shape Sorter, Pile-Up Stacking Cubes and Educational Calendar Clock that have proven to be consumer favourites and have received extremely positive reviews.

With over 120 products to choose from, there’s something for everyone in the range.

LeapFrog infant toys create a foundation for future success by exposing children to important early skills such as vocabulary, letters and numbers.

This year the company has announced two new infant lines that are designed to grow with a child while keeping them engaged and learning.

Scout’s Get Up & Go Activity Centre grows and changes as little ones do.

Children can start with an interactive baby gym that includes a dangling rattle ring and a mirror for self discovery. Parents can easily remove the legs and it becomes an activity panel that’s perfect for sitting and playing on the floor.

When their child is ready, they can put the legs back on the activity panel to transform it into a walker with locking wheels and speed controls. The walker also includes three play modes that grow with children - playing music and introducing colours, shapes, letters and numbers while encouraging physical movement. The activity panel has five piano keys, activities that stimulate fine motor skills and a colour changing light-up dome to enhance learning.

The Learning Safari Playspace features an engaging activity panel that can be positioned in different interactive modes, depending on whether a child is sitting, crawling or standing. Parents can lay the arch down and little ones can sit and interact with the three modes on the activity panel. They can explore first words, numbers, shapes, colours, animals, French, music and more. Parents can raise the arch up and kids can crawl under it to pull on the hanging leaves or stand and play with the colourful animals. The giraffe, lion and zebra introduce letters and numbers while playing safari-themed songs.

Children can press the light-up piano keys to make music and discover shapes and colours. Children can also enjoy dropping the balls through the monkey’s tail, watching as they roll down the ramp, through the trees and back to them.

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© Disney. Based on the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ works by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard.

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Infant Toys

Hape/Marbel 08456 000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk New for 2018, wooden toy company Hape expands its evergrowing product range with a number of exciting Infant Toys additions. Thoughtfully developed to stimulate babies’ senses, the range includes everything from rattles, teethers, baby mobiles and much more.

Providing an early introduction to reading and the wonders of the world, Hape’s new collection of baby friendly books features farm animals, wild animals and bugs. The books have simple and easy to understand pictures to encourage little ones to follow along. Brightly coloured illustrations bring the pages to life, and the titles are suitable for 10M+.

The Geometric Rattles are another new addition for 2018, in soft pastel tones of yellow, pink and blue. The rattles sit comfortably in little ones’ hands, so they can shake and play from an early age.

Made from Japanese rice, this is just one example of the innovative materials Hape is continuing to develop and work into its product range. Suitable from birth.

Also new for 2018 is the Grow-With-Me Rocking Horse. This perfectly balanced ride-on can take children from a slow and steady trot to a rocking gallop in no time at all. As children grow, so does this horse, as the design comes with guard rails and back rest which can easily be removed. Suitable for 10M+.

Orange Tree Toys 01242 244 500 | www.orangetreetoys.com Orange Tree Toys has a wide range of toys perfect for keeping little ones engaged and entertained. Push-alongs are an ideal first toy for ages 12 months and up. Encouraging first steps, many now come in specially designed boxes, making them much easier to display and perfect for gifts.

Education and development is the focus of many items that the company produces, and its musical instruments are no exception. The range includes a variety of brightly coloured instruments to encourage music making.

Items such as xylophones help with colour recognition and coordination, ideal for a child aged 12 months and above. Characters such as the Lion and Pink Mouse all make an appearance in the range, along with Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck, meaning there is something for everyone.

The Crocodile collection was first seen at Spring Fair and the Crocodile xylophone has been added to the musical instrument range for 2018.

Development toys is another area of focus for Orange Tree. With toys such as stacking rings, shape sorters and bead frames, this colourful range is perfect for those looking for a traditional toy which is fun and entertaining whilst also aiding development. The range is ideal for children just starting to learn key skills such as shapes, colour recognition and coordination.

All Orange Tree Toys products are painted using non-toxic paint and packaged to allow children to see the product inside. With lots of exciting new developments on the horizon for Orange Tree Toys, there is plenty to look forward to this year.

