Toyworld Nov 2016

November 2016 volume 6 issue 3

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Featuring: Hornby Hobbies, Bandai, Keel Toys, KDUK, Kidkraft, Great Gizmos, Ravensburger, Epoch Making Toys, & many more...

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The Team...

CONTENTS November 2016 volume 6 issue 3

John Baulch

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

20 BLE Report

34 Fresh

Mark Austin

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

Anita Baulch

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

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher

22 NPD column

20 BLE Report

06 News

25 Talking Shop

32 Urchinz Unboxing Channel

14 Industry Moves

28 Viewpoint

34 Fresh

16 Marketing World

62 Allegedly

36 Quarter One Ranges

18 Licensing World

50 Outdoor Toys

Clarabel Jones

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

Contributors David Ripley | The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | Jim Hawker | Nick Swift | Ruth Clement

Jonika Kinchin

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

36 Quarter One Ranges

50 Outdoor Toys

Simon Morrison

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

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

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www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

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We’ve got the power 8 inch soft plush!

Includes & d display stanre! mini figu

Mix & match e interchangeabl action!

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SPIN MASTER LOGO & © SPIN MASTER LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TM & © CARTOON NETWORK. (S16)

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B

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

y the time you are reading this month’s issue, Halloween will be well and truly behind us, and the race towards Christmas will have begun in earnest. Most people seem to be of the opinion that the toy market is still on track to deliver a decent festive trading season, but my previous suggestion that we could see less discounting this time around may perhaps have been a little over-optimistic. Despite the plummeting pound and the significant knock-on effect on the profit margins of both suppliers and retailers, the blunt - but effective - promotional mechanic of the half-price toy sale is still very much alive and kicking. Whether or not these events feature the same number of lines as in previous years, or go on for the same length of time, it seems that the major retailers are reluctant to completely let go of the concept just yet.

Will this still be the case in 2017, by which time everyone will have run out of forwardbought currency and existing contractual arrangements will have expired? Who knows, but the depreciation of the pound will undoubtedly present a very real challenge to every single company which imports product (and there is no getting away from the fact that the UK is still very much an importing nation when it comes to goods). One supplier, who had been holding off from buying currency on the off-chance that the pound would rally, recently told me he had lost over £20,000 compared to the same transaction a year ago.

Of course, this challenge goes far wider than the toy market. A spat between Unilever and Tesco over proposed price increases made front page news last month, neatly underlining that the currency situation will affect every importer, retailer and, ultimately, consumer. It may be uncomfortable, but people are surely now left in no doubt that prices will rise next year. Well, I say that: I was told recently that one retailer has been asking suppliers for price reductions for 2017! I have to believe it was just a slightly misguided, heavy-handed negotiating tactic, as if anyone truly believes that any supplier is in a position to reduce prices, they have either not read the news for the past two months, or they don’t have even a rudimentary grasp of economics. In fairness, I feel sorry for any buyer who has been told to adopt this stance by someone above them: they must know how naive they sound, and it seems palpably unfair of their boss to put someone in that position.

So what are toy companies and retailers ultimately going to do about prices for 2017? Of course, there is no simple answer, but suppliers seem to be setting a benchmark increase of around 10 % minimum, whilst retailers appear to be attempting to keep increases in single digits.

Retailers will point to the bigger gross margins that suppliers generally make, and possibly raw material price decreases in some areas (although to suggest that wages are also decreasing, as I understand some retailers have been attempting to claim, flies in the face of every shred of evidence I’ve seen over the past few years). Suppliers will rightly claim that if they had 15-18% ‘slack’ to play with to balance the currency fall, retailers will ask why their prices weren’t lower in the first place.

But maybe there is another option to consider: one supplier told me that one very large toy retailer raised the price of his range in store by 13% the week after Brexit. I asked if it had affected his sales volumes, and he replied “Not one bit.” Perhaps the paranoia about raised prices automatically killing sales volumes has been slightly exaggerated? Maybe it’s time – and maybe there really is no choice – to let prices rise a little, for everyone’s benefit?

What I can say with a degree of certainty is that, apart from the handful of companies which still manufacture product in the UK, pretty much everyone is in the same boat – the pound has fallen against both the dollar and euro, so whether you import from the Far East or Europe, the effect is broadly similar. Likewise, most retailers buy directly from suppliers across the globe, so they are acutely aware of the financial impact. The odd supplier will choose to batten down the hatches, stop doing some things they did previously and hope everything will turn out alright in the end.

Others will carry on doing the things they did when times were good, perhaps just a little more cautiously and applying more scrutiny. In terms of who will fare best in the long term, I know where my money would go.

We’re already starting to look towards 2017, as reflected in this month’s features which focus on the products which will be launching in first quarter of next year. Next month’s edition will see the start of our exhaustive coverage of Toy Fair season, with previews of both the Nuremberg Toy Fair and the January Hong Kong trip. 2017 is going to be a fascinating year on so many levels, and we’re certainly not going to be short of things to write about. In the meantime, here’s hoping for a fantastic festive trading period for the whole toy market.

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• Event Management

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News Toy Fair 2017 sells out

Hornby announces new plans for independent retailers The company has outlined its strategy in direct response to customer feedback, and as part of its longterm turnaround initiative.

As announced to the stock market on 9th September 2016, restructuring of the business is on track, providing a platform to ensure that Hornby’s brands can continue to flourish in partnership with its customer base. The turnaround now includes plans to address concerns voiced by customers during a series of face-to-face meetings held across the UK by CEO Steve Cooke.

Having taken on-board customer feedback obtained during these meetings, the company will address the way it works with and supports its independent retailer base. Short-term changes for developing partnerships with independents will include implementing three priority initiatives: new trading terms, reduction in sale of discounted product by Hornby, and structured, focused ranging to support customer sales growth.

Pre-Christmas, dedicated Hornby field sales executives will proactively work in partnership with independents to develop an ongoing conversation with every customer as to how the company can help them grow their business through better advice, siting, merchandising and brand and product selection. The company is committed to delivering a change in overall support for all customers, with further enhancements during 2017 and 2018.

Steve Cooke commented: “We’ve heard, very clearly, some key concerns from our customers. We’ve carefully considered the changes that we’re now implementing to address these concerns. As a company, we hope that Hornby’s independent retailers will agree that the actions we are taking are clear, decisive, and are designed to benefit their business.”

Returning to its Tuesday to Thursday format, the exhibition has sold out almost four months prior to its opening on 24th January.

The BTHA has also announced the renewal of its charity partnership with KidsOut for a second year. The partnership will see KidsOut providing volunteers to take part in the annual Trolley Dash, which takes place on the final afternoon of Toy Fair. Exhibitors are encouraged to donate any unwanted or excess stock to the charity’s volunteers, who will be pushing trolleys through the aisles of Olympia. “I’d like to thank the industry for the support they have shown Toy Fair on returning to the Tuesday to Thursday format”, said Majen Immink, head of Toy Fair operations and sales. “With Toy Fair sold out this early, I’m looking forward to seeing the exciting and innovative products set to be launched in January. We’re also pleased to welcome back KidsOut as our official charity partner for 2017. The Trolley Dash is an important event which marks the end of Toy Fair, and after hearing of the amount of happiness the donations provided to those children less fortunate, it was an easy decision to partner with KidsOut again.”

House of Fraser to open Hamleys concessions In a bid to tempt more shoppers into stores, House of Fraser plans to install several Hamleys toy areas into its department stores by the end of this month, also bringing in All Saints, Monsoon and Mulberry.

House of Fraser’s profits dived nearly 50% in the first half of the year, as the department store said it faced a “very challenging retail environment”.

Underlying profits fell from £9.2m 12 months ago to £5m in the six months to the end of July –excluding interest payments, tax, write downs on the value of property, and a one-off fall in income of nearly £4m related to a new credit card agreement.

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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

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STOCK AVAILABLE FOR PRE-CHRISTMAS DELIVERY

EXCLUSIVE TO Wilton Bradley in the UK. Learn More / Request a Catalogue www.wiltonbradley.co.uk • Email: sales@wiltonbradley.co.uk • Tel: 01626 835400

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News

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Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair 2017 to introduce new zones

The Independent Toy and Gift Show 2017 announces new dates The Independent Toy and Gift Show will take place on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th April at Cranmore Park Exhibition Venue in the heart of the Midlands. The show will take place earlier than in previous years to avoid the Easter holidays, ensuring that the show is accessible to as many independent buyers as possible.

2017’s show will offer more exhibitor stands than ever before, which is part of the team’s mission to create a show full of diverse, innovative and exciting products from across the toy and gift sectors. Exhibitor bookings opened in October. STEM will be the theme of the show next year, with the team already planning themed display areas.

The 43rd edition of HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair 2017 will kick off at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9th to 12th January. This year’s event expects to welcome over 2,000 exhibitors from around the globe, and in order to keep up with the fastpaced market, two additional theme zones will be introduced.

Popular theme zones such as Kidult World will highlight toys targeting adults, including hobby goods, models and figurines, magic items and action and war game items.

The new Pet Toys Zone will bring in various brands, and the new Fireworks Zone will introduce fireworks products of all kinds from quality exhibitors.

Smart-Tech Toys will mainly feature toys and games incorporated with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies. The signature Brand Name Gallery will gather over 200 renowned brands including Hape, VTech, 4M, Bburago, Eastcolight, Intex and Welly, as well as new exhibitors such as Nanoblock.

Various group pavilions will present a wide variety of products from around the world, including the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, Korea, Spain, World of Toys Pavilion and many more. Among them, the scale of the UK pavilion is more than double compared to that of 2016.

Highlighted programmes such as the Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference 2017 will also welcome experts to share their insights on different topics, such as the international market trend and global safety updates.

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Hamleys unveils its top 10 Christmas toys Thursday 6th October marked the official launch of the retailer’s definitive Christmas wish-list, put together by the store’s buyers.

The retailer’s list of toys it believes will fly off shelves this Christmas is as follows: ❄ Pieface Showdown, Hasbro ❄ Nerf Mega Mastodon, Hasbro ❄ Kidizoom Smart Watch, VTech ❄ BeanBoozled ❄ Star Wars Virtual Reality Viewer, Wow! Stuff

❄ Paw Patrol Zoomer, Spin Master ❄ Codeapillar, Fisher-Price ❄ Hamleys Magic Showcase, Marvin’s Magic ❄ Star Wars Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle, Lego ❄ DreamWorks Trolls Hug Time Poppy, Hasbro

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Star Wars VR Viewer predicted to be best-seller

News

Spielwarenmesse to debut Tech2Play area The 400m² zone, which will be located in Hall 4A, will be packed with the latest toys inspired by technology, including a robot that can be programmed with chips, quadcopter races and many other activities. There will be five product segments: Electronic Pets, Robot Toys, RC Drones, Virtual Play and 3D Printing.

Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse, commented: The Tech2Play area takes an exhaustive look at this topic, analysing pioneering toys that look set to shape the market in the coming years. We’ve identified five core product groups that will take centre stage during the event.

In the Electronic Pets category, cats, dogs and all kinds of other robotic pets will imitate their real-life counterparts. The Robot Toys segment focuses on the art of programming. 3D Printing will show how 3D printing will make its mark on the world of children. Already well-known, the RC Drones category reflects the well-established market of multicopters. Lastly, trade buyers can also look forward to a host of products in the Virtual Play category, which embraces products that have been extended to incorporate new dimensions using augmented and virtual reality.

The various categories featured in the promotion area encourage visitors not only to browse but also to get involved.

They can test the new products at the robot races and go on test flights free of charge.

Wow! Stuff released its new Star Wars Virtual Reality Viewer on 1st October, with Argos predicting it will be a best-seller in the run-up to Christmas. A BBC feature in July called out the prototype model as a probable best-seller for the season ahead, and showed it being tested by kids and adults. James Kemp, gift buyer at Argos, commented: “These new Star Wars Virtual Reality Viewers were kept under wraps for some time, so it was an exciting moment when we first tried them. We anticipate that these will be a best seller for us at Christmas and into the New Year. A Wow! Stuff spokesperson added: “VR is going to be the hot category this year and for several years ahead. The large consumer electronics companies such as Sony and Samsung are launching high end products this Christmas, and that will help build mass awareness of what Virtual Reality is and the amazing experience it offers. The combination of Google’s WWGC certification, the affordability and the Star Wars brand and new movie release has made it our best sell in line ever.”

Spin Master launches Hatchimals Friday 7th October saw the global launch of Hatchimals, which are now on sale around the world.

Hatchimals are interactive creatures which hatch themselves from eggs. Nestled inside a brightly speckled egg, the Hatchimal relies on a child’s curiosity, care and nurturing. The Hatchimal responds to human touch and begins to hatch and communicate through taps, pecks, lights and sound; which Hatchimal is inside is only revealed when it hatches.

With a carefully co-ordinated global plan, the toy was unveiled to the UK public for the first time

by YouTube star Tiana of Toys and Me. Children were also able to join in Hatchimals demonstrations across the country at 2pm on Saturday 8th October as part of The Entertainer’s 35th birthday celebrations.

Charlotte Yates, a spokesperson for Spin Master, commented: Hatchimals has been a closely guarded secret since it was previewed exclusively to the toy industry at the New York Toy Fair.

Excitement has been building all year, and we’re delighted that Hatchimals Day has arrived and we’re finally able to share the magic.”

Barry Groves to step down at Posh Paws

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After nine years with the company, Barry will step down from his role as MD at the end of this year. Barry joined Whitehouse Leisure Group in 2007 and quickly set up the company’s retail division, Posh Paws. Barry said: It has been an extremely difficult decision for me to make, but six years ago I had a heart problem and some of the more painful side effects have returned over this past year. I’ve therefore reluctantly decided that it is time for me to step down from my position at the company. I would like to thank all of the colleagues and clients that I have worked with over my time at Posh Paws. I have met some great people and made some good friends during my 40 years in the toy industry. Building the company up to be what it is today has been extremely rewarding, and I will enjoy watching the team at Posh Paws continue to build on the success of the company as it enters the next stage of its development.

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Esdevium Games partners with The Creativity Hub The company has partnered with The Creativity Hub to release three new Rory’s Story Cubes StoryWorlds titles.

The StoryWorlds range allows fans to create their own tales and adventures. Every title features 54 expertly crafted icons that will spark fans’ imaginations, allowing them to tell an original story every time in their favourite fan world.

By partnering with some of the all-time favourite characters such as Rory’s Story Cubes Batman and Moomin, released in September 2015, the range extended at the end of October with the release of Dr Who, Scooby Doo and Looney Tunes StoryCubes.

Esdevium’s marketing manager, Ben Hogg, commented: “We love the random storytelling opportunity behind Rory’s Story Cubes, and these new StoryWorlds sets are a fantastic way for genuine fans to enjoy and tell their very own tales and adventures, set in the universe of their favourite characters.”

The Creativity Hub’s head of sales and marketing, Candida Corscadden, added: “It’s our dream to bring more people into the exciting storytelling world of Rory’s Story Cubes, and with our StoryWorlds range we are enabling real fans of all ages to create their very own epic adventures.”

All five StoryWorlds sets are available now from Esdevium Games.

Mattel reports better-than-expected quarterly revenue The results have been driven by strong demand for its flagship Barbie and FisherPrice brands.

Mattel’s shares rose by 6% to $32.39 in extended trading. The worldwide sales increased 15.8% in the third quarter ending 30th September, as Mattel’s efforts to revive sales of its signature brand gained momentum.

Back in January, the company rolled out Barbie dolls in a variety of hairstyles, outfits and skin tones in three new body shapes: tall, curvy and petite.

The company also input a new marketing strategy, with ad campaigns such as You Can Be Anything highlighting the potential of women in various professions.

OBITUARY

Bath businessman Eric Snook has passed away Former Bath mayor, long-standing councillor and stalwart of the city’s business community, Eric passed away at the Royal United Hospital on Monday 10th October, aged 95.

Eric was known for his Golden Cot toy shop, which stood on Abbeygate Street for 30 years before moving to Union Passage in 2013. Becoming mayor of Bath in 1992, he was a vocal supporter of independent traders in Bath, a strong backer of a city council for Bath, and recently backed the idea of an independent, elected mayor.

In 2008 he helped form Bath Independents Group (BIG), which he called the saviour of retailers in the city. He also chaired the charity Fight for Sight’s Bath committee and supported the city’s Bath in Bloom movement. The veteran trader worked to improve the image of shops in Bath during his time on the Chamber of Commerce.

In 2012 Mr Snook was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Bath Chronicle Business Awards.

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Toys R Us reports UK sales of £436m for the year to January

The company, which currently runs 78 stores across the UK, reported sales of £436m for the YTD January, barely changing from the previous year. Operating losses improved however, from £18.2m to £13.4m.

Toys R Us bosses have said that the Brexit vote could be a gamechanger for the company, warning that Brexit has already cast “considerable uncertainty” over the UK economy. Uncertainties include interest rates, the value of the pound, disposable income and consumer spending.

Directors at the UK subsidiary warned that: “The full effects of the vote will not be known for some time. The company will adapt any plans necessary to mitigate any negative effects of the vote to leave the EU, but it is too early for any specific plans to be developed or acted upon.”

Kidicraft moves office and warehouse As a result of the company’s rapid expansion, Kidicraft moved to new premises on 24th October.

Richard Greaves, business development manager, commented: “We’re very excited by this move, which will give us the ability to deal with our huge growth far more easily.

Customers are welcome to visit us and see the latest products in our dedicated showroom.”

The company’s new address is as follows: Kidicraft Ltd, Unit 2b, Station Yard, Earby, Lancashire, BB18 6XB. All contact emails and telephone numbers remain the same.

Wilton Bradley adds new brands and products to its portfolio The new brands and products will be on show at Toy Fair 2017 in January.

The company’s new range of Toyrific Ride-Ons have been a strong success this year. The Bubble Fire Rescue Electric Ride-On, which is exclusive to Wilton Bradley in the UK, is proving to be very popular. On top of the features expected from an Electric Ride-On, the Fire Engine also includes a nozzle which fires out real bubbles. Wilton Bradley has domestic stock of the Bubble Fire Engine available for preChristmas delivery.

Wilton Bradley’s Toyrific Ride-Ons range wouldn’t be complete without a selection of licensed vehicles. The company has added new licensed Mercedes SLS & GLA Electric Ride-Ons, a BMW Electric Ride-On Bike and also a Formula Racer Electric Ride-On. To see the company’s full and extensive ranges, organise a visit to Wilton Bradley’s newly fitted showroom on the outskirts of Exeter.

