Toyworld sept 2015

September 2015 volume 5 issue 1

September 2015 volume 5 issue 1

The business magazine with a passion for toys

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Š 2015 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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The Team...

CONTENTS September 2015 volume 5 issue 1

John Baulch

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

Emily Ansell Elfer

30 Pre-Christmas TV advertising

46 Playground Crazes

Deputy Editor emily@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 407

Daniel Rich

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

News

Opinion

Features

07 From the Publisher

24 NPD Column

30 Pre-Christmas TV advertising

08 News

68 Lutz Muller Column

42 Retail Profile: B&M

18 Marketing World

27 Talking Shop

44 Company Profile: DKL

20 Licensing world

64 Viewpoint

46 Playground Crazes

74 Touching Base

56 Company Profile: Cuckoo

106 Allegedly

58 Radio Control 70 Games and Puzzles

Mark Austin

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

Contributors David Ripley | Adrienne Appell | Richard Gottlieb | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | The NPD Group

Graeme Thomas

Production Manager graeme@toyworldmag.co.uk 07792 889 919

58 Radio Control

70 Games and Puzzles

Anita Baulch

Circulation Manager anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

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Products Available from September 6695 Royal Tribune with Alex

4796 Camouflage Pirate Fort with Ruby

6688 Musical Flower Tower with Twinkle

6692 Techno Chameleon with Gene

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W from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

elcome to the September issue of Toy World, which marks the start of our 5th year of publishing the title. After four years, I can confidently say that the toy market remains as dynamic and fascinating as ever – even in the depths of summer, there is always an interesting development or two to focus on.

I was interested to read an interview in The Drum with Argos’ Alyson Lockley, who was appointed last year to oversee the retailer’s own brand drive. By all accounts, she set an ambitious target of her division being responsible for 33% of Argos’ sales within three years – which last year would have equated to a whopping £5.7bn. The interview goes on to say that three categories have been identified as the focus of the own-brand drive, one of which is toys. It was certainly noticeable at the recent Argos Christmas press event that the toy buyers were just as keen to talk up new Chad Valley lines as they were the hot branded items on show. In some ways it seemed incongruous at the time, but this article certainly explains why they were doing it. It will be fascinating to see whether the lofty goal can be achieved: I’ve been mildly critical of major retailers over-ranging own brand lines in the past, and can still vividly remember one of the most eloquent and fascinating rants on the subject I’ve ever heard. I was in conversation with Bryan Ellis, then managing director of Hasbro, and he launched into a tirade about the folly of retailers placing too much emphasis on own brand goods at the expense of branded goods. Although this was probably a good 15 or more years ago, much of what he said would arguably still be valid today (although it was Woolworths that had provoked his ire on that occasion rather than Argos). Ultimately, it’s all a question of balance, but wherever the line is drawn, someone will lose out. I’m sure branded toy suppliers have their own concerns about the prospect of the UK’s largest toy retailer devoting a third of its range to own brand, while own brand suppliers must be salivating at the prospect.

After I first touched on the subject in my Friday Blog last month, I received quite a bit of feedback: there were even rumours suggesting that Argos has delayed significant volumes of branded FOB orders due to the abundance of Chad Valley it is currently sitting on, which - if true - adds an intriguing dimension to my comments about balance being the key. I was also forwarded an in-depth analysis of one particular category, which appeared to suggest that Argos is currently carrying much less own-brand product in this sector than would perhaps be expected, thus leaving them plenty of scope to grow the percentage of own brand on offer.

Understanding your brand is what we do.

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Another story which drew its fair share of comment was the announcement of Toys R Us taking on Smyths in Ireland. The news itself is not new – I mentioned it in the Blog many months back – but more detail is now beginning to emerge to flesh out the story.

The venture is spearheaded by Brian Donoghue, a former COO of Smyths who left the company in 2013. He has been awarded a franchise by Toys R Us, which has not provided any capital itself but has warrants over 20% of the Irish operation. Donoghue has personally invested 450,000 Euros, while his two business partners have invested a further 750,000 Euros. There is talk of the group spending five million Euros opening five outlets over the course of the next year, the first of which will open in Dublin at the start of next month. So that’s the financial nuts and bolts of the agreement: the big question is, how will the new stores perform? Minutes after our newsflash featuring the story was sent out, I received an immediate response from a good industry friend consisting of one word: “Insanity.” I think on first sight, many might agree with him. So for the sake of balance I’ll put forward a counter- argument: my principal point is that competition is healthy in any sphere. There were those who thought I was crazy to launch Toy World one industry doyen even emailed me at the time to call me a ‘mad bugger’, although he now says he meant it affectionately! Four years later, firmly established as the UK’s number one toy magazine by a considerable margin, I would say it was most definitely worth the gamble. Admittedly, I wasn’t taking on anyone even vaguely comparable to the might of Smyths, but – whisper it quietly – there are those who believe that Smyths has placed more emphasis on its UK expansion in recent years, and that its Irish stores might even benefit from fresh competition and having to up their game. Indeed, I remember several people telling me at the time that Smyths was crazy to launch in the UK, and how they’d find it a completely different market from Ireland. I bet those people have changed their tune now. Will it be easy? As Ed Milliband would say, “hell no”. But starting a new business venture rarely is, so I’ll wish them all the best and simply say it will be fascinating to see how the next year pans out.

Our fourth birthday issue is packed with the latest developments from around the trade, as well as a number of product features, including an extensive look at the games and puzzles category. It’s pretty much a ‘who’s who’ of the sector, and with the games market poised for its’ most lucrative time of the year, I hope the feature will provide you with some inspiration to freshen up your games offering. Next month’s edition will have a heavy focus on licensing, incorporating an in-depth preview of BLE and a round-up of the hottest new licensed merchandise launching over the coming months. If you are a licensor or licensee in the kids’ space, you definitely won’t want to miss out, so get in touch to find out how to be part of the most valuable guide to UK children’s licensing you’ll find anywhere this October.

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Toy Trust announces Big Cambridge Challenge 2016

Toys R Us to take on Smyths with 10 Irish stores

Toys R Us plans to open 10 stores in Ireland within the next five years, making it a firm competitor for Smyths.

Brian Donoghue will operate Toys R Us in Ireland and has said the company will spend over €5m opening five stores over the coming year, with the first opening in Dublin next month.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Donoghue, who formerly held the position of COO at Smyths, commented that he believes Toys R Us can take on Smyths.

He added: “Next year, we’re looking at opening in Cork, and possibly two more outlets in Dublin.”

The annual Toy Trust charity’s Big Challenge fundraising day for summer 2016 has been confirmed for Saturday 2nd July and will be based at Grafham Water and Wyboston Lakes.

The challenge will take place at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire with an evening celebration at the nearby Wyboston Lakes Hotel.

Plans for the fundraiser include a running event of varying distances, an 80 mile circular bike ride, 10 mile family walk and family bike ride around Grafham Water, as well as a Tandem Skydive at a nearby airfield. Please note the Skydive will be strictly limited to 30 places.

The Big Cambridge Challenge will aim to raise over £200,000 for the children’s charities supported by the Toy Trust. There will be 280 places available for teams in the toy, licensing and retail community which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Toy Trust chair Foye Pascoe commented: “Next year’s Big Challenge is shaping up to be the most exciting event the Toy Trust has ever held and we sincerely hope the 28 teams that supported this year’s event will be back to support us again next July. We also hope to encourage new teams, however big or small, to get involved in what has become an amazingly uplifting and fun, team building day that raises massive amounts of money for the disadvantaged children the Toy Trust supports.”

Further event details will be available shortly, but teams or individuals wishing to register interest in participating should email Matt Jones at Matt@btha.co.uk as soon as possible.

For more information on the work of the Toy Trust visit www. btha.co.uk/toy-trust.

Market & Distribute Quality Brands

Kids@Play to open Wales distribution site

Kids@Play is set to open a new distribution site in Wales following a £400,000 funding deal from Santander Corporate & Commercial.

The company is also set to invest in its manufacturing base in China to help fulfil orders from both established customers as well as a growing number in new markets such as Australia.

Established in 2005, Kids@Play was set up by local entrepreneur Malcolm Evans following a 37-year career in the toy industry, and specialises in manufacturing outdoor products and battery powered vehicles for children.

Kids@Play was recently awarded a licence from ITV to produce a range of Thunderbirds products including a Thunderbirds-themed climbing wall, paddling pool and ball park.

The company plans to expand into new markets in 2016 with recent contract wins across the globe, including deals in South Africa, France, Spain and Australia. The new distribution depot in South Wales will better cater for the increased trading volumes.

Malcolm Evans, managing director, Kids@Play, said: “Santander Corporate & Commercial has played a vital role in assisting our expansion as we look to target new markets and capitalise on new market opportunities. We are extremely grateful for the bank’s support and have been impressed with its approach and service, particularly with the help and advice we have been given regarding our international aspirations.”

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Re:creation appoints Import Services

Re:creation has appointed Import Services as its logistics partner, to provide supply chain services from product source to retail and home delivery.

David Laughton, Re:creation’s director of operations, commented: “We have been looking for the right logistics partner to help us develop our supply chain capabilities and better service our customers, as demand for our products continues to grow. With London Gateway providing a market-centric location to distribute from, Import Services provides the right combination of services to help us grow to the next level.”

Mike Thomas, client services director at Import Services, added: “We are delighted to be selected by Re:creation, which is a great company managing strong brands, within the toy and kids play sectors. Import Services’ new London Gateway site opens up expansion opportunities for our clients, plus supply chain benefits from a location which offers both port-centric and market-centric retail logistics.”

Toytown opens in Chelmsford’s Quadrant

Toytown has opened a toy section within Chelmsford’s Quadrant cooperative department store.

The family-run business has been selling toys in the UK and Ireland for 40 years and has supplied toys to Quadrant in Braintree for a number of years.

The new Toytown department, which is located on the first floor launched on Saturday 15th August with a host of offers including a free draw with prizes such as the latest Lego Friends Popstar Tour Bus and Minecraft Snow Hideout on offer.

Brian Simpson, general manager of Toytown, has said that the department’s range of toys will be tailored over time to ensure that the right selection is available for Chelmsford’s customers.

The Toytown department can be found at Quadrant Chelmsford (first floor), 200 Moulsham Street.

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Shopkins heads on tour

GP Flair is supporting the Season 3 launch of Shopkins with a multiplatform marketing campaign reaching millions of consumers.

The campaign will encompass TV advertising and digital microsites alongside a host of other activities.

A major retailer tour will see Shopkins Swapkins days head in-store allowing children to swap figures and take part in activities. Club Days have been planned throughout September and October, which will see children participate in the swap days, taking home gifts including posters, stickers and Shopkins foil bags.

National parties were held in all Hamleys’ stores across the UK during the last two weeks of August, with over 500 children invited.

Other activities include the distribution of over 400 at home Shopkins Swapkins Kits, a digital campaign spanning three months, continual print advertising plus a new Shopkins Unboxed YouTube channel; revealing all the latest toys from Shopkins Season 3.

Verity Groom, Shopkins brand manager, commented: “Shopkins is an incredibly important brand to us at Flair, which is why we are really ramping up the support this autumn. The Shopkins roadshow at retailers will reach thousands of girls of the correct target age and showcase the latest Season 3 toys to them, whilst the parties are a great opportunity to engage with children and watch them interact and play with other Shopkins fans. Further support such as the Swapkins kits, print advertising and digital microsites will raise more awareness throughout the year – so as you can see, it’s a very busy year for the Shopkins brand.”

Sylvanian Families expands at Hamleys

Epoch making toys has redesigned and expanded the Sylvanian Families floor space in Hamleys Regent Street store by 125%.

Since the installation, the brand has jumped to number one on the floor in terms of sales in the two subsequent weeks.

Visual character displays now greet customers once they arrive on the second floor of the shop, leading them to the new corner of Sylvania, stocked with the full range, which runs all alongside the escalator. Characters and scenery are also displayed along the walls, and an 1800mm x 900mm large scale diorama showcases the world of Sylvanian Families. A gondola unit forms a typical Sylvanian house with red roof and showcases additional product. A play table is included on the gondola, encouraging children to ‘try before they buy’ and various animated videos now play on a monitor near the escalator.

There is also a photo wall where customers can take pictures with Freya the Chocolate Rabbit.

The refurbishment comes after the Sylvanian Families Roadshow became one of Hamleys’ best loved character performances, significantly increasing footfall to five of its stores throughout the UK and Ireland.

Grant Yuill, marketing manager at Hamleys, commented: “Fans flocked to the Sylvanian Families character performances that we held in-store earlier this year and we expect they’ll be just as excited about the new space in which they can experience the world of Sylvania. Sylvanian Families has a rich heritage similar to that of Hamleys and we cannot wait to be part of the next 30 years of fun.”

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newsanalysis Exceeding expectations Emily Ansell Elfer speak to Puzzles and Play’s sales director Stuart White to hear how the company has grown over the past few years.

EE: How did the Puzzles and Play journey begin?

SW: Puzzles and Play is an extension of our main trading company Creative Models which specialises in providing models, paints and accessories for the model and hobbies market. In 2014, we realised that we had established ourselves as a major supplier in this trade and that the opportunities of expanding further in this relatively small sector were limited. Therefore we took the decision to expand our portfolio of products which would allow us to move into new markets and continue our growth as a company.

Jigsaw puzzles seemed an obvious choice as a number of our customers already stocked them but they were also relevant for a number of new markets including the toy sector, garden centres and craft shops.

EE: How has the company changed and evolved over the years?

SW: Since 2014 we have continued to expand the selection of jigsaws we carry and now have four exclusive ranges with Heye, Eurographics, Castorland and D-Toys.

We have also listened to our customers and sourced a number of additional ranges including pre-school/educational games, paint by numbers, iron beads, DIY plush toys and a huge selection of craft sets and materials.

EE: How has 2015 been for you so far?

SW: We have created a number of very good accounts through attending the Spring Fair, AIS and Toymaster shows. We are now dealing with a number of AIS and Toymaster members as well as an increasing number of independents and national accounts.

Looking at our forecasts for Q4 we are already far exceeding our expectations a year earlier than planned so we must be doing something right. To cope with these additional volumes, we have increased our warehousing space to allow us to hold more backup stock and have employed a further two area sales managers and three warehouse staff.

EE: Why should retailers partner with Puzzles and Play?

SW: We listen to our customers and we can adapt very quickly to customers’ requirements and source products that are not currently available to the UK market.

We believe it is our job to hold stock so retailers can keep their holding low but have the confidence we can supply them when they need it. All orders placed before 2pm go out on a next day service. Most of our products are also available in singles rather than carton quantities as we know that retailers have a limited space and budget.

EE: Tell us a bit about the Plush Heart range…

SW: It is a DIY plush kit and everything is included in the kit (other than a needle) to make a personal toy. All parts are pre-cut and a number of the more difficult sections are pre-sewn so the head comes complete and is ready to be sewn directly to the body.

All Plush Hearts come with their own pre-made red heart which is inserted into the toy to bring it to life. The Plush Heart range is very exciting for us as people love the concept and are really starting to support the idea. We have a new FSDU for the Plush Heart range and this should be available for delivery in September.

EE: Are there any developments in your Castorland and Heye ranges of jigsaws?

SW: Heye continues to have a good following in the UK and after a brief pause in supply we have received a very good response from retailers who are happy that the full range is again available.

Castorland is relatively new for the market but is popular with consumers looking for 1500 piece + jigsaws. They also have a new range of children’s puzzles which we have had a lot of interest in due to their colourful carton style characters.

Toy World 12

Nickelodeon UK store launches online platform

NVCP and Entertainment Retail Enterprises have unveiled the online storefront for the Nickelodeon Store Leicester Square.

The online store gives Nickelodeon fans across the UK and the EU the opportunity to buy exclusive Nickelodeon Store product.

Over 300 Nickelodeon Store-exclusive product lines are available online, including toys, apparel, stationery and homewares featuring properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dora the Explorer and Bubble Guppies.

As with the Nickelodeon Store Leicester Square, the online Nickelodeon Store is owned and operated by Entertainment Retailer Limited.

Marianne James, vice president, consumer products UK & Ireland & European retail sales & marketing Viacom International Media Networks, commented: “It is important that Nickelodeon and its properties are available wherever our audience wants them. The Nickelodeon UK online store is integral in helping us serve our fans and I am sure that as well as providing an exciting commercial opportunity in its own right, the site will also be a great promotional tool for the store itself.”

For more information, check out the online store at www. nickelodeonstore.co.uk.

Schleich invests in its retail presence

Schleich has increased its retail presence with new in-store experiential activities and POS and has seen significant growth in the year to date.

Major accounts, including Early Learning Centre and other key multiple retailers, have seen significant investment in their POS, which promises to give the brand more impact on the shop floor than ever before.

New display features including bespoke fixtures and POS mounted TV screens, to better communicate the Schleich range and the quality of the products, are already installed in many locations with more being added over the coming weeks.

There has also been support for both the new DC Comics and dinosaur collections FSDUs which have seen buoyant sales since launch. Most recently, 200 Schleich Great Dinosaur Hunt kits were distributed to independent customers across the UK and Ireland in June and the loyalty card promotion is currently ongoing.

Jeremy Robinson, country manager, commented: “We are all delighted with the response to the retail initiatives we have invested in this year. These activities have delivered a better than anticipated return for everyone involved across all our sales channels and, together with the latest product developments and future company strategy, there is no doubt that we have a great opportunity to build on our strengthened market position going forward.”

For more information email Schleich@Schleich-s.co.uk or call 01279 870 000.

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A royal reception for Kiddimoto

Kiddimoto business owner Simon Booth was officially awarded the Queen’s Award for International Trade on 14th July.

Simon’s award reflected the successful growth of his business, dedication to design and innovation and the hard work of the Kiddimoto team over the last decade. Kiddimoto is the only toy brand in the South West region to receive a Queen’s Award this year.

Simon commented: “It was an honour to meet The Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace. Having spent the last 11 years putting my heart and soul into Kiddimoto, it is great to see our efforts recognised in such a prominent way. Kiddimoto has gone from strength to strength here in the UK but we are now proud to operate in 30 countries globally, quite an achievement for a small company, relatively new to the export market. We’re pleased that the demand for our bikes and accessories is growing at a substantial rate internationally and the Queen’s Award is the icing on the cake for us.”

HTI awarded primary authority status

HTI is the first toy company in Lancashire to have achieved Primary Authority Status with Lancashire Trading Standards. The agreement is for product safety of toys, wheeled and personal protection equipment under European Safety Standards.

HTI is not only the first toy company in its county to secure the status, but is the second toy company in the UK to have achieved it.The news means that once HTI’s products have been approved under the Primary Authority Partnership with Lancashire Trading Standards, they will have assured compliance throughout the UK. HTI’s regional quality assurance manager for the EU, David Johnson, commented: “The achievement of this agreement with Lancashire Trading Standards follows an 18 month process during which HTI has undergone a number of thorough audits by the Lancashire Trading Standards Authority, entailing a comprehensive assessment of the company’s technical files and competences. The nomination is testament to the exacting standards and expertise of HTI’s quality assurance practices; procedures and personnel in ensuring quality compliance of its products. The agreement will provide our customers with added assurance, ensuring they can be 100% confident in the consistent quality compliance of HTI’s products throughout the UK. “Our partnership will also have a massive impact on efficiencies for HTI as costly and timely duplications of effort between various local authorities will now be eliminated with a consistent standard that is supported and endorsed by the Primary Authority.”

When you need confidence and a PRODUCT TESTING service you can trust, let us care for you through supporting your business with our network of worldwide laboratories.

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Tel: +44 (0)161 868 7600 Email: toys@eurofins.co.uk

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Fountain Arcade Toy Shop enters new ownership

Business partners Dave Carter and Martyn Perry have re-opened and refurbished the Fountain Arcade Toy Shop in Dudley.

The pair have taken over from former owner Alan Caswell who retired in May. Dave said: “I can’t quite believe we now own the toy shop which we used to visit as kids. We have had so many people coming in saying how glad they are that it is staying as a toy shop so they can carry on the tradition of buying their children and grandchildren toys from the town.”

Alan, who sold toys to the new owners when they were schoolboys, said he was delighted the shop was continuing and hoped it would carry on providing toys for future generations of Dudley children.

He commented: “Closing the doors on the toy shop was very emotional – we’ve been a part of the town for so long but it was time to retire. I’m really glad two local lads who used to come and spend their pocket money here are taking the business forward and I hope people will continue to support it.”

Extreme Fliers to showcase Micro Drone 3.0 at Autumn Fair

The Extreme Fliers team will be present at Autumn Fair to demonstrate its first model of the Micro Drone 3.0. The show will provide visitors will the opportunity for a hands-on look at the drone.

Vernon Kerswell, founder of Extreme Fliers, said: “The step up in technology and features we have packed into Micro Drone 3.0 offers users a taste of things you would find in a high end device. We want Micro Drone 3.0 to be usable by anyone, whether first timers or an adaptable drone for enthusiasts.”

Two award wins for Worlds Apart’s Rose Petal Cottage

Worlds Apart’s DreamTown brand recently returned to toy aisles and scooped two major award wins.

In spite of being out of the market for over five years, the brand’s new-look Rose Petal Cottage was awarded Gold at the Loved By Parents Awards 2015 in the Best Toy Design category, as well as winning a Right Start Best Toy Award.

Emily Maclennan, brand director at Worlds Apart, commented: “We are thrilled to have won two awards for Rose Petal Cottage within the first month of its launch. The DreamTown brand is all about bringing make-believe to life and creating role-play toys that parents love and children adore, which is why it is fantastic to have won two Best Toy awards at such an early stage of its launch. We see these early award wins as a great sign of what’s to come for Rose Petal Cottage ahead of this Christmas.”

Rose Petal Cottage launched in-stores and online last month with a TV campaign running through to Christmas 2015.

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industry moves Pioneer Europe announces new sales consultants

David Martin to join Funrise

Pioneer Europe has appointed two new sales consultants – Alan Macpherson will handle Qualatex in Scotland and Ireland, while Charles Dyson will look after the North East territories.

Both roles will include developing new business, supporting existing customers and meeting training needs.

Both Alan and Charles plan to go through the Qualatex Balloon Network (QBN) programme and earn their Certified Balloon Artist (CBA) designations in the near future.

David Martin, who left KD Group at the end of June, has joined the Funrise Toy Corporation as a UK director.

David is heading up the UK commercial function for Funrise, controlling all aspects of sales and marketing. In January 2016, Funrise will be showing at its HK showroom in the TST Centre Kowloon and the company will also be exhibiting at Toy Fair in London with a much larger presence.

David commented: “There will be a number of exciting new ranges launched in 2016, including a major master licensing programme which will be announced soon.”

