Feature - Stationery & Back to School

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Back-to-School season is approaching and with it comes a host of product gracing shelves to get kids ready to start the academic year on the right foot. From pens, pencils, highlighters and notebooks, to backpacks, water bottles and lunch bags, toy stores are increasingly offering something for everyone. Toy World’s Caroline Tonks speaks to suppliers within the category to find out what’s new and how retailers can capitalise on these products.

The end of the summer holidays is something that all children dread, when the summer, freedom and relaxing times come to an end.

To get them excited and ready to return to their studies, the Stationery and Back-to-School category is critical, and allows them to express themselves through different outlets. From creating colour schemes for their notebooks and folders to grabbing the hottest licences for their backpacks and lunch bags, kids can show off who they want to be at the start of the new school year. As such, suppliers have stepped up to deliver endless possibilities to capture the attention of children of all ages.

Hunter Price International’s new brand, Taggeez, is looking to make a statement for the new school year ahead. Taggeez allows children to style stationery in their own unique way, from notebooks, pens and pencil cases to bags and bracelets. Each piece is designed to be tagged with a host of collectible charms to show off a style, mood, hobby, trend or current obsession, like food, gaming, animals and more.

Licensing is a major component of the Stationery category, drawing customers’ attention on shelf and promoting multiple purchases to get full sets of coordinating product. Robert Frederick’s stationery range features licensed designs from beloved children’s book brands, with iconic characters like Peter Rabbit, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Gruffalo, Paddington and more, as well as new licences entering the catalogue every year. These characters’ classic stories are classroom staples that have stood the test of time, making them familiar to children and adults alike. Product highlights include the Children’s Stationery Tin Set and Children’s Water Bottles and Lunch Bags.

Wigston Global has unveiled a new range developed in partnership with MGA Entertainment, bringing the MGA’s Miniverse brand into the world of stationery with key lines like the Create & Bake 3D Eraser Kit and the Mini Novelty Stationery Shopping Basket. “Licences are essential –they bring familiarity, aspiration and storytelling,” says Ben Cornwell, Sales director, Wigston Global. “MGA’s Minverse already has a passionate fanbase, so we’ve built a stationery range that reflects the brand's essence while offering genuine usability.”

Pyramid International’s Marketing designer, Julia Wronka, explains: “It’s important to blend popular licensed themes with functional, quality products that resonate with both kids and parents. Licences are crucial because they turn everyday stationery into something exciting and collectible. Familiar characters and stories create an instant emotional connection, making products more attractive to kids and collectors. Licensed stationery stands out in a crowded market, driving both initial and repeat sales by tapping into fandom culture.” Among this season’s standout SKUs, Pyramid’s growing line of erasable ink gel pens are available in a variety of bestselling licences, including Harry Potter (Houses), Stitch, Stranger Things, Star Wars, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Nightmare Before Christmas and Pusheen. While the category encompasses stationery lines for children, a Kidult sub-division remains strong. As well as appealing to kids, brands like Crayola invoke a sense of nostalgia for many adults, especially the recent collection of Limited-Edition Retired Crayola Colours. With this collection, 90s and early-2000s childhood favourites like Dandelion, Raw Umber and Mulberry have made a comeback across crayons, coloured pencils, markers, colouring books and stickers.

Enjoying high-profile engagement on social media, Curious Universe’s Cosy Colouring kits tap into the calming and mindful activity trend that has taken TikTok by storm, with #cosycolouring reaching over 75m views and counting. The Art Maker Cosy Colouring kits are ideal for quiet moments and mindful colouring, with Curious Universe highlighting the Cosy Colouring Little Things Kit and the Cosy Colouring Around Town Kit as standouts of the range. Each set comes with a themed sketchbook, a selection of eight dual-ended markers and a paint pen to bring artwork to life.

“Retailers should approach stationery as an extension of children’s interests,” adds Ben. “A strong licensed range creates instant engagement and drives impulse purchases. Curated displays, themed bundles and trend-led lines are key to capitalising on the Back to School seasonal peak.”

Julia echoes this, saying: “The Back-to-School season is a major sales driver, so offering a strong mix of practical items like notebooks, erasable pens and pencil cases alongside collectible or gift-worthy products will maximise appeal. Clear, attractive merchandising and aligning with trending licences can help capture impulse buyers and planned shoppers alike. You also need to understand your target audience and create ranges and products to hit that age demographic.

“Adults look for quality, trusted licences and value for money, while kids are drawn to the fun, collectible aspects of the ranges — whether it’s a favourite character on a notebook or a novelty erasable pen. Balancing both helps us deliver products that work well on shelf and drive sales across age groups.”

Across the upcoming feature, Toy World highlights the latest Stationery and Back-to-School products that will be hitting shelves for the second half of 2025.