Alex Brands 020 8878 2133 | www.janod.com Janod offers a range of products suitable for infants, and one of them is the Baby Forest House Shape Sorter.

This colourful house is ideal for learning colours and shapes.

Children can also learn to tell time using the printed clock with two hands. The eight shape sorter blocks will help toddlers develop hand-eye coordination while having fun. The products also comes with a removable roof, so that it travels easily.

Children can handle and manipulate the colourful blocks, which along with the main house are made of wood.

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Infant Toys

DKL 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk Since its launch in summer last year, Plus-Plus has seen growth which has exceeded expectations.

Plus-Plus Big, designed for ages 12 months and up, offers a great range of construction products.

New to 2018 are the Tube sets. Available in both standard and pastel coloured tubes, these are a great pick up line and catch customers’ attention with the striking packaging. The Robot Set contains 50 large Plus-Plus pieces; each robot when built stands over 20cm tall. Children can use the easy-to -follow instructions, or make their own creations using their imagination The Scratch Lifestyle range offers an array of pre-school toys, including the new Pull-Along Rabbit Louis and Pull-Along Dog Cesar. The wooden animals have a string and bell attached; children will enjoy hearing the bell chime when they pull along the nodding animals.

Launched at Toy Fair 2018 is the new infant bath toy range Escabbo. This range includes a great selection of colourful bath toys, including the Bath Tidy with Squirters. This convenient storage bag is made from a fastdrying fabric and comes with three bath squirters made from a soft plastic, so it’s easier for little hands to squirt water from. Best-sellers from the range are the soft cubes. These colourful numbered cubes are made from soft material for small hands.

DKL supports all its ranges with a full marketing campaign, including everything from bespoke planograms to extensive social media and PR activity.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk The 2018 range from Rainbow Designs stars a host of infant plush collections featuring some of the most-loved childhood favourites including Peter Rabbit, Paddington Bear and Disney’s Winnie the Pooh.

The Peter Rabbit Nursery Collection infant toys include the super soft My First Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny toys, Comfort Blankets and Ring Rattles. The collection also features a wide variety of developmental and activity toys including a Jumbo Activity Play Mat, Activity Cot Spiral and Developmental Mirror, as well as several wooden lines. A new addition to the collection this summer will be the cute Made with Love Peter Rabbit and Flopsy Bunny toys. Made from soft and tactile knitwear fabric, the nostalgic Made with Love range of soft toys has been designed to be cherished forever and makes the perfect heirloom gift.

Rainbow Designs’ finest Classic Winnie-the-Pooh Hundred Acre Wood collection stars some of Disney’s most loved characters in a range of high-quality nursery toys. The signature collection features one of the world’s most famous bears; Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends: Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet.

Disney Baby is a colourful collection of high-quality character-led developmental toys featuring Disney’s most iconic characters; Minnie Mouse, Tigger, Dumbo, Winnie-the-Pooh and Mickey Mouse. The collection of infant soft toys, created from multiple fabrics and textures, features a variety of activities to encourage baby’s early developmental skills and promote sensory play.

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com Clementoni is putting a strong focus on the Infant market with Baby Clementoni for 2018 with the launch of key lines, all designed to help babies and toddlers learn through play.

New for 2018 is the Baby Clementoni Unicorn, a plush pal for babies from six months. The creature will entertain little ones with lots of sound and light effects and helps development by teaching letters, numbers and colours. With a heart button and rosy cheeks which glow, the toy aids infant development in an easy and engaging way.

The Fun Vehicles stacker is a set of four vehicles which can be explored and stacked to help develop key skills, and the ABC Lion is a playmate to help learn letters, numbers and more through buttons on the lion’s mane. Pull Along Pony not only helps children learn but will play songs and sound effects when pulled along and is joined in the range by the colourful Activity Train.

Also in the line-up is The Interactive Activity Dog with peek-a-boo game play, user recognition and interactive buttons for learning. The Basket Activity Centre is a 2 in 1 game with fun basketball hoop and activity centre learning and is packed with lights, sounds and songs to add to the fun.

