Toyworld April 2017

April 2017 volume 6 issue 7

Toy World 1

Toot-Toot Drivers are back on TV! Movable helipad

Electronic gate

On TV Now!

Interactive lifts

9 SmartPoint locations

Tow Truck included

For more details please contact 01235 555545 trade_sales@vtech.com

Toy World 2

The Team...

CONTENTS April 2017 volume 6 issue 7

John Baulch

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

26 Brand Profile: Ben 10

38 Feature: Pre-School

Mark Austin

Advertisement Manager mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher

18 Generation Media:

20 Company Profile: Diaframma 26 Brand Profile: Ben 10 28 Company Profile: Blue Sky

06 News

30 NPD column

14 Industry Moves Anita Baulch

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

Living in a Digital World

Designs

35 Talking Shop

16 Marketing World

38 Feature: Pre-School 78 Company Profile: Science4you 82 Feature: Games & Puzzles 84 Company Profile: Jumbo 106 Feature: Pocket Money & Collectibles

72 Viewpoint

22 Licensing World

122 Allegedly

68 Fresh

Contributors Jonika Kinchin

Assistant Editor jonika@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

David Ripley | The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | Lutz Muller

Salma Haidrani

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

Mark Crowford

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

82 Feature: Games & Puzzles

106 Feature: Pocket Money & Collectibles

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

Alakat Published by

61 Maxted Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DZ

www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

toyworldmag

Toy World 3

Toy World Magazine

©2017 Spin Master PAW Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Paw Patrol and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Spin Master Ltd. Nickelodeon and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

#1 PRESCHOOL PROPERTY! FY 2016 TO FEB 17 TV ADVERTISED THIS SPRING!

W

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

elcome to the April issue of Toy World. With a quarter of the year already gone - a sobering thought in itself - things are slowly beginning to settle down and a pattern (of sorts) is emerging. Talking to suppliers and retailers about their thoughts on the first quarter certainly produces an interesting array of responses. On the plus side, a few new introductions and old favourites appear to have got off to a f lying start; I’m hearing good things about PJ Masks, Glimmies, LOL Surprise and Power Rangers amongst others.

And Lego recently reported its highest global revenue in the company’s 85-year histor y, rising 6% to a whopping £4.4bn.

But it would be disingenuous to suggest that feedback has been universally positive.

After a strong start to the year in Januar y, trading appeared to slow in Februar y and the early part of March. One theor y is that many retailers saw an opportunity to delay the impact of price increases by stocking up heavily at the back end of last year.

Unquestionably a smart move on their part, but there seems to have been a knock-on effect on early year orders. Of course, tr ying to get by on existing stock will only last for so long, and eventually retailers will have no option but to bite the bullet and accept the new prices. However, a few are apparently still attempting to dig their heels in, perhaps hoping that suppliers will crack and rescind the proposed price increases. Let’s just say that, if that is indeed their thought-process, I have my doubts that things will turn out the way they hope.

In challenging times, the communication process and strength of supplier-retail partnerships can be tested to their limits.

Both sides working together to tackle the challenges head on is clearly the optimum solution. If one partner becomes overly inf lexible and intransigent, it merely exacerbates the situation, and frustration sets in. Perhaps this is why a steady stream of suppliers has been in touch in recent weeks, many pointing the finger at one retail behemoth in particular.

Those of you who are regular readers of my Friday Blog will have read the ongoing saga of this ‘myster y’ retailer as it developed: although I didn’t name the retailer in question, an awful lot of people seemed to instantly recognise who I was referring to, which would appear to illustrate just how widespread the problems are.

The stor y started when several suppliers reported a significant increase in instances of ‘skimming’ and ‘dipping’; for the uninitiated, that is when a percentage of a consignment mysteriously goes missing from a deliver y.

You would be forgiven for thinking that such roguer y would have no room to f lourish in today’s highly-polished logistics environment.

And yet, by all accounts, it is – and it appears to be affecting the aforementioned retailer particularly frequently. So much so, in fact, that I am led to believe some suppliers even allow for it in their trading calculations.

The initial Blog piece certainly struck a

Toy World 5

chord – or touched a nerve, depending on which way you look at it. Several people were kind enough to expand on the initial stor y.

One person explained to me how skimming can go on undetected (apparently, the trick is to take from the bottom of the carton, not the top, so it is less likely to be detected), while another put a monetar y figure on the losses; his shortages doubled from £10,000 in 2015 to £20,000 last year. He also pointed out that if he doesn’t get to grips with it, that means it could easily be £30-40,000 before too long.

But ‘getting to grips with it’ is, by all accounts, not an easy task. The retailer’s recommended carrier often can’t supply the necessar y paper work to allow suppliers to successfully dispute the claim, a challenge compounded by the fact that digital screens can’t be stamped. Someone else suggested that he believes the retailer’s software ‘randomly’ throws out shortages.

Disputed marketing contributions are apparently another major issue. These queries are not helped by buyers moving on, but suppliers not being told who the new buyer is due to company policy, making dispute resolution infinitely harder. Maybe it genuinely is just the sheer scale of the administrative burden, rather than any nefarious activity, which is the underlying issue here. But whichever way you look at it, the sums involved are not small, and it’s hard to see them as anything else other than an account charge or a ta x on doing business.

One supplier referred to the retailer as “a shadow y organisation that hides behinds multiple layers of administration, designed to def lect and confuse suppliers to the point of surrender. It does make me think of a Terminator/Matrix world where the machines rule ever ything.”

Quite apart from the difficulty of finding a person to talk to, I can quite understand the reticence of suppliers to raise the issue directly, given the size of the account in question. However, if these practices are any where near as prevalent as has been suggested, I am sure the company concerned would want to know and take steps to rectif y it immediately. Hence my decision to bring the subject out into the open and shine a light on it. Not all trade magazines feel it is their place to comment on complicated industr y issues, but we’re a bit different; indeed, we feel that is one of the key roles of a good trade magazine.

Finally, I just wanted to draw your attention to something exciting which accompanies this month’s edition of Toy World. With this issue you’ll find a special leaf let, which features Eduk8’s ground-breaking new 3D augmented reality zoo playmat, which proved to be a huge hit over Toy Fair season. Using a mobile device, parents can download the app which allows children to scan any animal on the mat and see it come to life. Toy World readers can see the amazing effect for themselves by scanning the QR code on the leaf let and downloading the app. I promise it’s well worth giving it a go – the technolog y is ver y impressive and I’m sure toddlers will be fascinated by the effect.

News LeapFrog to return to London Toy Fair in 2018 LeapFrog will occupy a new location next to the VTech stand, which will be increased by over 30% to make room for both brands to be presented to customers in the UK. “The LeapFrog brand has a unique positioning with education in its DNA, and it’s important for customers to be able see the fabulous new toys that are being developed for the UK right here in London,” said Clive Richardson, marketing director. “LeapFrog will help retailers grow their infant and pre-school business by responding to well researched learning needs among preschoolers.”

“We are extremely pleased to be welcoming VTech to Toy Fair once again next year,” said Majen Immink, head of Toy Fair operations and sales. “As a longstanding exhibitor, the decision to invest further and grow their presence at the show to incorporate both brands is testament to their continued support of the event. We wish them every success.”

The increased investment at London Toy Fair is one of a number of new moves in VTech’s dual brand strategy in the UK which will see dedicated sales, marketing and product development teams, a new showroom in Abingdon and an expansion in the number of suppliers helping to grow both brands.

Epoch names Neil Bandtock as MD of UK and Ireland

Privet Capital acquires Vivid Toy Group The private equity investor has announced the acquisition for an undisclosed sum.

Eric Rossi, chief executive of Vivid Toy Group commented: “With Privet Capital’s backing, we are well supported to accelerate Vivid’s growth path, including some exciting new initiatives. This investment, as well as ongoing operational support from the Privet team, will enable us to continue developing Vivid’s strong product portfolio – particularly within the collectibles segment and certain licences, as well as to further strengthen the company’s excellent longstanding customer relationships with the world’s leading toy and games retailers.”

Vardhan Rajkumar, senior partner at Privet Capital, commented: “We are extremely pleased to have acquired Vivid which we believe has significant growth potential.

Vivid is an exciting business with an impressive track record of end-to-end excellence in each of its core functions, from procurement and product design through to marketing and sales, via its unrivalled distribution network and retail relationships worldwide. Privet’s investment and operational guidance will support the continued enhancement of Vivid’s in-house developed brand portfolio and expansion overseas.”

Privet Capital is a London-based private equity investor which describes itself as “creating value through operational improvement.” Its team of experienced professionals seeks to partner with management teams in established businesses with a strong underlying product/business offering, which are in need of a clearer strategic direction to achieve operational efficiency and maximise growth potential.

Neil Bandtock has been appointed to the role of managing director at Epoch Toys, following over 25 years with Matchbox, MGA and Vivid Imaginations in commercial director and managing director roles, as well as gaining retail experience with Merlin Entertainment Group as global retail director.

Commenting on his appointment, Neil told Toy World: “I am delighted to be joining the Epoch team. The UK business is growing by nearly 50% year on year and there are some very exciting product and brand developments to be announced shortly. I look forward to helping the UK team continue our growth throughout the UK and Ireland retail sector.”

Koji Otsuka, Epoch’s executive head of international, commented: “We are very excited to have someone with Neil’s experience and track record on board, to help take Epoch business forward in the UK and Ireland.

facebook.com/DKL.Toys twitter.com/DKLtoys

DISTRIBUTING AND MARKETING QUALITY CHILDREN’S BRANDS FOR OVER 25 YEARS. tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing Ltd, 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK

Toy World 6

News

subscribe for daily updates at www.toyworldmag.co.uk

@toyworldmag

Over 2,000 toys on show at Legend of Hong Kong Toys exhibition Lego announces Marina Edwards as VP & general manager of UK & Ireland Marina takes over from Fiona Wright, who had been covering the role on an interim basis since 2016, in parallel with running the Nordic/Benelux/Baltic business.

Marina started her career at Procter & Gamble in 2000. In 2014, she moved to Pepsico as a senior commercial director, where she led a sizeable business and team.

Marina’s solid commercial and leadership experience, combined with her affinity with the Lego values and culture, make her a strong addition to the UK/Ireland business and the EMEA leadership team. Born in Russia, she has been living in the UK for 13 years with her husband and two sons.

Marina commented: “I feel extremely privileged to be joining Lego. I admire the values the company has been true to since 1932 – to develop and inspire children through creative play and learning. My team and I will work with our partners to continue the momentum the company has seen over the past years. Our ambition is to drive growth in the toy market and remain the industry leader, while consistently practising the ethos that ‘Only the best is good enough’”.

Grants available for Kids India Birmingham Chamber of Commerce will co-ordinate the British presence at the show.

The Department for International Trade (DiT - formerly UKTI) has announced that 12 grants of £2,500 are available for eligible UK companies looking to exhibit at Kids India, which takes place from 20 – 22 September.

The exhibition, currently on display at The Hong Kong Museum of History, is running from 2nd March to 15th May and will display toys from different eras, enabling members of the public to learn about the history of toy manufacturing and see the evolution of toys over the past century.

Speaking at the opening ceremony was the secretary for commerce and economic development, Mr Gregory So. He said that the exhibition will take both children and adults on a journey to witness the evolution of toys, and uncover details of the transformation of the toy industry and the creativity behind the toys.

Roland Earl, director general of the BTHA and former president of ICTI, attended the opening, and told Toy World: “I would like to congratulate the Hong Kong Toy Council and the Toy Manufacturers of Hong Kong for putting on such a fascinating exhibition. The exhibition details the rich history of toy making in Hong Kong and the technical challenges faced by local manufacturers as it evolved from a local to a global industry. It is a story of the people of Hong Kong too; how their ingenuity, hard work and skill has made such a valuable and lasting contribution to the global toy community. If anyone from the UK is visiting Hong Kong over the next three months, I can heartily recommend a visit; I’m sure there are many toys featured in the exhibition which they would recognise.”

The fair, which is in its fifth year, is organized

by Spielwarenmesse India Pvt, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spielwarenmesse eG, which organises the world’s largest toy fair in Nuremberg.

The show provides a platform for international manufacturers to establish contact with the decision-makers from the wholesale and retail trade chains, as well as the specialist trade. More information about the event can be found at kidsindia.co.in

British companies interested in participating, or finding out more about the available grants, can contact Stuart Whitehill for further information at stuart@overseasfairs.co.uk or by phone on 01564 784999.

UK and Ireland distributor for SES Creative, Peaceable Kingdom, eeBoo and Mudpuppy 029 2002 9724 www.steppingstonesmarketing.co.uk/distributor

Toy World 8

News New stores for The Entertainer The Entertainer announced the opening of two new stores for spring 2017 in Truro, Cornwall and Northampton. These new shops will bring the toy retailer’s total number of UK outlets to 133, with nine located overseas.

Each of the new stores will be more than 2,500 sq feet in size and will be amongst the company’s largest shops in its portfolio. The store in Truro will be located in the town’s high street. The Northampton store will be located in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre in the town centre. Both stores are set to create new jobs in the area.

Each store will hold a grand opening day with activities in store, special costume character appearances, in-store demos and seasonal promotions.

A special trolley dash for a local charity will take place at the openings.

Gary Grant, The Entertainer’s founder and managing director said: “We have a solid footprint right across the UK on both the high street and in shopping centres. We are really excited to be expanding our retail base early on in 2017, and are particularly excited to be opening our first toy shop in Cornwall, which will be our furthest store west in the UK.”

Lego reports highest ever revenue Sales in 2016 rose 6% to hit a total of £4.4bn, the highest in Lego’s 85-year history, while profit also rose by 1.7%.

Bali Padda, the first non-Dane to be in charge of the company, stated that he was satisfied with Lego’s performance during 2016, despite slowing growth in the second half. He commented: “We were encouraged by our performance in mature markets in Europe and continue to see

strong potential in China, which represents an attractive growth opportunity”.

He added that the company was increasingly focusing on how to engage with children online, and will aim to introduce a new online platform to encourage children to share what they have built out of Lego.

The company reported that the Star Wars Millennium Falcon was its best-selling toy, and highlighted the Lego Movie and Lego Batman films proving successful at the cinema, and the opening of the flagship store in London’s Leicester Square as contributing factors to the company’s success.

Spin Master unveils strong Q4 financial results Gross product sales in the fourth quarter of 2016 increased by 30.9% to $376.2m, driven by sales of Paw Patrol and Hatchimals. Sales increased by 21.9% in North America, 59.4% in Europe and 34.8% in the rest of the world. Overall, international sales represented 34.8% of the company’s turnover, compared with 30.0% in 2015.

Ben Gadbois, president and COO of Spin Master, commented: “Operationally, our rolling 36-month brand innovation pipeline continues to generate innovation that we intend to build on to drive future growth.

Our international sales, marketing and distribution network and overall international market presence is stronger today than it was a year ago. We still see significant opportunities in Europe, Asia, Australia and other international markets, and we look forward to capitalizing on them as we move toward our goal of deriving 40% of our sales from international customers in the next few years.”

Ronnen Harary, Spin Master’s co- CEO, added: “We are very pleased with our performance in 2016. The successful launch of Hatchimals was a testament to our ability to innovate and highlighted the integration of our internal global R&D network with our external inventors. Together with Cardinal and our recent acquisitions of Swimways and Toca Boca, we have strong momentum building across our business going into 2017.”

Record Breaking 114th New York International Toy Fair The New York Toy Fair saw 14,176 retailers, wholesalers, entertainment executives, importers, buying groups, and trade guests from 96 countries in attendance, with a notable increase in attendees from outside the US, including international buyers (+10.9% year-over-year) and trade guests (+33.1%), as well as foreign press (+17.2%).

The top five countries represented at the show, not including the US and Canada, were China, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Japan.

The Toy Fair saw 1,131 toy companies showcase new product lines in front of 10,276 (+2.4%) buyers, including delegations from 4,000 unique retail outlets and 22 of the USA’s top 25 toy sellers. Buyer attendance from bricks-and-mortar outlets grew 9.2%. Licensing executives were also on-site to scout new trends and forge licensing agreements.

“Toy Fair 2017 was a resounding success for our members’ businesses. The booths and aisles were abuzz with excitement and optimism,” said Steve Pasierb, president & chief executive at the Toy Industry Association. “This year’s show opened doors for American toymakers to new and emerging markets around the world, brought exciting trends and play experiences to life, and unveiled inventions from talented inventors and entrepreneurs”.

“From first-time exhibitors in our new Launch Pad section to veteran toymakers that have been exhibiting at Toy Fair for decades, the diversity of companies represented at the show continues to draw an enormous international crowd of play professionals to New York City,” added Marian Bossard, senior vice president of global market events at the Toy Industry Association.

Toy World 10

News Jada Toys and Jazwares form partnership for UK and Europe Under the terms of the deal, Jazwares will have master distribution rights for Jada’s entire product offering to mass and specialty retailers. This includes Jada’s licensed diecast and radio controlled vehicles, as well as Metals diecast, a line of highly stylized, licensed diecast figures which come in 15.3cm, 10.2cm and 6.4cm scales.

Bill Simons, CMO of Jada Toys, commented: “Jada has experienced growth in the US thanks to our best-in-class licences, collectibles and radio control vehicles. Our goal for 2017 is to continue our growth outside the US, becoming a global entertainment company with worldwide distribution. Partnering with Jazwares provides turn-key distribution of our entire line across Europe, a key step in achieving our international objectives.”

New retailers interested in purchasing Jada merchandise through Jazwares can contact Daniel Sugrue, sales director at Jazwares via DSugrue@Jazwares.com

Little Brian appoints Trends UK as distributor The company will distribute the company’s Paint Sticks range in the UK. Lindsay Hardy, marketing director at Trends UK, said: “We’re very excited to be presenting this fun and innovative range, which children are familiar with from their classrooms, at retail.

Painting without mess is a fantastic trade and consumer message”.

Paint Sticks provide a clean and convenient way to paint with no need for water or mess.

The solid paint sticks twist up and down, like a glue stick, and allow can be used on surfaces like canvas, wood, paper, card and even glass, drying within minutes of use. The range includes new Metallic and Day Glow products, along with the Classic Paint Sticks which launched last year.

Lara Alcock, sales director at Little Brian, said: “We’re delighted to officially announce that we have appointed such a well-known and high quality distributor as Trends UK and really feel that the team can help us take the brand to the next level.

“The contract with Trends ensures that we can further deliver on our objectives. We have some exciting products in the pipeline for 2017, which has started in the best way possible.”

Darrell Jones departs Bandai Darrell left his role as marketing director at the end of March, having joined the company in 1990 and initially working on the Nintendo video games business. When Bandai’s distribution agreement finished, he moved across to the toy division, working with Rosie Bayles as the company was about to launch Power Rangers.

“I’ve worked with so many fantastic people during my 26 years at Bandai and have been very fortunate to be involved with some of the greatest brands – Power Rangers, Ben 10, and Tamagotchi to name a few”, commented Darrell. “I would like to thank the Bandai UK team who have become my second family. I am looking

forward to taking some time off to relax and spend time with my family before pursuing new challenges”.

Darrell can be contacted at the following email address: darrelljones@gmx.com.

Toy World 12

Toymaster reassures suppliers over ownlabel programme Toymaster sent an email to suppliers confirming that it has no plans to develop an own-label programme. The email references an article in a rival toy magazine, in which The Entertainer CEO Gary Grant is quoted as saying that the retailer is planning to increase shelf space for own label toys and games in 2017, but “that this is not to the detriment of suppliers.”

Toymaster managing director Ian Edmunds’ email states: “Unless they are expanding every store, I am not sure how this is physically possible – but I am sure Gary will find a way.

Therefore, I thought it best to clarify Toymaster’s position with regards to its own label programme: we do not have one either in-store, in the planning stage or even in our list of the top 100 things to do to ‘Help Our Members Trade More Profitably’”.

The email included an invitation to the Toymaster Brand Presentation on 29th March, as Ian went on to say, “We want to sell your brands, and work with you to promote your brands to our consumers. If you can spare the time to attend our presentation, I am sure you will find ways to partner with Toymaster.”

The Entertainer’s expansion of its own-label programme over the past year has proved to be a controversial ove with some suppliers, and the email from Toymaster has helped to reassure those companies that Toymaster has no plans to follow a similar path.

MI PR appoints Ruth Leonard as marketing director In the newly created role, Ruth Leonard will be responsible for marketing, new business development and strategic communications. Ruth brings a wealth of industry experience to the role, having spent 15 years in senior management roles across marketing, brand management and public relations.

The PR team, led by Julia Swan, director of Public Relations, will continue to support clients across trade, consumer, social and digital media.

“Ruth is well known and highly respected in the industry and brings a fantastic skill set to the company,” said Jonathan Rose, managing director. “This new appointment will further strengthen the MI PR Global team and will positively impact our client base directly.”

Ruth can be contacted on 07712 395414 / 01494 372130 and email: ruth.leonard@ miprglobal.co.uk.

Toy World 13

Industry Moves Sarah Mayor joins Tactic Games The company has appointed Sarah Mayor to the role of Key Account Executive.

Sarah brings experience in retail operations and territory management most recently with Notcutts and Epoch Making Toys and will be developing independent retail and key accounts in the South of England.

Jeremy Pateman, Country Director commented, “Sarah’s experience, enthusiasm and knowledge of the independent distribution channel will pave the way for continued growth. We hope to announce a similar appointment for the North of England imminently.”

Magformers makes three key additions to team The company has expanded its team with a sales executive, office manager and company accountant.

Jill MacNeill joins as Sales Executive and will be responsible for developing Magformers’ growing business in Ireland. Jill was formerly at Art & Hobby Group where she was a long-serving store manager.

Patricia Hartshorn has joined the Magformers UK head office team in Cheshire as Office Manager and brings a wealth of retail experience, having worked previously with The Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Jill Paget has been recruited as company accountant and has already been responsible for integrating the new Bright Pearl retail management system into the Magformers business.

David Kelly, Magformers UK managing director said: “Jill MacNeill brings an enormous amount of retail experience with her and I believe her deep understanding and empathy with retail will play an important part in expanding our sales in Ireland.

“Jill Paget and Trish Hartshorn are already having an impact in the smooth running of our head office.

I’m delighted with the efficiency and support they are providing to all our internal departments.”

Guy Rooney promoted to sales director at IMC Toys Guy Rooney joined as National Account Manager eight years ago, and rose through the ranks of IMC, to be promoted to UK Sales Manager. During his time with the company, Guy has been a key stakeholder in growing the UK business.

“This well-deserved promotion to Sales Director is in recognition of both the hard work and commitment Guy has shown to the company,” said Terry Crew, managing director at IMC Toys. “He is well respected by both staff and customers and is an extremely important part of IMC’s future and our plans for continued growth.”

“I am really thrilled to be taking up the position of Sales Director,” said Guy Rooney. “It has been a fantastic opportunity to be part of company with such rapid growth. I am committed to driving IMC forward and will be working hard with my sales team to maximise the potential of our fantastic product portfolio.’

“As our ongoing commitment to customer support, I am delighted to welcome our new Scottish agent to the team,” said David Allan, sales and marketing director. “Michael has lots of drive and enthusiasm and I am sure will be an asset to DKL’s Scottish business.”

Expansion at Usborne creates new roles Anna Howorth and Christian Herisson have both been appointed to newly created roles in the company’s UK sales and marketing teams, in response to the company’s growth, its increased global reach and market demands.

“Christian and Anna have been long-standing and highly effective members of the Usborne team”, commented Nicola Usborne, deputy MD. “I am excited to work alongside them in their new roles, which we’ve designed to better reflect our global expansion and changes in buying and marketing behaviours”.

Christian Herisson has been with Usborne for 17 years, and takes on the role of UK commercial and sales director, having previously held the role of UK sales & marketing director at the company. He will also be developing Usborne’s licensing business, working on research and development for new product and product categories for the UK, and developing the company’s capabilities around data driven sales analysis and strategy.

Anna has worked for Usborne for 13 years. Previously marketing & publicity manager at the company, she has taken on the role of director of global branding and UK marketing. She will be leading efforts to ensure communication and collaboration between marketing staff throughout Usborne in order to unify the Usborne voice and brand identity across all territories and channels.

DKL takes on new agent for Scotland DKL Marketing has announced the appointment of Michael Sermanni as DKL’s new agent for Scotland. Michael is new to the toy industry, yet brings with him key retailers and contacts, including his father, an experienced agent with high-profile toy companies.

“As our ongoing commitment to customer support, I am delighted to welcome our new Scottish agent to the team,” said David Allan, sales and marketing director. “Michael has lots of drive and enthusiasm and I am sure will be an asset to DKL’s Scottish business.”

Toy World 14

Marketing World Danger Mouse partners with Thomas Cook

Simba Smoby unveils Wissper toy range The range includes a selection of dolls, figures, plush and playsets.

To support the launch on April 10th, Simba Smoby has implemented a heavyweight marketing campaign.

A TV campaign will be delivered, to introduce the new range to preschoolers nationwide, along with a dedicated digital site on Tiny Pop. Brand awareness will be boosted through girls’ magazine covermounts and competitions.

Airing weekdays on Milkshake and Nick Jr Too, the programme features a little girl who can talk to animals and enter exciting worlds of adventure through portals in her house.

“We are very excited about the launch of Wissper,” commented Mayur Pattni, head of marketing and licensing. “The range looks really strong. We have lots of exciting marketing activity in place to really drive sales.”

FremantleMedia is collaborating with the holiday company for 2017.

The partnership will see Danger Mouse activities added to Thomas Cook and Airtours kids’ clubs across Europe this summer.

Forty Thomas Cook and Airtours kids’ clubs will feature special Danger Mouse themed sessions, with secret activities revolving entirely around the action comedy TV series.

Secured in conjunction with kids’ promotions agency Whipper Snapper, the partnership starts in July and will continue until the end of the season in September. The initiative is expected to reach around 65,000 children from the UK travelling on holiday with Thomas Cook.

PJ Masks to join forces with Youth Sports Trust Entertainment One has announced a new partnership with Youth Sport Trust (YST) that will see PJ Masks become a brand ambassador for YST’s work with young children in the UK. The initiative will introduce an early years day to the charity’s popular annual National School Sport Week, to be rolled out to over 9000 schools and early learning venues across the UK from 26th – 30th June 2017.

Entitled Power of 3 to reflect the trio of PJ Masks heroes, the scheme aims to encourage young people to be more active and take part in regular physical activity and school sport, specifically targeting young children between the ages of 2-5, in primary schools and pre-school settings, who will be encouraged to take part in 30 minutes of daily activity, as recommended by the UK Chief Medical Officers in 2016.

During National School Sport Week in June, every primary school or nursery setting that registers will get free access to the PJ Masks Power of three activity pack, full of branded activities.

Rebecca Harvey, head of global marketing at eOne Family, commented: “Kids love replicating the athletic abilities of Catboy, Owlette and Gekko. We look forward to working together with YST to make Power of 3 an inspiration for young children throughout the UK during National School Sport Week”.

StikBots success driven by social media StikBots has had over 100 million views on its YouTube channel, StikBot Central, and Brainstorm, which exclusively distributes StikBots in the UK and Ireland, has urged retailers to capitalise on the lines’ social media popularity.

“StikBots has captured the imagination of consumers and has the perfect mix of traditional toy combined with online engagement, “commented Nick Saunders, sales and marketing director at Brainstorm. “Kids are uploading their own StikBots videos on a daily basis, and a great way to engage with customers directly is by sharing your own StikBots content or asking your audience to share theirs”. He added, “The StikBot Central channel has some really innovative shows such as ‘What the Bot?’ and ‘The StikBot Show’ which are also great to share with followers.”

Several retail partners have run their own successful StikBots social media campaigns and the Brainstorm Marketing team is on hand to work alongside customers to help create specific campaigns and drive awareness both on and offline.