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Industry Moves Bandai bolsters team at new Richmond office

Following its relocation to new offices, Bandai has announced a trio of appointments within its marketing and sales team. Emma King joins as junior product manager from Disney Consumer Products, where she assisted in the product development of dress-up ranges for Disney brands. Emma will be looking after the girls’ brands at Bandai, as well as a new brand that will be announced later in the year.

Dave Glicksman has joined as key account manager focusing on the London flagship stores, department stores and mail order. He has previously worked for Bandai as a sales agent, and has an extensive background in the toy industry, dating back to the early 1980s.

James Keys has also joined as sales agent, representing the South East area. James has been a sales agent since 2009, and represents some of the UK’s largest toy companies.

Marianne James takes on new role at Nickelodeon Marianne has been appointed as VP of commercial partnerships, consumer products and experiences for Nickelodeon UK and Ireland. In her new role, she is responsible for the commercialisation of Nickelodeon assets and properties within the UK and Irish markets.

Covering consumer products, brand and commercial partnerships, events and sponsorships, her new position sees her manage the company’s relationship with Sky Media and oversee the work of its commercial creative unit.

Marianne’s role will build upon the success of Nickelodeon properties across consumer products into areas such as non-ticketed events, sports and leisure.

In addition to this, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products has also appointed Felix Ruoff to the role of vice president of sales and marketing EMEA and MENA CP.

Vicki Marler-Hausen joins Bladez Toyz as marketing manager Vicki will be responsible for the marketing and PR activity across Bladez’s growing portfolio of licences, with a focus on driving consumer awareness of the company’s new pre-school RC ranges.

Bladez’s CEO, Iain Morgan, commented: “We’re excited to welcome Vicki onboard. She has a wealth of experience we can benefit from as we look to drive Bladez into our 10th year of business and beyond. We know she will be an invaluable support to our sales team in particular, as we continue to grow our listings and enhance our retailer activity. We’re also looking forward to increasing our consumer advertising, PR and social media presence, and Vicki’s knowledge and contacts will help us to achieve this.

Vicki added: “I’m really looking forward to learning all about the RC category, which is new to me. I’m also excited to have the opportunity to work more closely with licensors again on some wonderful brands, especially back in the pre-school market, where it all started for me with Thomas & Friends almost 15 years ago.

Coiledspring Games welcomes Rory Kelly as key account manager Rory has experience within many retail industry roles including buying, wholesale and account management.

He has also held senior roles at Waterstones, Apple and The Creativity Hub, which kick-started his passion for the toy and games industry.

His experience has taught him how to build solid relationships through understanding the needs of retailers and connecting them with great products that consumers will love.

He will now oversee the growth of key lines with a number of existing and new national accounts.

I’ve been really impressed with Roger and the Coiledspring team over the last two years,” Rory said.

“I am energised by the range that the company offers across toy, book and specialist gift retail, and am excited about introducing it to retailers.”

Halilit announces new marketing appointment Halilit has appointed Alexandra McAvoy to the role of marketing executive.

Alexandra joins the company during a period of significant growth, and will be responsible for the delivery of all marketing and PR activity.

Judith Stark, Halilit’s managing director, said: “We are really pleased to welcome Alexandra to the team to build upon the current success our brands are experiencing.

Throughout 2016, Halilit has been working hard to support all of its brands with a comprehensive marketing strategy involving both retailers and consumers, building awareness through social media and consumer show presence, in addition to collaborating with our trade customers in the form of promotions and instore displays. Alexandra will be an integral asset in enhancing and delivering this strategy for 2017 and brings with her a wealth of knowledge.”

Alexandra can be contacted by email at alexandra@ halilit.co.uk or on 01254 872 454.

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Industry Moves NBCUniversal Brand Development appoints Jonathan Baker and Hannah Mungo The two executives have been appointed as part of the company’s global management expansion.

Jonathan has been appointed as vice president, EMEA, NBCUniversal Consumer Products and Hannah as country director, UK and Ireland, NBCUniversal Consumer Products. Jonathan will report to Marc Low, senior vice president, international, NBCUniversal Consumer Products, and Hannah will report to Jonathan.

As vice president, EMEA, Jonathan will lead the NBCUniversal Consumer Product team and EMEA agents to drive new areas of growth within the region. In Hannah’s newly created role, she will be responsible for the strategic direction and business development of NBCUniversal’s wide-reaching franchise portfolio and for the management of licensees and retailers in the UK and Ireland.

With the rapidly growing, global appeal of NBCUniversal’s portfolio of IP and franchises, NBCUniversal Brand Development has established new regional offices in Japan and China, as well as the newly created EMEA central office in London. Beginning 1st January, NBCUniversal is moving to direct management of its business in the UK and Ireland, followed by direct management in the territories of France, Benelux, Germany, Italy and Iberia on 1st July. The new structure enables NBCUniversal to partner more closely with strategic licensees and retailers.

Fiesta Crafts enhances marketing team

Thanks to its growth over the past year, Fiesta Crafts has appointed Laura Barr as marketing assistant to develop its promotional activities.

Laura will be assisting within the areas of marketing for Fiesta Crafts. She is keen to learn all about the industry, and will be working closely with marketing manager, Rob Trup.

Sarah Muller named as head of children’s at Channel 5 Sarah will begin her new position on 21st November. She will be responsible for the commissioning and acquisition of children’s programming for Channel 5, and will also oversee Milkshake. She will be driving children’s content across Channel 5’s linear and digital platforms as well as in-market events. Sarah will report to Channel 5’s chief operating officer, Paul Dunthorne and general manager of Nickelodeon UK and Ireland, Alison Bakunowich.

Currently BBC’s creative director, Sarah is a passionate advocate of UK children’s content and has developed projects including Danger Mouse, Strange Hill High, Harriet’s Army, Wolfblood, The Dumping Ground and Just William. Before her tenure at CBBC, she was also MD at Elephant Productions.

“Sarah has a wealth of experience in the children’s television industry across both live action and animation and her expertise will help us grow Milkshake into the leading pre-school destination for British families,” said Paul. “2016 has been one of the most successful years in Channel 5’s and Milkshake’s history, and we are confident that with Sarah’s appointment, the pre-school strand will continue to go from strength to strength.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Channel 5,” Sarah added. “To helm children’s content on the network is a huge opportunity. Milkshake is a beloved block for UK families and I cannot wait to begin working with the programming team on elevating the brand across multiple platforms and enhancing the Channel 5 children’s offering.”

follow the leading recruiters for sales, marketing and product development professionals in toy and nursery

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Marketing World Smyths Toys premieres new If I Were a Toy advert The retailer launched the new advert on 24th September at 7:58pm, just before X Factor with a 40” spot. The advert ran across terrestrial, satellite and kids’ channels, underpinned by digital, radio, in-store, experiential, social media and print.

The story documents the journey through the imagination of a boy called Oscar, who becomes enchanted by the toy store before him. The campaign is the first piece of work from McCann Manchester since its appointment by Smyths Toys earlier this year, and uses the Beyoncé hit If I Were a Boy, changing the lyrics to If I Were a Toy. The advert is bursting with the retailer’s latest selection of toys, which can be found in Smyths Toys’ 300-page toy catalogue.

“We want to bring the excitement of the toy store, as seen through the eyes of a child, to our customers,” said Sinead Byrne, joint head of marketing at Smyths Toys. “We have really enjoyed working collaboratively with McCanns, MPC, Outsider and also our director Henry Littlechild to create this campaign.”

Major TV campaign begins for Magformers A major three-month pre-Christmas TV advertising campaign began in October. The brand planned over 500 spots on leading commercial children’s channels in the UK and Ireland, comprising CITV, Milkshake and Sky satellite channels including Pop, Kix, Nick Jr and Nick Toons.

In all, the 30-second long ad will be seen by an audience of more than 2.5 million children, and the six-figure schedule also includes a Video-On-Demand (VOD) campaign on the itv.com hub. This will see the 30-second ad strategically target children, adults and households with kids across some of ITV’s most popular VOD programming.

Magformers UK commissioned JMS Group and Snap!Media to create a crisp, clean ad in which four children build a giant Magformers town. Using split screens to demonstrate the magnetic building properties of Magformers, the children can be seen transforming flat 2D shapes into 3D models as well as playing with RC vehicle sets.

UK managing director, David Kelly, commented: “The ad is fantastic and shows off Magformers in an engaging and modern way. Using a white background and reflective surfaces means the product really stands out. This is a major campaign running throughout October, November and December, and demonstrates Magformers’ continued intent to support retailers with an extensive marketing campaign spanning TV, print, online and POS.”

Corgi launches search for The Ultimate Corgi Top 10 The consumer campaign comes at the end of the company’s 60th anniversary year.

Visitors to the Corgi website have been asked to nominate their favourite Corgi model from the 60 years of the brand’s history, with the most popular 20 to be published in mid-November.

Online voting will then open via the website, email, Twitter and Facebook to produce a final Ultimate Top 10, which will be published at the end of December in the Die-cast Diaries blog on the website.

Junior brand manager for Corgi, Montana Hoeren, commented: “During our 60th anniversary celebrations we’ve repeatedly heard about the affection that our customers have for the Corgi brand, so to ask our fans to vote for their top 10 favourite Corgi models seemed like a great way to round off our 60th year.”

A gallery of selected classic Corgi models from the past 60 years is currently being displayed on the website, which will be extended to include collectors’ images of their favourite models as nominations for The Ultimate Corgi Top 10 are received.

Stikbot sales spike following TV appearance CITV’s Scrambled featured the new Stikbot Zanimation Studio.

Included in The Fridge section of the children’s programme, Stikbot Zanimation Studio was placed on the Fridge Door for the duration of the series. Viewers are also able to add their own votes online, and the product is proving even more popular with children as they have voted it to be Ice Cold - the coolest a toy can be, according to Scrambled.

Nick Saunders, sales director at Brainstorm Toys, commented: “It’s great for us to see a reaction like this. We want people to really understand the creative possibilities that Stikbot offers and the team at Scrambled really got to grips with the product. We’ve noticed a marked increase in sales as a result of this and with further bursts of TV advertising planned, as well as a dedicated Christmas PR campaign, we think 2016 will be the year of the Stikbot.”

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marketingworld Ravensburger kicks off Christmas media advertising campaign Ravensburger is advertising six key lines in the run up to Christmas, each with a TV and online media campaign.

Benefiting from the media advertising campaign are four popular games, including Bugs in the Kitchen, Disney Eye Found It!, Labyrinth and Scotland Yard, as well as the 3D Puzzle Buildings and a separate campaign for the new My 3D Boutique.

The substantial TV campaign is backed by a fully supported marketing campaign which includes internet pre-roll, wide-reaching social media and blogging programme, as well as an interactive website. The comprehensive campaign was designed to support retailers, to ensure Ravensburger’s key products are on the

Christmas must-have lists of children up and down the country.

TV advertising started on 10th October for 3D Puzzle Buildings and Disney Eye Found It! The remaining four TV campaigns aired on 17th October, and will continue until 18th December.

Living in a digital world This month Martin considers the rise of online influencers, how best to utilise them as a marketing touchpoint, and whether these personalities can prolong their 15 minutes of fame.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I had three ambitions – all the usual dreams: to be a Premier League footballer, a famous actor, or a journalist. The fact that you are reading this gives me at least some realisation of the last of these.

For millennials, these dreams are arguably more achievable given the alternative routes to success available today. Kids are increasingly ambitious to become full time e-Sports players competing in the FIFA online universe that can attract crowds worthy of the real-life Premier League. Digital Online media is affecting the second occupation: that of an influential media personality, not only in terms of entry routes but also in the breaking down of age barriers.

The first wave of a group variously termed “YouTubers”, “Vloggers”, “Stars” or “Influencers” arrived, as technology and YouTube developed to a point that made quality video recording, editing and upload possible for the mass market. People such as Zoella and PewDiePie became household names and reap the financial rewards for doing so: Zoella has become a wildly successful debut author whilst PewDiePie reportedly earns $12m per year in advertising revenue and from creating an original series on You Tube Red – charging fans £1.89 per episode.

With twenty-something successes proving so popular with an army of young fans, and You Tube use skewing younger all the time, it was only a matter of time before we saw child stars emerge.

Stacked on top of this, gaming walk-through videos and unboxing videos on YouTube have been increasing in popularity amongst kids for some time: six of the 25 most popular UK based channels are toy related. So any channel that can showcase this successfully has the potential to go viral, especially if the YouTube host has a stellar, influential personality to match.

This is the case with two of the most popular influencers in the UK right now; Toys AndMe, and EthanGamer. Toys AndMe’s family run channel has

proven wildly popular, with people around the world coming back to watch regular toy and confectionary reviews. The most popular video, which features giant Chuppa Chups lollypops, has generated a staggering 160m views in less than a year.

Of course, brands are looking to use this success and influence as a megaphone for their products.

They say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know – and almost 1.2m people “know” EthanGamer.

By the time you read this subscriber statistic, it will undoubtedly have grown, and that is one hell of a voice to have. It is another touchpoint that brands are realising must be part of their media planning process. Recent Toys AndMe video releases for Shopkins and Orbeez demonstrate the vast interest that collectibles can generate on YouTube, whilst EthanGamer’s natural enthusiasm for Skylanders and LEGO Dimensions proves contagious for anyone watching his unboxing movies.

Yet this is a very different media platform: less regulation and restriction keeps this space in the Wild West of advertising, and Google is no OFCOM in that respect. It is important to remember that the talent that brands are dealing with are children, so we must go about this ethically. I have heard stories of influencers pulling out of deals due to brands scripting their videos or trying to enhance their quality. YouTubers have a brand to build, just as the advertiser does, but unlike the advertiser the YouTuber brand is run by a nine year-old.

Generation Media only works with influencers who have specialist management teams, with our media partners creating their own “influencer networks” where YouTube stars can be properly briefed and managed in a way that is safe and agreeable for all parties.

Given that YouTube is a global open shop, a concern often voiced is the perception that only a percentage of views – we estimate around 20% - come from the UK. However, this can be turned into an opportunity: we encourage

Martin Doyle - Head of digital Tel: 0207 307 7098. martin.doyle@generationmedia.co.uk our clients to think globally and connect the dots with their e-commerce platforms to encourage worldwide interest to, in turn, generate worldwide sales. We have seen that the largest viewing audiences, even for UK based videos, come from the USA, with significant fanbases in countries such as Australia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone would be world-famous for 15 minutes. As the digital age progresses, access to the technology providing the potential for people (including children) to fulfil that prophecy is only increasing.

The question is whether influencers can remain exactly that –influential – for long enough to extend their stay in the spotlight and manage their monetisation strategies to do so. Maybe I need to realign my own ambitions - when I grow up. Or maybe I’ll keep training and hoping that Everton FC knock on my door one day.

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Licensing World ITVS GE launches second series of Thunderbirds Are Go

The new series hit UK screens in late October. To celebrate its return, ITVS GE executed a comprehensive launch campaign across events, retail promotions and new product launches. The new season of 26 x 22 minute episodes premiered on ITV and CITV, and saw the introduction of a new villain character.

To mark the launch, the company hosted a world premiere screening for the new series at BAFTA, London on 1st October. The event included a Q&A session with a selection of the show’s voice cast in addition to activities for children, and the first chance to meet Virgil Tracy in person.

ITVS GE also worked with Harrods to create a dedicated Thunderbirds Are Go installation in its iconic Toy Kingdom, which ran from 26th September to 23rd October.

Key product ranges were showcased including toys from Vivid Imaginations and Spin Master, in addition to vehicle cushions from High Resolution Design.

The company also partnered with Rainbow Productions for the first Thunderbirds Are Go costume character. During October, the Virgil Tracy character opened three new Smyths Toys Superstores, while during the week of the show’s launch, The Entertainer hosted meet and greets with Virgil Tracy at six key stores across the UK.

Cartoon Network EMEA unveils licensing partners for Powerpuff Girls The revival of Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls made its debut on TV screens across EMEA in April 2016.

Cartoon Network has announced its comprehensive first collection of EMEA licensing partners secured in the region, with over 30 partners having been signed across apparel, accessories, homeware and more.

The EMEA merchandise roll-out will be kicked off by global toy partner Spin Master, which will launch its toy range spanning plush, figures, playsets, dolls, role-play and novelty items in spring 2017. A line-up of fashion, accessories, gifting, homewares, personal care, FMCG and back-to-school products will follow closely thereafter.

In the UK, a range of partners are being welcomed to The Powerpuff Girls licensing programme including Posh Paws for bags and Blues Clothing for apparel. Also in the line-up is Forbidden Planet for gifts and accessories, Branded Clothing International for apparel, William Lamb for footwear and kids’ bags, Smith & Brooks for kid and adult apparel, C&M Licensing for nightwear and underwear, The Janger Limited for clothing hangers and athletic wear, Drew Pearson International for headwear and accessories, Corsair Toiletries for personal care, Blueprint Collections for stationery, Roy Lowe and Sons for socks, Poplar Linens for homeware and JFS Manchester for accessories.

In a further brand extension, Cartoon Network has recently partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to introduce The Powerpuff Girls into the popular Lego Dimensions video game in June 2017.

K’Nex and Nitro Circus announce licensing partnership The relationship combines the award-winning K’Nex building system with Nitro Circus stunts, bringing them from the stadium to the construction aisle for the first time.

“Nitro Circus Building Sets from K’Nex will bring these exciting live-action events to life in a new way,” said Michael Araten, president and CEO of K’Nex brands. “Children of all ages will have the opportunity to bring the world of Nitro Circus into their own homes. They will be able to build a variety of bikes and construct awesome stunts right in their own living room.”

“We are thrilled to partner with K’Nex, an established leader in this space, and bring all the excitement of Nitro Circus home,” added Peter Maule, Nitro Circus’ global head of licensing. ”We are excited about their award-winning innovation that will put smiles on kids’ faces around the world, as well as encourage creative play and rev up imagination.”

K’Nex provided a sneak peek of the new Nitro Circus building sets from 27th to 29th September at the Fall Toy Preview in Dallas. The K’Nex Nitro Circus product line will become widely available from autumn 2017.