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Infant Toys

Halilit 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk Infant and pre-school specialist Halilit has plenty of new additions to the 2018 line-up.

Adults and children alike are fascinated by traditional Russian Matryoshka dolls and now babies can join in the fun with their very own Rosa & Bo Nesting Babies. With three brightly coloured nesting dolls, these charming Rosa babies hide a secret surprise with a chiming Bo Bunny waiting to be discovered.

With 12 activities, the Taf Toys Laptoy Activity Centre is a perfect take-along toy that grows with baby. Featuring music and lights, the Laptoy has two clip options for easy height adjustment when hanging on baby’s bed and also features an easy-to-grab handle for babies to take along wherever they go.

The innovative Taf Toys Musical Newborn Nest and Gym features music, lights, lots of play activities and adapts as baby grows. The generously padded sides easily draw up to create a comforting and cosy nest-like environment and are also perfect for supporting baby during tummy-time. Adjustable arches with an unique positioning system allow easy interaction with baby. The nest comes complete with four multi-sensory toys, a rattling penguin, chime bell seal and rainbow baby-safe mirror. Featuring contrasting colours, the toys can be attached to the arches of the gym or the loops on the sides of the mat, and the musical toy with colourful lights and teether can also be attached to cots, prams and car seats.

For toddlers, Edushape has lots of new sensory toys including Curiosity Cubes for discovery, Water Magic Cube for bath-time and Mighty Minis - a selection of fun-filled, push-along vehicles for little hands.

Completing the line-up is the Sounds of the Forest instrument and book gift set. The set introduces children to music-making with an engaging story that encourages them to join in with the rhythms of the story with their own hooting owl.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Stickle Bricks from GP Flair has been a toy box favourite for generations and remains the perfect first construction toy for infants and toddlers. Ideal for little hands with big imaginations, Stickle Bricks has been a best-seller since relaunch and Flair is continuing to drive the range with fun new developments for 2018. The new Little Builder set is an ideal entry point into the range as tots can jump right in and begin building with the assortment of brightly coloured bricks. With even more imaginative possibilities, the new Fun Tub is perfect for young builders with grand designs in mind.

The Fun Tub also doubles as a handy storage container. Also launching this spring is the Stickle Bricks Fire Engine which will inspire countless adventures with its fire fighter and bright red fire engine.

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk Little Tikes has a host of toys geared towards helping aid the mental development and movement of infants, in order to enhance learning through play and engaging little ones at key stages of development. They include the Light ‘n Go 3-in-1 Activity Walker, and the Movin’ Lights Monkey.

The 3-in-1 Activity Walker transforms from a walker to an activity table, then into something to sit and play with. Available in pink or orange and lime green, the clever design projects enchanting light displays onto the floor to inspire babies to walk. The activity table is packed with fun features to aid learning and the walker can be used as a sit and play toy once baby grows older.

The Light ‘n Go 3-in-1 Activity Walker provides endless fun on the floor and easy flat storage.

There are three different play modes which encourage learning and development, including buttons which call out shapes and colours, play melodies and make jungle animal.

Movin’ Lights Monkey has two ways for babies to move and groove. In chase mode, babies are inspired to crawl and chase the coloured lights projected from Monkey’s lantern as he moves and twists. In dance mode, the 50 plus songs, sounds and phrases will encourage babies to boogie to the beat.

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Infant Toys

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Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com A new nursery collection, favourite plush characters and a Giant Pull & Play Noo-noo join the autumn line-up of Teletubbies toys from Character Options.

Developed with a younger, birth to 2 ½ years audience in mind, the new nursery plush range brings the Teletubbies brand to a new generation of fans. The range of nursery plush lines all feature multi-textured materials and patterns to develop tactile awareness and encourage sensory exploration from a young age. The adorable Stacking Po soft toy range encourages independent play and develops hand-eye coordination as parents help baby stack, sort and build Po again-and-again.

There’s also the Jiggler Laa-Laa with baby-proof clip, so parents can attach easily to car seats, prams and cots for Teletubbies fun wherever they go. Children can pull the teething ring and watch as Laa-Laa jiggles back in place. The Tinky Winky Sensory soft toy has a built-in chiming rattle, crinkly fabrics, patterns and textures to explore.