New sales executive for DKL DKL has announced the appointment of Peter Ward as sales executive for Southern England, selling all of the company’s ranges.

Peter brings many years’ experience to the role and is well known to customers in the area.

The sales agents are no longer representing DKL Marketing.

David Allan, sales director, commented: “I would like to thank the exiting sales agents for their efforts over the years and for the smooth transition to bring Peter Ward on board. DKL has brought in new ranges that need dedicated selling in new and current areas, and a sales executive who can secure his time only to our ranges. I am very excited to have such an experienced salesman as Peter on board and he will be contacting all his customers soon.”

Peter can be contacted on 07594265531.

New marketing assistant for Orchard Toys Orchard Toys has announced the appointment of Chloe Lamb as its new marketing assistant.

Chloe has a background in online marketing, with experience in social media, copywriting and email marketing. In her previous role as a social media executive, Chloe managed all the online marketing activities for a small company.

Senior executive Tim Kilpin to leave Mattel According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Mattel Inc. is parting company with another one of its top executives in the USA. Tim Kilpin, who earlier this year was said to be in the running to replace departing chief executive Bryan Stockton, left his job on 12 August.

According to a securities filing, he will stay on at the company in an advisory capacity until November. He is the highest profile departure since Chief Executive Bryan Stockton left the company in January. Another senior executive, Geoff Massingberd, lost his job running Mega Brands Inc. in June.

Only two months ago, Tim Kilpin was appointed to lead Toy Box, a newly created unit tasked with managing Mattel’s stable of smaller brands such as Polly Pocket, Matchbox and Pictionary, as well as inventing new toys and quickly bringing them to market. This new role was far removed from his prior assignments overseeing some of Mattel’s marquee properties such as Hot Wheels and Barbie.

At the time, company executives suggested that Mattel needed such an entrepreneurially minded division to compete in the fast-changing toy landscape and felt Mr. Kilpin, who oversaw the successful launch of Monster High dolls and once oversaw all boys and girls brands, had the background to oversee it.

It is thought that Mattel will name a new head of the Toy Box division shortly.

Obituary: James (Jim) Osborne Jim passed away on Friday 31st July 2015 following a short illness. He was a tireless worker and having recently celebrated 60 years in business did not find the time to retire.

Jim opened Osbornes Sports & Toys in Rushden in 1955, aged just 23, and was a founder member of Toymaster.

He was extremely active in the local community serving on the committee of the Rotary Club and was president of the Rushden Museum for several years. A pillar of local society, Jim devoted his time and money to local charities and organisations.

Remembering Jim, his friend John Nicholas told Toy World: “As a salesman calling on Jim, you always knew you would get a fair hearing for whatever products you were offering, and if he did not think it was for him he would tell you why, but often he was prepared to give new lines a chance. I, and I guess many older sales people, got into quite lengthy discussions with Jim about the various aspects of the trade, but the fact that he was still there selling toys from the same shop he opened just over 60 years ago stands as a testament to his way of wanting things done properly, old school if you like, but you always knew where you stood with Jim. He was a man I would trust with my last £5, and Rushden and the toy trade has lost a man I was proud to know and call my friend.”

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Be part of the Toy World BLE Preview issue

Brand Licensing Europe

Feature

2014

Lisle Licensing

icensing.com 01937 586 237 | www.lislel

Stand E045

al manages year, Lisle Internation Entering its fifth as es in the UK as well licensing programm .A a number of properties internationally for knowledge market and category al combination of allows Lisle Internation in multiple territories and partners a bespoke to offer its principal capacity with an internal experienced service, product nt, strategy developme that manages all which reporting and contracts approvals, royalty an all-round quality lends itself to delivering and partners. clients its for service pre-school Pip Ahoy!, a new Properties include at 7am on weekday mornings show being aired Jason as features Sir David Channel 5. The series Factor finalist, uncle Skipper. X the voice of Pip’s has also TV star Stacey Solomon singer and reality voice of the song, and is the recorded the theme Fuchsia. pink flamingo character brand, toy girls’ popular Zelfs is a globally toy company Moose created by Australian the UK by in was launched Enterprise. The brand have in July 2013. Licensees Character Options collectables/ for activity books, is been appointed , however the property stickers and magazines textiles and homeware, home open for apparel assets has a wealth of creative more. The property fans across products and with perspective partners. which will enhance s, Masha opportunities for lucrative are & The Ghostly Adventure there the globe, Pac-Man, Pac-Man programmes for Lisle also manages Temple Run. and Birds & The Bear, Flappy

Brand Licensing Euro

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Brand Licensing Europe 2014

This year’s Brand Licens

T

ing Europe is set to be the biggest in its 16-year history when London’s Olympia on it returns to the 7-9th October.

his year’s BLE show will feature over 2,500 brands and characters from more than 260 exhibitors, of which over 70 are new. Leading names on the show floor this year include Saban Brands, Zodiak Kids, Nickelode on, DreamWorks Animation and Rovio. To help visitors navigate the show floor, BLE will be divided into three zones Design & Image, Art, Brands & Lifestyle, and Character Entertainment. &

Rovio Entertainment www.rovio.com +358 207 888 300 |

Stand D030

Autumn consumer-focused ent is featuring a Birds Stella, an Rovio Entertainm the launch of Angry line-up which includes with Hasbro, season ers collaboration series and Angry Birds Transform Stella animated Toons, Angry Birds for the two of Angry Birds is also preparing partnerships. Rovio for July 2016. a list of licensing movie scheduled Birds Angry rst fi as a mobile game release of the released in September Angry Birds Stella, from Hasbro, introduces line of Telepods with a supporting Birds universe. Inclusive, story to the Angry new characters and explores the realities Stella Birds Angry wide fun and engaging, and appeals to a daring adventures flock characters of friendship and g gameplay, relatable audience with challengin values, Stella and True to Rovio brand bridging the and stunning visuals. across multiple channels, ent with the friends are available animation and entertainm s. digital world of games, and fan experience consumer products October, is a physical world of ers, launching this Transform world of Birds the Angry universe and the Transformers and mashup between p between Rovio . continues the partnershi Angry Birds that

by Telepods technology will be supported ing its team Hasbro. The brand Rovio has been strengthen products, In consumer across all geographic nt of industry veterans expanding the with the appointme on signing new partners, regions and focusing Birds brand. to grow the Angry business and continuing ToonsTV celebrated changing industry This year, Rovio’s high demand worldwide, proving 3bn views with audiences Angry Birds characters on the the planned far into from fans to experience content and initiatives entertainment screen. With exciting g itself as a worldwide 2016 when the 2015, Rovio is establishin excitement for Summer company and building distributed by Sony Movie will be globally first 3D Angry Birds Pictures.

Toy World 98

Jam, the sessions will present case studies alongside Brand Jam’s interpreta tion of how

and why they are so successful.

Beanstalk, IMG and Extreme are already confi rmed to speak.

License This!

Now in its fifth year, the License This! competiti on offers those with brand Education new creative concepts Each morning the the show begins opportunity to with a beginners break into guide to licensing ’ the global licensing and how to get the most from industry. the event, hosted

by LIMA UK. Knowledg The final will take place on from leading market e Partners Thursday 9th October research and retail companies will intelligence in also host sessions front of an audience, throughout the with event. On the fi rst day, a toys global finalists vying for the chance industry analyst from NPD Group and a senior account to win a stand at Brand manager from Consumer Electronic Licensing Europe s at GfK will reveal 2015 and facts and figures. licensing On day two, Planet an opportunity to bring Retail will host guide to what’s a hot, offering an the product to insight into licensing market. The trends and opportun property owners ities. of last year’s On the first two winner Mr Trafalgar, days of the show, the Licensing a whimsical rodent Academy also plays black and white drawn in a host to keynote silhouette, have sessions from Products, Bounce industry trailblaze been developin Alzheimer’s Therapy characters in the rs. This year’s speakers g the portfolio to bring Foundation and Table Tennis Leah Davis, head include back to this year’s England. This year’s of marketing at show.

Team GB. The event also has its own mascot second keynote, in the shape of on day two, is from Battersea Dogs Vu Bui, the Cats Home rescue chief operating & officer at Mojang dog Squirt the Charity focus Staffie, who will AB, the maker available for photo Minecraft, which of be will explore the calls on the Battersea This year BLE is rise and rise of supporting a number also supports the stand. BLE of the biggest brands one charitable body of charitable causes. A themed of today. of the UK licensing ‘Table industry, The Light For those consideri Dennis’ charity Fund, and was tournament will table tennis ng attending for the headline raise awarenes sponsor of its Treasure the first time, Kelvyn Gardner, s of the sport as managing director effective therapy Hunt an earlier this year. for those suffering of industry body LIMA UK, explains The Toy World from Dementia BLE preview can in partnership the appeal of the , with DC Thomson be found over the event: “Brand next 40 pages with Licensing Europe Consumer everything toy is an incredibly licensees need welcoming trade know about the show. If you’re to hottest upcoming thinking about licensing, you should brands for 2015. definitely come along. Don’t be put off because you think that you don’t know enough about Toy World asked works. Every morning how it Darren Brechin, I present a 30-minut event director of for toy retailers introduction to BLE 2014, to list e basic visiting the show: licensing and to his top tips the show – just • Plan your visit, come along to there is so much that and you’ll know enough to to see and do. Download mobile app to far more out of get ascertain which your first contact the BLE exhibitors you • with the licensing Arrive early for community. If would like to meet. any educational you like what you sessions, these see, consider and are often standingnetworking with are extremely popular all the industry room only. We heavyweights at advise you arrive minutes Global Networkin prior to the start our at least 10 g Party on the Wednesda time to secure have specific sessions your place. Don’t Mayfair, a fun evening y night in forget we relating to the toy of conversation, Partners this year. market from our canapés and contact creation.”

Knowledge • Get a visual fix on the first day from our character where in the past New features parade at 11am, Peppa Pig has rubbed Mutant Ninja Turtles, shoulders with New for 2014, the the Teenage Brands & Lifestyle and Dennis the Menace along Theatre will offer trouble. free sessions tailored with The Minions specifically to the have got up to • If you’re a retailer, business of licensing brands. all sorts of make the most Visitors will hear of our Retail Buyers’ expert guidance Company, and licensing within on Lounge, sponsored find out more about the world of sport,

by The Licensing • our forthcoming lifestyle, fashion To register for free and heritage brands.

Retail entry, visit www.bran Mentoring Programm Run in partnersh dlicensing.eu, @bleurope for ip with Brand e 2015. and you can follow the latest news and updates. the show on Twitter using

Top tips

Toy World 83

Publication Date: 1st October Editorial Deadline: 1st September Advertisement Deadline: 15th September

To find out how you can highlight your key properties to licensees and retailers across the Kids’ market, contact John Baulch on 01442 502 408 or email john@toyworldmag.co.uk

marketing world The toy trade’s no.1 resource for marketing news and opinion

Clementoni launches its first UK TV advertising campaign Clementoni has launched a UK TV campaign to generate and drive consumer awareness of the Baby Clementoni and Science and Play ranges.

The Baby Clementoni and Science and Play ranges are core elements within Clementoni’s product portfolio for 2015 and 2016 with the former targeted at infants 10 months+, and the latter targeted at an older age group of seven years+.

The Baby Clementoni advertisements are airing on prime slots on Channel 5’s Milkshake in addition to Nick Junior, Nick Junior 2, Tiny Pop, Cartoonito, Disney Junior, Nick Junior and Nick Junior 2 in the Republic of Ireland. The Science and Play range advertisements are being shown on CITV, Disney Channel, Disney XD, ITV[X], Nick, Nicktoons, Pop, Pop Girl and Kix. Michele Marziliano, UK country manager for Clementoni, commented: “It is exciting to see our products featuring across numerous mainstream UK channels. We already have a consistent presence on European televisions and have seen the direct impact these advertisements have on product sales and are confident that this success will be replicated in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.”

Clementoni is running further advertising campaigns later in the year.

Sambro TV adverts air Sambro’s new distribution lines are being supported by an integrated marketing campaign and the first wave of TV advertising has begun.

The Frosty Fruit and My Enchanted Mirror adverts are both being broadcast across children’s channels including Cartoonito, Nick Jr and Tiny Pop. Retailers have seen an increase in demand for the two products since the adverts first aired. A second burst of advertising will commence from mid-September and PR activity will also include a blogger outreach programme and a Christmas campaign.

Ian Cuthbert, business development manager, Sambro, said: “We have some fantastic new lines at Sambro and Frosty Fruit and My Enchanted Mirror are the first of our planned TV campaign for 2015. We are supporting all our new lines with TV advertising right up until Christmas to drive sales for our retailers. The response so far has been brilliant so we can’t wait for the next lot of TV to commence.”

IMC to sponsor weekend mornings on Disney Junior

Nickelodeon launches preChristmas PR Campaign

IMC Toys has announced a four month campaign with Disney Junior, which will see the company sponsor weekend mornings on the channel.

A series of sponsorship idents, created by the Disneymedia+ in-house creative team, will be aired on Disney Junior every weekend morning between 8am and 11am in the Disney Juniorville block of programming, which features programmes such as Sofia the First, Miles From Tomorrow, Doc McStuffins and Henry Hugglemonster.

IMC Toys selected seven items to be featured as sponsorship idents, including Disney licensed lines Doc McStuffins RC Scooter, Minnie Scooter RC, Olaf Storyteller and Skate & Sing Elsa. In addition, best-selling Club Petz Lucy the Dog and Blu Blu the Dolphin will also feature in the campaign, alongside a new launch for 2015, Baby Wow. Managing director Terry Crew commented: “We are delighted to partner with Disney Junior on this sponsorship programme, it is the perfect addition to our autumn winter TV and marketing campaign. The creative is looking fantastic and we anticipate a significant uplift in sales, so we are recommending all our retailers to get their orders in early.”

Toy World 18

Nickelodeon and NVCP have launched a campaign to increase consumer visibility for their brands in the run up to Christmas.

The focus will be on promoting Nickelodeon’s key character licences – Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora and Friends: Into the City! and Paw Patrol. Selected products will be used across a number of licensees to gain overall awareness for the brands.

Using selected promotions and editorial, Nickelodeon plans to boost its visibility in widely read Christmas gift guides.

Marianne James, NCVP vice president UK & Ireland and European retail sales & marketing, commented: “We are concentrating on supporting our brands in this crucial period for the benefit of all our licensees.

We will be looking for licensee support to maximise our opportunities. Our aim is to make our brands top of every child’s, plus a few adults’, Christmas wish list.”

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licensing world The toy trade’s no.1 resource for licensing news and opinion

Angry Birds 2 hits 30 million downloads worldwide Angry Birds 2 was only released worldwide last month and it has already hit the 30 million download milestone — with a third coming from China alone.

Rovio Entertainment has described the success as “a great start to the Angry Birds 2 journey” but says the adventure on Piggy Island is just getting started and surprises await around the corner.

Meccano Thunderbird 2 is go

Experience the force with Amscan’s Star Wars balloon range Amscan has increased its offering of Star Wars foil balloons with six new additions to the collection; in collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm.

The new range features classic characters that have featured in the previous films including a Storm Trooper AirWalker measuring 177cm high, Chewbacca SuperShape, R2D2 multi balloon, plus multidimensional Orbz, Cubez and Diamondz options.

The balloons are in stock and available now to retailers within the UK. The new designs complement the existing range that includes a combination of classic Star Wars characters and designs relating to the CG animated series; Star Wars Rebels.

Anton Schygiol, director of balloons at Amscan International, said: “Our existing Star Wars balloons are performing well and we’re delighted to be bringing some new designs to the market. The R2D2 AirWalker is a bestseller for us and we are looking forward to seeing reactions to the new Storm Trooper AirWalker.”

Amscan also has plans to launch an additional range of balloons especially for the new movie; Star Wars: the Force Awakens out in cinemas this December.

Meccano has announced details of its partnership with ITV Studios Global Entertainment for a Thunderbirds Are Go construction toy line, which will launch at retail in the UK this autumn.

The new Thunderbird 2 model is built from over 650 metal coloured Meccano parts, with realistic features including a cargo bay pod, thrust nozzles, and foldable landing legs. Builders can also construct The Mole which deploys into action from a replica Pod 5.

Meccano marketing manager Emma Eden commented: “Meccano and Thunderbirds have so much brand heritage to build on. With both brands having already made a significant impact in the toy world this year, it’s a really exciting time to be launching this new Meccano set. “ For more information, contact Spin Master on 01628 535 000.

Sambro signs pan-European Bratz deal with MGA Entertainment The deal will see Sambro create a Bratz range that spans several categories including bags, arts and crafts and stationery.

The popular Bratz dolls have been relaunched 14 years after they first became a hit in the UK and have been given a makeover to reflect current trends.

Nikki Samuels, licensing director, Sambro, said: “Everyone remembers how popular Bratz were and MGA Entertainment is certainly bringing them back with a bang. We know the dolls will attract new fans and are delighted to have signed this new deal which will see us create innovative product for both the UK and European market.”

Licensing World 20

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licensingworld Boj Makes a splash on the big screen

Pesky Productions announced big sceeen appearances for Boj with three 11-minute summer episodes showing back to back at all 21 Picturehouse cinemas.

The episodes have been shown throughout the UK during weeks commencing 27th July and will also be shown from14th September.

Boj made his first cinema appearance at Picturehouse Cinemas with an exclusive Toddler Time session which included a screening of the 22-minute episode Adventure Camp on 29th June. Boj will now make two further appearances.

The theme for the next screening is summer with the episodes Sports G’day, Sploshy Fun and Giggly Holiday all being shown.

David Hodgson, director, Pesky Productions, said: “We are delighted to see Boj now appearing on the big screen and are grateful to Picturehouse for working together with us on this project. The show has proved popular on CBeebies which has catapulted us into this fantastic position where parents can now take their children out of the house to see Boj at the cinema.”

Tomy expands licensing portfolio for impulse toys

Tomy has added to its portfolio of big-brand children’s entertainment licences for its Impulse range of collectible toys.

It will launch a collectible range from brand licences including; Star Wars, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney, Hello Kitty, Sonic Boom and Nintendo.

Customers can expect to see new additions to Tomy’s blind bag and other Impulse range packaging formats, which will launch in late 2015, including movie-inspired collections.

A popular collectible is the Star Wars light-up light sabers. There are six to collect and they include an illumination feature and keyring attachments.

The Disney Princess Cute Buildable Figures are a range of construction toys. There are 10 of these four-part figures to collect. Based on the same format are the Disney Cinderella Buildable Figures, with six to collect.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Collection Pack features all the hero characters, in a range of concepts including figure keyrings, badge studs, bike valve caps, pencil toppers and stand-alone half-bust figures.

Summer of Pokémon at The Entertainer

The Pokémon Company International has partnered The Entertainer for a retail promotion.

Fans heading to The Entertainer can currently pick up a Collector’s Album free of charge in which they can showcase cards from the latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, XY —Ancient Origins.

A promotional campaign will run in a number of children’s magazine titles with a total circulation of 300,000. Publications including Toxic, Kick, Kraze, and National Geographic Kids will carry a sampling pack that includes three Pokémon TCG cards, an editorial about Pokémon and advertisements to drive awareness of the Collector’s Album.

Pikachu will also be making appearances in selected Entertainer stores.

Westfield London’s branch of The Entertainer will run promotional activity until 16th September and have a Pokémon window display. Customers who present their Kidzania proof of purchase at the Westfield branch will receive a free Pokémon Trading Card Game sample pack.

Mathieu Galante, senior market development manager at The Pokémon Company International, commented: “This is a key summer promotion for us and has been especially designed in tandem with The Entertainer and Esdevium. We hope to offer a great experience to Pokémon fans and see huge potential for commercial success.”

Stuart Grant, buying director at The Entertainer added: “We are delighted to be working with The Pokémon Company International on a second very special promotion at our shops. This one is perfectly timed for the end late summer holiday and back to school period. We’re particularly proud of the special window display in Westfield London too.”

BBC unveils Christmas ranges

At a recent press event, the BBC unveiled a strong line-up of new products which will be introduced by its licensees in the run-up to Christmas. Highlights included Golden Bear’s Hey Duggee range, which has been performing extremely well since it launched in Argos last month. Other retailers including Toys R Us, Tesco and Sainsburys will begin stocking the range in September. The programme continues to go from strength to strength: it has now reached a massive eight million downloads on i-player, while Series 2 will be broadcast later this year.

Golden Bear has also extended its range of Something Special product; the show is now in its 10th season and remains hugely popular with both parents and children.

There is a plethora of new Doctor Who merchandise to coincide with the return of the new series on 19th September, including Character Option’s new Cyberman Blast game. Visitors to the event were also given a sneak peek at the brand new Lego Doctor Who set, which is due to be launched in the first week of December. Although specific details are still under strict embargo, we can reveal that the set is as highly detailed as you would expect, and will no doubt be in great demand.

The collaboration with Lego has also extended to the company’s exciting new toys-to-life range, Lego Dimensions. Doctor Who plays a prominent role in the first incarnation of the game, alongside global icons such as Scooby Doo and characters from the Lego Movie.

Licensing World 22

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NPD Column Movie magic The NPD Group’s Rory Partis assesses the impact of movie related licences on the toy market.

2

015 so far has been a great year for the toy market. With NPD growth for YTD July currently at +5%, there are a number of success stories in the market place at the moment.

One of the standout performances this year has been the success of licences; the licensed market is currently +10% after the first seven months of the year and worth nearly 27% of the total toy market. One of the key areas of this licence performance is a bumper year for movies that has seen movie licences in toys returning some great sales figures. This has also led to action figures being the top performing category in the market, with +36% growth vs the same period in 2014. With so many channels for kids entertainment now competing together – movies, TV, online, video games and more, is the big screen still a key motivator for toy purchases?

Looking at NPD consumer panel data we can see that in the latest year the most popular media influence is store displays but discounting this, internet and websites are next, accounting for 11% of all toy purchases. No real surprise when you consider how much publicity is now generated from online campaigns. It’s no real surprise either that this has grown substantially as an influencer over the last few years, accounting for 7% in 2008. Internet as influence has grown 4 % points over the last 6 years and this has led to an increase of £142m being spent on toys inspired by the internet; Moshi Monsters in 2012 is a fantastic example of a toy success from the digital world. The next largest influence is films, which influenced just over 7% of all toy purchases and has grown from 4% in 2008. We have in fact seen a huge increase in the latest year for movie influenced purchases, a whopping +58% increase over the year before. In fact movies have actually now moved ahead of TV series in terms of popularity of influencing toy purchases, bringing in nearly £70m in value in the latest year. Taking this into account, it’s no surprise that the toy industry is always excited when there is a movie

line up like there has been in 2015. % of Toy Purchases Influenced by Film/Movie Looking at NPD Consumer Panel Value % this year we can see that it really 7.1 has been a great % of toys purchased being influenced by one for movie Film/Movie related toys. When we look back 4.7 4.6 at some of the 4.5 4.3 movies released, 3.8 3.6 we can see where the strong action figure performance has come from, with Big Hero 6 in January, followed 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 by the Avengers in April and then Minions and Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and Confidential Jurassic World in June. These licences collectively have brought set to continue with what the film studios have in nearly £13m to the action figures category. In planned for the next few years. With Star Wars to fact, if you look at the top 10 properties in action come at the end of 2015, it looks like we could be figures, then 7 of those are licences that are movie on course for some impressive end of year figures, related, whether that be this year or from the past. and this will have been helped hugely by 2015 We also have, of course, a rather big movie coming being a great year for visiting the cinema. in December that will bring another movie related boost to the action figure category; the question is just how big is Star Wars going to be?