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licensingworld 23 UK licensees on board for Shimmer and Shine

ITVS GE reveals first UK licensing deals for Oddbods In July, Oddbods’ UK master toy partner Golden Bear launched its highly anticipated range that spans collectible figures, plush, face-changers and vehicles. Now to support the toy line, ITVS GE has signed a raft of licensing partnerships that will bolster One Animation’s animated kids comedy’s UK merchandise offering.

Partners have been signed across outdoor toys, apparel, publishing and greetings.

Kicking-off the publishing category is Bonnier, which will develop an Oddbods activity and sticker book that will hit shelves in April 2017, with additional formats set to follow later in the year and into 2018. Cooneen and Misirli will build the apparel category with kids and adults nightwear, underwear and socks launching in spring/ summer 2017. Kids@Play will introduce outdoor playballs and hoppers in autumn/winter 2017, and Whitehouse Leisure’s line of plush, exclusively for arcade machines, will be available next summer.

Rounding out the line-up is Moonpig, which recently launched its range of customisable Oddbods birthday cards.

“Oddbods is showing all the signs of becoming the next breakthrough kids brand, with global viewership ratings soaring and consumer demand for merchandise growing at a remarkable rate too,” said Trudi Hayward, SVP head of global merchandise at ITVS GE. “We’re delighted to welcome our first UK partners to the consumer products programme and to be developing a fantastic range of products that will really bring the show’s unique humour and loveable characters to life.”

Gibsons releases two Great British Bake Off jigsaws The company has launched the licensed jigsaw puzzles in time for Christmas. Licensed by Love Productions, the 1,000-piece and 500-piece jigsaws portray a montage of snapshots and best bits from series seven.

Complete with bunting and the Bake Off tent, the 500-piece jigsaw is presented in a compact square gift box that measures 16 x 16cm, making it ideal for stores with limited storage space. The 1,000-piece puzzle is presented in a much larger, classic jigsaw box.

Made from 100% recycled puzzle board in the UK, The Great British Bake Off puzzles join other British classics from Gibsons, such as Marmite, Mr Men and Vintage Kellogg’s.

Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) has signed 23 UK licence partners for Nick Jr’s pre-school series. The licence partners cover a wide range of categories, with product lines arriving at retail in the coming months.

As master toy partner, Fisher-Price will design and launch basic and deluxe Shimmer and Shine dolls and accessories. Flair is set for an arts and craft range, while Mega Toys will manufacture an additional toy offering. HTI will look after pocket money toys, novelty toys, music toys and wheeled toys, and Sambro is on board for pocket money toys, novelty toys, music toys, games, puzzles, stationery and bags. Rubie’s takes control of fancy dress for the brand and Centum Books becomes master publisher. Rainbow Productions will provide costume characters for the property, while Play by Play Toys & Novelties Europe will produce amusement plush items.

Universal has taken home entertainment, and Character World has taken on the property for bedding, beds and bedroom accessories. Spearmark won the licence for lunch bags, mugs, bedside lamps and lighting, and Dreamtex will produce wallpaper and wallpaper borders. Trade Mark Collections is also confirmed as the UK partner for bags, umbrellas and luggage.

Cartamundi presents three new Paw Patrol launches The company has announced three card game launches based on the popular children’s animated series.

Available now are Snap and Happy Families card games featuring Ryder and his team of rescue pups. Each deck features pictures of the team, including Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Zuma, Rocky, Everest and Ryder.

Available in January 2017, the cards in Cartamundi’s Game Box Rescue Memo game are glow in the dark. Also featuring a four-in-a-row game, based on the different Paw Patrol badges, this Game Box contains a helpful illustrated play area on the back of the gamerule, again featuring illustrations of the pups and their leader.

Marco van Haaften, international marketing director at Cartamundi Services NV, commented: “Paw Patrol has made a major impact on children’s entertainment since its release, and the great characters and thrilling animation make it ideal for these new ranges of card games. We’re delighted to be working with this exciting and enormously popular property.”

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BLE

The heart of the licensing world Publisher John Baulch reports from the 2016 Brand Licensing Europe show

G

iven all the potential obstacles in BLE’s way this year – the Southern Rail Strike, Yom Kippur falling on the middle day of the show (not even the first or last) and a significant percentage of the toy trade heading off to Hong Kong - it was testament to the show’s enduring popularity that it proved to be as well-attended as ever. The number of visitors on first two days seemed particularly strong, while even the last day’s turn-out felt healthy. According to the official post-show report, overall visitor attendance was over 7,000 – a 5% increase from 2015. The event also reported a 13% increase in attendance from retailers.

The show continues to be an unmissable event for people from all sides of the European licensing community: brand owners, licensing agents, licensees and retailers. Understandably, given its pivotal role in the kids’ licensing arena, the toy sector is particularly well-represented. The large number of toy suppliers and retailers – from majors to specialists – who attend the fair also make it a great opportunity to catch up on what’s happening at the sharp end of the toy market as we head into the all-important fourth quarter.

For most people, the show consists of three days of solid, back-to-back 30 minute meetings, interspersed with a succession of what we now refer to as brief networking opportunities – i.e. a quick chat in the aisles or a convivial conversation over a glass or two at one of the evening social events. You come away with an awful lot of information to process, and a multitude of options to mull over. One thing is certain: there is no shortage of properties for licensees and retailers to choose from, and every licensing company will claim they have a winner on their hands. I have to admire the ability of some to keep a straight face when enthusing over a property I’ve been told is effectively dead in the water by licensees and retailers (and full marks for honesty to the person who asked me if I had any idea as to why several of the properties they represent aren’t working.)

The exhaustive ‘Hot Properties’ licensing feature in the January Toy Fair edition of Toy World will give us far greater scope to take an in-depth look at the key licences which will be driving the toy market in 2017, but for now, here are a few observations from some of my meetings at the show: Nickelodeon continues to fire on all cylinders: the performance of Paw Patrol has been nothing short of phenomenal, and it shows no sign of slowing down.

Nickelodeon’s other Pre-School licences, such as Blaze and the Monster Machines and Shimmer and Shine, have also got off to an encouraging start, and with new property Rusty Rivets also coming on stream next year, 2017 will undoubtedly be another strong year for Nickelodeon’s brands in the toy market.

One also has much to look forward to next year, when there will not only be 52 brand new episodes of Peppa Pig (including a special London episode, where the Queen takes the Pig family around London on an open top bus!), but also the launch of the consumer product range for PJ Masks, which has all the hallmarks of another winner.

Mattel’s portfolio of Pre-School classics – spearheaded by the

enduringly popular Thomas and Friends and ably-supported

by Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and the return of cult classic Pingu – also looks strong, as does the BBC Pre-School roster led by Go Jetters and the lovable, quirky Hey Duggee. Our sales manager Mark’s ‘one to watch’ (based on his sons and their friends) is Art & Science’s Kazoops – apparently it’s the talk of the school gates at the moment – while I am rather fond of Creata’s Beat Bugs, predominantly because of my lifelong love of The Beatles. Motown is the next classic music catalogue coming to the world of Beat Bugs, and the viewing figures on Netflix have been excellent, so it’s definitely building momentum.

In the Boys’ category, if we put Star Wars to one side (although, to be fair, I was told by more than one person at BLE that only 20% or so of the Star Wars SKUs are actually selling in any real volume), the other major success story of 2016 has been Pokemon. Trading cards (Esdevium) and toys (Tomy) have performed strongly all year - even before the launch of Pokemon Go – but the hype surrounding the app drove sales to new heights. Retailers of all sizes cried out for additional product, and licensees were desperate to get on board, but Pokemon has consciously adopted a cautious approach to growing the licensee base, seemingly preferring not to risk the long-term prospects of the brand by over-licensing it in the short term. You have to admire their resolve – few other brand owners would have been quite so restrained.

Elsewhere in the Boys’ sector, Beano Studios unveiled the new look Dennis and Gnasher, which has been signed by CBBC for broadcast towards the end of next year. A fresh and contemporary new website will support the property, which looks energised and very ‘now’. Conversely, 2017 will see Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog returning to its gaming roots, with big game releases across all the major game

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BLE platforms. A new partnership with Lego Dimensions will also support the brand, and with ongoing TV and a movie slated for release in 2019, Sonic is another classic licence which looks in rude health. Talking of classic boys’ properties, Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 is also expected to return with a bang next year, while Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reaches season five in 2017, Thunderbirds sees the launch of its second series and an old favourite from my youth - Action Man – has returned to coincide with his 50th anniversary (whoops, showing my age there). It may be aimed more at collectors of my vintage than young boys, but it still resonates all these years on. WWE continues to go from strength to strength, appealing to collectors and children alike, and there are some major events coming up in 2017 to sustain its momentum, while JCB is one of the most consistently successful performers in the boys’ category – the fact that the company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first licensing deal in 2016 underlines the enduring popularity of this fantastic brand. Mark’s personal favourite in the boys’ category is Nitro Circus, a brand which is achingly cool, adrenalinefuelled and very ‘now’.

Over in the girls’ aisle, licensees seem to be focusing on properties which reflect more of a girl power ethos than the traditional pink and fluffy princess-style properties, such as Powerpuff Girls, DC Super Hero Girls and Wonder Woman. There is also a spate of female inventor characters featuring in new shows, including Fremantle’s Bitz and Bob. Of course, there will always be room for more traditional stalwarts of the girls’ category such as My Little Pony, while hugely popular toy ranges such as Shopkins continue to spawn successful licensing programmes.

2017 is clearly going to be another big movie year: Universal’s Despicable Me 3, Lego Batman, Cars 3, Paddington 2, Transformers 5 and Star Wars 8 will all be jostling for shelf space at various points of the year, while successful movie franchises from this year including Trolls will be aiming to sustain their momentum beyond the life of the film and DVD release.

New media continues to be a fertile breeding ground for properties, with Animal Jam in particular showing encouraging early signs. Talking Tom & Friends has been around for a while, but the launch of a new TV series on Cartoonito could potentially take the brand to new heights.

This is just a snapshot of some of the runners and riders that will be jostling for retail selections in 2017 – January’s Hot Properties feature will offer a more comprehensive overview of how the licensed element of the kids’ market is shaping up for next year.

Brand Licensing Europe 2016 breaks all records

W

ith attendees from 81 countries and over 250 exhibitors, of which 63 were new, overall visitor attendance was more than 7,000 – a 5% increase from 2015. The event also reported a 13% increase in attendance from retailers.

2016’s event also saw the largest Retail Mentoring Programme to date, with 50 retailers participating in the scheme.

Over 1,700 meetings took place as part of BLE’s new Matchmaking Service, which resulted in 200,000 online user profile views and £1m of business generated from one user alone.

In total, over 2,500 properties were on display

and available to license during the three days.

Other highlights of the event included a new Product Showcase walk-through installation, new format educational sessions, including roundtables hosted by LIMA, the launch of the Retail Licensing Club, the launch of Licensing Expo China and the announcement of an exclusive strategic partnership between UBM, LIMA and Alifish to harness the potential of the Chinese licensing market.

Anna Knight, BLE’s brand director, commented: “We couldn’t be happier with the success of this year’s show. The show remained busy and buzzing throughout with a record

number of European licensing professionals in attendance. We specifically set out to increase the number of retailers attending, and have seen a significant jump this year with the help of our Retail Mentoring Programme, new and improved Retail Lounge and Retail Licensing Club launch.

We are also very excited by the results of the new Matchmaking Service and the increased footfall to our Brands & Lifestyle Zone, both of which have generated a significant amount of new business for visitors and exhibitors alike. The whole team is now looking forward to building on this success and planning next year’s event.”

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NPD Insight New toys on the market – hot or not?

NPD’s Gabriela Rydzik examines the power of new product launches on categories within the UK toy market, and their impact on Q4 sales.

T

he hot season for toys has begun.

Traditionally, the last quarter of the year is hugely important for the UK toy market with more than half of all annual sales in that period.

Consequently, the last three months of the year can have a massive impact on the annual performance of manufacturers. Everyone is closely monitoring their sales week-on-week, as the months of hard work on existing and new product lines, new developments, product launches and PR campaigns start to bear fruit.

Out of the many thousands of toys on the market, do we actually know how many new products are launched every year or which category has the highest share of new items? Do we realise the value of sales coming from innovations? According to the NPD Group Retail Panel, on average one third of all toy value sales are new to the market each year, 32% in the last 12 months ending September 2016. Translating this share into a number, we are talking about many thousands of new products. However, the share of new items varies widely between toy categories.

Plush has the highest share of new launches (38%), followed by Dolls, Arts & Crafts and Building Sets (34% each). The fewest new comers were in the Games and Puzzles sector, where only every fourth item was new. However, not only the share of new products in the category is important, but also how much value new comers add to the market. 26% of Building Sets growth comes from new items, which underlines the importance of innovation in this category. Despite a large number of new launches, on average only 9%

of total toys growth comes from new items, which on annual basis adds up to £229M. There is intense pressure for new launches to succeed, but not all of them can. In week 38, 50% of the Top 100 items were new compared to last year, adding £3M to the total toy market. There were five new products launched for Pokémon that week, contributing a quarter of a million to the total property. The best-selling new item was the Star Wars Advent Calendar 2016, with an average price of £19.50. In just one week, Lego sold over 10.5 thousand units and added £206K to the Standard Building Sets category and the Star Wars property. However, that’s not the only Lego Advent Calendar in the top 100 items chart, the sales of City Advent Calendar 2016 also picked up in week 38 and contributed just over £40K to the market. 50 new items were launched by 13 manufacturers in week 38 – 40 new toys were introduced by Top 10 companies, and 10 by manufacturers from top 11 to 25 charts. The best-selling new product from the smaller manufacturer group was a Special Feature Nurturing Doll from the Cry Babies Assortment by IMC Toys, with a weekly value sale of £70K. Cry Babies Assortment was a top 23 best-performing item for the week and a top nine new item in terms of value sales.

Despite an astronomical number of new toys on the market each year, not every innovation will turn into an evergreen product such as Monopoly, Rubik’s Cube or Swing Ball. A high number of new launches won’t last long and will disappear quickly from the market: only time will reveal which new items will become fond favourites.

Share of New Products across Total UK Toys MAT Sep 2016

Gabriela Rydzik

Senior Account Manager, NPD

YTD Sep 2016 – Value growth by manufacturer size The Top 10 Manufacturers account for 72% of total growth YTD

New Plush items account for 38% of total Plush but new launches from the Building Sets category contributed the most to the Total UK Toys market, adding nearly £80M in the last 12 months

£1,400

Plush

£1,204,475,950

£1,204,475,950

2015

Top 10

£1,247,373,777

£1,263,333,953

£1,269,608,002

£1,271,248,981

11-25

26-50

All Other

2016

£1,050 Value Sales (£m)

Building Sets

Millions

Dolls Arts & Crafts Outdoor & Sports Vechicles

£700

£350

Action Figures Youth Electronics All Other Toys

£0

Infant/Toddler/Preschool Games/Puzzles

0%

10%

19%

29%

% Of Industry Sales

38%

47%

13%

10%

11%

Share of new products The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking

1

The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Document classification: Internal Only

Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking

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There’s No Other City Like New York and No Other Show Like

Property Progression: Total Property (Brand + Licence)

Aug 2016 Rank

Sept 2016 Rank

Bright Beats

#118

#54

Fisher Price Bright Beats property owned

by Mattel started the year with the award for a Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBo as Infant/ Toddler Toy of the Year at New York Toy Industry Association’s Annual TOTY Awards gala. Building on the success of the irresistible BeatBo character, FisherPrice extended Bright Beats line in the summer, including Dance & Move BeatBelle and BeatBowWow, as well as the Learnin’ Lights Dance Mat, an interactive, soft dance mat featuring allaround light effects and music. New products in UK doubled the property sales in August despite having relatively limited distribution.

Value growth by manufacturer size

•More than 1,000 exhibitors •150,000+ products including 7,000 world debuts •4 days, 1 location – in the heart of New York City

YTD September data shows +5.0% Toys industry growth versus last year.

Manufacturers of all size contributed to that growth but one group in particular drove that value increase, Top 10 players. These top leading manufacturers alone contributed over £42M to total Toys this year, three quarters of total growth. That illustrates the close correlation of total Toys market performance with the growth / decline of the biggest players as over half of Toys industry sales were generated by top 10 companies. However, not only the biggest companies helped, the second fastest growing group was Top 11-25 manufacturers, adding £16M to total Toys and growing +11% year on 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

Saturday-Tuesday, February 18–21, 2017 www.toyfairny.com

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Talking Shop The gift of giving As the leaves have begun to fall and tins of Quality Street are popping up in supermarkets all over the country, it’s clear that Christmas is a comin’. Jonika Kinchin finds out how retailers get preparations underway for the festive period, and exactly what they think will be in stockings and under trees come December 25th.

Mark and Valerie Davenport, co-owners Kaleidoscope Toys, Devon Our Christmas buying doesn’t seem to have a specific stop and start point. We have to order some items well in advance to make sure we are well stocked, but there is always the gamble that a particular item would have significantly declined in popularity in the run up to Christmas, and then we’re left with a whole heap of stock. On the other hand, there are items that can be a surprise and become popular really quickly.

For example, I recently tried to place an order of Speak Out from Hasbro, and the reply I received was that if I actually got any, it would only be one box. The product burst onto the scene, and similar to Pie Face was bolstered by the viral nature of social media. It’s always a gamble with buying for Christmas early, you’ve just

got to stick your neck out and hope for the best. It can be helpful to look at Amazon, The Entertainer and every other top 10 Christmas toys list, but at the end of the day no one has a crystal ball to look in and see what will work and what won’t.

We don’t have the largest shop in the world so we tend to stock a bit of everything, but it can sometimes be hard to choose what to put on the shelves as there is limited space, and we try our best to cater for everyone.

In terms of specific ranges, Paw Patrol is still selling well and has done for a while. It can be touch and go with licensed products, as you never know how long they are going to last. We’re expecting great things from Shopkins which continues to perform strongly, and of course Star Wars should be bolstered by the release of Rogue One. We’ve recently seen super hero action figures sell through much more quickly than normal, and we’ve placed orders for Trolls products in time for the release of the movie.

We start preparing for Christmas very early, as do our customers. We provide a Christmas Club service so that our customers can spread costs over weeks and months, as we all know how tight it can get in the seasonal period; it’s sort of a bar tab for toys.

