Brand Profile - Tubbz (Rubber Road)

Time to get quacking?

Ben Grant, co-founder of Rubber Road, tells us more about the Tubbz brand of cosplaying ducks and the opportunities the extensive brand presents for retailers.

2025 is on track to be the biggest year yet for Tubbz, which has over 400 characters in its line-up so far, paying tribute to some of the most iconic characters from the world of pop culture. Working with licensing partners which include Universal, Warner Bros, Sega, Paramount, Bethesda, Amazon MGM and Mojang, Ben tells us growth in the UK is accelerating fast

With kids returning to school this month, what role does the pocket money and collectibles category play in the Back-to-School experience?

The Back-to-School opportunity keeps on growing; there’s so much more to it than stocking up the pencil case. As well as stationery, uniform and sports items, children going back to school love to share their summer news and show off toys they’ve bought in the holidays. Considered licence-focused merchandising at this time can lead to incremental pocket money sales, for example, Minecraft Mini Tubbz don’t look out of place sitting alongside Minecraft stationery, school bags etc.

Are there still opportunities for growth within the Playground Crazes and Pocket Money category?

Collectibles are taking over the pocket money category, and there is still plenty of mileage. Where Tubbz succeeds is having relevant licences that kids love alongside exceptional detail; these impressive character replicas are really capturing young imaginations. Mini Tubbz has just landed in pocket money aisles at The Entertainer and Tesco, the perfect home for these duck icons, and we’re excited to see the reaction.

What are your bestsellers this year?

Recently, we’ve launched Mini Tubbz characters to coincide with the movie release dates of major blockbusters like How To Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World and Superman, which has allowed us to capitalise on the movie hype. This worked brilliantly for Minecraft in the spring, with our retail partners reporting impressive sales leading to re-orders. With Wicked: Back for Good coming in November, we look forward to repeating the success we had with our Wicked Tubbz when the first movie launched last year.

How do you keep your ranges fresh and exciting, and customers engaged?   

Tubbz is an evolving brand. We started with First Editions, aimed at collectors and fans of nostalgia brands such as Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Jaws. These were limited editions, and once they were gone, that was it; these larger ducks at a high price point created a FOMO effect. We went on to secure more current licences such as Minions, Jurassic Park, Minecraft and DC Comics; as these  appeal to children, it made sense to look at another audience and category, so we launched Mini Tubbz. These have the same high level of detail but are smaller and at a lower price point to tap into the pocket money category. This range has been a game changer for the business. We keep Mini Tubbz fresh and relevant by continually introducing new licences and characters that kids love. This means they can add to and grow their collections. For example, Minecraft Tubbz started with Creeper and Steve, then we added Skeleton, and more characters are on the way pre-Christmas.

In 2026, something new is coming that will significantly boost our presence in pocket-money collectibles. A ducky twist on Mini Tubbz, these are super quirky, fun and eye-catching with an air of mystery – retailers should watch this space.

Social media can play a huge part in creating trends - how do you use it to promote your products?

We want to reach both children and parents, and work with influencers to drive engagement. Tubbz are pure fun, so we love seeing the quirky content that is created. We also leverage our licence and retail partners’ channels to reach movie and gaming fans and retail customers. Once product is on shelf, we do everything we can to make sure consumers know about it, so collaborating with our partners’ channels is key.

Does current consumer sentiment present an opportunity to highlight lower-priced toys and stocking fillers as budget-friendly options?

Absolutely! Conversations with our retail partners have cemented our view that Mini Tubbz is a volume opportunity and spot on for stocking fillers. This Christmas, we will be introducing characters from Wicked, How to Train Your Dragon, Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog and Jurassic Park to name a few.  Dinosaurs are big business and our hybrid rubber duck/dinos are a proven winner. The Grinch is one of our top sellers all year round, so we’re sure he can steal Christmas.

Which single new launch are you most excited about?

This year, How to Train Your Dragon has been an enormous success with retailers re-ordering for Q4. To fast forward to 2026, we can’t wait to reveal our new concept in collectibles which is going to take Tubbz to another level. This is a logical next step, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.