Toy World Magazine June 2025

Welcome to the June issue of Toy World. We’ve almost reached the halfway stage of 2025, and the first half of the year has certainly been … interesting. I’m writing this column before we head up to the Toymaster May Show, and I’m sure the whole UK toy community is hoping that the event provides much-needed momentum for trading conversations across the market. In-person events often prove to be a catalyst to get things moving: talking to everyone in the trade, it feels like we all see our customers ‘in the flesh’ far less frequently than we used to. Indies stores get fewer reps and agents calling, major accounts can be very difficult to secure meetings with, while even we probably spend less time visiting our partners than we did in the past. It’s not a facet of modern-day business which I like, but it is what it is.

first-ever standalone supplement dedicated to the burgeoning Kidult market. There’s no denying the meteoric rise of Kidult ranges since the pandemic, although in many respects, this isn’t a new phenomenon – adults have been buying toys for years. But what was once considered nerdy and uncool is now quite the opposite – geek chic is something to be celebrated and proudly displayed. Kidult products have also been a saviour for many toy stores: unlike the US market, we don’t really have a fully developed pop culture retail channel here, except for a few specialist stores like HMV and Forbidden Planet. As a result, this has left the door wide open for toy retailers to capitalise on the explosion in popularity of Kidult ranges, widening their potential customer base at a stroke and attracting a demographic which is willing to invest good money if you have the products they’re looking for.

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

However, it does make events such as the May Show even more valuable: a great chance to network with our partners, catch up on their latest news and developments, and explore opportunities to work together in the second half of the year. In a world of work which has become more remote and insular than it used to be, trade shows and events provide that vital spark we all need sometimes. I see the lift that the London Toy Fair gives our team, meeting with our partners and seeing product in real life, and I continue to believe passionately in the value of human connection and face-to-face interaction. Hopefully the May Show will deliver all that and more.

So, whether you are a store which already has a thriving Kidult section and are looking for new lines to add to it, or a retailer taking their first tentative steps into this arena, we hope that our dedicated supplement gives you plenty of food for thought and ideas about how to make your in-store (or online) Kidult section a fantastic traffic and sales driver. From babies to Kidults, we really are covering the full range of toy consumers this month.

But, of course, time is precious, and for the majority of retailers, you can count the number of trade shows and events they’ll attend across the year on the fingers of one hand. So here at Toy World, we’re delighted to help bridge the gap between those physical meetings and keep the trade up to date with all the latest news and developments from the worlds of toys and licensing every month.

This month’s edition is no exception: the main issue which you are currently reading focuses on some perennial categories, including Infant and Wheeled Toys, while our largest feature this month covers the Arts & Crafts category. There really are some great new ranges coming through in this area over the coming months, and I hope our feature and all the ads from suppliers in this issue will give you plenty of inspiration to freshen up the Arts & Crafts section of your store.

I’m also delighted that, accompanying the main issue, is our

Meanwhile, in the wider global toy community, the tariff situation rolls on, leaving a feeling of some companies being a bit in limbo, which reminds me of the early days of the pandemic in some respects. There is talk of prudence, which makes sense for US companies directly affected by the tariff chaos…. but if Covid taught us anything, it is that over-reacting doesn’t help in the medium-long term. It’s all very well being a soft drink manufacturer and cutting marketing and product development… people will still buy Coke / Pepsi. If companies stop creating and marketing toys, it’s a very different story, especially here in the UK & Europe where we don’t have tariffs and are doing our best to capitalise on a respectable start to the year for the toy market.

The need for cool, calm heads has rarely been greater – and with so many great new products set to launch in the coming months, there is every reason to be excited about prospects for the remainder of the year here in the UK. We all just have to hope that events on the other side of The Atlantic don’t derail the best-laid plans of toy suppliers and retailers across EMEA, when there is so much to look forward to between now and Christmas.

The Entertainer expands Tesco partnership to over 2,000 Tesco Express stores

The Entertainer has announced the introduction of a selection of its key toy lines to over 2,000 Tesco Express stores, reinforcing its successful partnership with the UK’s biggest supermarket.

From April 2025, The Entertainer has had a presence in 2,010 Tesco Express stores across the UK, bringing outstanding value toys and even greater convenience to the supermarket giant’s customers. The range will include some of its best-loved and most popular toys such as Hot Wheels, Ty and Addo – one of The Entertainer’s three private label ranges.

The announcement follows last October’s completion of the roll-out of The Entertainer’s toy shop concessions in more than 850 Tesco supermarkets, creating 1,200 jobs. The toyshop’s significant expansion across 861 Tesco stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland was achieved in just eight months, with an average of 100 new concessions opening each month.

The latest expansion of The Entertainer concept gives the Amersham based business more than three times as many UK and Ireland locations as any other toy retailer.

Andrew Murphy OBE, group chief executive officer of The Entertainer, said: “We are thrilled to enlarge our successful partnership with Tesco by introducing our ranges to its convenience-format stores – putting even more of Tesco’s shoppers within easy reach of our outstanding toy offer. One year-in, our collaboration with Tesco has delivered everything we’d hoped for. We look forward to building on these great foundations with such a supportive and accomplished partner and to further demonstrate the strength and versatility of our ‘Toy Box’ retail solution for multi-category retailers.”

Pauline Chisholm, head of Strategy and Partnerships at Tesco, added: “We are confident that our customers will appreciate the chance to pick up some of the latest and most popular toys close to home, as well as in our large stores.”

As part of TEAL Group Holdings, The Entertainer’s partnership with Tesco has enabled significant growth for a number of brands in the group’s portfolio, including value range Addo Play and award-winning early years toy specialist, Early Learning Centre.

The US and China agree to roll back tariffs

The United States and China agreed to drastically roll back tariffs on each other’s goods for an initial 90-day period, in a surprise breakthrough announced on 12th May.

The announcement comes after trade negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, by officials from the world’s two largest economies, during which the countries touted “substantial progress.” In a statement, it was noted that both sides recognise “the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.”

The mutual tariff revisions were imposed prior to 14th May, although the 20% fentanyl-related levies on China, imposed in February and March, have remained in place. Each side agreed to lower reciprocal tariffs by 115% for 90 days. This means the US temporarily lowered its overall tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China cut its levies on American imports from 125% to 10%.

The cut was bigger than expected, following US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s acknowledgement in April that the situation was unsustainable.

However, the 30% figure will still be seen by many in the toy community as too high, while the ‘90 day pause’ gives no definitive clarity on the long-term situation, making planning difficult.

The Awards recognise excellence in three categories:

The Play for Change Awards are open for entry

Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) has opened submissions for the sixth edition of the Play for Change Awards, which recognise excellence in three categories and honours toy companies which drive positive societal change through play.

Building on five successful years, the Awards have evolved into a benchmark for excellence in purpose-driven toy development and impactful initiatives. The increasing quality and diversity of entries underscore the industry’s commitment to creating products and programmes that not only entertain but also empower, educate and inspire.

Submissions are open until 24th June 2025. Toy companies of all sizes are invited to enter products or initiatives launched on the European market between 1st January 2024 and 30th April 2025.

• Sustainability: honouring efforts to reduce environmental impact, from eco-friendly materials to sustainable processes, or initiatives that inspire children to become stewards of the planet.

• Life Skills: celebrating toys and initiatives that equip children with essential skills for the 21st century, such as emotional resilience, critical thinking, or coding.

• Diversity & Inclusion: recognising toys and initiatives that foster inclusion and representation across gender, race, status, religion and ability, creating an inclusive play environment where every child feels seen and valued.

Catherine Van Reeth, director general of TIE, said: “As we enter the sixth year of the Play for Change Awards, it’s inspiring to witness the evolution and growth of our industry’s commitment to meaningful play. Each year, the creativity and dedication of toymakers in addressing societal challenges through play continue to impress. We look forward to celebrating these contributions and encouraging further innovation that benefits children and society as a whole.”

Winners will be announced during TIE’s Autumn Celebration which will be held in Brussels in November 2025.

Interested parties can find out more on how to enter at www.playforchangeawards.eu.

Nicola Bergot seeks new opportunity

With the Country manager role having been made redundant at Magicbox, Nicola Bergot is now looking for a new role within the toy industry, where she has worked for over 30 years. Nicola has built up considerable experience throughout her three-decade-long career in the toy trade, most recently at MD/Country manager/Commercial/Sales director level. She has a successful track record in driving sales, profit and growth in entrepreneurial and corporate organisations.

Having started her toy career at Lego in the Sales department, where she enjoyed 12 successful years, Nicola moved to Flair when the company was just one year old and was part of the leadership and management team for over 21 years. During her time at Flair, Nicola was a crucial part of the management team that brought Sylvanian Families back to industry success, relaunched well-loved brands such as Play-Doh, Etch a Sketch and Stickle Bricks, and introduced a selection of iconic brands to the market, including Shopkins, PJ Masks, Doc McStuffins and Learning Curve’s Thomas Wooden Railway range.

Nicola has spent the last three years at Magicbox Toys, creating a fully operational UK business – opening the company’s first UK office, recruiting a dedicated toy team, establishing new trading partnerships and securing retail listings.

Nicola told Toy World: “I am now searching for a new opportunity and hopefully a new adventure in this fabulous industry. You might have a leadership role to fill, need a full or part time addition to your Commercial team, some temporary support on a particular project or process improvement, or some expertise and advice in a consultation capacity. I’ll be very happy to meet or arrange a Teams call to talk things through.”

Nicola can be contacted at nicola.bergot@outlook.com, 07899 845 285 or she can be messaged on LinkedIn.

MGA announces key promotions

MGA Entertainment has announced the promotion of Charlotte Smith to new head of Sales for UK and Ireland. Formerly senior National Account manager at MGA, Charlotte has over 15 years of sales experience across the toy and publishing industries.

Charlotte commented: “MGA Entertainment has consistently been a leader in the toy industry, and I’m extremely proud to be part of a company that champions innovation and creativity. I’m looking forward to leading our sales team in accelerating growth and building valuable partnerships with both our established and new retail partners.”

Kasia Leskow, newly appointed head of Sales and Marketing for Zapf Creation, brings over two decades of experience in brand marketing, strategic planning and commercial growth. In her new role, Kasia will lead the commercial strategy for Zapf Creation’s flagship brands, Baby Annabell and Baby born, overseeing all sales and marketing activities while leading teams across both functions.

Kasia added: “I’m ready to embrace this new challenge as we continue to drive growth and innovation within the company. With our dominance in the nurturing doll category, it’s an exciting time to develop my role further.’’

MGA’s marketing team has also been bolstered with the announcement of Mayur Pattni as new Marketing manager for Little Tikes, and Katie Basford as senior Brand manager for MGA’s Miniverse.

Mayur joins the business having worked for the likes of Smoby and Funrise and brings with him in depth experience in the IPS and Action categories. Katie has over seven years’ experience in the digital landscape, leading engaging digital, social and creative campaigns across the consumer space.

Commenting on the appointments, Michelle Lilley, managing director for UK & Ireland, said: “With exciting plans across our expanding portfolio for autumn 25 and into 2026, I have no doubt these promotions and new hires will be a brilliant addition to an already impressive team."

Diaframma expands its services to social media content

Established in 1976, kids and family marketing agency Diaframma has been in continuous evolution to ensure it is always producing the best content for its clients. Today, the company is a major national and international player in the toy advertising industry, and has announced it is expanding its services, in order to meet the needs of the ever-changing advertising landscape.

As the Diaframma team strives to create more innovative and attention-grabbing content to compete in this content hungry world, CEO, Duccio Abolaffio, told Toy World: “We’re now offering dedicated social media content production with a team of specialized creatives and videomakers, focused entirely on promoting toys across digital platforms. “Whether you need a high-energy YouTube Short, an eye-catching Instagram carousel, a hands-on how-to video, or a full-on web series, we’ve got the talent and tools to make it shine.”

This new division brings the same precision and visual storytelling Diaframma is known for—now tailored to the pace and style of social media. From creative concepting to delivery, the talented team builds content designed to grab attention, drive engagement and connect with today’s digital audiences. “We’re not just adapting to the future—we’re building it,” added Duccio.

Toy World visited the Diaframma offices and studio last year and heard first hand from Duccio how the agency was increasingly producing content for mobile, YouTube and social media use. Duccio highlighted some crucial differences in this type of content: “You have to be more effective in grabbing attention in the first couple of seconds of digital content, to stop viewers from scrolling. Visuals are more important, as content is often played with no sound on. The composition can also be different – unlike a TV commercial, it doesn’t have to be shot in a horizontal format. And as digital content is largely free from all the complex TV regulations, we have a bit more creative freedom.”

To learn more or start a project, get in touch with: jehan.hindo@diaframma.com or alice.morrison@diaframma.com.

Japanese toy brand 1curiosity embarks on UK brand building campaign

Japanese toy company People is taking a new approach to launching its 1curiosity range in the UK, introducing the toys through live, family-friendly play sessions. In partnership with The Busylizzy Club, the UK’s leading club for new and expectant parents, 1curiosity toys are being used in specially developed Curiosity Play Sessions for one-year-olds. These calm, baby-led sessions allow parents to observe how their child naturally interacts with the toys in a trusted, real-world setting.

The 1curiosity toy range is based on everyday objects babies are instinctively drawn to, such as lids, containers, brushes and bottles. Each toy has been carefully reimagined to be safe and sensory and offer open ended play, without lights, sounds or screens. Instead, the focus is on tactile materials that promote trial and error, repetition and focus, all of which are essential for early cognitive and motor development.

Every product in the range is informed by insights from People’s internal research programme, the Curiosity Library, which documents how babies around the world explore objects in their everyday environments. This long-running observational study helps ensure each toy supports real patterns of behaviour and encourages natural, curiosity-driven discovery.

The campaign is being delivered by UK agency Familia, which specialises in helping family and lifestyle brands grow through experiential marketing and meaningful engagement. Following pilot sessions, 90% of parents said they gained a clearer understanding of how their baby learns through independent play. Many expressed a desire to continue baby-led activities at home and asked where they could buy the toys. The Busylizzy Club’s 2025 member survey, meanwhile, highlights that over 70% of parents are actively looking for activities that support calm, independent development. The 1curiosity approach aligns directly with this shift in what modern families are seeking.

Kate Parker, director of Events at The Busylizzy Club, said: “Parents are often surprised by what they see. Babies repeat actions, test ideas and stay focused far longer than expected. These toys reveal how capable young children are when given the right materials and the space to explore.”

The Curiosity Play Sessions will continue across Busylizzy clubs this summer and will culminate in The Big One, the UK’s biggest play session for one-year-olds. Taking place in London this June, the flagship event will give families a chance to explore the full 1curiosity range and will mark the moment the toys become available to purchase online in the UK.

To find out more about 1curiosity, visit www.uk.1curiosity.com

Gibsons Games attains King’s Award for Enterprise

Gibsons Games says it is proud to have become one of 197 organisations nationally to be honoured with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise, having been recognised for its excellence in Sustainable Development.

A 4th generation family business founded in 1919, Gibsons Games has a small team based in Surrey and is committed to bringing people together through the fun and joy of puzzles and games.

“This award is an incredible honour for Gibsons,” said Kate Gibson, managing director. “It celebrates the ongoing efforts of our team, past and present, who have shaped our sustainability model and prioritised how we can do business better. I couldn’t be prouder.”

The King’s Awards for Enterprise, previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, were renamed in 2023 to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II, by recognising outstanding UK businesses. The Awards programme, now in its 59th year, is the most prestigious business award in the country, with successful businesses able to use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years.

Wind Designs now distributing Hama Beads to indies

From May this year, Wind Designs has begun distributing the Hama Beads brand to independent retailers across the UK. This development follows the recent merger of Pat Avenue and Trends UK, creating a stronger and more efficient distribution network.

Hama Beads, a leading creative play brand known for its colourful fuse bead sets, continues to inspire imagination and support fine motor skill development. Hama offers a creative challenge for children aged three-plus, with entry-level Maxi Bead Sets, as well as the smaller Midi Bead kits, making the collection accessible to all children (and craft loving adults) aged three-plus. The collection benefits from regular refreshes within the range and continues to deliver attractive projects for all budgets and all interests.

This new partnership represents an exciting new chapter for the Hama Beads brand in the UK, with Wind Designs set to enhance its visibility and accessibility through independent retail channels.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Hama Beads to the Wind Designs portfolio,” said Phil Jones, managing director at Wind Designs. “This opportunity strengthens our position in the arts and crafts market and aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver fun, educational, and inspiring products to families across the UK.”

The merger of Pat Avenue and Trends UK has resulted in a more agile, efficient business model, uniting a

diverse collection of high-quality brands under one roof. Wind Designs will continue its collaboration with Trends UK, distributing its ranges to independent retailers nationwide. For trade enquiries, contact 01353 724 140 or sales@wind-designs.com, while the Trends UK team can be reached via sales@trendsuk.co.uk.

Obituary: Geoff Smith

The former A.B.Gee director sadly passed away just a few weeks short of his 78th birthday. Geoff Smith, a well-known and cherished figure in the toy industry, enjoyed a career which spanned an impressive 50 years. As a former director of A.B.Gee, Geoff played a central role in shaping one of the UK’s most enduring toy companies. Highly respected by colleagues and competitors alike, Geoff was known for his integrity, warmth and sharp business acumen. He brought much more than experience to the table – he also brought heart, wisdom and a sense of humour that made even the busiest trade shows or toughest meetings feel a little lighter.

Jeff’s former A.B.Gee colleague, Marketing manager Anna Vaughan, told Toy World: “I started working on the checkout at A.B.Gee in 1997. I was fresh out of school, just 18 years old, with no idea that I was about to begin not just a job, but a lifelong career in an industry I’d grow to love—and that was thanks, in large part, to Geoff. It wasn’t long before he asked if I’d like to join what he fondly called ‘his team of Angels’ in the offices. It was classic Geoff—charming, tongue-in-cheek, but always sincere in his belief in the people he brought under his wing. From that moment on, I worked happily for Geoff until he retired in 2014. He created a working environment that felt more like family than business and we remained good friends.”

Geoff was a longstanding member of the Fence Club, which he joined in 1991. He served as chairman in 2000/2001 and also held the positions of Hon Charity secretary and Hon secretary. Current Fence Club Hon secretary, Steve Wells, commented: “Those who had the opportunity to deal with Geoff during his time as sales director, and later owner, of A.B. Gee would remark on his professionalism, his integrity and deep understanding of the business. Geoff was very tough but very fair, and his reputation earned him the lasting respect of suppliers and colleagues.”

Our thoughts are with Geoff’s wife Pauline and his family at this very sad time.

Obituary: David Strang

Toy World is sad to report that David Strang, founder of Wicked Vision, sadly passed away unexpectedly, on Monday 21st April. Wicked Vision became well known for products like boomerangs, discs, high bounce balls and yo-yos, as David built the company into a global brand centred on active play. In 2024, the brands and intellectual property assets of Wicked were acquired by Eolo Toys, and David worked closely with Eolo to integrate Wicked’s creativity and expertise into the group. Although devastated, David’s friends have been quick to celebrate his legacy and his life, which touched so many different people across the toy industry.

Friend and business partner, Alex Prieto of Eolo Toys, said: “We lost one of the good ones. David wasn’t just a brand founder we recently welcomed into the Eolo Toys family. He was energy. He was fun. He was full of crazy ideas, big dreams and a heart that made you want to do more, be better and enjoy every second of the ride. Our hearts are with his family; we’re sending all our love and strength their way. At Eolo, we will make sure David’s spirit lives on through Wicked. That legacy is in good hands.”

Friend, Richard North, said: “One of our toy industry’s finest human beings has been taken away, way before he should have been. He supported everything I did, my family and my business. Over 25 years ago, Dave came to me as an ambitious young man keen to help my eCommerce business, and he put it on the map. Years later we both found ourselves in the toy industry, he with Wicked Vision and me with Wow! Stuff.”

Richard added: “He was what you saw at first sight; genuine, always down to earth, a real class act. Some would say too nice at times, but that was Dave.”

There has been an outpouring of sympathy, with so many industry figures remarking upon how David left an impression on everyone he met, describing him as an inspiring entrepreneur with infectious energy. Many fondly recall his charismatic presence at trade fairs, whizzing boomerangs and flying discs across the aisles.

A Celebration of Life took place in LA during the preview days.

Alex said: ”This photo is exactly how we will remember David: flying high, chasing the sky with a boomerang in hand and a huge smile on his face. It’s hard to believe this time, that boomerang won’t come back. Rest easy, brother. We’ve got this!”

Toy World would like to add its condolences to David’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.

Industry Moves

Tomy Europe announces key organisational changes

Tomy Europe has announced several key organisational changes aimed at aligning its business to better meet customer and consumer needs, while ensuring robust succession planning.

As part of its ongoing efforts to streamline its brand and processes and to establish a more coordinated sales approach across EU markets, Tomy is delighted to announce the promotion of Mary Wood to managing director – Europe.

Additionally, with the upcoming retirement of Kingsley Matthews, Sales director UK, Ireland & DE, Emilia Hogan is appointed as VP Sales-EMEA. Having worked for RC2 before joining Tomy, Emilia has a broad knowledge of the business and is an experienced sales leader, having most recently headed up the Tomy distributor business. Emilia will initially oversee sales in the UK, DACH and distributor markets and will report directly to Mary Wood.

Emilia will be supported in the UK & Ireland by Neil Saunders, who is promoted to head of Sales, Toys, and Ellie Moore as head of Sales, Games. The leadership of the UK Independent retail business, which remains a priority to Tomy, will be handed over to Alison Ralley, who is promoted to Field Sales & Senior National Account manager.

Mary Wood commented: “These organisational adjustments reflect our commitment to evolving our company to better serve our customers and set a structure to help us achieve our growth ambitions across all our markets. I am confident that our whole team will continue to drive success and innovation across the UK, Ireland and Europe.”

Terry Crew bids farewell to Pat Avenue

Following the successful merger of Pat Avenue and Trends UK, and after 40 years in the industry, Terry Crew has decided that the time is right to finally retire. Terry joined Pat Avenue in 2019 and played a pivotal role in shaping the business, leading the integration and helping expand the brand portfolio with several notable launches.

Reflecting on his time with Pat Avenue, Terry said: “The past few years have been incredibly rewarding, and I’m proud of what we achieved. With Guy Rooney now leading the business and the combined strengths of Pat Avenue and Trends UK, I’m confident the company is set for continued success.”

Guy Rooney, MD of Trends UK, added: “After working with Terry for the best part of 20 years, I’d like to personally thank him for his invaluable support and leadership. He’ll be greatly missed around the office, and we wish him well in his retirement – it’s just a shame he’s a Manchester United supporter!”

The newly merged company aims to build on its expanded expertise and market reach, continuing to deliver creative, high-quality products that inspire learning and play. For more information, contact info@trendsuk.co.uk

Cobi appoints two new agents

Cobi has announced the appointment of two new ‘secret’ agents to its ranks. Damien Leahy and Paul Hayward have recently joined the company to manage the Midlands and North of England.

Lee Crocker, Country manager, said: “It is fabulous to have Damien and Paul strengthen the UK team. Damien brings a wealth of Hobby experience from his 16 years (combined) at Revell and Airfix and, although I have never worked with him, we already have a great understanding of one another, borne by the same work ethos. I have had the privilege of working with Paul, albeit some 26 years ago, so it is great to be reunited with him. Between the two of them they will cover the width and breath of the Midlands; North and IOM ”.

Cobi, a brick manufacturer based in southern Poland, is known all over the world for creating some of the most unique and detailed scaled brick models with historical accuracy and impressive design. The company supplies over 200 stores, including museums, hobby and toy shops in the UK.

For more details, contact Lee on 07584 858 978 or via l.crocker@cobitoys.co.uk.

Damien Leahy

Paul Hayward

Mary Wood Emilia Hogan

Marketing World

Character keeps cool with ChillFactor campaigns

With summer well underway and people already reaching for cool drinks, Character Options is looking forward to a season full of marketing for its ChillFactor brand.

Boxed up in fresh, stand-out packaging with a retro-inspired graphic style print, the new Colour Shock Slushy Maker series boasts fresh designs that are bright, bold, and designed to be noticed. To support the launch, the team is taking ChillFactor back to live events with its own appearance at Foodies Festival. The UK’s most popular food and music festival will be held this year in Nottingham on the last weekend of June, with 30,000 people expected to attend.

The event appeals to both families and foodies and will allow Character’s marketing team to bring special activations to life on the ChillFactor stand, including live filming, vox pops and influencer appearances. Content created at the event will be used throughout the summer in social and digital media campaigns, with an overarching “What will you ChillFactor?” message.

The same messaging is already being seeded out via mass influencer trials of the new ChillFactor Colour Shock collection. Over 1.7m views had been racked up by early May, with influencers in the family and lifestyle genres showcasing a range of inspirational recipes made in their ChillFactor Slushy Makers. To date, these have included iced coffees, frozen cocktails and family-friendly slushies from the likes of @sabspreppys, @liddierowl and @aspoonfulofalice.

Taking ChillFactor to the masses through digital advertising will be key to the campaign, with millions of views to be generated for UGC, event content and the TVC. All activity will be supported by a dedicated website and the ChillFactor social channels.

Mark Hunt, Marketing director at Character Options, said: “As a Character Options IP, ChillFactor remains a priority when it comes to our marketing calendar. Our activity for the season is designed to keep the ChillFactor brand front of mind, showing off the simplicity of the ‘Freeze, Squeeze, Enjoy’ method, whilst encouraging people to experiment with the ingredients they use in their ChillFactor Slushy Makers. We’d love to see the ‘What will you ChillFactor’ challenge go viral.”

For more information about the ChillFactor collection, call Character Options on 01616 339 800 or email sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

Jazwares brings new Squishmallows to McDonald’s Happy Meals

Jazwares and McDonald’s have announced the return of the Squishmallows Happy Meal, bringing fanfavourite plushies back to restaurants in more than 65 countries worldwide. The latest roll out features 12 collectible characters including the debut of Halley, a never-before-seen Intergalactic Axolotl Squishmallows character full of personality. To add an extra layer of fun, every Squishmallows Happy Meal will also come with a scannable code to unlock an exclusive digital game, marking a first for the partnership. The promotion rolled out nationwide in the US on 13th May, with additional countries launching this spring and summer.