Outside of action figures, Frozen has been the movie toy success story of recent times. However, Frozen did not follow the usual movie trend, with sales building steadily month after month throughout 2014 and into 2015. Frozen is a great example of a movie line generating buzz not just from the movie alone but from other channels; the property was the standout licence of 2014 and has already hit nearly £30m this year looking at YTD July data, and the movie came out in December 2013.

The strength of movies influencing toy sales is certainly apparent from the NPD data and it looks

Rory partis

executive director

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

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talking shop Easy like Sunday morning Toy World’s Daniel Rich speaks to independent retailers about the hot topics of the month. This month Daniel asks retailers how changes to the National Living Wage and Sunday trading hours will impact their businesses and what they think will be big this Christmas.

Ginette McGee Owner, Toytown, Seaford This is now Toytown’s sixth year and it’s going very well so far; sales are up around 10%, not taking into account our new Haywards Heath store. Seaford is now well established and as our biggest store, is always likely to have the highest sales – yet our Haywards Heath store is doing almost the same despite being a third of the size. It is a busier town with a thriving high street but it’s reassuring considering we only opened in mid-June. We have received lots of positive comments from the customers and have plenty of regulars already – so we’re looking forward to the next few months and our first Christmas there.

The school holidays got off to a good start, we broadened our range of suppliers for outdoor and summer toys. There’s been a bit of a yo-yo craze and hula hoops seem to be more popular this year than previously.

Surprisingly, we’ve had requests for Loom Bands and kits, so we are getting through the last bits that were lurking after the madness of last summer.

We are seeing some of the eagerly anticipated autumn releases coming through now, which is getting the staff excited about the next few months. Shopkins Series 3 has made a lot of little people very happy, including a fair amount of boys. The sample

packs supplied by Flair certainly helped and the diorama gets a lot of noses pressed up at the window. Tube Heroes from Jazwares is a new range for us and I have been surprised at how well it’s going; it seems such a bizarre concept but it certainly has a fan base. Explaining the range to the staff was probably the trickiest part.

Two recent announcements will have an impact on businesses over the coming months and years; some positive, some not so. I suspect the National Living Wage will

hit retailers hard, especially those paying the Minimum Wage at the moment – we currently pay somewhere between the Minimum and the Living Wage, so it will have an impact, but not as bad as it will be for some. The extra cost is going to have to be found somewhere and the cut in the Corporation Tax certainly won’t cover it. I can foresee people losing hours, prices having to rise and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few businesses end up closing.

Relaxing the Sunday trading hours is also

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0843 557 4062

4 Ramsay Court, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FY

or email:

sales@epochmakingtoys.com

Toy World 27

getting a mixed reaction. Personally, I’m all for it, especially in an age where people shop online 24 hours a day. It will be interesting to see what the superstores and shopping centres decide to do, as shoppers are unlikely to change their shopping habits until the big stores let them. Currently, most high street stores could open longer anyway if they are under 3000 square feet, but we have all been trained to shop in limited hours on a Sunday and it will probably take some time to change this pattern.

I understand some people will not

want to work on Sundays but there are many reasons why people may not be able or willing to work on a particular day of the week, such as childcare, personal commitments, or, of course, belonging to a religion with a different holy day – being in a trade that revolves around Christmas doesn’t necessarily require everyone to be a Christian. An employer should be able to balance their rota so that everyone is happy to work when they want to. It seems a little unfair to affect the economy for everyone and base the trading hours on the religious

beliefs of a small minority. We currently open Sundays in two of our stores; even the charity shops in Seaford open Sundays.

The next couple of months will involve fine tuning orders, a few previews at suppliers for upcoming products and getting the stores ready for the onslaught. The staff are already tiring of me constantly giving them the Christmas countdown number. Last year saw the first Seaford Christmas Magic event, a huge success, and there’s lots planned for this year’s event, for which Toytown is a sponsor and then of course, it all starts again.

Dave Tree, Manager, All The Cool Stuff,

by our product offering and pricing strategy - our cut off price point is £40. I’m sure the toy industry will continue to adapt, like it has done throughout the recession, by providing a good mix of affordable product; the introduction of blind bags and pocket money toys has certainly helped. The likes of Club Penguin and Gogos paved the way for Moshi Monsters, Loom Bands and Lego Minifigures at sub £3 price points.

Extended Sunday trading hours will have zero effect on us because I’ve got the longest opening hours locally anyway. It’s a traditional area – people hang “out for lunch” signs on their doors and close for lunch.

I do what I need to do to make money. I was working until 8:00pm the other night so a customer could collect an item. If I’m not responsive I don’t get the sale; we independents have to work twice as hard and for a smaller margin.

This Christmas I’ll be stocking TV or film influenced items such as Jurassic World, Thunderbirds and Minions. I hate to say it, but such products have a condensed shelf life – it’s a problem because you can have a lack of confidence in the brands due to relying on the TV show or film to market it, and it is difficult to predict what will take off, and for how long.

Another film influenced range that I’m sure

will sell well this Christmas is Star Wars. I’m receptive to what people want – I see and hear about trends directly and deal directly with people, so can react quickly.

Personally, I’ve always loved toys and am continually impressed by Lego’s innovations.

I’m also enthusiastic about Nerf – give a kid a Nerf gun and they’ll run around and be active. To a degree I like Transformers although I think there have been better products in non-movie years when the toys have to fight for attention. Having said that, they sell better when the movie is out.

Lego’s new Halloween based impulse purchase range has an attractive buy five get one free promotion with a loyalty card system and there’s an uncapped return incentive. They’re a pocket money/collectible range and there are 16 to collect but quite often kids want multiples of the same item.

I’m expecting them to be popular. I’m also confident that our board games will sell through very well. We work very successfully with Esdevium as their staff are highly trained and good at assisting independents.

Fordingbridge, Hampshire We have had a stronger start to the year than last year. I think this is down to us being a tourist area and flooding prevented tourists from visiting the area last year. Lego has been selling well across all platforms with City, Star Wars and others such as Duplo.

Brands that do well for us are ones that help independents and offer support with POS, displays and so on. The sales of items not supported by TV or film are based on how good they are as products in their own right. Kids’ whims dictate how well they perform for us, these are the items that need support, from both the supplier and the retailer. For example, our in-store demonstrations of Esdevium’s Dobble have really helped to drive sales.

The gifting element is a strong reason for customers’ spending. Older customers often come into my store and need things explained and demonstrated to them if they are buying for their grandchildren which is where support helps; if Lego can provide support then why can’t other companies? It comes at a cost but it works.

I don’t see the National Minimum Wage directly affecting us, in terms of the economic effect it might have on our traditional customer base. We’re not in a high density populated area and people choose to shop with us because they are attracted

For more information call:

making toys Limited.

0843 557 4062 or email: sales@epochmakingtoys.com

4 Ramsay Court, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FY

Toy World 28

indie viewpoint

Alan Dadswell, Founder, Toys N Tuck, Southend, Essex This year has been positive in terms of sales and we are up on last year. Our biggest sales driver has been Shopkins, Paw Patrol is very strong and generally pre-school is doing well for us driven by licensed product. Inside Out has started strongly and certain Thunderbirds lines are doing well, Lego continues to perform with Superheroes and Ninjago leading the way. The lower priced items in the Minions range are also selling well.

I’m looking forward to the Star Wars products because we are all geeks at heart. The 3D pen from Flair also sounds pretty good.

I’m surprised at how well sales have kept up even though we were up against the Loom Band fad from last year.

The rise in the National Living Wage will increase retailer’s costs. Therefore we will need to see suppliers recognising this with some improved margins, we will need to make sure we get good value from our suppliers as well.

I am not keen on extending Sunday trading hours, for our staff it will lead to a poorer quality of life – a catch-22 situation with more cash and less time to spend it. We will have to follow the herd on this but it may lead to a reduction in opening hours on other days of the week which would lead to pay reduction for some staff.

We have finalised our ranges for Christmas and ordered an initial supply but the real ordering will take place when we see what is selling and send in the repeat orders. I expect Paw Patrol, Shopkins, the 3D pen and Lego to sell well in the runup to Christmas.

If you would like to get involved with next month’s Talking Shop, please get in touch with Daniel: 01442 502 407, daniel@toyworldmag.co.uk

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

May the force be with you

H

i all. For this month’s column you have just the one author, as Mark is off on his holidays. And I know, like me, whatever place he visits, he will take a look at the toy shops in town. I was the same when I went down to Devon last month. There were a couple of lovely toy shops tucked away in gorgeous towns. As well as a chance to compare things and see what they stock, I almost always come away with something to use in our stores, whether it is a new line, a way of merchandising or something completely different. I guess when you run your own business, you are never truly off duty, and going into other toy shops fills our fix before we return home.

As I write this, we are in the midst of the summer holidays, and trade continues to be solid. We breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the end of July, and our single biggest month for looms last year, and were pleased where we came out. In August last year it dropped off rapidly, so the figures this month are a lot softer. Shopkins continues to fly out, and fair play to Flair, they seem to have done well getting stock in. The new lines from Paw Patrol have also sold well, with it looking like it will be in our top three pre-school licenses for this year.

As we head into the main season in September, we start to move our stores around for Christmas. We do not change our layout a lot over the year, compared to when we were both in Woolworths, and you seemed to spend your entire life moving products around. However, we do expand out on games for Christmas, bringing them to the front of the shop. It is a category that seems to grow each year for us, and it probably the most seasonal department in the whole shop. The one game that everyone has been after this year is Pie Face. It is one of those simple ideas that will work with all ages, and everyone can understand. Another game that has been round for a few years but keeps getting more popular is Dobble. I do not think it has been advertised, but it seems to be one of those products where word of mouth works as the best kind of advertisement. A couple of new ones that I like for this year are Elly Fountain Game by John Adams (after being sprayed in the face by it at Toy Fair!), and Rattle me Bones from Drummond Park.

From September onwards, all the toy manufacturers ramp up their advertising spend, and it is certainly something we notice in our stores. Although we cannot stock everything that is advertised, we do carry a lot of the lines. There is a fine line, as some lines can be very price sensitive, and if by stocking something we are going to look overpriced, and cannot match our competitors’ prices, then we have to take a view on whether it is worth stocking. However, there is also the view that when certain large multiples promote a product, they sell out quickly, and then we can pick up on any business that is still out there. It is a quite a balancing act, but also one of the reasons I enjoy working in this game.

As this issue hits you, the release of the new products for Star Wars – The Force Awakens will finally arrive. I am sure Mark and myself will be celebrating in store, I will take the Storm Trooper outfit and will get Mark a Chewbacca one!! May be Force be with you.

Toy World 29

Feature

Pre-Christmas TV

TV drivers Pre-Christmas TV advertising campaigns have long been key drivers of festive sales in the toy market. With a more fragmented media landscape than ever before, how has the TV advertising sector been affected?

Publisher John Baulch reports

I

f you listen to some observers, you could be forgiven for thinking that the children’s TV sector is in crisis.

Ofcom recently released a report which suggested that children are watching less television than ever, while the opportunities to target kids through alternative media channels grow each year. Yet even a cursory look at the subject reveals a far more positive picture than some commentators might have you believe. For starters, the question of whether fewer children are watching TV depends largely on the age group under discussion: the Ofcom figures define children as between the ages of 2 and 15. From a toy industry perspective, the focus is predominantly on the lower half of this age bracket, and if you discount tweens and teens, the picture is rather different.

Generation Media’s Mike Frost explains: “Contrary to popular opinion, very young children are probably watching more TV than they did in the past. It’s only at the 7+ level that they’re consuming more via tablet and mobile.

It might be considered sexy to devote a greater percentage of budget to online activity, but as a high percentage of toys are still sold to kids under 7, TV remains the best way to reach them.

Taking money away from TV to put it online just because it’s the trendy thing to do is perverse.

But if you’re aiming at children of 7 and over, that’s a different matter - you have no choice but to be online” Furthermore, advertising on TV is comparatively cheaper than it has ever been.

Mike suggests: “In effect, we’re paying the lowest prices for TV we’ve ever paid. By comparison, other media such as online and cinema are relatively expensive, especially in the first three quarters of the year. It’s only in Q4, when TV prices rise significantly, that these other channels become interesting from a cost perspective, as their prices remain consistent throughout the year.”

So how have the children’s commercial TV channels fared so far in 2015? Arena Azure’s John- Paul Burke offers his verdict: “Overall the sales houses have experienced a strong start to the year as airtime is booking out faster than it has in a long time. Tiny Pop and Pop’s move to Freeview has paid off massively especially as audiences are getting younger and dual

viewing is rising significantly. Indeed, Sky’s entire stable has seen decent growth over the last few months.” By comparison, the Disney Channel and Disney XD are both down, partially – it has been suggested – from the company’s insistence on limiting the advertising minutes it sells, with the rationale that it doesn’t want to alienate its audience. The success of Pop on Freeview has also led some agencies to question whether both Disney and Turner will look to the free-to-air platform to boost ratings at some stage in the future.

In terms of the overall level of spend from toy companies and retailers, agencies and channels alike are suggesting that it will rise this year. CITV’s David Murphy commented: “After a number of tough, recession led years, with decreased advertising budgets, the majority of toy companies appear to be investing more in their 2015 pre-Christmas advertising campaigns.

There has been an encouraging, positive feeling from advertisers since Toy Fair and this seems to have continued as the year has progressed.”

However, John- Paul believes the pattern of spend may change: “Black Friday is influencing spend more and more each year. Consumer Christmas shopping patterns have definitely changed in line with this.”

So does TV advertising still carry the same

Toy World 30

weight with retail buyers? On this subject, there seems to be a general consensus. David comments: “TV is still an extremely important communication channel and provides a fantastic shop window through which advertisers can showcase their products to potential customers.

It allows advertisers to create and build awareness and interest, encouraging potential customers to seek out further information and engage with brands both online and in-store.

The level of TVR’s planned on a TV campaign to support a product still seem to play a very important part in discussions with buyers. So TV advertising as a key part of a complete, well thought through and executed marketing plan should always help to gain support.” John-Paul agrees: “While toy advertisers are opening their minds to broader communications strategies, the feedback we are getting is that TV advertising still has the strongest influence with retailers.”

And as Mike points out: “A child only needs to see a commercial once to decide to add the product to their Christmas list. As long as you have access to a great commercial, it’s still the most effective way to influence kids in the runup to Christmas.”

Over the following pages, we present a round-up of a selection of the Q4 TV advertising campaigns being run by toy companies this year.

NEW “Green”

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Pre-Christmas TV

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com This autumn/winter season Character Options will deliver one of its strongest marketing plans to date with a comprehensive media plan that includes branded TVCs and high profile sponsorship programmes on key kids’ networks.

Core brands such as The Zelfs, Disney Princess Palace Pets, Ben and Holly, and Scooby-Doo will benefit from key scheduling, as well as Peppa Pig, which has recently seen the launch of the Once Upon a Time theme. The team has incorporated the entire range of product to create a story book look for the TVC. In addition, a separate commercial is in place for the feature plush Princess Rose Peppa.

A major investment has been placed in the sponsorship of Nick Jr and Nick Jr 2 for a full four months from August. The Fireman Sam Die-cast Range, The World of Clangers Toys and Bright Eyes Pets will all have their own 10-15 second idents sponsoring key kids programming on the channels.

The Little Live Pets brand has gone from strength to strength with the launch of many new pets for autumn. Each type of pet will benefit from TV advertising whilst digital and print campaigns are also in place. Late September sees the launch of Clever Keet who will star in his own TVC and print advertising campaign.

The Little Live Pets together with Wild Pets, The Ugglys Pets Shop and the Teksta Scorpion will also be part of a key TV sponsorship package.

From September through December CITV will take creative inspiration from the existing TV commercials and broadcast 10 second idents around the most watched TV programmes. This will be in addition to standalone TV plans. For Teksta, this will include the pre-publicised Scorpion Wars campaign.

TV lines such as Zombie Blast and Easy Nails will also receive heavyweight support of over 500 TVRS each through the autumn, adding to the wide variety of PR and other marketing activity already in place.

A.B.Gee

01773 570 444 | sales@abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee of Ripley has partnered with Zanzoon to promote Guess the Fake and Storidoo with an extensive TV and media campaign across Sky TV channels including Nickelodeon, Nick Toons, Nick Jr, Pop, Pop Girl, Tiny Pop, Kix, Box TV, Kerrang, Smash hits, Magic, Heat and on CITV. Guess the Fake is an interactive electronic family game and has already won the 2015 Toy of the Year Award for games in Australia.

Storidoo is for younger children and allows them to create their own stories with a step by step talk through guide.

Zanzoon was founded by Thierry Collignon in 2008, with a philosophy to create original educational toys. Zanzoon products are designed to nurture children’s curiosity for subjects such as geography, nature, time, maths or anatomy.

The TV adverts will run from the end of August uninterrupted for 12 weeks through to the middle of November 2015.

re:creation 01189 736 222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk Seven brands are to be showcased on TV throughout the final quarter by re:creation.

Combined with strong PR and online campaigns across the board, the company is geared up to build on success stories seen for Christmas 2014 including Razor electrics and Stretchkins plush.

The ‘Electrify your Ride’ formula that saw strong sales for the Razor E90 and E100 electric scooters in 2014 has continued to deliver results throughout 2015 and re:creation will build on this further with extensive TV in the charge towards Christmas. The Crazy Cart will also be in the spotlight with heavy TV support in the final quarter as well as further live event outings.

These and other key Razor products such as the the Razor ‘S’ Sport and new launches Lil’ Crazy and the Party Pop scooter will benefit from strong PR focus targeting Christmas gifting and reviews as the year progresses.

The Air Storm brand will benefit from a TV push in the run-up to Christmas highlighting the blazing LED technology of the new FireTek launches.

The company will roll out brand dedicated TV for Snuggables throughout the final quarter with a full 14 weeks of Snuggables TV. This will include a spot featuring the new Stretchkins Pink Cat feature plush with lights – a new addition to NPD’s 2014 Best New Non-Licensed, Non-Feature Plush range. Sampling, live events and blogger initiatives are all planned.

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Pre-Christmas TV

VTech

01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk VTech is supporting the launch of Flipsies with a 360 marketing campaign including TV, cinema, digital, social me, print and PR. The extensive TV campaign is launching over the summer holidays with a 30” spot introducing three of the Flipsies characters – Grace, Styla and Jazz.

Sandy’s House & Yacht play set will be the main focus of the alternative version.

Achieving over 1000 TVRs the heavy weight TV plan ensures the Flipsies is on air right up to Christmas.

Flipsies is sponsoring Disney Channel and Disney Junior back-to-school mornings. Running from 7th September to 9th October, Monday to Friday 6am – 09am, Flipsies will feature four different animated creatives, which will be supported by a three week online competition.

Flipsies will be on the big screen too in DCM’s Kids Clubs from 4th September to 3rd December; the campaign is estimated to deliver over 1.3m admissions.

DCM’s network covers 80% of UK cinemas. The Kids Club runs from every Saturday morning and every morning across the half term.

Activity based adverts in children’s print media will encourage interaction and longer dwell times. This will be underpinned by a PR campaign creating shareable content competitions and product reviews.

The Flipsies interactive microsite, www.flipsies.co.uk, will be prominent on all marketing communications.

Epoch making toys 08435 574 062 | sales@epochmakingtoys.com Epoch making toys has secured 4,400 TVRs across the Sylvanian Families and Aquabeads brands.

These adverts, which run between 15th October 2015 and 8th January 2016, focus on best-selling, seasonal and newly launched items. Epoch is extending its advertising campaign to January in order to capture pocket money spends during the busy sales season on items that complement the advertised products.

There are several Sylvanian Families adverts, including a 15 second segment focused on the range’s hero product, the Cosy Cottage Starter Home, stitched with a 15 second Christmas-themed advert focusing on Beechwood Hall – a larger home and seasonal bestseller. A second advert highlights the new seaside range, with two 15 second segments stitched back-to-back, featuring firstly the Seaside Cruiser Houseboat and secondly, the Adventure Treasure Ship. To highlight the strong-selling Baby and Child ranges, there will be an additional advert with a 15 second Forest Nursery segment stitched to an extra 15 second advancement highlighting the Country Tree School.

Epoch will be using at least 900 TVRs of the 4,400 secured on its craft brand Aquabeads. This 30 second advert will be split into two 15 second segments.

The first segment will be a more general branded commercial highlighting the key starter product in the range, the Beginners Studio, while the second segment will focus on the new Artists Carry Case.

Across both brands these adverts will be targeted at various channels including Tiny Pop, Pop, Nick Jr, Milkshake and Disney.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com Golden Bear is investing heavily in TV advertising this year with double the spend compared with 2014. The extensive TV advertising programme will see the company’s brands promoted across both satellite and terrestrial channels targeting the pre-school age group.

The Twirlywoos toy collection will have a constant stream of TV support through to December, featuring three ad formats highlighting plush, feature plush and Golden Bear’s hero product; the Big Red Boat Playset. The company’s Hey Duggee collection will also benefit from TV advertising with two commercials showcasing the plush range, the Woof Woof Duggee Feature Soft Toy and the Clubhouse Playset.

The In the Night Garden range will be supported with a TV campaign across Disney Jr, Milkshake, Nick Jr and Cartoonito with three new commercials featuring the Explore and Learn Musical Activity Table, Explore and Learn Musical Carousel and Musical Ninky Nonk Track and Train set. The Ninky Nonk Musical Activity Train was a hit in 2014 and will also continue to be TV advertised throughout autumn/ winter.

A new Something Special commercial launched this July to showcase the Textured Mr Tumble with Fun Sounds and the Mr Tumble Sensory Activity Centre playset.

Finally, the highlight of the season for boys will be Go Mini, with the brand new Night Challenge Raceway; the excitement of this track set is demonstrated within the TV commercial.

