Touching Base - Nuremberg

It’s difficult to choose between our impressive Real FX toy, which is being launched at Spielwarenmesse 2023, and our new collectible toy range – but the collectible has beaten our expectations tenfold before it's even hit the marketplace.

Nano Pods are the ‘Connectable Collectible’. Available in fan favourite character brands, each cute character is nano sized to fit in its pod, and each Nano Pod connects to others to form incredible displays. We’ve signed one of the biggest and best global toy companies for North American marketing and distribution, and had UK nationwide take-up on listings from all major retailers including Smyths Toys, The Entertainer, Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, B&M and many more. So yes, I’ll go with Nano Pods (but Real FX is a very close second).

This year, Tactic's stand is full of many new products that we know consumers will love to play. Our new game concept – and my absolute favouriteVikings' Tales exudes history and excitement.

The Vikings' Tales game series comprises two-player and multiplayer games that are slightly more strategic in nature: we call these ‘Family +’ games. By choosing games from the Vikings' Tales series, players can truly enter the world of the Vikings. The game contents are designed to accurately reflect the period, which keeps each game both authentic and fun to play, and tasks players with making strategic choices regarding everything from waterways to battles.

Tafl King is a chess-like game straight from the Viking Age. Each round of the game creates new dimensions and deepens the game experience, so the more kids and families play, the more they want to play again.

As 2023 is the 65th anniversary of the Nikko RC brand, I am particularly excited about launching our assortment of M-Sport licensed performance RC vehicles. Racing, through sponsorship, race organisation or awards, has been an integral part of the Nikko story since our inception. Nikko has been producing best in class vehicles for decades, and our latest line-up is the culmination of those years of experience and expertise.

The consumer today is a discerning one, with access to all the information, reviews and history of an item available at their fingertips. That’s why I’m so pleased to be working with an organisation and brand which, like Nikko, has a storied pedigree and ethos of striving for perfection when it comes to performance.

Our line-up of licensed racers, in particular M-Sports Ford Puma Hybrid Rally 1, is set to excite our partners and consumers alike around the world.

My hero product for 2023 is the Disney 100 Surprise Capsules by YuMe Toys. This will undoubtedly be a big year for Disney, and I think that such an iconic cultural milestone as the celebration of its 100th anniversary will draw in consumers of all ages – kids, teens and adults – all whom have been touched by the magic of Disney.

YuMe’s Surprise Capsules invite fans to join the celebrations by collecting meticulously sculpted figures featuring Disney’s most loved and iconic characters. Each Capsule, once opened, uniquely transforms into a Disney character positioned on a stunning platinum-finished pedestal, designed to be collected, played with and cherished.

This quality product really packs in 100 years of Disney wonder and offers something for everyone.

2023 will be a really exciting year for our award winning animatronic plush range, Curlimals. Our latest developments will see the addition of two new Curlimals to the line-up, and there are also plans to bring new Arctic-themed creatures, a premium Flutter Wings range and entry-priced Curlipops to market.

Curlimals have their own unique sounds and phrases to reflect their individual personalities and respond to touch with over 50 sounds and reactions. All three talk, giggle and sneeze, then simply curl up and go to sleep. During the brand’s initial launch period, Curlimals surpassed expectations, quadrupling sales forecasts and achieving No.1 item on NPD in special feature plush in the UK for November 2022.

Six months on and the Curlimals magic has continued, launching in 25 countries and across all continents including North America, Australia and Ukraine. Our next phase will see a roll out across the Middle East, Japan and North Africa. We are currently seeking distribution partners in Germany, Asia and South Africa.

I’m excited to unveil the Miko Series. Miko 3 is already a hit with families in more than 140 countries, mine included. My 3-year-old daughter can’t get enough of Miko’s Lingokids app and loves asking Miko questions. My son, 10, enjoys challenging himself with educational apps like Flag-a-Thon and Spell Master. Building upon the success of Miko 3, the Miko Series gives families even more ways to learn through the magic of AI.