“Our first McDonald’s Happy Meal collaboration received such a massive global response that we’re bringing it back by popular demand for Squishmallows fans,” said Gerhard Runken, executive vice president of Brand & Marketing at Jazwares. “We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our fans than with a Happy Meal featuring character favourites with unique, never-before-seen happy expressions and the debut of our newest Squishmallows Squad member, Halley, making the hunt exciting as ever for fans worldwide.”

In a first for the Squishmallows x McDonald’s partnership, the Happy Meal promotion includes an exclusive digital gaming experience. Fans can access the game by scanning the code featured on the packaging of each Happy Meal purchased.

“We are excited to partner with Jazwares for a second time by bringing the hunt for Squishmallows back to McDonald’s this spring,” said Sheila Hamilton, senior director of Global Brand and Content at McDonald’s. “Our partnership brings something new to our fans with exclusive expressions and the newest member of the Squishmallows family, Halley.”

Lego F1 big build cars leave the starting grid

In partnership with Formula 1, the Lego Group has created 10 fully drivable big build Lego cars – one for each team – which were driven today by the Formula 1 drivers during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix 2025 Drivers’ Parade. Inspired by the Lego F1 Speed Champions range, each of these Lego big builds comprises of nearly 400,000 bricks, weighing 1500kg and capable of reaching speeds of 20km/h.

The unveiling marks a number of firsts for the Lego Group, including the first time the company has produced multiple drivable big builds at the same time, as well as the first-time multiple Formula 1 drivers have got behind the wheel of Lego cars at the same time. They were created by a skilled team of 26 designers, engineers and Lego builders, over 22,000 hours, in the group’s Kladno factory in the Czech Republic. At a near 1:1 in scale with Formula 1 cars, each big build captures the intricate and unique details of the vehicles, including everything from sponsor logos to authentic Pirelli Tyres.

Julia Goldin, chief Product & Marketing officer, commented: “We know that large, drivable builds excite fans, and we’re thrilled by the response to unveiling all 10 at once. We hope these creations inspire everyone to see that with imagination and a Lego brick, anything is possible.”

Emily Prazer, chief Commercial Officer at Formula 1, said: “Our partnership with the Lego Group enables us to inject a lot of fun into the Grand Prix experience and engage new audiences, and we can’t wait to see what else we can dream up together.”

Each of the Lego big build designs was based on the Lego F1 Speed Champions range unveiled late last year, with this unveiling marking the latest in a year of activations between the Lego Group and Formula 1, aiming to bring families closer to the sport than ever before.

Following the conclusion of the Miami event, all 10 Lego big builds will embark on a global tour, with appearances at future races and F1 calendar moments.

E1631 Magnetic Art Box

E2017 Dinosaur Doodle Paper Roll

E2018 Ocean Doodle Paper Roll

E2019 Castle Doodle Paper Roll

STICK

CUT

E2005 Finger Paint Set

E2009 Portable Bamboo Easel

E2010 Outdoor Art Easel

Opinion

The Three Ps of targeting: Be precise, purposeful and prepared to adapt

Clive Green, director of Strategic Planning at Generation Media, explains how having the right targeting strategy in place means media budgets can be much more efficient.

Budgets are under increasing pressure with the rise of media fragmentation and international tariffs, so it’s never been more important to make every penny of marketing budget count. Choices that might have once been instinctive, like who to target and when, now need to be backed by solid data and clear strategy. As media investments face growing scrutiny, some of the most common questions we hear are: where should spend be focused? Should we be targeting parents or children? Prioritising YouTube or TV? Opting for short bursts or always-on campaigns?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Each campaign needs to be assessed individually, depending on KPIs, budget, timing, price point and the product’s key selling points. The best approaches are flexible, responsive and grounded in evidence-based strategies, and most importantly measured through to success.

In toy marketing, the traditional funnel doesn’t apply in the same way it might in other categories. We target children to build awareness and generate desire, while simultaneously targeting parents or gifters to drive consideration and make the final purchase. A campaign that speaks to both audiences, at the right moments and on the right platforms, is more likely to cut through and convert than focusing on a single audience.

To make that happen, strong creative is only part of the equation. Toy companies also need the right tools and insight to reach their desired audiences. At Generation Media, we’ve invested in a robust tech stack that allows us to build investments tailored to how children and parents really engage with content, linking our activity through to business objectives to give marketers the confidence they need in their activity.

For younger audiences, we work with Giraffe Insights using its long-running Kids and the Screen (K.A.T.S) study, which helps us track how media habits shift across platforms and age groups. One of our many innovations is our partnership with Precise TV, co-developing the world’s first child-safe YouTube contextual data management platform (DMP), ensuring we’re delivering scale, precision and compliance all in one.

When targeting parents, there are even more options at our disposal. We use demographic data (like age, gender or income), interest and behavioural targeting for browser and platforms data, or even contextually placed ads next to relevant online content. Where available, first-party data allows us to re-engage existing customers, lookalikes can be used to extend our audiences to likeminded users and retargeting audiences can be created based on engagement with each brand, page, webpage or advertising. Mobile location data lets us target based

on where someone lives, works, shops, or visits and with mobile devices never far from their owners this gives us a truly astonishing amount of data available at our fingertips. Crucially, these capabilities aren’t limited to digital platforms. We can extend these targeting layers to CTV, audio, cinema and even Out of Home, delivering full-funnel campaigns that reach the right audiences from first impression to final purchase and all the marketing objectives in between.

Of course, it’s one thing to have access to these tools, it’s another to know how and when to use them. That’s where we come in. By combining data-driven targeting with real-world insight into how families engage with media, we help brands make smarter decisions, reduce wastage, and get better results. It’s as simple as A, B, C.

Audience – We build audience cohorts from multiple data sources, delving into interest and mobile search to deeply understand our parents, gifters or kidults.

Budget - The platform choice, timings and audience splits will all depend on the money available. Companies don’t need to spend big to make impact but the more investment they have, the more they can do.

Campaign effectiveness – A campaign doesn’t work if it can’t be matched back to real world goals, be that brand perception, increased awareness or sales. Goals should be set at the start of the campaign and a testing framework agreed to prove and improve successes campaign in campaign.

The challenge ahead is clear: be precise be purposeful and be prepared to adapt. With the right targeting strategy in place, a media budget doesn’t just go further, it works harder. To find out how to make your budgets work harder this year, get in touch at contact@generationmedia.co.uk

Clive Green - director of Strategic Planning at Generation Media

Licensing World

Thomas & Friends marks milestone anniversary

Thomas & Friends is marking 80 years of storytelling this year. Since its debut in 1945, having been created by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry for his son, Christopher, the Thomas & Friends show has delighted audiences worldwide through books, toys, content, theme parks, experiences and more.

The Thomas & Friends content team has taken footage from the first test shoot and meticulously pieced together the 40-year-old 35mm film trims to rebuild and digitise both the picture and sound, giving fans a brand-new look at the episode that started it all. Mike O’Donnell, the 1984-2003 series composer, has also created a new bespoke music arrangement for this special episode, which features the classic model trains and a never-before-heard voiceover by Ringo Starr, the first of many notable storytellers to join the show, paving the way for future celebrity voices - and even royal ones.

“For 80 years, the Thomas & Friends brand has brought joy to generations, sharing timeless stories and valuable life lessons,” said Roberto Stanichi, executive vice president, Hot Wheels, and global head of Vehicles & Building Sets at Mattel. “As we celebrate this momentous year, we’re unveiling 40-year-old footage and newly uncovered stories from the vault for the first time ever, offering longtime fans and new audiences the chance to reconnect with the beloved adventures of Thomas & Friends in new and nostalgic ways.”

To mark the anniversary, the Thomas & Friends franchise, in partnership with British memorabilia auction house Propstore, is giving fans a chance to own original pieces from the brand’s history, including props from the original stop motion series. Also included in the auction are one-of-a-kind pieces signed by iconic British actors who have voiced Thomas & Friends characters throughout the years, including Olivia Colman, Eddie Redmayne and Hugh Bonneville. Mattel UK will donate proceeds to the National Autistic Society.

The Thomas & Friends Storytime podcast, meanwhile, is launching new episodes weekly. Each will be complemented by a full retelling of a classic Thomas story. Fans in the UK can also celebrate throughout the year with events and activities including Day Out with Thomas: The Party Tour, taking place at heritage railways across the country.

Rubies secures licensing rights for top Netflix properties

Rubies has signed a major partnership with Netflix to secure the EMEA licensing rights for some of the world’s biggest properties, including Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Witcher and One Piece. This collaboration paves the way for Rubies to introduce new and exclusive officially licensed costumes and accessories inspired by these acclaimed series that capture the essence and excitement of each unique franchise. A significant milestone for the company, this collaboration further underscores Rubies’ commitment to creating authentic and innovative costume collections that resonate with fans across the globe.

“We’re so excited that we have secured the licensing rights for Netflix, which will strengthen our adultfocused costume and accessory ranges,” said Fran Hales, head of Portfolio and Marketing at Rubies. “This deal provides us with prominent property options including the upcoming releases of the new seasons of Squid Game and Stranger Things, plus the huge mass appeal of One Piece following its phenomenal season one success. We’re excited to provide fans with the opportunity to dress up as their favourite characters from these groundbreaking series, enhancing their connection to the stories and worlds they’ve grown to love.”

The company says a key focus will be Stranger Things; the mystery sci-fi series set in the 1980s has garnered a massive global fanbase. Gripping Korean survival drama Squid Game has achieved record-breaking viewership and captivated audiences with its intense storyline, while One Piece, a live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga and anime series, boasts a dedicated fan following, making it a highly anticipated addition to Rubies’ licensed collection.

Disney Lorcana TCG reveals ninth set: Fabled

The Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game launched in August 2023 with a set of 216 unique cards. Now, after eight sets and more than 1,500 cards, the next chapter of Disney Lorcana TCG begins with the ninth set, Fabled, scheduled for release everywhere on 5th September.

“It is an honour to usher the Disney Lorcana TCG into this exciting next chapter,” said Elaine Chase, chief Marketing officer for TCGs at Ravensburger. “I’m excited to bring my three decades of experience working on trading card games to the Disney Lorcana TCG; I’ve learned how to move from a super-hot launch to supporting a trading card game for the long haul. I can’t wait for fans to see everything we’re planning.”

There will be two new rarities to look for in each Fabled booster pack: Iconic and Epic. Iconic cards are extremely rare with only two appearing in each set, while Epic cards will appear more often than Enchanted cards and feature special artwork and foil treatments. Fabled will also see cards rotate out of legal use among competitive players. The first four sets will rotate out of the Core Constructed format but will still be available to play in a new format, Infinity Constructed.

“Rotating out older cards to encourage new strategies and fresh deck designs is a really important part of the next chapter,” explained Ryan Miller, Brand manager and co-designer of Disney Lorcana TCG at Ravensburger. “Because we know there are cards in those early sets that are important to a lot of fans’ deck-building strategies, and we know not everybody got the cards they wanted the first year, we’re re-printing some cards from those first sets in Fabled, including Enchanted versions of some fan favourites.”

Licensing World

Global partners of new Superman movie reveal licensed ranges

As it gets closer to the theatrical release of the new Superman movie on 11th July, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products and its partners have released a host of product teasers and announcements.

Spin Master has unveiled toys based on the feature film, including the Kaiju Slime Battle and Up in the Sky! Flying Krypto. The Kaiju Slime Battle set features a 12-inch Kaiju and a 6-inch Superman action figure. Superman has powerful punching action to take on the mighty Kaiju, who fights back with fierce claw-swiping moves, and when the Kaiju is defeated, kids can unleash a dramatic blue slime explosion. With the 7.5-inch Up in the Sky! Flying Krypto, the superdog hovers and flies above children’s hands using exclusive hand-controlled flight tech, with no remote needed.

Mattel’s Superman Kaiju Clash includes a 3-inch Superman and a 10 inch tall Kaiju, with lights, sounds and action. Uno Superman features graphics inspired by favourite characters and scenes from the film, plus a special Kryptonite rule.

McFarlane Toys has revealed the first wave in its DC Multiverse line inspired by the Superman film. The collection includes detailed figures, some with up to 22 moving parts and based on their appearance in the film. The collection includes Superman, Krypto, Metamorpho and the Kaiju, each with a collectible art card.

Continuing the legacy of the beloved DC Super Powers line, McFarlane Toys has also announced a new collection of 4.5” scale, retro-inspired styling, articulation for characters appearing in the new film including Superman, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho, plus an all-new Fortress of Solitude Playset packaged in a DC Super Powers themed box.

Funko has revealed the first wave of Superman Funko Pop! Vinyl figures, including Superman Flying, Lois Lane, Krypto and Lex Luther, who will be joined by a Superman Funko Pocket Pop! Key Chain and a Superman Flying Jumbo 10-Inch Funko Pop!

Just Play and Universal team up for DreamWorks’ Shrek

Just Play has announced a global master toy licensing agreement with Universal Products & Experiences for DreamWorks Animation’s beloved global animated Shrek franchise. Under the multi-year deal, Just Play will develop an expansive product line spanning plush, collectibles, figures, role-play, games and more. A few items will be seeded in the marketplace later in 2025, with the full product roll-out planned for late 2026.

Since its debut in 2001, the four Shrek films have earned more than $2.9b worldwide, spawning a global live-touring show, an award-winning Broadway musical that earned eight Tony nominations and 12 Drama Desk nominations, an immersive tourist destination in London, and popular events and attractions across Universal Studios Parks worldwide. The first new Shrek film in 15 years, Shrek 5, is slated to arrive in cinemas in December 2026.

The franchise and characters are beloved around the world, delighting fans with irreverent humour, authentic heart and unforgettable story moments. Building on this legacy, Just Play’s product line will celebrate the entire Shrek universe, including the upcoming film.

“We’re incredibly excited to expand our partnership with Universal Products & Experiences,” said Jess Richardson, senior vice president of Global Licensing and New Business Development at Just Play. “Shrek is a cultural icon with timeless appeal, and it’s a true privilege to introduce a new generation to the land of Far, Far Away with an innovative product line that will celebrate everything fans love about the franchise.”

“Shrek continues to bring laughter and joy to fans of all ages, building a wildly passionate following across generations,” said Rafael Macias, global CPG Commercial Officer, Universal Products & Experiences. “We’ve worked closely with Just Play to create playful, imaginative products that honour its legacy – inviting everyone to reconnect and fall in love with these special characters all over again.”

Wigston Global joins forces with MGA

Wigston Global has announced a new licensing agreement with MGA Entertainment (MGA) that will see it develop and launch new Arts & Crafts and Stationery ranges for two of MGA’s top global brands: Rainbow High and MGA’s Miniverse.

Launching in spring/summer 2026, the Rainbow High stationery range has been designed to reflect the vibrant, fashion-led world of the brand. With colour, creativity and character at its core, the range perfectly aligns with Rainbow High’s distinctive identity, giving fans a stylish and expressive way to bring the brand into their everyday lives.

Wigston Global will also introduce a completely new MGA’s Miniverse Arts & Crafts and Stationery collection. Inspired by the hugely popular miniature collectible trend, this innovative product line offers a unique hands-on experience that taps into the current consumer demand for fun, engaging and trend-driven creativity. With MGA’s Miniverse growing in popularity across social platforms and retail, this range is set to make a significant impact.

Ben Cornwell, Sales director at Wigston Global, commented: “We’re incredibly proud to be working with MGA on two of the most exciting brands in the market. Our new Rainbow High stationery range has been thoughtfully developed to resonate with fans and capture the brand’s colourful and bold spirit. MGA’s Miniverse range brings something fresh and dynamic to the sector.”

This agreement marks another milestone in Wigston Global’s continued mission to deliver original, trend-led products that inspire creativity and imagination in children worldwide. “We’re looking forward to unveiling both brands plans as part of our spring/summer 2026 launch,” added Ben. To find out more, contact Ben on ben.cornwell@wigstonglobal.com

IN CINEMAS

JULY 11TH

BECOME THE HERO OF TOMORROW

Licensing World

The Tattoo Zoo inks global licensing deal

Consumer Product Connection (CPC) has secured global licensing rights for bold new IP The Tattoo Zoo, founded by Tyler Stover, and has named Eolo Toys as the exclusive master toy partner.

The Tattoo Zoo is a rebellious world where animals don’t follow the rules - they rewrite them. At Tattoo Zoo, every character is inked, expressive and full of attitude, and each resident has a story: a job, a star sign and a personality inked right onto their skin. Some are loud, others are misunderstood and a few might bite. But they all stand for one thing: being unapologetically different.

Julien Barbier, from CPC, commented: “We are excited about this agreement with The Tattoo Zoo and with Tyler. We loved the brand from the very beginning and are convinced it meets market demand. Collaborating with Eolo Toys and Alex Prieto is a privilege that will undoubtedly ensure the introduction of innovative and high-quality products in the global market. We can’t wait to see the market’s reaction.”

Tyler Stover, founder of Tattoo Zoo, added: “By teaming with licensing pros Consumer Product Connection, and play experts Eolo Toys, we’re giving our rebellious animals the merchandise and toy spotlight they deserve. Kidults, step right up - because some animals just want to look different.”

Alex Prieto, CEO of Eolo Toys, concluded: “At Eolo, we live for disruptive ideas and Tattoo Zoo is exactly that. It’s bold, expressive, and speaks to a new generation that values creativity and self-expression. We’re proud to bring these characters to life with toys that are as wild and unique as the world they come from. On top of that, teaming up with Tyler and Julien—two incredibly passionate minds—makes this project even more exciting. It’s going to be one wild and fun ride together.”

ToyTopic to launch Peanuts plush in UK & Ireland

ToyTopic is set to launch a new line of Peanuts plush toys and accessories for mass retail distribution in the UK and Ireland from Spring 2026. In a new licensing agreement, brokered by WildBrain CPLG on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide, ToyTopic’s Peanuts range includes its signature high quality and super soft plush in a variety of sizes, collectible capsule plush, plush backpacks, 2D plush cushions, plush snap bracelets and plush keyrings with price points ranging from £2.99 up to £49.99.

The new collection joins ToyTopic’s portfolio of significant listings, as the team works in conjunction with its licensing partners to bring more ranges to market.

Ashley Holman, director of ToyTopic, commented: “We are excited to be bringing the iconic Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang to mass retail in the UK and Ireland in 2026. The initial response has been exceptional, and we’re looking forward to being a part of the incredible journey of this beloved franchise for years to come.”

Tara Botwick, senior director, International Territory Management, EMEA at Peanuts, added: “As we celebrate 75 Years of Peanuts, popularity for Charles Schulz’s beloved characters continues to soar amongst fans of all ages. We are excited to partner with ToyTopic to expand our space in the plush toys and accessories market and can’t wait to see the product line take shape.”

The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is jointly owned by WildBrain, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture, resulting in thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital.

For more information on the new range, get in touch with ToyTopic at sales@toytopicgroup.com.

Wow! Stuff expands Puppetronics by RealFX collection with Toothless

In the lead-up to Universal Pictures’ live-action reimagining of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, Wow! Stuff is bringing the latest movie character to fans with the launch of the Toothless Puppetronic by RealFX. This Puppetronic embodies the RealFX trademark characteristics of ‘Looks Real! Feels Real! and Sounds Real!’ meaning now fans really can ‘train’ their very own dragon.

Developed by Wow! Stuff, the first British toy company in history to win the overall US TOTY (Toy of the Year 2025), this remarkable new Puppetronic reimagines Toothless like never before. The Toothless Puppetronic wears the Holographic RealFX badge, signifying that this is a top-of-therange Puppetronic designed to captivate both children and adult collectors and fans.

Combining traditional puppetry with cutting-edge electronics, the Toothless Puppetronic by RealFX features over 50 character sound effects, responsive touch and motion sensors and Toothless’s signature plasma blast of blue flame. The result is a wow-worthy experience that feels as if it’s been pulled straight from the screen.

“This is more than just a toy; it’s an immersive, high-quality Puppetronic that captures the heart of How to Train Your Dragon,” said Dawn Lavalette, managing director at Wow! Stuff. “You’re not just playing; you’re training your very own dragon because of the innovative interactive technology. We’ve carefully crafted this beloved character to bring cinematic moments to life with stunning special effects.”

The interactive Puppetronic lets fans control Toothless’ movements, expressions and, for the first time ever, his iconic plasma blast. With just a simple motion, kids can watch in awe as Toothless ‘breathes fire’ through his mouth and nose using a safe and mesmerising light-up smoke effect.

The Toothless Puppetronic by RealFX arrives in time to build excitement ahead of the stunning reimagining of the How to Train Your Dragon film, landing in cinemas this month.

Paramount and Rubies sign multi-brand licensing agreement

Paramount Consumer Products & Experiences UK and Rubies have partnered to launch a new range of costumes and accessories inspired by some of Paramount’s most beloved franchises. New ranges based on Paw Patrol (produced by Spin Master Entertainment), Dora, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar: The Last Airbender will target kids of all ages and are set to rollout across the UK and EMEA throughout 2025.

The range coincides with a raft of new content for the brands in the near future, including new theatrical releases for Paw Patrol and Avatar: The Last Airbender, a brand-new Dora series, fresh Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles content and a new SpongeBob SquarePants film arriving this December.

“We are constantly exploring different ways to engage our audience, and bringing our characters to life through Rubies’ best-in-class role play items enables kids to become their favourite characters all year round,” said Simta Sawhney, senior director, Licensing, Paramount Consumer Products & Experiences. “We’re confident that the costume line will create memorable experiences for families across the UK and EMEA.”

Fran Hales, head of Portfolio and Marketing at Rubies, added: “We are thrilled that Rubies has firmly solidified its strong working partnership with Paramount. Together, we’ve always had a long-standing relationship, and we welcome it back into our licensed portfolio. We’ve already received significant demand for Paramount products, and it’s exciting for all the teams involved to bring our products back to market with an exclusive dress-up collection.”

Hasbro extends relationship with Disney Consumer Products

Hasbro has announced a multi-year extension to its longrunning relationship with Disney Consumer Products to continue creating innovative toys and games for premiere brands, Star Wars and Marvel. This extension furthers Hasbro’s strategic merchandising relationship with Disney Consumer Products, allowing Hasbro to continue developing and manufacturing toys, collectibles and board games based on new and classic Marvel and Star Wars entertainment.

Under the extended agreement, Hasbro will continue to develop a wide range of products for all ages, based on the iconic brands. This includes bringing characters from the Star Wars galaxy to life in action figure form through The Black Series and The Vintage Collection, as well as engaging new generations of fans with Lightsabers and other toys themed around characters from Darth Vader to The Mandalorian.

Craft Buddy launches Crystal Art Junior

Hasbro’s Marvel Legends action figure series showcases fan-favourite characters from the Marvel Universe like Spider-Man and Black Panther, while also creating fun and engaging products for pre-schoolers, kids and beyond, inspired by the hit Disney Jr. animated series Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends and the upcoming Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends.

In addition to continuing its toy and games development with Disney, Hasbro also maintains its separate licensing arrangement that brings iconic Marvel characters into the Magic: The Gathering trading card game.

“It’s an honour to be able to deepen our relationship with Disney Consumer Products to create even more magical play experiences for consumers across the globe,” said Tim Kilpin, Hasbro’s president, Toys, Board Games, Licensing and Entertainment. “Star Wars and Marvel provide an extensive array of captivating content that gives us an unlimited trove of fresh ideas to create from. Our collaboration spans more than half a century, and we look forward to strengthening our relationship by bringing consumers everywhere brand-new play experiences tied to the exciting universes and characters of Star Wars and Marvel.”

Paul Gitter, executive vice president of Global Brand Commercialisation at Disney Consumer Products, added: “From collectibles to Lightsaber toys, we aim to push the boundaries of creativity to deliver innovative products and engaging play experiences that bring our fans closer to their favourite stories and characters.”

Craft Buddy has expanded its best-selling Crystal Art portfolio with the launch of Crystal Art Junior — a product line developed specifically for preschool children aged four and up. This new “big gems for little hands” range marks a strategic move to capture the growing earlyyears creative play segment, combining developmental benefits with an accessible and entertaining product design.

The concept for Crystal Art Junior was sparked by co-founders Gary and Dino Wadhwani, whose own children loved to create the Crystal Art products but struggled to use the standard Crystal Art gems and pens due to their smaller hands and hand-eye coordination. “Watching our young kids wanting to engage with our Crystal Art products but finding it too intricate gave us a lightbulb moment,” said Gary. “My brother, Dino, and I set out to reimagine the experience — bigger gems, larger tools, easy pick and placement and a format designed for younger fingers, without losing the magic of the sparkle.”

The new kits feature a 25 x 20cm box frame format, oversized 10-12mm gems and a specially designed pick-up pen, allowing for pre-school and motor skills development and easier placement by small hands. This meaningful adaptation makes Crystal Art Junior not only a compelling retail offering for parents but also an educational product that can be enjoyed in early years’ environments, as well as a great gift.

Launched with five globally loved licensed characters, including Peter Rabbit, Stitch, Grogu, Groot and Simba, the range leverages popular IPs to drive early brand loyalty. Each kit is self-contained and designed to deliver an engaging hands-on experience, providing a sense of achievement and ensuring immediate display opportunities (standing or hanging) whilst supporting cognitive and creative development.

For trade enquiries, please contact trade@craftbuddyltd.co.uk

Talking Shop Shopping around

Indie retailers share what’s selling, how they are managing stock levels at the moment and how they expect the rest of the year to pan out.