Toy World 34

Se A en s on TV

en As se T on V

A.B.Gee of Ripley Ltd, Asher House, Asher Lane Business Park, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3SW. Tel: 01773 570444 www.abgee.co.uk Email: sales@abgee.co.uk

Pre-Christmas TV

Flair 0208 643 0320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk GP Flair is preparing for a pre-Christmas torrent of TV advertising and marketing to ensure brand awareness is at its height.

Doc McStuffins is moving into the realms of Pet Care, with new Pet Vet featuring in on channel promotions and new episodes starting in October. There is a whole host of Pet Vet themed Doc McStuffins products with Pet Vet Doc Bag Playset leading the way. Together with The Pet Vet Desk and Pet Vet Check Up Centre this range will receive major support. The Doc Mobile will also continue to be a key focus and will be supported by over 2750 TVRs. Season 3 of the Shopkins collectibles launched late July and will be TV advertised for the remainder of the year. New themes Food Fair and Fashion Spree will have their own focus leading up to Christmas. Autumn/winter sees a heavy weight TV campaign of over 2500 TVRs plus a major retail programme of swap clubs and interactive viral marketing.

Flair’s 3D printing inspired kids range I-DO-3D saw an early introduction during the Toytesters.tv tour in August. TV continues through to Christmas with 750 TVRs. Pet Parade is another launch that is to receive major support with over 750 TVRs. Focus will be on the major play sets of the Train and Treat Kit and Playworld while the collectibility of each breed will be highlighted.

This month sees the launch of the World of Warriors toy line. A major focus will be the collectibles with 120 warriors to collect, along with Deluxe Action Figures and Role Play items. After the successful pre-launch campaign across retail and digital channels, the range will have 1000 TVRs and will be additionally supported by an FSDU program, a sampling campaign, a character costume tour and the press campaign.

Over 3000 TVRs are supporting The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each segment of the range has its own key TV driver.

The Half Shell Heroes portfolio will continue to be heavily supported going into autumn/winter with the hero playset the Super Sewer HQ and the supersized Mega Mutant Leo being key to the activity.

Tomy

www.tomy.com Tomy’s biggest ever TV advertising campaign features a range of key products. Campaigns started in August and continue on key dates right up to the pre-Christmas period.

Inside Out receives two separate advertisements; one for the core figure line plus the Console which is at the centre of the film’s action and another for the key support character Bing Bong. Details of the promotions for The Good Dinosaur are still under wraps but again there are two separate campaigns planned to air.

Tomy is expecting big things from The Foam Cone Factory and a commercial captures just the fun mum and dad can have with their children at bath time.

The Aquadoodle Super Colour Deluxe advert highlights just how creative little ones can be.

Finally, the Pokémon advert highlights the newly scaled action figures.

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John Adams 01480 414 361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams is continuing to invest heavily in TV advertising across its key lines in the run up to the festive season. Following highly successful TV advertising campaigns over the past few years, 2015 will see a mix of new and existing creatives running from August through to December on both satellite and terrestrial channels, targeting kids, mums and family-viewing programming.

New items within the company’s creative play collection will receive strong support. Sands Alive has its own TV ad, highlighting key products within the range. Bangle Blitz will also benefit from TV advertising, alongside the licensed Frozen craft kits collection which includes the popular Snow Globe Maker, the all-new light-up Snow Glowbz, and a range of Jelly Stickers. The new Mini Make Cupcakes set from the company’s food craft range will also have TV support, alongside the new Mixubbles range which allows kids to mix their own candy flavoured drinks.

The company will be putting TV advertising behind its new introductions including The Greedy Sheep, Elly Fountain and Othello, which also sees its 39th World Championships taking place at Cambridge University in October. Rummikub will also be supported by TV advertising.

Sparkle Science heads up the company’s science portfolio this year and will have its own TV advert, as will the RC Dragon.

The Pip Ahoy! range of pre-school toys will continue to be supported with a heavyweight TV advertising campaign.

Pre-Christmas TV

Brainstorm

01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk Brainstorm has significantly increased TV spend over 2015 and this Christmas will see the most extensive TV advertising campaign yet, including three key lines.

Aqua Dragons, the T-Rex Projector and Room Guard and the RC Illuminated Solar System are the main features of Brainstorm’s Q4 advertising.

The T-Rex shaped projector has 24 dinosaur images which project up to one metre wide onto bedroom walls. The RC Illuminated Solar System includes a full sun with eight colour, rotating planets that are operated by remote-control.

With a recently added Jurassic line, there are now five different Aqua Dragons sets to choose from including pocket money lines, as well as full-of-features illuminated kits.

Aqua Dragons have hardly been off TV screens this year and Brainstorm has recently made a new Jurassic TV ad which will be rotated with the existing copy.

Little Tikes 08450 533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk Little Tikes has created two targeted ad campaigns with the view to driving mass awareness of key lines.

Lil’ Ocean Explorers is a new range of toys that encourage and celebrate active play. The company will ensure maximum reach to drive sales through two targeted TV ad campaigns. It has a heavy weight parent and mum channel-driven TV campaign underpinned with additional investment in children’s TV to maximise reach. The rationale was based around targeting new mums looking for purchasing ideas, particularly in the run up to Christmas. The focus is a mixture of high profile TV channels such as Five, Living, Sky 1 and Sky Movies to target parents and gift purchasers and increase reach and exposure. A second advert will run on children’s’ TV channels including Nick Junior, Tiny and Cartoonito and Boomerang. The two different adverts will run from October to November 2015.

Tumble Train is a runaway toy which twists and turns across the floor.

To promote this product, Little Tikes has primarily focused on children’s channels – opting for a full mix which will have a wide reach; this includes CITV, Disney Junior, Five, Nick Junior, Tiny Pop, Boomerang and RTE 2.

The ads are designed to engage and excite children. The call to action and price point are then designed to drive purchase by parents and gift buyers.

Tumble Train will run from August to November 2015.

Vivid 01483 449 944 | www.vividimaginations.com.uk Nearly 3,000 TVRs will support Crayola across the holiday period.

Marker Maker will return after its sell out success in 2014, alongside the new Paint Maker which allows children a messfree approach to magically create their own custom colour paints and the new Sketch Wizard. Tweens can join #ThreadNation with the new Thread Wrapper from Creations.

Finally, My First Crayola will be showcasing its Doodle Magic Mat during key pre-school slots.

Vivid Toys has 16 new TV creatives airing this season across boys, girls, outdoor and preschool. Campaigns will run across October half-term and into the peak Christmas season on key brands such as Thunderbirds, Real FX, Cayla, iQue, My Friend Freddy Bear and Peter Rabbit.

AniMagic sees its strongest support yet with the new Fluffy Goes Walkies and Alfie My Training Puppy being TV advertised throughout the autumn season. AniMagic Rescue Hospital will also showcase two new creative with Puppy Play School and Bluebell Stables. Other new brands include the Chocolate Pen, Bubba Dubbas and Dave the Funky Monkey.

Drumond Park games is known as a heavyweight advertiser in the preChristmas season and 2015 will be no different with 21 games on air. Strong TV support will be in place to drive sales of adult games Articulate, Logo, the new Logo Lite and Shout! with an aim of keeping Drumond Park at #1 in this segment. Rapidough, Wordsearch and Best of TV & Movies start their campaigns in October and the 13 children’s games all hit the TV screens from this month.

Toy World 38

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2015 Christmas TV campaign

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Pre-Christmas TV

Interplay 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com

HTI

01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk This autumn/winter, HTI is TV advertising The Disney Frozen Colour Match Snowflake Bag, My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Style & Groom and Mamas & Papas Armadillo Dolls Pushchair.

Each campaign will also be supported by wider multiplatform marketing and PR activity. All three commercials will premiere on air from 19th October coinciding with the half term holidays and will be seen by over 3.5 million girls.

Alongside these TV campaigns, HTI will run a four week digital pre-roll campaign across high profile platforms such as Stardoll, Milkshake and Disney.com. A PR campaign will also ensure high awareness and engagement during the peak purchasing period.

The Disney Frozen Colour Match Snowflake Bag advert captivates the magic of the hit film, reinforcing the amazing colour change feature of the snowflake shaped bag that can change shade to match over 100 different colours at the press of a button.

The My Little Pony Style & Groom commercial demonstrates to children the fun they can have styling Rainbow Dash’s multi-coloured hair and their own with lots of accessories and Cutie Marks. They can also create jewellery for Rainbow Dash and themselves to wear.

The M&P Armadillo dolls pushchair advert uses an everyday café location to show the nurturing role-play pattern of two little girls playing with their M&P Armadillo dolls pushchairs mirrored with mum’s experiences whilst caring for baby with the ‘real life’ nursery M&P Armadillo stroller.

FabLab, Interplay’s new range of creative activity, will benefit from a 500 TVR advertising campaign this autumn and a POP TV microsite campaign.

Glitter Tattoos, Hairlights and Nail Art have welcomed a new addition to the range – Style Lab. All four kits will be featured in a new TV advert that reflects children’s viewing habits for online and digital content.

Following on from past success, Interplay continues to provide heavyweight support for its award-winning myStyle brand with TV advertising through the year and especially through the run up to Christmas.

Exciting new introductions to myStyle this year include the Shamballa Rainbow Jewellery and Steampunk Jewellery. Both kits will feature heavily on TV this autumn in a new advert and 500 TVR campaign.

Trends 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Trends UK has launched its biggest season yet of TV support on key brands. The WowWee collection of Robots has substantial ratings reaching boys 8-12 years who will be excited to see MiPosaur, REV and the classic Robosapiens and Roboraptors.

For girls, there’s the Puppy & Kitty Surprise collection from Just Play where TV has already triggered a surge in demand for the Mummy Puppies & Kitties with surprise litters. Cult fashion dolls Once Upon A Zombie are TV supported as is Glitza Sparkle Studio glitter tattoos, both of these brands have new commercials for 2015. TV is also planned for the Discovery Channel Plantetarium later in the season.

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K’nex 01189 253 270 | www.knex.co.uk K’nex is set to invest in a heavyweight multi-channel marketing campaign to bring to life its range of construction toys on TV in the lead up to Christmas.

The company has scheduled 3,000 TVRs to run during autumn, from the summer holidays right through to Christmas. The campaign will reach around 70% of all boys aged four to nine years old, 50% of whom will see the TV adverts at least four times. The creative TV adverts will focus on K-Force during summer holidays, with the addition of Thrill Rides and Building Sets from mid-September.

TV advertising will be supported by a wider marketing programme including print, online and social media activity. A full year partnership with popular newspaper First News will continue, including competitions, advertorials and news stories to appeal to children, parents and teachers alike.

Competitions will run across a wide variety of comics for children and social media activity will directly engage parents on the benefits of construction play.

Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Laugh & Learn innovation takes centre stage in FisherPrice’s pre-Christmas TV advertising with the Smart Stages Scooter and BeatBo. City Skyway will also be supported along with the Disney Princess Twirl & Songs Palace.

Imaginext will feature in Milkshake sponsorship with TV spots for the new Transforming Batcave and Power Rangers Morphing Megazord.

The Fisher-Price Disney Junior ranges will be highlighting Silly Wheelie Mickey and Captain Jake’s Mighty Colossus High Sea’s Adventure playset as well as Octonauts GUP I and Octopod playsets. The new range of Dora & Friends will have a TV campaign for Dora & Perrito.

Thomas & Friends continues TV support with the Milkshake sponsorship every weekend and campaigns for the new My First Rail Rollers Spiral Station and Remote Control Thomas. Inspired by the Thomas & Friends movie, the TrackMaster Thomas’ Shipwreck Rails Set and portable playset Take-n-Play Daring Dragon Drop both feature in new TV campaigns.

Barbie will be supported with an increased TV and marketing spend plus an onair presence from August through to December with a multi-platform programme of activity.

TV will support Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals, including a partnership with Nickelodeon enforcing the message of ‘Raise Your Voice’ that will be amplified through a major partnership and competition with a leading girl band. Further TV campaigns include Barbie Twirling Ballerina, Barbie Bubble-Tastic Mermaid, Barbie Ride ‘N Spin Pups and Barbie and Tawnie Horse along with the Barbie Malibu House, Barbie Glitter Hair and Barbie Airbrush Studio.

For Monster High, extensive TV campaigns will support Boo York Boo York, including a major on-air partnership with POP channel and a partnership with a leading singer to support the ‘Sing to Win’ competition. Additional TV campaigns include Monster High School and the AstraNova Flotation Station plus Monster High Freak Du Chic and Monster High Fright-mare’s.

The Disney range continues with TV support for Frozen with Singing Elsa and Anna, and Ice Magic Elsa plus Sofia and Minimus, and Twirling Doll Cinderella.

The Hot Wheels range includes the Super Speed Blastway and the TV advertised Nitrobot Attack and Track Builder Volcano Blast. Hot Wheels Star Wars range includes the TV advertised Starship Playset.

Disney Pixar’s Cars’ TV campaigns include Design and Drive Lightening McQueen, while Disney Toy Story campaigns include Rocket Blast Buzz and Bull Ridin’ Woody.

TV advertised support for Mega Bloks includes the Block Scooping Wagon and Thomas & Friends Brendam Docks Deluxe Starter Set plus 1-2-3 Count with Thomas. The Minions range will be supported with TV campaigns for Despicable Me Build a Minion, Castle Adventure and Minion Movie Supervillain Jet. WWE is supported with TV campaigns for Create a Superstar and Customize a Superstar Figure Assortments and Ring, Batman includes the TV advertised Batmobile and supporting cameo of DC Super Heroes and Villains.

Mattel Games will be supported with a multi-platform marketing programme ‘Play the Game’, with TV for Uno Extreme and Bounce Off.

Retail profile

Boom time at B&M Deputy editor Emily Ansell Elfer talks to B&M’s managing director Bobby Arora about the discount retailer’s thriving toy division.

How has the toy side of the business developed over the years?

Toys have always been an important part of our product mix. That’s not particularly changed. What’s changed is that 10 years ago we were a small chain of 20 shops. Today we have 450 stores and are growing at a rate of two new stores per week. We have a UK store target of 850 stores, meaning we can still almost double in size. This year we will deliver total UK retail sales well over £2 billion. The toy department of B&M is now very significant within the toy industry.

When it comes to selecting stock, what kind of toys and games products are right for B&M? We only stock about 500 lines at any one time, so we want to stock the bestsellers that can justify a listing. If you think about our total toy sales of £150m per year, you can do the math and calculate the volumes of each line that we can sell.

Talk us through a couple of your hottest toys at the moment…

Our top lines are from the large global toy manufacturers that you would expect them to be from.

So our best sellers are the lines that are the industry’s best sellers – right now that would be licensed product from Minions, Frozen or other movie franchises. We also sell key lines that are advertised on TV, so it’s a mainstream product offering.

What’s your general approach to pricing?

B&M is a highly profitable business and we re-invest those profits in store growth. We price products with a sensible margin and don’t have any loss-leaders.

We will only heavily discount product if it has failed to sell, which is what any retailer would do. There is sometimes a misconception that our toys are just the low end of the market. That simply isn’t accurate – our toy range starts from a £1 pocket money line but also goes up to the £40 ‘must have’ Christmas present too.

Do you look for exclusives on high profile products?

We don’t look for exclusives – I don’t think that’s really viable given the high costs of creating a product and, for example, its moulding. You end up with a retail price that’s too high as the factory doesn’t have enough volume.

Why should toy suppliers be working with you?

The traditional toy market is under structural decline due to kids spending on phone or online gaming. To ignore retailers like B&M is to ignore the one route to market that is showing growth. Our toy department already has retail sales of £150m and we are set to double in size. Every week, some four million people walk through our toy department – why would a toy manufacturer not want to have its bestsellers in front of that audience?

The other important factor is the simplicity of dealing with B&M as a supplier. Our toy buyers are empowered to make instant decisions – we can issue an order within a day of being offered a new line, we don’t make decisions by committee.

We work off simple nett pricing – we don’t complicate matters with retros, advertising contributions, markdown allowances, extended credit or all the other ‘’nasties’’ that other retailers employ.

Finally, as a FTSE-250 retailer with a market value of £3.5 billion, there is simply no credit risk and our payment record is exemplary.

Are you trading with all the suppliers you’d like to be?

Pretty much everyone. We have good relationships with global brands such as Mattel, Hasbro, IMC, Character Options and Jakks Pacific.

What areas of growth are you looking to focus on this year?

We like to provide a balanced range across a wide range of price points so I wouldn’t single out any one

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managing director

sub-category. The department is growing by 20% per year just by virtue of store roll-out, as well as our positive like for likes.

What interesting things do you see happening in the toy sector at the moment?

We believe that movie franchises are going to remain important for the time being.

There is room for all of us in the market, the toy specialist, the online retailer, as well as high footfall chains like B&M that satisfy the impulse shoppers. We think that we are complementary to the toy specialist, who can score well with those shoppers seeking a very wide choice and are prepared to travel.

Do you have any big marketing plans in the pipeline?

Watch this space but later this year we will trial some national advertising for our toy department. So far we generate £2 billion of sales in the UK without any advertising so it will be really interesting to see how that is impacted once we start investing in marketing.

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Company profile

DKL looks to the future

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DKL has added four new ranges to its portfolio. Emily Ansel Elfer reports.

hen Kai Hawaleschka and his wife Dorte launched DKL Marketing, they set out to establish a company which would market and distribute quality brands for children. Over 25 years later, this philosophy still holds true: DKL now handles 11 brands, all with a quality pedigree. Sales and marketing director David Allan comments: “DKL doesn’t just sell product: it offers suppliers a complete support package, from buying, distribution and customer service to full marketing and retail support campaigns. We’re very particular about the ranges we take on: they have to be high quality and increasingly we’re looking for ranges which will help us to open up new markets.”

DKL’s current portfolio is led by Hama Beads, which features a wide range of beads, accessories and sets to suit all price points. This month sees the launch of Hama Disney Frozen sets in two sizes, which will complement established licensed ranges such as Disney Princess and Hello Kitty. DKL continues to work closely with retailers to set-up in-store Hama shops and create a series of Hama play days to help drive sales of this enduringly popular brand.

Other brands in the DKL stable include the Wonderworld range of quality wooden toys, which covers a variety of categories, from nursery and educational to the ever- popular role-play and furniture, and Corolle, a premium, high-end doll range which incorporates a selection of styles from baby dolls to fully interactive models, such as Lia, who speaks four languages.

Spanish brand Miniland brings an educational element to DKL. The Educational Corner collection is

Smart Lab

Scratch a competitively priced range of educational toys which is supported by the recently launched Play Miniland website and a newly-launched app.

DKL has just completed its first year as distributor of the Breyer Model Horses brand. According to David, the brand remains hugely popular in the equestrian market, and initiatives such as the Rosette stockist programme is helping the brand grow its presence in the toy channel once again. Breyer offers four scales of model horses with a large range of accessories. The range, which is renowned for both its authenticity and its collectibility, has been extended and the price points have been made more competitive. According to David, “we’re starting to see very positive results from all the changes we’ve implemented this year.”

Another relatively new range to the DKL portfolio is Scentco Scented Stationery, which David says “has been a great success since its launch in January. It has opened up new markets for us, which is very much part of DKL’s growth plans.” The range features a variety of stationery items whose scent is said to last for two years. New Disney Frozen items will be available from October, with more Disney licences to be launched from January 2016.

Addressing how to drive growth is a key ingredient for any mature toy company, and the ability to be reactive and flexible to a variety of markets and sectors has long been one of DKL’s strengths. David comments: “After 25 years in the toy trade, the market is changing, and the ranges we’re working with reflect that. We see DKL as a children’s brand supplier rather than a pure toy company. We feel the best way for us to grow the business is to take on new brands which offer something a little different to our retail partners.”

Toy World 44

Hence this month sees DKL launch four brand new ranges, each of which complements the company’s existing ranges. Belgian brand Scratch offers a diverse range of toys including items such as the hugely popular magnetic darts game, kites and original wooden toys in fun boxing. The eye-catching packaging offers retailers a completely different look to the traditional wooden toy approach, while the products themselves are modern and vibrant.

American brand SmartLab features a range of science kits and experiments which David believes are “absolutely perfect for the mass market.” Leading the collection is a selection of Squishy lines including a Human Body, T.Rex, Zombie and Brain, all of which come complete with educational booklets and a ‘try me’ box.

Anamalz is a selection of hand-crafted animals, each with its own fun-filled character. The collectible wooden animals make a great impulse purchase line.

The PlayMais craft range has undergone a complete revamp with new packaging, products and added play value. David comments: “We’re already seeing strong growth in the educational sector, and awareness is starting to build at retail. The range dovetails really nicely with Hama and we believe it will become a bestseller in years to come.”

To support these new additions to the portfolio, DKL has made a number of organisational changes, including a complete restructure of the sales team.

David comments: “We felt that the new ranges needed a dedicated sales approach in both existing and new accounts, so we have added new full time sales representatives to allow full focus and concentration.

We will also ensure that all of our ranges have a dedicated marketing plan, which will include stockist listings on the DKL website, in-store marketing, social media campaigns, PR campaigns, and dedicated instore activities for retailers.”

David concluded: “DKL has ambitious growth plans and the company has invested in quality ranges, which are supported by a dedicated team and a strong marketing presence. We also ensure we fully support all our retail partners, which are carefully selected to meet the DKL criteria. Customer service and flexibility to change is so important.”

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Feature

Playground crazes

The next big thing The playground crazes market is performing consistently at the moment, but there is always space for the next new fad. Emily Ansell Elfer reports…

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s the summer holidays draw to a close, companies working in the playground crazes market are stocking up on popular ranges and looking forward to an

influx of sales.

Cathryn Dunstan, commercial director at Dracco, believes that tech is going to be the next big thing in the market, due to children spending the school holidays playing on consoles and tablets.

She explained: “There will always be dips in sales in the school holidays, for obvious reasons. Also, a lot of kids prefer gaming on consoles, tablets and smartphones so it’s important to give them something to focus on in the playground that includes an online play element. Magiki Kittens offers an app where kids can play Magiki games as well as a fully interactive website.”

Dracco has developed surprise features for certain Magiki Kittens, such as Vanilla who changes colour in the sun, which adds to the attraction of the range. Certain Magiki Kittens, as well as four characters from the Gecko & Co range, glow in the dark.

Cathryn says that although there are some strong brands in the market, such as Shopkins, My Little Pony, Lego, Match Attax and Zomlings, there is plenty of room for a new craze.

“2015 has only really seen Shopkins reaching the heights of what you would classify as a craze with demand outstripping supply,” she commented. “A strong seller in this category is something that’s different enough from any other pocket money products to become a standalone brand. Collectibility will always be at the root of a playground craze.”