However, some of our customers leave it right until the last minute and do a mad dash for the store, so we’re prepared for both ways of shopping. We put out a Christmas post box in store, as well as providing a wish list for Santa which children can complete. If we had the space, we would possibly consider visits from Santa and more extravagance, but we do our best with the space we have as the store is quite narrow and it can be quite difficult to put on bigger events. We do decorate the store and Toymaster helps out with the Christmas windows, so we make sure we’re in keeping with festive tradition.

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Jane Holtom, co-owner, Cheshire Toy Shop, Congleton Preparations for Christmas seem to go on throughout the year for us. We pick up more bits at Autumn Fair but these tend to be the gifty, pocket money, lucky dip and stocking filler type items, usually with a Christmas theme. As we are based on a farm unit which children and families visit for days out, we stock lots of farm based and traditional toys, as well as the more current and popular items. Cheshire Toy Shop is Congleton’s official independent stockist of Brio Rail and Sylvanian Families, so customers know to come to us when looking for these traditional brands.

These ranges always do well at Christmas, particularly the bigger box set items and the seasonal themed items. We can get nervous about how many bigger price point items we stock, but no one can ever guess what will go and what won’t. One particular product we’re expecting to sell really well is the Brio My First Railway. We do consistently well with all of the Brio lines but we’re expecting to see this one fly off the shelves as it’s been revamped, and we think our customers are eager to get their hands on it.

Christmas seems to have begun in June for many of our customers. We offer a Christmas wish list which children can either grab instore or can download and give out to family members, to help save them endless searching. Consequently, we get lots of parents and grandparents coming in knowing we stock something specific, which always ends up being a pleasant transaction.

Customers that download the wish list automatically become subscribed to our mailing list. We are putting more of an effort into our website and online services, although the store remains our main priority. There is also going to be more of a focus on social media over Christmas and the New Year in a bid to attract new customers, and keep our current loyal customers in the loop.

Being based on a farm, we always collaborate with the entire unit during the seasonal period to put on bigger events. We take part in a Christmas lights switch on and give out lucky dip bags and the sort, and always make sure we’re brightly decorated so people want to come in and get in a seasonal mood. Over the next year we’re really hoping we can find some room to expand.

It’s also our three-year anniversary coming up, so we’ve got plans to put on an event and some promotions to celebrate. We promote ourselves on Facebook, and ensure that we are listed on our supplier websites, and places like Yell.com. We are soon doing a piece for the local paper and our half term events are geared towards getting our name out there. The biggest thing for us going into next year is to let potential customers and the whole community know that we are here.

Tel: 01908 969 969

jumini.net

.. . brightly colourededw, ooden toys. b eautifully finish Toy World 26 TWM-November2016-64pp.indd 26

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indie viewpoint

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Ready for the rush Clair Letton, co-owner Wigwam Toys, Brighton In terms of customers starting their Christmas buying, this year is markedly different from the previous two years. Whereas in the past customers have started shopping later, we have noticed a distinct upward spike in sales from the third week of September. Many customers are telling us that they are starting their shopping earlier this year, and I’m sure there are a number of different reasons to do so.

Since September we have been selling lots of books, scratch and sniff stickers and colouring pens and pencils. We’ve also done well with night lights and other gifty items, which sell well as stocking fillers, such as water based kids nail varnish and lip-gloss.

I get a good chunk of my Christmas buying done at Top Drawer in September. It’s good to catch up with existing suppliers, look at new ranges and place orders whilst the product is in front of me. It’s also a great place to discover new suppliers and trial products in the run up to Christmas.

In terms of Christmas events and promotions, we are looking forward to our community late night shopping event which always brings customers to the area; we will be hosting Santa for the evening. We’ll be taking part in Small Business Saturday, which is always good fun and a successful trading day. We have very eye catching window displays planned, as well as our 6ft inflatable reindeer who stands outside during December and always gathers attention.

The Playmobil and Lego advent calendars always sell well, and I think the Star Wars calendar will do particularly well this year, along with the Lego Star Wars Carbon Freezing Chamber and Droid Escape Pod. The Lego Nexo Knights range continues to be a strong seller and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.

The new Puppet Company dressed puppets are a personal favourite, particularly the frog and the badger, as well as the little dragon puppets in their eggs. I’m priming the finger puppets for Christmas as they will make good stocking fillers and are great value for money.

Dinosaurs from Schleich are selling well and should continue to do so, and we always see excellent sales from the boxed unicorn and accessory sets and the dinosaur play sets at Christmas. Puppies, cats and domestic animals also seem to be popular as stocking fillers and add-ons to presents.

F

inally, our favourite time of year has arrived. Looking back at September, sales figures for the month turned out to be satisfactory overall, although speaking to other people in the trade, they seem to have found trade a bit slow. Takings were certainly affected by payday being a week later this year, but was saved for us by it being a rainy weekend. As all toy retailers know, September into October is the hardest time of year. All that order writing back at the Toymaster show in May comes back to haunt us with all of the stock arriving at our back door: it is one month when we definitely do not need our gym memberships. We are just sitting down at the moment after spending the afternoon unloading a whole lorry of pallets, and over half of it had to be carried off. It is safe to say we will certainly need fattening up by the New Year.

Sales highlights for the month include the Speak Out game, the latest product to become a You Tube sensation. While not on the scale of Star Wars Episode 7 last year, the launch of the new Rogue One products has gone very well, and benefitted from a tighter product range. We had the launch of Spin Master’s Hatchimals last week, which proved to be very popular. Puppy Surprise from Flair and Lola the Dog have also started selling encouragingly. From October, the advent calendars started to really pick up, although this year we have stuck to just the Lego and Playmobil varieties. However, the product that dominates our bestsellers is Pokémon. We keep thinking it cannot get any bigger, and then it does. With a new game out later this year, “with more new and exciting Pokemon”, there are no signs of it slowing down yet. Any company who can bring any new merchandise to market this side of Christmas will do very well.

All our Christmas planning is now done, with half term kicking off the Christmas rush for us. We plan lots of events for this time, including a Brio play day, Sylvanian Character visit, Playmobil figure hunt, and face painting.

Now the stock has just about all arrived, we have taken time to really review our stores and look at what can be improved. We have de-cluttered, removed stands and floor stacks, and focused on giving space back to our customers so that when peak trade really hits, we have plenty of room for people to move around easily. We have also looked at all our point of sale, to ensure it all clearly communicates a message to the customer. We feel we have done as much as we can to prepare our stores for Christmas trade, and now await the rush with bated breath. We are also planning in specific product promotions and offers for Black Friday weekend. It is still a bit of a new phenomenon in the UK, and it is likely that the effect with gradually die down over the next few years, but we find it a massive opportunity to drive sales. Timed as it is around the November payday, people have the money to spend, it is down to us to provide them with offers to tempt them. The final transition we are also planning is into January sale. Christmas happens every year, and although the week after Christmas is obviously not as busy as the week before, it is still bigger than any we will see until November next year. After that, it is on to Toy Fair, Spring Fair, and then New York. The cycle never ends! Happy selling.

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Viewpoint Can you trust product reviews?

Jim Hawker Threepipe

10 tips for a successful toy brand experience

A

ll the key retailers are now starting to wake up and push out their Christmas messaging and campaigns, but the one retailer that has really grabbed my attention in the last couple of weeks has been Amazon. I should at this point disclose that I used to work for Amazon, but many years ago, and the business today is fundamentally different today to what it was. However, I do have a soft spot for them and I do spend a lot of money with them.

This week they announced the news that product reviews will no longer be incentivised. This is massive news, as we know full well that a lot of the reviews that are currently on the site are neither natural nor organic, and that they can have a massive sway on purchasing decisions. The decision to stop this process is welcome and in some way reflects a growing trend of disclosure

M

ore and more big toy industry names are taking their products out to consumers, rather than relying on standard patterns of TV advertising to leverage pester power. In part, this is down to the rise of toy brands as entertainment franchises: companies such as Hasbro, Mattel and Lego are shifting from being just toymakers to becoming licensees, film and animation studios, and fashion houses. Today, a toy brand often encompasses a whole entertainment world that is better sampled through real-life interaction and play, rather than a two-minute, redubbed American ad during a cartoon break on TV. So what should you bear in mind when planning a real world experience for brands?

1. Think like a kid – Your creative should lead entirely from a child’s perspective.

What will they see as they crane their neck to ensure they are enraptured?

What will you offer that will ensure your experience is a must visit?

Nick Swift Sense Marketing Services

2. No barriers to play – Set as few obstacles to hands-on play as you

amongst bloggers and vloggers who are now acknowledging when they have been paid to review a product on their own channels. Transparency is key and consumers have a right to know when something is genuinely reviewed or not. What is a little disappointing is that Amazon is choosing not to remove all the historical paid reviews and they will remain in place on the site.

Not all consumers will be able to distinguish genuine from paid reviews and that is unfortunate. There are tools that Amazon shoppers can download that can analyse and sort paid from genuine reviews based on language analysis, but not many will be aware or chose to use them.

On a more positive note, I bought the Amazon Echo this week (this is a genuine review by the way) which I am really enjoying using. It is a voice search product that allows me to play music, search information and purchase products online, without

can. Grabbing consumer data, while useful, should not be a pre-condition to getting involved with a promotion.

Look for as smooth or as natural a way to incorporate customer relationship management mechanics into an experience.

3. Be authentic to the product – Even the youngest Disney fan can tell the difference between an authentic Mickey Mouse image and the rather dubious character copy painted on an ice-cream van. It’s got to be the real thing.

4. Photo ops – Brands are rightly cautious of grabbling imagery of children, but parents love to photograph and share their kids having fun. So don’t force these moments but give opportunities for them to develop naturally, rather than trying to demand free advertising and content from parents as the price for their participation. Most social media platforms insist on a minimum age restriction – be mindful of this when marketing to children.

5. Keep ’em entertained – If your experience requires a wait, how will you keep both parents and kids happy while they queue? Disney is the master of line entertainment in its theme parks – from offering shaded awnings to

touching my phone, tablet or laptop. Voice search for products has been talked about for a long time but it is thought that Amazon Echo may well be a defining moment in the way people discover and purchase products. As an Amazon Prime customer, I am now able to purchase directly from Amazon simply by chatting to Alexa , the name of this gadget which now occupies our living room. The rise of voice search could well have a big impact on the way that brands restructure their marketing, as consumers begin to find them in different ways than they are currently doing so. Voice search will become more popular as these products come to market and is symptomatic of the growing trend of internet traffic being delivered through mobile rather than desktop. Searching for products on a mobile device can be an awkward process and voice search is certainly one way of making that easier.

roaming performers. The queue should be a joyful part of the experience, not a chore.

6. Prepare to be a crèche... – With the best will in the world, some parents are just going to be happy that someone else is entertaining their kids rather than them. It’s crucial, then, that your staff have relevant experience in working with children and can embody the values of a toy brand – the right people are key.

7. ...but involve parents when you can – There is a huge nostalgia pull for parents seeing their kids playing with toys they used to enjoy when they were young. Brands such as Lego and Transformers thrive on the shared joy between generations, and any opportunity for kids and adults to play together, rather than just observe, should be actively incorporated into an experience.

8. Provide a service – Mattel recently teamed with Eurocar so kids could hire a Hot Wheels toy while their parents went through the boring, grown-up process of hiring a car. This turned tedious family admin into a fun event, and more importantly got physical toys into the hands of children in a situation where they might usually be

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Making the most of proactive browsers in store

Ruth Clement Bridgethorne

thrust onto a tablet to be kept quiet.

If a toy brand can provide a service for parents as part of the overall experience, they increase the dwell time and brand exposure.

9. Partner with a retailer – Toy and game retailers are increasingly realising the value of making their premises an experience for the whole family to visit, moving away from the old-fashioned, giant warehouse model. They are keen to add consumer value and joy to what they do, and it’s always worth exploring how the experiential aims of your brand and those of your retailers can align.

10. And finally – don’t be boring! – There surely can be no worse sin than for a toy or game brand to fail to be entertaining. If you can infuse your work with a childlike sense of joy and wonder, then you entertain the kids and inspire the parents.

Nick Swift is senior account director at real world marketing agency Sense, which has designed and run brand experiences for a range of toy and game brands, including most recently Transformers, My Little Pony and Guitar Hero. www.senselondon.com

W

hilst many parents claim to plan Christmas shopping like a military campaign, when at fixture, they rarely behave like sergeant majors. Why? Because when a sergeant major inspects his troops, he inspects his soldiers every inch, from cap to shiny boot. When shoppers inspect any fixture, whether toys or pasta sauce, they tend to only inspect what is right in front of them at eye level... and rarely maintain discipline to shop only according to plan.

I’ve observed, surveyed and interviewed thousands of toy shopping parents over the past ten years to understand their paths to purchase, decision hierarchies, touchpoints and behaviours along the toy shopping journey. So what does that mean for a toy supplier when, by necessity, at least some of its toys will inevitably end up on the bottom or top shelves, beyond the scope of eye level inspection by the shopper? Unlike when merchandising pasta sauces, there are at least two eye levels which come in to play in the toy aisle, ready and waiting to activate sales. The eye level of mum or dad, and the eye level of their young child, which, depending on the age of the child could be anywhere from an adult’s chest, to waist, knee or even calf height.

Parents who have not already started their Christmas toy shopping tell us that October half term is a watershed moment, when they realise how little time they have left before Christmas and how much shopping they’ve yet to do. Many parents will use the time when their children are off school during October half term to take a trip to the toy aisle, particularly to a toy specialist retailer. If they can’t because they are at work, they’ll get the Grandparents to take the trip in their stead. It is at this point that the “dual eye level” works its magic. Children are drawn to the familiar – the toys placed at their eye level which they recognise from TV advertisements, or to the exciting, interactive or huggable toys which sit along the bottom shelf.

Parents and Grandparents take time to observe their children pick toys and take note of how persistent they are; how long their interest is sustained in the toys they pick. Whilst they make these observations, they are also looking around at their own eye level and compile a mental list of the full set of gifts which they intend to buy, based on behaviours triggered at both eye levels.

The sense of urgency felt during October half term actually subsides as parents appraise their own shopping plan and their child’s wish list, conduct preliminary research, talk to other parents or listen to their children’s response to peer pressure as school resumes. Which is why the number of parents who have started purchasing toys for Christmas does not increase dramatically until later, typically mid-November, when it leaps to 79%. Most parents decide to

wait until their children are back at school so that they can make unaccompanied trips back to the toy aisle.

They may also hold out for the “definitive wish list” from their child – that’s the list which they are confident their child has fully considered and is unlikely to change radically before Christmas.

So what does this mean for toy companies and retailers developing their marketing activity?

In order not to lose momentum for your products after that initial ideas browsing trip in October half term, encourage the retailer to communicate clearly on shelf that your products are also listed on the retailer’s website. Consider investing in on shelf ticket dispensers with each ticket featuring the barcode and product name, plus any promotional discounts available which can be redeemed on line or in store at a later date, when parents can make the purchase without their children seeing them do it.

But to benefit from the broader browsing space brought on by the “dual eye levels” of an accompanied adult-child shop, consider applying a few simple merchandising principles throughout the whole season.

1. Brand owners need to ensure that try me packaging is placed within reach of the child so that they are drawn to and can interact with it.

2. TV advertised items should be chest height for the adult and eye-height for a typical 5-7 year-old, as these are the items which are most actively sought by both parties.

3. Any complementary play items – those which exist to build on the play pattern of the main TV line can then be placed at that all-important adult eye level to trigger incremental pick up, and act as in aisle brand sign posts.

4. Retailers and brand owners need to work together with joint shopper marketing programmes which attract the proactive, accompanied browser – mums and dads who bring their kids to the toy aisle to watch and learn from their children’s interaction with product, to determine which toys will end up on the shopping list. That means making sure that the shopping experience during October half term week is particularly enjoyable and easy – no fighting through crowds which are out on a bargain hunt. Plenty of staff should be on hand to create a safe, relaxed, helpful environment and there should be a real focus on theatre with demonstrators in store, character visits and try me play zones.

It’s not too late to get shopper marketing activities out in to store. There are plenty of late starters out there getting ready to shop even now, in November, armed with wish lists and highly susceptible to impulse purchases in store.

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Viewpoint Disney and the Beast

David Ripley Groupon

I

t’s always a pleasure to catch up with the licensing fraternity at Brand Licensing Europe, which turned out to be a very productive show for the Groupon team.

Overall attendance in general appeared buoyant and the show certainly had a more international feel. I am sure that the favourable exchange rate tempted many to enjoy a few days in London.

It was good to see a much broader focus on multiple licences, as well as some “comeback” licences working their way back through the cycle, having been rested for a while. However, such properties have their work cut out. Although the scale of the global licensing industry still manages to surprise me, it is the dominance of Disney - where revenue is very much the “Beast” that is especially remarkable.

After a year dominated by Star Wars, the polarisation of IP within the Disney portfolio only becomes clear when the size of

global licensing companies is compared.

In 2015, global sales of Disney licensed products are reported to have generated around $52.5bn. For the sake of context, this is said to be equal to the combined reported annual global licensed consumer product revenues for Warner, Hasbro, Sanrio, Nickelodeon, NBC Universal, Rainbow, DreamWorks, Mattel, The Pokemon Co, Cartoon Network, BBC Worldwide, 20th Century Fox, Giochi Preziozi, Sesame Workshop, WWE Corp, E-One, Dr Seuss, Saban and Lego.

It is estimated that the Star Wars franchise alone added a very respectable $7.2bn to the Walt Disney coffers in 2015 – an increase of 14% in just 12 months. In the past five years it is estimated that Disney has added $23.9bn in retail sales of licensed merchandise, representing peerless growth in the consumer products market.

So how do you manage like for likes and feed the “Revenue Beast” in a non (major release) Star Wars year? I don’t have the

answer, but NPD suggested that sales of movie-content based toys had stalled at 15% of total share after a couple of years of very slow growth in this area. The switch is to TV content from an increasingly free to view, on-demand audience.

Like many tradeshows, the value of the discussions held in the aisles and corridors was just as useful and productive as the planned meetings and screenings. The seminars were truly revealing, as always, and NPD came up with some cracking stats. Who knew that it is anticipated that the U.S retail market footage will shrink by 25% in the short term?

On that point, my local Sainsbury’s has just opened an Argos in store, easily incorporating the store and warehouse into its existing footprint. The future of the Argos on my local high-street is as yet unclear, but should it close it would mean the loss of a 5000 sq ft store. I would love to know the true UK retail footage contraction in the coming years.