Toy World 16

Create your own fairytale ending with the new Disney Princess Storyteller dress range by Rubie’s

08453 070707

www.rubiesuk.com

Opinion

Living in a digital world Martin looks back over a year of writing his popular column, and also looks into his crystal ball to see what the future holds for marketing strategies, especially programmatic buying.

I

’ve now been writing this column for over a year. I’m always one for taking stock, and so it is good to look back over the last 12 months because to do so is to view the zeitgeist of the past year. I’ve enjoyed discussing various topics ranging from the Pokémon Go phenomenon to the development of kids’-specific VOD channels and the rise of the influencer. But I also have to recognise that I operate within a sector in which the key is to look forwards. We must constantly be predicting and proposing how the toy industry might evolve, so that we can qualify ourselves as leaders within the space.

As manufacturers, distributors and advertisers, we have to ask questions and try to construct answers. I do that as often as I can: for example, over the last twelve months I’ve examined the future of Facebook and the implications of Brexit.

When I look into my crystal ball, the cloudy mirage I always see is that of a programmatic future. Should we be investing more of our budgets into programmatic buying in the digital space? Will we soon be trading everything with an algorithm as opposed to a sales team; will we even need marketing teams, media agencies and saleshouses to build advertising strategy?

I’ll try to keep this simple, because programmatic trading is a tricky and often opaque process. If I’m being cynical, I would suggest that sometimes it is purposely constructed in this way. So, if we’re to really make it work, we need to simplify it for the sake of a clear and actionable strategy - which is what Generation Media look to do for our clients.

The best thing about programmatic is that whilst it allows for a campaign that reaches a very broad audience, it also allows for laser targeting within that dataset. We can then control campaign variables in real time, meaning that we’re constantly refining our digital buy and making it work harder and

harder based on performance. For it to work most effectively, we must be confident that this data is robust and reliable. It’s possible to buy in a third party to do this, and is something worth considering.

The dangers of programmatic are the natural risks that come with it. Many a great empire fell because it got too big for the emperor to control, and with so many millions of ad placements, it only takes a miniscule percentage to go bad for a campaign to be dragged through the mud. We have to monitor to protect against ad fraud, ad stacking and a host of other villainous threats.

My advice is that investing in independent verification technology is essential; it’s your bodyguard in a potentially perilous space.

Most obvious is the fact that under 18s cannot be targeted programmatically due to rules around data collection and protection. I have been advising the BTHA in recent months in response to the EU’s GDPR legislation which will only tighten these rules from May 2018, and rightly so. Fortunately for our industry, kids’ sites by their very nature are already highly targeted environments and the teams that run them are passionate about protecting their audience, again something that is great for us as advertisers. Also, when we advertise on a platform such as YouTube we not only feature around carefully selected content, but the TrueView format allows the viewer to skip an ad if they feel it is not relevant. So that’s winwin: the viewer has to make a positive choice to engage with our ad, and we only pay when they do. That sounds more like the future to me than programmatic alone. based on my agency’s experience, I believe that we can create better campaigns with more engaging features and enhanced interaction rates when we collaborate with sites, as opposed to buying their ad space in bulk quantities programmatically.

And what of other media, such as TV? As an agency, we’re already utilising platforms such as

Toy World 18

Martin Doyle

Head of Digital, Generation Media.

Tel: 0207 307 7908 martin.doyle@generationmedia.co.uk

Sky’s AdSmart successfully, demonstrating that TV can be bought effectively via the power of big data. But it still has some way to go before it can be deemed the best way to buy TV. Once we see the big hitters such as Sky, ITV and Channel 4 developing their programmatic sales tools, this will then cascade down to kids’ level. So it may be that the toy industry takes a watching brief for the moment, or continues to test other audiences such as mums and dads when it comes to programmatic.

My original question was: is programmatic the future? Reaching parents in such a way is something that should be on your media plan in the run up to Christmas, if it isn’t already. When reaching kids, that extra care and attention in getting a campaign right via a marketing team, agency and media owner working together with a child’s best interests at heart, is always going to be more beneficial to a brand than plugging numbers into an ad server. Besides, one of the best parts of this job is enjoying building relationships with clients and media owners; finding out what the goals and dreams for their brands are and enjoying the successes together, usually over a good cup of tea. You can’t do that with an algorithm. Not yet anyway.

Toy Story Signature Collection

A definitive line of Toy Story toys created using Disney/Pixar’s digital data. The characters are highly detailed and unique with their own personality. Each comes in a film-inspired package with certificate of authenticity.

Also available: Rex, RC and Space Aliens

Visit us at www.ThinkwayToys.com

®

Distributed in the UK & Eire by: MTW Toys SA. Contact your local agent at: geoff_sheffield@mtwtoys.com Products and colours may vary ©Disney/Pixar www.disney.com/toystory

Company Profile

Diaframma

40 years of toy advertising Toy World spoke to Diaframma’s Duccio Abolaffio about the company’s 40th anniversary and the changing face of children’s advertising.

Can you tell us a little about the history of Diaframma?

Diaframma was founded in Florence in 1976. We started producing toy TV commercials in the early days of Giochi Preziosi and other Italian toy manufacturers.

Our specialist skill and know-how proved to be a successful formula which helped us to grow in European markets. During the last three years, we have experienced unprecedented growth internationally; Diaframma‘s turnover is spread across many territories, with the USA now our largest market.

Reaching 40 years is a great achievement – what do you think has helped the company to reach this milestone?

Our belief from day one has always been that we had to be partners with our clients, not just suppliers their success is our success. As with every company, passion and hard work are the driving forces towards success. Over the last 40 years, we have achieved excellent results thanks to a dynamic, driven, and especially passionate team. Most people only see the final commercial on television, but all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to get there is what makes the end result so good and, for us, so satisfying.

In a similar way to the toy industry, we are always on the lookout for innovation, searching for the newest technologies to help us deliver premium production quality, as well as attracting the most talented people to our team. Most importantly, we love toys and we love this industry.

What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the toy advertising field in the past 40 years?

The main change that has occurred is the fact that kids now own smartphones and tablets, and consequently this has drastically altered the medium of advertising.

Until a few years ago, television was still the most popular and effective means of communication to reach a target consumer audience. But with the rise of YouTube and social apps like Snapchat or Instagram the market is changing, even though TV commercials are still the cornerstone of every successful campaign.

We always keep in mind who the target consumer is at every stage of the creative and production process, which means embracing the video language that kids are now used to, and bringing it to the TV commercial format. That way, as well as being a production studio, we are able to create any form of content that our clients’ strategy requires.

strategy. Whereas the dominance of TV has been gradually eroded by new media platforms in the digital era, we at Diaframma have embraced this change, and are helping manufacturers, distributors and advertisers rethink their communication strategy.

Recognising the importance of commercials being consumertargeted, we believe the increasing ownership of tablets by children is not something to be underestimated by the industry and the rules need to be rethought. I like to see change as an opportunity, and as kids’ specialists we have to understand and recognize change in consumers’ habits in order to help our clients be more effective.

Which do you consider the best commercial you’ve ever produced?

The best commercial is yet to come.

I have to say that I love them all. We

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing toy advertisers in the current climate?

The biggest challenge is to absorb the changes in the market and move towards a multi-platform communication

Toy World 20

have worked on almost every type of project, but the satisfaction of seeing them through from beginning to end never ceases to diminish. I like to judge the success of a TV commercial based on the sales it generates and that is what we all aim for.

How have you been celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary?

We decided to hold a party in Hong Kong in January, which is a special place for all the people from this industry. Apart from celebrating with friends, partners and colleagues from the industry, we also wanted to recreate the history of Diaframma.

We showcased our 40 years of work, highlighting commercials from the very early days right up to the latest commercials from 2016.

Licensing World Vivid Toy Group appointed master toy licensee for Nella the Princess Knight Nickelodeon has named Vivid as the international master toy partner for the animated preschool series.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vivid is the exclusive master toy licensee for Nella the Princess Knight in all countries outside of the US. Categories covered by the licence include dolls, figures, play-sets, plush and role-play toys. The range will launch in Spring 2018.

Eric Rossi, CEO at Vivid Toy Group, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Nickelodeon on such an engaging pre-school property.

Nella is an inspiring and empowering role model to young girls, and we look forward to bringing her adventures to life through an innovative and comprehensive toy range.”

Ron Johnson, executive vice president, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, added: “Nella represents Nickelodeon’s unique twist on the traditional princess story, and we’re confident that Vivid is the right partner to bring this special property to toy aisles around the world.”

Freddie Fox announced as voice of Beano’s Dennis Beano Studios has announced that actor Freddie Fox has been cast as the voice of Dennis in the new CBBC series Dennis and Gnasher: Unleashed.

The 52-part TV show, which will debut later this year, will showcase a brand new look, using CGI 3D techniques to bring Dennis up to date for the next generation of fans.

Freddie commented: “As a life-long fan of Dennis, I am so excited to be carrying on the red and black striped legacy of a character adored for his mischievousness, energy, live in the moment attitude and full-on imagination.”

Sutikki opens UK office Bento Box Entertainment is expanding its international footprint with the opening of Sutikki UK. The company’s first European office, opening in London this summer, will focus on growing its new kids and family business, Sutikki, which launched in October 2016.

Sutikki has announced that industry stalwart Stephen Gould will be heading up the UK office and taking on the new role of territory head UK and EMEA. His initial focus will be growing licensing opportunities for Moon and Me, the children’s television series created by Andrew Davenport and his new production company Foundling Bird, which is being produced in partnership with Sutikki.

The CBeebies channel has commissioned 50 episodes, which will be premiering in early 2018. Hasbro has been announced as the global master toy licensee.

Sutikki’s Andrew Kerr commented: “In addition to being a fellow Ragdoll alumnus, Stephen has a raft of experience and an enviable pedigree within the licensing industry, and I am honoured that he will be joining our growing team. Sutikki was founded to be an international venture, and the opening of our first European office formalizes our commitment to being a full-service, worldwide business, less than six months from our launch.”

Toy World 22

Licensing World Scalextric launches McLaren 720S model Cult slot racing brand Scalextric will be the first manufacturer to produce a slot car version of the new McLaren 720S, revealed officially to the public last month at the Geneva International Motor Show. The slot car model has been developed by British brand Scalextric under strict conditions for several months, allowing the slot version to be announced simultaneously with the McLaren supercar.

Ricky Black, head of brand for Scalextric, said: “Our relationship with McLaren dates back to the 1960s when Scalextric was first established, and we produced their first McLaren M4A as a slot car.

We have continued our licence arrangement with them, first with the McLaren 12C and then the iconic McLaren P1. Scalextric is now extremely

excited to be announcing the first slot car model of the McLaren 720S.” The model will be available in the two new McLaren launch colours – Glacier White and Azores Orange, with further products to launch in 2018.

Make It Real debuts Beauty and the Beast sketchbooks

Universal announces release date for Trolls 2

Make It Real has launched a range of sketchbooks based on Disney’s remake of Beauty and the Beast. CEO Oliver Williams commented: “We’re proud to have formed a partnership with Disney. It’s gratifying to see our product on sale in a wide range of locations, from Centre Parks to Disney Stores. We’ll be launching a wide range of Disney titles in sketchbook, light table and watercolour formats across 2017.”

Since the company’s launch at the end of 2016, Make it Real has already secured distribution in over 60 countries and space in many of the world’s leading stores.

This month sees the launch of the company’s new website and free app, to coincide with the range’s UK launch.

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake will be returning for the sequel, which is scheduled for release on 10th April 2020.

The 2016 movie has made $339.5million at the box office since November. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox under Dreamworks’ previous output deal, before it was acquired by NBCUniversal. The movie also scored a Best Song Oscar nomination this year for Can’t Stop the Feeling, which was 2016’s most downloaded track.

Tomy unveils brand new licence with Molang The range will launch in summer 2017, and follows rabbit Molang and his best friend Piu Piu as they teach the importance of happiness, friendship, mutual respect and solidarity.

Molang is shown three times a day across Cartoonito and has become a top five television show for children aged 4–7 years. The series also generated over 1,000,000 views in just six weeks across YouTube, leading to a nomination for an International Emmy Award.

Launching in June at selected retailers, the range will consist of basic and feature plush toys that encourage role-play activity and emotional connections. Children can relive episodes from the show with core figures and playsets, as well as novelties and collectibles.

Tomy will support the range with an integrated marketing and communications plan, supporting the collection’s launch through in-store merchandising initiatives, display units and in store events to drive sales.

A targeted PR campaign from June to December will highlight key events such as Best Friends Day and Molang parties, and collaborate with influential Youtubers for traditional reviews and promotions.

Toy World 24

Re m

trol on eC ot

The new pre-school toy collection based on the hit series Super Wings including Jett, Dizzy, Donnie and friends!

Tr

As seen on

an

m

BOT

S!

om

A

o Vr

sf

or

‘n

’Z oom

Alpha Animation & Toys Mark Hyndman - mark.hyndman@alpha-animation.com

Brand Profile

Ben 10

GP Flair and Cartoon Network gear up for Ben 10 launch

F

ollowing the successful broadcast debut of Cartoon Network’s new Ben 10 TV series across EMEA in October last year, the UK toy market is readying itself for the launch of the new Ben 10 toy range. UK distributor GP Flair has all major retailers lined up to stock the new range and is readying a substantial marketing drive to support the launch.

Nic Aldridge, marketing director, GP Flair told Toy World: “The new Ben 10 TV Series is introducing a whole new generation of kids to Ben Tennyson and his 10 Alien alter egos. The secret of the Omnitrix is central to the storyline and fans will love our new Omnitrix watch range, with its enhanced features. There’s an everyday Basic Omnitrix watch with lights and sound effects to help fans choose which alien to be, while the Deluxe Omnitrix has motion sensors and even times out just like Ben’s Omnitrix on the show. The role play range will also include a couple of Gauntlets featuring the most popular aliens.

We’re especially delighted with the action figure collection. As you would expect from Playmates, the detail is superb and there is a wide selection for kids to collect, spanning entry level basic figures, with over 20 to collect within the first year; larger deluxe figures with amazing lights and sound features, right through to the chunky super deluxe figures.

At a higher price point, the Rustbucket playset echoes the iconic show location which fans will know and love. Not only does this vehicle open into a playset, but it also has two different modes of play - an Alien Surveillance Station or an Alien Research Lab. It just picked up Action Figure Toy of the Year award at the Australian Toy Association.

Our TV plan for Ben 10 is substantial and will be the main driver in our marketing of the new collection. In addition, we will be exploring other channels such as cinema, digital and social media. We’re also collaborating with Cartoon Network on a cooperative marketing programme: together, we are working with each individual retailer to ensure we create a fully immersive and highly visible toy launch. This activity, coupled with our PR strategy, will make sure the toy range creates a big impact when it launches this autumn.”

Toy World also spoke to Cartoon Network’s Graham Saltmarsh about the company’s plans to support the property.

Why do you believe the time is right to bring back Ben 10?

Ben 10 never really went away. Even when no new content has been on air, the franchise has remained hugely popular, particularly in the digital space.

Now is the perfect time to introduce Ben 10 to a new generation. Ben is also back in his original and favourite form – as a 10-year-old kid who transforms into aliens.

Our core target audience for content and products is boys aged 4-8. We know that boys love action-packed adventures and that they’re drawn to aliens, baddies and role play too, but what differentiates Ben 10 from other boys’ brands is its clever combination of reality and fantasy. He’s a normal kid who goes to school like everybody else, but at the same time he has this amazing power at his fingertips.

What do you see as the core strengths of the property?

We’ve got a strong central character who is extremely relatable, action packed stories, fantastic gadgets, aliens, baddies and a bold visual look that can be translated into innovative and exciting consumer products. Added to this, Ben 10 is a tried and tested brand that has proved it can make huge waves in the boys’ market.

What lessons have you learnt from the past?

Ben grew up in the last series but we recognised that wasn’t the best route

for the show, so this new series takes Ben back to his roots as a wide-eyed 10-year-old boy. We have brought back all the favourite Aliens from the original series, with a couple of new additions to keep things interesting. We have also updated the show’s visual look to make it brighter and more engaging. The pace has been ramped up too: the new episodes are 11 minutes long, meaning viewers now get to enjoy two episodes per half hour. Most importantly though, the stories are still very much Ben 10 stories and retain all the things that kids love about the show.

What are your aspirations for 2017 and beyond?

We have the UK free-to-air launch of the show to come, which will help us build further awareness and fan affinity. Another key focus is amplifying Ben 10 across all platforms, to ensure fans can access content wherever they are. Not only have we commissioned 120 episodes of the series, we have also produced dedicated content for the Ben 10 YouTube channel and will continue to create apps and games for deeper engagement too.

We have high hopes for the licensing programme roll-out, which will be kicked off by the toy launch this summer, closely followed by apparel, publishing and homewares.

Toy World 26

©Universal

DC SUPER HERO GIRLS and all related characters and elements ©& ™ DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

© 2017 Spin Master PAW Productions Inc.

Company Profile

Blue Sky Designs

The sky’s the limit Blue Sky is celebrating its 15th birthday this year, having launched in 2002 as a pure product development/inventions house. Assistant editor Jonika Kinchin spoke to company director, Gavin Holden, about the history of the company, innovation in the sector and plans for the future.

How did the company start out?

The early years were all about inventing patented products for global distributors covering toys, gifts and gadgets. Our revenue stream back then was almost entirely generated through royalty income from our inventions. While our products have been at retail for 15 years, it’s only quite recently that our brand has come to the forefront, having taken the decision to go direct to retail.

What sets Blue Sky apart from other suppliers in the respective sectors?

Our business has been built upon the founding principle of innovation; we develop unique products, pushing the boundaries wherever we can. There is always a demand for new and exciting products within all the sectors we work in. Whether it’s a pen or a speaker we are creating, we strive to achieve an end product that excites the consumer. I think our passion for product innovation is what sets us apart; it’s certainly driving our key relationships with both retailers and licensors. Blue Sky is only four years into licensing, but we’re managing to secure some of the biggest brands within our category. We are pitching against much bigger companies and

winning. Our appetite to work with retailers on bespoke ranges and artwork, offering alternative retail solutions such as FSDUs, CDUs with LCD displays etc. has also proved to be a real point of difference.

I’m sure many other businesses have done, we also spent time planning and reviewing our products, ranges and factory costs in the wake of the Brexit sterling crash.

What licences did you pick up, and how have they performed?

Are there any particular projects you are excited about this year?

Recently we have renewed contracts for both Star Wars and My Little Pony, both of which have been hugely successful for us over the past few years. We’ve forged very strong relationships with both licensors, and have successfully managed to expand our reach into other categories on both contract renewals. We have also secured the rights to Hasbro’s new property Hanazuki, for which we are already experiencing strong demand from buyers. We are also in the early stages of launching Hey Duggee and Go Jetters stationery and activity products, both of which had a positive reaction at Spring Fair. The 2017 Christmas period is looking very promising for Blue Sky’s licensed division, with both the My Little Pony Movie and Star Wars Episode 8 theatrical releases falling into this season.

How did the company fare in 2016?

It was another impressive year for the business in 2016, with turnover increasing by 23%. It was very much an expansion year, having welcomed five new members of staff into the team and strengthening all areas of the business. We opened a satellite design studio in Nottingham, which is set within an old mill working amongst other creative start-up companies and individuals.

Our warehousing was also moved to a state of the art facility in South Wales. As

The one that stands out the most would be our enhanced product offering on our licences. We have been very strong on licensed stationery for the past few years, as well as on generic gifts and gadgets, and this year will see a coming together of the two. It was a longterm goal of ours to merge the two sides of the business, so that we can offer retailers a much broader range of products. For the first time, we will have licensed product on shelf that covers audio, gadget, lighting and novelty gift, products such as a My Little Pony microphone hairbrush, Star Wars USB lights and an R2D2 USB hub.

We have two very large FSDU projects nearing completion, which would see a full range of Blue Sky novelty gifts featuring in over 5,500 retail outlets combined. In terms of brand awareness both of these developments really push our brand name right across the whole of the UK, with our unique products featuring in village convenience stores up and down the country.

Innovation is key; how do you carry it through on your ranges?

Our reputation for being innovative is vital to the success of Blue Sky, it is essential that when retailers engage with Blue Sky, they know they will be investing in exciting new products that have the wow factor. Our background within toys and gadgets has enabled us over the years to maximise and refine our 3D capabilities, meaning

Toy World 28 70

we can tool new products as well as incorporating sound effects, moving parts and special features into established products. We have a highly skilled design team with 3D specialist abilities, and have 3D printers in our Leeds studio meaning we can rapid prototype new products within 24 hours.

Buyers are always fascinated that we can show them a 3D product one day, make revisions and present a full working revised prototype the following day. We have brainstorming sessions twice a week whereby we will discuss new ideas, product improvements and creative execution on packaging, these are open forums, where everyone is free to contribute. Blue Sky is very much a company built around its designers from the top down. My business partner and I both have creative backgrounds covering product and graphic design, meaning we fully value and understand the creative process. When it comes to our licensed ranges, we aim to fully immerse ourselves in the brand, we spend a lot of time trying to understand what it is about the brand that the consumer loves, and how do we capture that in a product.

For Star Wars we try not to just do a standard pen with a printed logo, we make the lid shaped as a light sabre, or it will carry R2D2’s body graphics and beam Princess Leia’s image onto the wall, like in the movie.

Product innovation was a vital part of Blue Sky’s origin, it still is today and always will be, it’s our identity within the market.

NPD Insight Another big year for online NPD’s Rory Partis looks at how online shopping has changed the toy market in the UK, increasing sales - and now starting to impact the high street in a positive way.

B

uying online has become such a common everyday experience that I think we sometimes forget just how rapidly the trend has evolved. Online purchasing is no longer just for large expensive items but for all occasions, and the way we shop online has changed in line with this. The toy market has certainly seen high levels of growth and rapid changes in purchasing patterns, with online becoming a larger percentage of the toy spend over the last few years. In fact, I think the first piece of NPD data I quote in this article should be the one that I find most staggering. In the last 10 years, the UK toy market has expanded by just over £1bn in value, and online has accounted for £908m of it. 85% of that growth has come from online toy purchases. That is a huge figure, so this month’s article will discuss how online has changed the toy market in the UK and made such a big value difference, as well as how it has impacted the high street in a positive way.

NPD Consumer Toys data shows strong year-onyear growth for online purchases in the toy market every year for the last ten years; this represents a huge increase since 2007, where online sales only accounted for £387m. In 2016, online toy sales were worth £1.3b and represented 37% of all toy purchases; going back to 2007 this figure was a mere 16%. The trend for increasing online spend is clearly a technological advancement but NPD data also suggests it marks a change in attitude. In 2007, nearly two thirds of online purchases were motivated by price; essentially consumers viewed buying toys online as cheaper than the high street.

Since then, this view has gradually changed, with convenience becoming an increasingly important factor. Over the last ten years, the proportion of consumers stating convenience as

the key motivator for online shopping has moved from 11% in 2007 to 40% in 2016. That means that convenience is nearly as much of a primary driver as price, which currently accounts for 43% of online toy purchasing. This marriage of price and convenience has been the real driver behind the huge increase in online toy sales, and that is where click and collect comes in.

Click and collect is one area of online that has proved particularly popular in the UK market, and this has led to many other options for how goods are delivered, or picked up, in the last few years. In the toy market, the total click and collect value was under £100m in 2007, and in 2016 this has risen to over £600m; nearly half of all online purchases are now click and collect. Interestingly other countries in Europe don’t seem to share the UK love of click and collect convenience. In France and Germany, who have the most comparable penetration with online toy purchases to the UK, this way of ordering is just not as popular. Click and collect accounted for around 17% of all toy purchases in the UK, whereas In Germany this figure is only 4%. In in France it’s a little better, but still only 9% of total toy sales. It would seem that the different options for click and collect we now have are particularly attractive to UK customers.

The NPD Consumer data can identify how a click and collect toy purchase is delivered; while the original form of click and collect - where someone reserves the item online and actually goes into the store - has grown by around £16m in 2016, the figure for toys being delivered to a pick-up station has actually grown more, by over £17m. This trend certainly seems like it is here to stay, with click and collect also providing the additional advantage of drawing consumers into stores, which can only be positive for retailers.

Online Toys Trend

Rory Partis

Senior Account Manager, NPD With all this online growth, it’s sometimes easy to forget that off line toy purchases have grown too, with an increased off line spend of £126m on toys in 2016, versus the previous year. There’s no doubt that, in the toy market, high street stores are still a hugely important part of the buying process, and NPD consumer data shows that online is actually benefitting the high street; one of the top growing areas of toy purchases is coming from consumers who say they have researched a purchase online and then decided to buy in store. Over the last four years, £60 million more has been spent on in store purchases after some form of online engagement, whether that be price checking, reading reviews or more.

So, while online toy purchases have seen huge growth this year, up +10% in value, the growth over the last ten years has been even more impressive.

And it would seem that, in the last few years, the changing shape of online shopping has also started to benefit the high street. With 37% of toys purchases online in 2016, it will be interesting to see what this figure could be in 2017.

Toy Market Channel Performance 2016

% of Toy Market Purchased Online 40%

37%

35%

Toy Shop Supermarket

30%

Catalogue Showroom Online/Internet

25% 20% 15%

Variety/Mixed Store

16%

Department Store Mail Order Catalogue

10%

Chemist Video Games Shop

5% 0%

1,000

2007

2008

2009

Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Source: NPD Consumer Data

Value £(MM) Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Toy World 30

0

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

% Change Source: NPD Consumer Data

Property Progression: Total Property (Brand + Licence)

Feb 2016 Rank

Feb 2017 Rank

Batman

#44

#1

The fastest progression from a major toy property in February comes from Batman, though it must be noted that Pokémon has risen the same number of places, but is at No.3 for the month compared to No.1 for Batman. With the Lego Batman movie being released in early February, it is no huge surprise to see the strong performance from the licence. The increase for Batman hasn’t just been in the Building Sets category either, with Pre-school toys and Action Figures also seeing increases. So, although the film is Lego branded, it seems it’s giving the whole Batman licence a boost.

Channel Performance With the UK toy market seeing growth of +7% in 2016, there were some great performances in the corresponding retail channels. NPD Consumer data shows that toy shops accounted for over a third of all spend in the market and grew in value by +8%, slightly ahead of the total market. Supermarkets also saw strong growth in 2016, at +8% in value and the second largest channel in the toy market. In fact, toy shops and supermarkets combined make up well over half of all toy purchases and represent nearly two thirds of the market growth in the UK. In general, most channels experienced some growth, with six out of the nine channels seeing value growth for the year.

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

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

turantch cpress pupulsh

Retail News

subscribe for daily updates at www.toyworldmag.co.uk

@toyworldmag

Godalming toy shop closes down The Toy Box had been open since 2009 but is now closing for financial reasons.

Owners, Steve Mohabir and his wife Tracey, opened the toy shop in 2009 as a tribute to their son Marcus and friends Toby and Kate Beasley, who died in a car crash in 2004.

“Unfortunately, the footfall just wasn’t large enough, we have a few loyal customers but so many businesses have moved out of Godalming and there are fewer and fewer people who come in,” said Steve Mohabir. “Eight independent toy shops have already closed this year because of everyone shopping on the internet. “The industry calls toy shops like this, ‘Amazon’s window shop’ because people will come in for ideas and then buy the toy online.”

“We opened the shop because the community was so good to us after we lost our son and we wanted to give something back. It’s a real shame we have to close but the rent is too high for what we’re making.”

The Range plans new Plymouth head office Owner Chris Dawson has revealed plans for a new head office and superstore in Plymouth, which will create 570 jobs. The Range currently has its head office in nearby Estover, but the business is said to have outgrown the building. The current site houses 250 staff, but the new facility will hold up to 700 staff, creating 450 jobs throughout a wide range of departments including buying, e-commerce, IT, marketing and accounts.

The plans also include creating a new superstore on the same site, which will act as the company’s training activity for its UK workforce.