For Rebecca Smith, head of circulation at Panini, a good licence is key when working in this category: “Collectible success is often down to the success of the licensed property. Couple that with some great marketing initiatives, which often revolve around product sampling, TV advertising and impactful retail displays, and you have a great recipe for success,” she commented.

Rebecca says that companies have to

work that little bit harder when it comes to unlicensed products and invest heavily in marketing to get the range known and into the hands of consumers.

“Once we have a hot property we look at product differentiation to maximise all revenue opportunities.

Phenomena like the World Cup and Euro Championships operate on a different scale, with social media and twitter contributing hugely to the success of the collection,” she added.

Panini feels the time is right for a new 3D collectible product to enter the sector. The company has plans for a licensed 3D range it believes will “completely polarise the market”. The details are still under wraps but it is due for release in November.

Mark Hillier, managing director and CEO at Click Distribution, agrees that 3D is the way forward: “We believe the market is ready for another 3D flow pack phenomenon – Magic Box Toys are following up on their successful Zomlings range with Series 4 launching in the autumn, and I’m also excited about the 3D launch from Panini later this year, it’s all to be announced yet but we’ve seen it and I think it’s going to be Big with a capital B.” Mark predicts that Star Wars is also about

Toy World 46

Magic Box to have a significant impact on the sector: “I think The Force Awakens will influence a lot of consumer spend this winter, from young children right up to adults. From a playground craze point of view there will be a lot of contenders, with collections from Topps, Star Wars Wikeez from Vivid and a whole host of other merchandise to fill the demand. Also, the Euro Football Championships in France next year will lead a collectible frenzy.”

Ben Harper, UK and Ireland director at Magic Box, says the market is less crowded than it was 18 months ago but there are now some really strong and consistent brands for retailers to rely on – particularly Zomlings and Shopkins.

Playground crazes “It’s been interesting to see the success that Shopkins has enjoyed recently as the market is more generally known for products that focus on boys,” he commented. “The market is doing really well and there are several collectible products appearing towards the very top of the NPD charts, including our own Zomlings.”

Ben says that Magic Box tries to stand out from the crowd with constant innovation and aims to create brands that will go the distance.

He explained: “It is critical to innovate and refresh your concepts in this category, perhaps more than in any other. Our aim is to create a collectible brand that will sustain itself for more than just one series and to do this you need to create compelling reasons for your consumers to want to keep coming back. Each series needs to add fresh new elements and to be better and more exciting than the one before.”

Tomy has recently added to its portfolio of big-brand children’s entertainment licences for its impulse range of collectible toys. It has launched ranges from brand

licences including; Star Wars, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney, Hello Kitty, Sonic Boom and Nintendo.

Martyn Weaver, senior brand manager, says that the main challenge companies working in the sector face is that it is a very fast moving market.

“Products are popular for a short period of time before the next trend becomes popular. Therefore having evergreen licenses within your product portfolio lengthens the peak of product demand,” he explains. “Tomy’s products stand out from the crowd with their wonderfully eyecatching and engaging packaging. Strong sellers are often collections which have a large range of characters, accessories or extras which encourage consumers to collect them all.”

Speaking from an independent retailer’s perspective, Dave Middleton, owner of Midco Toys, says he is often finding that, when new ranges do appear, they are being launched as exclusives in big national chains before the independents receive stock.

He added: “This isn’t being mentioned by the supplier and we find out the hard

way when we see the products on stores’ shelves. Us independents look foolish when customers ask and we say a product isn’t out yet because we don’t know any different.”

Dave says playground crazes work best in independents when supply is tight and demand is kept high.

“Products such as Moshi Monsters and Loom Bands thrived in the independents and then died once the nationals jumped on the band wagon,” he said. “So I would say the biggest challenge is to keep supply tight on these lines and through certain channels.”

Dave usually merchandises playground craze products at till point. He says collectibility is key and advises that, for figures, showing the characters on the back of the packaging goes down well with consumers: “It gives kids something to aim for. There is nothing worse than a range of collectibles or action figures that don’t show the kids what they can collect on the back.”

Over the following pages, Toy World presents a variety of products from companies working in the playground crazes sector.

Click Distribution 01604 877 888 | www.clickdistribution.co.uk

Dracco 0845 365 3030 | www.dracco.co.uk

The new season’s Match Attax Trading card game consistently lists at the top of the NPD charts for both value and volume sales and Click predicts that this year will be no different. The company believes sports collections will feature strongly in the playground, with Rugby Attax to tie in with the Rugby World Cup just launched by Topps and Panini’s England Sticker collection coming to tie in with the latest Euro qualifiers. Shopkins has been a must have collectible by girls this year and Click is backing the Topps sticker, launching this month, as a huge success in the girls’ corner of the playground.

Magic Box Toys is following up on it successful Zomlings range with Series 4 launching in the autumn, and a 3D launch from Panini later this year is still under wraps.

There will be a lot of playground craze contenders for Star War when the new film hits cinemas, with collections from Topps, Star Wars Wikeez from Vivid and a host of other merchandise. Click is looking forward to helping customers maximise the potential and working with them over the coming months.

Dracco is launching Geckos & Co and Magiki Kittens this month. Each will be supported by a multi-channel TV advertising campaign in conjunction with social media marketing.

There are 20 Geckos & Co to collect and four of the Geckos have special glow in the dark features. Each pack will contain one Gecko toy (approx 10cm) and an educational guide containing key facts about the Gecko, plus information about the full range. Geckos & Co comes in a counter display box of 20 blind packs.

The Magiki Kittens collection is made up of 12 different kittens and some have special features: Vanilla changes colour in the sun and Leo and Monty glow in the dark. Each pack contains one Magiki Kitten, a colour changing ring and an information leaflet telling about the animal. Magiki Kittens come in a counter display box of 16 blind packs.

Following on from the success of Magiki Puppies at the start of the year, there is excitement around these two brands and retailers are being advised to ensure that they pre-order now to avoid missing out.

Dracco supplies a wide selection of pocket money items and offers a next day delivery promise (UK mainland) and low minimum order.

Toy World 48

Playground crazes

Lego 00800 5346 5555 | www.lego.com

Flair

0208 643 0320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk A new Mind Candy World of Warriors collectible is about to launch. The mini-figures have been produced in collaboration with Moose and are detailed versions of the lead characters within the digital game. They are available as figure packs in, 2s, 4s and 8s with over 120 figures to collect in Series 1 alone. The new collectible range will be supported by a marketing campaign running throughout the autumn.

July also saw the launch of the much sought after Shopkins Series 3, with a host of pocket money options. Available in two, five and 12 packs, each character belongs to a shopping inspired group. Collecting each group and hunting for limited edition characters is at the heart of the brand.

Other gifts that make affordable treats include Mutant Mania, Atomicron and WWE Stackdown, with each holding a battling angle. Mutant Mania has its endless combinations of flexi spine wrestlers and Atomicron has micro platoons of Matter and Anti-Matter collectable combatants ready to fight in the battle of the universe.

The WWE Stackdown range allows boys to collect and build their ultimate roster of WWE C3 figures.

Jazwares www.jazwares.com New from Jazwares, Tube Heroes represents the best of today’s online entertainment and will unify a portfolio of cyber celebrities including CaptainSparklez, Sky and Dan – The Diamond MineCart (TDM) among 37 others.

With a combined visibility of more than 27 billion views and 83 million subscribers for its stars, Tube Heroes will focus its digital entertainment and social media personality prowess into one toy collection that includes action figures, plush and role play items all at pocket money prices.

Action figure packs will drive the brand with eight different figures to collect, including the detailed CaptainSparklez figure accompanied by Jerry Slime, Slime Sword and Shield or the Sky figure pack with his Butter Sword, Butter and Shield. The Exploding TNT is also represented with his TNT shield and Nunchakus.

Alternatively, there is a collection of ten 7” plush toys to choose from.

Autumn will also see the property featured across the board in boy’s magazines, while blogging and unboxing will all form part of the awareness strategy.

Toy World 50

There are now 16 all-new monster-themed minifigures in Series 14 of the Lego Minifigures collection.

The collection is entering a monster minifigure mash-up with a Monster Scientist, Fly Monster, Wacky Witch, Gargoyle, Monster Rocker, Spider Lady, Banshee, Spectre, Skeleton Guy, Square Foot, Tiger Woman, Wolf Guy, Zombie Pirate, Zombie Cheerleader, Zombie Businessman and a Plant Monster – each of the figures is based on never-seen before characters in Lego.

Each minifigure comes in a sealed ‘mystery’ bag with one or more accessories, display plate and collector’s leaflet. They are compatible with all Lego playsets.

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Playground crazes

K’nex 01189 253 270 | www.knex.co.uk Super Mario and Mario Kart 8 K’nex toys continue to be popular with fans of the gaming phenomenon, while Plants Vs Zombies has also become a key licence.

The K’nex Mario Kart 8 line includes Mystery Figure Bags Series 5, offering fans the chance to snap up a never before seen Fire Princess Peach and White Tanooki Mario.

When Mario Kart 8 Mystery Figure Bags Series 6 land in stores later this year, fans will be able to uncover a rare Para-Goomba or Fire Brother. With Super Mario 3-Packs Series 4, fans can build characters using two buildable figures plus the additional mystery figure included in every pack.

The K’nex Plants Vs Zombies inspired construction range has continued to grow in popularity. The Plants Vs. Zombies line features eight collectible figures in Mystery Figure Bags Series 2, including Infi-Nut, Cabbage Pult and Snow Pea.

Panini

01892 500 100 | www.collectibles.panini.co.uk Panini has acquired the FA rights and launched the first Panini England Sticker Collection 2016 this month. The collection will benefit from a comprehensive national TV advertising and newspaper campaign and has had a complete editorial refresh.

The England sticker collection complements the Road To Euro Trading Cards already in the market, and gears up for the release of wider Euro products in the form of Official Euro 2016 Trading Cards, England Trading Cards and the Official Euro Sticker collection. On sale dates will be timed so sales are maximised for each collection, right up to the start of the tournament in 2016.

The Jurassic World and Inside Out stickers are performing well and sales of the third Frozen sticker collection, My Sister My hero, are continuing to top the sales charts at retail.

Panini’s third Peppa Pig collection launches on 10th September, complementing the collectible offering. The collection will benefit from a national TV advertising campaign and leads with an educational focus covering key early years learning including numbers, literacy, reading and speech.

Mixels 020 7693 1000 | www.cartoonnetwork.com Mixels is the result of a collaboration between Lego and Cartoon Network.

Close to one million units of Lego Mixels were sold in the UK from launch to October 2014 and 2015 has seen three waves of new Mixels content debut on Cartoon Network followed by a Mixels app. More episodes will premiere in October supported by a new wave of product from Lego which is now locking down ranges for 2016. This commitment to producing new content and products is good news for the licensees now signed to the Mixels licensing programme, including AFB, Aykroyds, Blues Clothing, BM Fashions, Dreamtex, GB Eye, Gemma International, Kokomo, Rainbow Productions, Roy Lowe & Sons, Warner Home Video and Hypro.

Maps Toys 01483 766 006 | www.mapstoys.com Maps Toys has introduced its new collection of Shopkins Radz – the company’s first licensed candy toy range.

Shopkins Radz are both a candy toy and a fashion accessory. As well as using them as a key chain, children can attach the characters to backpacks and clothing using the handy clip and their hair can be slid back to reveal candy in four flavours.

There are initially four Shopkins characters to collect: Snow Crush, Strawberry Kiss, Bubbles and Lollipoppins, and four different flavours to enjoy: Strawberry Splash, Radzberry Crush, Orange Burst and Apple Smash. There are also Shopkins candy refills available to recharge the dispenser or as a stand-alone pocket money purchase.

Each Shopkins Radz includes a colourful miniature poster featuring the Shopkins characters.

Toy World 52

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Playground crazes

Schleich 01279 870 000 | schleich@schleich-s.co.uk

HTI 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk

Schleich has added to its dinosaur collection for 2015 with new products at a pocket-money price point.

These collectible Mini Dinosaurs include eight figurines which are individually hand painted.

They add to other mini figurines available from Schleich that make ideal pocket money treats, including favourites such as Snoopy and Lucy and the new Smurfs characters.

HTI presents the new Magic Bouncing Bubbles Set from its Bubblz range. The bubble bouncing product creates bubbles that actually bounce like magic.

Children need only put on the special glove, pour out the magic formula bubble solution into the bowl supplied and use the blower trumpet to create their bubbles and watch as they bounce up and down on their hand like a bubble bouncy ball.

HTI is a leading supplier of pocket money toys and craze lines throughout Europe offering an extensive portfolio of domestically stocked ranges from Teamsterz vehicles, Jokes & Gags, Razzle Dazzle and My Princess girls’ gifts to Bubblz, FunSport outdoor toys, Pirates, Knights, Groovy Tunes music and many more in between.

Creative Toys Company 0208 664 3483 | www.creativetoyscompany.com Creative Toys Company is launching its SoccerStarz 2015/2016 edition football figures this month. These 2” collectible, licenced mini figures cover the top Premier League and European League clubs and will be available in both a foilbag and single-figure blister pack. SoccerStarz team packs will also be available.

Each SoccerStarz figure is highly detailed and includes the team sponsor on its kit. There will be 100s of new figures for football fans to collect. These include the latest transfer signings and top players such as Man.City’s Raheem Sterling, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

New for the SoccerStarz range this season, selected single figure blister packs will include a mini SoccerStarz Top Trumps card for added collectibility and play value. There will be in excess of 100 SoccerStarz that will include this card.

SoccerStarz figures will continue to be available on different colour bases, allowing collectors to search out the rare bases.

SoccerStarz will be supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign which includes a strong TV sponsorship and advertising campaign, coverage in top children’s and football magazines and product sampling.

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Tomy

01271 336 155 | www.tomy.co.uk Tomy will be launching a collectible range with various concepts to choose from, for licences including Star Wars, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney, Hello Kitty, Sonic Boom and Nintendo.

There will be additions to Tomy’s blind bag and other Impulse range packaging formats, which will launch in late 2015, including iconic movie-inspired collections.

The hero line is the Star Wars Light-Up Light Sabers. There are six of these keyringattaching illuminating Light Sabers to collect.

The illuminating function is a first for Tomy’s impulse range of collectible toys.

The Disney Princess Cute Buildable Figures, a range of construction toys, includes 10 four-part figures to collect. Based on the same format, the Disney Cinderella Buildable Figures have six to collect with ballroom floor-based models designed on characters from Cinderella.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Collection Pack features all the hero characters, in a range of concepts including figure keyrings, badge studs, bike valve caps, pencil toppers and stand-alone half-bust figures.

Playground crazes

Magic Box 01403 251 286 | www.magicboxint.com

Zomlings Series 4 introduces more than 100 new Zomlings to collect. The new inhabitants of Zomlings Town are transparent Crystal Zomlings and this will be the first time that transparent Zomlings have been available.

New Zom-Mobiles will replace the Zomlings Ghost Trains from Series 3.

There are four different Zom-Mobiles to collect, a scooter, a car, a truck and a plane and each one is available in six different colours. There will also be rare gold Zom-Mobiles to find.

Zomlings Buses will replace the Zomlings Houses found in Series 1-3.

There will be three different colours to collect.

A Series 4 starter pack will be available containing a Zomlings Town Play Mat, which allows children to combine and play with all the different elements from their Zomlings collection. The starter pack will also contain a limited edition Metal colour Zom-Mobile which cannot be found anywhere else.

A new Zomlings Series 4 Blister Pack completes the range.

Zomlings was the highest TV advertised Toy in Q1 2015 and TV investment will continue in September to support the launch of Zomlings Series 4. There will also be a range of social media activities and product sampling.

Zomlings Series 4 FSDUs are available for toy retailers on request.

Company profile

It’s a Small World

John Baulch spoke to Cuckoo’s Tony Eves about the company’s appointment as the official UK distributor for Small World Toys USA Tony Eves JB: Can you give us a little background on Cuckoo?

TE: I’ve been associated with the toy and gift trade since 1980, when I helped to set up the Russ Berrie UK operation. I established Cuckoo in 1991, and have supplied toy and gift retailers with a wide selection of quality toys and children’s gifts ever since.

JB: What attracted you to the Small World Toys range?

TE: I was introduced to Small World Toys in Hong Kong in January, and as soon as I walked through the door of their showroom, I understood exactly why I was there. We saw eye-to-eye straight away, and I knew it would be a great opportunity for both parties. The range was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to find a great selection of product that filled gaps in the market, and it was important for the pricing to be right for the UK. I’m delighted to say that the Small World range very much fits the bill on both counts JB: What are the key categories which the Small World Toys range covers?

TE: It’s a vast range. We’re initially focusing on some key categories in which we feel Small World is particularly strong: so we’re bringing in a large selection of their fashion items, as well as a broad range of creative play products, including a number of lines which will particularly appeal to boys. There is also a science and nature collection, which we thought was really exciting.

JB: Which specific products do you think stand out as real winners?

TE: It’s tough to pick out individual products, but we’ve had a terrific reaction to the inflatable dinosaurs, which are still proving popular long after the hype of the movie has died down. We’re also getting very positive feedback to a number of items from the fashion range, such as the tattoo set, the hair pastels and the lip gloss workshop.

We’ve also received tremendous interest in the sewing kits, as well as the whole construction range – everything is performing well, from the metal construction kits to the Build a Pirate Ship kit.

JB: What do you see as the main strengths of the range for toy retailers?

TE: The Small World Toys range is so broad that it acts as a one-stop shop for toy retailers. It covers so many age groups and there is so much variety that there really is something for everyone. Pricing across the range is also extremely keen: the team

from Small World Toys has been insistent that we offer the most competitive prices possible from the start, and that gives the retailer the opportunity to offer very keenly priced products with an attractive margin for themselves.

JB: What reaction did you get to the range at the recent Harrogate Gift Fair?

TE: We received a fantastic reaction at the Harrogate Gift Fair in July, which was the first time we have shown the range to customers in the UK. We received very positive feedback from the customers which visited the stand, so we were delighted with the response.

JB: Where else can retailers see the range over the coming months?

TE: We’ll be showing the range at both the Autumn Fair and Spring Fair in Birmingham. In addition, I’ll be visiting both the Hong Kong and Nuremberg Toy Fairs in January, where Small World Toys has

stands at both exhibitions, allowing us to show the full range to UK retailers visiting the shows.

JB: How do you see the partnership developing in the future?

TE: We’re definitely in it for the long-term. It’s such a vast range, we’re still learning new things about it on a daily basis. We believe there is a great future for the Small World range in the UK market, and we’re determined to make a success of the partnership.

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Feature

Radio control

Flying high The radio control market has gone drone crazy, with competition increasing and innovation being key to success.

Emily Ansell Elfer reports…

W

ith drones heavily saturating the radio control category, companies are fiercely competing to ensure that their products stand out from the crowd.

One of those companies is Flying Toys. Managing director David Rawlins explains: “With so much competition in the RC category, it is most important that our products are easy and fun to operate, and perform perfectly when they are taken out of the box. With a remarkably low returns rate, all the Flying Toys range is covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, ensuring the retailers’ confidence and customer satisfaction.”

David stresses that product presentation, online marketing and press coverage are also key: “All our Silverlit and Parrot products are beautifully presented in complementary packaging, and are often promoted online with professional videos.

Flying Toys has also worked closely with the specialist model press for almost 40 years – the Parrot Bebop Drone has recently been reviewed in all the major model magazines, increasing consumer awareness.”

This year’s drone-fever has provided a perfect launch platform for Flying Toys’ new products and the company has seen substantial sales during the past 12 months.

David commented: “The popularity of drones this year has provided Flying Toys with the perfect opportunity to launch 13 new styles of MiniDrones from Parrot. The new Silverlit Spy Drone is also now available, incorporating a video camera and performing flips, whilst easily controlled using a conventional transmitter.”

Bladez Toyz’s managing director Iain Morgan says that, although the RC market is currently buoyant, big companies working in the sector have started to play it safe – that’s where Bladez jumps in.

He explains: “Over recent years we have seen a trend emerging in larger RC players to stay safe with their product range and licences, and they are more risk-averse to innovation. At Bladez, we tend to spot the gaps that are left in the market as a result and maximise their potential.”

Iain says that the market also currently faces a few challenges: “Some challenges we’ve seen within the RC sector include an increase in labour costs; affecting manufacturer’s margins. Also, the increase of ‘Me-Too’ products on the market restricts the innovation of companies who are actively investing in tooling, research and development.”

Barry Hughes, commercial director at Golden Bear, also sees some challenges cropping up – he believes the main obstacle is consumers’ limited knowledge of the sector.

Extreme Fliers He says: “The RC market is always competitive.

A challenge for the category is that, in my opinion, consumers are not always aware of the difference between infrared and radio remote control.”

Instead of following the crowd and focusing on drones, Golden Bear is concentrating on bringing strong licensed properties such as BMW Mini and JCB to the category and making the products appealing and functional for a pre-schooler.

“We try and give our products unique features whilst also making them pre-school friendly. For example, our V Dubs roll over beetle does a 360 degree tumble turn,” Barry added.

Vernon Kerswill at Extreme Fliers adds: “The biggest challenge the sector presents is the speed of product development. Our technology is always being copied in China; we have to keep one step ahead of our competitors. We see at least 10 years of development opportunities with the Micro Drone. We have put a great deal of effort into its development and have created a very strong brand – that’s why our Indiegogo campaign was such a success. People are seeing Micro Drone as the leader of small sized drones.”

Bhav Patel, owner of Toy Galaxy, offered Toy World some insight into the category from a retailer’s perspective.

He says that the company tends to keep its RC offering around the entry level mark and has seen the market grow steadily over the years. However, selecting stock can sometimes prove difficult: “The current market is great with fantastic innovations and more functionality within reasonable price points. There is however a large range of items available across different brands which does make the market overcrowded when looking at entry level RC items,” he explained.

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Bhav also says that, as technology progresses, RC products become more complex. This means that staff need to be kept up to speed with information about the items. Another challenge is stocking spare parts.

However, the popularity of the products means that the positives far outweigh the negatives – and Bhav says the positives don’t all centre on drones.

“Drones are currently creating a big demand for RC and the items available seem to be getting smaller and smaller with better functionality.

However, I have also noticed that there is an increase in demand for something different,” says Bhav. “We have had great success with items such as water spraying RC cars and bubble blowing helicopters.

Customers are looking for the base products but with an added twist and products like these completely satisfy their needs.”

For Toy Galaxy, a strong seller in the RC category is often determined by the brand name as customers prefer to buy names they trust. This is very closely followed by price and the product functionality.

However, Bhav says that a deal can be clinched if a product simply offers something a little different and hits the right price point.

When it comes to in-store presentation, Toy Galaxy recommends displaying demo models but appreciates that this is not always feasible.