Carol Green - J & J Wilson Toymaster, Bude

This year, we are adopting a new approach; while we continue to stock classic product ranges, which we mainly get from Toymaster, we are also bringing in product lines that are currently trending and relevant. For example, as we are based in a tourist area, many of our customers own camper vans and come into the store looking for fast-paced, compact games that are travel-friendly, often packaged in tins. Incorporating these types of games into our offering has been a success, leading to significant sales. There’s been a rise in popularity for certain games by companies such as Big Potato trending on TikTok; we’ve also brought these in, and they’ve become very popular amongst our clientele.

We also keep up with highly anticipated movie releases, bringing in small sections of new product to see how they will perform. For instance, we've brought in various Stitch products, including figurines, and have updated our window displays with a Stitch theme to coincide with the new and highly anticipated Lilo & Stitch live-action movie.

The Minecraft movie has been a very popular release, and all the merchandise has been in high demand. This has resulted in a few restocking challenges due to the popularity of Minecraft licensed products, but I expect the Minecraft hype to continue - we have orders in place and will bring in more Minecraft products when we can. Lego remains our best seller, with many enthusiastic fans eagerly anticipating new releases. The Lego F1 range has performed exceptionally well, as has the Lego botanicals range, and the Star Wars range always sells very well. We make it a priority to keep our Lego products in stock, so that our regular collectors can continue to shop locally. Although this can be challenging due to the high demand for Lego stock, it’s nice for customers to visit our shop and find these items on the shelf instead of having to wait for them to go online. We keep our prices for Lego completely competitive; we never inflate them, and our customers appreciate this.

Reacting to the cost-of-living crisis, we’ve focused on increasing our selection of affordable, pocket-money items that little ones can pick up and play with. We’ve brought in more toys and games that are £10 and under, offering these alongside our more expensive ranges means we have a broader range of options at different price points to cater to most consumers.

We are always on the lookout for new launches to enhance our store; recently, we’ve added Gibsons’ new puzzles to our offering. We focus on offering high-quality puzzles from reputable companies like Gibsons and Ravensburger. The same applies to Sylvanian Families – it

sells well all year round, and as a toy that gets passed from generation to generation, high quality is important.

I expect to see continued strong sales from Pokémon. The trading card game has been so successful that we even had to implement a rule limiting purchases to one per person. This was necessary because people were buying multiple cards and reselling them online, but we took steps to make sure that our local collectors were able to get some, by releasing our stock slowly. I’m sure that Pokémon is going to continue performing well throughout the summer, with each new launch expected to boost sales. The new additions to Brainstorm’s StikBot range have also been selling very well. I find it a very clever product that encourages children to be creative and make their own movies, providing them with a break away from video games and phones, which goes down well with parents.

Looking ahead, we consider the Toymaster autumn regional show the ideal opportunity to find and purchase our Christmas stock. We also talk to the kids who visit our store during the summer, as they tell us what’s trending; this complements our own research and helps with our selections for the Christmas season. Current trends and upcoming film releases also help us decide what we should be bringing in for Christmas – alongside evergreen classics like Brio tracks and train sets, and classic family games, which are always popular during the festive season.

We haven't personally been affected by the tariff situation yet - we received most of our deliveries before Easter and currently are only making small top-ups. We haven't experienced any delays so far, but I anticipate we may eventually see some knock-on effects, including potential delays with future deliveries. We are balancing our search for newness with an element of caution and limiting the quantity of orders due to ongoing uncertainty. We prefer to purchase products in smaller quantities and assess their performance; it’s more efficient to reorder as needed than to be left with excess stock.

Talking Shop

Krishna Yadlapalli - Booghe Toys, Birmingham

indie viewpoint

AAt Booghe Toys, we have started to experience some impact from the ongoing tariff situation in the US. While the effects have not been drastic so far, there is a definite sense of uncertainty and pressure, particularly in the supply chain, with delays on deliveries and cost fluctuations. Certain lines are taking longer to arrive, and in some cases, reorders have come through at noticeably higher prices. As a toy and collectibles retailer, we rely on timely deliveries to keep up with trends, so we are monitoring the situation closely and planning further ahead - where possible.

Despite the challenges, we are feeling cautiously optimistic about the second half of the year. We have taken this time to reassess our product offering and focus more on categories that have shown steady demand. The categories that have shown steady demand for us recently include collectibles, pocket money toys, stationery and outdoor play. These areas continue to perform consistently well thanks to their broad appeal, strong gifting potential and accessibility in terms of price point.

We are also investing in digital, refining our online presence and continually improving our customer experience. While footfall has fluctuated, customer loyalty has remained strong, and that gives us confidence moving forward. We plan to stay agile, respond to customer needs quickly and continue building a community around our brand.

We usually start placing our Christmas orders by late summer, and this year will be no exception, though we are being slightly more cautious with quantities and supplier selection due to the uncertainty around tariffs and freight. Our main focus is on core products that we know perform well during peak season, particularly collectibles and toys tied to strong licences, as well as impulse-friendly lines for gifting. Like many retailers, we are trying to avoid overstocking while also ensuring we are not caught short, it’s a delicate balance. Tariffs and manufacturing disruptions are certainly influencing how much risk retailers are willing to take.

We are seeing growing interest in sustainable and ethically produced ranges; consumers are much more conscious of where and how products are made, and lines that combine good design with transparency around sourcing are selling especially well. Bio Play from Left Field Toys is a good example of this, as sustainable, creative play gains momentum.

Pokémon trading cards continue to be a massive hit, driving strong repeat custom and excitement around new releases, and Sylvanian Families also continues to sell well. Scooters and bikes from MV Sports are a popular choice amongst our customers – outdoor play has picked up strongly as we move into the warmer months.

So far this year, pocket money lines and small collectibles have performed particularly well – they’re fun items that offer great value and appeal to a broad age range. I Love Bunnies Figurines from Topps is a charming range of collectibles that’s in high demand.

We are keeping a close eye on upcoming movie releases, especially titles like the Disney Lilo & Stitch live action, Elio (Pixar) and How to Train Your Dragon, which we expect to generate strong demand for licensed merchandise. Looking ahead, there’s Frozen 3. These kinds of launches can really boost retail momentum, and we are looking forward to introducing themed products around those releases.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes

Toy Barnhaus

Here comes summer

AAs we write this, the countdown to the Toymaster show has begun. Unlike previous years, this will be the first year we are going via train, after a nightmare drive back last year. Hopefully it will be a nice calm trip up there, and with the extensive amount of socialising we do in Harrogate, it will be most welcome to take it easy on the way back.

Sales for the end of April were a bit disappointing, after a strong start. One factor was the good weather over Easter, compared to rain last year, which meant people were getting out and about. The lack of Pokémon trading card stock is hurting, as the market is completely empty at the moment. One line that has really saved us though was the Sculptured 3D Dragons and Eggs, which has been a phenomenal seller having gone viral on TikTok.

The Lego F1 range is still selling really well, with the Ferrari the top seller, along with Williams. The Lego F1 Collectable Cars have now been released, and although they are not quite as popular as the Collectable Minifigures, they are still in our top sellers. The Minecraft Movie has given a great boost to Minecraft sales in general, with the action figures from Mattel, Lego sets and even things like drinks bottles proving very popular. We extended our range of Stitch products prior to the release of the Lilo & Stitch live action movie, including the Wow! Stuff Disney Stitch Chatty Puppetronic, which we get from DKB Toys and really like the look of.

Pre-school toys is a huge category for us, but over the last year, sales have declined significantly – and noticeably in licensed lines – but the one standout is Bluey. We are hopeful that Peppa will see an increase with the birth of her baby sister this year. Core ranges such as VTech and Fisher Price continue to sell well, but at lower price points for this time of year. We have extended our range of Dolu pre-school, as they have some great priced core toys with good margins, and these are working well.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the kidult market still seems to be growing and growing; from Lego, where the F1 range has been extremely well received, to collectibles like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Funko, and licensed football ranges are selling more and more. In the kidult category, you have to be careful to get it exactly right, and stock what the customer is looking for. They are very discerning; they know what they want, and do not want an alternative. Plush has seen growth through the kidult market too, especially ranges like Squishmallows and Ty which are highly collectible for adults. We are moving our stores around to reconfigure and extend the kidult area to help draw in new customers, as it really is the largest growth area for us right now.

Arts & Crafts is a strong area all year round, and one of our bestsellers is the Loom Bands Case. So Slime kits from Canal Toys are also very popular. The Sticki Rolls range from Character continues to sell well, along with Spirograph from PlayMonster. These core ranges sell well all year round.

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Special Feature Osborne's Toy Shop

Osborne’s Toy Shop celebrates 70th anniversary

Osborne’s, which is located in Rushden, Northamptonshire, celebrated its 70th anniversary at the beginning of May in style.

Owner Will Osborne chose the Saturday closest to the day the store originally opened in 1955 to mark the occasion.

Talking to Toy World, Will said he was delighted with the response from customers to the event.

“We put a lot of effort into organising a special day, and we sat there at 9am wondering if anyone would turn up. By 9.05, the shop was completely full, and it remained like that until we closed at 5.00pm. We saw so many current and former customers, plus we had former employees, some agents and reps including John Nicholas. Our first Saturday boy even turned up – he started in 1956, so he’s in his 80s now. It was lovely to see him and so many former members of staff. Everyone was swapping stories and reminiscing, sharing their memories of the store.”

The store had originally planned to hold celebrations for its 65th anniversary, but unfortunately that fell right in the middle of Covid. As Will admitted, that limited what could be done at that time, so he decided he would really go for it for the 70th anniversary.

“We wanted to do it properly. We put in a lovely window display, which showcased vintage toys from each decade from the 1950s to the 1990s. We also made up mugs and tote bags, and as well as attracting many local visitors, we made it onto the BBC News website and the About Anglia programme on ITV. “

Will admits that he didn’t actually plan to join the family business, run by his parents Jim and Pamela.

“But my dad was a wily person. He persuaded me to help out one Christmas - and I never left! Now, as well as me, my wife, daughter and granddaughter all work in the business – and as well as the four generations of family who have worked here, we’re onto our fourth generation of customers too.”

Like many independent retailers, Will’s passion for the business shines through: “The shop is very much part of our family – it’s a living, breathing entity. The pride you have in your business sustains you through good and hard times. People don’t remember where they bought their first washing machine, but they remember where

they got their first Britains animal or Lego set.”

Will is also hugely appreciative of his loyal customer base: “The local community really appreciates us, which gives us a real boost and makes us realise how lucky we are to work in such a fantastic industry. It’s not all about the money – it’s important that you fit into the community and you add something to it. We’re a point of contact in the town for many groups and organisations.”

Will is also optimistic about the future: “We’re a grandparent-heavy business, as they’ve got the disposable income and they’ve spent their life shopping in stores like ours,” he explains. “That said, we’ve noticed recently that we’re getting more younger parents with children coming in. That wasn’t the case 10 years ago. Maybe the cycle is going full circle and there is a new generation that values what a good independent retailer can offer.”

Toy World would like to congratulate all the team at Osborne’s on this momentous milestone.

Letter from America Opinion Facing challenges head on Rick Derr

After 20 years working at A.C. Nielsen/D&B Research Company, Rick opened the first Learning Express Toys franchise in the Chicago area in 1996, and then became a sub-franchiser. Although leaving the corporate environment behind, he has combined his expertise in data and numbers with a passion for the toy retail space. This month, Rick encourages everyone to remain positive in the face of aversity.

Where do I start? A few things have happened since I wrote my last column. The toy industry is resilient and, as ever, we will get through the challenges we face, but at what cost? That to me is the real question here in the States. Because the small to mid-tier toy companies are right in the bullseye of the tariff’s implementation. Their pain is real; let me highlight a few of those affected; some you will know, but others operate mainly here in the US:

• Learning Resources/Educational Insights

• Mavi Bandz

• Top Trenz

• Baby Paper

• SmartNoggin

• FoxMind (stopped shipping to US)

• Djeco (once warehouse in US is empty, they are pausing)

… and the list goes on.

The US consumer is also very much divided politically, and what makes communication so hard right now is that presenting the facts on tariffs is a tough sell. People simply want to jump to a political side rather than listen to the facts - it’s very frustrating.

But let’s back up for a minute and talk about what I had planned to talk about all along- sales in indies for the first four months of 2025 and post Easter holiday. The bottom line is that we are outperforming our forecast with sales up +10% YOY, with April extremely strong in terms of both traffic and sales. The top sellers were Pokémon, Wigglitz (3D printed mini figures), ZipString and assorted plush - a wellbalanced mix of items. Up until early May (as I write this article), sales remained solid with no evidence of the US consumer cutting back yet. The tariffs will start to hit us in the summertime, and I expect consumers to see some spikes in pricing by late summer. To date, we have not adjusted retail prices even though some tariffs have come through on invoices.

Our strategy has been to feature a Value section this year, to compete with Amazon online, by highlighting $15 and under products that offer strong value to the customer. We will continue to offer this section as we face higher prices throughout the store, so we can always meet the needs of all our guests, whatever their budget.

I have chosen to view 2025 in three chunks of four months each: January to April, May to August and September to December. The first four months were on target. I see the second trimester also able to stay on track—forecasting 5% growth and not trying to outguess the tariff situation by overloading inventory. We want to stay flexible, nimble and act fast for new opportunities. We placed a few bigger orders for bestsellers - otherwise we continue to buy what we need when we need it. Lastly, we are making a conscious effort to support smaller to mid-tier toy partners who are in the most pain right now.

As I look at the all-important holiday season, I am still optimistic we can grow, and I will find the right toys and stock to fill my store. But if the tariffs do not get resolved, I will forego a printed catalogue for the first time in 30 years. It’s just too risky to bet on items that may or may not come. We have an established digital and a large social media presence that we will utilize instead; I believe it prudent to stay flexible and not alienate customers by showing them items that may not be stocked.

Lastly, despite the bumps in the road, this industry continues to provide me with so much joy, the chance to meet so many people around the world and see new products every day. I will stay optimistic and believe so deeply in play as a core value to good health, that we will find opportunities in this current chaos. I wish you, my friends in the UK and Europe, many new opportunities too.

Wheelie excited for summer

Suppliers in the Wheeled Toys category have developed a wide array of product for children of all ages and sizes to match demand, from balance bikes and scooters to skateboards, ride-ons and bumper cars. Toy World’s Caroline Tonks explores the category’s potential beyond the summer months and looks at what suppliers are doing to keep it thriving.

The summer sun has arrived in the UK, and with it comes an influx of children outdoors on their bikes and scooters. A staple of so many children’s childhoods is learning to ride a bike. From their first moments on tricycles and training wheels, to slowly moving up to a ‘big kid’ bike as parents stand by watching them take off down the road, ready to catch in case there’s a topple. These memories bring back laughter and smiles (and maybe even some scraped elbows and tears), but at the end of the day is a big milestone in a young person's life. Wheeled Toys suppliers are doing everything they can to continue bringing these moments to new generations, with a host of products designed to help kids move and stay active at all times of year.

While Wheeled Toys thrive in the summer months, allowing kids to fully embrace their time outside in the sun, they also have massive potential as a year-round product. Breaking out of their traditional "summer-only" role, Wheeled Toys are a popular mode of transport to get to and from school, with kids zipping along pavements on their scooters and bikes.

Highlighting this usage, Micro Scooters UK has reframed its product story for consumers. “A Micro Scooter isn't just a summer toy; it’s a tool for independence, a shortcut to school and a way to turn daily journeys into mini adventures,” says Ben Gibson, managing director. “We invest in education, not just advertising: teaching parents and kids that scooting

is faster, cheaper, healthier and a lot more fun than being driven everywhere. Wheeled toys are becoming a movement category, not just a play category. Movement is the new wellness, and scooters are now part of bigger conversations about physical health, mental wellbeing, independence, sustainability and urban living.”

“If your product only exists in the customer's mind as a holiday treat, you're leaving 75% of your opportunity on the table,” he adds. “There’s no doubt summer brings a spike in sales. But the real win comes when you stay in the game all year. With clever positioning and the right product mix, we see sales stay much more stable across autumn and winter months. The market's future isn't just in seasonal highs; it's in staying useful, desirable and relevant for 12 months of the year.”

Hy-Pro shares this mentality, with Vinny Iaciofano, Commercial manager, sharing: “We promote our scooters as a fun, healthy and sustainable mode of transport for school commutes and weekend walks, helping increase interest in our products beyond the summer months.”

The outdoor wheeled goods sector at MV Sports has had a flying start to 2025, with new and evergreen licences performing ahead of last year. Affordability remains key for customers and end-consumers alike, and MV is maintaining its price points. But with affordability comes the responsibility of not stinting on quality. Chloe Bagshaw, Product Development manager, explains: “I

think our products strike that balance between price and quality. We have consciously always produced high quality toys, and we are seeing that customers are willing to pay that little bit more when they know the product will last for as long as the child uses it.”

“I think there has been buyers regret over the last couple of years where customers have chosen to go as cheap as possible and then paid the consequences and seen their purchase literally fall apart in front of their eyes. MV has always tested to the highest standards as we would never compromise on children's safety.”

Micro Scooters UK has found that parents are ready to pay for quality if it means better safety, durability and ease of use. Its balance bikes are lightweight and low-risk products with strong year-round demand. Parents see balance bikes as a smart investment in child development, not as just a toy, and they offer repeat opportunities as customers move from balance bike to scooter to stunt scooter. The new Balance Bike Lite sits nicely alongside Micro’s award-winning Mini Micro, 4-in-1 and Trike ranges.

Companies are breaking away from the traditional mould of Wheeled Toys and finding ways to incorporate new aspects that are fun and fresh. One example of this is harnessing the power of technology. With its Zinc scooters, Hy-Pro has used smart tech integration like LED lighting and Bluetooth connectivity, and the range even features Super LED options with 20 light functions

4-in-1 BUMPER BOX OF garden games

pop and catch

2-IN-1 BEAN BAG AND TARGET GAME

Light up balance bike

BEAN BAG TOSS

Feature Wheeled Toys

and big wheel light-ups. Vinny explains: “Looking ahead, lighting and smart features are expected to further shape the category, so our emphasis will continue to be to build great scooters so that our customers can keep having fun making memories.”

One For Fun’s Bubble Scooters are simple to get moving; all they need are some batteries and some bubble solution. As children take off, a trail is left in their wake, filling the air with hundreds of bubbles. The threewheel design is sturdy and easy to steer, with adjustable handlebars which are easy to grip for safe scooting, and the deck is designed from non-slip material.

United Wheels’ Huffy brand is combining technology with role play for its Disney Frozen Ice Cream Cart Ride-

On. This battery-powered vehicle delivers brand-led play and is a key line for United Wheels’ licensed ride-on ranges. “There’s a strong demand for products that offer something extra,” says Glenn McGrath, Marketing manager EMEA, United Wheels. “Our new Disney Frozen Ice Cream Cart taps into role play and imagination, not just movement. Wheeled toys are evolving beyond traditional formats; play value is becoming just as important as ride value.”

Licensing opportunities are prominent throughout the category, with children looking for their favourite characters to be a part of their outdoor adventures. Licences play a big role in the Micro Scooters portfolio, and Ben tells us the company is selective in choosing which licences to work with. “For example, our collaboration with The Gruffalo taps into storytelling and parent nostalgia, not just a logo on a deck. If you are going to utilise a licence, it has to add emotional value, not just marketing noise.”

MGA Entertainment’s Little Tikes Cozy Coupe is marking nearly five decades of creating cherished memories. Little Tikes has recently teamed up with BBC Studios for a new collection of Bluey-inspired toys, including the Bluey Grannies Car Coupe, inspired by the Bluey episode “Grannies” (Season 1, Episode 28). This Cozy Coupe features Bluey colours and comes with Bluey decals for little ones to decorate their new coupe, as well as Grannie glasses, a faux can of baked beans and more.

Also taking pride of place in MV Sports’ new collection of outdoor toys across its MoVe range, the new Bluey 4x4 Ride-On is a standout seller and offers an ideal first riding experience, complete with chunky, deep tread tyres for grip, a working horn and sound effects for added role play value.

Chloe says: “We are seeing much greater demand from ride-ons in general, and last year we had huge success with our foot to floor Bobble Bikes and licensed ride-ons.

Almost nine months ago, we launched our first bumper car which sold out before Christmas. Taking the hint, we launched an array of licensed bumper cars which also sold out quickly and have seen repeat orders many times since. We also have increasing interest in 4x4 licensed vehicles , from our newer Stitch and Bluey quads, right through to Vespas and motorcycles.” Another popular licence for MV is Spidey and His Amazing Friends. The Spidey Tilt & Glow Scooter is packed with features, including a light-up stem, motion-activated LED wheels and responsive tilt and turn steering.

“Licences remain one of the strongest ways to grab attention at shelf level and online,” explains Glenn. “Our Disney Frozen, Disney Princess and Minecraft helmets are great examples—they combine safety with characters kids love.” United Wheels’ new range of licensed helmets also features designs from Spidey, Minnie Mouse and Stitch, and is an ideal cross-sell for retailers and an easy win for parents and gift buyers.

Licences aren’t the only designs capturing kids’ attention, however. Unicorns and dinosaurs remain tried and true options for young riders, with suppliers like Wilton Bradley and One For Fun offering up fun products.

Wilton Bradley’s brand-new Xootz Unicorn and Dinosaur Ride-on Bumper Cars are designed with the utmost attention to safety and fun. The Unicorn has a light-up horn, and comes with a hairbrush and carrot accessories, encouraging interactive play and fostering a sense of responsibility.

One For Fun has a broad range of products with Unicorn or Dinosaur designs. Its brand-new Flashing Trail Twist scooters feature striking three wheeled designs – children just need to lean to change direction. Unicorn Dreamland and Dinosaur Expedition Flashing Wheeled Scooters are also available this summer. As children start to scoot, the wheels begin to flash, and each scooter has adjustable handlebars and fold flat function. Success for skateboarding in the mainstream sports arena has promoted new generic boards which are all available in different sizes. Ozbozz plastic skateboards continue to be popular and there are Princesses, Dragons, Dinosaurs and Space themed boards, available in packs of six single designs.

Across the upcoming feature, Toy World takes a look at the latest Wheeled Toys that will be hitting shelves, from balance bikes and trikes to scooters, ride-ons and more.

Wheeled Toys

United Wheels

01525 664 041 | www.huffy.co.uk sales@unitedwheels.eu

As summer approaches, Huffy is revving up to deliver its biggest and most eye-catching wheeled range yet – and United Wheels is now welcoming pre-orders and trade enquiries ahead of its arrival in the UK in the coming weeks.

From vibrant new styles to innovative frame builds and licensed lines, Huffy’s 2025 drop has been designed to stand out at retail.

Lightweight, sleek and ready to roll, the new LiteRides line-up includes 14", 16" and 20" kids bikes, all designed with aluminium frames for durability and easy handling. Bold colourways and fresh graphics give this range standout appeal, ideal for adventurous young riders stepping up their game.

United Wheels’ popular Vintage range returns with updated colourways, including a 10" balance bike in pastel matte pink –ideal for little ones taking their first steps into cycling with style.

For thrill-seeking riders, Huffy is proudly launching the Symbol Freestyle BMX and the HX Pro Race BMX. These two performance-ready models blend classic BMX with contemporary design and spec.

United Wheels’ new range of licensed helmets features designs from Disney, Spidey, Minnie Mouse, Frozen, Stitch and Minecraft. This range is an ideal cross-sell for retailers and an easy win for parents and gift buyers.

For Disney fans, the newly refreshed 14" Frozen and Princess bikes combine beloved characters with sparkling detail and rider-friendly design, and topping off the collection is the magical Frozen Ice Cream Cart Ride-On, a battery-powered vehicle that delivers sweet fun and brand-led play. This ride-on will is expected to be a guaranteed hit for imaginative little ones and a key line for licensed ride-on ranges.

United Wheels is now open for orders. Get in contact with the Huffy team to secure stock ahead of arrival.

MV Sports

01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk

As the summer season approaches, MV Sports has unveiled a new collection of outdoor toys across its MoVe range. Combining strong brand appeal with robust design and playled features, this season’s line-up has been created to drive demand at retail. Whether for active outdoor play or imaginative adventures in the garden, MV’s summer offering delivers engaging, high-quality products that encourage children to get moving and have fun.

Among the standout performers this year is Bluey, whose ever-growing popularity with families continues to translate into strong shelf performance. The new Bluey 4x4 ride-on offers an ideal first riding experience, complete with chunky, deep tread tyres for grip, a moulded seat and backrest for comfort, and working horn and sound effects for added role-play value. It’s lightweight, easy to assemble and built for durability, making it equally suitable for use indoors or out.

The Bluey 12" Balance Bike with light up wheels is a vibrant and functional option for early riders. With motion-activated LED wheels, puncture-proof tyres and adjustable handlebars, it’s designed to support balance and coordination while capturing the attention with its colourful character graphics.

The Bluey 4-in-1 Bumper Box of Garden Games is a versatile set which includes pop & catch, sticky catch, target shot and bat & ball, offering a wide range of activities that support movement, accuracy and teamwork. Designed for group play or independent fun, each game encourages physical activity and skill development. The bright Bluey branding ensures strong visual appeal both on-shelf and online, while the variety and value of the set make it an easy choice for summer gifting and seasonal purchasing.

Spidey and His Amazing Friends brings high energy and visual impact to the outdoor toy category. The Spidey Tilt & Glow Scooter is packed with features, including a light-up stem, motion-activated LED wheels and responsive tilt and turn steering. Designed with comfort and stability in mind, it offers youngsters a safe and exciting way to build confidence on the move.

Also available are the Spidey 4-in-1 Bumper Box of Garden Games and Quick Up Bean Bag and Target Toss Game, both developed for quick assembly, portability and hours of interactive outdoor fun. Both feature vibrant, character graphics that support visual development, all within a robust design suitable for indoor and outdoor play. These products tap into the popularity of character-branded garden games, offering clear value to parents looking to extend playtime beyond the screen.

MV Sports continues to lead the way in licensed outdoor toys, holding partnerships with all major global properties. With new products arriving for summer, now is the ideal time for retailers to explore its full range and stock up on seasonal bestsellers designed to deliver quality, excitement and repeat play value.