Chris Dawson, who has grown the chain to more than 130 store over 25 years, commented: “It was important for me to keep our head office operation in our home city, the place where The Range started.

Having the new superstore next to our head office also means it can be used as a training academy and centre of excellence, so Range staff from across the UK can come to Plymouth and be trained to the highest standards.”

The company is also in the process of building a new Distribution Centre in Avonmouth, Bristol, which is due to open this May. The 1,200,000 square foot building will be one of the largest in the South and is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs.

Brightons joins Toymaster As well as toys, the new member also sells arts & crafts, stationery, books, cards and party products. The retailer is based at 124 Crockhamwell Road, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 3JP. Contact for the store is Richard Brighton, and he can be reached on 0118 969 5015.

The company’s website features ranges from Playmobil, Tomy, Hornby and K’nex, while it also stocks a selection of educational toys and puzzles.

Hamleys launches partnership with Merlin From now until September, customers will receive free children’s entry to Alton Towers Resort, Chessington World of Adventure Resort or Legoland with any purchase made in store. With purchases of over £50, kids can also stay free at the Alton Towers Resort Hotel.

“Families having fun is a core value, so we’re thrilled to be able to offer customers the chance to visit some of the UK’s top attractions,” said Mark Drummond, head of marketing at Hamleys. “Merlin is a fantastic brand offering first class family experiences, which is why it is the perfect partner for us.”

To take advantage of this offer, shoppers simply retain the voucher attached to their till receipt and take it to their theme park of choice. Additional benefits of the campaign include online competitions, where visitors will have the chance to win family entry, fast pass tickets and overnight trips.

Toy World 32

DISCOVER the perfect fit in 3D Puzzles

12588

12596

12595

12577

12566

12579

12535 Graffiti Sneaker, 108pc

12101 Unicorn Vanity Box, 216pc

www.ravensburger.com/uk Tel: 01869 363800 sales@ravensburger.com

LIGHT THE WAY TO ACTIVE PLAY WITH OUR LIGHT ‘N GO INFANT PRESCHOOL RANGE

OVER 80 ACTIVITIES, SONGS AND SOUNDS!

GLOWING LIGHT DOME!

MAGIC LANTERN INCLUDES 3 MODES: - EXPLORE COLOURS - DANCE PARTY - COLLECT FIREFLIES

5 EXCITING TOYS IN THE RANGE!

Designed to use lights that inspire your baby to get moving! Your little one will enjoy hours of endless play whilst also developing valuable developmental milestones and skills such as cause and effect, sensory skills and movement from 6 months.

Imaginations In Motion™

Call us: 0845 0533 333

Email us: Uklittle.tikes@mgae.com

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

www.littletikes.co.uk

Sponsored by

Talking Shop New beginnings at Toy Hub Independent retailer Toy Hub, based in Dunblane, has taken the plunge and opened a new store. Located in nearby Bridge of Allen, the new store will bring new opportunities for the owners, being situated in a tourism spot, as well as offering customers the chance to try out new products and ranges on a new platform. Jonika Kinchin spoke to owners Gerard and Helen Gourley about the challenges of branching out, and their hopes for the future. at the show. They were incredibly supportive and gave us the go ahead. We had to act quickly, and get our heads around the idea of everything happening so fast, but it all worked out. Being at Toy Fair, we even had the chance to strike better deals with suppliers to help fill the new store, as well as keep the original store stocked with up to date product. We’ve recruited a great team for the new store and are excited to see what happens.

How did the new store come about?

We’ve been looking for the perfect property to rent in the area for around three years. Two days before this year’s London Toy Fair, the ideal property came up and we managed to have a conversation with Toymaster

What were the biggest challenges you faced?

It’s a risk for any business to open a new store, however it’s gone very smoothly so far. We started trading almost immediately after we moved in: installing things such as internet, tills and credit card payments only took about half a morning, and we didn’t have to wait weeks for any refurbishments, as the property was already in great condition.

Will the new store offer anything different to the original?

We see the new store as an ideal platform to try out new things, and find what works and what doesn’t. There will be crossover with some ranges, however a new

development for this store is that we will stock more gift items as well as toys, as it is quite a tourism - focused area. We’re trying out Tokidoki, BakedIn and the Pusheen range from Aurora. We will also carry lines that have always performed well, such as Pokémon, Hot Wheels, Dobble and Ty Beanies.

Have you tried anything new with the store layout?

We were in a fortunate position as the building was a gallery before we rented it, so it was painted completely white with LED lighting; we literally had a blank canvas to work with. We added more units ourselves and have also been very heavily supported by suppliers with display units. We’ve got some great stands from the likes of Ty, Character Options and more. It’s been encouraging to know that we’ve got so much backing and support behind us. We’re also planning to have a local street artist come in to give the place some colour, by painting the Toy Hub logo around the inside of the shop.

How did you promote the opening of the store?

Social media is the most effective way that we advertise. Facebook, Twitter and then word of mouth is very useful. The local area is quite a tight knit community, and customers

Toy World 35

tend to bring friends and family when they find something they enjoy.

What are your main aims for the store in its first year?

We want to make sure our customers know that they can rely on coming to us and we will be able to provide them with their needs. We would also like to get more involved with the Bridge of Allen community, as we do in Dunblane. We’d like to work with local schools, support charities where we can and become as integrated and as much a part of the furniture as possible.

How have the first weeks of trading gone?

Things have gone exceptionally well, we’re getting great footfall – we haven’t advertised at all, so it’s largely coming through word of mouth.

Many of our customers were already familiar with Toy Hub through the Dunblane store, but the new outlet is better located for them. The stores will have their own individual customer bases, so we’re trying our best to make each store unique. We’re already finding that certain items sell well in Bridge of Allen that didn’t work quite work in Dunblane, such as Lottie Dolls. So, we’ll be looking at some other lines from a fresh perspective to see if they’ll be more suited to the new outlet.

Talking Shop Iain Ashbourne, Co-owner Batteries Not Included, Wolverhampton The year started off positively for Batteries Not Included, with January and February seeing particularly strong sales. However, since mid-March we have experienced a bit of a slowdown in our business. This happened last year as well. We seem to see a downturn around this time every year, with a very quiet spell, and then things pick up again with the start of the Easter school holidays.

We look forward to Easter, when trade business picks up; I’m confident that the stock we carry will sell well. We’ve got some strong licences at the moment, like PJ Masks, which has been really popular, as well as Mashems and Fashems. Pokémon is still selling phenomenally, as is Paw Patrol - that’s if we can get stock, there are still some supply issues there. Shopkins is holding steady, and is still in demand.

One new range I’m really excited about is Hatchimals Colleggtibles. Once again, if we can get stock, I’m sure it will enjoy fantastic sales; I think it is going to be huge. The Colleggtibles range should appeal to the same children as Shopkins, so hopefully it will prove just as popular.

In terms of our plans for Easter, we’re venturing into outdoor and summer toys a bit more. This is an area we haven’t stocked in depth in the past, so this year will see quite an expansion of our range, which we hope our customers will welcome.

We’re a bit different to a traditional high street toy shop, as we’re located in a shopping centre, which means we have to be quite inventive when it comes to window displays. As it’s difficult to display stock in the windows, we’ve installed two LED screens instead for digital displays. The screens work really well, are eye catching and have the added advantage that we can change what we display on a daily basis.

Even though the pound shops next to us take a lot of our pocket money sales, we’ve got a strong customer base. This has taken years to grow, but our perseverance has paid off with loyalty.

Sadly, the shop’s too small to run many promotions or in-store activities. I’ve been tempted to do things like Pokémon or Shopkins swap days though, as I’m sure they would be popular. The minute we get more than five kids in the shop though, we struggle for space. During the summer,

Martin Steele Toy City Ltd, Wood Green The year has started off really very well for us, trade is already up on last year.

Our collectibles ranges have sold particularly strongly, such as Shopkins, Power Rangers, Mashems and Fashems. They’re all selling strongly, together with Pokémon cards, and have kept our business ticking along nicely.

We don’t do anything specific for Easter as promotional activity takes place all year round, and the shop is always kept fully stocked as far as possible – especially our range of Lego, which is a big draw with customers. As the school holidays

start, we get busier and trade picks up. We’re based in a shopping precinct where it’s reasonably busy most of the time – and have Primark and a TX Maxx right next to us - so we are fortunate to enjoy steady footfall whatever the weather.

We change what’s in the window regularly, but display options are limited with the space that we have. I have been here for 38 years and, although a bigger shop would be lovely, I don’t think now is the time. I am hoping to keep the business in the family, with my son taking over from me in the near future.

Toy World 36

we’re going to have activities like face painting, and I’ve got a couple of magician friends who are going to come in and entertain customers. We arrange birthday parties all year-round too, that’s also a great way for us to interact with local shoppers. As a small retailer, I think it’s important to create a sense of community.

I’d love to move to bigger premises, but financially it’s tough. We’ve been here for five years, and last year was our best year ever. I’ve been focused on building the brand and am happy to report that we’re growing every year.

Sponsored by

indie viewpoint

Ginette McKee, Co-owner Toy Town, Seaford We’ve had an interesting start to the year as we’ve just closed one of our branches. It’s all been a bit transitional having to go back to just the one store. Trade wise, we were happy with January but found February to be quiet. March is looking good so far as we’ve had a couple of crazes going on, like Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. That range has gone absolutely bonkers. I’ve looked at it a few times in the past, then finally got around to ordering it at Toy Fair this year. I think we’ve had it in stock for five weeks and we’ve reordered it six times already. We’re selling thousands of units. I had chosen not to stock it before as I thought it was too expensive, but the price point doesn’t seem to be putting customers off. They’ve banned it in the local school – a real indicator that a craze has taken off - but that doesn’t seem to be affecting sales in the slightest. PJ Masks has also sold absolutely brilliantly from day one, and Pokémon continues to perform really well.

We’ve been so busy with the changes to the shop recently that we haven’t really planned Easter in much detail.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes We’ve got items like the Grossery Gang Eggs; I do bring in stock of anything egg-related. We usually run a couple of competitions in-store, like an Easter Egg hunt, where kids have to go around the shop and find eggs to claim a prize. This type of activity will start soon.

Everything’s changing for Toy Town, so our whole window system is changing. We haven’t yet decided whether or not we’re going to be having any Easter-themed window displays – at the moment we’ve got Power Rangers on display, in support of the new movie.

Easter might be a little later this year but I don’t think it can be any worse than last year, when it was a bit of a wash-out. Hopefully the weather will be kinder this time around. We’re looking to stock kites this spring, as it’s generally quite windy on the south coast.

Easter Eggs-perts

A

Toy Barnhaus

s we write this, we are already nearing the end of Q1, and getting shipshape after a busy half term. Trade so far has been pleasing, given all the uncertainty in the market.

Encouragingly this year, we have seen a lot of new products that have started selling particularly well. Obviously on a high after winning our prestigious “Lunch of the Year” award, Flair looks to have couple of winners in PJ Masks and Glimmies. PJ Masks has been our most successful pre-school introduction since Paw Patrol; the range is nice and compact, the products are well priced and they relate well to the TV show.

Glimmies has been another great new introduction, and was a range we liked at preview. Again, the entry line is well priced, and it offers something different to other ranges out there. A third surprise hit has been the LOL Surprise! dolls from MGA. It is a great concept, and the price point of £7.99 hasn’t been a barrier to selling in massive volume. We think it is one of those products that has really benefitted from YouTube videos showing the unboxing of the product.

Collectibles has been the key growth area in the toy market over the last few years. It is now our biggest category after Lego and covers a wide range of products. Pokémon continues to dominate, with the new Sun and Moon launch proving especially popular. There is a steady stream of new products every few weeks to keep customers coming back. If you are known to be the first to have the new lines, you become the destination for them. Num Noms has been another great success, with the new light up range adding a different feature with fantastic appeal.

Pocket money toys are a key driver for independents, the price points are such that customers will come into store rather than order online. Our key sellers are play foam, fart putty, slime, squeezy gripper balls and alien/dinosaur eggs.

In early March, we had World Book Day, a very popular event that has got bigger each year. More retailers have got behind it now, and it remains a fantastic opportunity for independents. Once again, our bestseller was Harry Potter dress-up. Also in March, the new Guardians of the Galaxy Lego showed excellent sales: after the success of the first film, and the interest that several of the characters have already attracted, it should be one of the best film launches of the first half of the year.

Easter taking place three weeks later than last year should help sales.

However, we have found that takings are often weather dependent, and a good forecast can mean sales slip back, as people make the most of the sunshine while the kids are off school. But there has been a clear trend over the last few years of parents and relatives giving kids money, as well as - or instead of Easter eggs. The average gift is about £5, and after Easter we end up with lots of £5 notes in our tills, which is great news for us.

Games has been a growth category for us over the last few years, and Easter is the biggest period after Christmas for sales. We stock a core range of family games throughout the year, which sells consistently from year to year. Rubiks Cube is our bestseller at the moment, along with other classics from Hasbro, like Monopoly, Twister and Jenga. We think their new Toilet Trouble game will be in high demand. A good independent line is Dobble from Esdevium Games.

By keeping this range tight, we take good sales throughout the year.

Happy Easter to you all, until next month

Toy World 37

Feature

Pre-School

Starting out The pre-school market is arguably one of the broadest and most varied sectors of the toy industry, with a huge number of sub categories. Toy World examines the factors contributing to the continued growth of the sector

N

PD data shows that the preschool market enjoyed a positive year in 2016, seeing an 8% increase in comparison to 2015. This increase was ahead of the total UK industry growth, which went up by 6%. The sector shows no signs of slowing down, with the market up +4.4% already YTD in February 2017. Within the super-category, which counts infant, toddler and pre-school as sub-segments, pre-school contributed 62% of the overall super-category growth.

The figures and playsets category was one of the stand-out performers: it grew by 11% in 2016, with Playmobil - a key player in this segment - growing by a whopping 22%. “We were particularly pleased with the performance of the Space range, which was a top-seller for us”, commented Jamie Dickson, marketing manager at Playmobil, adding that “Major Tim Peake’s space journey gave the range a welcome boost.” The company also enjoyed success with the new additions to its Pirates range, including the Pirate Raider’s ship and compact Pirate Fort Superset. Playmobil is anticipating further growth this year with its first foray into character licensing: “May will see the launch of the Ghostbusters range, with muchloved characters, locations and sets from the iconic film”, commented Jamie Dickinson. The company will also be debuting a range of How To Train Your Dragon product in August 2017.

Indeed, character licensed merchandise continues to play an important role in the Pre-School category as a whole. The runaway success of 2016 was undoubtedly Paw Patrol, which was responsible for a whopping £54m of sales, 59% of which came in the 3-4 age bracket.

Despite the huge sales numbers, Paw Patrol remains relatively tightly-ranged, with product in 41 subclasses; by comparison, Mickey & Friends has product in 62 subclasses. While this suggests that there is still significant scope for growth for Paw Patrol, it also offers a telling insight into Nickelodeon’s protective approach to the property; while some licensors would have been tempted to take advantage of its current popularity by signing a plethora of new

licensees, Nickelodeon has clearly its sights set on establishing Paw Patrol as an evergreen brand, and its strategy is designed to ensure long-term success.

Another brand which has benefited from this approach is Peppa Pig; while it experienced a slightly more challenging year in 2016, the return to the classic range which has performed so well in the past should see Peppa bounce back strongly this year. Other evergreen properties such as Thomas & Friends – which grew by an impressive 13% last year – and Fireman Sam, which celebrates its 30th

anniversary in 2017, continue to enthral each new generation of pre-schoolers.

In terms of new properties to look out for in 2017, PJ Masks is being widely tipped as one to watch. The TV series has attracted huge ratings since its debut in the USA in 2015, and retailers are already reporting strong sales since GP Flair’s master toy range hit shelves last month. Feedback from the USA, where the product launched last year, suggests that there is a 50/50 gender split, which will only increase its chances of making the kind of impact that Paw Patrol has had on the market. Super Wings is another new pre-school property starting to make waves. The TV series recently made its debut on Cartoonito in the UK and master toy partner Alpha Animation has launched an extensive range of product based on the show.

Toy World 38

While there is no shortage of licences aimed specifically at pre-schoolers, a number of properties aimed at older children have been successfully extended to the lower age range; Batman grew by 12% in the pre-school market in 2016, chief ly one assumes as a result of Mattel’s Batman Imaginext range, while Hasbro now offers a range of Transformers for infants under the Playskool brand.

Wheeled Toys is another area of the preschool market that has grown substantially in recent years, a development acknowledged by the fact that children’s scooters have recently been added to the basket of goods used to measure the UK’s inf lation rate. The trend for modern scooters dates back twenty years to 1996, when Micro Mobility Systems in Switzerland produced a foldable aluminium model which went on to transform the school run for many families. According to a survey of 75,000 children by the transport charity Sustrans, the proportion of UK pupils regularly scooting or skating to school went up by more than half between 2013 and 2014, from 9.3% to 14.3%, and the numbers continue to grow each year.

For parents, the appeal is obvious; a scooter is a fun distraction that allows a child to travel at an adult’s pace. Micro Scooters’ sales director Ben Parkhouse commented: “We’ve seen a great uptake on the new ride-on range which we recently introduced.

We’ve lowered the age range, so children as young as 12 months can now start scooting.

They see older children on scooters and they want to join them. The new models not only make it easy for toddlers to get active, they also help to develop their balance and fine motor skills at the same time. Parents love it because they no longer have to take the pushchair or buggy out with them.”

It is still clear that after three successive years of growth, and as the third biggest growth subsegment in NPD in 2016, pre-school remains one of the market’s most important categories.

Over the following pages, we present a selection of the latest introductions which will be hitting shelves over the coming months.

Pre-School

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.co.uk Character Options’ pre-school line-up continues to grow, from a new party theme for Teletubbies, to authentic Ben and Holly vehicles.

2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the Teletubbies, with the autumn Teletubby collection of 8 inch talking party plush including all four Teletubby characters, each donning party accessories, from pin-wheels and balloons to colourful party hats.

Later in the year Tiddlytubby toys will join the range. The 8 inch plush toys in muted colours with towelling fabric bodies will be available in three styles – Umby Pumby (yellow), Mi-Mi (light blue) and Ping (pink). The Tiddlytubbies release a giggle when their tummies are squeezed. Also new to the collection is the Shuffle and Giggle Tiddlytubby in pink, who shuffles along and giggles as she crawls Celebrating another anniversary is Fireman Sam, who turns 30 this November. Character’s pre-school line-up includes toys from the new Series 10. The Electronic Pontypandy Fire Station playset is packed full of original features and emulates the new headquarters in the TV series. For extended imaginative play, children can also collect the new Fireman Sam push-along mini vehicles.

The Peppa Pig Classic range is growing with the launch of a new hero line. Peppa’s Family Home Playset will offer pre-schoolers six rooms across three stories, plus an articulated Peppa figure and lots of accessories.

A new licensor-supported theme centred on play days and learning will run throughout the Peppa Pig franchise during autumn/winter 2017. In celebration, Character is launching playsets, including a chunky blue school bus with sound, a classroom set, and more. The learning theme extends to plush with the launch of the new ABC Singing Peppa. Peppa sings the Bing Boing theme tune and a cheerful rendition of the alphabet song.

The Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom range will introduce the new Royal Limousine. The most popular vehicle in the show, the new freewheeling toy comes with an opening canopy. The new iconic Deluxe Thistle Castle Playset is packed full of magical features such as the toadstool that magically opens the door. Ben & Holly will be supported with a dedicated new TV advert this autumn.

Simba Smoby 01274 765 030 | www.smoby.com/en Ahead of the film release in July, Simba Smoby’s new Disney Cars range is coming to market with a wide variety of toys. The radio control collection includes cars in scale 1:32, 1:24 and 1:16 and each vehicle features full driving functions. Role-play also plays a big part in the new range. The Workshop Trolley comes in a red Cars design with a DIY Lightning McQueen character and a variety of tools for pretend play, while the Petrol Pump features a realistic breakdown simulator and sound effects. Dress-up accessories are also available with the Tool Belt and Tool Bag. The Cars 3 Workbench stands at 90cm tall, with a DIY Lightning McQueen vehicle, an elbow spanner, drill, hammer, screwdriver and extra accessories. The ride-on V8 driver has a screen rolling racing game built into the steering wheel as well as a smartphone holder, with an app available to download. With the Mack Truck Simulator boys can open up Mack to reveal a pit stop work station where they can fix up a DIY McQueen whilst listening to the sounds of the race through the simulator.

Toy World 40

Another property in Simba’s licensed portfolio is Masha and the Bear, and the master toy range of plush, dolls and playsets makes for the ideal pre-school offering.

The bear from the TV series is brought to life by the feature plush Dancing Bear. A 50cm Bear is also available, as well as a CDU of 25cm Bears for quick impulse buys.

The 20cm Masha Doll is styled to give it instant appeal for fans of the series. Singing Masha and Tickle Me Masha make great interactive options, whilst the assortment of four Masha Mini Dolls meets the ideal pocket money price point. Masha’s House and Bear’s House playsets are available and each comes packed with figures and accessories. For autumn, pre-schoolers can look forward to a Playground Playset, Ambulance Playset and Animal Friends plush.

Classic pre-school character Bob the Builder is represented in his own range, and autumn will see the introduction of two new work benches, including Bob’s Ready to Go Work Case that features a set of tools and detached fixture legs. By attaching the fixtures to the bottom of the case, the Ready to Go Work Case transforms into a mobile workstation. With Bob the Builder role-play being among the best performing lines for the property in 2016, favourites like Bob’s Tool Belt will continue to be offered for 2017.

New licence Wissper has been introduced to Simba’s offering. The range captures the essence of Wissper and her animal friends, from an 8.5 inch doll to playsets that have a 2-in-1 transforming ability. For autumn, all new larger playsets will be introduced, which include multiple play mechanics. A new 15” feature doll will also be available that has three different sound phrases, plays music, and says Wissper’s signature catchphrase.

MAKE SURE YOU’RE STOCKED UP ON THE BEST NEW PRESCHOOL TOYS

Spin & Splash Jellyfish

MARKETING SUPPORT: TV, VOD, DIGITAL, SOCIAL MEDIA, PR SUPPORT

Foam Cone Factory

Shake & Sort Cupcakes

Super Colour Deluxe

NEW THIS AW

Call the sales department on 01392 281928 or email ukcustomerservices@tomy.com © TOMY

Pre-School

IMC Toys 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com This year will see the launch of brand new series Mickey & the Roadster Racers on the Disney Junior channel. IMC will launch its new themed collection in July, supported by a multi-platform marketing campaign and TV advertising. The range includes products from articulated figures, mini vehicles, playsets, radio control vehicles to feature plush, all taking imagery from the series and bringing it to life.

Key toys from the new collection include the Mickey Roadster Racers Garage, Minnie’s Happy Helper House and Mickey’s Racing Tracks.

The Mickey’s Garage playset resembles the garage in Hot Dog Hills, with light and sound effects. The set includes one exclusive Mickey figure and two cars with interchangeable chassis. It also includes racing and mechanical accessories. Minnie’s Happy Helpers House/Office set from the series includes an elevator, Minnie and Daisy figures, lots of accessories and lights and sounds that bring Minnie’s house to life. Mickey Roadster Racers Training Track includes traps and surprises, as well as two mini vehicles, Mickey’s Hot Doggin’ Hot Rod and Pete’s Super Crusher.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Flair’s heritage Stickle Bricks brand is ideal for pre-schoolers. Stickle Bricks promote the development of dexterity and imagination with their easy to hold bricks that lock together in any way. From autumn, the Farm Set will be available with special farm-themed pieces for endless play opportunities. The range also includes a Big Red Bucket filled with assorted bricks in their own storage container, and the Stickle Bricks Beginner’s Box which is an ideal entry product. The stickled lid doubles as a play base for added play value, and is the ideal platform on which to build.

Since launch last autumn, the Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital range, the collection has been offering role-play toys such as the Magical Toysponder and the Big Book of Boo Boos. New for spring is the Doc’s Accessory Set, which includes five different accessories. The Toy Hospital Care Cart is also available, with its interactive light and sound X-Ray machine and Toy Hospital features.

The kid-powered Peppy Pups range launched last year to phenomenal success, and this year preschoolers can add even more pets to their kennels. A Pug has joined the range, while autumn will see a French Bulldog and a Unicorn join the line-up.

The Snuggle Pets range offers a character sleeping bag available as a bunny. Doubling up as both practical bedroom accessory and plush friend, this sleeping bag comes with a removable and washable character pillow.

Playmobil 01268 548 111 | www.playmobil.co.uk Ghostbusters, How To Train Your Dragon, Romans and Egyptians, Police and City Airport ranges are expected to be a hit this year, as well as the Princess Castle and Pony Farm.

The Playmobil Romans and Egyptians range includes the Pharaoh’s Pyramid’s five chambers, each containing individual puzzles and traps. The Roman Warrior’s Ship has its own fire arrow artillery and powerful ram bow ready for battle, with the boat being able to be upgraded with the Underwater Motor for even more fun at bath time.

The brand-new Ghostbusters and How To Train Your Dragon ranges are the first entertainment licences for the company.

The Ghostbusters range features much-loved characters, locations and sets from the film, including the Firehouse and Ecto-1 vehicle, plus a towering Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, available in May. The How to Train Your Dragon range will be released in autumn 2017.

Almost 40 years after the first Police sets launched in 1978, the new Police Headquarters with Prison has been brought up to date with a fingerprint scanner, command centre and telephone system. Other traditional favourites include the Princess range, which includes the Princess Castle and Royal Residence, alongside the Pony Farm from the Country range.

Toy World 42

Pre-School

Halilit 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk Halilit has extended its early learning offering for 2017 with a number of new additions that focus on sensory, cognitive and physical development. New Edushape products, such as Perspective Park and Magic Symmetry, teach pre-schoolers all about spatial awareness, whilst Dr Pooch is a plush companion toy that teaches children how to dress. There are new variants of the Sensory Balls, and along with developmental toys such as Baby Connects, Baby Beads and Linkets, the 2017 Edushape range offers retailers an increasingly sought after sensory collection.

New to the Halilit Music range is the Musical Rings Gift Set, featuring four chunky rings with different sounds and textures. Also launching this year are the new Roller Balls. Brightly coloured and easy to grasp, these tactile balls gently roll within their holders, offering a smooth shaker sound and textured features which are safe to chew. Rounding off the musical offering for 2017 is a new take on Rhythm Pals, a collection of four easy to grasp instruments, ideal for little musicians.

The new Taf Toys categories: Easier Outdoors, Easier Sleep and Easier Development are also seeing product releases through 2017, supported by photography and video content that is available for retailer use. Featuring themes such as Mini Moon, Cheerful Cloud and Cheeky Chick, products now have new boutique look packaging.

Halilit is also pleased to be supporting the roll out of Taf Toys Easier Parenting strategy with enhanced marketing activity, strongly driven by social media and broad consumer reach. Focusing on the end user, the Taf Toys Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts will be raising awareness of new launches and current products, through brand collaborations and targeted ads.

Halilit is also pleased to announce the acquisition of the distribution rights to Doron Layeled for the UK and Ireland. Producing high quality and educational wooden puzzles, the Doron range is ideal for gift purchases, with its photo based items.

Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com The pre-school offering for Farm World and Wild Life will expand for 2017, introducing children to nature themes. Key to each of the ranges will be brand new Starter Sets with the highlight for the second half of the year being a Croco Jungle Research Station, the ideal starting point for new Wild Life adventures. This playset includes a crocodile skull and integrated secret hiding place, the research centre and as a viewing platform. Further accessories include a ranger figure, a fire pit, scientific equipment, and four animals. The Farm World Range includes a Tractor with Trailer and Hay Conveyor, as well as a Barn and Farm Buildings.

Like all Schleich products, the new Farm World and Wild Life figurines and playsets are designed with attention to detail and hand-painted with care. The possibilities for individual arrangement stimulate children’s imaginations, opening up constant new opportunities for play.