Bhav advises: “We have found that having staff demonstrate a range over a time period in store increases sales as it allows customers to fully see what the product can do. The demo days we have held also increase the chances of an impulse purchase in store.”

Over the following pages, Toy World present a selection of products from companies working in the RC sector.

The Ultimate Connected Toys from the UK’s Leading Distributor!

Radio control

Flying Toys

01702 295 110 | www.flyingtoys.com Flying Toys is distributing the new generation of Parrot MiniDrones in the UK, a collection of 13 connected toys and miniature robots piloted with a smartphone or tablet via the FreeFlight 3 app. Compatible with both iOS and Android devices, and developed with additional new capabilities, these new MiniDrone toys are ready for action on the ground, in the air and on water.

The Parrot Airborne Cargo Drones have been customised to carry a toy pilot, and can transport miniature freight.

The Parrot Airborne Night Drones feature powerful white LED lights, allowing the pilot to adjust the intensity of the headlights and send signals in the dark.

The Airborne Drones are full of sensors and a 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope measure and analyse each movement or inclination. A vertical camera compares an image of the ground to the previous one every 16 milliseconds, to determine the speed. It also enables the MiniDrone to take snapshots, which are saved on the 1GB internal flash memory.

The Airborne MiniDrones can achieve high speed flights of up to 11 mph and can race, turn and perform flips with accuracy and stability. Following a swipe on the piloting screen, the MiniDrone will turn 90 or 180 degrees in a flash. Users can choose their favourite Parrot Airborne Cargo Drone from Travis and Mars, or Airborne Night Drone from Blaze, Swat and Maclane.

The Parrot Jumping Race Drones are capable of rapid acceleration. Equipped with two high performance brushless electric motors plus a pair of big extra wide wheels, they reach up to 8 mph by using Boost Mode. The two large retractable wheels adapt to different driving styles and the drone can send light signals and has a maximum speed of 4 mph.

Parrot’s Jumping Drones take pictures and videos that are directly stored on the internal 4GB flash memory and children can talk and listen through the drone using an embedded speaker and microphone. The drones can jump up to 75cms and always land on their wheels.

Parrot Hydrofoil Drones unite air and water. Thanks to the four powerful propellers of the MiniDrone, the Hydrofoil slides through the water and stays about 50cms above the surface with amazing stability and agility. As the water resistance is reduced, the Hydrofoil can reach a maximum speed of 6 mph and turn without capsizing.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com The Bash `N’ Spin Radio Controlled Bulldog is a new addition to Golden Bear’s Go Mini offering. The trigger on the controller activates the Radio Controlled Bulldog to drive forwards, then the large ‘Bash’ button on the top of the controller makes the vehicle perform donut spins. The controller has two further buttons which activate barking sounds and real working headlights.

Kid Tough Remote Control Doug Dumptruck joins the company’s My First JCB collection this autumn. The easy to hold controller activates Doug’s five phrases, a flashing light and moves the dumptruck forwards or backwards, as well as enabling the vehicle to perform a reverse turn. RC Doug Dumptruck also comes complete with a manual tipping bucket which children can load, transport and tip for added play value.

Vivid 01473 322 000 | www.drumondpark.com All new for autumn/winter is the Sky Rover Missile Fire Helicopter. This voice controlled helicopter uses the latest in voice recognition software allowing users to easy fly and command their helicopter with just their voice. With 12 different commands, children can perform aerial manoeuvres and, for evasive action, can fire two missiles upon command. The Missile Fire Helicopter is stable and easy to control with its Gyro balanced engine and smart hover technology which prevents the helicopter from hitting the ceiling when flying indoors. Sky Rover will be TV advertised.

Real FX slotless racing provides a realistic driving experience. Each car is fitted with infrared Opto sensors which read the track at 200 times per second – this artificial intelligence means a second car can drive around the track by itself and compete. Over 40 different track layouts are possible with the set and the cars can read whatever race-track put in front of them.

Players can overtake opponents and deal with track hazards.

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Micro Drone 3.0

It’s small, manoeuvrable and customizable Whether you’re an expert pilot or a first-timer, Micro Drone 3.0 is for you.

“First of its size to feature a user-controlled gimbal equipped with tiny servo motors that will let pilots control the angle of the camera attached to Drone 3.0’s belly”.

“I’ve not seen any other drones that are integrated with Meerkat at the moment.”

“Affordable Micro Drone 3.0 Drone offers Virtual Reality and self-stabilized HD video. Oh, and 3D printable customization. Not bad for an affordable, palm-sized quad-copter.”

Find out more at: www.microdrone.co.uk Become a dealer: hello@extremefliers.co.uk Launching November 2015

Radio control

Extreme Fliers 020 3290 5155 | www.extremefliers.co.uk

Bladez Toyz

02392 658 255 | trade@bladeztoyz.co.uk Bladez Toyz has transformed favourites such as Star Wars and Minions into Jumbo Inflatable RC toys over the past seven years.

New for Christmas 2015 are fresh faces in the RC Jumbo Inflatable range. As well as new Minions characters, Darth Vader and Yoda feature 2.4Ghz controls, meaning up to 20 can be driven at one time on individual frequencies, so that the user can utilise the built-in inflatable light sabers to battle other players.

These Limited Edition Darth and Yoda RC Inflatables include sound effects unique to their characters, as well as real capes.

Bladez has also designed a 1:64 scale Volkswagen campervan that sits inside its own handset; which is based on the front of a classic VW Bus. The micro bus is modelled on the classic 1962 split screen camper and is available in a variety of colours.

Extreme Fliers’ Micro Drone 3.0 Indiegogo campaign has now come to an end, finishing at $2,354,967, and was the most successful drone campaign ever made on the online platform.

Micro Drone 3.0 is a small, personal drone that captures HD video. It is the smallest Drone to carry a gimbal - a tiny robotic arm, which stabilises the camera in the air. It is the first fully customisable device, combining advanced features with aerial capabilities.

Extreme Fliers started work on Micro Drone in 2011 and has successfully developed and launched two models which have received wide acclaim.

Micro Drone 3.0 is the third and most advanced evolution from Extreme Fliers and is designed to work straight from the box, is easy-to-use and has an affordable price. Micro Drone 3.0’s modular design offers additional functions with modules that users can purchase, which seamlessly snap on with magnets. The modules are coupled with a sleek, robust frame that has slide-in batteries and no exposed wires.

Micro Drone 3.0’s core technology is based around a central proprietary flight controller that gives it smart orientation and the ability to fly outside in winds of up to 45mph thanks to its on board sensors. The device also offers three expansion packs of varying sizes to build upon the original frame. The team are also building custom designs to support teaching in STEM subjects, such as 3D printing to create new form factors for the drone along with unique shapes.

The feature that sets Micro Drone 3.0 apart from other similar size products in this category is the micro gimbal, which retracts 90 degrees for take-off and landing. Combining the micro gimbal with a camera, Micro Drone 3.0 is able to capture panning shots. It also works with Google Cardboard VR, meaning any pilot can turn their smartphone into a head mounted display and fly first-person view. Footage is streamed via Wi-Fi directly to the user’s smartphone, as well as being stored on board with a micro SD card. It can also broadcast footage live to social media and the iOS/Android app has an editing suite with a host of tools.

Micro Drone 3.0 can be flown with multiple devices and, with just a flick of the switch or shake of the smartphone, can invert 180 degrees to reverse the motors and fly upside down.

Micro Drone 3.0 will go on sale in November. With the funding from Indiegogo, Extreme Fliers plans to launch new accessories every month and host events in partnership with stockists.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk In the second half of 2015, Air Hogs introduces a twist on the popular wall climbing car with Zero Gravity Drive whose patented technology lets users drive along the ground, wall or ceiling. Whilst defying gravity, the pilot tilts the directional controller to steer whilst giving the experience of actually driving the vehicle. The vehicle also has a light changing feature which is activated by pushing a button on the controller.

The Atmosphere Axis with its patented Wave Control Technology continues to be a top seller due to its easy to fly capabilities which enable it to hover over a hand or object. It will be TV advertised alongside Zero Gravity Drive and the go-anywhere RollerCopter helicopter with protective roll cage. Digital activity will also be running during the approach to Christmas.

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Radio control

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.com The Scorpion is the latest edition to the Teksta brand. The Teksta Scorpion’s interactivity is controlled with an infrared remote that straps to the back of the child’s hand to allow a full 360 degree control of realistic movement. Once in place, the speedy arachnid features articulate giant pincers which can pick up objects. Up to six creatures can compete for supremacy at one time.

The Teksta Scorpion will launch with heavy TV plus a digital and print robot wars style campaign and its own stand at the gadget Show Live Westfield.

Fireman Sam’s Jupiter Drive and Steer has a chunky steering wheel unit, which controls where Sam’s trusty fire engine goes. Children can simply press forward or reverse, whilst a turn of the wheel determines a left or a right. There is a turbo button for extra speed and the product is packed with key Fireman Sam phrases and a siren to warn other vehicles.

VTech 01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk VTech has unveiled a new pre-school RC toy – Zoom Zoom Racer Bear.

Children can press the simple right/left, forward/backward and turbo buttons on the chunky remote to race Cody around the room and trigger wheelies and spins. Four colourful buttons on the car teach colours, shapes, road safety facts and music through three learning modes.

The product includes a quiz mode to help encourage repetition and reinforce learning. It features lightup, flashing headlights to encourage play and attract attention and also includes 17 melodies and two singalong songs. The toy helps children to develop hand-eye coordination, motor skills and to learn directions.

Flair 0208 643 0320 | enquiries@flairplc.co.uk 2015 will see Flair introduce pre-schoolers to the one of the most prestigious car brands in the world – Ferrari, with a colourful car collection that includes a first Ferrari RC. The Ferrari Play and Go F2012 Remote Control Car features an infra-red steering wheelshaped controller, with easy to hold handles on the side. The car moves backwards and forwards, featuring real moving Pirelli P Zero wheels, a front and rear spoiler, a personal driver and sponsorship to complete the racing experience. This RC playset vehicle aids development through play, hand and eye co-ordination, and imagination in budding racing drivers.

The new RC Flying Dragon is the latest addition to John Adams’ product offering and sees the company taking a step into the tech toy arena.

Constructed from virtually indestructible super strong plastic, the RC Flying Dragon is tough and will easily survive a few crash landings. With scarlet red colouring and a wing span measuring approx. 40cm, its wings really flap when in flight. It can take off and land from its moveable legs and also features fire-breathing light effects.

The infra-red remote control comes in a dragon claw design and features a throttle stick and direction/ rotation stick, as well as a button to make the dragon’s wings flap during flight. The dragon can go up, down, left and right as well as do a full 360 rotation. The hand held remote control also features three channels so up to four dragons can be used at the same time in the same room.

The dragon has inbuilt rechargeable batteries which take their charge from the controller, so only the remote control requires batteries (not included).

The Flying Dragon will be TV advertised and supported by a full PR campaign.

The award-winning first person view Revell Control drone is upgraded this autumn. The WiFi Quadcopter X-Spy 2.0 is equipped with a camera to instantly stream video or pictures to a smartphone via WiFi. Other new quads in the autumn range include the 48cm Quadcopter Formula Q with a powerful engine and large battery pack, the Micro Quadcopter Nano Pocket which weighs only 13g and the Quadcopter Funtic which is suitable for younger users. The easy-tofly Quadcopter Backflip 3D features a 180° function to fly upside down.

viewpoint Toy World shares insight and opinion

Adrienne Appell TIA trend specialist

From tech to textiles: trends expected to influence toys and games

In addition to providing updates on toy and play trends in the marketplace, the U.S. Toy Industry Association (TIA) monitors trends in other industries that can influence the toy aisle.

Recently, TIA staff attended CE Week, New York’s largest technology show, and Texworld, a global trade show for the fashion industry, to scope out the latest trends in tech and fashion for 2016 and beyond. We have identified a number of cutting edge innovations in tech and textiles that toy companies might want to keep their eye on as they begin developing their next hit toys and games.

Analysts, innovators and thought-leaders who attended CE Week explored the state of personal

Richard Gottlieb Global Toy Experts

Chinese consumers crack down on counterfeiters A continuing concern for those who do business in China has been the threat of having

electronics and provided hints as to what’s on the horizon. According to predictions, the future looks especially bright for wearables.

The world of wearable technology is quickly expanding – according to a recent report from IDTechEx, the wearables market is expected to grow from $20 billion in 2015 to almost $70 billion by 2025. Moving from desktop computers to laptops to mobile devices, wearables are the next phase of the “shrinking machine” evolution, offering consumers even more unfettered connectivity. From products that monitor daily routines and provide feedback, to wearables that offer enhanced convenience when it comes to device controls, data storage and communication (think: “smart” jewellery), wearables offer companies a unique opportunity to address the habits and preferences of today’s consumer through a blend of fashion and technology.

We see the wearables trend growing in popularity among children, who gravitate to products that adapt or can be personalized to suit their interests and lifestyles. Over the next year, we expect the wearable toy segment to grow beyond kids’ fitness bands to include other accessories that are fashionable, functional and fun to use.

Some of the latest trends in fashion on display at Texworld are likely to make their way to the toy aisle and inspire future doll clothing, arts and crafts, design kits, toy packaging, and more.

Designers are using rich colours, jewel tones and lush fabrics, such as velvet, to make things seem more luxurious and expensive. In kids ’ wear, crushed velvet is making a comeback and is likely to influence doll fashions and accessories.

Soft velour, smooth suede and embellishments are a treat for kids’ visual and tactile senses – and any doll outfit or accessory which emulates what adults are wearing will appeal to today’s fashionconscious tweens.

Soft, fluffy fibres with a cocooning effect are also on the rise, in the form of scarf sweaters that you can wrap around your body and other cosy clothes. The “Quiet Comfort” trend in fashion encourages us to slow down, relax, and lounge without any digital distractions. This back-tobasics mentality could have a positive influence on play in general, promoting it as a way to destress and enjoy downtime.

In terms of prints, pixilation and photo elements (including black and white photos and retro images) are cropping up everywhere – from t-shirts to totes. We can also expect to see a rise in Americana-style graphics, including clothes inspired by old road signs, license plates, and neon signs.

Tweens and teens in particular will respond to retro, Americana, and other offbeat graphics that feature scientific symbolism (inspired by the periodic table, for example) and classic block typography letters. When designing fashion-themed playthings such as DIY kits and accessories, these are important trends to keep in mind if you want to stay relevant with older children.

These are just a few trends that TIA has spotted in other industries. For full trend reports, visit www.ToyAssociation.org/Trends.

one’s intellectual property copied without compensation or recognition. The protection of ideas is a revered tradition in countries with strong safeguards for intellectual property protection. China, however, has no history of protecting intellectual property so the entire idea of being legally entitled to own an idea in that country is both figuratively and literally foreign.

This notion has been changing in 21st century China as home-grown Chinese companies have fought to protect the rights to their brands, products and characters. What I am finding interesting, however, is that Chinese consumers are now beginning to push back against counterfeiters.

Case in point is a very interesting article

by New York Times writer, Amy Qin, entitled “The Autobots hits theatres and many Chinese say they’ve seen it before”. According to Qin, The Autobots bears a more-than-uncanny

resemblance to Disney-Pixar’s hit Cars. As a result, notes Qin, the internet in China has seen an eruption in angry and critical comments about The Autobots and the people behind it.

Qin goes on to highlight this very telling point made by Eric Priest, a University of Oregon professor who specializes in Chinese intellectual property protections: “’Chinese consumers feel ripped off and expect more now from domestic productions,” said Mr. Priest. “Disgruntled audiences, more than any law, could have a huge impact in the future on whether producers in China turn away from egregious copying.’”

A discerning public may in the long run be the key to encouraging better and more robustly enforced intellectual property protections.

China’s culture is changing in regards to who owns intellectual property and that is good for everyone…except of course for those who copy.

Toy World 64

Phuong Nguyen eBay Advertising

You better watch out: Santa Claus is already in town

It may be the plotline of many a Christmas blockbuster, but shopping for children’s Christmas presents is rarely left to the last minute.

In fact, it can take as little as a wet and windy weekend in summer to turn shoppers attention to the festive season.

We found that, during the weekend that Hurricane Bertha brought unseasonably poor weather to the UK in August 2014, there was a big rise in searches for Christmas-related items on eBay.co.uk, as shoppers stayed indoors and prepared for the winter ahead.

According to our Christmas Tracker tool, which helps brands plot the most effective timings for their online Christmas campaigns, kids were first in line on people’s present-buying lists last year. eBay’s Toys and Games category started to experience a spike in interest on 5th October, perhaps due to the release of top toy lists in late summer, which lasted until 6th December, when shoppers scrambled for games to entertain the

David Ripley COO of Winning Moves

Total retail

In the 1970s the Dutch football team created a style of play appropriately titled ‘Total Football’ known for its complete approach to all aspects of the game - a balance of play that has rarely been equalled since.

With the rise of gamification in many aspects of business could the same total approach to the business of retail be replicated professionally?

For those that know me I am considered a retail geek with a toy specialism – a term I find has a positive as opposed to a negative connotation. I

family over the holiday.

Here are a few pointers to make sure you’re in the running for consumers’ share of wallet this Christmas:

to them. Shoppers who have bought lots of small gifts for children on previous occasions may prefer to buy small stocking fillers as opposed to one big gift.

Start early Our Christmas Tracker shows that there’s no longer a set gifting cycle, so don’t be afraid to target consumers shopping for Christmas alongside those interested in summer holiday or Halloween-related toys.

Brands that have already established relationships with shoppers are more likely to tempt them to open their wallets when they’re in a purchasing mindset, and planning ahead means there’s more scope to perfect campaigns.

Speak their language To appeal to those buying for children, brands need to understand what they are looking for, and speak their language. The first step is segmenting gifters to understand their motivation, before tailoring the language, style and format of ads served accordingly. For example, factors such as price, durability and safety will certainly be front of mind when it comes to Christmas spending.

Tap into observed insights It’s no longer enough to pigeonhole shoppers by demographic – brands need to take advantage of observed insight. Knowing what other items people are browsing and buying (both in the toy category and beyond) allows marketers to understand shopper motivation and level of interest so their brands can remain relevant.

For example, if a shopper buys Disney swimming goggles in the summer, it is likely they will be drawn to similarly branded items to fill the Christmas stocking.

Be a bit predictive Shopping insight can also help brands deduce what will most inspire Christmas gifters before they start searching online. For instance, if a parent bought their child the most coveted gift for a given age range, they are likely to be interested in the top item for their older child one year on.

Toy marketers should also keep consumers’ budgets and gift sizes in mind when advertising

am just as happy analysing a toy store planogram and store layout as I am reviewing a toy offer online in terms of content, layout and customer usability.

Having recently returned from a European touring holiday I was excited to see the development of dedicated grocery and general merchandise click and collect dark stores on the continent – typically 2,000 - 5,000 sq ft footprint with large multiple lane drive-through style car parks. A concept that is currently ahead of the UK where our own similar facilities are typically bolted onto existing store estates or indeed in the case of general merchandise are small multipurpose booths in various retail and non-retail locations such as tube stations.

With so much disruptive change in the global retail industry, which retailers are covering all of the bases and matching the pace of change or innovating? The answer is very few.

It is difficult to name a single global retailer that has the optimum store estate which includes a balanced large, medium and convenience store offer (Tesco comes very close). To be considered a ‘Total Retailer’ the stores would be coupled with a balanced e-commerce platform – one that offers a comprehensive range of goods far

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Keep mobile and tablet in mind British shoppers are some of the most tech savvy out there, and many are becoming increasingly “device agnostic,” expecting to move between different devices at any point during their shopping journey. Brands should have a presence across mobile and tablet, as well as in-store and on desktop, but must ensure their advertising complements, rather than interrupts, the shopping experience. Ads should also feature creatives and messages that align with where shoppers are in the purchase journey.

Spot trends With more than four months until Christmas, brands should ensure they build enough flexibility into their marketing and advertising campaigns to leverage trends in real time.

A fragmented audience and an increasingly complex purchase journey online makes it essential that brands tailor their campaigns to the different ways that gifters are browsing and buying, even in real-time.

beyond their own product offer (a marketplace) and overlays cutting edge real-time promotional deals (timed one-off offers) and the ultimate service delivery options (think one hour delivery from order or promised on time delivery to half hour slots).

Such a website would also need to be the ultimate mobile friendly portal for customers (not one that was hurriedly scraped for mobile use without considering user functionality or the type of mobile device it was coded for) Again a retailer that gets close is Amazon but in terms of ease of use and site layout there is still much work to be done.

With the current pace of change and disruption in the global retail landscape the chance of achieving the status of ‘Total Retailer’ could simply be the unattainable retail Holy Grail or an achievement that would be so fleeting, due to rapid change, that the continual investment required to stay at the cutting edge of the industry would far outweigh the commercial return.

The closest we could get to ‘Total Retail’ at present in the UK would be a Tesco and Amazon merger....hmmm.

Opinion Disney’s longterm strategy for its brands

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

E

ighteen months ago I wrote an article headed “Disney – is Infinity leading the way?” The fact that Disney had for the first time launched its own toy-related product rather than licensing it, led to the question whether we were looking at a game changer.

Eighteen months later, are we any closer to knowing the answer?

Before getting to this point, it is probably helpful to look at Disney’s overall business model. The company has four key segments – Media, Parks and Resorts, Studio and Consumer Products.

The Media Networks segment includes broadcast and cable television networks, television production operations, television distribution, domestic television stations and radio networks and stations. While currently the largest sales generator, the outlook for all activities associated with television is not particularly rosy. According to the most recent “Global Entertainment and Media Outlook” from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, North American subscription TV penetration is expected to fall from 79.8 percent in 2012 to 78.1 percent in 2016.

While basically flat in term of visitor numbers, the revenue derived from the parks grew between 2013 and 2014 mainly on the strength of higher ticket prices in the U.S. – a strategy which will get you just so far before it backfires on you. However, the company is pinning its hopes for future growth on the forthcoming opening of the Shanghai in spring 2016. The location is well chosen in that it is an urban centre of major proportions. In addition, the six established Chinese theme parks are located in very different parts of the country – in Beijing on one hand and the wider Shenzhen/ Guangdong area on the other. With a very successful park already in operation in Hong Kong, in spitting distance to Shenzhen where several Chinese competitors are located, it is reasonable to assume that Disney has found the key to the heart of the Chinese consumer. In fact, half of Disney Hong Kong’s visitors are from mainland China, presumably mainly from the Guangdong area. In short, Disney is banking on China to provide the growth for its park business which they can no longer expect from other parts of the world. However, thereby lies a challenge. If as a foreign entity you put all your eggs into the Chinese basket, a country that is possibly on a collision course with the United States over the long haul, you are potentially asking for trouble.