Our bestselling Miko 3 kids’ robot will get a refresh as Miko Plus. We’ll also launch Miko Mini, a voice-first kids tech device, and Miko XL, our premium kids’ robot. Kids will love having Miko as their playful learning coach, but there’s plenty of value for the entire family. Equal parts kid coach and parenting aide, Miko lets parents shape their child’s learning journey based on values, parenting style and progress toward personalised goals.

We are really excited about the Zinc Flyte scooter, which brings together the Zinc and Flyte brands for the first time ever. We are creating a premium quality three-wheeled scooter that demonstrates value for money, is built to last, and also addresses a fundamental aspect of functionality. It was born out of an observation that kids were working too hard to push or kick their scooters and weren’t really enjoying themselves.

We’ve spent two years researching and developing this. We believe it shows value and practicality and is primed to take on the competition. It will be available in five colourways and we are very excited to launch it at Spielwarenmesse, so please feel free to visit us.

Ruling the roads in 2023 and set to delight and excite retailers and customers alike, we’re delighted to announce a brand-new category in the Quickbuild range - London Transport.

As much a part of London’s cultural fabric as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, the brand reveals two impressive new snap-together sets: the TfL New Routemaster Bus, and a sight just as common to the streets of modern-day London, the new black cab London Taxi LEVC (London EV Company) TX.

These striking new model kits have been carefully designed to guide children aged six and over through the building process brick by brick as they build these icons of the capital. What’s more, no glue is needed.

Durable enough to play and display, the New Routemaster is our biggest Quickbuild set to date at 88 parts including moving wheels and stickers. The new London Taxi comes with 45 parts including moving wheels and stickers. Both feature detailed interiors, replicating these vehicles that are as recognisable to children as they are to adults.

I’m especially excited to showcase a new MGA brand that is set to lead the current trend for all things mini: MGA’s Miniverse Make It Mini Food range. It’s like nothing else on the market and, importantly, is part of MGA’s ongoing mission to offer smaller, affordable toys amidst inflation.

There will be two collections launching as part of the MGA Miniverse: the Make It Mini Food Diner Edition and Make it Mini Food Café Edition. The products come in blind packaging in a ball. Every layer reveals miniature, realistic replica food accessories that create delicious-looking culinary creations such as avocado on toast, strawberry boba and iced doughnuts. Follow the recipes using the miniature ingredients to create a foodie masterpiece which hardens in daylight or UV light ready for permanent display.

This incredibly innovative range combines the joy of DIY crafting with the huge craze for mini foods seen across all social media channels platforms including TikTok. We know it’s a line that will appeal to children and also hit the kidult and collector trends, and we’ve no doubt it’ll be the cherry on the MGA cake at Spielwarenmesse.

A highlight of the Nuremberg fair will be Eduk8’s Alertz, an easyto-understand traffic light noise warning system, which represents real innovation in the noise management segment and offers a powerful tool to help manage noise in a variety of areas such as classrooms, libraries, hospitals and special needs settings or any other sound sensitive settings. It is a system easily understood by a wide range of audiences, including those with additional needs or auditory/visual impairment.

With seven different noise level settings, adjustable from 50 decibels, the product’s flexible design allows the use of both audible and/or visual warnings and can be used across indoor and outdoor settings, mounted or free-standing. The design of the LED warning lights mean that they are visible at more than 180 degrees and the full system is operated by remote control.

Sustainability is both a trend and a vital component of our futures, and nowhere are we seeing this more than in the world of cars and vehicles. At Chengzhen, we’ve reflected this in our range of 1:32 scale licensed die cast models, which includes the iconic Volvo XC40 Recharge and BMW I4 M50. More vehicles are in development. Each model features lights and sounds that are triggered when the doors are opened. Setting these models apart from the competition, we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure our toys are representative of real electric cars: the engine sound is distinctly different to that of a petrol- or diesel-powered vehicle, and kids can even pretend to charge their die cast model by plugging a charging cable into the charging station. The station emits a charging sound and the headlights of the car light up at the same time.

We believe that these new models are much more than just toys – they’re a way for kids to learn about the importance of sustainability as they have fun.