The pre-school portfolio will be supported by a substantial PR and marketing campaign.

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com As master toy licensee for the new Netflix show Luna Petunia, Funrise has created a pre-school line that is every bit as whimsical as the content. For autumn, Funrise will release the master toy line that brings the world of Amazia to life. Featuring the main characters and key moments from the show, the range includes an assortment of figures, mini playsets, plush, large dolls and signature role-play items.

Rounding out the line is the large Petunia Manor Playset, with exclusive figures and lots of play value, including lights and sounds from the show.

The range will be supported by a full marketing campaign to include TV, digital, parental support and an abundance of press, plus a full range of retail support options.

2017 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Tonka brand, and Funrise has introduced new ways for consumers to experience Tonka. The My First Tonka collection is a chunky range of vehicles made with little hands in mind, and features chunky wheels and designs such as a helicopter, police car and fire engine. The range includes Mini Wobble Wheels, Flashlight Force, Soft Walkin’ Wheels and Strong Arm vehicles. The Wobble Wheels range vehicles wobble as they move along, while the Soft Walkin’ collection is soft to the touch and ideal as a first toy.

Children can then move on to Tonka Steel with its range of Dump Trucks, Tow Trucks and Action Vehicles that create the ideal first vehicle range for pre-school kids.

Toy World 44

f o n fu e h t r

e v o c Dis AS SEEN ON TV

t n e m p o l e v de !/ W E N M N TU R AU INTE W

7

201

GOAL LEAGUE A real electronic goal for future football stars

1-4 DETECTIVE years

1. Penalty Kicks

DOG

Fun electronic walker

F!

O WO

2. Golden Goal 3. Challenge

2-5 years

NE W A

FIND THE BONE!

NE W

!

UT WINUMN/ TER

2017

!

AUTU WINTMN/ ER

2017

MISTER RING The traditional ring toy with a new, modern look

2 in 1

FOOD 1-4 TRUCK years

2-5

Street food revolution – role play

For more information, please contact our Head Office on 02089536627 or visit www.chicco.co.uk

years

Facebook: /chiccocompanyuk

YouTube: /chicco

Pre-School

Bladez 02392 658 259 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk After a successful first season in the pre-school market, Bladez is looking to build on the success of its Teletubbies, Peppa Pig and Thomas & Friends radio control inflatable ranges in 2017, as well as introduce more products into its licensed offering.

A key focus for this year is supporting the Teletubbies 20th anniversary and building on the momentum from last autumn’s TV advertising campaign. New for this summer is the Teletubbies Track Playset, inspired by the new Tubby Car from the second series of the TV programme, now airing on CBeebies. Pre-schoolers can build the eight-piece tile playset in a number of different combinations, and watch the motorised Tubby Car drive around the track. The inflatable radio control characters, boppers and playmats continue and Po and Dipsy nightlights are also available.

New to the Peppa Pig line is a radio control inflatable George, which is available to order now. The Muddy Puddle playmat is another winning line which can be used indoors.

The new Peppa Pig Jump and Squeak Pogo can be used both indoors and out. The Peppa Pig inflatable Sleep Trainer provides a way for children to learn when it’s time to play and time to sleep. It features sounds, a night light and programmable wake up time, and has been officially endorsed by Fundamentally Children for encouraging good sleeping patterns.

The Bladez Thomas & Friends range will see red engine James joining the radio control inflatable family later this year. In addition, a new playset will be arriving in autumn where children will be able to watch a battery-operated motor driven Thomas engine speed around the Sodor themed eightpiece tile track.

Chicco 01214 549 707 | www.chicco.co.uk Mr. Ring is new to the Fit ‘N Fun range, and is a modern take on the classic hoopla game. Featuring a hedgehog on a rotating base, the aim of the game is to hook as many plastic rings onto the hedgehog’s multi-coloured spikes as possible.

Classic members of the Fit ‘N Fun range, Goal League and Jungle Rugby, are available as mini-versions of the sports, and children can take advantage of their competitive streak.

A new addition to the Bilingual ABC collection comes in the form of Food Truck, a contemporary twist on the timeless toy kitchen. Food Truck is a minikitchen that can be packaged up into a mini-van, and encourages children to learn the names of different foods in French and English.

The Move ‘N Grow range welcomes Detective Dog, an interactive walker toy that uses sensory technology to lead children towards a hidden bone by using music and flashing lights. Once the bone is found, Detective Dog flashes green to signify that the child has completed the task, employing positive reinforcement to encourage children to complete the task.

The Rodeo ride-on pony comes in both boy and girl versions to suit everyone.

Cloud B dgreen@cloudb.com | www.cloudb.com Cloud B’s Beebop is a multi-sensory and multi-functional musical playtime pal and soothing bedtime buddy all in one. Utilizing Bluetooth technology, this cute and cuddly creature plays songs from personal playlists, lighting up along with the beat. Once connected to a Bluetooth device, a gentle click on Beebop’s ears easily changes tracks forward and back, while Beebop’s hand controls the different light options. As music plays, lights glow and strobe in blue, green or red to match the tempo of the music, so children can dance along.

When it’s time to calm things down, Beebop becomes a plush night light, sound soother and cuddle toy and can play a child’s favourite lullaby while slowly morphing through colours, or the light effect can be turned off altogether. When not in Bluetooth mode, an automatic shut-off kicks in after 45 minutes to save battery power and to ensure complete darkness during deep sleep.

Toy World 46

Exciting Police Mission!

8 new sets based on the popular Police theme Strong TV campaign across the year from Easter Consumer press advertising within key titles Extensive PR programme around this educational theme

For more info: www.playmobil.co.uk

6920 Police Squad Car with Lights & Sound

6919 Police Headquarters with Prison

6921 Police Helicopter with LED Searchlight

Pre-School

Le Toy Van 020 8979 2036 | www.letoyvan.com

Vivid 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk The Crayola Colour Wonder range is expanding and getting a make-over, with a new brighter, whiter look. Colour Wonder markers are developed

by Crayola scientists, which means the ink only appears on special paper and won’t colour on skin, furniture or fabric. 2017 will see a brand-new Mess Free marketing campaign focusing on TV, instore communication and more.

Launching in autumn is the Colour Wonder Mess Free Light-Up Stamper. The ink is clear but the stamper magically knows what colour is being used. Children can press into the coloured ink pad and the handle lights up to match.

New to My First Crayola comes the Colour Pops! Colour and Erase Mat. Parents can roll out this huge drawing surface for hours of worry free creativity, offering colouring in fun for toddlers which can be magically wiped away using just water.

Trends 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Designed to help pre-schoolers develop early learning skills while having fun, the Peppa Pig and Thomas electronic learning aids include activities for understanding colours, communication, phonetics and numeracy through interactive play features. Trends UK ELAs will be supported with PR and marketing support across key online, social media and lifestyle press. Peppa Pig Laugh & Learn Alphaphonics will launch in spring, and will be joined in autumn by the new Peppa Pig Play Mat. The Peppa Pig ELAs will also have TV support.

A new Young Thomas range will launch with the Thomas Flip & Learn Phone and Thomas Learn & Play Alphaphonics.

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com The infant category introduces new BeatBo Buggies and Bright Beats Juniors, featuring playful melodies and bright lights. The new Monster range develops motor skills, featuring the Hungry Monster Maze, Press n Go Monster Vehicles and Fun Feelings Monster, with further extensions to follow. There will also be the launch of the Servin’ Up Food Truck, encouraging open-ended kitchen and vehicle role-play.

The pre-school learning category introduces the Smart Scan Colour Chameleon and Teach n Tag Movi, an interactive learning buddy that gets children moving. The Little People range focuses on teaching children core soft skills such as manners and sharing, and includes the Sensory Farm.

Fisher-Price’s Imaginext encourages children to unleash their inner superhero with the DC Super Friends Arkham Asylum, DC Super Friends Joker & Harley Quinn Battle Vehicle, and Power Rangers Morphin Megazord.

The Fisher-Price Friends portfolio sees a new Shimmer & Shine range, including the Float n Sing Palace Friends, Talk & Sing Shimmer and Shine Dolls, Magic Flyin’ Carpet and Floating Genie Palace.

From other favourite characters, Blaze and the Monster Machines introduces Light Riders and extends its range with the new RC Blaze, Hyper Loop playset. Go Jetters introduces the Kyan & G.O Roll and Souvenir Selfie Camera, and the Jet Pad Headquarters.

Thomas & Friends continues to “Set Friendship in Motion”, while Bob the Builder encourages children and parents to “Build with Bob”, creating activities that encourage building together.

This year also sees the launch of Mega Machines the Movie, where three new mega characters join Bob in his biggest build ever. The new Switch & Fix Bob features a rotating tool belt, lights and construction sounds.

Toy World 48

Included in the range is a wooden shopping trolley with two internal compartments and a fabric storage level underneath.

Special features include a detachable fabric shopping bag and a mini chalkboard to write the shopping list on. The eco-friendly bag for life concept has proven successful at the recent toy fairs, and is an addition to the award-winning Le Toy Van Honeybake role-play collection. This shopping trolley helps children develop their social and speech skills through play.

Pre-School

Spin Master 01628 535000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk The Paw Patrol range for 2017 includes a Jungle Rescue theme with new pup Tracker, who lives in the jungle with Carlos the monkey.

Voted Best New Toy in the pre-school character category at this year’s UK Toy Fair, the Terrain Vehicle is designed to help Ryder and the pups on jungle missions, with off-road six-wheel drive suitable for any terrain. The vehicle carries a tent that stores on the back, two animals and a rescue carrier. It also includes a crane to rescue animals & vehicles.

The Paw Patrol Basic Vehicle assortment includes Tracker’s Jungle Cruiser.

Each of the vehicles has bigger wheels to ride through jungle terrain, brush guards and camouflage deco.

With character plush assortments and new Action Pack Pup and Badge sets, the range offers products to suit all price points.

Lego 01753 495 000 | www.lego.com For 2017, Lego Duplo has introduced an array of fun new themes designed to stimulate pre-schoolers’ imaginations and offer great role play opportunities. Perfectly sized for little hands, the easy-to-build sets help children master basic construction skills by building and re-building to develop fine motor skills while bringing their ideas to life.

Featuring colourful, chunky bricks, the Lego Duplo My First range is a great introduction to building for young toddlers. New for 2017 is My First Bird, My First Plane, My First Cakes, My First Bus and My First Carousel, featuring a carousel which turns and spinning seats.

Meanwhile Duplo Town keeps on growing with the addition of a Pizzeria, High Street, Nursery School, Family Pets, Birthday Picnic and the three-storey modular Family House, which can be rearranged and built in lots of different ways. Featuring recognisable everyday scenes, the sets will inspire endless storytelling adventures, allowing pre-schoolers to learn about day to day life and routines, while providing conversation starters between parent and child.

VTech 01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk Brand new for autumn/winter are four new items within the Disney Cars 3 range, featuring a Write & Race Lightning McQueen, which uses a chunky stylus. At a press of one of the 26 letter or 10 number buttons on the keyboard, the light-up display will give stroke-by-stroke guidance on writing the letters and numbers, and voice out the phonic sounds. There is also a Ready to Race Lightning McQueen which includes fun animations, sound effects, driving panel, character dial, steering wheel and control panel buttons that triggers lightening McQueen phrases, introducing letters, counting, logic and memory skills.

The range also includes a Lightning McQueen Camera Watch, as well as a Digital Camera featuring a Cars 3 photo and video editor, easy to use controls, voice recorder, flash, 4x digital zoom and three games.

VTech is also bringing back the Switch and Go Dinos range, with products that easily switch between a vehicle and a dinosaur with a few simple steps. Lex the T-Rex, and some of the other favourite 2-in-1 toys are set to make a comeback in 2017. Depending on the mode, the interactive LCD screens and buttons activate interesting dinosaur facts and sound effects. Having just been on TV throughout February and March, Switch and Go Dinos will be TV supported again in peak season.

Toy World 50

M U LT I A W A R D W I N N I N G PRE-SCHOOL RIDE-ONS AND S C O OT E R S N OW AVA I L A B L E S U P P O R T I N G E V E RY M I L E S TO N E A LO N G T H E WAY

MINI 2 GO

MINI MICRO 3IN1

T H E U LT I M AT E R I D E O N TOY

T H R E E S C O OT E R S I N O N E

AGES 18 MONTHS - 5 YEARS

AGES 1 - 5 YEARS

MICRO TRIKE

M I N I D E LU X E

THE STROLLER REINVENTED

2 0 1 6 TOY O F T H E Y E A R

AGES 18 MONTHS - 5 YEARS

AGES 2 - 5 YEARS

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N P L E A S E C O N TA C T TRADEORDERS@MICRO-SCOOTERS.CO.UK | 01206 381 334

Pre-School

Micro Scooters 01206 381 334 | www.micro-scooters.co.uk Children will now be able to scoot as confidently as their peers thanks to the new Deluxe range of scooters introduced last year. The new Mini Micro Deluxe is a move up from the Mini Micro scooter. It now has an adjustable handlebar which means much younger children can use it, plus a redesigned footplate with specified grip, anodised stems and a higher weight limit. The older version of the Micro scooter – the Maxi Micro has also been given the deluxe treatment, and now features a higher weight limit, new colour, new finish and upgraded body. The Deluxe range of nursery and children’s scooters are available now.

Coinciding with the Deluxe launch, Micro Scooters is increasing investment in its award-winning Scoot Safe programme. The initiative has so far taught over 60,000 children how to use their scooters safely and considerately.

With workshops running at thousands of after school clubs and during PE lessons in schools, the Micro Scooters Scoot Safe scheme has proved a successful piece of community outreach work.

The recently unveiled, redesigned Mini Micro Deluxe range now includes the award-winning Micro Balance Bike, adaptable and versatile ride-ons including the Mini 2 Go and the 3-in-1 Mini Micro Deluxe, as well as the Micro Trike – a redesigned, slim line version of the stroller.

Infantino BKids 07557 640097 | www.bkids.eu London Toy Fair saw the launch of the Sensory Toy Collection from Infantino BKids. The range includes a multitude of toys that will educate baby and provide the ideal product offering for pre-school retailers. The collection features high quality materials, different textures, sounds, lights and bright colours, all brought together to stimulate little senses and nurture early exploration.

Toys that offer sensory stimulation are invaluable to early development, and the sensory toy trend is currently growing in the UK. The range offers sensory features and toys that will last generations, including Senso Balls, Snap Pals, Pull Along Snails, Spinning Windmills, robots, shape sorters and walkers.

Highlights from the Sensory Toy Collection include Leon the Chameleon Light and Shape sorter, which has already won awards in Europe, and is packed with functions. This learning-made-fun toy will allow little ones to practise motor skills, by pushing buttons to match colours and shape sorting. The 3-in-1 Walk and Drive Discovery Car will spark curiosity with its colourful textures and buttons, lights and sounds. The Robot’s funny expressions and lights are activated every time baby pushes, pulls, twists and turns him upside down.

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 | www.learningresources.co.uk The Snap-n-Learn range encourages valuable early skills and features chunky pieces that fit together to form a collection of animals. Two new additions for 2017 provide even more ways to play. Counting Cows is a way to practice number identification, counting and more. Each cow’s head features a number from one to ten, and the tail features the corresponding coloured spots.

Number Turtles feature five adult turtles with removable shells and five baby turtles. Each baby turtle has a number, one to five, printed on its back and corresponds with the pattern on the matching colour adult turtle.

Once matched, the baby turtle nests inside the adult’s shell for hide-and-seek learning fun.

Designed specifically for little hands, plastic pieces fit together and pull apart with ease.

All sets are stored in a sturdy storage bucket with multilingual instructions.

Toy World 52

WITH ITS COLOURFUL CHUNKY BRICKS, LEGO® DUPLO® IS PERFECT FOR SMALL HANDS AND BIG IMAGINATIONS.

AXEL AISHA

DISCOVER OUR 16 NEW SETS

AVAILABLE NOW! LEGO, the LEGO logo and DUPLO are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2017 The LEGO Group

Pre-School

Engino 0800 988 7065 | www.enginotoys.co.uk Engino is introducing Qboidz to the world of construction. The Qboidz building system is designed for pre-school children and based on the latest STEM principles. The system enhances creativity and imagination by combining Engino snap-fit technology with traditional stacking connectivity. Qboidz new patented design increases a child’s dexterity and perception of 3D space, using connecting bricks with rods that can be connected in multiple directions, in order to build many different models from the same set.

The Qboidz series starts from two models sets moving up to four, 10 and 20 models sets. Each package allows multi-model creations, deriving from a variety of themes: cars, animals, trains, figures, buildings and much more. The parts comprise of a large palette of colours and are also fully compatible with the Engino Toy System, which means the system grows with the child.

Qboidz provide a free app to view and manipulate models which allows children to explode and implode models, rotate them, zoom in and out, all on line.

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk The Newborn range includes characters such as Jitter ‘n Whirl Monkey, which can attach to a pushchair to entertain baby on the go, with its spinning wheel and bouncing beads.

The Tummy Tunes Giraffe encourages reaching and stretching while engaging baby’s core as they play the piano keys. The Good Vibration Deluxe Baby Gym is packed with lots of elements to support baby through their developmental stages, including nine different musical sounds and a travelling toucan which moves across the gym bar, encouraging eye tracking. There are also four hanging toys and a movable mirror.

The pre-school Light ‘n Go range encourages active play. The five wild animal themed infant toys use lights to inspire babies to walk, cruise and move. The characters, including a monkey, tiger and panda, each have their own interactive play elements. The 3-in-1 Activity Walker has over 70 ways to play and consists of three stages all in one: a walker, standing activity table and sit and play activity centre. Also in this range is the Activity Garden Treehouse, which is full of interactive features. The Magic Lantern has three modes of play: Explore Colours, Dance Party and Collect Fireflies, and projects colourful lights.

Combined with music and fun sounds, it encourages little ones to get moving.

Little Tikes Wheelz is an original range of fast vehicles which includes the Tyre Twister RC, powered by a RC car. Children can watch it go back and forth, spinning 360 degrees and even doing back flips. Alongside this is the My First Flyer Helicopter. My First Flyer is the only helicopter for pre-schoolers that flies, turns and lands with one-touch control, making it simple to use and the ideal first helicopter for the youngest fliers.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk In line with the new Paddington 2 Movie set to premiere in November, Rainbow Designs is bringing two new feature plush toys to its Movie range.

Pre-schoolers will be able to dance along to the calypso rhythm with Dancing Paddington as the bear swings his hips to the beat of the music. Dancing Paddington, which comes with a brightly coloured calypso-style reversible shirt, also says five different phrases.

The new Cycling Paddington will see the bear having fun and adventures as he cycles around randomly on his red bicycle. These two new characters will join the My Name is Paddington feature plush from 2016 in a new range commercial on air autumn/winter 2017 with 500+TVRs. The new range of craft products from The World of Eric Carle includes Super Dough Model Kits, the Sew-n-Stuff Caterpillar and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Colour and Construct 3D Character set, and have been designed to encourage creativity and develop fine motor skills.

Rainbow Designs’ pre-school portfolio also includes the Peter Rabbit range, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Toy collection as well as My First Toys & Friends, Elmer, Peppa Pig for Baby and Miffy collections.

Toy World 54

Pre-School

Alpha Animation 01293 804 599 | www.auldeytoys.us Super Wings is a pre-school animation series which launched on Cartoonito in February. The storyline encourages pre-schoolers to develop problem solving skills and introduces them to different cultures around the world.

Alpha Animation’s product launch will comprise over 10 different lines featuring Jett and his friends across Transforming vehicles, RC toys, feature playsets, electronic toys, ride-ons and more.

Transform-a-bots are Super Wings figures that transform from a plane to a robot in three easy steps. There are blind bag collector packs with over 20 characters to collect, and the Transform-abots are also available as collector packs. These sets include mini-figures of characters from the airport crew.

The key products in the range are the Transforming Planes, with over 10 articulations to transform from jet to robot. Each character transforms differently depending on their form, with the range supported by TV advertising.

The range will also include Jett & Dizzy as RC Dance ‘n’ Transform vehicles. Jett & Dizzy dance and spin 360°, and transform from bot to jet with a simple remote control. Users can also activate lights and sounds with a push of a button.

The hero World Airport playset features a large 35-inch scale set, and includes electronic sounds and lights plus many features to recreate favourite Super Wings scenes and missions. The playset includes mini-transforming characters Jett and Donnie, that attach to the fly-bar and spin to circle the World Airport before coming in for landing. They can be lifted up to the Control Tower via the elevator, then launched down the ramp, where the base compartments flip open to reveal a rotating luggage carousel and cargo scale.

Inside Out Toys 01908 969 969 | www.jumini.net Following the launch of Jumini in September, the company has been delighted with the positive response it has received so far.

The range has already been extended by adding 17 new items which were shown at Spring Fair. This includes chunky puzzles and fun lacing games aimed at younger children. The company is also working on new designs for a selection of larger value items to cater for bigger purchases, including a dolls house, a castle and a garage.

To further support retailers, the company is also putting together a Point of Sale pack for shops, to include window stickers, shelf labels and more to help promote sales.

The company is an approved supplier for the Toymaster group.

Puzzles and Play 01354 669 733 | www.puzzlesandplay.co.uk Creative Educational Aids has been producing educational products for developing minds for the past 25 years, including games for early years and pre-school years. The main philosophy behind the games is to let the child learn while playing. While the games are lots of fun, they all have a fundamental purpose, developing children’s educational skills and personality.

There is a vast selection of different games in the range, each aimed at developing a key area of development, such as literacy, numeracy or science etc. Ending and Beginning Consonant Sounds Packs come in a handy plastic storage box, ensuring all parts of the game stay as good as new. Each pack contains 15 sets of selfcorrecting match-up tiles, six double sided wipe clean practice sheets and an activity guide. These sets help a child to identify and match cards that have the same ending/beginning sounds, play traditional concentration games and solve a variety of activities to practice their phonic skills. The Read & Practice Pack is an ideal way to learn beginning sounds of words and letters of the alphabet. Contained in the plastic storage box are 50 large and colourful word and alphabet flash cards, six activities and five games to play.

Castorland Puzzles was established in 1989 by the manufacturer Castor. The children’s puzzles are bright and colourful and depict an array of characters. They come in an assortment of packs with differing levels of complexity.

Toy World 56

Pre-School

Bananagrams 020 7298 9500 | www.bananagrams.com Bananagrams now offers an award-winning game for pre-schoolers and early readers: My First Bananagrams.

The iconic Bananagrams pouch comes in a ripening green and, in response to customer requests, now contains colourful lower-case letter tiles. The collection of games within caters to a wide range of reading abilities. There are 10 curriculumbased mini games for early learners, and word game challenges which grow in difficulty as the child’s skill level advances. This culminates in a simplified version of Bananagrams, and introduces children to the classic game that sees players racing to complete their own word grid.

My First Bananagrams includes new double-tiles with vowel-teams, word families and digraphs, making it an ideal game for children as they learn to read and spell.

Pyramid International 0116 284 3645 | www.pyramidinterantional.com Pyramid International’s range of pre-school licences continues to prove popular and provide additional sales to retailers stocking pre-school character licensed toy ranges. Paw Patrol has seen continued success since its inception in 2013, with new characters being introduced and new seasons being created, the most recent of which is due this year. Pyramid has created a range of Posters, Canvases, Mugs, Keychains and 3D Art featuring characters from the TV show.

Peppa Pig made her debut back in 2004 and has aired for over 200 episodes.

As with Paw Patrol, the company has created a complete range for this popular TV show, which includes Wood Prints, Art Prints and frames, Posters, Canvas Prints and Badge Packs, providing lots of opportunity at retail.

Sinco Toys 07793 121778 | daniel@sincotoys.com Having recently launched at London Toy Fair, the company is offering two ranges for the pre-school market. Wobbleez require no batteries, as the dogs use the power of momentum to walk along behind a child as they pull on its leash. Available as a Golden Retriever, Dalmatian or Shepherd Dog, the canine companions will be the focus of dedicated TV advertising, showing back to back with the Zookiez range.

Featuring classic snap bands in all four limbs, Zookiez cling to wherever they are placed with ease. The plush animals cling to a child’s arm without the risk of falling off, adding to their play value. Children can straighten out the legs to lay the animals down. The concept is available in the style of a panda, brown bear, white cat and two breeds of dog. Specially designed marketing support is available to accompany the range, including stoppers, shelf strips, toppers and shelf banners. The Zookies are also complemented by the Zookiez Jr range.

Toy World 58

Musical mu haves for h st lively littlaeppy people!

FOR HAPPY LIVELY LITTLE PEOPLE

E: info@halilit.co.uk

T: 01254 872454

www.halilit.co.uk

Pre-School

Little Concepts 07870132595 | www.littleconcepts.co.uk For more than 30 years, PlanToys has been creating sustainable products for children. Continually pushing the design and development of new production techniques has enabled PlanToys to become one of the leading wooden toy manufacturers.

2017 saw the release of over 30 new products in the preschool sector. Child Development experts are consulted throughout the PlanToys design process, which results in not only design-led toys, but also products that actively encourage children’s physical development, social interaction and hand eye co-ordination. Open-ended play is a large focus for this sector and PlanToys launched an award winning Essential Series at London Toy Fair. The series consists of 12 products that can be used in stand alone play or in conjunction which each other. Featuring stacking, sorting, construction and lacing, the series has been developed to creatively encourage the fundamentals of child development.

The classic pre-school items from PlanToys continue to have a resurgence in the retail market. The iconic Dancing Alligator and Pull Along Snail are firm favourites.

HTI 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI provides a range of Paw Patrol musical, role-play and battery operated bubble toys, as well as walkie talkies and new character cases. Featuring characters Chase, Marshall and Skye, each tooled carry case contains musical instrument toys that pack away inside for tidy away play.

Evergreen pre-school brand Peppa Pig is represented by role-play toys, musical items, dolls prams, and more. The range offers a variety of character shaped themed cases containing play accessories, kitchens, cash registers and tea sets. The new Peppa Pig Kitchen features recycling bins, a mechanical blender and host of accessories for role-play. New for autumn/winter 17 is the Peppa Pig House Tea Pot Set which is modelled directly from the house in the TV series – the interactive teapot plays the theme tune and features various brand sounds and light up windows.

HTI offers Teletubbies role-play, musical instruments and bubble toys. With character tooling plus sound and light effects, key lines include a My First Kitchen, Tea Set, the Right Start award-winning Electronic Guitar, Xylophone, Keyboard and Musical Band Sets.

Shimmer and Shine range offers pre-schoolers a choice of wheeled toys including Three Wheel Scooters, a Balance Bike, and a 10” Bike as well as Helmet and Protection Gear. There is also a collection of bubbles and pocket money toys.

Orange Tree Toys 01242 244 500 | www.orangetreetoys.com Orange Tree Toys produces a variety of educational toys, with a large range of wooden alphabet puzzles available, including the award-winning Crocodile and number puzzles. There is also a selection of development toys, which help to encourage hand to eye coordination and develop fine motor skills.

Wooden role-play toys play an important part in a child’s social development, helping them to build on real life skills and encouraging them to use their imagination. The Farm Kitchen Collection is ideal for role-playing tea parties and kitchen, whilst the range of play sets open up the imagination.

Orange Tree Toys combines classic childhood licences, such as Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear, with traditional wooden toys. Spring 2017 sees several additions to the Peter Rabbit Collection including puzzles and a play set.

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk My First Scooter continues to pick up awards for its design, and is an ideal starter scooter. Starting off on a sturdy four wheels, young children can get to grips with the speed and feel of a scooter. Once they grow in confidence, parents can reduce the scooter to three-wheels and as ability develops, they can progress to two wheels.

New for 2017 is the Twist and Fold Scooter, a scooter available in three colourways, with four wheels and height adjuster which means that the scooter grows with the child. It also folds away for easy portability and storage.