The Studio Entertainment segment produces live-action and animated motion pictures; direct-to-video content, musical recordings and live stage plays. The Company distributes films primarily under the Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel, Touchstone and Lucasfilm banners. This is an area which is potentially vulnerable.

While there has been an upturn for 2015, the long term trend is expected to be negative, particularly for the age group below 12 years of age, which is Disney’s heartland.

Which leaves the Consumer Products segment, which generates its business from licensing and merchandising activity. In addition, the Consumer Products segment includes an interactive component, whose main function is to sell multi-platform games to retailers and distributors.

Consumer Products and Interactive are Disney’s fastest growing segment. Whilst the other three categories grew by 40% between 2007 and 2015, this fourth segment grew by 170.

Against this overall background it is not surprising that Disney decided that its long term interests were best served by putting some real muscle behind its Consumer Products business. The catalyst was the entry into the toy space of Skylanders from Activision. Skylanders was a success right out of the gate; the toy figures became the engine that drove the range and soon accounted for 85% of total Skylanders sales.

Disney decided to develop a similar range – Infinity – but elected not to go the licence route this time. Disney developed the entire program – design, production, supply chain, marketing – which included putting together a sales team to place Infinity with the leading retailers. The product was launched in August 2013, less than two years after the Skylanders put in its first appearance: the speed in which this was accomplished demonstrates the degree of commitment Disney gave this development.

Retailers sat up and took notice and the general opinion was that Infinity was a test. If successful, there would be follow-ups by which Disney would develop products and cut out its traditional licence partners. A success it was.

Incidentally, the hybrids follow toy seasonality in that they are very prominent during the fourth quarter and then take a back seat during the first nine months of the year.

The route Disney is taking with Infinity is doubly interesting given its long term relationship with Hasbro, its main licensee for Action Figures and next year for Fashion Dolls. Hybrids are not an island in the toy space; hybrids compete directly with traditional toys. In the case of Infinity, the buyers believe that at least half of its business comes at the expense of other action figure ranges.

This situation is likely to get even more intense in that Hasbro is the Action Figure licensee for Star Wars - backed by the blockbuster movie “The Force Awakens” in December this year – whereas Infinity, at the same time, will also launch its own competing Star Wars figures.

Another instance where Disney now appears to take a much more active role than what you might expect from a normal licensing arrangement is Playmation, Hasbro’s new outdoor range – basically

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Nerf on steroids – which is getting ready to launch in October. Playmation is a new toy-game hybrid combining active play with video-game mechanics.

You can now order the range on the Disney Store website. In addition, Disney is giving in-store demos in its North American stores and has begun to accept preorders for the toys. This suggests an arrangement between Disney and Hasbro which is very different from a simple licensing deal. Disney appears to be taking the lead on this project.

I spoke with a few national buyers at the major retailers both in the U.S. and in Europe and the consensus of opinion seems to be that Disney is clearly gearing up to paddle its own boat in the Consumer Product space and is likely to rely less and less on the licensing route to bring new products to market; and while Disney is unlikely to drop its licensing partners – notably Hasbro – in the foreseeable future, it is plausible that the company will decide not to renew some expiring licences, preferring to take these product opportunities under its own banner.

In the final analysis, if it is Disney’s ambition to significantly grow its Consumer Products business, there is no faster way to do this than by taking a licenced product in-house. Instead of the licence fee of 12%-18% flowing into sales, all of a sudden this becomes 100%.

the award winning pre-school construction system the worldwide leader in multi-level logic games

Email: uk@smart.be Tel: 01903 885 669 www.smartgames.eu www.smartmax.eu

Feature

Games and puzzles

Mattel

Game on Despite the ever-expanding digital world making its mark, the traditional games and puzzles sector is maintaining its relevance with consumers. Emily Ansell Elfer reports...

S

peaking to both suppliers and retailers working in games and puzzles, the clear feeling is that seasonal peaks and troughs of the category have evened out somewhat in recent years, providing steady year round sales as well as a Christmas surge.

Richard Wells, sales director at Paul Lamond Games, says the only real unknown factor for manufacturers and consumers is knowing whether major accounts will order sufficiently to fulfil demand over the crucial Christmas period.

He adds: “On the whole though, games and puzzles is a buoyant and consistent market and, for us, 2015 is very much in line with our expectations. On a consumer level, parents look to traditional board games to encourage game-play, taking turns and player interaction – these concepts are not always easily achieved with technology based toys.”

Paul Lamond is seeing strong sales on Gogglebox and the Mrs Brown Boys Ultimate

Party Game, which launched in autumn 2014, as well as increased success with evergreen favourites such as Perudo, Yes No, What’s Up and Don’t Say it.

The company plans to launch Gobblet Gobblers at Autumn Fair, a strategic game that has already proven successful in the US. Dalmatian Dominoes, Skribble Head and the Jacqueline Wilson Dreams, Dilemma and Divas board game are also being brought to market as well as a series of Murder Mystery puzzles based on the TV programme, Death in Paradise.

Looking at Paul Lamond’s new releases and traditional favourites, it’s clear to see that the company offers a real mixed bag of both licensed and generic games.

Commenting on this, Richard says: “Our recent success has been very much built on a mix of licensed and non-licensed products.

The pre-school market is dominated by licensed games and puzzles but the children and family sectors are equally supported by successful non-licensed games such as

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The Story Telling Game, Charades for Kids, Hot Potato, Who’s in Bag and Bendominoes.

It is the strength of game-play that creates longevity in non-licensed games and we are excited to be celebrating the 26th year of our strategic liar dice game, Perudo, this November at the annual World Perudo Championships.”

Goldfish & Bison’s sales manager LeeAnne Neale reasserts Richard’s thoughts on licences in the games and puzzles sector: “Our games sell well without a licence as the game-play is strong and attracts on its own merits. However, we have also had success adding licences to successful games such as Spiderman and Toy Story,” she comments.

The company has had tremendous success with Ghost Hunt since it was first introduced in 2013, with children enjoying the features of being able to hunt and shoot ghosts that appear all over their room. A new Ghost Hunt Evolution featuring 3D glasses is about to be introduced.

Lee-Anne says that rather than having

Games and puzzles a negative impact, technology is actually enhancing the games sector as more features can be added to enhance game-play, while allowing children to still use their imagination and role-play. Ghost Hunt is a clear example of this.

“Adding technology to traditional games gives you an exciting sense of cool realism you can touch and feel. For example, the laser guns in Ghost Hunt and Alien Mission appear to be working and you get to take down the bad guys for real, but it uses infra-red lights that are safe to all,” she explains.

Mark Jones, head of UK sales at Cheatwell Games, says that games with a “track history” are performing particularly well at the moment as consumers are cautious of new products.

He explains: “When there’s less disposable income about it seems that consumers are more careful about buying something less familiar – plus there’s less risk for retailers when customers recognise products on the shelf.”

However, the company is particularly excited about new game, Fart – which it hopes will follow in the footsteps of Plop Trumps due to its pick-up price point and humorous element. On the board game side of things, Cheatwell’s updated Charades board game has that instant recognition factor so the team is confident it will deliver great results.

“Whilst a licence might sell a game, if it’s no good it’ll end up at a car boot sale. Often with a licensed game you have to know the show in order to know how the game is played, whereas our best-selling generic games do exactly ‘what it says on the tin’ – for example Family Charades, Host Your Own Pub Quiz and 101 Drinking Games.”

Mattel’s director of brand activation Wendy Hill believes the market will continue its success as a strong performer in quarter four: “We know mums still like traditional games and puzzles for their children and they are maintaining that balance between screen time and traditional game play. From looking at the NPD June data, traditional games and puzzles are still showing growth,” she comments.

It’s certainly been a good year for Mattel in this sector so far, with classic board game favourites performing well. Scrabble currently sits as the number two family game and Uno retains the number one card game position.

“Licensed games are popular as they can reflect a particular trend at a key moment but non-licensed games are still performing well,” Wendy adds. “We have a great portfolio this year including some modern twists on timeless classics. Key lines include Scrabble Original and the Deluxe, Travel and Junior editions, as well as the TV advertised Uno Extreme, Uno Cards and the Junior edition.

Other favourites of mine include the TV advertised Bounce Off, Pictionary and the

Minecraft Card Game.”

Looking specifically at puzzles, Jumbo’s managing director Stewart Middleton says the market is performing well.

Leading brands such as Wasgij and Falcon de luxe continue to sell and the company is expanding its licence portfolio.

He commented: “Puzzles offer a number of unique points: great margins, a wide range of licences and designs, great price points and licences tend to come to market a lot earlier than with other toys. The children’s category has boomed for us in recent years with huge success from popular licences such as Peppa Pig and Disney Frozen, proving that parents and children still want traditional puzzles. Innovations in our portfolio help to sustain interest; products such as our 4-in-1 Shaped Foam Bath Puzzles, Puzzle and Colour and Giant Foam Floor Puzzles have all proven very popular with families.”

According to Stewart, presentation is key: “Choosing the right image and licence is extremely important for creating the perfect jigsaw puzzle, this is something we have invested heavily in over recent years and it is evident in the growing strength of our Falcon de luxe and licensed ranges across both adult and children’s puzzles. Offering the consumer something different is also important – a reason why our Wasgij brand continues to grow and remains the number one adult puzzle brand in the UK.” Waterstones’ related product buyer Kit Clothier offers a retail perspective on the category. He says that the market feels very robust at the moment and the retailer is seeing demand for new and interesting lines.

He commented: “The main trend that we’ve seen coming through is an increase in demand for unusual, but quick-to-pick-up, games in the adult market – we’re expecting to see real growth on titles such as Love Letter.”

Kit says Waterstones strives for a balance between the big hitters and the more niche/ strategic games: “I’d personally love to have

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Cheatwell Games

a range that covered the full gamut of the gaming backlist, but realistically we have to make some real tough calls on which titles we can get behind,” he comments.

Kit explains that word of mouth between gamers, customers and staff makes the biggest difference to the performance of a product in-store.

“Also, and I’d be surprised if we’re the only ones who see this, a title’s appearance on a show like Tabletop sees a real jump in sales.

The expansion in the number and reach of gaming podcasts has been great to see.”

Kit says there is no one right answer on how to display a game or puzzle product instore: “You can’t be too prescriptive with this, there’s no one right answer to how a display should look. On a licensed title for instance, I would expect to see mixed merchandised displays – graphic novels, stationery and toys laid out with the games in an enticing way,” he explains.

Overall, it’s clear that that the category is buoyant and it’s well and truly game on in the games and puzzles sector as companies start moving towards the ever-demanding preChristmas rush.

Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a selection of products from a variety of companies working in the games and puzzles sector.

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Ahead of the game Emily Ansell Elfer speaks to companies working in the games and puzzles sector to hear how innovation, licences and technology are driving the market forward.

Trudi Bishop

Amanda Murphy

Cartamundi

Gibsons Games

Our sales are up year on year, with healthy growth in both puzzles and games. It’s important however to keep the innovation coming as we’ve seen an increasing demand for a wider breadth of choice over the years. We certainly don’t rest on our laurels here at Gibsons, with over 200 images to choose from and a further 50 added each year to satisfy the puzzle-hungry population, and we are always keen for new ideas that will translate well into a product.

This year we’ve had some anniversaries and special occasions, which we’ve marked with commemorative jigsaws, such as the Royal Babies puzzle.

It does seem these days that tech and digital products can mean we spend less time interacting with our families over activities such as a board game. Nevertheless, our sales continue to grow, with the bulk of sales at Christmas time – our Pass the Pud game has proved extremely popular at Christmas over the years.

Whilst tech toys offer a wealth of benefits, traditional games and puzzles both offer some of the best educational value a toy can provide. Parents seem to be conscious of the influence of too much technology in their children’s lives and many see it as important to sit with their kids and set about doing a traditional activity such as a puzzle with them. Because of this, our pre-school puzzles from the My World range continue to sell.

There’s no denying that pairing a big licence with a great concept makes a really strong product. We’ve explored this avenue ourselves this year with five new puzzles in shaped gift tins set for release in September of the likes of Volkswagen, Marmite, Love Hearts and Mr Men for which we have very high sales expectation. However, the majority of what we do here at Gibsons focuses on those traditional products which have been popular for decades.

We’ll be releasing five new products this month from big licences of the likes of Volkswagen, Marmite, Love Hearts and Mr Men, all in larger-than-life gift tins. We think they’re going to make superb gifts.

The games and puzzles market is healthier than it has been for a few years.

Admittedly products like ours, many of which sit at the affordable end of the market, have not been as badly affected as some by the downturn, but there’s still a noticeable improvement.

A top performer in our portfolio is Shuffle, a range of well-known board games and entertainment brands in card game form with an optional downloadable app. However, many of our card games and decks are based on hit brands like Minions or James Bond, long-established classics like Mickey Mouse or recently established classics like Frozen, and they too are doing very well at retail.

Tech is having an impact but that isn’t a cause for concern in our sector.

With a little thought you can bring together traditional games and tablets or smartphones to enhance rather than undermine the card-playing experience: that’s what Shuffle is all about. At the same time we are researching and investing in technologies to open up new possibilities for game playing. For example we are creating iCards for the connected generation — that is, using technology such as RFID, image recognition or touch code to create a hybrid gaming experience. In addition we are working with a number of groups on the opportunities opened up by NFC. We will focus strongly on a brand or licence if we think we can add value to it through our products. However, we have enjoyed success with decks like Pitch Black and Death Poker, which incorporate new and striking imagery based on in-house designs.

One product I’m particularly excited about is our Carta Magic series of dedicated kits with a magic theme: cards, tokens, instructions and suggestions for the budding Derren Brown or Dynamo.

Jeremy Pateman Tactic Games

Tactic is enjoying growth in the games sector. The market grew by 1% in 2014 and looks to do so again in 2015. Q3 2015 has grown year on year for Tactic and Q4 is looking very positive.

The market is overcrowded. However, competition is a good thing. We are gaining ground with new and innovative games.

Minions Hit them out!, Action Game, TY Learning Games, iKNOW Trivia Game, Junior Alias and others are all performing particularly well.

Tech is having an impact to a degree. However, Tactic has not experienced any negative impact. In fact we’re embracing both traditional and tech by including free mobile apps in traditional games such as Alias, Junior Alias and iKNOW. Consumers can download the apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play. This is an effective way of marketing the board game versions.

Licences are dominant. However, there is room for generic games. We have several volume selling generic products with in the Tactic Games portfolio.

We have an extensive YouTube advertising campaign commencing in September for the iKNOW Trivia Game. We have high hopes for the video which ends with a click to purchase from selected retailers. We are investing in several million impressions which will convert to several hundred thousand views.

The refreshed Alias range has increased market presence. Minions Hit them out!, TMNT Pop ‘n’ Play, SpongeBob Pop ‘n’ Play are shaping up nicely with in store promotion support commencing in October.

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Kristina Holden

Tim Hall

Kidicraft

Ravensburger

We think there is strong market growth in children’s 2D puzzles and 3D puzzles, while the adult puzzles market is stable. Games has enjoyed a very strong first half.

We are seeing robust growth in licensed puzzles. Without picking out any particular licence, it is a very positive year for pre-school, girls and film merchandise. In 3D, we are still seeing growth in puzzleballs and some very encouraging sales from our new 3D buildings with light, such as Empire state, Eiffel Tower and Big Benn.

We have not seen tech have a significant influence in the puzzle market. In the games market, the share of digital products is currently low but I would expect this to change in the next few years. Ravensburger has a separate digital division in Munich which is focusing on this area.

Licences have a very strong share of the puzzle market, but there is always demand for a good generic puzzle. With games, the share is lower as the category is more driven by marketing support.

I’m really excited about our Bugs in the kitchen…we have just seen the first sell through numbers after the first week of TV advertising and it is clear this is going to be a top game this year.

The games and puzzles market is a fairly steady one with seasonal peaks as we find throughout this industry. It is still a strong category with retailers supporting this sector.

Anything different, interesting and with a strong brand will perform well; our new range of National Geographic and Howard Robinson 3D puzzles have definitely piqued the interest of many retailers. Each piece brings new challenges when trying to complete a puzzle as the image moves due to the fantastic lenticular printing.

I don’t think that tech or digital products are affecting the puzzles market in a negative way. In some cases they go hand-in-hand; being able to upload your favourite picture online and have that turned into a jigsaw makes a great unique gift.

Licences do have a very big impact on the market but I believe the category also benefits from generic products that have good imagery.

We’re very excited about Kidicraft’s new range of National Geographic and Howard Robinson 3D puzzles. Available in 100 pieces and 500 pieces, the amazing lenticular printing gives movement and depth to the images that children and adults alike will love.

Ben Hogg

Rena Nathanson

Esdevium

Bananagrams

The games and puzzles market continues to grow.

The economy is slowly but surely picking up and this is being reflected in increasing sales as financial pressures subtly lift with consumers. After a great summer season, we are looking forward to a fantastic fourth quarter. We are introducing some great new games to our range, and are very encouraged by some of the new players entering the industry with great products that complement ours.

The digital world has definitely had an impact on the gaming industry, both for existing manufacturers and new inventors. Besides the aspects of how digital game play has altered the landscape, the immense growth in crowdfunding platforms is changing the face of inventor relations. It is now possible (if not always easy) for independent inventors, new and established, to raise funding and be less dependent on the major players for support. This is an interesting trend to watch.

As a manufacturer, we are always looking to strengthen our brand and products to keep them fresh. We have not engaged with licensing to date, but have never ruled it out as an option if the right opportunity presents itself.

I’m really excited about our new game, Bananagrams WildTiles, and our totally revamped Zip It game. Zip It is our travel game, perfect for playing on plane and train tables, and I’m confident the fresh new look is going to appeal to consumers and retailers alike.

The games side of the market is in great shape. We have seen growth in the market for a number of years now as the British public continue to rekindle their romance with board games.

We are seeing growth across a varied range of games categories. Our range of product has never been bigger, or more diverse, yet we are seeing increased interest and sales across all of the sub-categories.

Tech is affecting the games sector but not in the way you might expect. A huge number of people are now playing app games because smart phones and tablets have made gaming so easy and accessible. It has actually made gaming more relevant and mainstream than ever before and with therefore a much wider audience.

We’re also seeing more and more digital adaptations of board games.

Particularly for new games, we have found this is a great way to give people a taste of the game without them needing to pay full RRP for the physical version. It makes the brand more accessible and can provoke intrigue into the physical version.

We benefit from having a number of licensed properties such as comedy panel shows Would I Lie to You and 8 Out of 10 Cats. Our biggest-selling game of 2014 was our Disney Frozen-licensed board game but we have also seen growth in our non-licensed games that benefit from new design and gameplay.

We’re very excited for our Disney Pictopia family game, which is a must for Disney fans.

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Games and puzzles

Feeling bleu Emily Ansell Elfer speaks to Goldfish & Bison’s sales manager Lee-Anne Neale about the Megableu brand.

EE: What makes Megableu stand out in the games category?

LN: Megableu is fantastic at creating fun games with unique features that entice players into an imaginary game world supported by an exciting storyline. For example, in Ghost Hunt your room is invaded by spectral beings that you have to track and shoot back to the afterlife with an infrared pistol. The games are also supported by action-packed advertising creatives that simulate the energy of blockbuster action and adventures movies, promoting the fun of the games to their full advantage.

EE: What’s new in the Megableu games range for 2015?

LN: Megableu has some very exiting launches for 2015. Introducing new innovation with 3D features that take computer gaming features and bring them into real life, Ghost Hunt fans will now be able to enjoy

the popular game play in 3D. In the new Alien Mission game you are hunted, tracked and pursued by aliens that can appear anywhere, anytime and in 3D – you need quick reflexes to shoot your way out. Meanwhile the hilarious Trickin’ Camel game earns you a real wet face if you lose. It’s truly hilarious.

company will be investing in its brands with further marketing and PR support.

EE: How has the Megableu offering evolved over the years?

LN: Megableu is a growing company with a constantly

EE: What’s your personal favourite Megableu product?

LN: The really cool and exciting Alien Mission – not

evolving range of games available. This year the

only is it great for kids but fantastic fun for adults too.

Clementoni opens new UK showroom John Baulch visited the new premises and spoke to country manager Michele Marziliano about Clementoni’s growing presence in the UK market.

JB: You’ve just opened a new UK showroom in Wembley, which is situated on the iconic Wembley Way – do you see that as an important development?

MM: It’s nice to have a permanent showroom in the UK, it’s an important step for Clementoni in the UK market.

We’ve been looking for the right premises for a while, and I’m glad that it’s now up and running. It gives us the opportunity to present our key lines to buyers and licensing partners, showcasing both the product and packaging.

JB: How is 2015 shaping up so far?

MM: In terms of the sell-in, we’re very happy: we’re significantly up on last year. TV commercials for both our Science and Clementoni Baby ranges have just started airing, and there will be further bursts in October and November. Hopefully this activity will show that we’re serious about the UK market, and committed to supporting our key brands. We’re launching Baby Clementoni in the UK this year, so we felt it was important to start raising awareness of the brand with consumers straight away.

JB: Science is an important category for Clementoni – how is that range performing so far in 2015?

MM: Science is doing really well for us. Listings have

increased and the sell-out so far has been positive.

Our science products offer a generous margin for retailers, which has encouraged a broad spectrum of retail accounts to come on board.

JB: Licensing is another key area for Clementoni – what are the main properties you’re excited about for this year?

MM: Of course, licences continue to be an important part of our range. We have very good listings for our Paw Patrol line, and we’re expecting a good reaction from consumers, as the brand seems to be very popular at the moment. Our Disney Princess collection continues to be an evergreen seller, while we did some incredible numbers with Frozen at the end of last year. We’re starting to get some interest from retailers in our new

Toy World 78

Masha and the Bear range, while the big news for autumn winter is the launch of our new DreamWorks collection, which will be available in September. The range will include Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda, and we’re confident that it will be very wellreceived.

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Games and puzzles

Sambro gets its game face on Toy World spoke to Sambro’s business development manager Ian Cuthbert about the company’s expansion in the games sector Why did Sambro decide to expand its games portfolio for 2015 – do you feel you’ve identified a gap in the market and if so, where do you think that is?

The Games market is both a fun and challenging category. When we sat down to review areas of opportunity, there were three areas in the games category that stood out. Firstly licensed games: NPD statistics suggest that only 20% of games are licensed and therefore we felt this provided us with an immediate opportunity, given our strong relationships with key licensors. Secondly, value action games: there are a number of retailers selling value games, but no-one currently provides a co-ordinated approach.

Thirdly, TV can make a huge difference to great games, and we believe we have found three real crackers in our first year.

Can you give us a few more details of the preChristmas TV campaign The Christmas campaign starts in September and plans are in place for it to run through to December.