Wheeled Toys

Wilton Bradley

Wilton Bradley has announced the expansion of its licensed product line-up this year, with the Land Rover Defender and the Aprilia Motorbike.

Exclusive to the UK and catering to young explorers eager to embark on their own adventures, the brand-new Land Rover Defender ride-on combines style with functionality. With its authentic design mimicking the iconic vehicle and including cutting-edge features that ensure a safe yet thrilling ride, this Land Rover Defender is destined to be popular this season.

For speed enthusiasts and budding racers, the Aprilia Motorbike Ride-on captures the essence of the legendary Aprilia racing heritage. This ride-on is designed to deliver not just the looks, but the exhilaration of a real motorcycle adventure.

Wilton Bradley’s brand-new Xootz Unicorn and Dinosaur Ride-on Bumper Cars are designed with the utmost care for safety and fun. The Unicorn boasts a host of magical features such as a lightup horn, creating an enchanting light that will delight young riders, plus a hairbrush and carrot accessories, encouraging interactive play and fostering a sense of responsibility.

The Bumper Car range continues to resonate with consumers. The Big Bumper Car remains an evergreen favourite, as evidenced by engaging consumer videos on platforms like TikTok showcasing the sheer enjoyment they provide.

Wilton Bradley is proud to have been named the No.1 corporate manufacturer of Battery-Operated Ride Ons in the UK, according to the Circana Market Overview Report – Q4 2024 – UK Toys.

Wilton Bradley’s commitment to independent retailers extends beyond just providing products; it also offers valuable support and resources to help these businesses thrive. Whether through marketing assistance, product training or logistical support, Wilton Bradley aims to ensure that indie retailers have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.

Building on the success of the 2024 Xootz mass media campaign – Fun Unleashed! – Wilton Bradley is continuing to invest with a new mass media campaign for 2025, including TV advertising, designed to show off its most exciting, innovative products and put Xootz firmly on the map.

One For Fun

01416 132 525 | www.oneforfun.com | sales@oneforfun.com

The trusted Ozbozz brand from One For Fun continues to innovate with fresh, new and cost-effective products. There is a new neon orange edition to the Nebulus range of stylish, well priced scooters. These fold down for storage and carrying, have light up wheels and adjustable handlebars and are suitable for children aged five and up.

Brand-new Flashing Trail Twist scooters come in either a Unicorn or Dinosaur design. Both scooters feature striking three wheeled designs – children just need to lean to change direction. These new additions incorporate impressive flashing wheels and also have a brake on the back wheel.

Bubble scooters are simple to set up and are so much fun. All the scooters need are some batteries and bubble solution; parents can fill the tank on the scooter and off children go. The trail of bubbles will stream out of the scooter and fill the air with hundreds of bubbles. The three-wheel design is sturdy and easy to steer, with adjustable handlebars which are easy to grip for safe scooting, and the deck is also designed from non-slip material. This new Bubble scooter is available in Unicorn or Dinosaur design.

Rainbow, Unicorn Dreamland, Dinosaur Expedition and Tie Dye Flashing wheeled scooters are still popular and available this summer. As children start to scoot, the wheels begin to flash, and each scooter has adjustable handlebars and fold flat function. These scooters wheel alongside the existing Trail Twist Junior scooters – three wheelers designed for fun and stability.

My First Scooter is now a classic range. At a great price and ideal for younger children, this little scooter has outlived many of its rivals. This stalwart has undergone many redesigns and has won masses of consumer awards over the years, and transforms from a sturdy four-wheeler to a three-wheeler and then to a two-wheeler. The Unicorn and Dinosaur My First Scooters continue along with the traditional pink and blue.

Success for skateboarding in the mainstream sports arena has promoted new generic boards which are all available in different sizes - from the smaller, easy to carry boards to full size in a variety of materials. Ozbozz plastic skateboards continue to be popular, available in many bright colours. Also great for summer are four new designs in the 17” size, aimed at younger children. There are Princesses, Dragons, Dinosaurs and Space themed boards, available in packs of six single designs. The addition of flashing wheels adds even more value and make this a great priced gift at any time.

Wheeled Toys

Micro Scooters

01206 381 334 | www.micro-scooters.co.uk | tradeorders@micro-scooters.co.uk

In the toddler ride-on market, more parents are skipping stabilisers completely and investing in balance bikes to help their children learn to ride faster, safer and with more confidence. Sales of balance bikes have grown year-on-year, and with Micro Scooters’ trusted brand power behind it, the Balance Bike Lite range is placed to deliver big results for retailers.

The Balance Bike Lite is the next natural step in Micro’s nursery range, sitting alongside its award-winning Mini Micro, 4-in-1 and Trike ranges. Parents see balance bikes as a smart investment in child development, not as just a toy, and they are ideal for gifting occasions like birthdays, Christmas and key milestones. They offer repeat opportunities as customers move from balance bike to scooter to stunt scooter. Balance bikes are lightweight and a low-risk product with strong year-round demand, and parents are ready to pay for quality if it means better safety, durability and ease of use.

Micro’s Balance Bike Lite is designed with one goal in mind: to make learning to ride easier, faster and more fun. Every feature is tuned to deliver benefits that parents value and retailers can sell confidently. It is super lightweight at 2.1kg, making it easy for toddlers to handle and even easier for parents to carry when needed. There is an adjustable handlebar and seat, so it grows with the child, extending the life of the product and justifying the spend. With its aluminium frame and puncture-proof tyres, the balance bike is built to last across parks, pavements and playgrounds, and its eye-catching colours in pink and blue boosts gift appeal, allowing for flexible merchandising and tapping into personalisation trends.

For retailers looking to capture spend from first-time parents, grandparents and gift buyers, the Balance Bike Lite is a low-risk, high-reward opportunity. Its launch is supported by a full retail tool kit, including in-store point of sale, web-ready imagery and video, staff training resources, digital marketing spend including paid social, PR and influencer campaigns to drive awareness and footfall, and a free demonstration model with every initial Balance Bike order.

MGA Entertainment

0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com

Little Tikes has become a beloved name in playtime, offering generations of families durable, imaginative toys built for adventure. As a parent-trusted brand delivering quality products for over 50 years, Little Tikes continues to lead the way in wheeled fun. From classic ride-ons to innovative new designs that keep kids moving, exploring and smiling, Little Tikes wheeled toys have become firm family favourites.

The iconic Little Tikes Cozy Coupe is marking nearly five decades of creating cherished memories for generations of little drivers. This beloved ride-on has become an iconic symbol of fun, adventure and endless imaginative play. The Cozy Coupe range offers a selection of durable ride-ons, including the classic Cozy Coupe and the Princess Cozy Coupe, now featuring refreshed designs with new wheels and expressive eyes, keeping this timeless favourite fresh and exciting. Building on the legacy, the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Dino adds a Jurassic twist to playtime, while the Cozy Coupe Fairy brings a sprinkle of magic to every ride. These playful updates ensure that the Cozy Coupe will continue to be a favourite for generations to come. Each Cozy Coupe is designed with a removable floor, working horn, realistic clicking ignition switch and spinning front wheels, providing not only fun but also promoting active play, imagination and the development of motor skills.

Little Tikes has also recently teamed up with BBC Studios for a new collection of Bluey-inspired toys that bring the beloved animated series to life in a whole new way, which includes the Bluey Grannies Car Coupe.

The new Bluey Grannies Car Coupe is inspired by the Bluey episode “Grannies” (Season 1, Episode 28) and is a fresh take on a Little Tikes classic. The newly designed Cozy Coupe features Bluey colours and comes with Bluey decals for little ones to decorate their new coupe. The moveable coupe comes with Grannie glasses, a faux can of baked beans, a moving, clicking ignition switch, a gas cap that opens and closes, a built-in cupholder, a rear handle for parentcontrolled push rides and a removable floorboard.

Suitable for children aged 18 months and over, the Cozy Coupe remains a trusted and iconic toy, making lasting memories for families.

Wheeled Toys Hy-Pro

01582 670 100 | www.zincsports.com

When it comes to getting kids outside and moving, Hy-Pro UK's No.1 Zinc scooters are ideal. Whether it's a basic kick scooter or one of the electric models, Zinc has focused on making its scooters fun, safe and exciting for kids of all ages.

This year has seen Zinc scooters introduce a range packed full of bright colours, bold designs and super strong builds, making them an instant hit on the playground or in the park. Hy-Pro has focused on ensuring its scooters are lightweight enough for younger kids to handle easily, but tough enough to survive all the bumps and scrapes that come with daily use. Parents will appreciate that they’re built to last.

For bigger kids who love a bit more of an adventure, Zinc’s big wheel range has been a real game-changer. They’re fun, strong and with safety its top priority, Zinc has a range of easyto-use brakes, wide decks for better balance and adjustable handlebars to grow with the rider. This year has seen real success for the Radikal BMX scooter.

Whether it’s a three-wheeled scooter for a beginner or a slick electric ride, there’s something in the lineup for everyone. Furthermore, Hy-Pro offers folding scooters, which are great for throwing in the car or storing in a hallway without taking up loads of space. The LED range brings the wow factor to any gift giving.

Hy-Pro will continue to build on its success with new scooters this year. There are Super LED options with 20 light functions, big wheel light-ups, lightweight folding two wheels and three wheels that grow with children, providing great value.

07877 443 733 (Ria) | 07850 779 797 (Steve) sales@sjr-associates.co.uk

This year, Dolu is celebrating 50 years as a manufacturer and, for last three years, it has been manufacturing out of its purpose-built 64,000 sq meter factory. As such, Dolu is now a major manufacturer of outdoor and wheeled toys.

The company covers a broad array of products within the wheeled toys space. Tractors are a huge part of the business for Dolu, and the company offers a size and quality of tractor which is second to none. It also has added two new Sit-n-Rides to the range which have had a fantastic response from retailers. In Trikes, Dolu offers six options - with and without parent handles - and it even has a traditional Pedal Car which is one of the company’s oldest items, but remains very successful to this day.

All of Dolu’s wheeled items, including the Tractors, come in a pink option; a move which has considerably increased sales. Including Trikes and Sit-n-Rides, this represents 40% of sales and with some customers, this colourway is even more successful than the unisex versions. Dolu has also extended a new matte finish to some of its wheeled toys for this year.

While many think Tractors, Trikes and other wheeled toys sell best in summer, for Dolu, 60% of its sales take place from September to December. However, the company is experiencing a huge year-round increase in all its outdoor toys.

Everything Dolu makes is from its factory in Istanbul. It has no MOQs, and all its products are delivered direct from Turkey. This includes Mattel-branded items, manufactured under licence, and its popular nursery range.

To get in touch with the team at Dolu, please contact Ria or Steve via the details above.

Micro’s Balance

Super Lightweight

Aluminium Frame and PunctureProof Tyres

Adjustable Seat

Eye-Catching Colours

Gen Alpha media consumption habits

YouTube is reshaping UK Kids and Family marketing. Precise TV’s first ever UK Media Consumption Habit for Kids shows just how much.

At Precise TV, we’re proud to introduce the first-ever UK edition of the Precise Advertiser Report: Kids (PARK), a datarich, insight-driven study designed to help brands, agencies and media planners better understand how families engage with media, content and advertising in 2025. This report is a roadmap for marketers who want to reach Generation Alpha (children aged 2 to 12) and their parents with precision, safety and measurable impact. Until now, UK advertisers have been operating with limited visibility into what this audience watches, how they engage and what ultimately drives real-world purchases. PARK UK changes that.

YouTube is the platform of choice for UK kids

Our research confirms that YouTube is the dominant platform for children in the UK, far surpassing TikTok, Instagram and traditional broadcast TV. Children are watching on mobile, with 57% viewing content on phones and 56% on tablets. This is where young attention lives, and it is where brands must meet them.

Mobile Gaming is also a playful path for reach and engagement

Kids in the UK now spend around 82 minutes a day playing mobile games, putting the format on par with video for screen time. Puzzle, educational and animal-themed games are firm favourites, often played solo but packed with interactive moments. Many titles feature reward-based video ads, which kids willingly watch. For toy brands, this presents a powerful opportunity: reaching engaged young audiences in a fun, immersive environment where ads feel like part of the play. For those looking to drive brand connection and conversion, mobile gaming is a channel that should be a part of any digital strategy.

YouTube advertising drives purchases

One of the most compelling findings from PARK UK is that 35% of UK parents said their most recent child-related purchase was directly influenced by a YouTube ad. It shows how YouTube’s role in the purchase journey has moved well beyond awareness into conversion.

environments where kids form preferences and shape household conversations. PARK UK outlines the genres and video formats that drive the strongest engagement, giving toy brands and agencies the tools to align messaging with what kids are truly watching.

Children are influencing every category

The influence of Generation Alpha extends well beyond toys. From clothing and restaurants to family holidays and entertainment, children now help guide decisions across almost every major household spending category. As our chief Commercial officer Denis Crushell puts it: “This report pinpoints where UK family attention lives, how influence travels from child to parent, and what turns impressions into purchases. If you’re planning your next media cycle, this is the roadmap to smarter, safer and more effective campaigns.”

Co-viewing moments drive household decisions

In today’s media landscape, co-viewing matters. Our report shows that 76% of parents have been asked by their child to purchase a product they saw together during a shared YouTube viewing moment. These coviewing moments are a unique opportunity for brands to speak to both parent and child at once, a rare advantage in family marketing.

Cartoons, gaming and education dominate kids' interests

While cartoons remain a staple, children are increasingly turning to gaming content, educational videos and toy reviews. These are high-impact

At Precise TV, we’ve developed a contextual advertising platform designed to reach parents and children safely and effectively. With PARK UK, we’re giving the industry the insights it needs to create smarter, safer and more effective campaigns that drive real business outcomes. Whether you’re planning your next toy launch, reviewing your media mix, or simply trying to understand the next generation of consumers, PARK UK delivers the clarity you’ve been waiting for.

Download the full report by scanning the QR code to explore the findings in detail and discover how your brand can grow by aligning with where kids and parents are spending their time and attention.

Playtimeperfected Feature Infant Toys

The Infant Toys category is a key part of young ones’ growth and ever-expanding consciousness. To learn more, Toy World’s Caroline Tonks speaks to suppliers about the developmental benefits of Infant Toys and explores the important aspects influencing the leading products of the category.

The first few years of a child’s life are some of the most critical, where the foundations are set for their cognitive, social, emotional and physical developmental skills that will shape future behaviour. Focusing on these developmental benefits, a wide range of suppliers have curated a host of collections to help infants learn and grow, offering products which range from licensed staples and toys that draw on parent nostalgia to multi-sensory and sustainable lines.

“Supporting the developmental needs of the youngest members of the family underpins our entire Play+ range and is firmly embedded in the DNA of Ravensburger as a whole,” says Elaine Connell, Product manager at Ravensburger for the Brio, Play+ and GraviTrax brands. “Providing families with well-considered, quality products to meet the play and developmental needs of the youngest family members has never been more important.”

Ravensburger worked with childhood development experts at each stage while creating its Play+ range, including a “professor of Curiosity” based at Lancaster University who offered insights to help spark the natural wonder of babies, encouraging them to explore and develop their early skills. “We’ve paid keen attention to

providing toys that include grow-with-me touches, to not only foster growing skills, but also address a variety of skill types,” explained Elaine. “Later this year, we’re introducing a number of new sets that are designed to foster not only physical skills, but also social and emotional skills with role play elements.”

Scientific studies have shown the importance of colour and its impact on infants’ brain development. While babies can’t see in full colour at birth, but rather blacks, whites and greys, by two months old they can distinguish between colours like reds and greens and at six months they can see almost as well as adults, taking in the wider colour spectrum. In the beginning of infancy, bright, contrasting colours are generally recommended to stimulate visual development, like black and white. As babies get older, they become drawn to the primary colours – red, yellow and blue – and look for more vibrant hues. While these colours can be visually stimulating, they can become overstimulating, so suppliers have reacted by also designing lines with calming neutral and softer tones.

Commotion has announced the arrival of the highly anticipated SiliSoft range from its in-house educational toy brand, Tickit. This range has been created using three soft colourways that are exclusive to Tickit – rainbow,

earth and neutral. It features 30 SKUs, from teethers and rattles all the way to logic games and puzzles, created to support children’s development from birth through to pre-school. Andrea Storer, head of Product Development at Commotion, said: “We’re thrilled to introduce the SiliSoft range – a vibrant collection of thoughtfully designed toys that grow with children. Each piece is crafted to engage little minds and support every stage of development, encouraging sensory exploration, creativity and early learning.”

Another important aspect of developmental growth is the act of role play, and suppliers across the category have delivered, providing endless options for children to mimic actions they might see in their day-to-day lives through their loved ones, like vacuuming, making drinks or a salad and even making music. Clementoni’s Soft Clemmy range is designed to create a sensory play environment from babies’ earliest months onwards. The range has expanded in 2025 to include the Soft Clemmy Washing Machine, where infants can stack, insert and spin the blocks within the washing machine, and the Clemmy Sensory Roller Vacuum, which they can use to “vacuum” up their blocks.

Toynamics is bringing nursery brand Skip Hop’s newest collection to the UK market, inspired by

Say Hello to Happier Parenting!

We’re here to help you celebrate the little victories, let go of expectations, and pick up more positivity. Because after more than 90 years of helping families, we’ve learned that development happens naturally when fun leads the way.

Feature Infant Toys

Montessori methods and purposeful design. The Tubto-Table Cafe Bath Toy Collection features café themed bath sets for imaginative water play, while The French Press Bath Toy is a role play item that transforms soapy water into foam. There is also the Six-Piece Salad Prep Set which includes water draining bowls and scoops to aid the understanding of cause and effect and the Whirly Lemonade Set that pours, spins, swirls and rattles to help build motor skills.

The Cool Drink Pretend Play Set from Ravensburger invites little ones to discover and create their own refreshing ‘drinks’. With pretend fruit, ice cubes and cups, they can make colourful drinks and pour from the pitcher which includes light and sound effects. Infants can also turn the dial to change the flavour and watch as the drink magically disappears as it pours.

The 5-in-1 Toucan Tunes Playgym from VTech has been created to grow with babies and encourage cognitive and physical development. With over 90 melodies, sounds and phrases, the gym features a vibrant light-up toucan whose tummy changes colour with the rhythm of the music. Babies can explore musical instrument accessories including a guitar rattle, squeaky drum, maraca, tambourine mirror and sheet music, all promoting selfdiscovery and sensory stimulation.

Parent nostalgia is a major purchase driver in this category, as parents are drawn to products for their young ones that reflect parts of their own childhoods, toys that they themselves loved, passing on traditions through the generations.

Mike Lynch, senior Brand manager at VTech, tells us: “Today’s parents grew up with iconic toys, and many remember VTech as part of their own childhoods. That nostalgia plays a big role in purchasing decisions. Parents are looking for toys that evoke a sense of familiarity but also offer something new and exciting for their little ones. Our approach blends timeless play patterns with cuttingedge educational tech, giving parents the reassurance of a trusted brand and kids the joy of discovery.”

“There's a powerful connection between parent nostalgia and purchasing behaviour,” adds James Shepherd, CEO at Commotion. “Many parents are inclined to buy toys reminiscent of their own childhoods, allowing them to create shared experiences with their children. This nostalgia-driven trend is undeniably boosting sales.”

Character licensing also leads to sales, as ranges full

of classic favourites appeal to parents and gift givers who recognise a character that they know and love. Rainbow Designs has an extensive range of best-sellers which include Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Hundred Acre Wood, which features an extensive line up of soft toys, comforters, ring rattles, attachables and developmental toys; the Paddington for Baby range that has a new look and feel coming this autumn and the Peter Rabbit Once Upon a Time and Signature collections with soft toys for little ones.

“There will always be much-loved and familiar playthings that evoke childhood memories,” says Elaine. “Parents, grandparents and gifters are often drawn to these items – not only through nostalgia but also in providing confidence in their purchase: toys and play patterns that stand the test of time do so for a good reason.

“In developing the Play+ line, our team put some of those timeless toybox classics under the microscope and, using insights from childhood development experts as well as parents themselves, innovated to offer additional play value and ways to play, as well as practical features to support parents too.”

According to Mike, licensing plays a key role in enhancing brand recognition and engagement, particularly for younger consumers who are already familiar with characters from TV, streaming platforms or books. He says: “At VTech, we've found that licensed products can bridge the gap between entertainment and education, making learning feel more intuitive and engaging. When a child recognises a character they love, they’re more likely to interact with and learn from the toy. It also provides added reassurance to parents, who view licensed products as safer, more reputable options.”

And of course, there is always the category staple: plush. One For Fun’s Animigos range from Tobar continues to grow with the addition of new family favourite animals. The Animigos World of Nature range has won acclaim and awards for its lifelike depiction in plush of the world’s animals, and they are suitable for infants. This year sees the addition of an Otter Mum with her baby, a Red Fox and a Deer, all at 30cms, as well as smaller additions of the Black Cat and the Duckling.

The all-new range of Disney Doorables Plush from Simba Smoby UK is also suitable from birth. Each 25cm toy is super-soft and features Disney Doorables signature styling, including wide glittery eyes which will appeal to little ones. There are many characters to collect, including Stitch, Angel, Dumbo, Simba, Jasmine, Rapunzel and more. Disney Snuglets is another new launch for autumn/ winter 2025: weighted character plushies styled as though they’re off to bed; each character lies on their belly, with a sleepy expression and an eye mask atop their head. There are two characters to collect – Stitch and Winnie the Pooh.

“Overall, we are witnessing a significant surge in demand for toys that are not only safe and sustainable, but also developmentally appropriate,” concludes James, reflecting on the category. “At Commotion, we prioritise educational value in our toy design and selection. As a business - and as parents - we are relentless advocates of letting children be children; we are unapologetic in promoting toys that encourage kids to use their imagination, acquire cognitive skills and develop language without the digital aids that are now so prevalent in our everyday lives.”

Continue flipping through the following pages to read the full Infant Toys feature and see the latest products and ranges that are filling shelves and driving the marketplace this year.

New Pretend Play Sets Coming September

Chameleon

Best Travel Toy: Play+ Spin & Pop Leopard

Infant Toys

Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com

Fisher-Price continues to spark joy during playtime with a wide-ranging and imaginative selection of toys, including its exciting new additions across its portfolio for infants and preschoolers this autumn.

As a pioneer in creating quality, educational toys for young kids, Fisher-Price is expanding its Wood line, introducing the Wooden Animal Puzzle, offering wild shape-sorting and storytelling fun for infants. The Wooden Rainbow Bead Bar lets infants explore shapes, colours and early counting through fun bead-sliding play and the Wooden Pots & Pasta Chef Set allows them to dish up endless servings of pretend play.

The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn range helps develop fine motor skills and encourages role play for infants. New to the range is the Laugh & Learn 4-in-1 Activity Table & Easel to keep little ones busy playing, learning and creating as they grow from baby to infant. It includes hands-on activities, three Smart Stages levels, 135+ songs and sounds and built-in storage for art supplies.

Fisher-Price continues to expand its Little People range with the Little People Push and Play Tractor, offering a variety of songs, sounds and phrases, two figures, plus an attached trailer. The iconic Little People Caring Fun Animal Farm is introducing a refreshed playset for 2025, featuring a two-story barn packed with hands-on activities all around, a drop-through silo and multiple stalls to house and care for the animals.

New to the Little People Disney Princess range is the Pull-Along Musical Carriage, styled like a classic horse-drawn carriage and offering multiple play areas where kids can act out stories. The Moana Adventure Village allows infants to discover an island of imaginative fun with three floors of hands-on storytelling play. Little People introduces newness to the Little People Barbie range with the Barbie Beach House including a stylish living area, bedroom with fold-down wall bed, bathroom, movable “wave” slide and a relaxing roof-top deck with a hot tub, umbrella and lounge chair.

In 2025, Thomas & Friends marks its 80th Anniversary, celebrating eight decades of the brand’s heritage and the joy it has brought to children's playtime. To mark this milestone, the brand will be expanding the line to launch the new Load & Launch Barrel Delivery Set. This expansive set includes a Classic Thomas motorised engine and cargo car, plus 18 feet of track and accessories to build out the world of Sodor.

Commotion

01732 225 821 | www.commotion.co.uk | info@commotion.co.uk

Commotion has announced the arrival of the highly anticipated SiliSoft range from its in-house educational toy brand, Tickit. This new collection features 30 beautifully designed toys, created to support children’s development from birth through to pre-school. First unveiled at the Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse earlier this year, the range includes engaging items such as teethers, rattles and sensory balls for babies; water squirters, stacking and nesting toys for toddlers; and puzzles, logic games, imaginative play sets and tactile toys for busy fingers and growing minds. The products have been created using three soft colourways that are exclusive to Tickit – rainbow, earth and neutral.

Each piece in the SiliSoft collection is made from premium food grade silicone, approved to LFGB and FDA standards. This safe and soft material has been carefully chosen to ensure that every toy is flexible, durable and suitable for little hands and mouths. Unlike many plastic alternatives, silicone retains its shape and vibrant colour even after extended use, making these toys both longlasting and a sustainable choice for families and educational settings.

One of the key benefits of silicone is its natural resistance to bacteria. SiliSoft toys are hygienic and easy to clean—whether that’s in the dishwasher, the microwave for sterilisation or simply with soap and water. The material is non-toxic and hypoallergenic, offering a safe, chemical-free play experience. Its gentle texture also means these toys are comfortable to hold, safe to chew and help reduce the risk of injury during active or rough play.

As a trusted name in the toy industry for over 40 years, Commotion offers strong and supportive partnerships to its resellers, with personalised service, expert guidance from dedicated account managers and access to a wide range of marketing materials including high-quality images, videos and product copy to help drive sales in store and online.

Infant Toys

Orchard Toys

01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com sales@orchardtoys.com | orders@kayes.co.uk

Orchard Toys is extending its expertise in educational games and puzzles into the baby and toddler space with the launch of its brand-new Baby and Toddler range – designed specifically for little learners aged nine months and up. The new collection introduces four standout SKUs, packaged in soft pastel tones that offer strong shelf appeal while clearly distinguishing the range from Orchard Toys’ core products. True to the brand’s heritage, each item blends engaging design with educational value, durability and fun.