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Feature

Toy Industry Awards

And the award goes to…

With Toy Fair just around the corner, details for both the Toy of the Year and Retailer of the Year award ceremonies have been unveiled, as well as the announcement of changes made to the Toy Retailer of the Awards application process.

2016 Toy Retailer of the Year Awards application now open The Toy Industry Awards event sees a gathering of retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, licensors and the toy trade media.

The event runs annually alongside Toy Fair and celebrates excellence across all areas of the industry. It’s also the place where guests are the first to find out who has won the coveted Toy Retailer, Supplier and Toy of the Year Awards.

The 2017 gala event will follow the opening day of Toy Fair, starting at 6.00pm. Guests will be able to enjoy a drinks reception and light food in Olympia’s Pizza Express which will then be followed by a seated awards ceremony in the adjoining Apex Room, one of Olympia’s special rooms for such events. The presentation of the highly coveted Toy Industry Awards will take place from 7.00pm. The venue’s close proximity will allow guests to move easily from the exhibition into the awards event. The evening’s formal proceedings are planned to finish no later than 8.15pm.

The event is one of the key dates in the industry calendar, and one which provides an excellent networking opportunity for industry colleagues to celebrate the first day of Toy Fair and be the first to discover the winners of the Toy Retailer and Supplier of the Year awards.

The BTHA is pleased to announce that the 2016 Toy Retailer of the Year Award for the UK and Ireland application process is now open.

Retailers will be able to compete nationally in like-for-like categories and can apply in more than one category, if applicable. Self-nominations are permitted, together with nominations coming from a panel of nationwide industry experts.

For the first time, retailers will have the opportunity to expand their entry this year by including up to three short testimonials from their suppliers. This won’t guarantee a win but is intended to strengthen an entry for the benefit of the retailer and the judges when assessing the entry.

To enter, retailers are invited to submit their entry online via the online entry form.

E. Online Toy Retailer of the Year ★ Companies can enter this category if their main business is through online sales or if there are online toy sales which complement main store retailing. This category will be judged on the toy offering of the website alone The Best Overall Toy Retailer of the Year 2016 for UK and Ireland will be selected as the overall winner from the winners of the other categories.

Judges also have the ability to make a Special Recognition Award at their discretion after considering all entries. This is not a category for which retailers can actively submit an entry.

Shortlisted retailers will be announced in December, with the winners being unveiled alongside the Toy of the Year awards. The event will take place at Olympia London on Tuesday 24th January 2017 – the first night of Toy Fair.

Retailers should visit www.btha.co.uk/awards/toyindustry-awards to take part.

The category definitions are as follows: A. Independent Toy Retailer of the Year ★ An independent toy retailer with no more than two stores OR ★ An independent retailer that runs no more than two toy departments with a larger store B. Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year ★ Specialist multiple retailer (up to five stores) ★ Specialist multiple retailer (up to 30 stores) ★ Specialist multiple retailer (over 30 stores) This category is for multiple toy retailers which specialise in toy retail. Specialist multiple retailers should select the appropriate sub category dependent on the size of their business.

C. General Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year ★ For non-specialist toy retailers with toy departments or aisles. This category includes entries from supermarkets, grocers and department stores D. Department Store Toy Retailer of the Year ★ For department stores with toy departments and aisles

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Feature

Urchinz

Unbox fresh The brainchild of Arena Azure, partnered with Hotwolf and SuperAwesome, Urchinz is a brand new unboxing channel which offers advertisers something different in the unboxing arena.

Toy World spoke to the people behind this new venture to find out more. certainly with the tween/teen demographic, who are going online for a different experience to TV. However, our initial target audience of 6 - 11-year-old boys are particularly aware of the nuances and we found they responded less well to output which was too under-produced.

Toy World: Isn’t it precisely the ramshackle nature of many unboxing channels which conveys the feeling of authenticity?

Toy World: What drew you to the prospect of establishing a new unboxing channel?

Toy World: What do you see as Urchinz’s main point of difference?

Tristan Brooks (Arena Azure): The recent growth in viewing figures for YouTube toy unboxing channels in the UK has been staggering. Advertisers can now partner with these channels and YouTubers to communicate toy product to highly engaged consumers in a very detailed way. This is not traditional advertising by brand to consumer, but viewed as content created by consumers for consumers, and in a certain respect that is their strength. However, control is completely handed over to that YouTuber and this has been a cause of concern for some of our clients. Quality of the output, key messages lost, creative lead times missed, lack of accountability of UK viewing reach compounded by the increasing cost of working with established talent are all genuine issues. So although clients have realised there is a growing opportunity in this area, some have been hesitant to commit spend.

We wanted to regain control and provide advertisers with quality content focused on their product with accountable UK reach. We also wanted to blend irreverent humour and high production values to provide a real point of difference. So we have partnered with Hotwolf, a digital specialist creative agency who created the Urchinz channel concept, and SuperAwesome to deliver the content to specific target audiences through their leading kids digital media network, to deliver a new approach which we believe will shine against the multitude of existing unboxing channels.

Jamie Lennox (Hotwolf): To have any chance of standing out from other unboxing channels, we wanted to do something more than just show a pair of adult hands, or kids playing with toys. We wanted to deliver content which was original and professional for brands, while being more engaging for our target audience.

Hence we created the Urchinz, headed by toyloving alien Captain Zappl and his crew on board their spaceship, the Galacticus Jaw, as they search out the greatest toys in the universe and beam them aboard to unbox, review and play. We believe it’s an entertaining world that kids will enjoy spending time with. We’re hinting at a larger world from the off, by introducing a cast of Urchinz characters (a female space pilot, a baby and an older-skewing male), so the world can easily expand to accommodate new audiences in the future. We’re offering more than just a review, more than just a practical unboxing – at its heart, this is an entertainment show.

Many brands are more comfortable with higher production values and the level of input we can give them, but we know that the balance between professionalism and authenticity will be key for it to resonate with the audience. Modern kids are incredibly savvy, instinctively well-versed in film, character and advertising language, and will pick out anything too corporate.

The ramshackle, homemade nature of many popular online channels can be key to their success –

Matt Rook (Hotwolf): Don’t get me wrong, kids will watch any video, regardless of how bad the picture or sound, if it’s giving them the information they’re after.

But if a well-produced and entertaining version of the same thing was available, with an attractive thumbnail, I believe they’d go for that every time.

Jamie Lennox: The fantasy setting was key for us here, as a higher production level feels natural when you’re on board a spaceship. Making the main character an alien and a space captain also gives us plenty of room for him to slip into information mode, without it sounding false. We know that one of the biggest fears for a brand when working with an influencer channel is lack of control. Over the years we’ve been working in this space, we’ve developed a simple two-way briefing system that allows us to strike the right balance between editorial integrity and brand inclusion. Our aim is to make them feel proud of the content, not just the large audience numbers it can reach.

Toy World: What role does SuperAwesome play in attracting new viewers?

Matt Lester (SuperAwesome): SuperAwesome gives the Urcnhinz unboxing videos the opportunity to reach a larger audience by amplifying the content across the SuperAwesome marketplace. Placing this content on targeted kids’ digital platforms guarantees views for the advertiser outside of the standard YouTube channel.

Toy World: What reaction have you had from toy companies?

Tristan: We’ve already set up trials with a number of the major toy companies, including Hasbro for the Nerf brand, Vivid for Nocto Bat and SpinMaster with MicroNoids. We’re looking forward to talking to other toy companies over Toy Fair season.

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Fresh Even more of a stretch Character Options will take the Stretch Armstrong brand to new heights for spring/summer 2017.

FRESH THIS MONTH:

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

In November we have new releases from: Character Options, Cartamundi, DKL Marketing, Jumbo Games, Re:creation and Tobar.

Summer 2016 saw the company’s successful relaunch of one of the world’s most classic toys, Stretch Armstrong. Now Character Options is set to take the toy to another level through its expansion of the line-up, introducing a new 7” scale Stretchable Action Figure collection.

Each of the seven innovative 7” toys have a new stretch formulation, creating an even more durable toy that can now stretch up to seven times its original size.

Heading up this new range is the Original Stretch Armstrong. 7” tall, but with all of the presence of his larger self, and stretchier than ever before, this Stretch Armstrong is the ideal take-along toy for kids’ schoolbags or for the next family weekend away.

Taking the Stretch Armstrong play pattern to the next level is the classic Stretch Octopus, which will return with eight legs to be pulled and tied, turning stretching into a group activity. Stretch Octopus will be available in three colours, and can stretch its tentacles up to six times their original length.

Also available in three colourways is the classic Fetch Armstrong, which will open up new play possibilities for children as they challenge themselves to stretch the sausage dog toy. Fetch Armstrong and Stretch Octopus will all add to the ever-growing family of Stretch Armstrong, which has proven to be popular since its launch in July.

The new collection launches on Boxing Day, and the company has assured that as soon as products go on sale in stores, presence will be high. Character Options has over 250 FSDUs to add impact to its merchandising, which will be supported with another iconic TV campaign. Media kits, kids print advertising and digital platforms will also help to further build the brand’s presence in the market.

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Fundels

Cartamundi The new Fundels educational card games range combines entertaining and colourful games and packaging with themes such as language, conceptual thinking and mathematics.

At its launch, Fundels will offer four games across three educational themes, each with its own colour — a mathematics game (red), a languages game (green) and two conceptual thinking games (blue). The flagship premium games add to the fun with markers, dice and special wipe-clean cards for writing, all packaged in highly robust cases that are easy to carry and store. Players can flip a mini-card and write a word, then race the other players to win a counting game.

There is also a pocket money-priced standard version, which offers a takeanywhere-play-anywhere deck of regular flash cards full of spelling, counting and drawing.

Available to retail from January 2017, all games are aligned with the UK national curriculum.

Hama Advent Calendar DKL Marketing The Hama Advent Calendar grows in popularity each year, and is offering even more value for Christmas 2016. This year’s calendar features 24 printed designs and 5,000 beads for kids to make models behind each window.

The product is available through DKL Marketing.

Deal Breakers! Limited Edition Wasgij Puzzle Jumbo Games Deal Breakers! is Jumbo’s new highly detailed and entertaining 1,000-piece puzzle. The new puzzle follows the ‘What are they looking at?’ Wasgij Original puzzle concept, focusing on the uproar and commotion of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in recent years.

This latest addition adds extra value for customers during this promotional weekend, and adds to the extensive range of puzzles from the adult puzzle brand.

Cake Splat Tobar A game of tension, luck and mess, Cake Splat tests kids on their nerves.

Easy to put together and ideal for all the family to join in on, players simply set up the Splatapult and load the throwing arm with a whipped cream pie. Players take turns to place their face in the hole, and as they press the button there’s a random chance that the throwing arm could splat players in the face.

Razor Hovertrax 2.0

Re:creation The only hoverboard on the market that auto-levels, Razor’s Hovertrax 2.0 features exclusive EverBalance technology, providing an easier mount and smoother ride. The ride-on also features a training mode, which makes it easier to become an expert Hovertrax rider.

The first Razor smart balancing electric scooter to be launched in the UK, Hovertrax 2.0 has completed rigorous testing to be issued a UL 2272 safety certification. Each one will carry a holographic label showcasing its UL enhanced status.

Hovertrax 2.0 will be available in black, white and red colourways. Re:creation will support the launch with a heavyweight marketing programme including TV, PR and digital activity.

The product will be available to ship from 1st November.

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Feature

Q1 Ranges

Springing into action Post-Christmas spending and Easter holidays make Q1 a key period in the toy trade calendar. Clarabel Jones spoke to a handful of suppliers and retailers about the advantages of launching products at this time, and what they’re most excited about for the first quarter of 2017.

T

he New Year brings with it a whole host of new and exciting ranges set to capitalise on children’s Christmas spending money. Characterised by lower price points and sales of accompaniments to major Christmas lines, Q1 is a period which Re:creation’s marketing director, Jonathan Kirkley, believes is an ideal launch-pad for collectible products and ranges.

“Outdoor products being the exception, Q1 is traditionally seen as a time to focus on lower price point items,” he told Toy World. “Our Squinkies ‘Do Drops range, for example, which is launching in the New Year, addresses a number of price points but all under SRP £20. Squinkies come with mix and match dressup elements such as wigs, hats and crowns that collectors can use to create thousands of customised combinations.”

From a retail perspective, Gerard Gourley, co-owner of Toy Hub in Dunblane, also agrees that pricing is crucial for independents during this all-important period. “For us, it’s all about lower price point lines - products ideal for pocket money purchases or birthday presents,” he said. “The majority of our stock throughout Q1 will be £30 or less, and we make sure we have price ladders in place for new lines with very low entry levels. We’ve also found that accessories to go with major Christmas lines can sell well, such as Nerf dart refills or Sew Cool kits.

Last year the Stikbot range from Brainstorm was perfect; so many people were looking for new things to do, and it tied in perfectly with new technology gifts that kids had received over Christmas.”

Another independent retailer which has noted a spike in sales from lower price points during the postChristmas period is Toy Barnhaus. Stephen Barnes, the store’s co-owner, explained how kids use their Christmas money to build on a collection they received for Christmas. “Often kids will have received hero items such as large Lego sets or Sylvanian Families playsets, and will then be looking to spend their gifting money on all the top-up items and accessories,” he said. “However, many kids are given up to £100 in Christmas money alone, so they do come in and buy the bigger sets too.”

Therefore, the rise of pocket-money products and huge reductions courtesy of Boxing Day sales doesn’t necessarily remove the relevance of higher ticket items after the Christmas rush. Re:creation is one company which has also reported strong sales of higher ticket items in this period. “In the past, we’ve experienced

Genie Girls

some great results from launches in Q1 as a result of consumers spending their Christmas gift money,” Jonathan explained. “One example here would be the launch of the Razor Power Core E90 electric scooter in Q1 last year. It was straight out of the gate with strong sales on its introduction in the first quarter, which would traditionally be seen as a no-go area for higher price points. As a highly desirable item, we believe the effect of children saving their Christmas gifting money had a real influence here.”

Not only is Q1 a great time for kids to add to and accessorise their gift collection, but it’s also an ideal

time to launch a media campaign, according to Mary Wood, Vivid’s marketing director. “Media costs are lower in Q1 than in the melee of the peak season, so this time of year does allow a strong campaign to test how much potential a new range has before the button is pressed for future tooling and product development,” she explained. “At Vivid, our favoured position is to have product launching in January, as this is the best opportunity to secure the widest distribution and to get TV and digital campaigns started. Genie Girls will have Vivid’s most comprehensive launch plan to date in Q1, with comic and in-store sampling, influencer videos, play-a-sodes, in-store and online POS, collector posters and, of course, TV advertising.”

However, the New Year isn’t the only period during Q1 that’s proven to see strong sales.

With the welcome return of good weather and children off school, Jonathan believes that the Easter period can be a suitable time to launch both media campaigns and new products. “Easter is a strong opportunity to reach out to the consumer, with children at home over the holiday period,” he explained.

“At Re:creation, we’ve seen powerful results from TV advertising at this time of year it’s great timing for our Razor brand with spring setting in, as outdoor products start to be top of mind.”

On top of this, there’s also a notable trend towards alternative gifting, with parents looking to buy something for their children other than the traditional Easter Egg. “Easter is actually becoming a good time to push sales, as parents are becoming more health conscious,” John Testori, owner at Bambola Toys, added. “We find that they’re often buying their kids toys instead of (or as well as) Easter Eggs, meaning they’re moving away from local confectioners to us.”

So, with the promise of a fresh new year, an early launch can be the perfect opportunity to build a brand’s momentum, setting it up for further success during the coming months.

Over the next few pages, Toy World showcases a variety of products set to launch in the first quarter of 2017.

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Q1 Ranges

Mattel 01628 500 111 | www.mattel.com In 2017 Barbie Dreamtopia will introduce new content, continuing the momentum from the 2016 launch.

The new feature film, Barbie: Video Game Hero, will be accompanied by a toy range which includes the Light-up Skates Barbie Doll. The Barbie Fashionistas range will introduce more diversity across the four new body shapes.

Monster High celebrates the power of friendship and kindness in the new feature film, Monster High Electrified, and DC Super Hero Girls will introduce new heroes throughout its toy range.

My Mini MixieQ’s allows girls to pop and swap for endless customisations, and is introducing the first-ever limited edition figures.

Hot Wheels will continue to Make It Epic with the Dragon Smash Showdown Playset and Track Builder Stunt Box and Construction Crash Kit. New diecast collaborations include Batman, DC Super Hero Girls, Ghostbusters, Lamborghini, Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy and Minions.

The July release of Disney Pixar Cars 3 will be supported by a new range, revealed next year, while spring will introduce the Transforming Mack Playset.

The new Fast & Furious range will support the April release of Fast & Furious 8, including the Diecast Singles, Street Scenes, Stunt Stars and Customiser Garage.

The new Warner Bros Teen Titans Go! range includes MiniFigure Assortments, a Whoopie Cushion and the Mini-Figure with Titan-Car.

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.co.uk Series 1 of Character’s collectible Twozies launched in August, and sales have been strong since the brand hit shelves. Spring will see the launch of Series 2, which will be accompanied by another strong marketing push.

Stretch Armstrong is expanding with the new 7” scale Stretchable Action Figure collection, which stretches up to seven times its original length. Heading up this new range is the Original Stretch Armstrong. The Stretch Octopus has eight legs to be pulled and tied, and is available in three colours. Also available in three colourways is the Fetch Armstrong, a stretchy sausage dog toy. Completing the spring line-up are three assorted Stretch Scooby-Doos. Launching on Boxing Day, products will be accompanied by FSDUs and a TV and PR campaign.

Miniature pets will also arrive in the form of Teksta Micro Pets.

From January, children will be able to collect a puppy, kitty, racoon and dinosaur.

Playsets will also be available, offering animals in different colourways and a playset piece that converts into a micro wheel.

The Peppa Pig Classic range is set for a strong first quarter. A new CDU of Figure and Accessory packs comes in six individual designs, whilst the new Mini Buggy assortment will appeal to pre-schoolers. Also launching in the Classic range is the Ice Cream Van, featuring a detachable scooter, accessories and an articulated Peppa figure. New mini construction playsets with a lower price point will also launch for spring, and the Peppa Princess & Sir George collection will remain a favourite.

WWE introduces the Tough Talkers range, including One and Two Figure Packs and the Ring Playset.

Mega Bloks introduces a new ABC Learning Train, while Thomas & Friends is now available in maxi-bricks. New for 2017 is the Power Rangers range in support of the March film release, including the Zord Assortment, Factory Showdown and Super MegaZord.