Toy World 60

Pre-School

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.co.uk Tomy’s preschool category sees a bold new identity for its Toddler and Bath range collection, relaunching as Tomy Toomies. The range will continue Tomy’s success in the pre-school bath category with three new feature-rich toys: Bubble Blast Train, Spin & Splash Jelly Fish and Sandy the Sea Lion. Tomy Toomies will also expand its playtime collection with Shake & Sort Cupcakes, Sort n Pop Spinning UFO and Mr Shopbot, as well as a refreshed look for Pic n Pop. A 360-marketing campaign across digital, social media, TV and online video is in place. Tomy will also host key partner in-store events supporting the re-brand and offer new impactful POS. The Aquadoodle range will see the introduction of hot new licences in Autumn/Winter. The brand will also expand its core range down to 12 months+ with the launch of Aquadoodle Little Puppy to capture the 1st birthday market.

New licence Molang launches in July, with a collection targeted towards girls aged three years plus, as well as tweens, consisting of basic and feature plush toys. Molang will be transformed into a premium super soft plush made from elastic Softboa. Children can re-live episodes from the show with core figures, play sets and collectible plush. To support the range Tomy will roll out an integrated marketing and communications plan featuring key partner PR events, FSDU & in-store merchandising solutions, social media campaigns and digital support.

Autumn Winter will see the launch of Kazoops, with plush, figures and play sets relating to the animated TV series airing on CBeebies. The range will be supported with a comprehensive multi-channel marketing plan. Tomy will also be including imagination tokens within its figure sets, which can be used to unlock exclusive features on larger play sets and will encourage repeat purchases.

Eduk8 Worldwide 01434 672 336 | www.eduk8worldwide.com The new Large Activity Play Mats (Zoo, City, Construction and Farm) are vibrantly coloured, water resistant, and durable 200 x 120cm roll mats, which will stimulate imagination by creating a mini-world on the floor.

Eduk8’s huge range of science and exploration toys are a great way to encourage learning whilst having fun, while exploring the natural world. The brightly coloured Handy Bug Magnifier is a durable hand held magnifier with a 3x magnifying lid with air holes, and is ideal for carrying and viewing bugs, leaves, fossils etc. The Giant Magnifying Pot has air holes in the 2.5X magnifying lid and is also perfect for collecting and observing. It can be used as a mini aquarium for tadpoles and small fish, and comes with an adjustable, detachable strap and two tweezers. The Aquascope can be used to observe nature under water without getting wet, and eliminates surface reflections.

Eduk8 also has a huge range of wooden toys, including firm favourite Lacing Cheese. This large wooden activity toy makes early mathematical processes fun and interesting. Passing the threaded mouse through the 10 numbered holes aids hand to eye coordination skills and encourages number recognition, sequencing, identifying odd/even numbers, counting on/back, addition, subtraction etc.

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK’s licensed range of pre-school products includes the Noddy WhoWhatWhere Tablet, which features in the new TV series Noddy, Toyland Detective. The WhoWhatWhere Tablet helps Noddy and friends complete missions through various games and aids learning about numbers, colours, letters, instruments, shapes and more. The Tablet helps children develop important learning skills such as hand eye coordination, sound recognition, and imaginative role-play.

In addition, the Paw Patrol Blazon features three different game play modes - learning, quiz mode and sequence games. Children can discover shapes, numbers, colours and fun facts about their favourite pups, answer fun questions, and play games as they watch the lights and repeat the sequence. The Blazon also features lights to allow play in the dark, and is designed to help develop important learning skills such as shapes, numbers and colours, logic, memory, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and role-play.

Also available from KD UK’s pre-school range is Tinyboo nightlights. The nightlights aim to soothe and calm with a reassuring glow from the multi-colour LED light, which offers low consumption and a cool light.

Toy World 62

ht work! g li e k a m s d n a h y n a M

NEW

® 42377 Hay conveyor

NEW All new animals have joined life on the farm!

Schleich® has also launched the Farm World Starter Set as the perfect entry point for little farm enthusiasts.

New movable machinery is available for farm fans including a tractor with trailer and a height adjustable hay conveyor.

For more information please contact your Schleich® representative or visit www.schleich-s.co.uk

the perfect word game for the younger bunch!

42385 Farm World starter set

42379 Tractor with trailer

un iqu e co mb o tile s

lowe rc a se lette r s

me s i-g a r l y n i m ea fo r d e r s re a

+44 (0) 207 298 9500 sales@winningmoves.co.uk www.bananagrams.com

Pre-School

Golden Bear 01952 608308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com The DC Super Friends toy range is aimed at younger DC fans and led by the Interactive Power Punch Batman. Complete with poseable arms and dressed in iconic Batman costume, Batman’s fist makes punching sounds on impact. Iconic Batman phrases can be heard when his chest is pressed and his eyes light up as he speaks. The toy also features over-sized fists, flowing cape, mask and utility belt.

Based around the Hello, Hello song performed by Mr. Tumble at the beginning of each episode of Something Special, the interactive Sing Along with Mr. Tumble features music and movement, encouraging pre-schoolers to sing along and join in – just like in the TV show. For added interactivity, Mr. Tumble’s nose lights up as he sings.

New Twirlywoos Musical Statues Great BigHoo is designed to encourage role-play and movement in preschoolers. When one of his hands is pressed, he dances to the Twirlywoos music. When the other hand is pressed, he will play a game of musical statues.

Golden Bear is introducing a strong new line up of In the Night Garden pre-school toys for autumn/winter 17 in a year which sees the brand celebrating its 10th anniversary. Led by Twinkling Lullaby Igglepiggle, a plush which features a soft glowing star and plays the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star lullaby when his hand is pressed, the plush collection will also include a Peeking Igglepiggle, My Friend Upsy Daisy and a Walking Makka Pakka. The Pull-along Ninky Nonk Wobble Train is a further new addition to the range.

The Thomas & Friends range will also see new introductions, with a focus on the Harold character and the My First JCB line will get a refresh which will highlight the range’s indoor and outdoor play value.

Hape 08456 000 286 | www.marbel.com Hape’s Little Splashers range is a key focus for the company this year.

Included in the range is the Teddy and Duck Bath Mitt Set and the Teddy and Friends Bath Squirts, which can soak up bubbles and bath water.

With the Pop-up Teddy Shower Buddy, children can watch as the water falls from teddy’s cloud. Umbrella Stackers make bath time the ideal place for understanding colours, shapes and balance, while the Happy Bucket Sets can played with in the bathroom or used in a paddling pool or sandpit. Children can wind up the Swimmer Teddy Wind-up Toy and watch him perform swimming tricks in the water, or interact with the Rainy Day Fun Set, practising their throwing and catching skills.

Just Play 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk The PJ Masks toy collection is perfect for pre-schoolers. The range offers a variety of different price points and opportunities for collectability, with a further figure assortment to be added in autumn. Each Transforming Figure Playset comes with two action figures; one of the character as their daytime persona and another of their PJ Masks alter ego, and has lights and catchphrases. These figures are scaled to fit with all of the PJ Masks sets, including the new Transforming Figure Playset and the PJ Masks HQ Playset. The three sets can be stacked to form the HQ. For spring 2017, new plush and playsets have been added to the Lion Guard collection, including the Hyena Hide Out Playset and new Talking Plush. The Hyena Hide Out Playset is a smaller option, with a good entry price point, and comes with many moving features plus a mini articulated figure. In autumn, fans can enjoy collecting wave 7 and 8 blind bag figures. These new waves add 24 more characters to the world of Lion Guard, some of which include heritage Lion King Characters. Also new for autumn is The Rise of Scar Playset, with lights, sounds, exclusive articulated Kion figure and multiple interactive features. This hero line will be TV promoted.

Just Play’s Mickey and the Roadster Racers collection contains role play items including the mega Pit Crew Workbench, with lights, sounds and moving features. The Mickey Custom Car Kit comes with everything an aspiring Roadster Racer mechanic needs, while the Talking Tool Belt comes with phrases from the TV Show. The Minnie Happy Helpers collection includes tea party sets and dress up accessories that mirror the new TV series. Included in the range is the Bowtastic Pastry Playset, which has colour changing and moving features. Other Minnie Happy Helpers lines include the Happy Helpers Headquarters Phone and the Happy Helpers Bag set.

Toy World 64

Pre-School

Clementoni 0208 782 1134 | www.clementoni.com New to Clementoni’s pre-school portfolio is Doc, the educational robot. This new smart educational Robot is programmed to teach children their first experience of using animatronics, featuring a board game with bright colours and sounds which Doc moves around when instructed to do so. When Doc reaches his destination on the board, he recognises the animal or object and reiterates this back to the child.

The Interactive Football Table is a 2-in-1 talking educational toy that teaches children letters, numbers, shapes and colours. It recognises each goal a child has scored. This interactive football table comes equipped with nursery rhymes and sound effects.

Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com

Gibsons 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

Paul Lamond has a selection of preschool craft products available in its 2017 range, developed to encourage little ones to get creative. The Let’s Get Boj-ing craft range, based on the CBeebies pre-school programme, includes Plate Craft, Box Craft and Tube Craft sets. The all-inclusive sets are the ideal way to encourage pre-schoolers to get making, and produce creations that include a rocket, a guitar and a robot.

The washable Activity Tablecloth and Thomas Activity Tablecloth are also a colourful and creative way to keep pre-schoolers entertained. The 1040mm x 710mm double sided Activity Tablecloths feature pictures to colour and activities to complete, and come complete with five washable, colourful markers.

Gibsons’ My World products have been designed to be developmentally appropriate for little ones, with the range supporting the National Curriculum and early learning goals.

My Body is a set of two puzzles in one box. The first puzzle contains 36 pieces and shows the outside of the body, whilst the second is a trickier 50 pieces and shows what’s going on inside the body. The two puzzles have identically shaped lozenge pieces that identify various body parts such as lungs or liver and the challenge is to fit them in the right place. The outer edges of each puzzle feature fun facts and information which will help children to understand how the body works.

Other puzzles in the range include My Farm Animals, a set of mix and match puzzles of eight farmyard animals; My ABC Jungle Safari, a large floor puzzle full of jungle animals presenting a clever way of learning the alphabet; and Dino Jigosawrus, the set of eight puzzles which includes a Pteranodon, Velociraptor, Triceratops and T-Rex.

SES Creative 0292 002 9724 | www.steppingstonesmarketing.co.uk/ distributor SES Creative has extended its range of pre-school hobby and craft lines, which include a variety of paints, clays and craft activities. The My First range introduces children to drawing, moulding clay and painting, whilst the I Learn product range goes a step further to focus on developing basic skills, such as learning to use scissors, embroider, stamp and much more.

There is also the My First Colourball, which is designed to allow very young children to colour when they are still unable to hold a pencil - as it features an ergonomic ball grip with colours on six sides.

Thames & Kosmos 01580 212 000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Thames and Kosmos’s preschool offering will see new additions to the Kids 1st range of STEM kits for 3-4 year olds.

The Kids 1st range allows parents to introduce scientific topics and hands-on empirical learning to young children, laying the groundwork for strong STEM related skills and comprehension. Adding to titles such as Amusement Park Engineer, The Human Body and Chemistry kits, Thames and Kosmos introduced The Robot Engineer and Science Lab at the end of 2016, and new for 2017 is The Boat Engineer, available from August.

Toy World 66

Pre-School

Posh Paws 01268 567 317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Posh Paws is launching a brand-new product range for pre-schoolers. Airing this April on Disney Junior is the new animated TV series Mickey and the Roadster Racers.

In line with the new TV series launch, the company has a brand new plush collection, featuring Mickey and friends in their new Racing Outfits.

In addition, a new range will support the spin off show Minnie’s Happy Helpers, which will air straight after Mickey and the Roadster Racers. The Happy Helpers range includes Minnie and Daisy in a variety of outfits, as seen on the show.

Posh Paws will also be introducing fresh additions to the best-selling Lion Guard Range, which will include characters such as Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumba.

Interplay 01628 488344 | www.interplayuk.com Interplay’s My Fairy Garden range has unveiled new additions for 2017, including Unicorn Garden, Fairy Watering Can, Fairies and Friends figurine pack and Magic Bean Pots. The playsets include interchangeable pieces and aim to foster a love of nature through play.

My Fairy Garden will be TV advertised on kids TV channels all year round to maximise brand awareness.

The brand sponsored Disney Junior’s Fairy Tale time in 2016.

Interplay has launched the My Mermaid Lagoon range, which will also be heavily supported with TV advertising this autumn/winter. The My Mermaid Lagoon range includes collectible figurines and playsets that also include creative elements such as moulding and sculpting.

Following its launch in 2016, the Fuzzikins Craft range will also appear on TV this autumn/winter.

Tel: 01908 969 969

jumini.net

Fresh

FRESH THIS MONTH:

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

In April we have new releases from: Character Options, Usborne Publishing, Pyramid, Hasbro and Maped Helix.

Character gets set for Disney Crossy Roads Character unveils its hot new licensed collectible, the pixelated world of Disney and Pixar.

A new kids’ collectible from Character Options and Moose Enterprise is about to be introduced to the market, as the highly-anticipated Disney Crossy Roads range hits the shelves in May. The collection, based on the globally successful gaming app, features collectible figures in an on-trend 8-bit pixelated style.

The popular Disney Crossy Roads app has had 26 million downloads worldwide since launching in April 2016, and with such a large following, the new collectible range is predicted to be a hit amongst kids, collectors, gamers and influential unboxers.

There are over 40 Disney and Pixar characters to collect in Series 1 across four franchises; Mickey & Friends, Toy Story, Big Hero 6 and The Lion King. The core collectible line will be the Mini Figures Single Pack, blind boxed in a CDU, retailing at an ideal price point of £3.49. In addition, there is a special 4-pack assortment and 7 pack with exclusive figures, with some hidden, heightening the collectability.

Completing the plastic offering is the iconic Gumball Machine Playset, which replicates the model in the game, and includes two exclusive figurines. With multiple features, kids can drop in the coin, dispense their characters down the shoot, and then open the machine to display their collection.

Six-inch plush toys will enhance the Disney Crossy Roads play even further.

Iconic Disney and Pixar characters have now been pixelised and made into soft toys, with six to collect in Series 1.

Mark Hunt, Character Options marketing manager, told Toy World: “The

app game has been a huge success and Moose has created a range that will see Disney characters hopping from the screen into children’s hands. The fact that kids can now collect, swap and play with 8-bit pixelated versions of Buzz, Woody, Simba, Baymax and Mickey is extremely cool. As with all Moose collectibles, the rarities element will play a big part in driving repeat purchases, as there are Rare, Epic Ultra Rare and Super Rare limited edition pixelated character to collect.

The Disney worlds and licences unlocked within the app game are vast, and new characters and themes will be introduced into the collection regularly to ensure longevity for the range.”

Talking about Character’s launch plans for the brand, Mark said: “It’s multifaceted, to ensure the reach is wide. Our retail partners are very excited, we have great support with an FSDU launching into over 900 stores across multiple retail channel. In addition, retail kits with POS, collectors’ posters and pop-up graphics will create impact and in-store theatre. Our TV campaign begins late May Bank Holiday weekend, delivering 300TVRs over the first month with continued support throughout the autumn winter season. In the online space, consumers will be reached through a viral campaign, driving mass awareness across leading Disney Crossy Roads fan sites, blogs, forums and social media. Pre-roll advertising will see Disney Crossy Roads content distributed through YouTube and sites such as Tiny Pop and influencer unboxing. Extensive coverage in kids’ press across the first two months of launch, mass sampling and PR activity will also bolster marketing support.”

Toy World 68

That’s not my unicorn…

Usborne Publishing At the London Book Fair in March, Usborne revealed the cover and title of the 50th book in their bestselling series for babies, “That’s not my unicorn”, which will launch on 6th July 2017.

The latest addition to the range is bang on trend and the publisher expects to see record sales. “That’s not my elf...” which came out for Christmas 2016, has been the fastest selling title to date, making it into the Top 10 pre-school books last year.

Specially designed to help develop sensory and language awareness in babies and toddlers, the books contain simple, repetitive text, tactile patches and bright illustrations.

Four of the titles – Owl, Meerkat, Penguin and Snowman – are also available as a gift set with plush toy.

“That’s not my unicorn…” will have additional high-spec finishes: a pearlescent cover, pink foiling and rainbow reflective page edges.

A branded 12-copy countertop display unit is available free with stock orders and Usborne offers sale-orreturn on all orders.

Lego stationery Pyramid International Working in partnership with IQ and Lego, Pyramid is now the exclusive UK distributor of a premium range of Lego and Lego Batman stationery.

The complete range was showcased for the first time at Spring Fair, featuring journals, rulers, erasers, gel and marker pens, pencils and sharpeners. Additional products and properties, including calendars and Lego Ninjago will soon be added to the collection.

The range features simple aesthetics and quirky design elements, in harmony with the enduring popularity of the Lego brand.

Dropmix

Hasbro Developed with award-winning video game developer Harmonix Music Systems, players can create unique mixes of songs by playing cards on a game board connected to a mobile app. The game consists of an electronic Dropmix Board, Dropmix Cards, and the free Dropmix app. The Dropmix cards feature some of the biggest hits in pop, R&B, dance, indie, country, rock and hip-hop.

When a Dropmix card is placed on a Mix Slot, the electronic Dropmix Board immediately starts playing the corresponding part of the song (bass, beat, loop or vocals) noted on the card. The board reads up to five Dropmix Cards at time and the software in the app combines the music within each card to create a unique mix.

The Dropmix Music Gaming System, which includes an electronic Dropmix Board and 60 Dropmix Cards across multiple music genres, will be available in September 2017. Hasbro will also release Playlist Packs with 16 Dropmix Cards and Discover Packs with five Dropmix Cards. The additional cards will be released on an ongoing basis throughout 2017 to allow players to collect and curate their own custom decks and create new and unexpected soundtracks.

Plague Inc: The Board Game Esdevium To celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the first Star Wars film, Maped Helix has reproduced a selection of products from its original 1977 Helix Star Wars range, featuring the Star Wars 40th anniversary logo.

Items include a Death Star pencil sharpener; the original maths set tin featuring the 1977 design, but with modern day contents; a range of four pencil cases featuring hand-drawn artwork; a stormtrooper 30cm ruler and a twelve pack of HB graphite pencils featuring the Star Wars logo and “May The Force Be With You”. An Anniversary Collection set is also being produced and will contain all of the retro products in a gift pack.

Toy World 70

new seasons ahead.

be first.

24 – 27. 6. 2017

From 2017, the latest international product ideas from the home and gift sectors for the autumn / winter and spring / summer seasons will celebrate their premiere in June.

Further details at: tendence.messefrankfurt.com

info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

new date

Viewpoint Worrying signs in the kids’ TV marketplace

John Baulch Publisher and managing editor of Toy World

Trivial Pursuit – Crackpot Edition

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

D

ata from the BARB Toys & Games category for the first two full months of 2017 shows that there has been a significant drop in the number of toy-related campaigns, while the ads which ran achieved far less impacts. To be specific, there were 12 fewer campaigns listed this year compared with January and February 2016. Perhaps more concerning, impacts for the campaigns that did run were on average nearly 25% lighter than last year.

Although the first two months of the year are not necessarily the highestprofile months for TV advertising, the trend for lower impacts originally started to manifest itself last autumn, when ratings fell around 10% short over the critical months of October and November. In short, advertisers were reaching less kids than they thought at the peak selling time of the year, while retailers had ordered stock based on what was promised, not what was delivered.

If the trend for fewer advertisers and less ratings continues throughout 2017, it will raise a number of questions, such as why fewer companies are advertising on TV, and whether those companies have diverted the money into other

W

hen I was told that the Games & Puzzles super categories would be showcased in this month’s edition of Toy World, I had instant flash-backs to awkward meetings, begging letters and the occasional physical threat, let me explain…

The barriers to entry in the games & puzzles market are probably lower than many of the other super categories within toys; the general lack of tooling costs and good availability of European manufacture in this area means that anyone with a basic concept can invest lots of time, and a little money, in creating a short-manufactured run of samples to sell.

This is perfectly demonstrated by Halls 10 and 10.1 at Nuremberg Toy fair.

These are the only halls where large scale games manufacturers have stands adjacent to budding entrepreneurs showing a single games concept, hoping to get retail distribution on their way to becoming instant millionaires through

forms of marketing, or are simply saving the money to protect margin and profitability?

From a retailer’s perspective, less TV ads and less viewers essentially means less consumer demand will be created, so they will no doubt be watching developments over the coming months with interest. Whichever way you look at it, a modicum of social media activity or a twitter party simply isn’t going to come close to replicating the impact of a wellexecuted TV campaign.

A toy media stalwart had this to say to Toy World: “The significant reduction in viewers suggests that the quality of the programming simply isn’t up to scratch.

Kids vote with their feet, so if what is on offer isn’t what they want, they will divert quickly to other sources of content. “ I’ve even heard that a number of children’s broadcasters are considering mounting their own campaigns aimed at promoting the medium to kids; the interesting question is, where will the campaign run? On TV? Or on channels such as YouTube, where it is widely assumed that many of the kids are migrating?

While TV remains a crucial medium for toy advertisers, there are ongoing concerns over the quality and funding

their finely crafted genius concept.

Much of a games’ unique selling point is in the intrinsic value of its concept and content.

As a result of this entrepreneurial bias, Kickstarter has seen a range of new games concepts requesting funding campaigns, there are currently no fewer than 591 games concepts on the Kickstarter platform - Exploding Kittens and Cards Against Humanity being two notable successes that came to market via Kickstarter funding.

My own personal experience of this category is first hand and comes from my buying role at Woolworths, the highlight being securing in excess of 45% of the UK market and building Chad Valley Games into a top 10 games category brand in the UK. Amongst the highs came a series of lows, with strangers turning up at Woolworths head office claiming to offer the next self-styled Trivial Pursuit. They arrived in the hope that if they kept stalking the buyer, then somehow the product would get an all-store listing and an order for a million units. In the pre-Kickstarter age,

Toy World 72

of programming in the kids’ space.

As the aforementioned toy media observer remarked: “It’s important for the broadcasters to claw kids back, but they can only do that with quality programming. The best ratings in the kids’ arena tend to come from homegrown shows, but for financial reasons, much of the current programming in the schedules is American-made.”

There is an additional warning sign for advertisers in the growth of channels such as Netflix, which don’t carry any commercials. These streaming platforms are undoubtedly changing the way that children watch television. A recent survey even went so far as to suggest that 82% of children living in ‘Netflix only’ homes do not know what commercials are. While the survey base was small – only 100 homes – the findings provide food for thought about what may happen as these platforms attract more viewers.

Despite these developments, one thing remains undeniable; if there is any discernible movement towards banning TV advertising to children, as some pressure groups continue to demand, the whole terrestrial kids’ broadcasting sector will be put in an invidious position.

they often pleaded emotionally that they had invested their life savings and taken a second mortgage on their family home in order to finance their game.

Having also worked on the supply side for a games manufacturer, for me 2015 was the year where a resurgence in the category started gathering pace with Hasbro’s Pie Face, which was originally created and launched by Rocket Games and was also top selling game of 2016.

This success was expertly followed up with Speak Out in 2016 and the continuing trend of creating massive customer demand via the power of social media. TV advertising vs social media return on investment? Discuss….

This year will do well to equal and surpass the games & puzzles sales and growth performance of 2016, however having seen the line up in ranges and content from all of the major manufacturers I am betting on another record sales year for the category, Hasbro will do well to score a hat-trick of social media driven successes in 2017.

  

      

             

   

    

    

viewpoint

The Indian Toy Market

Lutz Muller CEO of Klosters Trading Corporation, a provider of insights into the mass retail space in the USA and Europe

This is how the Indian Toy Market is estimated for 2016:

A

their own mores and taboos, and this countries on patents, trademarks, month ago I presented influences the type of product that can copyright, trade secrets, enforcement data on the Swedish toy be sold and the type of packaging used. and international treaties. India, market, as an example India is difficult. Corruption is with a score of 8.75 out of 35 (just of a place where it is rampant. For a practical example, 25% of the total score) is among the better to have a Pawan Budhwar, associate Dean of last three, along with Pakistan (8.37) distributor than going it on your own.

Research at Aston Business School, and Venezuela (6.88). In comparison, This article will examine the same mentions bureaucratic delays: “If the US stands at 32.62 and the U.K. premise for the Indian market place. the website of a ministry says it will at 32.39. As a result, knock-offs are India is different. The US and take 13 weeks to get the required widespread, particularly in the toy India are two countries divided by a certificate, it’s not realistic.” He says space. common language – English. The US that the reason for the bottlenecks is India is two countries – one is executive speaks English and so does often bureaucrats expecting a pay off: urban and the other rural. The former his Indian counterpart, but the issue “That’s why they’re delaying things, is concentrated in 79 metropolitan is that the former thinks Western and although no one will say this out loud,” districts covering 34% of the country’s the latter thinks Indian - and there he said. “If you have a local player, they land mass, containing 99m households is a world of difference between the can perhaps handle local dynamics (about 40% of the total population) two world views, shaped by history, like this better.” and produces about 85% of the nation’s customs, and religion. That the Indian India’s government is also incredibly Gross Domestic Product. executive may have acquired his MBA bureaucratic. Hong Kong-based Not so surprisingly, there are also from Harvard does not change the fact Political & Economic Risk Consultancy two Indian toy markets – urban and that his world view is fundamentally Ltd described India as a “bureaucratic rural. The urban segment is estimated different compared to his classmate (Viewpoint April 17) at 2750 crore (US $41m) at retail, nightmare”. Indian bureaucracy was from Vermont or Texas.

India is huge. In terms of landmass, ranked 9.21 on a scale of 10, with 10 whereas the latter is estimated at 5350 crore (US $785m). The urban being the worst. It went on to cite it is one-third the size of the United Lutz Muller CEO of Klosters Trading Corporation, a provider of insights into the mass retail toy sales of 2750 crore are sold by inertia and corruption as some of the States including Alaska. However, its space in the USA and Europe [see March issue for pic] about 4500 retail outlets (accounting principal factors that ail India. population is 1.25b, three times that of the United States. The country for 85% of the 2750 crore sales), with Patents and trademarks do not online commerce accounting for the mean too much in India either.

For has two official languages – Hindi The Indian Toy Market remainder. Rural toy sales are made by the fifth consecutive year, India and English – plus another 120 major languages. Most languages in India tens of thousands of small rural stores, continued its dismal run in the US temple fairs, village fairs etc. and Chamber international IP Index. In the are written in Brahmi-derived scripts comprise to a large extent products latest 2017 edition that evaluates the such as Devanagari. The country has four main religions – Hinduism with intellectual property (IP) environment that are made in small artisan factories This is how the Indian Toy Market is estimated for 2016: in 45 countries, India figures in the or are handmade.

80%, Islam with 15%, Christianity with 43rd place.

The annual report grades 2% and Sikhism with 2%.

All four have

Toy World 74 Just looking at the top five brands in the Fashion Doll, Action Figure and Learning Space, as reported to me by Amazon and one leading brick-and-mortar retailer (who does not want to

44 tle s 5 miion sold 60 countr ie s 30 langua ge s

Order your stock NOW!

01494 538999

www.greenboardgames.com sales@greenboardgames.com

viewpoint

The Indian Toy Market ...cont.

Against this setting it is not very surprising that distributors – particularly Funskool – are doing well. In fact, Funskool has the official licence from Warner Brothers to manufacture the classic range of Batman and Superman figurines, even though Mattel is the master licensee for the brands. You will notice from the Action Figure table above that, in spite of this, Vaibhav is selling Batman and Superman. They do not have the rights to do so and Warner Brothers will undoubtedly take legal action in this matter. However, this situation demonstrates how complicated the toy space in India can be.