Leading the range is Under the Sea, an illustrated wooden nesting puzzle. Designed for ages 12 months and up, this set features five chunky sea creatures – whale, shark, octopus, turtle and starfish – that nest inside one another to help develop size recognition, fine motor skills and early problem-solving.

Also in the collection is Match and Feel, a tactile twist on traditional puzzles, created for children aged 18 months and over. Featuring six two-piece jungle animal puzzles, each piece incorporates a unique texture, from the lion’s soft mane to the elephant’s leathery skin, providing a multi-sensory learning experience that’s enriching and fun.

The See and Sound flashcards are another standout, offering a gentle introduction to farm animals and the sounds they make. With 24 extra-large, chunky cards and vibrant illustrations, the set supports recognition, matching and auditory learning from as young as nine months. It also comes with an eight-page activity guide to help parents support baby’s development through play.

Completing the range is the Woodland Puzzle, a durable wooden puzzle featuring seven easy-to-hold animal pieces, including a fox, owl and hedgehog. Designed for toddlers and preschoolers, it encourages hand-eye coordination and matching skills, plus the pieces double up as standalone play figures to inspire storytelling and imaginative play.

With this new range, Orchard Toys brings its trusted quality and educational value to the very youngest of learners and offers retailers a fresh new opportunity to expand their offering to parents of this age group.

Rainbow Designs

01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesign.co.uk

Rainbow Designs offers babies an abundance of comfort, cuddles and sensory joy with its best-selling licensed ranges of plush toys, from Peter Rabbit and Paddington to Harry Potter and Disney’s Dumbo. These collections are all bursting with high quality cuddly toys for little ones.

Rainbow’s Harry Potter collection is a whimsical range of infant toys that brings the beloved Wizarding World to the youngest of Harry Potter fans. From The Stars of Hogwarts My First Soft Toys to Ring Rattles, Comforters and Activity Toys, this range features the young wizard, Harry Potter, the wise Snowy Owl, Hedwig, and the ever-endearing Dobby the house elf. Starting House alliances early, the collection also includes comfort blankets representing all four Hogwarts Houses—Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. New additions include a Hogwarts Express Soft Book and a Harry Potter Activity Cube.

The ever-popular Disney Baby Lion King collection, featuring the adorable Simba, continues to grow in popularity with fans of The Lion King. The Simba Sensory Play Mat, with its peek-a-boo flap and baby-safe mirror, is a jungle of sensory stimulation, perfect for tummy time and interactive play. The range also includes the super cuddly My First Simba Activity Soft Toy, Comfort Blanket and Ring Rattle, and new to the range for 2025 is the Lion King Activity Cube featuring multiple textures, sounds and baby-safe mirror.

Arriving this autumn, is the new Disney Baby Dumbo collection, featuring the Dumbo Comforter and Ring Rattle, alongside a cute Dumbo Activity Soft Toy with developmental features to engage babies' senses and encourage sensory play.

The beautiful infant range from the Sri Lankan-based Tikiri Toys arrives this summer. The collection includes a range of organic soft toys, comforters and natural rubber teethers as well as an extensive range of timeless and classic Bonnika Soft Dolls, Cherub Baby dolls as well as the adorable Carry Cot with Baby Grace. These beautiful, handcrafted dolls have been created to foster the feeling of family.

Rainbow’s best-selling classics include Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Hundred Acre Wood, which features an extensive line up of soft toys, comforters, ring rattles, attachables and developmental toys focusing on Winnie the Pooh and his friends Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. There is also a new look and feel coming to the Paddington for Baby range this autumn, and the Peter Rabbit Once Upon a Time and Signature collections are also bursting with soft toy delights for little ones.

Infant Toys

From sensory development to splash-time fun, Toynamics UK & Ireland continues to bring early childhood toys from its global brands: Hape and Skip Hop.

2025 sees growth in Hape’s multi-sensory, sustainable play range with toys that grow with little ones. The new Rattle & Teether Set features a trio of thoughtfully crafted rattles and teethers that soothe, stimulate and support fine motor development. These also come with suction cups, making them on-the-go entertainment for infants from as young as a few months old. This product is made from BPA-free silicone and beech wood for child-safe play. New this year, the Pull-Back Plush Car Set is a safe, silent four car set that doubles as storage, rolls out to provide a soft play mat and is machine washable for convenience. Also coming up is the Sensory Scoop Ice Cream Truck with peek-a-boo flaps, sticky ice cream balls and unique textures. Toynamics is bringing nursery brand Skip Hop’s newest collection to the UK market. Inspired by Montessori methods and purposeful design, Skip Hop's latest releases are made for hands-on discovery, developmental growth and bath time fun.

The Tub-to-Table Cafe Bath Toy Collection features café themed bath sets for imaginative water play. Planter Pals is a five-piece set with suctioned garden pots for secure play against the tub or tiled walls. The French Press Bath Toy is a role play item that transforms soapy water into foam. The SixPiece Salad Prep Set includes water draining bowls and scoops to aid the understanding of cause and effect. Finally, the Whirly Lemonade Set pours, spins, swirls and rattles to help build motor skills. Along with this collection, Skip Hop is also releasing its Feelin’ Clucky 3-in-1 Tambourine, a light-up musical toy that’s part tambourine, part piano and part quirky chicken. With three play modes and a grab-friendly translucent ring, this toy builds rhythm, coordination and giggles for infants.

The Toynamics UK & Ireland 2025 line-up is packed with thoughtful, skillbuilding products supporting babies and grown-ups. Each brand is available with full marketing support including Shop-In-Shop solutions, window displays, competitions, giveaways and exclusive discounts and offers.

MGA Entertainment

0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com

For over 50 years, Little Tikes has been a parent trusted brand delivering quality products. Little Tikes’ infant toys are made to nurture curiosity, encourage movement and support growing minds. Each toy is thoughtfully crafted to bring joy, comfort and discovery to every stage of early development.

The Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers Catch Me Crabbie is an interactive toy designed to get children aged three months and over moving. Babies can chase after the Little Tikes Lil' Ocean Explorers Catch Me Crabbie; there is a motion sensor inside so, when baby approaches, Crabbie moves side to side clapping his claws and playing music and SFX.

The Lil' Ocean Explorers Stand n Dance Starfish tower encourages little ones aged nine months and over to create music and dance along. The light-up keyboard can be played by little hands when sitting or by little feet when standing and dancing. Children can use the curvy tower to pull up to standing position, then make the balls spiral out of control down the ball drop to chase.

With Fantastic Firsts, Little Tikes lights the way to active play. The collection is designed to use light to inspire babies to get moving. Movin' Lights Monkey provides children aged nine months and over with two ways to move and groove. In chase mode, babies are encouraged to crawl and chase the coloured lights projected from Monkey's lantern as he moves and twists. In dance mode, 50 sounds, songs and tons of silly phrases get little ones grooving to the Jungle Boogie.

Children aged 12 months and over can triple the play with the Little Tikes 3-in-1 Sports Zone Dunk, with three favourite sport modes: basketball, football and bowling. Basketball features an adjustable height hoop to grow alongside children. The backboard lights up and features over 75 rewarding sounds and phrases that activate when shots are made. The set folds up compactly for easy storage.

Infant Toys

VTech

01235 555 545 | www.vtech.co.uk |  trade.sales@vtecheu.com

One For Fun

01416 132 525 | www.oneforfun.com sales@oneforfun.com

Tobar’s Animigos range of animated plush animals continues to grow with the addition of new family favourites. Animigos World of Nature range has won acclaim and awards for the lifelike depiction in plush of the world’s animals, which are suitable for infants. This year sees the addition of an Otter Mum with her baby – 30cms, plus a Red Fox and a Deer, also 30cms. Smaller additions are the Black Cat and the Duckling.

Animigos World of Nature includes some unusual animals to embrace, including the Okapi, Arctic Fox, Malayan Tapir, Snow Leopard, Capybara and the Axolotl, whilst the Pointer Puppy, Grey Fluffy Cat, Seal Pup, Dolphin, Hamster and Bat are more well known and loved.

One for Fun also distributes Dream Beams, the glow-in-thedark plush character companions. New waves will continue to be launched on a regular basis. These lovable characters are not just super soft and squishy, they have a unique glow-in-the-dark feature which provides cuddly comfort day and night. Specially designed to offer emotional support through cuddling, squeezing and sharing one mission to help every child have a good night’s sleep and sweet dreams. There are lots of different characters to choose from, each with their own story. The Dream Beams website offers parents of older children lots of information on each character, mini games and colouring sheets. Dream Beams are ideal for all children from birth and offer great value for money against comparable plush.

VTech has unveiled three innovative new additions to its VTech Baby range. Designed to stimulate curiosity, support developmental milestones and inspire learning through play, these new toys offer exciting and enriching experiences for little ones from birth to toddlerhood.

With over 40 years of experience in educational toy design, VTech combines the latest in developmental research with engaging play features to create trusted products that support families during the earliest years of a child’s life. The latest additions — the 5-in-1 Toucan Tunes Playgym, the 3-in-1 Mow and Grow Tractor and the Discovery Play Centre — demonstrate VTech’s continued commitment to learning through fun.

Parents can encourage cognitive and physical development with the dynamic 5-in-1 Toucan Tunes Playgym. Created to grow with babies, this colourful and engaging playgym transforms through five developmental stages — from newborn playmat to toddler play panel. With over 90 melodies, sounds and phrases, the gym features a vibrant light-up toucan whose tummy changes colour with the rhythm of the music. Babies can explore musical instrument accessories including a guitar rattle, squeaky drum, maraca, tambourine mirror and sheet music, all promoting self-discovery and sensory stimulation. The detachable piano allows little ones to learn numbers, colours and animals while playing along to favourite tunes, making this a true grow-with-me classic.

With the Discovery Play Centre, parents can combine the panels into three different configurations for grow-with-me fun. Babies can sit and discover each panel, move around and interact with the classic cube or crawl around the long zig-zag. Each of the four panels introduces different themes and learning including music, numbers and animals through the light up piano keys, key-pad and mini book page. A driving zone, shape sorter, peek-a-boo fun, turning gears, rollers and a see-through window enhance key development stages.

The versatile 3-in-1 Mow and Grow Tractor ride-on easily converts into a push-along lawn mower, supporting physical development and coordination. It also features a removable electronic driver panel for interactive play on the go. In all three configurations, children will hear encouraging phrases, realistic sound effects and catchy tunes designed to inspire role play fun. With 12 sing-along songs, 24 cheerful melodies and interactive elements such as buttons and manipulatives, this engaging toy fosters active learning and motor skill growth for children.

This autumn/winter, VTech Baby is launching a brand-new digital advertising campaign spotlighting the new 5-in-1 Toucan Tunes Playgym, Discovery Play Centre and Walk & Wag Puppy, as well as favourites such as the First Steps Baby Walker and Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball. Running across key digital platforms, the campaign is designed to boost brand visibility and showcase the playful innovation behind VTech Baby.

Infant Toys

Clementoni

020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com paul.fogarty@clementoni.com

Soft Clemmy is a soft play block range designed to create a sensory play environment from babies’ earliest months onwards. The blocks are made from a completely soft material that won't hurt delicate teeth and gums and can also be thrown and stamped on without any risk.

The range expands for 2025 to include the Soft Clemmy Washing Machine. With lots of blocks to stack, little ones can spin them, insert them into the drawer or flower hole, see them turn through the door and press the pop-it or wavy band.

In addition, the Clemmy Sensory Roller Vacuum lets children not only play with their Soft Clemmy blocks, but also “vacuum” them up. The handle can be removed for babies from six months and then older children can stroll and vacuum as they go.

Ravensburger

01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com

Following its autumn launch, Ravensburger is extending its Play+ infant and toddler brand in the second half of the year with items offering a multitude of developmental benefits.

Coming later this year, a series of pretend play sets support early social and emotional skills development as well as fine motor skills and more. The My Little Plants Puzzle & Play Set includes 20 pieces and is based on the established Montessori peg puzzle principles. With each of the four plants, children can nest elements inside each other and use them for stacking. The set is complete with a watering can and play seed packets, encouraging role play.

The Cool Drink Pretend Play Set invites little ones to discover and create their own refreshing ‘drinks’.  With pretend fruit, ice cubes and cups, they can make colourful drinks and pour from the pitcher which includes light and sound effects. They can also turn the dial to change the flavour and watch as the drink magically disappears as it pours. The set includes a handy tray and a silicone shape-sorting tray.

The new Food Fun Stack & Play Set is contained in a handy carry case. This set encourages children to discover colours and numbers as they explore the recipe cards and create matching snack creations with the pretend food pieces.

The new Play+ Pretend Play Sets launch later this year and join over 30 items in the brand’s book and toy collection.

Simba Smoby UK

01620 674 778 | www.smobytoys.co.uk | sales@simbasmoby.com

Parents can introduce their littlest ones to all their favourite Disney characters with Simba’s Disney Plush collection, which includes a variety of formats and styles.

The all-new range of Disney Doorables Plush is suitable from birth. Each 25cm toy is super-soft and features Disney Doorables signature styling, including wide glittery eyes which will appeal to little ones and fit right into a nursery or playroom. There are many characters to collect, including Stitch, Angel, Dumbo, Simba, Jasmine, Rapunzel and more. These plushies are weighted so they can stand freely, whilst also offering extra comfort during snuggle time.

Disney Snuglets is another new launch for autumn/winter 2025. These weighted character plushies are styled as though they’re off to bed; each character lies prone on their belly, with a sleepy expression and an eye mask atop their head. At 40cm, they’re great for cuddling, and weighted to help soothe and calm. There are two characters to collect – Stitch and Winnie the Pooh.

For more information about the full brand portfolio, please get in touch via the details above.

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3 Ways to Play

Insight

Behind the headlines

Astrong April, with value growth of +13%, has helped the UK toy market to a YTD growth figure of +7%. This is an excellent start to the year and a very welcome boost, with over £30m more being spent on toys vs. the first four months of 2024. The headlines are being taken up by the top performers, and rightly so: there have been some very impressive sales trends so far, with Pokémon showing huge growth and The Lego Group continuing to grow after a strong 2024. If we look at where the overall market growth is coming from, the top 10 manufacturers are growing by +9%, with Asmodee, The Lego Group, Zuru and Spin Master leading the way. The top 10 manufacturers account for around half of all toys spend, so, collectively, they represent an incredibly important part of the market and its success this year. However, there has been some strong growth from other areas of the market too; it might surprise you to learn that, even removing Pokémon from Games & Puzzles, the category is still growing by +13%. Similarly, in Building Sets, removing Lego shows the category still growing by +18%. So, there’s clearly a lot happening in the UK toy market outside of the main headlines.

doing particularly well. The growth properties are diverse, with Minecraft and Sonic from the video games world, Marvel and Transformers from movies and new value from Mr Beast. Licensing is also growing this year in Action Figures, making up 83% of overall value in the category, way

ahead of the 35% of total toys. Looking at the type of licences driving growth is interesting: the top growth theme in Action Figures this year is Manga/Anime, which is growing by +27% and has added over £1m. The licences that are showing growth within this theme are a varied bunch, with the top performers being Demon Slayer, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.

of +15% driven by Minecraft, Paddington, Lilo & Stitch and Hello Kitty & Friends. Plush is also where we can find the top performing manufacturer in 2025 outside the top 10: Keel Toys has added over £3m in value this year and is growing by an outstanding +303%. With a range that is exclusively Plush and almost no licensed sales, this manufacturer possibly doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The range includes a wide selection of animals, the appeal of which certainly isn’t waning with consumers.

While Keel Toys is the best performing manufacturer outside the top 10, there are a host of others with strong growth trends too. Several Outdoor companies are performing well, with the good weather in April helping here; Geemac, Wilton Bradley and Plum Products are amongst the top performers in the category so far this year. Outdoor & Sports Toys grew by +13% in the month of April, as the Easter holidays saw plenty of sunshine, which Outdoor companies will be hoping to continue for the next few months. Bandai is another top performer this year, helped by the strong Manga/Anime trend we have seen in Action Figures.

We like to publish positive results for the toy market at Circana, so it’s great to have a headline trend of +7%and to have growth coming from a range of categories, manufacturers and properties is a truly encouraging sign in the current climate. Let’s hope the toy market can continue to perform at that level for the rest of 2025. The

After Games & Puzzles and Building Sets, the next best performing category in 2025 is Action Figures. With +12% value growth this year, the category has added £3m in value so far. This has been helped by strong performances from several manufacturers, rather than from one company

Plush toys is up +1%, according to the latest data, behind the market trend of +7%. But this isn’t the full story; if we exclude Squishmallows from the overall trend, the category is growing by +11%. There are some impressive trends from Ty, as well as Zuru’s Snackles and Pets Alive ranges, amongst others. Licensing is strong here too, with growth

Property Progression:

The Minecraft Movie was released in UK cinemas on April 4th and the film has enjoyed great success at the box office. This has helped boost the Minecraft property from a No. 17 ranking in March to the No. 2 ranking in May, with over £3m in sales for the month of April. The Building Sets range from The Lego Group has the largest share of the property, making up around 37% of all value, with approximately 20% coming from Action Figures Collectibles and 16% from Plush. Within Action Figure Collectibles, Mattel and Simba Dickie are the key manufacturers, while in Plush, the manufacturer with the highest share of sales is Mattel. The Minecraft Plush 8" Assortment from Mattel was the top selling Minecraft product for the month of April, with the Minecraft The Baby Pig House from Lego at No. 2. With the movie continuing to be shown in cinemas and still receiving a very positive reaction, the property should continue to perform well for the next few months.

Licences have grown by +10% so far in 2025 and account for 35% of all toy spend in the first four months of the year. Formula 1 is the top growth licence this year and has added nearly £4m vs. the same period in 2024. Almost all this growth has come from Lego with the new range having a great start to the year. The Speed Champions Formula 1 Ferrari Sf24 Racing Car is the top Formula 1 item, followed by the Speed Champions Formula 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Race Car.

In the top 10 growth licences, three come from video games, with Minecraft, Fortnite and Sonic the Hedgehog all featuring in the top 10. Two of these licences are helped by having movie releases that have boosted toy sales: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released in December 2024, boosting sales in the first four months of 2025.

Top 10 fastest growing licences - total toys

Formula 1

Minecraft

Lilo and Stitch

Harry Potter Fortnite

Hello Kitty and Friends

Disney Princess Moana

Sonic The Hedgehog

Wicked Movie Bluey

Action Figure Collectibles is the key growth category for Sonic, but Plush, Collectible Stickers and Blasters/Shooters are all growing too. The Minecraft Movie was released in early April and led to Minecraft being the second-best performing licence for YTD April 2025, with The Lego Group and Mattel the two main manufacturers adding to sales. The Lego Fortnite range launched in 2025 and has helped the Fortnite licence become the fifth best performer this year. The Fortnite Battle Bus from Lego is the top item and accounts for around a third of all Fortnite spend.

Hello Kitty and Friends is the sixth best performing licence in 2025. It was the property’s 50th anniversary in 2024, and this has led to strong sales continuing into this year. Traditional Plush makes up around a third of all value and was also the top growth category, although other subclasses - Miscellaneous Toys, Playset Dolls and Special Feature Plush – are all growing strongly. The Miniverse Hello Kitty & Friends Make It Mini Food Asst from MGA Entertainment is the top Hello Kitty item, with the L.O.L. Surprise! Hello Kitty And Friends Tots Asst also from MGA Entertainment at No. 2.

Pigment of imaginationthe Feature Arts & Crafts

The Arts & Crafts category remains a staple in the toy industry and is currently thriving due to popular ongoing trends such as slime-making, bracelet crafting and mini-DIY collectibles. Gabriela Jiménez García speaks with a selection of leading suppliers to explore the latest and most exciting developments in this area.

AArts, crafts and design have always played a crucial role in early childhood development, fostering emotional expression and cognitive growth. This category also helps children to develop a range of practical skills, such as hand-eye coordination, motor skills and critical thinking. These activities enable children to understand the properties of a broad range of tools and materials and provide endless opportunities to think imaginatively and develop confidence in other subjects. A recent study from UK researchers, published in Frontiers in Public Health, also suggests that engaging in creative activities can improve mental health, leading to increased happiness and a stronger sense of purpose, which reinforces the importance of introducing children to different forms of art from a young age and encouraging them to express themselves creatively.

Codie Goddard, Brand and Marketing manager at Curious Universe, agrees that Arts & Crafts continues to evolve from a rainy-day activity into daily outlets for selfexpression and wellbeing. “There's a growing recognition

of the benefits these activities bring, not just creatively, but mentally and emotionally, with recent articles even linking crafting hobbies to increased longevity,” she says.

Among the many growing trends driving the category is the demand for compact and collectible craft kits, as consumers seek convenient and economical projects that offer a quick set-up, are simple to make and will make an attractive display item that they can proudly showcase after completion. Curious Universe is one of the companies embracing this trend, telling Toy World that collectible formats continue to gain momentum, with platforms like TikTok spotlighting DIY trends and fuelling demand for quick, aesthetic and shareable projects. “Smaller-scale kits offer convenience, lower price points and gifting potential, which also makes them perfect pocket-money purchases all year round,” adds Codie.

Brainstorm’s Eugy range of miniature figurines continues to grow with the addition of new animals including, this year, a Beaver, Kingfisher, Manatee, Pachycephalo, Black Bear, Cockatoo and the trending

Capybara. The brand has become a staple in the Arts & Crafts aisles across a variety of retail channels, offering consumers a quick and easy way of creating 3D models in under 10 minutes with biodegradable card and glue. Likewise, Just Play is tapping into the small, collectible art trend with the launch of Knotz Animals, which provides consumers with everything they need to make their very own mini plush. First released in the fourth quarter of 2024, this innovative range has started to gain traction, with users on platforms like Instagram and TikTok describing it as ‘addictive’ and posting videos that showcase how to create these uniquely styled plushie toys. While the initial series features 12 on-trend animal characters, a second series is on the way, introducing 12 new plush characters to create and enabling users to expand their collections.

Ben Cornwell, Sales director at Wigston Global, tells Toy World that he is seeing a significant rise in accessible, hybrid art kits that combine traditional techniques with modern tools. “Convenience, flexibility and the blending of artistic styles are driving this trend, especially among young creatives and students who seek fast, portable and

Feature Arts & Crafts

satisfying creative experiences,” he explains. One of the upcoming launches from Wigston this year is the Artspace Paint by Markers range, which provides a fresh and accessible alternative to traditional painting. By replacing brushes with vibrant markers, Artspace allows users to create intricate, paint-style artwork with the precision and convenience of a pen. “The Artspace Paint by Makers collection offers a completely fresh, mess-free way to create stunning artwork, making it ideal for busy students, younger artists and casual crafters alike,” explains Ben. “It perfectly captures our brand ethos: creative, flexible and unapologetically fun.”

Clementoni’s UK and Country manager, Paul Fogarty, highlights customisation as one of the growing areas in the Arts & Crafts category. He tells Toy World: “We are definitely seeing an ongoing trend with products that offer personalisation and creation. This is prominent not only within the Gen Z audience, mainly driven by social media and ASMR content, but also in younger consumers. Kids are drawn to products they can customise as it gives them space to express their identity, and we find parents are very keen on these products as they value the STEM learning and creativity they promote.” Following the successful launch of the Idea! Pen Creator Studio range, the company is ready to take pen creation to the next level with the addition of Message Pen Creator. This range allows children to customise a decorative pen that they can endlessly redesign by incorporating different decorations and their own personal messages.

Curious Universe, Hasbro and Jumbo are just some of the manufacturers expanding their product offering with new ranges that offer personalisation, sparking children's imagination and allowing them to create their own designs. From Curious Universe, Decoden Magic is a range inspired by the Japanese crafting trend known as Decoden. Launching this summer, it enables users to personalise everyday accessories using puffy glue and sparkly gems, cute charms and beads. Meanwhile, Hasbro’s Play-Doh brand is bringing plenty of customisable fun with the PlayDoh Super Slice Cake Playset, which allows kids to create and decorate their own pretend cakes. Also new is the PlayDoh Barbie collection featuring special fashion-making tools that encourage kids to bring out their inner fashionista and create whatever fashions they can visualise.

Jumbo Play has unveiled the new Fun Lockets collectible line, ideal for children who love self-expression and imaginative play. Combining fashion and flair, this range features charms, beads, stickers and accessories that kids can use to personalise their locket collection and reflect their own unique style.

Although slime has existed for decades, having been first introduced as a toy range by Mattel in 1976, social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube have significantly refuelled slime play as a trend in recent times. In May of last year, Wired magazine reported that slime videos garnered 360m views across all age groups on social media. The hype continues, with plenty of DIY slime-making videos, ASMRlike videos and creative or playful slime videos still being uploaded daily and contributing to its ongoing popularity. After visiting this year’s London Toy Fair, it was evident that slime, dough and sensory play remain popular in Arts & Crafts, with multiple companies introducing new dough products featuring different textures, colours and scents.

Lisciani has launched a new sensory range called Slumi Science, designed to provide a hands-on and enjoyable experience that promotes creativity and emotional wellbeing. Among the offerings is the Slumi Science Squish and Slime 2-in-1 Kit, which combines squishies and slime in a DIY experience. The centrepiece of the collection is Slumi, a stretchy centipede that brings tactile exploration to life. With soft, bouncy legs, Slumi invites children to squish, squeeze and mould, providing a natural way to reduce

stress, promote relaxation and enhance fine motor skills through play.

Canal Toys’ So Slime range will launch the ‘A Slime for Everyone’ campaign this year. The campaign, which aims to celebrate inclusive, expressive and mess-free compound play, will feature the Yummy Twist & Slime – a creative set that combines real mixing tools with fluffy slime and vibrant dyes to create sweet treats. The company plans to implement a multi-channel marketing strategy this summer, which will include content on YouTube, gaming platforms and collaborations with influencers, all designed to increase product awareness and encourage kids to explore which type of slime best suits them.