The Fisher-Price Brights Beats line will see the introduction of the Franky Beats Bat & Boogie, the Bright Beats Juniors and BeatBo Buggies.

A new monster theme is introduced to the infant range with the Press ‘n Go Monster Trucks, Fun Feelings Monster and the Hungry Monster Maze.

Thomas & Friends launches the My First Thomas & Friends Day to Night Projector with new design, while the new Thomas Adventures range introduces the Shark Escape playset and Thomas’s Dino Delivery. Completing the new additions is the TrackMaster Trouble at Brendam Docks playset.

New to the Bob the Builder toy range is Switch & Fix Bob. Imaginext sees the launch of the DC Super Friends Arkham Asylum playset and the Joker Surprise.

Fisher-Price’s character portfolio grows with the new Shimmer & Shine Float & Sing Palace Friends and interactive Talking Plush Dolls, as well as Blaze and the Monster Machines new RC Blaze, and the Blaze Speed Lights diecast compatible with the Hyper Loop Playset.

Fisher-Price’s Bing range welcomes Baby Charlie collectible plush, while the Go Jetters range adds the new Kyan and G.O Roll alongside the Souvenir Selfie Camera. GUP M and GUP Q vehicles join the Octonauts line.

Esdevium Games 01420 593 593 | www.esdeviumgames.com Esdevium Games has a number of new releases planned for the start of 2017, and amongst them is the return of Zomlings. Zomlings Series 5 comes with a host of new features, with new Zomlings, Towers, Vehicles, Parking Stations and a wider range of Zomlings Toys to help kids build their own Zomlings Town. Series 5 will be supported by a marketing campaign, and is set to be the biggest release of the series yet.

Esdevium is also preparing for another bumper year for The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). Its February release will bring the series up to date with new video games, releasing in November, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. The Pokémon TCG has seen unprecedented success across 2016, largely due to the success of Pokémon Go and a surge of interest and activity around the brand’s 20th anniversary. Esdevium will showcase the new series of the Pokémon TCG at London’s Toy Fair.

In addition to new collectibles, the company will add a strong line-up of new board games to its range of kids and family titles.

Esdevium hopes to be able to share as many of these as possible at London’s Toy Fair.

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Q1 Ranges

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk 150 new Grossery Gang characters are joining the collection for 2017, as Series 2 comes to market. The new Grosseries will span 10 different gangs, and there will also be new colour-changing, glowing and dusty metallic Grosseries.

The new Horrid Hot Dog Playset adds to the existing accessories in the line-up, while the new Surprise Eggs include 18 characters from Series 2. Available from February, products will come in a CDU of 30 pieces.

A new construction theme will drive the Half-Shell Heroes range into spring. The Construction Figures Twin Pack comes in four assorted styles, each including a 6cm action figure and a construction accessory. Alternatively, children can opt for the Construction Vehicle & Figures which include either Leo with a Demolition Drill or Raph with a Shelldozer. The new Party Van comes with an opening roof, a pizza slinger and more.

Shopkins will see the addition of the Chef Club collectibles and Shoppies dolls. Shopkins Series 7 will feature new playsets, and a range of themed characters within the two, five and 12 packs.

Two new waves of Shoppies Dolls will join the 2017 line-up, in February and April. Both waves will contain six Shoppies dolls, each with their own theme.

In spring, Shopkins Happy Places will also see the introduction of a new playset, along with new Lil’ Shoppies dolls and Petkins.

Flair’s Peppy Pups have a spring action in their legs, tail and heads. In January, a new Pug Dog will hit shelves, joining the Dalmatian and Brown Peppy Pups.

The IDO3D brand will be expanded in 2017 with the Colour Change theme. The theme will be included in the Starter Set and Activity Set assortments, and will be supported by TV advertising throughout spring.

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Spring 2017 sees the launch of Golden Bear’s In the Night Garden Baby range. The collection will include a selection of nursery toys based around the show’s characters. The range, which includes Blankies, Rattles and Hanging Chimes, is all made from soft fabrics and is designed to entertain and stimulate the senses. Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy characters will be available.

To complement the nursery accessories, three character Soft Toys have been developed: Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka. All feature embroidered details, crinkles on their hands and feet, and sounds when shaken or pressed.

The In the Night Garden pre-school range will expand with the addition of the Large Motion Sensor Ball. Measuring 14cm in height, the ball includes phrases from the show. The Tombliboos Mini Soft Toys are also new, and will sit alongside Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka.

The company is further developing its own brand, Sleep Tight All Night, with new characters including a green dinosaur as well as licensed characters. Sleep Tight All Night has been designed to help teach children when to sleep and when to wake up.

Following its launch in autumn 2016, the company’s Thomas & Friends collection will expand further in 2017. New to the team is Harold the Helicopter, joining the bean toy and talkers range.

Finishing the line-up is a new addition to the Twirlywoos collection, the Fun Sounds Big Red Boat. Launching in spring, kids can push the boat and listen to the sounds. Fun Sounds Great Big Hoo and Toodloo will also be available in a new size.

Following a strong year for bubbles in 2016, Funrise will create a new Giant Gazillion collection while Tonka strengthens its portfolio with more Tonka Tinys.

The special formula used to create Gazillion Bubbles solution has been shown to create bigger, more plentiful bubbles, but for 2017 the company will take its bubble solution to another level, as well as introducing new gadgets and gizmos.

The new lines include the Giant Bubble Palm Juggler, Giant Bubble Power Wand and the Giant Bubble Mill. Completing the collection is the Giant Bubble solution.

The existing lines are joined by the Double Bubble Barrel, a hand held blaster with dual Bubble barrels.

Gazillion Bubbles will receive heavyweight marketing support throughout spring/summer, including kids press, digital campaigns and a TV advertising schedule.

2017 will see Funrise’s Tonka brand’s 70th anniversary. The coming year will see an abundance of range extensions, with an extended Tonka Tinys range for spring. Each Tonka Tiny is presented in a crate which promises a new vehicle to discover once opened. Each series has three different wheeled machines to discover, and are presented in a CDU.

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The StoryWorlds range allows real fans to create their very own tales and adventures.

Every title features 54 expertly crafted icons that will spark fans imaginations allowing them to tell an original story every time in their favourite fan world!

The trademark Rory’s Story CubesŽ and its associated marks are owned by The Ideas Hub Ltd.

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Q1 Ranges

Just Play 02086 430 320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk

John Adams 01480 414 361

Just Play’s PJ Masks collection is launching in February. The extensive product line-up will include action figures, as well as new playsets, vehicles, plush and a selection of role-play items.

For spring, new figures and playsets will be added to the Lion Guard collection, including Waves 5 and 6 Blind Bags, Twin Figure Packs with Arm Band Assortment and a Hyena Hide Out Playset. The Twin Figure Pack comes with either a mechanised Kion or Fuli figure, and a villain rival. The Hyena Hide Out Playset comes with moving features and a mini articulated figure.

Puppy In My Pocket returned in 2016, and spring will see a refresh of packaging plus new puppies and playsets. Series 7 puppies will become available to collect in the traditional Blind Packs, giving children 175 puppies to collect. The Dog Carrier and Puppy Carrier Accessory Pack comes complete with two puppies alongside other accessories, while the Clip On Pouch and Dog Park Playset is refreshed for spring.

To celebrate the launch of the Beauty and the Beast film this spring, Belle will join the Just Play collection with plush toys and a styling head. The Belle Plush Doll stands 38cm tall and the Large Singing Belle Plush, standing at 70cm tall, will sing when squeezed.

New items in the Shimmer and Shine role-play range include the Ponytail assortment, the DressUp Trunk and the Dress-up Box Set. Soft plush characters feature four assorted styles which include the Shimmer and Shine genies and their two pets. For spring, Mini Plush will be added to the collection.

www.johnadams.co.uk Spring will see new introductions across John Adams‘ creative play collection, including new licensed products. The company’s eZee Beads range is expanding with a new Jungle Animals set, which comes complete with four design cards and over 400 beads.

The company will introduce Paw Patrol to its creative play range for 2017. New items include Paw Patrolthemed eZee Beads and Fuzzy Felt sets respectively.

John Adam’s My Little Pony range will also expand in spring with the introduction of the My Little Pony BloPens Creative Case. The case includes five pony stencils and four BloPens, and the box also turns into an easel. Also new is the My Little Pony Jelly Stickers set, which comes with over 40 stickers and four jelly paints. The My Little Pony Fuzzy Felt set and Paint & Style Pony will both be refreshed for 2017.

A new launch for the company, Pixelo comes complete with colouring sheets, eight interchangeable markers and one electronic pen for colouring with a dotted effect. Pixelo will be launched with TV advertising and a full PR campaign.

The company’s Sands Alive range will expand further with the addition of Mini Tubs and a Play Bucket for 2017. The new items sit alongside the Classic and Castle Sets, as well as the Sweet Treats and Glow sets, which launched this autumn. The full range will be TV advertised.

HTI 01253 775 544 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s wheeled toys portfolio is bolstered for Q1 with the launch of new ranges following a host of new licence signings. From the Nickelodeon TV series, Shimmer and Shine, HTI will launch wheeled toys, as well as musical and pocket money toys and bubbles for spring/ summer 2017. The company will also present a new Num Noms range of bikes, scooters and skates. There is also a new range of Despicable Me wheeled toys and a Bubble Exhaust. On the market in time for Despicable Me 3’s release next June, the range includes a 14” and 12” Bike, Inline Folding Scooter, Inline Skates, My First Scooter, Move ‘n’ Groove Scooter and Helmet.

With a multi-territory licence partnership with Hasbro for My Little Pony role-play sets, HTI will launch new styling ponies modelled on Twilight Sparkle and Rarity characters in Q1.

Teamsterz, HTI’s range of collectible die-cast metal vehicles, playsets and track sets, brings new lines to the market for Q1. The company will launch eight 3” die-cast vehicles, including two helicopters with rotating rotor blades, a construction tow truck, fire engine and four cars across gloss, matt, metallic and pearlised paint finishes. The Teamsterz range offers an extensive selection of replica vehicles, from city, off-road and construction, to emergency and performance.

HTI is also enhancing its extensive selection of licensed bubbles ranges, with new launches for spring/summer 2017 such as Bing and Shimmer and Shine. The brands join HTI’s current portfolio, which includes Disney Princess, Finding Dory, Disney Frozen, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Thomas & Friends, Blaze & the Monster Machines, Spider-Man and Avengers.

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Q1 Ranges

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master UK’s major spring launch sees a strong Powerpuff Girls range that includes collectible figures, feature plush and playsets. The toys are set to be in hot demand from fans of these super-powered little girls.

Already a top performing kids’ show on Cartoon Network in the UK since its global launch back in April, the Powerpuff Girls’ fan base is set to grow even more with a second series and further appearances on free to air channels planned. The new series retains the playful, offbeat humour and action of the much-loved original, but has been refreshed for a new generation of fans.

As the original ambassadors of girl power, the brand possesses a cool credibility and heritage that makes it positioned to capitalise upon the current trend for superhero properties for girls.

The range from Spin Master includes collectible figures, two sizes of plush and a Storymaker Playset system that allows kids to tell their own story. Kids can mix, match and re-order the characters and playsets to create their own Powerpuff Girls adventure.

Spin Master’s Powerpuff Girls toys will enjoy a highly focused marketing campaign, including TV advertising, PR and in-store promotions, ensuring retailers are fully supported throughout the spring launch and beyond.

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Q1 Ranges

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Jumbo is kick-starting 2017 with a host of new properties and additions to its children’s portfolio, starting with the launch of its new Thomas & Friends Foam Puzzles range.

The first product to launch will be Jumbo’s water-resistant 18-piece Large Foam Floor Puzzle, measuring 60 x 33cm. Accompanying the Large Foam Floor Puzzle will be the 4-in-1 Shaped Foam Bath Puzzles that float on water and stick to the side of tiled surfaces.

Expanding its Bob the Builder puzzle range, Jumbo will be launching the Medium Puzzle & Colour, which combines puzzles and colouring. The product comes complete with a large double-sided floor puzzle and crayons. A 4-in-1 Shaped Bath Puzzle will also be available in January.

In addition, the company will be launching several new Disney properties in 2017, starting with Disney Mickey and the Roadster Racers 4-in-1 Shaped Puzzles and a standard format 4-in-1 Puzzle Set, accompanied by the Disney Minnie’s Happy Helpers Medium Puzzle & Colour and 4-in-1 Puzzle Set, coinciding with the launch of the Disney Junior programme.

With season one of Disney’s Elena of Avalor airing on Disney Junior this autumn/ winter, Jumbo will be introducing a 4-in-1 Puzzle Set featuring a 12, 20, 30 and 34-piece puzzle, as well as a 4-in-1 Shaped Puzzle set.

Within its adult puzzle portfolio, the first 1,000-piece Spring Watch jigsaw puzzle will launch in January. Jumbo will also be launching its premium fine art collection of Santoro’s Gorjuss adult jigsaw puzzles in January, including a 300 Extra-Large, 500 and two 1,000-piece puzzles, all featuring Gorjuss artwork.

K’Nex 01189 497 000 | www.knex.co.uk A new K’Nex Intro Assortment offers an introduction to the company’s STEAMagination range, with a Rocket Car, Stealth Plane and Motorcycle to choose from. Fans can collect all three to create a Helicopter Combo Build. A new K’Nex Building Fun Set comes with 100 parts and 10 building ideas.

New for spring, K’Nex Makers Kits will incorporate STEAM skills. K’Nex Basic Makers Kit includes 400 parts and 50 model ideas, while the K’Nex Large Makers Kit has 800 parts and 100 model ideas, plus a storage bin with dividers. K’Nex Wheels Makers Kit includes three types of motors and 11 vehicle model ideas that can be built four at a time, while K’Nex Simple Machines Makers Kit includes 22 model ideas that can be built three at a time.

Also new for spring is the K’Nex STEM Explorations line. With K’Nex STEM Explorations – Gears and K’Nex STEM Explorations – Levers & Pulleys, kids can build three models one at a time, each coming with a suggested experiment. K’Nex STEM Explorations – Vehicles offers seven models, each with a different power source, with five suggested experiments. With K’Nex STEM Explorations Swing Ride, kids can create motorised models, and the K’Nex STEM Explorations Roller Coaster comes with three suggested builds and experiments.

With a new Super Mario iOS game announced for spring, the company will launch K’Nex Super Mario Series 8 Mystery Bags. Also launching are Plants Vs Zombies Series 4 Mystery Bags.

K’Nex will implement a 360 degree marketing programme featuring TV advertising, kids press, strategic partnerships and digital activity including a new K’Nex kids hub online and profile on PopJam.

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de w h Walk on e wild si imals! e NEW jungle an

NEW Wild Life 2017 will focus on the "jungle" theme and the continued expansion of our playset portfolio with perfect starter sets as an entry point for new consumers.

Jungle fans will be able to discover new jungle animals and can look forward to authentic and realistic figurines.

The comprehensive Wild Life play world will see a highlight coming out 2nd half of 2017 watch this space!

For more information, please contact your Schleich® Schleic representative or visit www.schleich-s.com

42387 Wild Life Starter Set

Deluxe Food Court

Peppa’s Singalong & Learn Microphone

Rescue Centre

Princess Castle Dimensions: Height 134 x W120 x D74cm

Peppa’s Laugh & Learn Laptop

To place an order please contact: Trends UK ToyWorld HalfP Oct 2016.indd 1

TWM-November2016-64pp.indd 45

+44 (0)1295 768078 Toy World 45

salesadmin@trendsuk.co.uk www.trendsuk.co.uk

© 2016 MOOSE Enterprise.

Peppa Pig © Astley Baker Davies Ltd/Entertainment One UK Ltd 2003.

For media enquiries, please contact:

OfficialPeppaPig

Ane Olesen: ane@wirepr.eu 19/10/2016 08:19

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Q1 Ranges

Posh Paws 01268 567 317

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk

www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk

New from KD UK is a range of 3D Sculpture Puzzles from Educa-Borras, the Spanish supplier of games and puzzles. Children can discover puzzles in the third dimension by creating objects in a new format.

The 3D puzzle, which has been cut into 160 shaped pieces, can be pieced together by placing the pieces of card on top of each other over a plastic base to create the sturdy structure without using glue.

The range includes three Star Wars titles, Darth Vader, Yoda and Stormtrooper, as well as Marvel’s Iron Man, plus Tutankhamun and Venus De Milo. The puzzle comes with a plastic stand so kids can display their completed 3D puzzle.

Zookiez, the new collectible soft toy range, will be available from KD in January 2017. The collection of friends can snap and wrap around arms, legs, shoulders, chairs and back packs. The range consists of six soft animals, which measure 20cm tall.

Posh Paws is currently gearing up for the new Disney Junior animated TV series, Mickey and the Roadster Racers. Mickey and the Roadster Racers is a car-racing adventure for pre-schoolers featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy and Donald. Slated to debut in 2017 on Disney Junior channels, the series takes the characters and their personalised vehicles on races around the globe, plus hometown capers in Hot Dog Hills. In line with the new TV series launch, Posh Paws has a new Mickey and the Roadster Racers plush collection, which features Mickey and his friends in new racing outfits.

Posh Paws will also be bringing out a new range which will support the spin-off show, Minnie’s Happy Helpers. The show will air straight after Mickey and the Roadster Racers, and will follow Minnie and her best friend Daisy as they run a temping agency in Hot Dog Hills.

The company’s Happy Helpers range includes Minnie and Daisy in a variety of glamourous outfits, as seen on the show.

In addition to these new ranges, Posh Paws will also be expanding The Lion Guard range with additional characters such as Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumba.

Re:creation 0118 973 6222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Breaking into the pocket money collectibles arena, Re:creation welcomes the addition of Squinkies ‘Do Drops.

First launched in 2010, the collectible character range is returning in 2017 to appeal to a new generation. The squishy animals can be customised into thousands of combinations with the addition of mix and match dress-up elements. Squinkies ‘Do Drops Series 1 will include over 150 Squinkies characters and over 50 ‘Do dress-up pieces. The entry point Mystery Villas include two Squinkies and a ‘Do, with 10 Mystery Villa styles to collect. Playsets include the Pretty Ice Cream Parlour, the Airplane and the Squinkies Clubhouse. Re:creation will roll out a marketing campaign, including heavyweight TV, print partnerships, PR and online activity.