In the specific case of Funskool, it has a number of exclusive distributorships - Lego, Hasbro, Takara Tomy, Leap Frog, Siku, Ravensburger, Kosmos, Asmodee, Crayola, Rainbow (Winx), and Crayola. It also manufactures board games under licences from Hasbro, Ravensburger, Endless Games, Jumbo Diset, Camp Games and several others for the domestic market. It appears that the company will consider other opportunities for the Indian market, providing the potential is there and the licensor credible.

To give justice to the many brands represented by Funskool, and given the complexity of the Indian market place, the company’s infrastructure is quite formidable. According to John Baby, Funskool’s CEO: “We have our own sales and marketing organization with over 85 personnel. We operate 17 field warehouses and two factory warehouses. Our factories are located in Goa on the west coast and at Ranipet, which is about 100km from Chennai, where we are head quartered. We cater to

a network of nearly 4500 retail points. The bigger stores are directly serviced by the company and the smaller stores are catered to by a network of distributors.

Our recent foray into retail with Funskool Stores, which carry all the brands that we represent, has been quite successful and we now have 18 stores operational and with two more stores finalised; the number will rise to 20 by March 2017. We regularly advertise the products/brands in our portfolio in TV, print and digital media, and our sales promotions team conducts promotions across the country for our products. “ John Baby is very optimistic about the long-term outlook for the Indian toy market: ” The challenge in the Indian toy market is that there is very little history for branded toys and we are now seeing the first generation of parents who have had some exposure to them. With 30 Hamleys stores operational, and with the news breaking recently of TRU planning to open 65 stores over the next 10 years, all eyes are on India. At the moment the market is small, and space allocated to toys in department stores is low, as rentals are high and returns from toy sections are not commensurate with the high cost of space. Also, the market is very price sensitive (or rather to put it more correctly, value sensitive) and therefore it is very difficult to sell unknown brands with premium pricing.

The only real toy specialist chain is Hamleys and to retain space for smaller brands is quite a challenge, given the pressure for brands to deliver quick results at retail. Other than a few larger companies like Funskool and Mattel, the rest of the market

Toy World 76

consists of small distributors and only a few of them have a pan-India presence. Retail is still dominated by small, inependent stores. E-commerce is the fastest growing segment, but currently is just about 12-15% of the total market. Big Bazar is the biggest hypermarket chain with over 200 stores, but their focus is more on their own unbranded imports and products at lower price points.

The silver lining is that, with every year, things are getting better and this is one market where one can be certain that the market will continue to grow in double digits at least for the next ten years or so.”

Given the fact that India is still a very small market, is very difficult to work in and is beset by a multitude of entry barriers, it would appear that new entrants only have three choices. One is to work with a distributor but there is, to my knowledge, only one worth talking to – Funskool. All others are either too regional, too small, or financially questionable. Given Funskool’s unique position, a new entrant would have to show really strong arguments in its favour to be given a hearing. The second alternative is to work directly with one of the E-commerce sites such as Amazon, recognizing that it currently has only 3% of the Indian organized toy market. The third is to go it alone – establish an office, hire a good local sales executive and start talking to the larger retailers. Any company going this route is likely to be respected for its commitment and determination, but less so for its grasp of fiscal realities.

GET IN TOUCH WITH US TODAY!

Email: Sales@EsdeviumGames.com Telephone: 01420 593 593

Company Profile

Science4you

A passion for science Toy World spoke to Miguel Pina Martins, CEO of Science4you, about the company’s history and its plans for the UK market in 2017 Can you give us a little background on the history of Science4you?

The origins of Science4you began with my final degree project. The class had been tasked to develop a business plan for a randomly drawn project. The project assigned to my team was the development of physics kits for schools. If I’m being entirely honest, we were not very motivated at the beginning. We wanted something more challenging within a broader market.

Nevertheless, we started work on the project, conducted some in-depth research and soon identified a major gap in the toy market: as far as we could tell, a category of toys combining fun and education appeared to be missing - and so Science4you was born.

What drove you to set the company up?

After this project was completed, I finished my finance degree and my masters in management.

I worked for four months in investment banking, but it didn’t really engage me. I decided that I wanted something else for my career, where I could make an impact on society. Mixing that goal with my passion for scientific toys, I started to create a product that not only people like me

with a passion for science would enjoy, but where I could also help children to love supposedly boring themes, which in turn would make their parents happy as well. Most importantly, I could help families to play and learn together.

How long have you been supplying the UK market and how important is it to the company?

Science4you first launched into the UK market in 2013, and we have continued to grow our presence each year since. We enjoyed a phenomenally successful 2016, tripling our sales by the end of the year. The UK market is one of the most important territories for us: it is the biggest market in Europe, and, therefore, one where we want to continue growing and achieve better results.

Which retail channels do you feel your products sit well in?

Due to its high quality and specifications, our range is considered not just a fun toy, but also an educational tool, where you can find the right balance between education and fun. We believe our products can be a perfect fit not only in the major specialty retailers, such as Smyths, but also in quality stores like John Lewis, where parents search for innovative brands to help their children to grow happy and healthy.

Toy World 78

How do you think the educational and science categories will perform in 2017?

There has been a big shift in parental perception of the science category in recent years. Parents across the globe have shown their interest for STEM tools by purchasing toys that contribute to their child’s physical and cognitive development. I have no doubt that it is going to be an ongoing focus for the toy market in the future and a major trend for 2017 that has huge potential worldwide.

Company Profile

Science4you

What have been your most successful lines to date?

Are there any specific developments you think will impact on the educational and science sectors in 2017?

For sure the STEM trend will continue and will have a huge impact in 2017. It is growing rapidly and it will be much bigger in years to come.

Within the overall STEM sector, I am sure that the scientific toys will perform strongly, as these tend to be the kind of products that keep kids entertained for long periods of time.

What do you see as the key opportunities to grow your market share this year?

International expansion is one of our key growth drivers and a strategic priority for Science4you. In the UK, we still have plenty of scope for growth. Outside the UK, we are focused on expanding to countries outside Europe, where we still have big markets to explore and to enter, such as Latin America, Russia and South East Asia. In 2016 we started to distribute to China, which is currently our largest non-European market.

The combination of great scientific content and the opportunity to develop interesting experiments make the Science line our leading category. Within this range, Water Science has established itself as one of the leading science toys at Amazon UK, where we sold more than 20,000 units. It currently occupies the number one position in the Amazon Geology and Earth Science toys category. The Slime Factory is another key driver. In addition, our Cosmetic Science range continues to perform strongly, especially the Lipstick Factory and the Perfume Factory.

exceptionally strong performers. In addition, as we are focused on international expansion, we are planning to double the size of our current factory, as we need to extend our capacity to cope with the growth rates of 300% we have been experiencing in the international market.

What are your key new product introductions for this year?

Our core products are our scientific kits that provide different and exciting experiments for kids to conduct, while having fun. We have an entire R&D team exclusively dedicated to prototyping new products and innovating across all the major product lines. Our key new products for this year will feature themes such as Hydrodynamics, Electricity, Magnets, Magic (the science behind it) and Robots. We will also be introducing a new range of kits designed for younger children (4+) and in addition, we will continue to invest in tech toys.

What price points does the Science4you range cover?

There are four main price points: there is an entry price of £4.99, then £9.99, £19.99 and £29.99. Up to now, 70% of our overall volume has come from ranges which are priced between £9.99 and £19.99.

In the second half of 2017, we will be launching a selection of new kits with a price point of £39.99. These Super Mega Science kits will include eight amazing experiments in one kit, which will make a great Christmas gift.

What other developments do you have planned for 2017?

We will be launching a selection of brand new toys in the second half of the year that we believe will be

How was 2016 trading for the company?

2016 was a great year and something of a turning point for us, as we set a sales record, growing from Euros 11m in 2015 to Euros 16.5m. If I’m being honest, we were genuinely not expecting such a high growth rate. Although we are only a nine-year-old company, Science4you is now present in more than 38 countries, with over 20 000 sales points around the world.

What distribution arrangements do you have in place for the UK market?

For large quantities, retailers can buy from us on an FOB basis, while the product is available domestically throughout AB Gee of Ripley, our distributor in the UK. They have been doing a great job since the beginning of our UK journey, and we are delighted to have them on board as a partner.

What are your aspirations for 2017 – do you see it as a year of growth for the company?

Definitively - I am confident that 2017 is going to be a great year for Science4you. We have attended all the major international toy fairs (Hong Kong, London, Nuremberg and New York) and the feedback to the new lines has been great. Nonetheless, we never forget that there are two key ingredients to guarantee success: commitment and hard work.

Toy World 80

Exciting new Games & Puzzles for 2017

PAUL LAMOND GAMES LIMITED 31 Newington Green, Islington, London N16 9PU Tel: 020 7254 0100 Fax: 020 7254 3400

www.paul-lamond.com

Feature

Games & Puzzles

Game on

Toy World looks at the burgeoning games and puzzles market, a sector which has not only grown for three years in a row, but is also finding new ways to engage consumers through social media channels.

I

t’s no exaggeration to say that the games & puzzles market is on fire at the moment. 2016 saw the sector grow for the third consecutive year, reaching £242m according to NPD. The increase in games sales was responsible for a staggering 23% of the entire UK toy market’s growth last year. In monetary terms, the 21% increase in the sector was worth a cool £42m. As has traditionally been the case, sales remained heavily concentrated in the run-up to Christmas; indeed, 40% of the category’s annual sales came in the month of December alone.

However, there are many opportunities for retailers beyond the festive season, illustrated by the stellar performance of the games category in the first two months of 2017, not traditionally acknowledged as a peak selling period for games. As Esdevium’s Ben Hogg commented:” To be at +29% so far this year is truly outstanding and indicative of a shift in the attitude of buyers towards this category.”

Although the biggest volume of games will always be sold pre-Christmas, Easter is emerging as another strong selling season for retailers: Toy World contributor Toy Barnhaus describes it as the second biggest sales period for games in its stores, and with children away from school and parents looking for activities to engage in as a family, games fit the bill nicely.

Following Easter, the summer season offers the perfect opportunity to sell travel games to families heading off on holiday, while games and puzzles provide rich all-year-round giftgiving potential.

Classic, timeless games continue to be the bedrock on which the category is built, although it is worth noting that 23% of games sales in 2016 came from new items, with Hasbro claiming the runaway number one spot for the second year running, as Speak Out followed the previous year’s winner Pie Face at the top of the games chart. Pie Face itself was no one-year-wonder, with spin-off Pie Face Showdown continuing the success of the original game. The Speak Out range has been extended with the introduction of the new Kids v Parents version this year, ensuring it too will continue to feature at the top of the bestseller list. As it often requires a substantial media budget to successfully establish a new game, and given the

high proportion of sales which come in the last two months of the year, ongoing success in years two and three can make a huge difference to the overall profitability of a game. Put another way, if the success of a game is shortlived, you have to sell an awful lot of units in a three-month period to recoup the initial marketing cost.

In the past, this has provided a challenge to games companies, but things are changing.

Specifically, the fact that a key driver behind the success of both Pie Face and Speak Out was an online video which went viral is potentially a massive game-changer. To all intents and purposes, Pie Face has ushered in a new era in the games market, where the product offers the opportunity for the consumer to create a shareable moment, which parents and grandparents will post on Instagram or Facebook, or teens will put on Snapchat or YouTube. Interestingly, Hasbro’s customer research has found that over 50% of people who buy Pie Face make and share a video of themselves playing it. As well as adding an extra dimension for the players, the fact that that these videos help to spread the word about the game far and wide is a major bonus for the games companies themselves – the cost being a fraction of the investment required for TV advertising.

The runaway success of Pie Face and Speak Out has inevitably spawned a raft of new lines looking to capitalise on the public’s appetite for slapstick- based games which can be shared via social media. Hasbro is counting on similar, social-friendly laughs with Egged On, a game in which players take a set of rubberized eggs and fill some of them with water. Players take turns breaking them on their head, and eventually, someone gets soaked.

Toy World 82

Zing’s Wet Head, John Adams’ Don’t be a Donkey, Worlds Apart’s Woofy Whoops and Brainstorm’s Big Beard Battle are just a selection of the new games which involve the participants potentially looking ridiculous, but in a fun, humorous way that gets laughs all round and lend themselves perfectly to sharing on social media. Vivid has taken the concept into the teen and adult arena with Who’s the Dude? –another game which has all the hallmarks of translating into a viral sensation.

The consistent success of the games category over the past three years has encouraged a number of toy companies to enter the sector for the first time, while others have returned to the market after being away for a few years.

Notable new players this year include Worlds Apart, which has extended its hugely successful Selfie Mic line into a game format with the introduction of Spin to Sing; Brainstorm, which has established a brand-new games division through its partnership with Yulu and Character Options, which has returned to the category with a strong line-up of games to cater for all tastes.

In addition to family games, adult gaming is another part of the market which is very much on the rise. A plethora of games clubs, cafes and gatherings have sprung up in recent years, and the media has been quick to seize on these events to add further momentum to the trend. In the wake of these developments, a number of emerging specialist games companies such as Esdevium, Banangrams, Big Potato and Accentuate have been able to gain a strong foothold in the market, while many independent toy stores have capitalised on the opportunity to expand their customer base beyond the children’s market by stocking games aimed at adults.

While the games sector is clearly on a roll at the moment, it’s encouraging to hear that games companies remain confident that the category will continue to enjoy success for years to come. Ben Hogg commented: “Millennials have a really open-minded attitude to board games, much more so than previous generations. I can see face-to-face family gaming becoming a much more popular activity as this generation raise their children.”

Over the following pages, Toy World presents a selection of the latest games and puzzles that will be hitting shelves this year.

Company Profile

Jumbo

Going from strength to strength Toy World spoke to Jumbo’s managing director Stewart Middleton about the puzzle category and the company’s plans for the year ahead How was 2016 for Jumbo?

The toy We made good progress throughout 2016, having made significant changes to our business in regard to licensing, internal process and new operating procedures.

Our own brands performed incredibly well; we enjoyed double digit growth for our Falcon deluxe, Puzzle Mates and Wasgij adult puzzle brands. We made huge strides in winning back retailers and demonstrating that we have strengthened our position in this category.

What are your aspirations for 2017 – do you see it as a year of growth for the company?

2017 will be a challenging year, with pressure on exchange rates and costs, along with retailers maintaining a tough line on prices increases – this will hit margins for all. Our strategy remains the same, though; we’re aiming for good growth on our leading adult puzzle brands, Wasgij, Falcon deluxe, Puzzle Mates and the newly launched Jumbo Premium Collection.

We also anticipate growth in our children’s portfolio, through the partnership with Thomas & Friends on Foam Puzzles which hit the shelves

this month, new additions to our growing Bob the Builder Puzzle & Games range and exciting launches for Peppa Pig this Autumn.

How did the Puzzle sector perform overall in 2016?

Adult puzzles as a category was up +15% in 2016. We saw the benefits of this, with Wasgij, continuing to be the number one brand for a tenth consecutive year; Falcon deluxe holding the number four position, growing by +25% and Puzzles Mates remaining the number two brand with +8% growth.

The Children’s puzzle sector was a slightly different story, with the category falling -3% in 2016, as many evergreen and new properties struggled against the high consumer demand for Paw Patrol, while sales of Disney Frozen declined.

What do you see as the key opportunities to grow your market share in puzzles this year?

The new Foam Floor Puzzles format, which has just launched featuring Thomas & Friends, has had a great response from major retailers.

We will expand this range to include Bob the Builder and Peppa Pig lines later this year.

Adult puzzles will also continue to drive growth; we’ll be launching over 150 new puzzles throughout the year, giving Jumbo a portfolio of over 300 adult puzzles. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Wasgij, we are launching a Special Edition Wasgij Original - the most popular concept in the range – which will feature two 1000-piece puzzles for the price of one.

Outside of the puzzle category, what other key launches are you most excited about in 2017?

Our new Disney Cars 3 Piston Cup Race Game is a huge focus for us: we’re looking to go big for the June launch, ahead of the movie release date. We also will be launching the Disney Guess the Film Game for autumn winter, and we have just refreshed the Disney Princess Glass Slipper Game, which is available to order now.

Another key launch is the Dessineo educational arts & crafts learning toy, which will be available in August. It teaches children the different steps to draw a variety of entertaining pictures, which they can learn to draw freehand, unlike existing products that just teach children how to trace entire pictures. We launched this line in France late last year and it sold over 30,000 pieces, retailing at €36.

We have also increased the size of our Goula wooden puzzles, games, toys and arts & crafts portfolio for 2017, introducing over 100 brand new products in the UK. The range offers high quality products that appeal to parents and children: Goula has been established across Europe for over 75 years, with an annual turnover of almost €40m.

Toy World 84

How can toy retailers make the most of the puzzle category?

There are easy wins for retailers, the first of which would be to give incremental space in-store to new puzzle formats which bring something different to a traditional toy category, such as Puzzle & Colours and Foam Puzzles. These ranges offer unique and engaging products across varying price ranges.

Retailers can also look to offer a wider selection of licences through jigsaw puzzles. The risk isn’t great due to the low price points, giving them the opportunity to offer the consumer a wider choice and also help new licences grow.

Adult puzzles remain hugely popular and as we saw throughout 2016, consumers want more choice and wider availability. Adult puzzles offer great margins for retailers, so it’s another easy win for everyone.

What is Jumbo’s approach to the character licensed puzzle area this year?

Despite what some of our competitors are saying, children’s licensing still forms a huge part of our strategy and always will.

We have dropped a number of licences that retailers weren’t supporting and will continue to work with licensors closely to maximise sales on our existing licences. We are not in the business of signing every licence to end up selling against ourselves; it’s about working with the best in class and being open to new licences if we see an opportunity. If we are seen as being light on licences for a while, that’s fine, as it has to be right for us, as well as our licensors and customers. In 2017 we anticipate good growth on Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Thomas & Friends and Disney, while we are currently in negotiation for a number of new licences for 2018.

Games & Puzzles

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Jumbo Games will unveil their extensive Disney/Pixar Cars 3 Game & Puzzle range this June. Highlights of the collection include the Disney Cars 3 Piston Cup Race Game that features a rotating racetrack, miniature Cars character figurines and electronic Piston Cup model with sound animations. The range will also include the Giant Floor Puzzle, 4in1 Bumper Pack, 4in1 Shaped Puzzle and creative Puzzle & Colour box set.

Also new to Jumbo’s licensed Disney range is the updated Disney Princess Glass Slipper Game, which features a light-up glass slipper that plays sound effects when pressed.

Jumbo will be expanding its Peppa Pig portfolio with the 2in1 Flip ‘n’ Find Matching Memory Game, launching in June. The brightly coloured memo cards feature favourite characters and recognisable objects from the show. Launching in September is the Giant Muddy Puddles Floor Game featuring a brightly coloured, over-sized game mat, measuring 90x90cm, four large playing counters and foam dice. The aim of the game is to be the first player to make their way from start to finish using the giant muddy puddles to help them.

Jumbo’s brand new Thomas & Friends foam puzzle range consists of extralarge, 19-piece foam floor puzzles and 4in1 shaped foam bath puzzles. These two foam puzzle formats are also available in Jumbo’s growing Bob the Builder range and are in stock now.

In line with their 20th Anniversary celebrations for the number one adult puzzle brand Wasgij, Jumbo will be launching seven new puzzles to add to the three January releases. These include the Wasgij Retro Original 1 and Destiny 1.

Other key June launches include the Wasgij Original 26: Master Chief Chef!, Wasgij Back to…?: Barbers and Beehives! 1,000-piece puzzles as well as the anniversaryinspired Special Edition Wasgij Original 27: The 20th Party Parade! and Wasgij Christmas 13: Turkey’s Delight.

Jumbo have recently added 10 brand new puzzles to the rapidly exanding Falcon de Luxe puzzle range, adding to the 10 new January releases to make up a portfolio of over 100 puzzles. These new puzzles cover the traditional Falcon themes of Nostalgia, Scenery, Cottages, Animals and Transport, across varying piece counts from 200XL to 1,500 pieces.

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Hasbro Gaming has an extensive line up for the games sector for 2017.

In Toilet Trouble, the aim of the game is to flush the toilet handle and avoid the random spray of water, with the goal of being the last player left without getting sprayed The unit is easy to set up, and every flush produces toilet flushing sound effects. The game launched alongside TVC media support, as well as social influencer content, in March 2017.

Cluedo Junior is part of the Hasbro Gaming Junior range, which also includes Monopoly Junior and The Game of Life Junior. In Cluedo Junior, kids can put their detective skills to the test. The game features characters including Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock, Col. Mustard, Rev. Green, and Prof. Plum, as well as new character, Dr. Orchid. The entire Hasbro Gaming Junior range will be supported by TV advertising for 2017.

Speak Out Kids vs Parents contains separate phrase cards for parents and kids. Players try to say different phrases while wearing a mouthpiece that won’t let them shut their mouth, while their teammates attempt to decipher the phrase to earn the card, as the timer counts down.

The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins. The game will be TV supported for spring.

Toy World 86

DKL 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk The Breyer brand has a new range of collectibles for 2017, with three different model horse collections and three different scale sizes.

The bestselling collectible range from Breyer in 2016 was the Pocket Box Dogs, with 24 different breeds to collect. Following its success, there are now two new collectible packs for 2017: Pocket Box Animals and Pocket Box Aquarium.

Each blind pack includes two pocket animals and two stickers. Each collection has 24 models to collect.

The Breyer Classics assortment of 12 single models feature hand-painted details. The box includes a guide to the collection to encourage kids to collect all 12 models. The Traditional Series of larger models compromises of 1:9 scale. Paired with the wide range of barns, accessories and riders, the Traditional Series brings the world of horses to life.

At scale 1:32, the miniature Stablemates models are ideal pick-up lines. The bestselling Mystery Foal Surprise set comes with two models and a foal hidden away from view.

TV

D

ISE T R E V D

A

Fun for kids of all ages!

For more information please contact us: T 03334 050120 E: info@ugames.uk.com www.university-games.co.uk

Copyright Š 2016 PlayMonster LLC All rights reserved. Yeti in My Spaghetti and Hey, Get Out of My Bowl! are trademarks of PlayMonster LLC. Manufactured for and distributed under license by Š 2017 University Games (UK) Ltd.

Games & Puzzles

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com Character Options has unveiled a brand-new line-up of games launching in autumn.

In Boom Blast Stixis, the aim of the game is to stack as many of the 40 interlocking pieces as possible before the sensitive, interlocking springs go off. Five Nights at Freddy’s brings the popular mobile game to life in 3D form. Players must take suspense-filled turns to take tokens from Freddy when he’s resting peacefully.

Inspired by Tetris, FlipSlide is a fast-moving game which has players flip and slide the blocks to solve the puzzles.In Laser X, players can blast their opponents with light and sound effect infrared guns from up to 61 metres away. Players can choose red, blue or neutral colours for their vest to signify their team. Each vest also comes with an interactive voice coach who gives feedback.

The Piston Cup Race Game will see players race to the finish line with licensed characters from the new Disney Cars 3 film.

Kidicraft 01282 505 988 | www.kidicraft.com Kidicraft has launched 3D Jigsaw Puzzles. All puzzles feature ‘magic motion’ images, with every completed puzzle giving the impression that the animals or sea creatures are moving. The larger puzzles that feature either ancient buildings or nostalgic scenes, based on artwork by artist Kevin Walsh, give the impression that you are viewing each picture from different angles. Smaller 3D puzzles are designed to appeal to children from 3 years+.

Smiling Dogs have been added to the 48-piece pets, zoo and ocean selfies based on images by artist Howard Robinson. There are two new National Geographic Kids’ puzzles, as well as Jungle Buddies and First Born Tigers in the 63-piece range. A Wolf Family with a baby, and a Meadow Farm tractor and animal scene complete the 100-piece offering.

There are four brand new dinosaurs to add to the 150-piece puzzles, a gorilla dad and his young, as well as a pair of ponies in a colourful meadow. Kidicraft has a Floor Display Unit especially designed to take a wide selection of puzzles and there are a number of planograms available with suggested starter orders to help with first-time selections.

University Games 01616 865 520 | www.university-games.co.uk Yeti in my Spaghetti will be a key focus for University Games in 2017, having just won Game of the Year in the U.S. The game will be supported with a heavyweight strategic marketing campaign including TV advertising, influencer engagement and PR. Following Paddington’s success at the box office, a number of new products will be added to the company’s licensed line-up. These include Paddington Spot the Difference, Paddington Mini Colour On and board game Sightseeing Adventures, and will be available for spring and autumn/winter, respectively.

Another key line for 2017 will be Staccups. Kids race to stack colour-coordinated cups faster than their opponent. Staccups will benefit from an increased focus on social media and influencers, as well as dedicated TV support.

University Games will also maintain emphasis on its hero games from 2016, with increased TV support this year for Googly Eyes and 5 Second Rule. This includes the new 5 Second Rule Jr version, Don’t Rock The Boat and Bunny Jump.

Toy World 88

Games & Puzzles

Bananagrams 020 7298 9500 | www.bananagrams.com The brand new Bananagrams Party edition is a sociable spin on the classic anagram game. The game introduces 14 new tiles which include The Re-Gifter, The Thief, Switcheroo and Pouch Head. Each tile gives players the power to unleash an action on the opponent of their choice. Whether it’s making them play without using their thumbs or forcing them to do a lap around the table, each action is designed to cause distraction while players race to use all their letter tiles and complete their own word grid before their opponent.

The original Bananagrams game has sold more than eight million copies in 30+ countries globally since launching in 2006. It counts ITV’s Downton Abbey, Dame Judi Dench and Scarlett Johansson as fans. The Bananagrams Challenge, a primary school tournament for children in Key Stage 2 is now in its third year in the UK.

Esdevium Games 01420 593 593 | www.esdeviumgames.com Esdevium Games has unveiled a brand-new selection of family gaming titles for 2017.

The company will be building on the success of their Dobble Card Game with a number of new titles joining the existing range. New for 2017 is the Rory’s Story Cubes range from The Creativity Hub. The collection has sold over seven million games worldwide and Esdevium has taken on distribution of the full range of StoryCubes. This includes additional 9-cube sets in Actions and Voyages, and the licensed range including properties Doctor Who, Batman, Scooby-Doo, Moomins and Looney Tunes.

The range of SKUs will continue to grow in 2017 with the introduction of a brand-new 9-cube base set in the form of Rory’s Story Cubes Fantasia, and the addition to the licensed range of Rory’s Story Cubes AdventureTime. Fantasia combines the cubes from Mythic, Medieval and Enchanted Mix sets (3-cube top-up packs) to make up a brand new 9-cube base set, which is set to launch in June. AdventureTime will launch in May. Cortex Challenge is a card game where players are tasked to use different parts of their brains to solve the various tests including memory, problem solving and sense of touch. Esdevium will be looking to grow Cortex Challenges distribution throughout 2017.

John Adams 01480 414361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams is expanding its established games portfolio for 2017 with a host of new lines following the launch of games Silly Sausage and Soggy Doggy.

Joining the range for autumn 2017 is Mr Bucket. Players must race to scoop up all of their coloured balls as Mr Bucket moves around the floor, and get them back into Mr Bucket before he can shoot them out again.

Also joining the action games portfolio this year is Giggle Wiggle. When Giggle Wiggle’s button is pressed , he starts dancing to samba music. Players race to be the first to stack their coloured balls on Giggle Wiggle’s hands as he twists and turns.

In Don’t be a Donkey, players pass the cards until they get a full house. At this point, they shout “Donkey” and grab a carrot. If a player misses out three times, they lose.

Award winning Doggie Doo has a brand new look for 2017, now featuring a new dog.

Tetris Dual is a twist on the retro classic. Players go head-to-head and race against the clock to create rows. The electronic unit keeps score until a winner is declared.

Rubik’s Junior is a new challenge for younger fans and comes in animal form.

Available as a bear, bunny, cat and puppy, little ones can twist and turn the animals to mix up the characters, then keep twisting until they solve the puzzle and turn them back to normal.

All games will be supported by strong TV / digital and PR campaigns from launch.