Added to this is a range of lower price point, early play soft toys in a mixed CDU including Pull and Retract Dipsy, Laa-Laa Cot Coil, Tinky Winky Chiming Rattle and Comfort Blanket Po; ideal for till point display in both toy and nursery retailers.

The new Teletubbies Nursery range adds to other favourites in the master toy line, all perfect for little ones. There is new styling on the Talking Plush Toys, while the Pull & Play Giant Noo-noo offers the perfect activity toy.

This giant electronic activity centre is packed with features; a 5-piece shape sorter and 3D Teletubbies character jigsaw, to encourage problem solving and coordination and plenty of buttons to press which activate different Teletubbies speech and sound effects.

Fiesta Crafts 020 8804 0563 | www.fiestacrafts.co.uk The Play Blankie and the Spiral Toy are two new First Years Toys suitable straight from birth. Both the Play Blankie and the Spiral Toy have entertaining, sensory, and interactive features that are ideal for keeping babies amused.

The Play Blankie is available in Giraffe or Elephant and the Spiral Toy is available in Bee or Giraffe.

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Lamaze has reinforced itself as a market leader in infant play, with toys that encourage bonding through play while sparking little moments of triumph.

Lamaze has met consumer demand by adding to its popular gifting and activity collection.

All products incorporate the Lamaze Infant Development System which is designed in conjunction with child development experts to guarantee ‘the right toy at the right time’.

New releases include Twist and Turn Bug. Children spin the middle ring of the bug to match colours with the front and back sections and will be rewarded with fun sounds when the rings are properly aligned. Younger babies will love the bright colours and big friendly face and older babies will enjoy exploring and learning how to be rewarded with sound.

Suitable for 9 months +.

Blushing Blossom brings colour to life. With a gentle touch to each soft petal, Blushing Blossom's face lights up to the colour of the corresponding petal. Press one petal to learn primary and secondary colours, or press two at once to create a new colour combination.

Multiple textures, contrast patterns and crinkle sounds stimulate the senses. Suitable for 6 months +.

The brand will also be expanding its popular collection with a 4-in-1 Play Gym that grows with baby from an infant gym to a pretend play tent. Suitable from Birth, babies will love the gym’s detachable, hanging toys and large mirror. Toys can be removed and attached to hooks on the poles to encourage tummy time fun, while a unique mesh side panel provides a clear view of baby. As baby gets older, the bright colours and friendly faces will encourage pushing and crawling. For toddlers, parents can attach the third side to create a fun playtime tent.

A.B.Gee of Ripley 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk Infants will love the bright and colourful Build a Plane! that encourages imaginative play, developing manual dexterity, problem solving and concentration. Also available as Build a Helicopter! or Build a Car!, the collection promotes recognition of colours and shapes. These easy to build and assemble classic toys are available to order now.

Another new addition to the range is the Music Snail, with bright colours and musical sounds. Children simply use the mallet on the Xylophone to play different notes or beat the side drum. Having wheels allows the child to take the Snail on a musical journey.

The new infant and preschool range fits perfectly with A.B.Gee’s core values in play, with a roll out across Q3. The range is exclusive to A.B.Gee and includes stacking toys, bath time play and push along / pull along toys.

Allegedly

Hamleys recently closed its only branch in Ireland. The 35,000 square foot store, which was located in Dublin, was apparently signed on a 1m Euro deal 10 years ago; times were clearly very different then. Indeed, while many rent deals signed in better times now look onerous (some of the TRU leases were eye-wateringly expensive), it is the addition of last year’s business rate revaluation that has made the current situation particularly toxic.