Razor’s HoverTrax 2.0 will continue to be a focus for communications in spring. Available in three colourways, this hoverboard ride-on features EverBalance auto-level technology. Each HoverTrax 2.0 also carries a product label featuring UL Enhanced Mark, signifying the product’s UL 2272 electric safety certification.

Re:creation will roll out a spring TV campaign showcasing Razor’s

Power Core electric scooter range. The Power Up Your Ride campaign will feature both Power Core E90 and Power Core E100 electric scooters, highlighting the benefits of the Power Core hub motor technology. Re:creation will support the Razor brand heavily throughout spring with TV, PR and online activity.

In spring, the BB-8 Lego Star Wars key light joins the company’s Lego Lights portfolio. To coincide with The Lego Batman Movie’s release in February, Re:creation will launch a dedicated key light collection. A range of three special edition Lego Batman key lights will feature light-up eyes, and Batgirl, The Joker and Harley Quinn will feature light-up feet.

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Q1 Ranges

Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com Schleich’s variety of play worlds continues to expand for 2017, with new superheroes joining the line-up, together with more figures and playsets to add to the Farm World and Wild Life collections, and more equestrian-themed sets for the Horse Club range.

The company’s new range of Marvel figures will see 10 lines launching for spring.

January will see Spiderman, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Venom and Falcon added, while Hawkman, Catwoman, Shazam and Wonder Woman movie sets will follow in March.

The pre-school offering for both Farm World and Wild Life will also be expanded for 2017, with the addition of new figures and playsets. New animals on the farm include a duck, rabbit and goat, whilst new playsets include a Farmer with Goat and Dog Kennel. The Jungle and Forest themes will be key to the Wild Life collection for spring, with single figure animals being introduced in January, followed by four playsets in March: European Forest Dweller, Forest Animals Babies, North American Forest Dweller and Mountain Animals.

The Horse Club range will see the addition of further horses and playsets, which will include a Groom with Icelandic Pony Mare, Foal with Blanket and Stablehand with Shetland Ponies, amongst others.

The Dinosaur collection will see the addition of feathered pre-historic creatures in January, with a Feathered Raptors Set, complete with three dinosaurs with moveable arms and jaws. The redesigned Stegosaurus will also be joined by Utahraptor and Acrocanthosaurus figures, which are new for 2017.

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.co.uk Tomy is heading into 2017 with a number of new launches across its infant, toddler and children’s games categories. Freddie the Firefly and Symphony Oscar from Lamaze, will be available as a Mini Teether assortment set from January. All the characters will feature bright colours and patterns enabling visual development, and will also have an added squeaker and rattle.

For toddlers, spring will see the release of the Shake and Sort from Tomy’s own brand. Each of the six cupcakes rattle and can be stacked on top of each other. Toddlers will also find a unique shape under the base of each cupcake, which will help to aid cognitive, matching and memory skills. Tomy will also be adding to its range of bath toys in 2017, with the release of Spin and Splash Jellyfish Spin in January 2017. Toddlers can put Spin and Splash underwater and watch the water cascade from the bottom as they lift it out.

Tomy will also expand the portfolio of its Pop Up Pirate game with a new licence for the Minions. Having celebrated Pop Up Pirate’s 25th anniversary in 2016, Pop Up Minions will feature bananas instead of swords and is set for release in spring/summer 2017.

Having expanded its children’s games portfolio and house style this year, Tomy will continue to promote successful products from its autumn/winter range in early 2017, including Greedy Granny and Pop Up Darth Vader.

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK will be introducing new Pops Up World playscapes to the market in 2017, also continuing the support of its popular Peppa Pig ELAs and Shopkins Kinstructions range from The Bridge Direct.

The new Pops Up World sets are inflatable play-scapes offering lots of imaginative role-play. Soft, safe and suitable for indoor and outdoor play, they come in a small storage box and inflate to a kid-sized play area. In this patented system, each set is made of separate, easy to inflate parts that attach together with Velcro, meaning no assembly is required. For added play value, there are inflatable vehicles on the side, meaning kids can wear the vehicle over their shoulders with the inner shoulder straps. Available as a princess castle and emergency rescue centre amongst other themes, Pops Up World sets will be available for spring.

Also launching in Q1 is Peppa’s Singalong & Learn Microphone and Peppa’s Laugh & Learn Laptop. Designed to help preschoolers develop early learning skills, the Peppa Pig ELAs are supported with TV advertising and lifestyle PR campaigns.

The Shopkins Kinstructions range will be bolstered with new sets for Easter. The new Wave 3 Shopkins Kinstructions will include a Deluxe Chef Club Academy and other destinations, including a Tiki Hut, Music Shop, Slumber Party, Birthday Party and more.

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Q1 Ranges

Vivid Imaginations 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk

VTech 01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk

Genie Girls is to hit the girls’ collectible market in 2017. There are over 100 Genie Girl figures to collect in Series 1, each containing a surprise. The Genie in a Bottle collection includes two figures, a collector file and a stackable bottle container in three colourways. The five and 10 figure packs promise rare figures inside. Completing the range are the Glow Lantern, Wish Book and Wish Granter.

Genie Girls will launch with a marketing campaign focusing on heavyweight TV, digital and social media initiatives.

Batch 3 of Funguys will launch in spring/ summer 2017. There are over 100 new collectibles across the two figure Specimen collection, which come hidden in the toxic drum container, and also in the five figure Vac Pack. Kids can store their Funguys in the mini test tubes contained within the Cyro Chamber, and the Slammer Hammer includes an exclusive Superbug. Fungus will continue to be supported with heavyweight TV throughout the spring/summer season.

Thunderbirds Are Go will be expanding on its launch range in spring/summer 2017.

New introductions include The Mechanic, a 9.5cm articulated figure. Due to the popularity of Kayo, Shadow Bike will launch in the vehicle assortment, complete with sounds.

Following success in autumn/winter, Flip a Zoo will expand the range with Little FlipZees.

VTech’s Little Friendlies range has been designed to encourage discovery through manipulative features and to stimulate senses with sounds, colours and soothing melodies. Spring/summer 2017 will see the introduction of two new additions to the range: the Little Friendlies Magical Discovery Mirror and the Little Friendlies Happy Hippo Teether.

The Little Friendlies Magical Discovery Mirror is an elephant mirror, of which babies can press the lightup star button to discover the hidden monkey and lion. Pressing the light-up star button will also play phrases, sounds, sing-along songs and melodies. The Little Friendlies Magical Discovery Mirror can attach to a cot, and can also be played with on the floor thanks to its inclined back. The mirror features a rolling ball and spinning butterfly for babies to play with.

The Little Friendlies Happy Hippo Teether is soft and comforting, and helps soothe babies’ sore gums. The crinkle paper arms and soft plush body provide tactile stimulation, and the lightweight design makes it easy for babies to hold. The light-up heart button can be pressed to hear the hippo sing, speak and play music. The plastic core, which contains all electronics, can be removed to surface wash the hippo.

Crayola Color Wonder features a unique ink which only appears on special paper. The ink is clear on most surfaces, but each marker shows up a different colour on Color Wonder paper. Spring/summer 2017 will see new licences, as well as a new Mess Free marketing campaign focusing on TV, in-store communication and more.

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Q1 Ranges

Bladez Toyz 02392 658 259 www.bladeztoyz.com Bladez Toyz is celebrating the Teletubbies’ 20th anniversary in 2017 with a new collection. The company’s RC Inflatable Teletubbies come complete with sound effects, and the no-splash no-mess interactive Tubby Time Playmat is also new to the range.

Joining the new Teletubbies pre-school range is Peppa Pig. The Peppa Pig range from Bladez also includes an RC Peppa, as well as a Muddy Puddle Playmat.

The interactive Peppa Pig Inflatable Nightlight comes with three modes: Day Mode, Night Mode and Sleep-Trainer Mode.

Bladez is also launching new Thomas & Friends, Star Wars and Despicable Me 3 ranges, exclusively for 2017, as well as the RC Flying collection, inclusive of the Mycropodz gadgets, for both little and big kids.

Gibsons 020 8661 8866 www.gibsonsgames.co.uk January 2017 will see the launch of 40 traditional jigsaw puzzles, gift lines and a new card game.

Gibsons is introducing over 40 new jigsaws, including 1,000-piece puzzles by Steve Crisp and Robbie Opie, 500-piece puzzles by Susan Brabeau, and a multi-box jigsaw

by Trevor Mitchell.

The company’s Gift Shop Collection will see 12 new additions in 2017. When complete, the puzzles are the same size as a regular 500-piece jigsaw, but are packaged in compact gift boxes.

January will also see the launch of another Great British Bake Off puzzle.

This 250-piece jigsaw is presented is a cake-slice shaped tin, and depicts some of the series’ showstoppers.

Mind the Gap is the last addition to Gibsons’ spring/summer 2017 range.

The card game, packaged in a TFL licensed tin, transports players to the London Underground, as they take turns to discard a card that matches the relevant tube line.

H. Grossman 07860 542 559 The majority of the new HGL range will be revealed at Toy Fair 2017. However there will also be over 150 new pocket money lines launching in Q1, including a line of Growing Aliens from Scardox. These products give kids the chance to grow their own alien with a pod which, when immersed in water, will reveal an alien figure.

The company has also acquired a licence for Power Rangers, and will be introducing a number of lines including a scooter.

The Emoji phenomenon has taken over every smart phone and social media site, and Grossman will introduce a range of outdoor and pocket money items using Emojis as a theme.

Learning Resources 01553 818 062 www.LearningResources.co.uk Learning Resources’ STEM range gets bigger in 2017 with the addition of two new sets. From coding to engineering, the range covers multiple STEM skills and features eye-catching packaging, bright colours and easy to follow instructions.

The STEM Engineering and Design Activity Set gets early STEM skills in full swing with everything young learners need to design and build their own playground. Including a swing set, see-saw, twisty slide and more, children have all the tools they need to combine construction and creativity at home.

Budding engineers can also build three of their favourite vehicles with the 1-2-3 Build It! Set. With easy to assemble mix and match pieces, children can build a sports car, airplane or tug boat whilst gaining an understanding of how things move. The product includes components for each vehicle and a manual screwdriver.

Pyramid International 0116 284 3645 | www.pyramidinternational.com Building on the success of The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie is hitting the big screen in February.

2017 will also see a feature length return for the Power Rangers, complete with modern CGI animation.

A reimagine of the original 90s Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, the movie is set to be a hit with a broad audience of both young adults and children.

On top of these future releases, Pyramid also has ranges for Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, DC Super Hero G irls, Fantastic Beasts, Moana, Assassin’s Creed and Rogue One. Pyramid will be supporting these titles with products across its range including stationery, prints, posters, mugs and memorabilia, with its 2017 ranges still in development.

Rainbow Designs 01329 227 300 | www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Rainbow Designs is launching a range of craft products from The World of Eric Carle next spring.

There will also be a collection of Super Dough Model Kits. Kids can make and collect the Ladybug, Brown Bear, Elephant and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Also available in the collection is the Sew-n-Stuff Caterpillar, and sets to create a Very Hungry Caterpillar Wooden Door Hanger. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Colour and Construct 3D Characters set and The Foam Character Design Kits complete the collection.

New additions to The World of Eric Carle Developmental Toys collection for the New Year will include two Very Hungry Caterpillar Attachable Mirror Teether Rattles and a Bath Gift Set. Joining the new My First Thomas & Friends Nursery Collection during Q1 is a ThomasShaped Teether, an Attachable Jiggle Toy and a Developmental Mirror.

New additions to the Paddington for Baby collection in Q1 include a new Baby Silicone Teether, a Paddington for Baby Attachable Jitter Toy and a plush Stacking Toy.

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Feature

Outdoor Toys

Outside edge We have officially said ‘sayonara’ to summer, as we dust off winter coats and crank up the heating. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that outdoor toys are out of the picture, as many retail buyers are already weighing up their spring summer 2017 selections. Jonika Kinchin finds out how the category has fared this summer, whether the late flurry of warm weather had a positive effect, and what we can expect to see from the category next year.

W

ith September this year seeing more hot weather than most of the rest of the summer, there was an inevitable effect on stock rooms and sales. “The late blast of summer served to drive stock out of retailers’ warehouses”, commented Phil Ratcliffe, sales and marketing director at MV Sports. Having acquired kite brand Brookite midway through the summer season last year, Peterkin managing director Andrew Moulsher reported that trading “picked up some good momentum later in the season, once the sun came out to play.” He also highlighted that kites sell steadily throughout the entire year, and that this is reflected in the company’s ongoing stock situation.

A fairly average mid-summer period was bookended by hot spells at the beginning and at the end; such inconsistent weather patterns make maintaining stock levels a challenge for both suppliers and retailers. Steve Mohabir, owner of The Toy Box in Godalming, saw sales of buckets, spades and other summer toys sky rocket at the beginning of summer, with customers hopeful for warm weather, shopping in preparation for school holidays and trips to the beach. “Come mid-July we had to re-stock on items such as paddling pools, water guns and water balloons. We get a lot of our water products from Wind Designs who are really supportive of independents like us, so ordering and getting stock when you need it quickly is a pleasant, pain free experience”.

One sub category which can be used either indoors or outdoors and which has shown notable growth in the last year is bubbles: NPD YTD August data shows that the bubbles category is up by 8%. More specifically, Gazillion bubbles has seen a massive boost of 202%. Dave Martin, director of sales at Funrise, Gazillion Bubbles’ supplier, commented: “With a product like bubbles, it always helps to have nice weather, but Gazillion can also be used indoors, making it an all year round product”. Independent retailer Steve Mohabir has sold more bubbles than anything else in the outdoor category this year. “Children love them and they can relate to any season. They’re great for playing with outdoors, can go in birthday gift bags and can even be seasonal, for example we’ve sold a load of Halloween themed bubbles, particularly with the Ghostbusters licence from Grossman”. This is echoed by Funrise’s

level of success with the Gazillion range, which has heavily influenced the company’s forecasting for next year. “We could have sold more and will be factoring this into our planning schedule for 2017, when our new patented Giant Bubble range launches”, commented Dave Martin. Having sold the base product, retailers can benefit from repeat incremental sales as customers purchase bubble solution refills.

“Having plenty of solution refills is vital in this sector”, added Dave.

Elsewhere in the category, Phil Ratcliffe reports that MV’s sales are well up on the previous year with the majority of both licenced and own brand products working “exceptionally well”. In the run up to Christmas, Phil is expecting to see a big spike in battery operated vehicles and kids’ bikes. Of course, MV is already looking ahead to 2017. “You will see a lot more excitement and innovation especially within the battery powered category, both for young pre-schoolers and older tweens/teens”, predicts

Phil Ratcliffe. Capitalising on the fact that kites sell throughout the year, Andrew Moulsher shared with Toy World new developments planned for the Brookite brand, which encompasses both licensed and generic lines. “Licensed products were a new introduction to the Brookite range this year. We started off with some Nickelodeon licenses; Paw Patrol wasn’t a bad place to start”, he explained.

“We think that there are opportunities in a number of areas, from mainstream toy licences to some interesting lifestyle brands that might appeal to the slightly older kite flyer.”

Funrise is also expecting substantial growth in the next year. “We have been previewing the new line to retailers since June and they are very excited about the new products. We’ve found that people are very loyal to the Gazillion brand,” explained Dave.

Over the next few pages, Toy World highlights a range of products from suppliers in the outdoor toys category.

Trolls Bike & Inline Scooter - MV Sports

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MY FIRST RIDE-ON

2 IN 1 SIT ‘N’ SCOOT

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© 2016 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.

6V MINI QUAD

Get your paws on these!

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Outdoor Toys

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com The special formula used to create Gazillion Bubbles solution has been shown to create bigger, more plentiful bubbles, but for 2017 Funrise is taking its superior bubble solution to another level, introducing new gadgets and gizmos that will create bigger bubbles than ever before.

New lines include a Giant Bubble Mill, a large machine that blows giant bubbles.

Coming complete with an 8oz bottle of Giant Bubble Solution, key features include a rotating wheel that blows giant bubbles continuously. Alternatively, there is the Giant Bubble Palm Juggler or the Giant Bubble Power Wand.

For children who like smaller bubbles, the existing lines continue and are joined by the new Double Bubble Barrel, a hand-held blaster with dual Bubble barrels.

Gazillion Bubbles will be receiving heavyweight marketing support throughout the spring/summer seasons, including kids press, digital campaigns and a substantial TV advertising schedule.

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk The new Light Burst scooter has an array of lights on the deck which stay on as long as the rider scoots.

The Cosmic Light and Lightning Strike scooters have all been updated with new decks. Cosmic Light now lights up when the deck is stepped on, and Lightning Strike is motion activated.

The Torq scooter range is designed to carry up to 100kg in weight and is ideal for the older more experienced enthusiast. These scooters have been designed with a tough aluminium chassis and a non-adjustable one-piece T bar system. The high strength steering bar is fitted with a triple stacked clamp for extra strength and has a 360 degree rotational mechanism for high impact turning.

There are also lots of new styles across pogo sticks, quad boots, satchel skateboards and hog trikes.

In the licensed ranges, Minions are still popular across skateboards, helmets and scooters along with new licences for the Secret Life of Pets. Ghostbusters was another successful licence for HGL, and is persistent across scooters, skateboards, pogo and other outdoor items.

The My First Scooter has been revamped with a new folding system and colourways. Also for younger children, the robust Trail n Twist has a new base design.

New for next year is Power Rangers scooters and a full range of Emoji outdoor products including scooters and skateboards.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear’s My First JCB range is a pre-school construction vehicle range based on real life JCB vehicles. The biggest member of the My First JCB team, Stacking Stanley features six supersized wheels, and also comes complete with five shape sorting blocks which can be matched to the corresponding shape within his bucket or stacked to create a tower. Each colourful block is numbered, helping children with simple number and colour recognition. For added play value, Stanley has a manual tipping bucket which children can load, transport and tip. For more outdoor challenges, the Big Wheeler range also includes Joey JCB, Doug Dumptruck and Freddie Fastrack. Each character vehicle features chunky wheels, ideal for outdoor play.

The Twirlywoos can be brought to life with the Flying Twirlywoos Assortment. Available as Great BigHoo, Toodloo, Chickedy and Chick, the Flying Twirlywoos are the ideal size for little hands to activate. Children can load the character onto the battery powered launcher, power-up and watch them fly high.