This summer will also see new additions to DKB Toys’ popular Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty range. Joining the portfolio are four new 4” tins: Goodnight Cactus, Total Eclipse, BFF and Liquid Glass, all offering unique new colours and textures to fascinate those who enjoy sensory play.

Friendship bracelets have experienced a resurgence, particularly following Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in 2023. The artist inspired fans to create and exchange custom-made, often beaded bracelets at her concerts, leading to a revival of the bracelet-making craze. As a result of the increased demand for bracelet-making kits, many suppliers are enhancing their DIY bracelet collections this year with creative new themes and innovative technology that allows crafters to make their jewellery with ease. Make It Real has elevated its collection of DIY jewellery with the brand-new Swift Clicks Bracelet Maker. Labelled a ‘game changer’, this range transforms a classic play pattern by uniquely organising and accelerating the bracelet-making process, enabling crafters to make beautiful pieces faster than ever before. Similarly, Bandai is continually improving the patented technology of its bracelet-making ranges to make the crafting process easy and accessible to all. Launching in the UK market this autumn under the well-known Rainbow Loom brand is Auto Loom – an easy-to-use mini machine that enables crafters to create single chain and fishtail rubber bracelets four times faster.

One For Fun is merging sensory play with braceletmaking in its new Pick n Pop range. Available in six unique and fun designs, this collection includes beads, charms and crystals packaged in silicone-shaped sensory pads that are satisfying to hold and fidget with. Kids can simply pick the beads out of the pads to create their own jewellery designs and collect them or trade them with friends.

Mary Wood, Tomy’s Managing director for Europe, points out that one area of Arts & Crafts in which the company is seeing the most growth is the intersection of the physical and digital worlds combining into a unique and satisfying play experience. “A perfect example of this is the brand Hey Clay, which Tomy markets and sells in the UK, Germany and now France for the autumn/winter season,” she tells us. “We are in our third year of selling Hey Clay in the UK and have seen strong growth since the launch. While distribution was initially limited, we have broadened the range with new themes, including breeds of dogs, the addition of licences like Minions and Bluey and themes linked to seasonal occasions, which we know from Circana presentations are a growing selling opportunity.”

As with most other categories, licensing plays a major part in Arts & Crafts. Jade Childs, Marketing controller at Crayola (distributed in the UK by Vivid Goliath), tells us that the company is less reliant on trends, as classic, proven licences continue to play an important part in the category’s growth by offering children a connection with the characters they love. “We’ve seen this with the continued year-on-year growth of Color Wonder, where key properties Bluey, Peppa and Paw Patrol enjoy increased distribution,” she says. The company is about to bring the much-anticipated Lilo & Stitch Crayola range to shelves, as well as other hot properties with a strong success in the US, including Pokémon.

Several other Arts & Crafts suppliers are expanding their licensed ranges this year, capitalising on popular movie launches such as the live-action Lilo & Stitch, A Minecraft Movie and Wicked, which all present excellent growth opportunities. Epoch will be launching two new Aquabeads Stitch hot on the heels of the live-action film’s release: the Stitch Keychain Craft Kit and the Stitch Nail Designer Kit. Meanwhile, Bladez Toyz is expanding its Creative Maker Kitz range with a Minecraft-licensed addition that enables fans to make their own supersize bee and life-size chicken – both prominently featured in A Minecraft Movie. New for 2025 from RMS International is the Wicked Arts & Crafts range, which is set to launch at retail in late summer, ahead of the highly anticipated Wicked sequel in November. The line-up includes Diamond Art, Hair Accessory Design Sets, Jewellery Making and stationery surprises.

In the following editorial pages, you’ll be able to read all about the latest launches within the Arts & Crafts category that will be hitting shelves in the coming months.

Arts & Crafts Brainstorm

01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk sales@brainstormltd.co.uk

Brainstorm has added even more arts & crafts products to its ranges in 2025, with a mix of own brand and distribution lines that offer retailers the opportunity to add to their current offering.

Eugy has become a staple in arts & crafts aisles across multiple retail channels, and the range continues to grow with new additions including Beaver, Kingfisher, Manatee, Pachycephalo, Black Bear, Cockatoo and trending animal of the moment: Capybara. For the uninitiated, Eugy 3D models are made from environmentally friendly, biodegradable card; children follow a simple number sequence to assemble their 3D Eugy figure with non-toxic glue. There are currently over 100 to collect and a range of sustainable POS is available including CDUs and a bespoke FSDU available free of charge on orders over £900.

The award-winning Water Art range has enjoyed huge success, which is continuing with the addition of Water Art Sticker Set. This impulse price point line offers more splashing art fun. Children can use themed stencils to create a design on the ceramic spoon, dip in water and watch the pictures magically float away before grabbing them with a sticker to wear. Each pack includes two themed stencils, 10 magical water markers, 40 sticker papers and a ceramic spoon.

Also launching this spring/summer is the Brainstorm Colour Your Own Stickers range. Two sticker sets feature the themes Sea Creatures and Fairytale, and each set includes 55 stickers that are easy to paint with pre-drawn lines and four coloured paint pens. Kids can use the stickers to decorate stationery, storage and more. The My Very Own Fairy Jar is a gorgeous craft set with which children can create their own fairy world , and includes everything they need to make a tiny magical habitat. As well as being fun to create, My Very Own Fairy Jar also doubles as a soothing colour-changing nightlight.

The Original Glowstars Company Glow Pens is a standout item at any arts & crafts session, allowing children to create works of art that glow in the dark. Each set includes two 9ml glow in the dark paint pens that can be squeezed gently to write and draw pictures. Users must simply charge them up in the light and watch them light up at bedtime.

Canal Toys

01904 379 123 | www.canaltoys.co.uk | sales@canaltoys.uk

Canal Toys inspires kids to express themselves through vibrant, interactive play. From sensory compounds and art experiences to customisable toys and trend-led fashion kits, the company’s mission is to encourage creativity in all.

This year, Canal Toys is spotlighting its leading sensory brand, So Slime, with the launch of the A Slime for Everyone campaign — a celebration of inclusive, expressive and mess-free compound play. Whether users are into colour, texture, ASMR satisfaction or collectible fun, there's a So Slime product that fits every individual’s personality and their play style. Front and centre of the campaign will be the Yummy Twist & Slime, a standout creative set that combines real mixing tools with fluffy slime and vibrant dyes to create irresistible sweet treat slimes. To support the campaign, Canal Toys will roll out a multi-channel marketing push from summer 2025, including YouTube, Gaming and influencer content, all designed to drive discovery and encourage kids to explore which slime suits them best. An interactive digital activation will engage children and parents alike, asking the question – which Slime are you? to further brand engagement.

While So Slime leads the charge in compound play, 2025 also sees standout innovation across Canal Toys' wider creative brands. So Bomb’s Hand Spa & Nail Salon transforms bath time into a luxurious DIY experience, with mini fizzing bath bombs and a manicure set with nail polish, perfect for mindful, creative downtime.

Airbrush Plush Hair’iffic Salon builds on the success of washable, restyleable plush with a salon-inspired play set that lets kids style hair, colour, decorate and accessorise their soft toy — then wash it off with a working pump action shower and start again. It is a high-impact creative role-play experience that provides endless repeat value.

Art Lab Fluffy Paint Studio introduces a totally new tactile medium – fluffy paint. Kids can layer, puff and decorate raised art pieces in bold colours with real texture, giving their artwork a new dimension of fun and flair, while Style 4 Ever’s Magic Clay Jewellery Maker invites young trendsetters into the full creative process. From moulding and shaping their own jewellery to curing it in a real working UV play oven. From rings to bracelets, the set brings fashion and DIY together in a way that feels modern.

Arts

Epoch Making Toys

0208 049 1377 | sales@epochmakingtoys.com

Epoch will welcome several new Aquabeads sets for autumn including three popular new licences – How To Train Your Dragon, Stitch and Paw Patrol. Tying in with the live action film hitting cinemas in June, the How To Train Your Dragon Craft Kit will feature 800 beads and keychain attachments, allowing crafters to make four different dragon themed creations.

Launching hot on the heels of the latest Lilo & Stitch film release will be two Aquabeads Stitch sets. The Stitch Keychain Craft Kit features 700 beads, plus two keychain attachments and straps, so fans can turn their Stitch creations into cool keychains. The Stitch Nail Designer Kit includes a variety of themed nail creations which can be used to make 40 unique designs featuring Stitch and Angel. Fans of Paw Patrol can make their favourite characters, Chase, Skye, Marshall and Rubble, with the Paw Patrol Keychain Craft Kit, which comes with 600 beads and keychain attachments, and the Paw Patrol Mega Craft complete with 800 beads and a handy storage case.

The Designer Carry Case is new for 2025 and will launch in autumn, featuring 1,400 beads in an array of 48 different colours, including shiny, star and watercolour beads. The portable carry case with bead palette comes with a pop-up tray, double-sided Aquabeads pen, sprayer and template sheets for a variety of designs including a unicorn, monster, cat and dinosaur. The Unicorn Fantasy Craft Kit will also join the range, which includes 500 beads to create six colourful unicorns.

Joining the Pati-school portfolio for autumn will be the Frost 'n' Decorate Rainbow Paste Craft Kit. The kit comes with three Pati-school pastes in blue, purple and pink, which can be combined using the special nozzle to make a beautiful rainbow paste. Crafters can use the paste, along with the paper and bead decorations, to make delightful treat-inspired creations which all have a function after play, including a treasure box, memo holder and pen stand and keychains.

Also new, the Macaron Craft Kit features light-pink Pati-school paste, bead decorations and four macaron inspired bases to create a ring and keychains. The Stitch Creations Kit also joins the range, complete with blue Pati-school paste, paper decorations inspired by Stitch and three treat-inspired craft bases that can be used as a treasure box and keychains.

Bladez Toyz is set to bring a bumper collection of arts and crafts to market in 2025 with the addition of new lines in its Minecraft and Hot Wheels ranges.

Following the record-breaking global opening weekend for A Minecraft Movie, Bladez Toyz will be adding to its popular Creative Maker Kitz range with a make-your-own supersize bee and life-size chicken. With both the chicken and bee featuring prominently in the film and standing almost 30cm and over 20cm respectively, these easy-to-assemble kits made from sustainable materials are the perfect way to bring the gaming world to life. With Steve, Alex, Creeper and many more already available, users can reenact their favourite scenes from the movie or fend off a Zombie Attack.

Also new for this year is the Make Your Own Torch Maker Kitz. This iconic torch comes with LED lights so that it glows. The pop-out parts are easy to slot together, and once complete, the torch can be hung on the wall, making it the perfect creative project for fans of the gaming licence. A triple pack is also available, to create a real statement.

Rounding out the new Minecraft range will be the pocket money assortment of Chibi Figures. Made from durable, fully recyclable PP sheets, these character kits are quick to make and are awesome display pieces. With eight characters to collect in the first wave, and a further eight following soon after, they are also an affordable collectible that can be traded with friends.

Autumn/winter 2025 will see the latest addition to the bestselling Hot Wheels Maker Kitz range, the second wave of the Hot Wheels Mini Maker Kitz Monster Trucks. This includes eight new eyecatching designs and features some of the most recognisable Monster Trucks, including Beefed Up and 5 Alarm. With their pop-out parts and snap-fit chassis, these pocket money kits require no scissors and glue, and can be built in less than five minutes, making them perfect for on-the-go fun. They also come with a pull-back motor and real rubber wheels, so they can pull an epic wheelie. Also in the range are the bestselling Maker Kitz Custom Kits, where kids get to build their own Rodger Dodger or Boneshaker from snap-fit parts and then use the included pens to customise the vehicle in their own unique style. With five styles available and more to follow in 2026, these are the perfect set for creative young Hot Wheels fans.

DKB Toys

www.dkbtoys.com | edel.siddle@dkbtoys.com

DKB Toys & Distribution is jumping back into the Arts and Crafts world with the launch of its domestic distribution of Scentos, offering a wide range of high-quality, scented play products.

The On The Go Activity Case has been a favourite with the team and customers and features everything from scented fibre tip pens to mini markers and even a travel case for getting creative on the go. The Scented Activity Packs are available in a CDU and feature six titles ideal for older kids: Maze Craze, 3in1 Colouring, Colour by Numbers, Crafty Pictures, Scratch Art and Colour in Puzzles. Each comes in a re-closable pack for easy storage and on the go fun as well as special pens unique to the activity pack.

Whether for a fun-filled rainy-day project, an engaging classroom tool, or sensory play at home, Scentos’ range of products brings a mix of fragrance, colour and imaginative play to the table. The scented fine liners, markers and crayons have all been designed to add colour to a child’s creative day.

This summer also sees innovation from Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty, with four new 4” tins to add to the sensory fun. Goodnight Cactus beautifully mimics the colours of a desert sunset. This triple-changing Hypercolour putty transforms with the heat of hands, shifting from a peaceful purple to luminous orange and radiant yellow, capturing the tranquil beauty of the twilight sky. Total Eclipse has multicoloured glow-in-the-dark effects, where each individual glowing piece radiates a different colour, creating a mesmerising effect that evokes the wonder of a Total Eclipse.

BFF comes with two stackable cat charms, while the glittery, clear putty adds an extra level of sparkle, and Liquid Glass is a true marvel, offering a crystal-clear appearance that’s so transparent it often looks like the tin is empty. As users play, the putty becomes cloudy and then clears up again, providing a dynamic and satisfying sensory experience.

Alongside the larger tins, DKB Toys has brand new mini tin assortments and a mystery tin CDU full of treasure to collect. Crazy Aaron's Treasure Surprise collection has twelve mini tins to be discovered. Each mini tin in this set comes with a unique peel-and-reveal label to preserve the rarity and to keep the fun of each tin a surprise.

Horizon Group

07827 880 159 | www.horizongroupusa.com | ggie@hgusa.com

Arriving this summer, Horizon Group’s licensed Play-Doh compounds will hit UK retail. The company’s strategic partnership with Hasbro brings all-new ways to experience the PlayDoh brand under three key subcategories.

Firstly, Play-Doh Air Dry Clay will extend the creativity and play beyond the build itself. Available in multiple price points across themed products, Horizon Group’s Air Cry Clay compound will dry hard after 24 hours, enabling the child to display or play with their creations.

At an entry-level price point, the Play-Doh Air Dry Clay assortment features a Turtle, Octopus or Flower build. Each set comes with a guide as well as three colour packs of Air Dry Clay, tools and accessories. The Air Dry Clay can be mixed to create any colour imaginable and, once dry, is fully paintable. Included in the range is a multi-colour bag which includes 6 x 2 oz air dry clay bags in resealable packaging.

The ultimate variety pack is a box of 13 Air Dry Clay colour packs, which includes an inspiration guide as well as multiple tools, moulds and googly eyes. Also launching this summer is a range of brightly coloured Play-Doh textures – Cloud, Butter and Bubble Pop. Users can stretch, pull, swirl and pop their way through an assortment of price points. There are multiple textures and colours to collect in resealable containers. Horizon’s multi packs include a Super Stretch six pack and a Cosmic Mix & Squish set, which includes six coloured textures and four additional mix-ins for kids to create their own unique textured compounds.

Horizon will also be introducing an all-new mouldable and stretchable sand to round out the collection. The free-flowing Play-Doh Sand moulds like classic sand but can also be picked up and stretched, and is available in multiple colours to mix.

Horizon’s hero line is the Sand Castle bucket, which comes with five bags of coloured sand as well as rollers and moulds to play with, all housed in an iconic re-useable bucket.

Arts & Crafts

Hasbro

0208 569 1234

www.hasbro.co.uk

Pre-schoolers can turn every day into a colourful celebration with the Play-Doh Super Slice Cake Playset. Perfect for young bakers, this kitchen set lets kids create their own Play-Doh cakes slice by slice, sparking endless creative possibilities. To get started, kids can shape some make-believe Play-Doh cake mix balls and place them in the toy oven. Users can press the handle and open the door to hear a bell sound and see a Play-Doh cake slice spinning out. The built-in frosting roller and cutters make it easy to add smooth pretend frosting right onto the slices. Kids can top off their creations with Play-Doh frosting dollops or playful pretend candies to craft colourful layered cakes. With 11 Play-Can Compound cans included, this hands-on arts & craft set offers a sensory play experience. The Play-Doh Super Slice Cake Playset makes a perfect party gift and creative activity for kids 3 years and up.

Play-Doh Barbie is a unique line which includes an assortment of dolls with special fashion-making tools that encourage kids to bring out their inner fashionista and create whatever fashions they can imagine. Kids can bring their stylish imaginations to life through Play-Doh fashions featuring Barbie dolls, Play-Doh compound, special fashion-making tools and moulds, new Play-Doh Pattern Sheets and more. The debut Play-Doh Barbie collection highlights the Play-Doh Barbie Designer Fashion Show Playset, which features a 2-in-1 runway and design studio play set, fashion-making tools like the ruffle maker and faux fur roller, and Play-Doh Pattern sheets with chic designs that look just like fabric, except they’re PlayDoh compound. The Play-Doh Barbie Designer Dolls Assortment features four different play sets, each complete with a doll and special fashion-making tools, and the Play-Doh Barbie Designer Pattern Packs Assortment offers a new format of Play-Doh compound with floral, gem, pearl and bow patterns.

The Play-Doh Barbie collection was inspired by massive consumer trends on social media pairing Play-Doh compound with Barbie dolls, sparking the limitless creative possibilities of designing styles through an arts & crafts lens. This licensing collaboration between two iconic brands in their respective toy categories, Play-Doh and Barbie, gives consumers a branded experience that unleashes this imaginative potential.

Bandai

www.bandai.co.uk | sales@bandai.co.uk

Bandai UK’s market leading Original Rainbow Loom range continues to grow in popularity YOY. Continually innovating the patented technology to make the bracelet making process easy and accessible to all, autumn 2025 sees the launch of the Auto Loom into the UK market. Already receiving an overwhelmingly positive response on TikTok, the easy-to-use, game changing mini machine enables crafters to create single chain and fishtail rubber bracelets four times faster and will be available as part of three new sets, all with an RRP of under £10.

The hero line will be the Cute-ique Fantastic Dreams Set with window box, which features one Auto Loom, 300 bands, nine fun and adorable Cute-ique charms and 25 C-Clips. The Luxe-Style Bracelet Kit comes with an Auto Loom, 1,200 bands, six bling metal charms, 15 metal jump rings, 15 metal beads and 12 C-Clips.

Kids can make cool 3D characters, charms and more with the Rainbow Loom 360 Freestyle Kit. Complete with a 360 loom and case to keep everything neat and tidy, 2,500 bands, plus over 60 accessories, crafters can use the 15 easy-to-follow templates to design their creation, place the bands on to the 360 loom and add their creations.

Additionally, available in a 12-piece CDU, Cutie Cubes feature 1,200 bands, one Happy Loom and 100 C-Clips. At sub-£5, they make ideal impulse purchases, with three themes to choose from - Tie Dye, Sweets and Solar.

Arts & Crafts

One For Fun

www.oneforfun.com | sales@oneforfun.com

Friendship bracelets have seen a revamp from last year with the added top pop star push that lit up social media. This year sees the launch of Pick n Pop bracelets. Beads, charms and crystals come packaged in sensory shaped silicone pads. Kids simply pick the beads out of the pad and create their own style of jewellery. Designs include love hearts, honeybees, bears, flowers, happy emoji and axolotl themed sets. The Pick n Pop bracelets are collectible and swappable and are currently a massive trend on TikTok.

One For Fun’s Concert Bracelets have proved to be massive crowd pleasers. These flexible, create-your-own kits are the ultimate in new era friendship bracelets. Specially chosen vibrant beads, charms and letters combine to allow users to curate and personalise their own bracelets. This range makes great gifts for friends and family too and is available in three sizes of kits: bumper, medium and small. The bumper set includes twelve premium charms and a vast selection of specially selected beads, all supplied in a handy reusable storage case, available in packs of 12 with shelf ready CDU packaging. The medium pack has six single styles with six premium charms and a mass of selected beads. Meanwhile, the small pack is an assortment of four each with two premium charms and plenty of beads. One For Fun offers a specially created FSDU, which will display them at their best.

One For Fun offers plenty more arty and crafty projects to choose from, including ranges that allow children to make their own slime and crayons for the bath. These are all available on the One For Fun website.

Curious Universe

www.curiousuniverse.co.uk | sales@curiousuniverse.co.uk

Curious Universe is set to inspire a new wave of creative play this summer with the launch of Decoden Magic, a bold, colourful craft range inspired by the Japanese Decoden trend and supercharged by the viral power of social media. Rooted in the art of decorating with puffy glues and embellishments, Decoden Magic encourages personalisation and self-expression. Young creators can customise everyday accessories using puffy glue, before adding sparkly gems, cute charms and beads. The glue sets when dry, offering countless opportunities to personalise an array of craft projects.

Decoden Magic reflects growing consumer demand for aesthetic, customisable DIY activities, encouraging kids to mix, match and decorate to create unique pieces that showcase their own unique style. From hair clips and trinket boxes to compact mirrors and headbands, the collection offers something for every young crafter to enjoy.

Available in three formats, Mini, Classic and Deluxe, the range delivers standout value at every price point. Mini packs are bursting with personality, with themes including Creepy Cute, Pretty Kitty and Cute Kawaii, all with everything crafters need to make adorable bag charms. Classic packs sets include Hair Flair and Trinket Box Creator, offering more decorative elements and accessories. At the top of the range, the Deluxe pack, Think Pink Creations features materials to make a complete collection of pink, personalised accessories including headbands, clips and a compact mirror. Each pack also includes customisable vinyl stickers and exclusive QR codes linking to digital extras, including hints, tips and video tutorials.

The launch will be supported by a multi-channel marketing campaign encompassing influencer partnerships, digital promotions, PR outreach and strong in-store activations.

Decoden Magic joins Curious Universe’s expanding craft portfolio, which continues to capture imaginations globally. New for this year is Water Bead Magic, a tactile, mess-free activity that allows children to create vibrant fused designs with just a spritz of water. Kids place circular beads onto themed templates, spray with water and watch the artwork come to life. Themes including Dinosaurs, Under the Sea, Pets and Unicorns offer broad appeal.

The hugely popular Nano Tape Magic range continues to expand with fresh, themed product extensions. This transparent, heavy-duty tape can be inflated or filled with slime, beads, or charms, then drawn on and decorated to create imaginative 3D designs. New themes include playful Kawaii Creation styles and a festive Christmas edition. Both Water Bead Magic and Nano Tape Magic are available in Mini, Classic, and Deluxe formats.

Alongside these innovative ranges, Curious Universe continues to see strong performance from its established ranges. The Colour and Carry range remains a firm favourite, expanding year-on-year since its debut with various formats under the brand, including Tin Activity Cases and Colour & Carry Project Kits. All have the same premise: portable, sustainable carry kits. Titles for 2025 include Gruesome and Gross, Monster Machines and Kawaii Fun.

Crystal Creations, the company’s popular diamond painting line, also continues to grow, introducing new themed artwork annually. New titles like Awesome Axolotls and Cute Capybaras, as well as licensed titles featuring the ever-popular Squishmallows Squad keep the range fresh and collectible, with allin-one folder kits adapting this popular craft for on-the-go creativity.

Arts & Crafts

Trends UK

www.trendsuk.co.uk | info@trendsuk.co.uk

Trends UK is set to inspire creativity in young artists with an expanded portfolio of arts & crafts products for 2025. From the classic appeal of Hama Beads to the bold and vibrant new offerings from Paint Pop and the playful world of Colourblocks, the company continues to provide hours of engaging and imaginative fun.

New from Paint Pop is the Scented Gel Pens 24 Pack, a dazzling collection of glitter, metallic and classic gel pens, each infused with a delightful fruit scent. With fragrances like banana, raspberry and blueberry, these pens are perfect for adding a sensory twist to doodling, drawing and writing. Also joining the Paint Pop range is the Erasable Chalk Markers 10 Pack. These versatile, water-based markers are ideal for creating vibrant art on glass, blackboards and whiteboards—and can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth, ensuring mess-free fun. Rounding out the collection is the Paint Pop Activity Set, a bumper kit filled with everything kids need for open-ended creative exploration. With paint pens, pencils, stickers, stamps and activity books, it’s the ultimate tool for fostering artistic expression.

The brand-new Colourblocks range, inspired by a beloved pre-school property, offers mess-free, hands-on colour fun for younger children. The Colourblocks Paint Stick Set includes six chunky paint sticks that glide on smoothly, perfect for small hands with no need for water or brushes. The Paint, Draw, Stamp and Stick Set provides a complete creative experience with paint sticks, stencils, crayons, foam stampers and more, while the Stamp, Colour and Stick Fun Pack features character stampers, paint sticks and a colourful activity book, offering hours of tactile play.

As the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor of Hama, Trends UK introduces a new range of bead kits designed for every crafter’s needs. The Hama 3D Panda Gift Box lets children create an adorable panda using 2,500 beads and a large hexagonal pegboard. The Princess & Mermaid Hanging Box includes 2,000 beads, a princess pegboard and sparkling Hama gems— perfect for crafting magical creations. Trends UK also introduces a refreshed CDU assortment of small bead kits, ideal for impulse buys and entry-level crafters. Each blister pack contains between 350–450 beads, a themed pegboard, ironing paper and easy-to-follow instructions. The CDU includes 24 pieces in a compact counter display, perfect for retail shelves.

With another year of product launches planned, Plus-Plus has kicked off spring 2025 with eight new tubes of six of the most popular animal options – Lion, Gorilla, Manta Ray, Sea Turtle, Elephant and Dolphin. They all have new colour refreshes in child-appealing, fun colours rather than traditional life-like tones. Two further tubes have also launched this spring: I Love You in red and pink tones, and Botanica, a subtle mix of colours in mulberry, lemongrass, sage, avocado, vanilla and burnt sienna, offering perfect inspiration for sculpting floral creations and plants. As part of the Botanica range, six new seed packets are available, with single builds in a variety of succulents and shrubs, ideal for collecting and building miniature gardens.