Toy World 90

Games & Puzzles

Paul Lamond 020 7254 0100 | www.paul-lamond.com Paul Lamond Games has unveiled over 30 new products for 2017, including family board games, new licensed preschool games and a foray into the world of magic.

Following the Christmas TV premiere of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Paul Lamond has launched a brand new range of games and puzzles featuring artwork from the animated film. The new lines include: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt 4-in-1 Games Cube, a Memory Card Game and a Jumbo Floor Puzzle. Two new additions to the licensed Preschool portfolio, The Tiger Who Came to Tea 4-in-1 Games Cube and Memory Card Game, are available now.

Paul Lamond Games has also made their debut into the world of magic, teaming up with Jamie Raven of Britain’s Got Talent.

Now available are four Magic Sets: Card Magic, Magic of the Mind, Street Magic and Sleight of Hand. Each of the sets features a secret web link where Jamie teaches the tricks and how to perform them.

Four new 1,000-piece That’s Life Spot the Difference jigsaws are also available. The puzzles include: Kitchen Chaos, Train Turmoil, Canal Commotion and Bar Bedlam.

Joining Paul Lamond’s family games range this summer are new titles based on music compilation series, Now That’s What I Call Music and the hit TV quiz show, Who Dares Wins. Silly Spaghetti, ThinkFun’s Colour Cube Sudoku and Roller Coaster Challenge are new additions to the children’s games range later in the year.

Paul Lamond is also adding a brand new title to the successful Murder Mystery portfolio.

The brand new Murder Mystery Dinner Party Game, A Slice of Murder, will be available in summer. It joins the range that includes The Brie, The Bullet and The Black Cat.

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com Ravensburger’s collection of Paw Patrol puzzles includes ten fun jigsaws, each featuring fun and colourful images. This increasingly popular range is available to order now.

Based on the new Disney film Beauty and the Beast, Ravensburger’s XXL100 puzzle includes glitter highlights to create a stunning effect.

Four PJ Masks jigsaw puzzles and three fun games are launching this spring. The range includes a Giant Floor Puzzle, a 35pc, 4-in-Box and a 60pc Glow in the Dark. Also available will be a Mini Memory and Card Game, and a Night Sight Game In time for the Despicable Me 3 film release at the end of June, Ravensburger is launching five children’s jigsaw puzzles, three fun family games and six 3D Puzzles including a Shaped Minion and Despicable Me 3 Sneaker 3D Puzzle.

To coincide with the release of Disney’s Cars 3, a range of seven jigsaw puzzles, a 3D Puzzle and three fun family games will be launched. With existing properties such as Animal Jam, Rachel Ellen and Paddington already available, Ravensburger has an extensive selection of character puzzles to choose from.

As well as the licensed collection, Ravensburger has a range of non-licensed puzzles and games. Featuring themes such as dinosaurs, animals and famous locations, these are ideal for older children.

Toy World 92

Gibsons 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Gibsons have released the latest addition to their Great British Bake off Collection.

Presented in a cake-slice shaped tin, the 250 piece puzzle depicts some of the series’ most memorable showstoppers. As the tin is suitable for food storage, it is ideal for storing players’ favourite slice of cake in once the puzzle is completed.

Last September, Gibsons released two jigsaws featuring showstoppers from the previous series, which were completed by contestants Candice, Benjamina and Jane.

Gibsons’ jigsaw puzzles are made from 100% recycled, high quality puzzle board. The puzzle joins other British classics from Gibsons including Mr Men and Vintage Kellogg’s.

Games & Puzzles

Ginger Fox 01242 241765 | www.gingerfox.co.uk Ginger Fox are making a name for themselves in the games market, and this year they are extending their range with some outstanding new titles.

One of the nation’s best-loved TV game shows, Family Fortunes is being added to the company’s already successful licensed card game range, while Which One? is a brand-new game to play with family or friends.

Featuring 1500 questions on topics ranging from Star Wars characters to advertising slogans, this single-player or collaborative game is ideal for family get-togethers and social gatherings.

Where on Earth? is a globe-trotting game of travel trivia presented in a globe-shaped box. Players answer questions, then collect bonus points by pin-pointing the answers on the Where on Earth? map.

Cat Chaos is a fast and frantic card-swapping game for two or more players, featuring twenty-five suits of hilarious A-list “celebri-cats”.

Big Potato 020 3620 9495 | www.bigpotato.co.uk Big Potato are launching three new games for summer 2017: First Dates, The Chameleon, plus Thunderbrain and the Colour Machines. First Dates is the official board game of the Channel 4 reality dating show. It’s an adult party game that pairs players up on a fictional dinner date and gets them to answer some awkward questions. To fit the programme’s restaurant theme, the questions come in the form of a starter, main course and dessert.

In The Chameleon, one person is secretly appointed the role of the Chameleon. The aim of the game is for them to blend in, working out the secret word without being caught. The other players must try to expose the Chameleon without giving away the secret word. At the end of the round, all players must vote for who they think is the Chameleon.

In Thunderbrain and the Colour Machines, players are split into teams and each team is given 11 different coloured cards.

Teams must answer colour-related questions by placing a colour face down on the table. Teams only earn points when other teams make mistakes

Brainstorm 01200 445113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk Brainstorm continues to expand with the addition of a new games division. Backed by comprehensive TV advertising as well as retailer support and PR during Q4, the new division will launch in May with four games never seen before in the UK: Igloo Mania, Safe Breaker, Big Beard Battle and Dynamite Dare.

Igloo Mania features Parker Pete who balances precariously on top of the Igloo. Players take turns to pull out slabs of ice and collect the highest value blocks to win. Big Beard Battle is a test of memory as well as beard growing skills, but if opponents spin a razor or scissors, beards can be snipped off.

In Dynamite Dare, players try to diffuse dynamite and save the gold before the dynamite explodes, while Safe Breaker requires the use of spy skills to crack the combination on the electronic safe Addict a Ball also continues in 2017, and Maze 1 and Maze 2 will challenge not only children but adults too. The brand will be supported with TV advertising throughout 2017.

Toy World 94

Games & Puzzles

Cheatwell 02392 524 098 | www.cheatwell.com Round Tin Games are new to Cheatwell Games, and are available in three titles: Silly Safari, Caveman and Life Off. These may be ordered as a solid or mixed case.

The Game Pod has also launched, ideal for retailers looking for travel games. The three titles come a storage case that makes them easily portable, perfect to pop in pockets.

What’s in the Box from designer David Snow features a wooden box with the cards inside.

Players find an object, place it in the box then invite other players to guess what it is, using a limited number of guesses. Quirky the Quiz invites players to make it up as they go along.

A brand-new range of brain teasers comes in a compact box, packed with challenges to train the brain. The Great Zucchini range is ideal for fans of traditional dexterity and reasoning puzzles, complete with chunky metal puzzles and classic retro packaging.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk This autumn, GP Flair’s portfolio will expand into the ever-popular games market with the introduction of two suspense-filled action games.

Party Crasher is a tense game of chance as players roll the dice and then press the cake, bracing themselves in case the meddling puppy jumps up from beneath the table and steals their dish. The game can be enjoyed by children aged three and above, and is for 2-4 players.

In Rat Trap the aim of the game is to steal the cheese from the rat trap. The game takes suspense to a new level as players race to steal as much cheese as possible before they get caught. With 30 cheese cards included, Rat Trap has an ideal game duration and children can play on their own or with friends.

Puzzles and Play 01354 669733 | www.puzzlesandplay.co.uk Eurographics are known for their diverse range of jigsaw images. 2017 sees the launch of a number of new products, which includes a 1000 piece portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in full regal attire against a backdrop of Westminster Abbey. Other titles include a colourful collection of garden birds, several Van Gogh images including ‘Sunflowers’, panoramic city skylines and a large selection of the popular serene countryside scenes by Dominic Davison.

Heye have also unveiled a varied range of new products for 2017, with a number of art designs, art portraits, landscapes, and animals as well as cartoon jigsaws. New titles include landscape photography by Alexander Von Humboldt, comical cartoon images including a ‘Funky Zoo’ and ‘Flowers Life’, which depicts an array of insects living on a flower arrangement. Other new releases include colourful cats from Rosina Wachtmeister and the contemporary ‘doodle’ style urban artwork of Jon Burgerman.

Toy World 96

THE *NPD YTD Sept’16

NUMBER 1 UK ADULT PUZZLE BRAND!*

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

20 BRAND NEW PUZZLES FOR SS2017 VARIOUS PIECE COUNTS FROM 200XL TO 1500

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

CONTACT YOUR JUMBO SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION

Jumbo Games, 2 Carters Row, Hatfield Park, Hatfield, UK, AL9 5NB Telephone: 01707-289289 Email: uk.saleshotline@jumbo.eu www.jumbo.eu

Games & Puzzles

Thames & Kosmos 01580 212 000 | www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk Thames & Kosmos has launched three new games based on the ‘exit room’ trend. This sees the brand launch a total of twelve new board games in 2017, significantly more than in any previous year.

There are three different titles in the Exit Games collection: The Pharaoh’s Tomb, The Secret Lab and The Abandoned Cabin. Designed for up to six players, each game lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. In each Exit Game, the team starts out locked in a room. Together, players must solve a series of riddles and puzzles in order to unlock doors and reveal new riddles. Each correct solution brings players to another riddle and eventually to freedom. Players must solve all of the puzzles as fast as possible. The faster the team escapes the room, and the fewer hints they use on the way, the more points they earn.

Usborne Publishing 0207 430 2800 | www.usborne.com Usborne Publishing is cementing its reputation as a go-to supplier for toyshops with the introduction of Usborne Jigsaws. The range will launch with two much-loved fairytales, Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Each of these 30-piece boxed jigsaws also contains a 24-page paperback picture book. The Cinderella book and jigsaw are illustrated by Lorena Alvarez in deep peacock shades, with her signature bright pops of colour, while John Joven’s artwork brings Snow White to life in warm and rich tones. Gift boxes are lined with vibrant hues of green and turquoise.

Little Red Riding Hood and The Snow Queen, the story on which the film Frozen is based, will follow in the autumn. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is the publisher’s festive offering.

Alongside these 30-piece jigsaws in square boxes, the Usborne Jigsaws range will include a second format: a rectangular box holding a book plus a 100-piece jigsaw. Dinosaurs and Under the Sea will be published in the autumn, both featuring graphic artwork.

Green Board Games 01494 538 999 | www.greenboardgames.com Green Board Games’ product range has expanded for 2017. The company has introduced products from Fat Brain and Mindware which proved popular among retailers at recent trade shows. Froggy and Catch a Roo were also well-received on Green Board Games’ stands. Both are fast paced, memory-based games that are quick, easy and fun to play.

New additions to the world of BrainBox include Peppa Pig and Marvin’s Magic licences. An updated Roald Dahl BrainBox, featuring The BFG, Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will follow later in the year. Additions to the evergreen BrainBox range are Myths and Monsters and Animal Families, as well as Under the Sea and People at Work. The introduction of Things that Go in the pre-school range, with a phoniccentred, curriculum-aligned update of BrainBox ABC, is also set to follow.

From July, Green Board Games will also be distributing the Gigamic games range, which aims to improve critical learning skills.

Toy World 98

NEW NEW

© 2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited.

NEW! NEW!

NEW

NEW

© 2017 Hit Entertainment Limited and Keith Chapman.

NEW

NEW

© Disney

© Disney

CONTACT YOUR JUMBO SALES REP FOR MORE INFORMATION Jumbo Games, 2 Carters Row, Hatfield Park, Hatfield, UK, AL9 5NB Telephone: 01707-289289

Email: uk.saleshotline@jumbo.eu

www.jumbo.eu

Games & Puzzles

HTI 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s games range features a selection of traditional board, family and strategy games, from Chess and Ludo to Bingo. The range also includes playing cards and snap cards, as well as compact magnetic travel games that offer four classic board games in one. All the magnetic play accessories can be stored away in pocket-sized locking cases, ideal for game play on the move. The range also offers maximum on shelf visibility.

HTI’s Wood Works range of traditionally crafted, premium quality wooden toys includes puzzles. All Wood Works pre-school puzzles have been designed to help develop recognition of numbers, letters, shapes and colours, as well as enhance hand-eye coordination, cognitive abilities and stimulate visual development.

All are supplied in fully branded CDUs for effective in-store presentation.

IMC 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com Following a successful 2016 with Chrono Bomb and Speedy Bin, IMC are set to expand their Play Fun games portfolio. New additions will include Boomball, Speedy Doc and Alien Vision.

Boomball is an action-led game, suitable for indoor and outdoor play. Players need to use their skill and speed to catch balls shot out of the cannon at different angles. The player who catches the most wins the game. In Speedy Doc, the question master will decide a topic and in turn, players have to answer. If a player fails to answer, or answer incorrectly, they have to pick up a zero. The player with the fewest zeros at the end of the game wins.

Alien Vision, previously known as Alien Mission, is a brand-new UK signing for IMC Toys. Players put on vision goggles and shoot their laser gun in the direction of the aliens which appear in the goggles, to disable the threat. The aim of the game is to destroy the aliens and achieve the highest score at the end of the mission. IMC are the currently the European distributors of this game and this will now extend to the game being available in the UK. All IMC’s games will be supported by TV campaigns from July to December 2017, as well as with online and print support.

Tactic Games 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net 2017 sees a number of new launches for Tactic Games. In Coral Reef, players look for marine animals shown on the playing cards. In each round, the winner is rewarded with a marine animal figurine which they keep in their own pond. The double-sided game board is built from puzzle pieces, and is different every time it is put together, which makes for a unique experience each time the game is played. Coral Reef will be TV advertised from October 2017 on children’s TV channels and family channels.

In Emojito, the players make facial expressions for the other players to guess. Players can choose to play co-operatively or they can compete. The players watch the emotion being expressed, decide which of the emotion cards is the correct one, then turn their guessing dial to the corresponding number on the board. Emojito will be TV advertised on family and children’s channels during the fourth quarter 2017. The box contains seven guessing dials, seven player tokens, 100 emotion cards, game board and rules.

Toy World 100

Games & Puzzles

Trends UK 01295 768078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Blast Box from Zing Toys is a suspense filled action game with an explosive outcome. A balloon is inflated for each player and placed inside the Blast Box. Players use the spinner to determine how many spikes are needed per turn, but if a balloon is burst, they are out.

The fast-paced Stick’em game is suitable for Younger kids and families. Armed with the suction cup stick, players keep an eagle eye on the picture cards and need to match the right picture with the sound from the app. The winner is the one who matches & sticks the most.

Wet Head drenches losers with water following a nervewracking truth or dare game. Continuing its popularity, the game is supported with TV and social media activity.

The Megableu games range includes game of balance, Tumball. The game of skill is for 2-4 players aged six years and up. Name That is a frantic word game and is the perfect game for all ages.

Winning Moves 0207 298 9515 | www.winningmoves.co.uk Winning Moves have four great puzzles launching in April 2017, including a 500-piece detailed portrait of Super Mario, Luigi and friends, a 1000-piece Mario Kart Fun Racer puzzle, including imagery from the popular computer game, a 1000-piece Harry Potter Avada Kedavra puzzle and a 500-piece Harry Potter Slytherin puzzle, which is a colourful collage of Harry Potter’s nemesis Draco Malfoy. All puzzles come with the added bonus of a full-scale poster of the puzzle image.

WWE Top Trumps Quiz will be launched in April 2017 and joins Top Trumps Match the Crazy Cube Game where players race to match five favourite characters horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Emotis Top Trumps Match and Shopkins Top Trumps Match will also both launch this April and May. In Skyrim Monopoly, players have the power to confront invading Dragons and build a powerful empire in the Land of the Nords.

Worlds Apart 01637 882 200 | www.worldsapart.com Following the success of SelfieMic in 2016, Worlds Apart is further diversifying its product range and expanding its games offering with two new launches for 2017.

In Spin to Sing, players spin the microphone to select a performer to sing one of the tracks on their phone through the Spin to Sing game app.

Each player then scores their fellow player’s performance. At the end of the game, the performer with the highest average score wins, and is also awarded with a ‘Winner’s Journey’ photo montage of their performances, similar to a real talent show.

Woofy Whoops features an integrated app that records memorable moments. Players take turns to spin the dog; whoever Woofy lands on has to pat him according to how many times the app barks. The player who has the last pat will get sprayed with water. The app then records the moment the player got sprayed, in slow motion, allowing players to relive it for their amusement.

Both games will be backed by TV campaigns as well as with PR and digital marketing.

Toy World 102

THE

SNEAKIEST, CHEEKIEST BANANAGRAMS

EVER! The anagram game that drives you bananas just got chaotic with 14 new pandemonium inducing party power tiles! Mix in the chaos, stir up the fun!

+44 (0) 207 298 9500 sales@winningmoves.co.uk www.bananagrams.com

Brand new games.

Same great margins.

www.cheatwell.com

For more information and a copy of our latest catalogue please contact mark@cheatwell.com or call 02392 524098

All NEW for 2017

Games & Puzzles

A.B. Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B. Gee’s puzzles are printed on quality materials.

With clean cuts, the pieces slot together each time. Trefl puzzles have bright colourful pictures and subjects.

Stand-out lines include Disney Princess, Thomas, Finding Dory, The Avengers, Blaze, Frozen and Peppa Pig. These fully licensed puzzles are offered in a range of sizes and combinations.

Learning Resources 01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk Learning Resources has introduced two puzzle cards sets to support young learners with early learning skills. Alphabet Puzzle Cards are an interactive way to build alphabet awareness and letter recognition. Including 26 uppercase letters that separate into two pieces, each puzzle features illustrations that begin with that letter.

Number Puzzle Cards engage early numeracy skills. Including numbers 1-20, each puzzle features the corresponding number of images. Pieces measure 13cm and strengthen fine motor skills and problem solving skills as kids piece them together.

Orchard Toys 01953 859 539 | www.orchardtoys.com Orchard Toys have introduced six brand new additions to their travel-sized mini game range. Based on traditional family favourites, the range gives six classic games a new twist.

Launched last April, the original six mini games were a great success for the brand due to their year round appeal as pocket money toys, travel games and stocking fillers.

Bertoy 07748 150906 | www.bertoy.com Crocodile Creek has introduced a number of new designs across several different categories. The mini puzzles have seen three new designs added in the 12-piece range: Sweet Things, Bear Express and Happy Hedgehog, while the 24-piece range has added the Animalia and Birthday Bear puzzles.

The tube puzzle series has welcomed 50 and 100-piece puzzles, while the classic boxed puzzle range includes 300-piece puzzles featuring the same designs, but more suitable for children of age eight and up.

The Once Upon A Puzzle is a puzzle and play environment all in one, with a beautifully illustrated box which unfolds into a fantasy castle with scenes both inside and out. The puzzle also contains seven stand up figurines.

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk A range from Educa-Borras is brand new to KD UK and extends the company’s current product offering, with international best-selling Lynx board game a key item in the range. This family picture game includes 401 pieces, 18 cards and instructions; the winner is the first person to spot their images on the board and collect the most cards.

Other highlights include 3D sculpture puzzles which allows users to create objects in the third-dimension. The licensed range includes four Star Wars characters: Darth Vader, Yoda, Stormtrooper and Kylo Ren, as well as Iron Man, Spiderman, Tutankhamun and Venus De Milo. A new Minions puzzle will be launched in line with the movie release this summer. The puzzles come with a plastic stand to display the highly-detailed results.

Toy World 104

Predict the survey results to win BIG in this card game based on one of the nation’s favourite TV game shows.

Our survey said ...

Subject to licensor approval

Family Fortunes is a registered trademark of FremantleMedia Limited.

Licensed by FremantleMedia UK. www.fremantlemedia.com

Part of our TV card game range View the complete collection on our website! @GingerFox_UK

www.gingerfox.co.uk

GingerFoxLtd

+ (0)1242 241765

GibsonsAd_ToyWorld_HalfPage_April2017b.indd 1

28/02/2017 13:03

Feature

Pocket Money & Collectibles

Small is beautiful As sales via the online channel continue to grow, the toy industry needs to address how to make up for the volumes lost from in-store impulse purchases. Collectibles provide the perfect opportunity for retailers to entice customers into their store on a regular basis.

T

his is undeniably a golden age for collectible product ranges. Almost one in four toys sold in 2016 was a collectible. Posting a stellar increase of 44% last year, the category represented 8% of the total value of the UK toy market. Furthermore, in a strong year for the toy market, 39% of the overall market growth came from collectibles.

Not bad for products which retail for a few pounds each.

Pokémon was the biggest collectible brand of 2016, followed by Shopkins, Panini’s Euro 16 range, Tsum Tsum and Character Options’ fantastic Mashems / Fashems range. Most of these brands will continue to sell well this year and, in all probability, next year too (although Tsum Tsum is said to be tailing off quite rapidly), but the lifeblood of the category is unquestionably new launches.

2017 will see the release of more new collectible ranges than ever, all aiming to capitalise on the hot streak which the sector is currently enjoying.

With so many competing products - and only so much space available at the till and on the counter – the collectibles arena has become something of a minefield to navigate. Getting in and getting out at the right time has become crucial. Some new ranges will take off, while others will struggle to stand out in the crowd; some will prove to have longevity, while others will burn brightly but fizzle out quickly. Some will even be slow-burners - Click Distribution’s Mark Hillier points to the current success of Five Nights at Freddy’s: “The numbers are outstanding this year, but very few retailers were interested when it first launched last year. Unsurprisingly, many buyers who turned it down originally are now jumping on board.”

The level of footfall and revenue generated has resulted in collectibles becoming a pivotal category for toy retailers. If some product areas were once considered to be

principally the domain of newsagents and supermarkets, that perception is long gone.

Exciting new collectible ranges to look out for in 2017 include Character Options’ Disney Crossy Road, which launches in May; MGA’s LOL Surprise; Vivid’s Disney Emoji and Spin Master’s Hatchimals Colleggtibles. Click’s Mark Hillier is also tipping Thinkway’s Despicable Me 3 range of blind bag figurines for success: “The product will be landing in May, and we’ve already sold every piece we’ve ordered. A few retailers have been cautious with their selections as a result of the stock carry over from the last

Minions movie, so I think it might take a few people by surprise.”

Candidates for playground craze status include Zing’s Thumb Chucks (available through Trends and Wind Designs) and Kidicraft’s Stunt Jaxx, while the resurgence of battling top lines such as Hasbro’s Beyblade and Alpha Animation’s Infinity Nado is also a trend to keep an eye on.

A number of established ranges also continue to perform strongly; Shopkins, Num Noms and Pokémon numbers are all holding up remarkably well (the latter helped by the relative paucity of Pokémon toy merchandise available), while Magic Box’s Zomlings enjoyed excellent sales of Series 5 when it launched in February, with Series 6 to follow in the autumn.

Panini has a number of interesting new launches coming up: Cars 3 and My Little Pony will tap into the demand the forthcoming movies will create, and while there is no major football tournament this year, the launch of the new Road to the World Cup range in April is expected to be a strong precursor to next year’s official World Cup collection. Mark Hillier commented: “Last time round the Road to… collection surprised everyone, and we’re anticipating similar strong demand for this new launch. But next year will be the big one; with over 50m packets of Panini’s Euro stickers sold last year, we’re looking at colossal numbers for the World Cup collection in 2018.”

With a f lurry of activity from suppliers and seemingly never-ending enthusiasm from consumers, it seems the thirst for collectibles is likely to continue unabated. Over the following pages, we present a selection of some of the hottest new ranges coming to market over the coming months.

Toy World 106

Feature

Pocket Money & Collectibles

Toyworld spoke to a selection of Collectibles Suppliers to gauge their thoughts about the category

Mark Hillier Click Distribution

Information is key, retailers need to build a relationship with suppliers who can provide them with marketing plans, promotional campaigns, plus TV and film scheduling, to help them make informed buying decisions. This can be time consuming, so the best way is to rely on the team here at Click Distribution, who can provide them with this information.

A good collectible craze can create those most precious things for any retailer; improved footfall, strong turnover and good margin.

Our guess is that Despicable Me 3 will be highly successful, from both a movie and consumer products point of view.

Thinkway, with whom we are working, is the master toy licensee, with a great range of collectible mini figures which we believe will be a hit, along with Topps’ Sticker and trading card collections. Elsewhere, My Little Pony and Cars 3 will be strong, Num Noms will continue to thrive and we expect Match Attax will continue to be the fastest-selling collectible in the market.

I think it will be a challenge to maintain growth this year. However, the collectibles category is now so huge it should still be given the correct space allocation in every retailer. Watch out for 2018, though; it’s a World Cup year and we are already planning for the Panini launches - these collections sell millions of packs and lift the whole category massively.

It is not an easy task for retailers to keep up with all the new launches. It is becoming more and more important to manage the chase and ensure you’re keeping the hunt exciting and fresh for consumers. At the same time, retailers need to ensure they give each series a long enough shelf life to enable keen collectors the time to build their collection. If you get the timings wrong, it can really hurt a series, and even the brand at large. Some retailers are fixed by their own trading dates too, which adds another level of complexity. It takes a lot of planning, but when these aspects are executed right, the benefits are fantastic.

We saw huge growth in 2016 and looking at Q1 results for 2017, the category doesn’t seem to be slowing down. What we do know is that more and more manufacturers are entering the category, all with the same ambition of being the next big craze. Like any toy category, I’m sure there will be some winners and some losers, it will certainly be an interesting ride.

Nicola Mellor MGA Entertainment

Jess Tadmor Panini UK

Panini’s entertainment range incorporates both evergreen properties and theatrical film releases, so we have collections to support the perennial properties that children engage with on a day to day basis, and also to capitalise on the hot properties of the moment. We offer a wide range of collections for differing age groups, and have been extending the core age range by introducing a number of pre-school collections. Pre-school collectibles are a growing trend at the moment - we are delighted with the launch of our new Paw Patrol ‘A Year of Adventures’ sticker collection for 2017.

We enjoyed huge success with our UEFA Euro 2016 sticker collection at retail and received a lot of feedback on social media from consumers jumping on board with their #GotGotNeed’s. The big football tournaments usually turn in to a collectible craze, so we’re looking forward to the launch of our Road to World Cup 2018 stickers and trading cards to get consumers as excited as we are for the tournament next year.

Retailers should look to place collectible ranges at the front of the shelf to maximise visibility and impulse sales. They should also ensure that they are stocking both packets and starter packs, and it helps to take note of key dates within the entertainment and sporting world. Movie release, tour dates and TV scheduling, can all have a massive impact on rate of sale. By working together we can continue to grow the category – a win win situation for all involved.

David Allan DKL Marketing

Collectibles will always be a dominant segment of the toy market - it’s human nature to enjoy building up a collection from nothing.

It’s important to listen to the customer.

Keeping up with market trends and the latest fashion is a great place to start.

Price, play value and attractiveness are all important to customers and factors that should play a vital part of the decision-making process for any retailer.

Collectibles present a wealth of opportunities to retailers. Customers will return again and again to the retailer build up their collection. The perceived value is always greater when customers can build up a complete set themselves, instead of buying a one-off gift set.

Toy World 108

Phil Hooper Spin Master Driven by the anticipation and excitement of adding those final pieces to complete a set, collecting, trading and displaying collections is serious business – and serious fun.

Kids have always loved collecting and trading toys, and the trend continues to gain momentum in 2017.

Building on the success of the global Hatchimals launch last year, Colleggtibles are the next evolution of these magical creatures. There will be over 70 Hatchimals Colleggtibles to collect at launch and many more joining the series throughout 2017.