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Outdoor Toys

HTI 01253 775 544 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI brings a range of JCB free-wheeling sand play construction vehicles. Included is the JCB Fastrac Foot-to-Floor Ride-On, the Battery Operated Quad and Digger Ride-On. The company also offers a range featuring Blaze and the Monster Machines, which includes a 3 Wheel Scooter and Move ‘n’ Groove Scooter, a Balance Bike, 10” and 12” Bikes as well as Helmet and Protection Gear. There is also a Battery Operated Quad Bike.

HTI’s offering also includes brands such as Ultimate Spiderman, Despicable Me, Num Noms, Shimmer and Shine as well Frozen, Descendants, Toy Story, Sofia the First, Disney Fairies, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The company also has its own in-house range of high spec, high detail scooters and accessories, including The Rïpp R500, R900 Pro Series and Dirt Rider scooters, which offer solutions for both track riders and all-terrain.

Offering a quality range of bubble solution and bubble toys, HTI’s licensed and own brand portfolio includes assorted solution bottles, wands, swords, guns and playsets.

The company’s licensed bubbles ranges include Disney Princess, Finding Dory, Disney Frozen, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Thomas & Friends, Blaze, Spider-Man and Avengers, Bing and Shimmer & Shine.

In addition, by combining outdoor bubble play with other toy categories such as vehicles, wheeled and role-play toys, HTI has grown the outdoor bubbles category further by developing other higher price point bubble toy items. Lines include the Bubble Truck, spinning 3D Bubble Blowing Ball, Bubble Mower and Bubble Exhaust, which connects to the rear of a child’s bike to create a trail of bubble exhaust as they cycle along.

Hy-Pro 01582 670 100 | www.hy-pro.co.uk Zinc will see new lithium-powered models in 2016. The New Volt 120 Lithium scooter and the Lithium E-Drift are both lightweight scooters with rapid recharge times. Zinc has also added to its Volt range with the Volt 80+, which includes a detachable seat whilst still reaching speeds of up to 8mph.

The Smart A Power Board is another new addition to the Zinc electric range, and the brand’s first foray into the power board market. The Smart A comes in multiple colour designs and has its own range of accessories to mix up the riding experience, including the Smart Kart and telescopic Smart Bars.

The Flyte brand features the case scooter, which combines the fun of a scooter with the practicality of a compact piece of luggage, first launched in 2015. This year the range has doubled in size with the introduction of the Mini model. The original Midi has also seen new designs, including Polly the Panda. The end of the year should see the launch of the Maxi model, bringing the case scooter formula to older kids.

To open up the Flyte experience, the brand now has a backpack range. Kids can travel with their backpack on the front of their scooter, then dismantle it and pack it inside.

John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk The Rainbow Ring Play Centre features a water slide, wading pool and water sprayer.

It also includes three games to play: a ring toss game, a ball roller game and a ball game complete with six 8cm Fun Ballz. A landing mat is also included for extra padding, and the Play Centre can be easily emptied when play time is over via the drain plug.

The Dinoland Play Centre boasts a moveable Dino arch sprayer, which connects to the garden hose, as well as Dino Hoops and a Volcanic Ball Roller Game. With a landing mat for extra protection, the Dinoland Activity Centre also includes six Fun Ballz and a wading pool.

The Water Gun Plane Ride-On features a propeller-style plane design and includes a toy water gun. The planes come in a red and blue assortment and include heavy duty handles and a wide base for extra stability. The Puppy Dog Ride On is also joining the Intex Ride-On portfolio.

A new twist on an old classic, the Intex beach balls have had a make-over for 2016. The refreshed 24” Aquarium Beach Balls feature colourful characters that inflate inside the ball, and the updated 42” Jumbo Balls are bigger than ever.

The large, durable and interactive weighted 3D Bop Bags are air-filled punch bags made from hard-wearing vinyl. They feature a water-filled base for safe play, and come in a range of designs, from penguins, sharks and tigers, to boxers and pirates.

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Outdoor Toys

MV Sports 0121 748 8000 | www.mvsports.co.uk

Peterkin 01162 543 645

Hot properties such as Paw Patrol, Shopkins and Trolls are boosting sales this year, alongside evergreen classics such as Thomas, Batman, Peppa and Star Wars. Thomas and Friends will be expanded with the new giant 12v battery operated ride-on, featuring lights, sounds and speeds of up to 2mph.

With authentic Thomas moulded features and at over a metre long, this is the ideal ride-on for fans.

Disney Princess will also be receiving a makeover for 2017 with updated graphics including more Princesses. The range will also include a new 16” bike complete with crash pad, chain guard and fabric handlebar tassels.

The Trolls collection features an eye-catching range of bikes, scooters, skates and accessories. New for 2017, the range will include the Scootin’ Suitcase and a 6v battery operated ride-on.

Hedstrom continues to hold strong in the outdoor arena with an array of outdoor play equipment including slides, swings and multi play products.

Kickmaster has also seen positive sales over the summer with a selection of goals, footballs, target shots and activity sets.

MV will also showcase a new range of Rogue One wheeled toys, as well as collections featuring Power Rangers, Transformer 5, Cars 3 and Moana.

www.peterkin.co.uk 2017 brings new additions to Peterkin’s Brookite range. There are three new stunt kites, Stunt Bomber, Harvey D and Silverline, all with new graphics that take advantage of the investment in a new digital print process. Made from ripstop polyester, these three stunt kites complement the existing range.

Continuing the sports theme, there is also a new Junior Foil kite which measures 120cm wide and packs down into a portable carry bag.

The Brookite range was also significantly enhanced by the introduction of licensed kites in 2016. These were introduced late into the season, and early indications show that these will be amongst the best-sellers, with Paw Patrol, Blaze, Spongebob Squarepants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kites predicted to be the strongest sellers in the UK and Ireland in 2017. There will also be further new introductions at Spring Fair and Nuremburg.

These new additions will complement existing products, such as the Harrier and Hunter Stunt kites and the Shark, Skybird, Skyray and Spooky Bat kites.

Re:creation 0118 973 6222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Re:creation is heading into 2017 with heavyweight backing behind the Razor brand.

The recently announced HoverTrax 2.0 smart balancing electric scooter will continue be the focus through Christmas and onwards into the first quarter. Available in three colourways, this hover board ride-on features EverBalance auto-level technology. Each HoverTrax 2.0 will carry a holographic product label featuring a UL Enhanced Mark, denoting the product’s UL 2272 electric safety certification.

Re:creation will roll out a spring TV campaign in Q1, showcasing Razor’s Power Core electric scooter range. The Power Up Your Ride campaign will feature both Power Core E90 and Power Core E100 electric scooters, highlighting the benefits delivered by the Power Core hub motor technology.

The Crazy Cart has been joined by the Crazy Cart Shift. This electric drifting go-kart enables drifting through the use of the variable speed accelerator pedal and steering wheel.

RipStik Electric is a snowboard/skateboard hybrid electric ride-on that enables riders to control direction with their body movement and speed using a wireless handheld remote. It reaches speeds of up to 10mph.

Razor is introducing a pink edition of the A5 Lux, which has sturdy construction, adjustable handlebars and a generous deck.

Razor Jr is also welcoming the addition of the T3 three wheeled scooter with tilt-to-turn technology.

Designed to help young riders develop confidence with easy steering and turning, the T3 is an ideal ride as fans build on their skills.

Re:creation will continue to support Razor scooters in the final quarter with strong TV presence and extensive PR placement.

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Outdoor Toys

Vivid Imaginations 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk

Yvolution www.yvolution.com

The new Kite-a-Pult features a launcher, and children can now launch and fly a kite without the help of a friend or family member. They can simply hook on, pull back and let go to catapult the kite up to 15m into the air. The string can also be removed to transform the kite into a glider. Kitea-Pult will be TV advertised from February with a heavyweight campaign.

Phlat Ball transforms from a 9” disc to a 6” diameter ball when thrown, ideal for outdoor active play. A new addition to the range is Phlat Ball Flash, which lights up and flashes for both day and night play, along with the original V3 Fusion and Neon Jnr options.

Super Wubble will launch for a third season in spring/summer 2017. This bubble ball is lightweight and can be inflated to up to three feet tall. Super Wubble is available with or without a pump, and comes in assortments of pink and blue.

Also new to Vivid’s outdoor range for spring/summer 2017 are Sky Flyers. Interconnecting launchers allow children to launch up to four planes at the same time or in a sequence, with four launch modes. Sky Flyers come in a Twin Pack or Bumper Pack.

Also soon to be available are the new Smackerz.

This year, the new Y Flyer scooter will be adding stepper movement to scooter action. Children can hop on and step on the pedals in an upward and downward motion to get the Y Flyer moving forward at fast speeds. The Y Flyer is built with a strong steel frame that’s easily foldable.

Also new are the Neon System Street Rollers, skateboards and scooters. The new Street Rollers are two-wheel skates that clip onto heels and light up when in motion.

Adding to this are the Neon Viper and Flash scooters, and two lightup skateboards, the Neon Cruzer and Hype.

These new Yvolution brands add to the Fliker scooter range. With the Y Fliker Lift, riders can carve, drift, 360 and pop wheelies.

Also in the range is the Y Fliker Air series.

Yvolution’s Y Velo range of balance bikes offers a safe way for toddlers to learn to cycle. The Y Velo Junior Balance Bike and Y Velo Single Wheel Balance Bikes teach toddlers how to steer and balance, whilst building confidence with the stability brought by two back wheels.

Also in Yvolution’s range of Balance Bikes is the Y Velo Twista. With two modes available, the bike transforms and grows as the child’s confidence increases. With the twist and click feature, the rear wheels on the bike can be moved closer together.

Autumn has so far seen awareness reach a height with digital, print and social media campaigns, as well as a fully branded stand at the Technology Showcase Westfield.

TKC Sales 01380 872 950 | www.tkcsales.co.uk

Bananagrams 02072 989 500 | www.bananagrams.com Jumbo Bananagrams promises wordplay fun, whatever the weather. The supersized version of the best-selling word game, Bananagrams, is ideal for family outdoor play in the garden, at the beach, in the playground or in the park, and is equally ideal for play at home or in the classroom.

Jumbo Bananagrams is a giant version of the original anagram game. Each of the 144 3” square tiles is waterproof, washable and flexible. The set comes in a giant, banana-like tote bag. It can be played as usual or can be put further away for a run-around version that exercises minds and bodies.

With the revival of Wham-O, more classic household names will be reintroduced including Frisbee, Slip N Slide and Hacky Sac to sit alongside other top selling brands such as Aerobie, Stomp Rocket, Petron, HQ Kites, Nerf Sports and Super Soakers. As always, the company will be providing incountry stock to serve forward orders as well as at once demand to cater for customers’ needs.

Stomp Rocket has proposed changes in both product packaging presentation as well as some new lines from this original brand. Aerobie products continue to fly off shelves, recognised as the best outdoor performance flying toys.

Relative newcomer OgoSport has proven itself as an alternative park life toy, and will deliver a much broader range.

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Outdoor Toys

Chicco 01214 549 707 www.chicco.co.uk New to the Fit ‘n Fun range is the Jungle Rugby, a 3-in-1 toy which encourages motor and socialising skills through three different play modes. The rugby match format, training mode session and stacker toy function work together to create a toy that will appeal to any budding rugby fans.

Kids@play 01291 429 007 | www.kids-at-play.com The inflatable International Rescue rocket, Thunderbird 1, is ideal for outdoor play in the garden, but can also be converted to an eye-catching feature in a bedroom.

Also in the range is the versatile play pool styled on Thunderbird 2. It can be used as a paddling pool in the garden, or a ball pool for indoor or outdoor use. It can be filled with balls or up to 75 litres of water.

Each product in the range is made from PVC, with high quality print throughout, and each comes with a handy repair kit.

The Chicco Goal Champions electronic nets set helps budding football stars practice their motor skills, with three different play modes (penalty shots, golden goal and challenge) and interactive sounds celebrating every goal scored.

Hape 0845 600 0286 | www.marbel.com The Hape Rainbow Bowl gets little ones practicing colours by having them aim to hit certain coloured pins. Children can flip the pins over and look through the spyglass end to see the world in a different way.

Hape Color Croquet allows children to set up a maze of colourful tunnels. They can use the mallet to tap the ball through each one.

Players can toss a ring onto a coloured spike and rack up the points with Hape’s The Ringer. As the child’s aim improves, the base can be moved further and further away.

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk New for spring 2017 is the Fountain Factory Water Table with interchangeable pipes and fittings, where the water can be channelled through the pipes and into three water fountains.

The upcoming Fit ‘N Fold Trike is designed to provide maximum portability and compact fold, with a fully adjustable sun shade and reclining seat. The 5-in-1 Deluxe Ride and Relax Trike has all the features of the 4-in-1 Trike with extras including a three position reclining seatback, height adjustable canopy and perfect fit technology.

The Little Tikes Princess Horse & Carriage will add to the Cozy Coupe range.

The Go Green Play House is filled with earth-friendly features and activities, aiming to teach children about the environment and the importance of thinking green.

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T HA NT TIO C A NG ARD P P I O RW E T ES UF IQU YO UN PELS PRO ME FRA L E STE VEL TRA KE K A C I BR QU ND FOR HA Y EASAGE DS R FOLD STO AN

www.yvolution.com © 2016 Yvolve Sports Ltd, All Rights Reserved.

ACT IV E P L AY

Outdoor Toys from TKC TWM-November2016-64pp.indd 61

T 01380 872950 F 01380 872969 E sales@tkcsales.co.uk www.tkcsales.co.uk

24/10/2016 12:30

Smyths has certainly laid a marker down with its new ‘If I were a toy’ TV advertising campaign, which has already received over three million views and is well on the way to the four million mark. The ad has also received plenty of praise in the wider social media arena for its challenging of gender stereotypes, an area where the toy industry doesn’t always come off that well, so it’s nice to see the balance being redressed for once…

Allegedly

Ongoing attempts to make adjustments to the internal logistics operations at Argos are said to be having a significant short-term impact on suppliers, with several pointing out that whilst the reasoning behind the change is sound, the timing, planning and execution seem to have fallen short. It’s obviously a challenge for a multi-channel retailer to find a suitably quiet time of the year to make big changes to its operation, but choosing to do so on the cusp of Q4 does seem to be a particularly brave choice from a timing perspective…

Branches of both Asda and Toys R Us are said to have broken the street date on Star Wars Rogue One toys by well over a week. It seems that action figures in particular popped up in stores across the country days before the official release date, which is all the more bizarre when the official twitter account of one of the aforementioned retailers counted down to the launch date (“Only two days to go…”). Indeed, the retailer in question opened at midnight on the release day to meet demand. It seems strange to go to all that trouble and then put product on shelves a week beforehand, whether deliberately or in error…

Barry Groves will be stepping down from his role at Posh Paws at the end of the year due to ongoing health issues.

Barry has done a fantastic job establishing the company as a key player in a number of categories and he’ll be a hard act to follow. But what a great opportunity for someone…

Mothercare & ELC has become the latest retailer to introduce a charge for its Click & Collect service: orders under £30 will now be subject to a £1.50 surcharge. As usual, a few naïve people had a good old moan on social media, with my particular favourite being “Why would you even bother with click and collect if you have to pay for it? You’d be better off getting it delivered to your home and save the effort of going to a store.” Which, of course, costs the customer more and almost certainly loses the retailer less money than the Click & Collect service, so I would say that’s precisely the point of introducing the charge…

I found comments made recently by new Toys R Us CEO Dave Brandon quite illuminating. Asked about the technologically-advanced items that often dominate the festive top toy lists, he offered the view that while these items have a market, he felt that manufacturers went too far last year, which he suggests “hurt the industry”. He went on to point out that he believes the average price for toys has declined this year, which he thinks will be better for the industry. He summed it up thus: “If Johnny has a Christmas list, and the first item costs $250, then Johnny is going to get one item. Toy manufacturers are seeing that there are ways to build sales and share through more reasonable price points that are more affordable and appeal to more families…”

As October half-term approached, things inevitably started to get a bit lively at retail. Tesco metaphorically poked Argos in the chest by announcing it would be specifically price-matching its toy range against them in the run-up to Christmas, while Sainsbury’s now legendary / notorious toy sale also kicked into gear. As ever, it was billed as a halfprice toy sale, but from a cursory look, a lot of the latest toys appeared to be discounted by significantly less (20% in

many cases). I would hazard a guess that many of the more heavily discounted items were older stock or were bought on clearance. Indeed, someone from the clearance fraternity told me at BLE that mainstream retailers have bought more lines on clearance than ever before this year - often from overseas rather than the UK – and he wondered about the impact this would have on UK toy suppliers’ figures…

Last month also saw the Toymaster regional meetings take place. I was delighted to be invited to join the members at the Swindon event, and I have to say it was a very worthwhile trip. I love talking to independent retailers: free from the politics – or worse, media training - than can sometimes preclude major buyers from speaking their mind, you get wonderfully frank and honest feedback from the indies. The good news is that all the ones I spoke to seemed happy and confident about the festive season. Most felt that Christmas has kicked into gear earlier than it has in previous years – by all accounts, September was a good month, and October has carried on in a similar vein. I wonder whether consumers have been buying early as they anticipate price rises as the pound tumbles? I asked some Toymaster members whether consumers were worried about price rises in 2017, and most felt that their customers were fully expecting this to happen and were bracing themselves to deal with whatever rises transpire. There is a sense, however, that certain price points are about to undergo a seismic shift, with the £9.99 price point in particular under threat – if orange really is the new black, £11.99 may well be the new £9.99…

Jacqueline Taylor-Foo will be leaving Spin Master at the end of the year to become European MD for Melissa and Doug, while Julian Page has re-joined VTech as national account manager.

Mattel and Hasbro both recently announced strong third quarter results, although my favourite results-related quote from the latest round of quarterly reports came from the Hamleys CEO, who said that the retailer’s international stores will leave its London flagship “in the dust” next year. Yes, apparently he really did say that – how comforting for British suppliers…

I’m glad to see that the ground-breaking Smyths ‘If I were a boy’ TV ad is already encouraging men everywhere to throw off their inhibitions and express their true selves. The recent BLE event provided ample evidence of the ads’ impact: first there was Turner’s Graham Saltmarsh, resplendent with his Power Puff Girls nail art, then the appearance of Disney’s latest Princess on social media… in case you missed it, meet Princess Evans!

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