Later in the year, Plus-Plus will release a mesmerising spectrum of colours to reflect the ever-changing illusion created by the Northern Lights, including dark blues, purples and greens with a little hint of glow in the dark.

A new concept for the travel market is Activity Pads. These pads contain 125 pieces, kept safely in a secure box, and six pages of activities containing twelve 2D and 3D builds, where two items can be constructed at one time. The four themes are Space, Ocean, Fairytale and Transport, with more themes launching later in 2025.

Plus-Plus Big has added two new play sets to the range. The popular themes of Farm and Food let little ones develop their imaginative role-play skills. Simple stacking, sorting and matching games can also be played with these sets, and each one contains a guidebook for inspiration. A larger Big set, ideal for Christmas gifting, will launch in the second half of the year.

Jumbo Play

0161 428 9111 | salesuk@jumboplay.com

This year, Jumbo Play is unveiling a host of new launches, including Galt’s brand-new Water Magic Squishies kits, introducing Farmyard, the mysteries of the Sea and the excitement of the Jungle. Tucked inside are two squishy-themed surprises just waiting to be discovered using the magic of a mess-free water pen. Kids simply add water to reveal colourful scenes and adorable animals, adding a tactile twist to this imaginative experience. They can watch as vibrant colours appear like magic, making playtime both mess-free and full of surprises. This activity set inspires storytelling, creativity and curiosity about the natural world.

Kids can also step into a world of creativity, self-expression and surprise with Fun Lockets – the new collectible range where every locket unlocks a story, with Fun Lockets Secret Journal, Mini Journal, Tiny Bag & Secret Jewellery Box with Message Recorder. Designed for kids who love customisation and imaginative play, each Fun Lockets set is packed with hidden treasures. Inside Fun Lockets Secret Journal, kids will uncover secret compartments filled with goodies, from materials to craft personalised charm bracelets to stylish accessories, to decorate their journal.

From charms and beads to stickers and accessories, kids can personalise their locket collection to reflect their own unique style – no two creations are ever the same. With multiple themes to collect and endless combinations, Fun Lockets are the perfect mix of fashion and flair. Whether it’s a gift, party activity, or screen-free playtime treat, Fun Lockets bring hours of joy and creativity to curious minds.

Make It Real

01613 024 100 | www.makeitrealplay.com pthomson@makeitrealplay.com

Bracelet-making continues to be a popular tween activity, and Make It Real’s Swift Clicks Bracelet Maker takes the hobby to new heights. A game-changer in bracelet making, the product transforms an evergreen play pattern by uniquely organising and expediting the bracelet-making process. Young creatives can make bracelets using 16 bead colours with ease by rotating the bead carousel to align the desired colour over the threading stem, then clicking the button to add it to the bracelet. Users can click again and again to add more beads, repeat the same colour or rotate the carousel to select a different colour. The carousel compartments can easily be reloaded with the included funnel, and extra beads can be stored neatly in the carousel’s centre. With buttons on both the left and right sides, this unit works the same for both right and left-handed users. When ready for a refill, users can look out for the Swift Clicks compatibility logo for other Make It Real products with heishi beads that work in the Swift Clicks Bracelet Maker. Make It Real has even more bracelet-making innovation on the way. Joining the lineup in autumn 2025, the Polish and Shine Bead Tumbler reinvigorates the classic rock tumbler play pattern with design improvements that make the play pattern quieter, cleaner and faster. Young designers can transform rough, pre-drilled stones into polished treasures in just a few steps, by adding stone beads, water and polishing materials, then turning the dial and flipping the switch to reveal each stone’s natural beauty. The set allows kids to progress from beginner to explorer levels as they create stunning bracelets and learn about rocks and minerals along the way. Make It Real’s toys spark creativity and build confidence as the brand aims to shape pathways toward creative careers and inspire kids to turn their dreams into their reality. Founders Isaac and Sara Wolman wanted to create a brand that would encourage kids to dream big and provide them with the tools needed to build curiosity and confidence to make those dreams come true.

Arts & Crafts

KAP Toys

01423 368 888 | www.kaptoys.com | orders@kaptoys.com

Creativity for Kids, distributed by KAP Toys, is owned by Faber Castell and has an infinite supply of innovative lines, such as the Mini Gardens and Terrarium in the Grow category, alongside Sensory Bins and Packs in the Sensory range.

Creativity for Kids prides itself on producing quality, fit for purpose products. Each kit contains everything needed to produce lots of fun with fabulous end results, including coloured easy to understand instructions and contents which do exactly as they say on the box. Inspiring experiences for children build creative confidence and a love for innovation and imagination.

The Mini Garden range is easy to create, immediately resulting in a fabulous item to display, and the fast-growing chia seeds soon become the mini gardens children envisaged. Awardwinning, with sales of over 1m units annually in the US, there are three themes: Mermaid, Dinosaur and Unicorn. Every egg-shaped terrarium is one-of-a-kind, which kids personalise with colourful stickers, decorative sand and decals.

The Creativity for Kids Grow N Glow Terrarium is a value addition to the range and has 20k 4* reviews on Amazon. Kids simply assemble, decorate, water and watch it grow as they learn about botany, eco-systems and the life cycle of plants. The Terrarium is fun for both boys and girls all year long.

The Sensory Bin range is available in four themes: Beach, Dinosaur, Space and Mermaid. Each sensory bin is filled with thoughtfully selected and safety-tested materials, providing toddlers with an opportunity to discover, imagine, learn and create. Featuring sensory sand, wiggly foam, or space rocks, depending on the theme, all are fun to squish, scoop and mould. Sensory toys come conveniently packed in a bin with a lid for easy storage and offer multi-sensory creative learning experiences that are incredibly beneficial.

Also within the sensory range are the Sensory Packs. Toddlers will go on a sensory play adventure with activities designed to stimulate their senses and refine fine motor skills. These kits feature stretchy cloud clay and an assortment of sensory toys with various textures, colours and shapes to discover, all while fostering creativity and imaginative play. Sensory play packs feature a resealable storage bag, perfect for travel and holiday entertainment, and are available in Farm, Princess, Space and Unicorn themes.

RMS International

www.rmsint.com | sales@rmsint.com

For over 40 years, RMS International has been a trusted leader in the world of Arts & Crafts. The company’s expertise continues to grow, especially in its expanding range of licensed arts & crafts products. Today, RMS is a one-stop destination for top-tier brands, covering everything from beloved pre-school favourite Bluey to iconic names like Hot Wheels, and major movie releases such as Wicked, with much more in between.

Tapping into the viral trend of customising accessories with character stickers, RMS introduces the Hello Kitty Roll & Reveal Sticker Snap Band Kits. These silicone snap bands include a hidden sticker compartment; users just roll, tear and stick. Perfect for decorating notebooks, pencil cases, or even the included charms, larger sets come with two snap bands ideal for sharing or mixing up a look, and complete with beads and charms to create personalised jewellery. Each kit features adorable characters from the Hello Kitty universe, including Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, My Melody and more. The collection is set to launch in The Entertainer this autumn.

RMS’s popular Paint Your Own range continues to delight fans of all ages. A standout addition is the Bluey Paint Your Own Money Box, complete with paints and a brush, offering fans a creative way to personalise their own Bluey keepsake. These creative paint-your-own kits are also available in a wide range of top brands, including Gabby’s Dollhouse, Hello Kitty, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Barbie, Harry Potter, Wicked, L.O.L. Surprise, Peter Rabbit and Hot Wheels.

New for 2025, the Wicked Arts & Crafts range is set to launch at retail in late summer, ahead of the highly anticipated Wicked sequel. The range includes Diamond Art, Hair Accessory Design Sets, Jewellery Making and stationery surprises.

For more information on RMS’s Arts & Crafts offering, reach out via the contact details above.

Arts & Crafts

Skillmatics

01244 940 200 | 07764 369 245 | www.skillmaticsworld.co.uk david.kelly@skillmaticsworld.com

Skillmatics is expanding its popular range of arts & crafts sets with new launches for summer 2025. Designed to help children develop core skills through creativity and play, the brand’s mess-free kits are proving just as popular with parents as with kids.

This summer, Disney licences will be introduced into the Foil Fun range for the first time, with Foil Fun Disney Princess. These sparkly new sets bring children’s imaginations to life as they create enchanting scenes featuring their favourite Disney Princess characters. Foil Fun is a mess-free activity designed to inspire hours of creative play with wow-worthy sparkly canvases. The range has already received widespread recognition, including a Creative Steps Gold Award and a MadeForMums Bronze Award in 2024. It was also a finalist for Toy of the Year: Best Creative Toy 2023, named a Best Toy by Good Housekeeping, and featured on Good Morning America in the US. Skillmatics continues to invest in the Foil Fun line with additions including Foil Fun Magical Greeting Card and Foil Fun Holiday Magic released in autumn/winter 2025.

Magical Sun Art, released in autumn/winter 2025, is an astonishing craft set fuelled by science. Children use light-sensitive paper and different stencils to create beautiful silhouettes. They simply place the stencils on the paper, leave it in the sun or under a light for 10 minutes, then dip the paper in water to watch it change colour. Kids can then decorate their scenes with bright colours and googly eyes to bring them to life.

Waxy Window Art, released in autumn/winter 2025, offers a unique way to play with 100 bendy, twisty and wax sticks made from 100% organic beeswax. With 15 picture starters included, children can twist, curl and stick their designs to windows, cupboards, fridges and more. The waxy sticks are reusable and non-toxic, making this a safe and eco-friendly option for home, school or playdates. This mess-free kit helps build fine motor skills, colour recognition and confidence through open-ended play.

The Poke-in Art: Magical Princesses set is one of Skillmatics’ most highly rated art kits on Amazon. This lets children create beautiful DIY princesses by poking the foam figures with over 700+ colourful fabric squares. The easy poke-in technique creates stunning 3D gowns and even a magical wand – with no glue or scissors needed. It’s a magical way to nurture creativity and keep little hands busy for hours.

Sand-tastic Art: Amazing Animals combines creative fun with clever mess control. Children can bring 50+ stickers to life using vibrant coloured sand to design striking scenes featuring monkeys, elephants, seahorses and more. With four picture boards, seven colourful sand bottles, a magical rainbow pen, a dab sponge and a mess-control tray all included, this hands-on activity is as easy to tidy up as it is fun to create, delivering hours of play.

Having firmly established itself in the UK and Ireland, Skillmatics is continuing its successful programme of in-store demo days across key destinations, including independents and well-known garden centre groups. In 2025 alone, Skillmatics has achieved impressive consumer engagement, with PR activity reaching an audience of 179m. On social media, gifted campaigns with family influencers have connected with over 1m followers this year, with much more activity planned in the months ahead.

Just Play

www.justplayproducts.com uksales@justplayproducts.com

Knotz Animals is the DIY collectible craze that lets crafters make 1 of 12 uniquely styled plushie toys from bendable faux fur stems and accessories. Knotz brings together the tactile satisfaction of DIY in an easy-to-do, mess-free format that results in cute, quirky, personality-packed characters. Series One included 12 trendy animal characters, and there’s a second series launching that’ll introduce 12 new plushie pals to create. The new wave will come styled in a beautiful trend-led pastel palette.

Just Play’s acquisition of Tara Toy brings an extensive offering of arts, crafts and activities across top-tier licences, with a collection that includes jewellery-making sets, sticker kits, vinyl painting kits and more. There are activity kits to celebrate Disney Stitch, which come packed with stationery delights, not least the Disney Stitch 5 in 1 Creativity Tub. The fun begins with a Disney Stitch head peeking over the tub. Users can find a plaster Stitch toy figurine, an outlined canvas and wooden figure on a stand to paint, an activity pad with sheets to colour and decorate with stickers and a build-it figure to assemble.

Just Play’s styling heads include the Disney Princess Moana Styling Head, which lets little hairdressers comb, twist and curl Moana's hair into beautiful new looks. Kids can create signature buns, breezy braids, ponytails and wavy curls, and sparkly hair accessories can be mixed and matched, including an orange flower crown. There’s also a Disney Princess Elsa Styling Head, ideal for Frozen fans to give Elsa’s long blonde hair a fairytale makeover. This comes with her iconic braid and 17 styling accessories.

Arts & Crafts

Wigston Global

ben.cornwell@wigstonglobal.com

Artspace is the ultimate creative playground designed for the next generation of makers, dreamers and artists. Launching in the UK market from October 2025, Artspace is here to shake up the high street with its bold, colourful and unapologetically cool approach to creativity.

Artspace is built for everyone, including seasoned artists, DIY dreamers and those just starting to explore their imaginative side. From vibrant neon markers and DIY craft kits to sketchbooks that command attention and paints that truly pop, Artspace offers a comprehensive range designed to inspire self-expression and limitless creativity.

The Artspace range focuses on individual SKUs, such as dual-ended markers, sketch pads, brush pens and high-quality sketching pencils — perfect for pick-up purchases and everyday creativity. Meanwhile, Argos will showcase larger bundled sets, including all-in-one acrylic and watercolour kits, sketching sets and paint-by-numbers collections, ideal for gifting and project-focused creatives.

A key highlight for this year is the new Artspace Paint by Markers range, which offers a fresh, accessible twist on traditional painting. By swapping brushes for vibrant markers, Artspace allows users to create intricate, paint-style artwork with the precision and convenience of a pen. It is cleaner, quicker and appeals to a wide range of ages and skill levels. The Botanical Dreams set features detailed yet achievable designs that truly showcase the creativity and quality Artspace is known for.

Artspace’s USPs centre around flexibility, trend-led innovation and customer-centric collaboration. Wigston believes creativity should never be one-size-fits-all, which is why it works closely with its retail partners to tailor designs, collections and marketing support to suit specific audiences and goals. Whether it is adjusting artwork, creating exclusive sets, or developing bespoke marketing campaigns, Artspace offers a refreshingly agile approach.

To support the launch, Artspace is rolling out a comprehensive marketing programme, including social media teaser campaigns, in-store creative zones, influencer collaborations and interactive AR experiences. Wigston aims to drive traffic, build brand excitement and engage a loyal community of creators who see Artspace not just as a product, but as a lifestyle.

Lisciani is introducing Slumi Science, a groundbreaking way for children to ignite their imagination and experience the benefits of sensory play. In today’s fast-paced world, where kids are constantly overstimulated, Slumi offers a refreshing alternative: a hands-on, relaxing and joyful experience that supports emotional well-being and fosters endless creativity.

The Slumi Science Squish and Slime 2-in-1 Kit takes the experience even further, combining squishies and slime in a DIY adventure. Kids can create colourful slime and sparkling squishies and bring to life two of the most beloved creatures in the world of children today: axolotls and chameleons. These fascinating creatures — adored for their vibrant colours and unique charm — can be shaped, customised and squeezed.

Available from this month, this innovative line blends tactile play and DIY creativity, offering a captivating product that stimulates the senses and sparks imagination. Slumi is more than just a toy; it’s an invitation to explore, create and relax in the squishiest way possible.

At the heart of the collection is Slumi, the lovable, stretchy centipede who brings tactile exploration to life. With soft, bouncy legs, Slumi invites children to squish, squeeze and mould, providing a natural way to reduce stress, promote relaxation and enhance fine motor skills through play.

Arts & Crafts

Character Options

0161 633 9800 | sales@charactergroup.plc.uk

This year, Character Options is inviting families to get creative with the wearable, shareable sticker brand, Sticki Rolls. Sticki Rolls, One of 2024’s Christmas DreamToys, is expected to remain a major creative craze in autumn/winter 2025, with 1,200 new stickers to collect in the all-new Series 2 collection. Fans will be able to collect a fresh Series 2 Sticki Band, with bracelet and 70 stickers, and a Series 2 Sticki Book and Series 2 Sticki Station, as well as a brand new Sticki Pendant pack. Also launching this autumn is the Sticki Rolls Sticki Rollux – the perfect way for fans to organise and showcase their sticker collection. This launch comes jam-packed with content; there are 50 Sticki Rolls, each containing 10 unique, Kawaiithemed designs, meaning kids will have 500 stickers to pull, twist and stick to their favourite accessories for the ultimate customisation. Also included are three Jumbo stickies and a host of jewellery accessories, all contained within a cool cylindrical carry case.

Simba Smoby UK

01274 765 030 | sales@simbasmoby.com

Little ones can let their creativity flow with Simba Smoby UK’s latest additions to the Smoby range.

Children can learn to draw with ease with the Smoby Drawing Projector. This innovative projector is the first of its design that allows users to adjust the illustration discs to merge several drawings. This beautiful set comes with a whopping 192 illustrations – three can be loaded at a time, creating thousands of possible design combinations to trace and create. It’s also adjustable, meaning the sharpness and orientation of the projector can be altered to ensure optimum results. It's the ideal way for budding artists to harness their early drawing skills.

A second addition to Smoby’s arts and crafts offering this autumn/winter 2025 is the Smoby Ultimate Easel - perfectly sized for little ones, at 130cm tall. Its large portrait double-sided format offers two generous 65cm x 49cm canvases for kids to express themselves. Kids can draw with the included erasable felt pen on the whiteboard, use the six coloured chalks on the blackboard, or attach paper to the easel and make use of the paint palette accessory to create a painted masterpiece.

Hunter Price

www.hunterprice.co.uk home@hunterprice.co.uk

For 2025, Hunter Price International continues to focus on delivering creative, engaging and high-quality crafting experiences that have been designed to excite consumers and stand out on the shelf.

Using its experience and insight to evolve its best sellers, the company is introducing fresh themes and innovative packaging formats and will also launch various new brands and concepts which build on personalisation, collectability, mindful crafts and more.

Multi-crafting bigger sets, which offer consumers a variety of creative activities, continue to perform well. Furthermore, Hunter Price is looking to build on the collaboration with Crayola and the NSPCC for Lidl. Tapping into key trends, the Activity Tubes offer value and were designed to give children a creative outlet to express their emotions through using colouring pencils, colouring rolls, foil art posters and stickers, all with vibrant designs. A donation is made to the NSPCC for every product sold.

Arts & Crafts

Vivid Goliath

01483 449 944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Crayola is adding a splash of colour to summer with a vibrant new partnership. This year Crayola has teamed up with Jet2holidays to offer families the chance to create unforgettable memories with money off their next holiday adventure. By purchasing any Crayola essential back-to-school stationery, Color Wonder or colouring books, families can claim a £65 voucher towards a Jet2holiday getaway. They will also be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a 5-Star family holiday or cash prizes to put towards their summer adventures.

Looking ahead to autumn/winter, Crayola has a host of new launches. The everpopular Paw Patrol Pups are being re-imagined as Washimals, with velvety fur that kids can colour, wash and colour again for endless creative fun. The new play set also features a working fire hydrant water pump for immersive play.

Also launching are Colourwhirls, a fresh, high-energy activity that turns colouring into a social ripping, spinning experience. Kids simply load any Crayola marker into the Colourwhirl spinner, pull the cord and let rip to challenge their friends to see whose spinner will last the longest and create the most colourful designs.

John Adams

01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk

John Adams Leisure continues to build on its successful heritage in the creative play category with several launches in 2025. Kids can create their own squishy fun accessories with Puffy Pouches, which are personalised by being filled with cute decorations. They can also laminate their designs and wear them or share them with their friends. This set includes everything needed to make and personalise a range of food-themed Puffy Pouches.

Following the popularity of the Lockitz and So Squishy jewellery sets, brand-new editions will be launching. Kids can create personalised bag charms and necklaces by mixing and matching cute decorations in the Lockitz Bag Charms and Lockitz Besties sets. They will also discover a positive, uplifting message when they look through the magic zoom bead. Super squishy jewellery can be created with the So Squishy Style Set and Station, where kids can turn cute and colourful beads and noodles into bracelets, bag charms, necklaces and rings, and they can mix and match, then make and re-make.

Clementoni

www.clementoni.com paul.fogarty@clementoni.com

Following the success of the Idea! Pen Creator Studio, the concept is evolving for 2025 with Message Pen Creator, which takes pen creation to the next level. Children can not only make a decorative pen but can endlessly redesign it to incorporate different decorations and their own personal messages. It comes with a separate workstation to aid in designing and planning compositions and to simplify threading the beads. Message Pen Creator contains over 50 accessories to decorate and customise.

Staying true to its mission of inspiring imagination through design and creation, the Idea! range is expanding with the launch of Perfume Creator Deluxe, which invites young creators to dive into the world of fragrance by crafting their very own custom perfumes. With everything needed to set up a mini lab at home, kids can experiment with a variety of essences and ingredients, learning the science behind scent combinations while expressing their creativity. This hands-on experience not only sparks scientific curiosity but also empowers children to explore the art of perfume-making in an engaging way.

Arts & Crafts

Craft Buddy

020 3417 6565 | www.craftbuddyltd.co.uk

trade@craftbuddyltd.co.uk

Craft Buddy, which celebrated its 15th year of business back in April, continues to dazzle and shine as a creative powerhouse in the Arts & Crafts sector. With a portfolio that delivers hands-on creative ‘me-time’ for everyone from pre-schoolers through to adult crafters, the company has carved out its position by staying ahead of trends and driving innovation with inclusive, feel-good crafting experiences for all ages.

2025 has already been a headlining year, marked by continued innovation, new licensing wins and product launches that have pushed the boundaries of traditional crafting, particularly with Crystal Art. The range sits at the heart of Craft Buddy’s appeal and is celebrated for combining creativity, mindfulness and the enjoyment of making something personal to treasure or gift. From the new pre-school Crystal Art Junior kits (designed for ages 4+ with larger gems and pick-up pen), to the globally popular Crystal Art Buddies, best-selling canvases and scrolls, plus innovative products like the Harry Potter Crystal Art Sticker Album or 2-in-1 Disney Pin Badges, Craft Buddy offers cross-generational crafting that’s as entertaining as it is relaxing.

Craft Buddy’s ever-growing portfolio includes launches for the second half of 2025 that include Friendship Bracelets and Mirror Buddies, all of which cater to the rising demand for mindful, screenfree creativity with products that are collectible, wearable, seasonal, educational and giftable.

The recent launch of Crystal Art Wildlife Buddies adds an educational layer to crafting, enabling both children and adults to craft together while learning about animals and their habitats. With an accompanying EduCard in every kit, they’re a perfect blend of creativity coupled with engagement, reinforcing that Crystal Art products are more than just pure creativity - they’re a purposeful, positive and sharing experience.

April’s launch of the Harry Potter Crystal Art Sticker Album is already a standout for 2025 – a journey through Hogwarts brought to life with 102 randomly packed blind-bag stickers that fans craft with sparkling gems and place in the album. This fan-collectible launch is already generating buzz, supported by a growing online Facebook community who trade and share stickers in true Potterhead style.

Whether it’s blind bags featuring collectibles or wearables, seasonal décor Hanging Buddies, the popular Mega Activity Craft Kits or towering 25cm XL Buddies (featuring movie favourites like Stitch and Harry Potter), the upcoming autumn/winter and Christmas 2025 product pipeline continues to expand with new licensing agreements featuring Care Bears, The Grinch, Elf and Fantastic Beasts.

Kayes of Cardiff

Kayes of Cardiff partners with various brands in the Arts & Crafts sector, supporting the demand for this key area of the toy industry. The distributor has formed strong partnerships with leading companies such as James Galt, Royal Brush and many more, with a range of products covering ages three to adult, spread over many affordable price points, making the ranges highly appealing to the independent sector. Products cover a wide spectrum of skill development, which makes the sector attractive to those wishing to promote learning through fun.

This year, Kayes is looking to extend its partnerships to add to its Arts & Crafts ranges, while continuing to offer great margins and appealing lines which will prove popular with grotto selections and retail offerings.

Through its ever-growing sales team, still providing the regular front-facing visits to independent retailers, Kayes services its customers with comprehensive catalogues of its full range. The company has just invested in new sales aids for its team, enabling customers to view the full range whilst still welcoming the regular face-to-face visits of the Kayes company representatives. The new system enhances the already high service levels that customers benefit from when purchasing from Kayes. Through its team of regional representatives and agents, which is complemented by its office sales team, Kayes covers the UK mainland.

Kayes also welcomes visits to its vast showrooms at its head office in Cardiff, where customers can view the vast selection of products under one roof in the relaxing atmosphere the company provides.

With a wide selection of products available to order in small quantities, working with Kayes lets independent retailers buy a wide range as opposed to carrying a depth of stock - a popular strategy in these times of focused stock management.

Arts & Crafts is just one specialist area available alongside Kayes’ other branded partnerships, providing a one-stop shop for any independent retailer, garden centre or leisure attraction, able to select from brands including Orchard Toys, Mattel, Ravensburger, Think Fun, Jumbo, John Adams, Tomy, Winning Moves, Bruder, Casdon, Basic Fun, Brio, Infantino and Sohni-Wicke.

Arts & Crafts

Diamant Toys

(972) 507 390 260 | www.diamanttoys.com sales@diamanttoys.com

Glow Action is a new and interactive way for kids to engage with their creativity. It provides children with the ability to create light-up animations by tracing or drawing their own storyboards, combining art with technology. The two images become an animated creation and come to life as they are lit up.

With six storyboard characters to choose from, children can let their imaginations run wild as they learn and master bringing their drawings to life. The inclusion of three special colour markers allows for vibrant creations and true animation, and the eraser cloth ensures they can easily make adjustments or start fresh when inspiration strikes.

Glow Action not only encourages artistic skills, but also introduces basic storytelling and animation concepts, making it an educational and fun activity for kids. It’s perfect for playdates, art parties, art projects or simply a creative afternoon at home

Baby Republic

www.babyrepublic.co.uk | sales@babyrepublic.co.uk

Little Brian Paint Sticks is a multi-award-winning pre-school craft brand, loved by celebrity mums and parents thanks to the diverse range of colours, as well as being easy to store and mess-free. In 2025, new launches include Flip Sticks – the world’s first double-ended Paint Sticks for twice the creative fun. Users simply pop off the lid and twist the paint like a glue stick. The bright colour paint sticks can be used to paint on paper, card, canvas wood and glass.