The Entertainer’s Gary Grant spoke out last month to call the business rate hike “a killer”, and I suspect few would disagree. The ill-judged initiative would have hit many retailers hard even in good times, so the timing literally couldn’t have been worse. Gary suggested that business rates are now way out of line with retail turnover and called on the government to step in to sort out the whole mess. Two thoughts spring to mind: 1. I wholeheartedly agree with him. 2. Please don’t let the government suggest that it’s all going to be ok, as they’ve assigned Mary Portas to sort it all out. Seriously though, Gary makes the extremely valid point that while landlords are reacting to the current climate and being more realistic about rental charges, business rates are non-negotiable. Perhaps the Toy Retail Association could co-ordinate an industry campaign to keep up the momentum now that Gary has fired the first shots? Anything that can be done to ease the pressure on retailers could only be a good thing for the whole toy community…

I recently came into possession of the Toys R Us UK creditors list, and as I suspected, it makes fascinating reading. Rather than dwelling on the amounts owed to individual suppliers, I wanted to mention a couple of other things that stood out. Firstly, the eye-watering sums paid to lawyers, administrators and other companies involved in the winding down process. It is only when you see it written down in black and white that the true scale of their charges hits you. £56,000 for a PR company for four months. Let that just sink in for a minute. £56k…for what exactly? Sending out a couple of press releases saying that stores would be closing and saying “no comment” when someone asks them a question. It simply beggars belief.

On a lighter note, I noticed that the administrator is having problems selling one specific store as it has been occupied by squatters. How very British…

In fairness, the winding down of the TRU UK operation has, on the whole, been relatively orderly and clean, and its impact on the broader UK toy retail market will hopefully be short-lived. Contrast this with what’s happening over in the USA, where I was tipped off about a new strand of the liquidation process I’d not come across before: an ‘augmented liquidation sale’. Essentially, a liquidator has acquired the rights to sell the remaining inventory in the TRU stores. As part of the deal, said liquidator can basically do what it likes with the stores. So, in addition to the existing TRU merchandise, it has ordered in millions of additional clearance products, which has been arriving pre-priced at store level. There is no suggestion that this approach contravenes any laws; however, it is potentially going to saturate the market (“with absolute crap,” as the

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supplier who told me about the move described it), which will significantly impact other retailers in the short term.

Indeed, NPD has reported that US toy sales rose 13% in the first 14 weeks of the year, driven by the TRU liquidation sale to the tune of $180m. According to a survey, 56% of the toys bought in the sale will be given to kids immediately; only 22% will be held back for Christmas. If true, this would allegedly have a net impact of less than 1% on future Christmas sales. This is potentially encouraging news, although it would be even better if suppliers knew they would be paid in full for the stock being sold, after it was revealed that $156m has been set aside to pay suppliers for merchandise shipped after the bankruptcy filing last September. The problem is that vendors are collectively owed $760m, so there is a huge disparity between what is owed and the money available to pay the bills. Some suppliers thought that their debts would be covered by the $3bn bankruptcy loan, but a court has confirmed that priority is being given to lenders, lawyers and all the other companies which cluster round a bankruptcy like vultures around a carcass. What a mess…

The British Retail Consortium revealed that April sales were down by 3%, the largest monthly drop since its survey launched in 1995, with spending on non-food items said to be particularly badly hit. But I am inclined not to read too much into this; like San Francisco, the toy sector almost has its own ‘micro-climate’. Indeed, several people have suggested to me recently that Q1 trading may even have been better than official NPD data suggests; their rationale being that many of the retailers doing well at the moment are not part of NPD’s data panel…

I love the way that British people tend to find humour in trying circumstances. This trait was exemplified by one particular group of Maplin employees, who posted the following sign in their store.

e-tailer Gameseek has gone into liquidation, following reports of financial difficulties which have been circulating for several weeks. While principally a video games site, the Gameseek website had a significant toy section, so I hope too many toy suppliers haven’t been affected by its demise. Although when the owner of the site was quoted last year as having said “We could easily sell at higher prices but why not create history?”, maybe there was a small clue as to how things might turn out…

I was surprised to hear that John Langley has been informed by Tolo Toys that his services are no longer required after 23 years of service. John now finds himself on the hunt for new opportunities; with his extensive knowledge and experience, I am sure it won’t be too long before he finds something suitable. You can email him at john-langley2011@hotmail.com...