READILY ORDER ALL OF THE LATEST AND BEST-SELLING COLLECTABLES ON THE MARKET

M

DED F UN

FO VERYO R E N

ON SALE

BEA

AY

2017

E

Pocket Money & Collectibles

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com From the globally successful gaming app Disney Crossy Roads comes a huge array of mini collectible figures in an on-trend 8-bit pixelated style. The Series 1 range includes over 40 popular characters from Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Big Hero 6 and The Lion King. Available in single figure packs plus larger four and seven figure sets, Disney Crossy Road will be enhanced even more with plush lines and collector playsets Mash’ems and Fash’ems licensed collectable ranges will be welcoming new varieties this year. Disney Emoji, Thomas and Friends, Cars 3, Spiderman and Guardians of the Galaxy will join the Mash’ems collection this Spring, while Fash’ems will be boosted with the addition of the DC Super Hero Girls.

The new Stack’ems range will feature adorable My Little Pony characters. The squishy toys come packed in cute stable type packaging that displays the characters and allows them to be stacked to amazing heights. The characters can be stacked on top of each other to create a pony pyramid or tower.

Since launching last year, girls everywhere have been embracing Twozies –baby and pet friends who need to be found, matched and collected. Season Two launches this month with over 140 new pet and baby friends to collect. Limited edition Prehistoric Twozies, special edition Ocean Pearl Twozies, and ultra-rare Cute ‘n’ Fluffy Twozies will have metallic, pearlised, and flocked finishes respectively, to add to the range’s collectability.

Just Play 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk The new PJ Masks collection offers a variety of different price points and opportunities for collectability. The blind bags and 7cm articulated figures make the perfect entry level purchase, and in autumn a whole host of new action figures will be added to the range. The Light-Up Figure 2-pack assortment will be available in three variations, and each hero/villain duo comes with an accessory. A PJ Masks Deluxe 16 Piece Figure Set comes with articulated figures and accessories.

The Lion Guard range is expanding for 2017, with wave 7 and 8 blind bag figures coming in autumn. This will add 24 more characters, including heritage characters from The Lion King. All Lion Guard figures are compatible with the new playsets introduced in spring, as well as those coming in autumn.

In My Pocket returned last year, and autumn 2017 will see the launch of Jungle In My Pocket. As with the rest of the range, the Jungle SKUs will include pocket money blind bags, carry cases, multi-figure packs and playsets, that appeal to both boys and girls.

The Emoji Movie hits UK cinemas on 4th August 2017 and Just Play’s new master toy range will include a range of blind bag figures. There are 12 characters to collect, including main characters Gene and Hi-5. A new range based on the big screen adaptation of Captain Underpants will include collectible figures based on key characters, as well as a Prank Pack and Noise Machine that bring the property to life.

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK enters the boys’ collectible category with its new Monster 500 vehicle range, launching in July. The new diecast collectible vehicle range features five teams including: The Driving Dead, Lunatic Legends, The Expert Mentals, Freak Force and Animal Asylum.

Monster 500 has 30 character vehicles to collect, including ‘Evil Clownevil’, ‘Drac Attack’ and ‘Captain Heinous from Uranus’. Additional products in the collection include large Monster 500 vehicles with lights and sounds, track sets and the ‘Dragster Dungeon’ car storage carrier, which also includes an exclusive car. The launch will be supported with a comprehensive TV and digital marketing campaign, in the build-up to Halloween.

Toy World 110

Pocket Money & Collectibles

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk The collectible offering from GP Flair continues to expand for 2017.

Glimmies, collectible star fairies which shine brightly in the dark or when cupped in a child’s hand, launched last month. There are 23 characters available to collect this spring, 16 to collect individually and seven which are exclusive to the range’s playsets. In August, new characters with additional magical features, and larger playsets, will launch with a new FSDU. The Shopkins brand has unveiled a new party theme, which launched in February. 140 new Shopkins are available to collect inside new gift boxes, cakes boxes and party lanterns.

With the third Despicable Me film set for release in summer, Flair will launch the first collectible range for the licence. Developed by Moose as part of the new Mineez portfolio, the launch range will include over 75 collectible figures. The Despicable Me Mineez collection will include rare, ultra-rare and limited edition characters. Each Mineez blind pack will feature an element of surprise. The Core Collector Pack includes three figures while the Deluxe Collectors’ Pack include six, one of which is hidden.

150 new Grossery Gang characters have hit the shelves in line with Series 2. The new characters span 10 different groups. Grossery Gang Season 3 will launch later in the year.

Magic Box 01420 251 286 | www.magicboxint.com Zomlings Series 5 launched in February 2017 with an outstanding first month of sales. The launch was supported with a TV advertising campaign of more than 1000 kids 4-9 TVR’s throughout Feb-April. This was complemented by extensive digital, social and sampling activities. Series 5 introduced a wide range of new elements to the Zomlings range, including new City Towers, Vehicles and matching Buildings to park the vehicles.

The toy range has been expanded during the first quarter, to include a new Z Games Tin, Magic Trick School, Pirate playset, Racing playset and a Zomlings Crazy School Bus. There are Zomlings products to suit every budget.

Zomlings Series 6 is already planned for launch in autumn 2017 with new developments to add to the range.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Following the successful global launch of Hatchimals in October 2016, Hatchimals is set to enter the collectibles market in May this year.

Hatchimals CollEGGtibles come inside small, speckled eggs. Holding the egg and rubbing the heart will reveal when it’s ready to hatch, as the heart changes from purple to pink. Kids will discover new Hatchimals characters when cracking the egg open. Each is adorned with a set of glittery wings and there are over 70 to collect. A collectors’ map also introduces kids to the Hatchimal’s home, with landmarks including the Giggling Tree, Lilac Lake, Fabula Forest and more.

Season 1 product comprises of Single Pack double-blind foil bags containing one egg, as well as a Two Pack with Nest and Four Pack with Bonus out-of-egg Hatchimals character.

Toy World 112

Floor Display with Video Screen Twin Pack 8 Styles

NEW 8 Styles

SPIN STACK

THEM

THEM

Watch the Promo Video at kidicraft.com

BATTLE THEM

Battle Arena

COLLECT THEM ALL

s

Wristband

8 Styles

ENT INDEPEND SHOW TOY & GIFT ark Cranmore P Solihull th 2017 4th -5 April

TOYM

Kidicraft Limited Tel : +44 (0)1282 505988 Email : sales@kidicraft.com

www.kidicraft.com

AST SHOW ER Majes tic H Harro otel 16 th-18 th gate May 2 017

Pocket Money & Collectibles

Click Distribution 01604 877 888 | www.clickdistributionuk.com From Click’s extensive licensed portfolio, Thinkway Toys Despicable Me 3 collectible products include Micro and Mini Figures. Topps’ Official Stickers and Trading Cards will be on sale from June.

Along with the recent releases of Topps’ Match Attax Extra Trading Card Game, Marvel Missions Trading Card Game, Num Noms and WWE Ultimate Sticker Collections, Click’s upcoming launches include the all-new Shopkins Trading Card Game, Star Wars Universe Sticker Collection and Cars 3 Trading Card Game.

Panini is also supporting the new Cars 3 movie in June with its own Sticker Collection. Other ranges arriving from Panini include the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Sticker Collection, Road to World Cup Adrenalyn Trading Card Game and Sticker Collection, England and Scotland Sticker Collection and Invizimals Trading Card Game.

Just Toys’ new line-up of 3D hangers, including One Punch Man, Vault Boy, Kirby and Star Wars Helmets will be available in May. Also arriving in May is the brand new collectible, Bijou Bracelet. The beaded wrist wear includes 12 different colours and allows beads to be removed, swapped and replaced. It will be supported by significant marketing investment.

DKL 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk The Breyer brand has a new range of collectibles for 2017, with three different model horse collections and three different scale sizes.

The bestselling collectible range from Breyer in 2016 was the Pocket Box Dogs, with 24 different breeds to collect. Following its success, there are now two new collectible packs for 2017: Pocket Box Animals and Pocket Box Aquarium. Each blind pack includes two pocket animals and two stickers. Each collection has 24 models to collect.

The Breyer Classics assortment of 12 single models feature hand-painted details. The box includes a guide to the collection to encourage kids to collect all 12 models. The Traditional Series of larger models compromises of 1:9 scale. Paired with the wide range of barns, accessories and riders, the Traditional Series brings the world of horses to life.

At scale 1:32, the miniature Stablemates models are ideal pick-up lines. The bestselling Mystery Foal Surprise set comes with two models and a foal hidden away from view.

Lego 00800 5346 5555 | www.lego.com

Kidicraft 01282 505 988 |

Lego has unveiled 20 limited edition Lego Batman mini-figures to tie in with the Lego Batman film. The Lego Batman Movie mini-figures feature characters including Lobster-Lovin’ Batman, The Eraser, Zodiac Master, King Tut, Pink Power Batgirl, Dick Grayson, Orca, Fairy Batman, Glam Metal Batman, Clan of the Cave Batman, Vacation Batman, The Joker - Arkham Asylum, The Calculator, Red Hood, Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon, March Harriet, The Mime, Catman and Nurse Harley Quinn. Each mini-figure comes in a sealed bag with one or more accessories, a display plate and a collector’s leaflet.

www.kidicraft.com Kidicraft have unveiled Stunt Jaxx, a colourful collectible range for 2017.

There are eight creatures to collect, including a dinosaur, chicken, shark and beetle.

Each one can perform spins and stunts on any smooth, flat surface and all come with a finger ring and a stunt cone. Because Stunt Jaxx is friction-powered, there are no additional battery costs. Players can balance and spin their chosen creature on the cone or ring, and even spin them on top of each other with enough practice.

An extra value twin pack is available with two different characters, which is supplied with a double-action stunt cone. Kids can carry their chosen character using the ‘carry-along’ wristband. A colourful Stunt Jaxx Floor Display Unit, which comes complete with a live video screen, is also available free of charge for all first orders.

Toy World 114

ADVERTISEMENT

2017

STARTER PACK INCLUDES

BRAND

ALBUM + 31 STICKERS

NE W

© 2017 Football Association of Wales. © Irish Football Association 2017.

Football Association of Ireland © 2017. All Rights Reserved. ©The Scottish Football Association 2017. All Rights Reserved. © The Football Association Ltd. 2017

STICKER COLLECTION

www.paninigroup.com

Starter Pack Includes

ALBUM

+31

STICKERS! FORMAT

BRAND NEW!

Formatting is just as important when it comes to portraying a consistant brand image.

When writing our address, our company name should should be in Proxima Nova Semibold [600] and formatted as displayed. The address can be justified to the left or right, and use a lighter weight.

FORMAT

Click Distribution (UK) Ltd. Click Distribution (UK) Ltd. 2 Monarch Courtyard Monarch Courtyard a consistant brand image. ormatting is just as important when it2comes to portraying Salthouse Road Salthouse Road Brackmills Brackmills When writing our address, our company name should should be in Proxima Nova Semibold [600] Northampton Northampton nd formatted as displayed. The address can7BD be justified to the left or right, and use a lighter weight.

NN4 7BD NN4 UK UK

STICKER COLLECTION

Click Distribution (UK) Ltd. Click Distribution (UK) Ltd. 2 Monarch Courtyard 2 Monarch Courtyard If the address needs to be followed with our contact details, use the following format. The title of Salthouse Road Salthouse Road each form of contact should be in the Click Orange, also Brackmills in Proxima Nova Semibold [600] with the Brackmills details in a lighter weight.

Northampton Northampton NN4 7BD NN4 7BD UKDistribution (UK) Ltd. UK t: +44 (0)330 123 2559 Click

A YEAR OF ADVENTURES e: click@clickdistributionuk.com w: clickdistribution.co.uk

2 Monarch Courtyard Salthouse Road Brackmills the address needs to be followed with our contact details, use the following format. The title of Northampton ach form of contact should be in the Click Orange, also in Proxima Nova Semibold [600] with the7BD NN4 etails in a lighter weight.

UK t: +44 (0)330 123 2559 e: click@clickdistributionuk.com w: clickdistribution.co.uk

Click Distribution (UK) Ltd. 2 Monarch Courtyard Salthouse Road Brackmills Northampton *Note: Web address does not require www. prefix NN4 7BD UK t: +44 (0)330 123 2559

© 2017 Spin Master PAW Productions Inc. Nickelodeon is a trademark of Viacom International Inc.

t: +44 (0)330 123 2559 e: click@clickdistributionuk.com w: clickdistribution.co.uk

www.paninigroup.com

Collectibles Pocket Money & Collectibles

MGA Entertainment 08450 533 333 | www.mgae.com

Panini 01892 500 100 | www.collectibles.panini.co.uk The Beauty & the Beast sticker collection features imagery from the new Disney live-action film with 180 stickers in total to collect.

The collection is backed by a heavy weight marketing campaign including nationwide sticker album sampling, children’s press and digital advertising, competitions, and retail activity including floor display units and retail signage.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sticker collection will support the upcoming film release. The new collection has a total of 180 stickers to collect, including holographic glitter and foil versions. Starter Packs include an album plus 31 stickers.

The Road to FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 collections will start to be launched in April. The Adrenalyn Trading Card game collection features top players from around the world and the best national teams. Starter packs come fully-loaded with a collector’s album, game board, game guide, two packets of trading cards and a limited-edition card. This collection will be backed by a heavy-weight TV advertising campaign as well as FSDU’s in stores, covermounts on Strike-It! Magazine and newspaper promotions.

There will also be exclusive limited edition cards to collect. The sticker collection will then follow in May, with 528 stickers to collect in total and a 72 page album. The collection will also be backed by a TV advertising campaign, cover mounts and in store promotional material.

The collectible offering from MGA Entertainment continues to grow as 2017 marks new launches for brands L.O.L Surprise! Dolls, Num Noms and Lalaloopsy.

There are seven layers of surprises in L.O.L Surprise! to unwrap, including emoji stickers, accessories and a L.O.L Surprise! Doll. With over 45 combinations to collect, each L.O.L Surprise! comes with its own water feature, bathtub and doll stand.

Following the launch of Series 3 and Nom Noms Lights, Num Noms now have more characters. Num Noms Lights are packaged in a juice carton, including a Num and Nom that stack on top of each other to make over 300 combinations. The Noms glow in two different colours and come in three varieties: Freezie Pops, Snow Cones and Glitter Gummies.

The new Series 3 Mystery Pots include a two-flavoured lip gloss Nom, that also doubles-up as a pencil topper and a sweet scented Num. Stack the Nums on top of the Noms to make over 1,500 scented combinations. Both Mystery Pots come with a collector’s sheet.

Lalaloopsy has launched its own Netflix Original Series, ‘We’re Lalaloopsy’ for Spring 2017. The series follows six friends: Jewel Sparkles, Crumbs Sugar Cookie, Spot Splatter Splash, Rosy Bumps ‘N’ Bruises and Dot Starlight. New character, Storm E. Sky, will also star. In line with the series, Lalaloopsy will introduce a range of products. The new Mini Lalaloopsy Mix ‘N’ Match dolls are based on each core character. The Mini Lalaloopsy Jewel Sparkles and Storm E. Sky Deluxe Dolls come with removable wigs, shoes, pets and accessories.

Mattel 01628 500 111 | www.mattel.com The Thomas & Friends Minis range is ideal for pre-schoolers and includes a blind bag assortment featuring 67 miniature trains to collect, including 38 new themed engines, six new classic engines and 23 returning classic engines.

The range also includes a 3-pack assortment and the Collector Case which holds 16 mini engines and is perfect for storing engines and displaying the collection.

Hot Wheels continues to dominate the diecast market and continues to bring action and adventure to playtime through exciting licences, including the extension of the popular Hot Wheels Star Wars range. 2017 also sees further fantastic diecast collaborations including Ghostbusters, Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Batman, Peanuts, Minions and Spiderman. A new Justice League range will launch ahead of the new movie plus there are collaborations with Lamborghini and Forza Motor Sport.

2017 will also see new additions to the Disney Pixar’s Cars Classic Diecast range.

Tobar 01603 397 105 | www.tobar.co.uk Tobar’s range of pocket money toys for 2017 includes the company’s bestselling clockwork collection, the Clockwork Shark and Unicorn. Clockwork Shark is available in four different colours and is easy to use and ideal to play with in the bathtub. After a quick wind up, the shark swiftly propels itself through the water by moving its rear fin from side-to-side.

The Clockwork Unicorn comes in a variety of different colours and styles, and simply needs to be wound up and released to see the creature hop about on its front legs and bounce in the air.

Toy World 116

Pocket Box Toys Affordable, collectable fun 24

animals to collect!

Available in two other fun themes

DKL Marketing Ltd 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk

facebook.com/DKL.Toys twitter.com/DKLtoys

Pocket Money & Collectibles

Learning Resources 01553 762 276 | www.learningresources.co.uk Learning Resources’ primary science range encourages outdoor exploration and discovery. Big View Bug Jars are ideal for collecting specimens. Opening the wings of the ladybird jar reveals a 3.5x magnifying lens for in depth inspection of insects. The screw-on cap and air vents keep the specimens safe and secure before releasing them back to their natural habitat.

Jumbo Magnifiers encourage observation. Magnifiers come in six different colours and feature an 11cm diameter viewing area. The build in stand allows for hands-free viewing at 4.5x magnification.

Both are available as a set of 12 in point of sale display, or as a refill pack of six.

Funrise 01908 555640 | www.funrise.com Funrise has an extensive line up for the pocket money sector for 2017.

The Tonka brand includes the Tonka Tinys range, complete with new tiny vehicle styles packaged in their signature blind box garages. Tinys can be displayed in an eye-catching CDU. Also in the Tonka collection, the Diecast Assortment of miniature vehicles includes a Tow Truck, Steam Roller, SWAT Car, Dozer and Vintage Bike. The UK Emergency Vehicle Assortment includes a Fire Engine, Police Car and Ambulance.

All are created from traditional metal.

The Gazillion Bubbles range offers ideal pocket money purchases for the great outdoors. The 8oz bottles of Gazillion Bubbles Solution formula create bigger, more plentiful bubbles.

Bandai 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk Each Pinypon collectible pack includes a figure, which has fully interchangeable parts to create different characters. Players can mix and match their hair and rotate their heads to change their facial expression. Three themed accessories are also included for hair decoration. The more players collect, the more outfits and hairstyles they can fashion. There’s also a range of classic fairy tale characters to collect, including Mary Poppins, Pocahontas, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio and Rapunzel, all of which come with their own pet.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear’s Oddbods collection is based on the TV series, which has received over 20 million views on CiTV and Boomerang since launching in 2016. The Oddbods Blind Bags each contain one of the 50 different figures, with the possibility of one of eight rare figures as well as a super rare character. The Oddbods are also available in the Character Figurine pack, with seven to collect.

The collectibles range sits alongside the Oddbods Face Changers, which come in Fuse or Pogo options. There is also a range of Oddbods soft toys available in all seven characters.

Toy World 118

Trends UK 01295 768078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Thumb Chucks is the new craze item from Zing Toys.

Massively addictive, Thumb Chucks are easy to learn, but challenging to master. They light up and come in a range of cool colours. Mastering tricks and uploading videos online unlocks coloured, interchangeable belts that players can use to flaunt their skill status. Players can upload and showcase tricks with special effects on social media using the Thumb Chucks App and watch new trick tutorials by the Thumb Chucks guru online. Available from late Spring 2017, the range will be launched with full marketing and PR support.

Be Amazing’s Insta-Snow is reusable; with just a few drops of water, the powder expands instantly for snow that looks and feels real to touch. Launched with PR campaigns promoting the range, Insta-Snow is available in tubes or on blister cards.

Already a huge success in the USA, Splashlings are available from Easter 2017 in the UK. The undersea assortment includes collectible Mermaids, Treasure Shells, and Splashlings sea creatures Treasure Pets. Webisodes feauturing the Splashlings in animated episodes can be viewed online.

Pocket Money & Collectibles

Epoch 08435 574 062 | www.sylvanianfamilies.net/uk Epoch has unveiled its new Sylvanian Families Cake Decoration Set. Unveiled at Toy Fair 2017, the set has a total of 14 pieces, including the new Toy Poodle girl and a selection of baking goods. The set complements the new Village Cake Shop. Also new to the Sylvanian Families range are collectible Baby sets, which make ideal pocket money purchases.

A.B. Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B. Gee continues to strengthen its range of pocket money lines for 2017.

Brands include Character, Flair, Hasbro, Mattel, Winning Moves, Trefl and Science 4 You. A.B. Gee’s range of pocket money blind bags have fared well. Lines include Thomas & Friends Minis, Oddbods, Imaginext, Marvel, Megablocks, Littlest Pet Shop, Star Wars Micromachines and My Little Pony.

A.B. Gee also offers a free display unit for pocket money toys. The range includes traditional playground favourites including bouncy balls, finger puppets, erasers, dinosaurs, die-cast cars and bubble wands.

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk 2017 will see Grossman double its new pocket money lines, including licensed items such as Power Rangers lines and new Hatch It Grow Alien Eggs. An extensive collection of novelty balls is selling well. The light up balls illuminate as they hit a surface and options include, fairies, unicorns, trolls, aliens and dinosaurs. Licensed items comprise bubble wands from Power Rangers and Emoji. With a low retail price point, the Emoji fun hopper and the Emoji whoopee cushion make ideal pocket money purchases. More traditional pocket money toys such as marbles have seen an upsurge in popularity, and Grossman’s range also includes favourites such as yoyos, water wrigglers, bubble wands and skipping ropes.

HTI 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI provides an extensive selection of licensed pocket money toy ranges including My Little Pony, Transformers, Frozen, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Thomas & Friends, Spider-Man and Avengers. There are over 200 brand-new lines for 2017 from HTI’s own offering across existing and new ranges, such as Alien Invasion. These include alien grow eggs, fizz bombs, hatchlings and alien blinkers. New for 2017 is HTI’s Creepsterz collection of realistic-looking creepy crawlies. The Aqua Shot range of water guns, bombs and blasters features eye-catching packaging and artwork. New lines will also be available in Jokes & Gags, new B You and My Princess girls’ dress-up toys, Double Bubble, FunSport outdoor toys, Pirates, Knights and Groovy Tunes music, with refreshed artwork. All HTI pocket money toy ranges feature fully branded and merchandised packaging, and CDUs are available.

Toy World 120

Left

Wind up your sales ...

Contact us today tel: 01603 397 105 email: sales@tobar.co.uk visit online: www.tobar.co.uk/clockwork

... with our Clockwork range

Allegedly

The recent acquisition of Talking Tom & Friends

by Chinese consortium United Luck has raised a few eyebrows, particularly in relation to the price reputedly paid by the new owner. If the rumours of Wayne Rooney being offered £1m a week to play football in China suggest that the country has a surplus of cash and a surfeit of common sense, it is pocket money compared to the $1 billion paid for Tom and his mates. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice little property with hitherto unfulfilled potential, but $1 billion…

Equally curious is the acquisition of Makie Lab – makers of custom 3D printed dolls - by Disney. Like a lot of modern day cutting edge technology-driven companies, the big challenge the owners of Makie Lab have always faced is how to turn it into a viable, sustainable business. Maybe the clout of Disney will make a difference. Except I foresee a potential flaw: given Disney’s draconian approval process, every doll design submitted will surely be turned down and returned with 100 suggested changes. By the time a design is finally approved, the child who originally wanted the doll will probably just be finishing university…

Toys R Us has laid off 250 people - 15% of its head office workers - in the US. It has been repeatedly said that the global toy industry needs Toys R Us, and it has certainly been suggested in the past that the largest American toy companies would do whatever it takes to keep it trading – the ‘too important to fail’ argument. But despite bold claims in the run-up to the festive season, its performance failed to live up to expectations, so further cost-cutting was sadly inevitable. Let’s hope these job losses are the extent of the necessary pruning…

More positively, it was no great shock to see The Entertainer continuing to expand its store count, with new outlets shortly to open in Northampton and Truro. Gary Grant has always maintained that there is no shortage of options when deciding where to open new stores. Indeed, his belief that tough economic conditions make it easier for him to negotiate deals with landlords may mean he has a field day over the next few years…

Mothercare has unveiled a re-organisation of its executive-level roles. Among the noteworthy changes, global brand and marketing director Gary Kibble will be heading to Sainsbury’s Argos in June to take on the marketing director role. Until he leaves he will be taking on the additional role of chief customer officer, while Mothercare searches for a permanent CCO (it is just me, or do all the various permutations of Cs and Os in a title render it confusing and often meaningless?). Meanwhile Matt Stringer, previously UK managing director, has been appointed to the newly-created role of global product officer, while Kevin Rusling - formerly of Monsoon Accesorize - has been recruited as international managing director. The restructure also sees former group product director Karl Doyle leave the business. After a distinctly mixed set of results in the second half of 2016, the retailer is presumably hoping that these organizational changes will make a difference to its 2017 fortunes…

Meanwhile, there have also been a few comings and goings in the licensing / broadcast community to report: Bobi Carley has left Disney after six years; Traci Griffiths has parted company with Fremantle and Glynn Davies will be leaving Warner Bros as part of a forthcoming restructure…

Toy World 122

One retailer has allegedly instigated a particularly labyrinthine system for evaluating proposed price increases, asking suppliers to justify the price increase on every single item stocked – individually. Even more bizarre, after receiving a list of, say, 400 items with basically the same comment against each one, some rises are being accepted and some declined for not meeting the required criteria. If you see any sales directors walking around with far less hair than they had at Toy Fair, you can assume they have torn it all out in frustration…

Anyone visiting Hong Kong in the next few months might like take time to visit the ‘Legend of Hong Kong Toys’ exhibition which has recently opened at the Museum of History on Chatham Road South in Tsim Tsa Tsui. The BTHA’s Roland Earl attended the opening, and was very complimentary about the exhibition, so for anyone looking to add a little culture to their trip, it is on until 5th May… Regular readers of the Allegedly column will know that I am not shy to highlight questionable business practices which suppliers can’t talk about, at least not with the same degree of openness. I recently heard of one dubious practice which has allegedly been going on for years, had subsequently died down but is apparently creeping back in – Tea Money. If, like me, you were unfamiliar with the term, allow me to enlighten you: the phrase refers to a practice whereby a testing house representing a large British retailer in the Far East visits a factory and ‘requests’ money in return for passing goods for shipping. It was supposed to have disappeared as a result of all the anticorruption measures that have been introduced in recent years, but, by all accounts, it is rearing its ugly head again this year. The big question is - are the big retailers simply turning a blind eye, or are they genuinely not aware it is going on? One person told me that if he raises the issue, he is told it will be investigated, which ultimately results in delivery of his goods mysteriously slowing up anyway, so he feels it’s a no-win situation. If any other suppliers are experiencing something similar, or if any retailers have a view on the situation, I would be fascinated to hear…

I have also been told of a problem which suppliers are facing closer to home. Having read Danny Baker’s autobiography, which included a section about his father’s job on the docks in Bermondsey, I am well aware of the practice of ‘skimming’ and ‘dipping’; for the uninitiated, it’s when a percentage of a consignment mysteriously goes missing from the delivery. You would be forgiven for thinking that such roguery would have no room to flourish in today’s highly-polished logistics environment. And yet, by all accounts, it is – and it appears to be affecting one retailer in particular. So much so, in fact, that I am led to believe some suppliers even allow for it in their trading calculations. If what I have been told is even close to the truth, it surely goes way beyond one or two dodgy warehouse operatives. I can quite understand the reticence of suppliers to raise the issue directly, given the size of the account in question. However, if this practice is anywhere near as prevalent as has been suggested, I am sure the company concerned would want to know and take steps to rectify it immediately...

Argos’ results for the first nine weeks of the year show an increase of 4.3%, more than making up for Sainsbury’s 0.5% decline in the same period. According to some suppliers, there are still some teething issues to overcome on the logistics front, but the early signs appear encouraging.

The

Pup Co pet mp any Ltd ÂŽ .

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

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

World's most advanced kids Car

Accept small order.

Shipping from warehouse in Belgium.

The sophisticated design, state of the art mechanism, the maximum level of safety, and the smartest technology, HENES certainly deserves to be entitled the ultimate toy of wonders.

Every aspect of HENES perfectly displays the identity of a real car.

Not just a car, it is a supercar for your kids.

www.henesworld.com biz@henes.co.kr Made in Korea