Water Doodles let children create Little Brian art that floats on water. Kids can doodle on a spoon, dip in water and watch their drawings float away. The everpopular Little Brian Bath Paint Sticks also launch in a handy 12-pack.

Okto Sensory Art is manufactured in Ukraine and distributed exclusively in the UK by Baby Republic. The brand’s 3D painting sets are aimed at children and adults of all ages and challenge budding artists to create inspiring works of art using sensory clay. New sets launched this year include Little Worlds and Manga, which will be of appeal to fans of the popular genre.

Zuru

www.zurutoys.com | sales@zuru.com

Zuru is making moves into the Arts & Crafts category with the launch of its new IP – Slime Mart. Combining innovative sensory play with creativity, Slime Mart offers kidults and kids aged 6+ a range of squishy slime recipes to create customisable compound food creations.

Launching in the UK with two themed lines – Slime Mart Small Bags: Fruit Tart and Waffles – each pack bursts with over seven playful ingredients. Users can mould and shape the specially formulated slime into realistic-looking snacks, then decorate their creations with a satisfying mix of toppings such as mixed fruit, cream or maple syrup. In addition to encouraging creativity, once complete, the squishable snacks offer hours of tactile and sensory fun.

Tapping directly into the viral food-making slime trend currently exploding on TikTok, which sees engaged communities of kidult audiences showcasing their satisfying ASMR-style, hyper-realistic food slime creations, Slime Mart is perfectly poised to appeal to a broad and highly engaged demographic. With #slimetok and #foodtok racking up hundreds of millions of views on the platform, the trend continues to gain momentum, aligning with Zuru’s trend-led approach to product development and connecting with consumers of all ages.

With additional Small Snack Pack recipes and larger Basket Packs offering a greater amount of ingredient combinations already in development, Zuru is actively building on a longer-term growth strategy for both its new brand and its presence in the Arts & Crafts space.

Arts & Crafts

Educa Borras

www.educaborras.com | international@educaborras.com

My Model is a creative craft activity where play begins by assembling and creating a doll from scratch. Each box includes all the materials needed for crafters to shape the doll with their own hands, making the assembly process an essential part of the experience. This DIY activity not only lets children build the doll's body and hair but also decorate it, dress it and fully customise it, encouraging creativity and the satisfaction of creating something unique from the ground up.

With My Model, playtime becomes a fashion design adventure. Each kit allows children to become real stylists: they cut fabrics following pre-printed patterns, create their own outfits and easily attach them to the doll without any needles or thread, thanks to a clever fastening system. The ability to mix and match clothes in different ways allows for the creation of over 150 different styles, boosting imagination and personal expression. In addition to clothing, each set includes colourful skeins of thread to style the doll’s hair, which can be cut and shaped according to the look each child wants to create. Accessories like handbags, shoes and jewellery allow for even more detailed customisation and enrich the play experience.

The collection features different themed versions: Casual Style, perfect for urban and relaxed looks; Party Edition, made to shine at night; Animal Print, with bold, trendy patterns and Pop Star, inspired by the vibrant world of pop music and its dazzling outfits. Each box includes everything needed to assemble, dress and transform the doll, along with a safe fabric-punching tool and clear, easy-to-follow instructions.

With My Model, play goes beyond entertainment—it's a way to explore creativity, improve fine motor skills and experience the joy of bringing something to life from start to finish.

020 8643 0320 | customerservices@flairgp.co.uk

Tomy

01392 281 927 | www.tomy.com

Tomy continues to build out its Arts & Crafts category in 2025 with a focus on the increasingly popular Hey Clay range, which will be supported by media campaigns in summer and beyond. The range inspires curiosity to discover various shapes and colours, and imagination to create own unique craft designs. With each pack, users get free access to the Hey Clay App – an inspiring guide to creative clay modelling for kids. Available now and new for spring/summer are the Hey Bijou Sweet Ring and Bijou Flower Rings sets. For the first time, Hey Clay lovers will be able to craft their own jewellery with the help of the easyto-follow Hey Clay App. Each pack includes six cans of air-dry clay, a ring sizer and a ring cone. Following the phenomenal success of the Hey Clay Minions release in 2024, the hero launch of the year for the Hey Clay range is the Bluey & Friends Set. Hey Clay fans will be able to dive into a world of fun with Bluey and her friends: creative Bingo, sporty Lucky, inventive Snickers, stylish Coco and resourceful Rusty. Together, they learn new things, discover their talents and have a whale of a time. When the creations are finished and dried, kids can play with them, collect them and display them. Also available in 2025 is the brand new Hey Clay Dogs set, and the Hey Clay Winter Holidays set will arrive just in time for Christmas - perfect for holiday arts & craft time.

Plasticine has been given a new refreshed look with its new Plasticine Pro logo and fresh-looking packaging. This modern look marks a new era for the timeless modelling clay, making it more vibrant and engaging than ever. The Plasticine range is continuing with its classic range of Colour Max, BaSiX and Colour Wheel, still delighting both children and adults with their endless creative possibilities. Building on this success, the Plasticine family now introduces new additions: the Delux Set and the Mega Set. Bursting with a stunning array of new colours, these sets are designed to inspire creativity on a grand scale. Whether users are crafting tiny creatures or expansive landscapes, the Deluxe and Mega Sets have everything they need to bring their imagination to life.

Plasticine Make a Scene, a new addition to the Plasticine range, includes Cup Cake Stand and Dinosaurs. Users can unleash their creativity as they mould, shape and build—then watch their imagination come to life with its very own pop-up backdrop included in each set. 2025 brings a new innovative range, Plasticine Skwishems, with its tag line, Keep’em or Skwish’em – a memorable phrase reinforcing and strengthening the Plasticine brand. Users can either display their beautifully created masterpiece or skwish it. New to the Plasticine range, GP UK has introduced Hello Kitty and Smurfs licences into the Skwishems foil bags. With four characters to build in each, both children and adults can find their inner creative streak and, with the help of step-by-step instructions, they can create stunning figures of Papa Smurf, Smurfette or Hello Kitty herself. This range is designed for both seasoned crafters and users discovering their creative streak. Together with the licensed Skwishems are favourites, Dinosaurs and Sweet Treats, which are always a favourite amongst children and adults alike. Each foil pack comes with enough Plasticine to create a long-necked Dinosaur or a Sweet Treats cupcake with sprinkles on top, completed with step-by-step instructions, together with toothpick tools to sculpt a perfect masterpiece. And now, with online tutorials complementing the in-pack instructions, building masterpieces is easier than ever.

FRESH THIS MONTH:

Each month Fresh sets out to find the latest products that will have toy retailers reaching for the phone. Here are new releases from: Asmodee, Moose & Topps.

fresh

ChromeUEFAClubCompetitions2024/25

Topps • 01908 800 100 • www.topps.com

Topps, the premier trading card brand of Fanatics Collectibles, has launched its Chrome UEFA Club Competitions 2024/25 trading card collection.

The new Topps Chrome UCC card set unites the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and European Conference League competitions in one singular collection, offering newcomers and seasoned collectors more rare inserts, exclusive formats and first-time innovations than ever before.

Key highlights include:

• Autograph Innovations: For the first time, quad autographs (signed by four players) will be available in Chrome packs, along with signatures from Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, global icons such as Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho, and the first ever autographs from legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

• Chase Rookies of the Season: Featuring the most anticipated young talent in football, including Endrick and Ethan Nwaneri.

• All-New Case Hits: Featuring short-printed cards to chase; Radiating Rookies, Circle of Power, Munich at Night, Helix and Topps Chrome White Noise.

• 1/1 Trophy Chrome Cards: Ultra-rare representations of all three men’s UEFA trophies.

• Club & Country Base Parallels: New 1-of-1 cards showcasing players’ national and club affiliations. The collection comes at a pivotal moment for both the global football community and the trading card market, which continues to see significant growth and international expansion.

The 2024/25 Topps UCC Chrome Collection is available now.

FanDrop

Moose Toys • 01637 882 200 • www.moosetoys.com

FanDrop is a completely new way to collect and celebrate fandoms. Billed as elevated art and collectibles, each display-ready FanDrop is a diorama-style showcase that presents pivotal moments inspired by Star Wars and Marvel, thanks to Moose Toys’ partnership with Disney Consumer Products. Completing the scene is an artifact representing a key element, like the Lightsaber from Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker’s battle or the symbiote from Venom, seen during his encounter with Spider-Man. Made of collector-level finishes, housed within each FanDrop are two dynamic stylised figures, a scene artifact, a collector mini print and a background loaded with Easter eggs. Adding to the allure for collectors, the included artifact spans three levels of rarity.

FanDrop will drop at retailers this July and fans can look forward to future drops in the coming months. Among the epic pairings are the Mandalorian and Grogu, Wolverine vs. Sabretooth, Iron Man vs. Loki, and many more.

Summergamesselection

Asmodee • 01420 593 593 www.asmodee.co.uk

Asmodee, one of the UK’s leading distributors of board, tabletop and trading card games, offers family games that promise endless fun this summer for all ages.

Pergola is the new offering from Asmodee Games and Rebel Studios. Pergola gives players the opportunity to curate their perfect oasis in nature – an ideal crossover for players with green fingers. Beautifully crafted with hand-painted watercolour illustrations by the talented Karolina Kijak, renowned for her work on the artwork for Meadow, and over 100 exquisitely designed wooden play pieces, Pergola is as kind to the planet as the gameplay.

Further feeding the anticipated fan frenzy, two black-and-white edition FanDrops inspired by the movie production process – a storyboard rendition of Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker and an artistsketch format of Spider-Man vs. Venom – will be available exclusively at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Collectors purchasing the special edition FanDrop will be treated to either a rare or ultra rare artifact hidden behind blind packaging. The entire FanDrop line will also be available for purchase at Comic-Con. Adding to the collectability, each package will benefit from a Launch Edition sticker only available at Comic-Con.

After more than two million copies sold, Azul returns in mini format. With this new edition, players can take this classic wherever they want. The tiles boast a clever design, with grooves on the bottom to secure in place. Paired with the newly designed player board, which features subtle yet game-changing bumps, these tiles find their snug fit. The score track has also been adapted with travelling in mind, and it can all be stored in the included bag.

New Giant Dobble takes everything that makes the original game fun and turns it up to the next level, with four unique games in one box. In Dobble, each card features a set of symbols, and between any two cards, there’s always one matching symbol. The goal is for players to spot the match faster than their opponents, and this new version lets them do so in large groups for summertime fun.

Disney Lorcana’s on the cards in Cambridge

Toy World’s Caroline Tonks took a trip to Cambridge to visit the local Waterstones’ Collectible Card Game Night – a place where attendees can play popular TCGs including Disney Lorcana. With fun gameplay, demos, prizes and more, it is an event that is not to be missed in the Cambridge gaming community and a model example of Ravensburger’s Disney Lorcana Organised Play Programme.

Nestled in the back of the upper floor of Waterstones in Cambridge, Karl Webb, Games Department lead at Waterstones Cambridge, is setting up for April’s Collectible Card Game Night. He’s taken over the café, rearranging tables to create a comfortable gaming atmosphere and hanging Disney Lorcana posters to fill the space. Characters like Flynn Rider, Elsa, Mickey Mouse and Stitch sit above one of the long

tables, ready to watch over players for the evening.

For its Collectible Card Game Nights, Waterstones Cambridge supports three trading card games: Disney Lorcana, Asmodee’s Star Wars Unlimited and Hasbro’s Magic: The Gathering Commander. General admission to the event costs £7 (£5 for Waterstones card holders), and attendees there for Disney Lorcana will receive product and prizes towards the end of the evening. There are opportunities to purchase new Lorcana packs, get the coveted ‘Play of the Day’ and take part in the draft – one of the night’s most popular activities. This event is held once a month, typically on the last Wednesday, and runs from 6PM-10PM. As the game night is held in Cambridge, there is a student focus and base, and with Waterstones being in the centre of town, evenings like these also attract many locals.

Ben Lovell, Disney Lorcana TCG Category & Sales manager, is there for the evening, showing his support for the event. At Ravensburger, Ben’s main job is overseeing what the company is doing in the UK and Ireland in terms of events, activities and ways of promoting the brand.

"The key thing for us has always been communities, and we work a lot with independent hobby stores which often hold activities on a weekly basis. They are perfectly set up to run events on this scale whereas mass

market retail like Waterstones has traditionally been separated from running these play formats,” explains Ben. “When we heard that Waterstones in Cambridge was holding events like this, we wanted to help support its community and players, giving them a safe place to meet up. It’s a real-life bridge between the two.”

This initiative is part of Ravensburger’s wider Disney Lorcana Organised Play Programme. While Organised Play (OP) normally runs through hobby stores, the programme promotes casual/fun gameplay and community driven activities for all and is now expanding into mainstream stores like Waterstones Cambridge. Ravensburger is very hands on, providing exclusive materials to help promote the events. According to Ben, this is a huge outreach for the company, and the idea behind OP is to encourage people to play, have access to Disney Lorcana cards, have fun and meet people with the same interests –accentuating the concept of community.

With this shift to more mainstream stores, Ravensburger has recently unveiled the Ravensburger Play Hub. “Since the launch of Set One, our release schedule was designed to present every independent retailer with a pre-sale release window before it went to mass retail,” states Ben. “This worked really well for us to show hobbyists and suppliers that we’re here for the community and independent businesses.”

Ben Lovell

Brand Profile Disney Lorcana

The Disney Lorcana team is aiming to expand the play activity schedule – a big priority is getting cards in the hands of fans, showing off the artwork and encouraging consumers to start playing the game. For the release of Set Eight: Reign of Jafar in May, Ravensburger shifted to a one-week pre-release.

The Ravensburger Play Hub (RPH) is a brand-new tool created for stores to run events for Disney Lorcana TCG and other Ravensburger games. Stores that are currently approved for OP can transition to the new system by entering their email address on the RPH site. It is an event organiser and management tool that is easy to use, with versatile features that make creating and managing events a simple process.

The RPH also has features designed with players in mind. It enables them to create and personalise a profile, build their own decks, search for local events and register for events through www.ravensburgerplay. com.

Ben continues: “These stores will get a one-week sales window before everybody else. After that point, everyone else will be able to sell it. The goal is for the OP stores to be a Disney Lorcana destination for that first week, and players who want to get their hands on those cards before anyone else can visit their local gaming store."

Around six o’clock, players slowly start to trickle in. They make their way to the tables, sitting with friends or readying a game while they wait for their competition to show, organising themselves based on TCG. Play mats are smoothed out and placed on tables, while cards are arranged and decks are set up.

There is a clear sense of community here, and Karl explains the history of Waterstone’s games department. He initially started at Heffers, another bookstore in the area, where he was a part of developing this area. Upon Waterstones’ purchase of Blackwells (to which Heffers was affiliated), the Cambridge location inherited Heffers’ games department, and with that, Karl and his wealth of knowledge and experience. It is obvious that he’s passionate about these events, from how he's running around to make sure everything is perfectly set up to answering any questions visitors have with enthusiasm. This passion makes a huge difference to the

environment for all the players.

When asked why these three games are the highlights of the event, Karl smiles. “Those are the ones that I like.” When Disney Lorcana first launched, he enjoyed what the game did. “I’ve had a lot of faith in Disney Lorcana since the beginning, and I’ve been promoting it even before doing so an official level with Ravensburger. I’ve made Instagram videos supporting the game, and I’ve recommended it on other platforms like Discord and Facebook. While it’s still in its relative infancy, I think it’s a great entry point at a teachable level, even for those at a young age. It uses characters that fans are familiar with; when you open a pack, you can associate with the characters and their backstories and get excited about that. It’s deep game play, but I feel it’s at a very accessible level, unlike some of the other major TCGs.”

It is this approachability that makes Karl want to run events like the Collectible Card Game Nights. He highly values accessibility in games. “A game that is easy to teach, and one you’re going to keep coming back to again and again, is my sweet spot,” he says. “I can commercially market or recommend it to as many people as I can. Lorcana fits into this very well.”

Ben mirrors this, saying: “It’s a great brand, great IP and the game is a lot of fun to play. At Ravensburger, we want Disney Lorcana to be a welcoming TCG for new and experienced players alike.”

Alongside what Ravensburger has planned for the game, Ben intends to grow not only this event, but the whole OP programme. With more TCG events around the country, the more opportunities there are for people

to take part – and Ben believes that there are many more opportunities out there.

From Karl’s perspective, he will continue to focus on the three games Waterstones is using in the collectible card game realm. “Splitting the player base I already have across more games would make it harder for the games I’m focusing on to do well,” he explains. “There are other locations within Cambridge that run organised play events for other games. There’s no reason for us to overlap.” But if this initiative keeps growing, and there was room to hold the event twice a month, he would be fully on board with doing that.

With the depth of experience from the Waterstones games department and continued success from these events, Waterstones Cambridge can be used as a model for other stores who wish to grow a competitive player community. Ben adds: “What Karl has done is creatively use the space available; during the 9-to-5 store window, it’s a café but can easily be converted into a mini game shop, with games all around and an open plan area for people to play and participate.

“We’ve seen a few different businesses organise games nights with board games. Some have featured card games, but not as often. It’s about welcoming gamers of all interests and showing them what there is to offer, and hopefully they’ll find something that they like.”

Karl adds: “Waterstones is growing in a number of locations, and there’s definitely the capacity for staff that are enthusiastic like me to set up events like this.” He sees it as an opportunity for both Ravensburger and Waterstones. “It is trying to manifest this into something beyond this location which I would love to see. Waterstones is still in the early days of taking games to a higher level, and I’m very excited to see where games grow in the Waterstones space.”

Karl Webb

ESCP and C2C - partnering to lead the way towards a circular, ethical future

Todd Merton, head of Business Development at the Ethical Supply Chain Program, tells Toy World how the not-for-profit’s new partnership with Cradle to Cradle will help companies meet the Social Fairness requirements of its certification solution, as more and more embrace the circular economy.

As businesses around the world strive to reduce their environmental footprints and build more ethical supply chains, finding a solution to achieve this is imperative. Cradle to Cradle Certified (C2C Certified) is a certification solution that helps businesses to do both. Behind the certification is the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a global non-profit organisation redefining how circular design and sustainable manufacturing should interact.

Cradle to Cradle Certified challenges companies to go beyond basic sustainability claims. Its certification isn’t about doing “less harm”- it’s about creating products that are regenerative by design, safe to use and designed for continuous reuse, recycling or - if possible - composting. In other words, products made for the circular economy.

What is Cradle to Cradle Certified?

At the heart of C2C Certified’s framework is a rigorous, science-based assessment covering five critical areas:

• Material Health – ensuring ingredients are safe for people and the environment

• Product Circularity – designing for reuse, recycling or composting

• Clean Air & Climate Protection –generating clean energy and protecting the environment

• Water & Soil Stewardship – protecting ecosystems and responsible water use

• Social Fairness – upholding human rights, labour standards and fair business practices

This holistic approach means certified products don’t just address one aspect of sustainability: they meet high standards across the board. The certification

applies across a wide range of sectors, from Fashion and Furniture to Building Materials, Cosmetics and Toys. For companies and consumers alike, the Cradle to Cradle Certified trademark is a signal of deep environmental and ethical commitment.

Cradle to Cradle works with designers, brands and manufacturers to rethink every stage of the product life cycle, from sourcing materials to manufacturing, use and reuse. The ultimate goal is to eliminate waste, regenerate natural systems and ensure that human and environmental wellbeing are embedded into every step of the process.

Partnering for success: Social Fairness in supply chains

In a recent move designed to support companies striving to meet the Social Fairness requirement of the certification, Cradle to Cradle Certified has partnered with the Ethical Supply Chain Program (ESCP) - a notfor-profit organisation responsible for a robust auditing standard, assessments and worker well-being initiatives ensuring fair labour protections and responsible business practices in the supply chain.

ESCP has now been confirmed as an approved verification partner for C2C Certified. This means companies using ESCP’s factory certification can use it as verified evidence of meeting Social Fairness criteria, streamlining the certification journey and reinforcing accountability across the supply chain.

Beyond compliance, the partnership is set to include joint educational webinars and events, helping companies understand not only how to get certified, but how to truly embed ethical and circular principles into their operations.

Carmel Giblin, CEO and president at ESCP, said: “ESCP and Cradle To Cradle Certified both exist to help

businesses operate more ethically. This partnership means we can work together to help more organisations demonstrate their commitment to embracing more ethical, sustainable practices.”

Real-world impact: Schleich

The partnership is already delivering results. German producer of hand painted toys and accessories, Schleich, is using ESCP’s programme to meet the Social Fairness criteria as it works towards Cradle to Cradle Certification.

Dr. Philipp Hummel, head of Global Sustainability & EHS at Schleich, said: “ESCP’s factory certification programme will be an easy and efficient route to meet the Social Fairness requirement and propel us towards Cradle to Cradle Certified. In doing so, we ensure that our toys are fully circular, while also guaranteeing that they are produced in a socially- and environmentallyfriendly way.”

Looking ahead

As the need to rethink how products are made continues to grow, Cradle to Cradle Certified supports businesses committed to meaningful, measurable change. Through strategic partnerships, such as with the Ethical Supply Chain Program, the organisation is helping to enable businesses across the globe to deliver products that are not only sustainable but regenerative, circular and ethical.

To find out more about the partnership, and how to build sustainability into product design, contact the Ethical Supply Chain Program at membership@ ethicalsupplychain.org

More information on C2C Certified can be found at www.c2ccertified.org

Allegedly

I heard recently of the first retailer to break cover and email suppliers telling them there will be a 5.5% surcharge on orders to compensate for the rise in National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage. Naturally, this applies to deals already agreed and signed off, so there is no opportunity to build the increase into pricing negotiations. The retailer in question is by no means a mainstream toy player, but wheeled goods suppliers and a few others will potentially be affected. As ever, companies will have a choice to make – usually in these circumstances, some will refuse to pay up, some will attempt to negotiate a lower figure and some will give in. It all comes down to the trading relationship and how important the account is in the grand scheme of things. The bigger concern would be if larger retailers follow suit and make similar demands…

One piece of good news on the UK toy retail front was the Chancellor’s announcement that she will be reviewing the £135 threshold for duty free imports. If this is removed – as many believe it should be – it should help to stem the influx of potentially unsafe or counterfeit toys from the likes of Shein and Temu, which must surely be having a detrimental effect on UK toy sales. The last time I wrote about curbing these sellers, someone on LinkedIn accused me – and the toy trade as a whole – of “protectionism”, but I stand by my belief that these platforms are not doing enough to ensure the products they’re selling comply with the regulations – and with all the US turmoil, there are fears that we could be flooded with even more questionable items as a result. The move would also help to level the playing field for domestic retailers and suppliers, which have to pay VAT and duty, as well as ensure their products comply with all necessary regulations. However, how long it will actually take the government to review the situation, as well as make and enact a decision, is another matter entirely…

It’s starting to dawn on US consumers that it is them who will be responsible for paying the consumer tax of tariffs, not China as has been regularly intimated by the administration. Indeed, so incensed was Trump after hearing on the grapevine that Amazon was planning to itemise the tariff cost separately on its invoices, a call with Jeff Bezos was hastily arranged. Hours later, Amazon denied that was ever the intention and confirmed that it wouldn’t be taking the idea forward. However, some other retailers and suppliers are already doing this – including Fat Brain. I wonder if Trump will be in touch to accuse them of a “hostile and political act”, as was the case with Amazon. Of course, it is nothing of the kind, it is simply transparency – and to pretend otherwise is just gaslighting the American public…

We’re seeing other knock-on effects of the tariff situation: someone sent me video footage from LA during the April preview week, showing that the buildings in which toy companies are located in El Segundo were almost as quiet as The Entertainer stores on a Sunday. A very sad sight, although again, arguably not a massive surprise – I had picked up

reports of people pulling out ahead of the trip, but it seems there were even more people taking that decision that anyone anticipated. Some people who made the trip have talked about the benefit spending quality time with customers and writing orders, so there were positives – but clearly the trip didn’t attract the numbers expected before the tariff situation exploded. I am sure it will be a very different story in September…

It’s not just consumer goods that have come under fire from the US administration – Trump also threatened the movie industry last month, suggesting that films “made in foreign countries” would be tariffed at 100%. That’s a heck of a grenade to toss into the film world without warning – and just ahead of the Cannes Film Festival and Vegas Licensing Expo too, when licensees and licensors were already going to have some interesting conversations about royalty payments, given the possibility of some ranges being deferred to next year. Yet once again, Trump has opened the can and worms are everywhere. What constitutes a “foreign” movie? Is it the filming location? What if a variety of locations are featured, some in the US, some not? Or is it where the film company is located? What happens to co-productions and joint-funded movies? Where does this leave Warner Bros’ state-of-theart Leavesden Studios facility, just down the road from Toy World Towers? Trump’s suggestion would presumably mean that Barbie, Wicked and many more blockbuster movies ostensibly ‘made’ by Hollywood studios would have been subject to tariffs. Madness…

China has continued to remain stoic and tight-lipped amidst the chaos. I even hear that Chinese factories are being incredibly flexible with international companies: it was to be expected that they would hike prices for smaller orders to take into account the lack of US numbers, but I gather that many are offering to hold prices for reduced volumes. The rationale seems to be that the factories don’t want to lose loyal, experienced staff. If they have to temporarily shut down, the fear is that workers will either return home or find other jobs, and all that knowledge and experience will be lost, making it difficult to start up again when this mess is resolved. So, by all accounts they’re doing what they can to keep the machines ticking over – admirable pragmatism. It would be great if that level of flexibility and spirit of partnership was on show elsewhere…

There have been a few comings and goings at toy companies in recent weeks. Nicola Bergot is looking for a new opportunity, after the role of country manager was made redundant at Magicbox, while Craig Wilkins has left his role as SVP Marketing EMEA, Latam and Apac at Hasbro. Very sad to see both moving on, but they are two extremely talented people who could make a huge difference at other companies, and I very much hope to see them snapped up very soon. Sometimes, one company’s loss is another company’s big win…