Former VTech and Sinco sales executive Sally Hunter had joined MGA: excellent timing, with the recent announcement that that MGA was the second biggest toy company in the UK in April. Naturally, Isaac has been very quiet and under-stated about this – that information had to be literally prised out of him (sarcasm alert). What he didn’t say though was that, apparently, if the LOL Surprise! brand was a toy company in its own right, it would be the fifth largest toy company in the UK. I’ll just leave that there to sink in for a minute…

Hasbro has bought Power Rangers, plus a host of supplementary / secondary brands, from Saban for a cool $522m. As I have previously suggested, my understanding was that this was always the plan, and one of the main factors in Hasbro winning the bid to take over the Power Rangers licence in February. So, Haim Saban has got his final payday – just a lot earlier than had been predicted…

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was recently asked in an interview if he found it difficult spending his vast reserves of cash ($131bn and counting). He admitted he does, suggesting the only thing he could think to spend it on was space travel. Note: not paying his workers a living wage,

not improving working conditions so employees can go to the toilet without worrying about losing their job. Not even paying fair taxes around the world. No, space travel. People criticised Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe for getting caught on camera singing “We’re in the money” while waiting for an interview to start. Frankly, give me a singing CEO over someone so vastly out of touch with reality any day…

The Argos/Sainsbury’s chimera (which we should presumably refer to as Arsa?) is doing its best to rival Mothercare in the upheaval stakes. Trading manager Linzi Walker will be leaving the company, a move that has come as a major shock to everyone I’ve spoken to. General consensus is that Linzi will be sorely missed, and that she was a valuable asset to the organisation. There is also genuine concern at the disruption to the Argos business and whether the new streamlined team will find the workload a challenge, not to mention the differences in strategy (less emphasis on promotional offers, more justin-time buying). There are more changes to come, with the remaining buying team due to be trimmed further, from four people to three – worst game of musical chairs ever…

I have found an early contender for Genius PR of the Year award – step forward OnBrand Group, who tweeted a description of new retailer IDKids which referred to it as “a mix of Toys R Us meets Mothercare.” Seriously, have they not read a single news story in the past six months?! With ‘friends’ like that, who needs enemies? Or maybe OnBrand has been secretly paid by another retailer to scupper the new venture…

The Wednesday evening Toymaster function featured a host of presentations to deserving individuals and companies; Green Elephant won the first-ever Toymaster New Supplier of the Year award, Grovers Toymaster of Northallerton was recognised for celebrating fifty years in business, Trevor Simmonds and Michael ‘Mickey’ Berg both received Golden Teddies and a rogue’s gallery of sales people – Ross Macdonald, Graham Hurrell, Colin Rossiter and Roger Brown – were honoured ahead of their impending retirements. I hear on the grapevine that this format may be expanded next year, with Toymaster looking to introduce its own set of awards. Personally, I think this is a fantastic idea; it gives Toymaster a great opportunity to do something a little different and maybe even a little quirky and fun, complementing the Toy of the Year awards rather than competing with them.

That would give the toy industry two sets of genuine, authentic awards, adjudicated directly by retailers without unnecessary influence by commercial interests…

Last month’s news was full of stories about the Royal Wedding, including coverage of the welter of products being released to ‘commemorate’ the occasion. Now, there were some genuinely fine products, such as Arklu’s Lottie Flower Girl and Top Trumps Royal Wedding Limited edition. But one particular product caught my eye; a range of Royal Wedding dolls which sell for the princely sum of $149 a pair. There’s only one tiny problem; they didn’t actually look anything like the happy couple. Not even remotely. I showed them to our old friends the Nuremberg Dolls, who were suitably shocked.

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Allegedly

There were rumours of some significant omissions from this year’s Toymaster Christmas catalogue. However, having spoken to Ian Edmunds, it seems that – as can sometimes happen in the toy trade – the truth has been exaggerated somewhat. For the record, it was one major company - rather than three – which took the decision not to be part of this year’s catalogue. More importantly, the withdrawal involved 12 items; as the catalogue features 280 items, this equates to 3%. Rather different than the “10 pages” which was being suggested by some people…