We will be using a multitude of channels including ITVB, CITVB, CITV, Five, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickleodeon, Nicktoons, Disney XD and Disney Channel. The campaign features mainly 20 second ads, with 10 second reminders as we can get in to the latter part of the campaign. TVR’s across UK and Ireland will be in excess of 600.

Do you have other marketing plans to support the range?

What are the key benefits for retailers in stocking your games range?

We have pulled together a portfolio of products that caters for all sectors of the market. We have started in the kids action category, which is without doubt the most fun. If you can’t enjoy developing product then you are not going to make a success of it. We have developed a range of value kids games aimed at under 275 Toy World September 120815.pdf

£10 retail, but all with action elements and key play themes. In addition, our licensed games offer the best properties at the right price. Our value offering is a coordinated packaged look at the right price and our TV lines will drive volume - and make us all smile.

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To celebrate the launch of Lay It Or Break It , Sambro is looking to sponsor the Toy Trust and a local charity with a rather messy challenge. I can’t tell you exactly what it is yet, but we are hoping that the whole of the toy trade will get involved and raise money for welldeserved charities.

8/12/15

How do you see the games portfolio developing in 2016?

Sambro is definitely taking the games market seriously for the long-term. Major investment in product development and TV will be paramount to Sambro’s future participation in this exciting category. We’re already working on next year’s range and a couple of the in-house ideas that are in development look fabulous. I believe the future holds big things for Sambro in the games category.

10:54 AM

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Hero Products “Gobblet Gobblers is a fantastic new addition to our children and family games portfolio this autumn. This fun-packed game is easy to play, quick-paced and promotes strategic thinking. It has already been hugely successful in the US and we are looking forward to seeing the cute Gobblers on the shelves very shortly.”

Richard Wells, sales director, Paul Lamond Games

‘We are delighted that the Thunderbirds 50th Anniversary games have been embraced by major retailers and the gift sector. The value and volume potential of retro games has been realised.

The Chess Set has been viewed as a collectible item as well as the pleasure of playing a Thunderbirds Chess Set with 3D crafted chrome plated sliver and gun metal grey Thunderbirds playing pieces.”

Jeremy Pateman, country manager, Tactic Games

“Anyone who is a fan of the chart topping Logo game is going to be delighted that new cards and game play are going to be available this Christmas in the form of Logo Lite. Despite adult games traditionally selling in the last months or even weeks of the year, this newly launched product has already got off to a flying start with stock hitting the shelves already being purchased at rates above the seasonal norm.”

Mary Wood, marketing director, Vivid Imaginations

“We are eagerly awaiting the release of Spectre, as James Bond is an evergreen licence that always performs well at retail. The range covers a broad time period and allows the whole family to find something they love about it. With affordable prices this will attract both retailers and consumers alike.”

Suzie Howes, head of marketing, Wining Moves

“The Greedy Sheep Game is great fun. As with all the best games, the game play is simple: the sheep keeps eating and bleating, complete with sound effects, until finally his fleece flies off and hilarity ensues. This new introduction joins our expanding action games portfolio sitting alongside the likes of Doggie Doo and Pig Goes Pop, so we’re excited to see the response from consumers.”

Simon Pilkingon, managing director, John Adams

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Games and puzzles

Bananagrams 020 7298 9500 | www.bananagrams.com Bananagrams has unveiled a redesign of its travel word game, Zip It. The ‘Small Space Word Race’ returns to the UK market with a new look, created with customer and retailer feedback from both sides of the pond in mind. The pouch features a fresh new colourway, clearer logo and new strapline to position the game as a compact plaything for travel. The scoring zippers remain, however the 1-10 points scales have been moved to the sides of the pouch for a slicker look. The game features 24 lettered cubes and these too have been given a facelift with the lettering colour changed to match the new blue pouch design. Finally, a CDU featuring high quality product and component photography completes the overhaul – its focus again being on reaffirming the portability of the word game.

The company has also added a brand new version of the hero Bananagrams game to its portfolio this year – Bananagrams WildTiles. The game includes six monkey WildTiles – players can pick up a WildTile and play it as any letter as they race to complete their grids.

Bananagrams has also just announced The Bananagrams Challenge 2016. The word game tournament for UK primary schools returns after a successful first year and this time it’s open to twice as many schools.

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DKL 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk From the new, just launched, Scratch range are Magnetic Darts: reversible hanging darts boards which are packaged in tubes. The Magnetic Darts FSDU holds both the small and large sized darts tubes. The Seathemed Button Puzzle and Classic Fishing Game also form part of the range, with the Classic Fishing Game packaged in a quirky fish-shaped box. Scratch offers over 30 games and puzzles with stylish designs and competitive prices.

Miniland’s new On the Go collection of travel games features six fold-away games which include magnetic pieces – and all six are packed in a CDU. On the Go boards are an attractive option with themes such as Crazy Faces and Crazy Zoo. Wonderworld’s eco-friendly Trix Tracks games continue to be a bestseller. The collection of wooden ball-runs with brick locking system are easy-to-build and durable. Children can choose from eight different sets, all of which can be collected and combined to make the ultimate Trix Tracks game.

All DKL ranges are supported by a full marketing programme including dedicated planograms, in-store campaigns and social media and PR activity.

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu

Following successful launches in children’s ranges for the first half of 2015, Jumbo is continuing to build its collection of licensed and own brand products into autumn and winter with new editions for Peppa Pig, Disney’s Frozen and Wasgij Junior.

The award winning classic Peppa Pig Tumble & Spin Memory Game is back.

Plays must spin the giant Peppa Pig figurine and collect all their matching memo cards whilst listening to Peppa.

The Disney Frozen Magical Ice Palace Game asks players to roll the dice and move around the board collecting character cards. It is an interactive game with lights and sounds.

The Wasgij Junior 2: Halloween 100 Piece Puzzle challenges puzzlers to use their imagination and the clues provided to piece together a completely different image based on what will happen in the next scene.

The Wasgij Junior 2 asks children to piece together a spooky Halloween themed scene.

Games and puzzles

Mattel

01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Top sellers for Mattel include Scrabble, Uno, Minecraft, Pictionary and Bounce Off. The games portfolio will be supported with an extensive, multi-platform marketing programme under the umbrella communication of ‘Play the Game’. The programme will drive demand and awareness of the games portfolio during the key sales period leading up to Christmas. The campaign will be supported with TV and radio advertising, social media, in-store POS and PR outreach including competitions and blogger reviews. In addition, the digital Facebook communities for Scrabble, Uno and Pictionary will continue to engage brand advocates through creative content.

Scrabble in autumn/winter sees the launch of a new initiative which will position the game as the ‘Smart Choice for Festive Fun’. Key lines for autumn/winter include Scrabble Original and the Deluxe, Travel and Junior editions.

Uno is being supported with an autumn/ winter range including the TV advertised Uno Extreme, Uno Cards and the Dare and Junior editions. Other games include the TV advertised Bounce Off as well as Pictionary.

The Card Game from Minecraft allows fans to create their own missions and use strategic methods to mine resources and craft tools.

Hasbro

0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Taking centre stage in Hasbro’s games range are Loopin’ Louie, Jenga Quake, Crocodile Dentist, Pie Face and Monopoly Here and Now. Loopin’ Louie players have to protect their chickens from Louie’s dizzy diving. Every time he flies by in his airplane, he’ll be out to knock another chicken into the chute below. The player with the last chicken standing wins.

Jenga Quake is a game that combines friends, skill, suspense, laughter and a little luck. The aim is for players to pull out blocks, knowing that the tower can start to shake at any time.

Crocodile Dentist challenges players to watch out for Silly Jock Croc’s sore tooth. When they press down on a tooth, he’ll chomp if it’s sore.

Pie Face game is a game filled with suspense. Players must place some whipped cream or a wet sponge on the hand and start turning the handles. It could go off at any time and points are scored every time a player turns the handle without getting pie-faced.

Monopoly Here and Now is a version of the fasttrading property game. Every time a player adds another stamp to their passport, they get closer to winning. In celebration of the Monopoly brand’s 80th anniversary, Hasbro has teamed up with social news and entertainment company BuzzFeed to ask fans to choose which cities around the world will be featured as property spaces in the new Monopoly Here and Now: World Edition. Around four million votes were cast in 182 countries and the final list of cities were revealed on the brand’s official birthday and the first ever World Monopoly Day. Both London and Belfast made it onto the final board, featuring on the orange and red property groups respectively.

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Games and puzzles

Paul Lamond Games 020 7254 0100 | www.paullamond.com

Paul Lamond Games is launching the quick thinking strategy game, Gobblet Gobblers, this autumn. This strategic game tests memory skills and appetite for laughter.

Joining the Paul Lamond family board games favourites this autumn are Ha Ha Moustache and Skribble Head.

New games available for children this autumn include the travel edition of Humpty Dumpty’s Wall Game, Squiggley Worms and Jacqueline Wilson’s Dreams, Dilemmas and Divas board game.

Additions to Paul Lamond’s pre-school games for 2015 include We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Maisy’s 4 in 1 Games Cubes and Dalmatian Dominoes, featuring 28 Dalmatian puppy-shaped dominoes. Also available for autumn and a new addition to the successful Chimp and Zee pre-school range is Spotty Botty, a game that includes an electronic unit with animal sounds.

For budding detectives there are three 1,000 piece Murder Mystery Puzzles from the hit BBC crime series, Death in Paradise.

New to the Paul Lamond football puzzle collection is a series marking football events in club histories. There are 10 different 500 piece puzzles from five of the leading Premier Football Clubs. Titles include: Manchester United 1998/99 Treble Winners, Chelsea 2015 Premiership Winners and Arsenal 2014/2015 Double FA Cup Winners.

Accentuate 0330 400 4162 | www.accentuategames.com Accentuate secured a £45,000 investment from Peter Jones on Dragons’ Den and the team has gone on to release their first expansion pack as well as announcing further global editions of the guess-the-accent game.

Building on the original game’s simple premise, the first Accentuate expansion pack centres on film quotes. This new bolt-on pack contains cards featuring 90 iconic lines from an array of famous movies. Players read aloud a film quote in a randomly selected accent and can now earn points by not only guessing the accent correctly, but also by identifying the movie and the film’s year of release. The quotes have been taken from a spread of movies spanning eight decades.

Further enhancing the original game’s appeal, Accentuate has listened to retailer feedback and developed a new branded floor-standing display unit. This POS unit reflects the Accentuate branding and is free of charge to retailers purchasing 20 units plus one free for display/demo purposes.

After launching a US edition of Accentuate earlier this year, the team is now working on further global editions, including one for Germany.

Cartamundi 01268 51 15 22 | www.cartamundi.com/en Images from major movie launches such as Minions, James Bond Spectre, Frozen and the Good Dinosaur have been or will be seen on Cartamundi decks this year.

James Bond output also includes a high-end professional poker set in a presentation case, and the hilarious characters from Minions and Despicable Me have come together with a major Hasbro brand for the Shuffle Guess Who/ Minions card game — with a digital extra. This is the unique differentiator of the Shuffle range concept, which now extends to nearly 20 games inspired by brands like Monopoly, Transformers and Frozen. That means that Shuffle Guess Who/ Minions includes a free app starring Stuart and co.

The new CartaMagic range was developed in collaboration with a professional magician and offers four collections of cards and special tokens with varying numbers of tricks for children and adults. Every pack contains instructions on a variety of tricks in rising levels of difficulty. There are three packs containing 25, 50 or 80 tricks along with Carta Magic Tadaa, a special starter pack of five magic tricks for the younger magician with Mickey Mouse branding and a magic wand.

The Pitch Black, Death Poker and Calavera card packs are aimed at older children, while the traditional Royal Flush range is suitable for varying ages.

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Games and puzzles

Esdevium 01420 593 593 | www.esdeviumgames.com The new range of Disney-licensed family games is headed up by picture-trivia game Disney Pictopia. The game will be supported by a comprehensive marketing plan with exposure from online TV advertising, wide-reaching reviews and demonstrations at events across the entire Q3-4 period. There will also be an optional interactive app offering new ways to play.

The newly-established Hotel Tycoon was successfully launched in 2014. Its 3D design is a big selling point for the game and Esdevium will showcase it with a TV advertising campaign. The TV ad will also feature in targeted online advertising to reach a family audience.

The well-established Dobble Card Game is expected to comfortably be Esdevium’s top-selling game for 2015. The company is offering a new free-of-charge FSDU to customers to increase in-store visibility. Dobble is the central product of Esdevium’s demonstration programme and will be supported by YouTube advertising on family content, Christmas gift guides, reviews and wide-spread PR.

Cheatwell Games 02392 524 098 | www.cheatwell.com Building on the success of IQ Busters, Cheatwell Games has expanded the range to include three wooden tile puzzles and a set of four Noggin Workshops; challenging big format card based challenges from logic puzzles to word puzzles and geometry riddles. Both come in a pre-packed CDU. There are two new board games – a Charades board game and a new and updated version of Humm Bug. The Charades edition has been given a modern twist with a playing board and current topics. The children’s version has also received a revamp to match the rest of the Cheatwell kids’ range.

Humm Bug is a family game where players have to identify songs being hummed by their team mates.

Fart is the latest card game offering from the team behind Plop Trumps and Plop Trumps Extreme. It comes in a 12 unit pre-stocked CDU. Cheatwell’s mini games in a tin are designed to be festive stocking fillers. Table Top Teasers and Drinking Party Games join the existing range.

Tactic Games 01483 332 070 | www.tactic.net

Tactic Games has launched two Minions games – the Hit Them Out! bowling game and Molkky skittles game. To date sales of Hit Them Out! have been exceptional due to the game play and collectibility of the detailed Minions skittles.

The launch of the Tactic TY range of games in the USA has been a great success due to TY brand awareness. The games range complements TY plush and has been received well. Early sales indications in the UK are very encouraging. The range consists of puzzles, memory games and stickers.

Many of Tactics core games have been refreshed for 2015 and a raft of new games have been introduced to the UK range.

The Thunderbirds 50th Anniversary Chess Set and Trivia Game have been well received by retailers.

Tactic’s iKNOW Trivia Game will be heavily supported from September. The iKNOW YouTube/ google campaign advert commences with several million impressions which translates to many hundreds of thousands of views. At the end of the advert, the consumer is directed to a click to purchase landing page.

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Games and puzzles

Kidicraft 01282 500 899 | sales@kidicraft.com This autumn will see the arrival of Kidicraft’s new range of 3D lenticular puzzles under the National Geographic and Howard Robinson Brands. Both lines have 100 piece and 500 piece puzzles available.

The National Geographic range uses pictures taken from The National Geographic image library combined with 3D lenticular printing to give depth and movement. The Giant Panda, Tiger Shark and Jaguar form the National Geographic Kids 100 piece puzzles, and the 500 piece puzzle section is comprised of the Tiger, Orca Whale and Sea Turtle, with each box containing information on the conservation and research projects specific to the habitat of each creature.

The Howard Robinson lenticular collection brings together his many images by presenting them in 3D. Good Companions, The Cat’s Meow, Dino Valley and Something Fishy make up the 100 piece puzzles available for Q3 and Q4 whilst the 500 piece puzzles come in the form of Early Morning in Bengal, Flight of the Macaw and Reef Sharks.

Both the Howard Robinson and National Geographic ranges will be expanding in 2016 with new puzzles in a variety of sizes and new stationery lines.

Gibsons 020 8661 8866 | www.gibsonsgames.co.uk Gibsons is set to launch five new products due for release this month.

Each puzzle comes in shaped gift packaging, which can be kept after the puzzle is complete.

The new 500 piece Volkswagen Campervan jigsaw comes in a tin replica of the popular campervan.

A larger than life replica Marmite jar is home to Gibsons’ new double-sided 500 piece puzzle. After use, the jar with its screw-top lid can be used as a storage pot.

The heart-shaped 250 piece Love Hearts puzzle is stored in a tin replicating the sweet packet.

Two licensed Mr Men and Little Miss puzzles are also due for release. The Mr Grumpy and Little Miss Sunshine tins contain 250 piece jigsaws.

Gibsons’ popular after-dinner game Pass the Pud is now back for Christmas.

Learning Resources 07872 337 322 | www.learningresources.co.uk New for 2015, the Little Banker Coin Matching Game is full of realistic play money introducing early money maths. Two levels of play focus on coin recognition and addition and the simple, short games allow for recognition and reading written monetary values. The game is complete with one spinner, 70 coins and 50 double-sided game cards all stored within the compact, money bank style packaging.

The Buy it Right Shopping Game encourages game players to add up prices, purchase items and give change. The game is complete with game board, 20 play money notes, 120 plastic coins, four shopping trolley cards, four shopper markers and stands, 40 item cards and three number dice. The game board and cards feature contemporary illustrations and the game box doubles up as a cash register tray.

The Money Bags Coin Value Game promotes a positive attitude towards earning and saving money. The game is complete with an illustrated game board with built-in spinner, 120 plastic play coins, four game markers with stands and one die.

The Exact Change Coin Value Game features real life images and encourages coin recognition and equivalency skills as players race to be the first with £3 in the bank. The game can be adapted to suit the learning stage of younger players by removing the more advanced cards from the pack. The set is complete with 120 cards and is stored in box packaging with a hang tag.

Learning Resources also supplies ranges that cover key skill areas such as literacy, maths, strategy, early skills and motor skills.

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Games and puzzles

Ravensburger

01869 363 800 | www.ravensburger.com Ravensburger’s autumn/winter games and puzzles range is being backed by heavyweight TV campaigns on key lines.

Ravensburger has a range of children’s licensed puzzles and new products feature Minions, Paw Patrol, Shopkins, Clangers, Disney Pixar Inside Out, Tsum Tsum, Bing Bunny, Octonauts, Thomas & Friends Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure, The Snowman & The Snowdog, Stick Man, Frozen & Frozen Fever, Avengers Age of Ultron, Disney Miles from Tomorrow and classic Star Wars.

November sees the launch of a range based on Star Wars VII, The Force Awakens.

Consumer demand has resulted in Ravensburger’s largest-ever autumn launch of adult puzzles. These include the Limited Edition Christmas puzzles (2015’s title is Santa’s Final Preparations), plus designs based on The Snowman and The Snowdog, classic Disney, popular comedy series What If?, Christmas animals and a specially created design from artist Colin Thompson. Non-Christmas launches include additions to the popular What If?, Perplexing Puzzles, Photographic Gallery and Happy Days ranges.

Family games Bugs in the Kitchen, Labyrinth and Scotland Yard offer are off to a head start thanks to pre-season TV advertising and this impetus will build as the heavyweight 1225 TVR campaign continues right up to Christmas.

3D remains a pivotal focus across all formats and designs, backed by a substantial 860 TVR campaign. Key lines for the autumn include 3D buildings alongside Minions. Stuart takes centre stage on the 54-piece Minions shaped 3D puzzle, whilst the three minions shown running riot on the colourful Big Ben 216pc. There are also 72-piece and 54-piece designs based on important moments from the movie. Other products include 72-piece spheres based on Shopkins and Disney Frozen and a 54-piece Christmas tree bauble based on The Snowman and The Snowdog.

Milly & Flynn 01242 241765 | www.playthattoon.co.uk The new Eyetoons game from Ginger Fox is being backed by a national marketing campaign.

The idea of the game is to spin the spinner to select a category then try to identify the artist and song title. Music for all ages is included – from The Doors to The Prodigy, Moby to Motörhead and Dusty Springfield to Daft Punk – and the board game includes 300 challenge cards, a playing board, a spinner, a timer, a notepad and a pencil.

Ginger Fox has also created an Eyetoons card game, which features 80 illustrated cards to take and play anywhere.

Eyetoons was created by designer Ian Traynor who posted some imagery on Facebook and went on to form a book, board game and card game due to its popularity.

Goldfish & Bison 020 8568 6398 | www.goldfishandbison.com The Megableu portfolio continues to be a success for Goldfish & Bison. The range includes popular titles such as Ghost Hunt, Creepy Hand, Cobra Attack and Spiderman Chase Rhino game.

The company is introducing new Megableu games into the range for 2015.

Continuing the success of Ghost Hunt is the new Ghost Hunt Evolution game. Wearing 3D glasses, players have to zap hordes of bats flying at them from all directions as well as shoot the ghost appearing on the walls and ceilings.

The new Alien Mission game centres on aliens which have invaded the world and need to be eliminated.

In Tricking’ Camel, desert stranded players must compete to win thirst quenching bottles of water from the camel’s back.

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www.kidicraft.com 14/08/2015 12:47

Games and puzzles

Puzzles and Play 01354 669733 | www.puzzlesandplay.co.uk Puzzles and Play has seen a successful first half of the year in the puzzles market with the Eurographics and Castorland ranges. This has been expanded upon since gaining the exclusive distribution of Heye Puzzles in the UK. The Heye range brings images from renowned international artists. Some of the more popular products include Audrey Hepburn, pop-art cycle images and wildlife and landscape panoramas. A new product to the Heye range is the Puzzle Pad, a jigsaw roll large enough for puzzles with up to 2,000 pieces.

Eurographics saw the launch of a new black and white series for 2015. The range features strong images of American cities with just a hint of colour to bring the images to life. Images include bridges in New York and San Francisco and skylines of Seattle and Chicago. Another new set of puzzles is the 200 piece educational puzzles aimed at a younger audience. These puzzles teach the young mind about topics such as the human body, inventors and inventions and the Periodic Table.

The Creative Educational Aids catalogue includes a library of games for early years, pre-school years, school age and a few games for the whole family. There is a vast selection of games each aimed at aiding a key area of development.

Each of the range’s three gift packs contains a mix of books, puzzles, board games and colouring books.

Spin Master

01628 535 000 | www.spinmaster.com Spin Master’s games portfolio has continued to perform strongly in the market during the year and the Hedbanz games have proven to be a popular choice with families and children.

The extended Hedbanz range now includes Act Up and will be available throughout the year along with the refreshed Disney Hedbanz which now includes characters such as Elsa and Olaf from Frozen and Dory from Finding Nemo. Hedbanz will be the TV advertised driver from mid-August through to Christmas.

There are two new Paw Patrol games on the back of the popular range of toys and plush. Reflecting the storylines in the cartoon series, Look-a-Likes Matching Game and the Adventure Game, which launched in the spring of 2015, will be joined by Pup Racers and Beach Patrol in the second half of 2015.

Orchard Toys 01953 859 525 | www.orchardtoys.com Orchard Toys has added three new lines to complement its educational range for autumn 2015.

Big Alphabet Jigsaw is a colourful, 26-piece jigsaw, aiding language and literacy skills. Each piece shows a different letter of the alphabet, decorated with characters synonymous with Orchard Toys. This giant jigsaw comes with a full-sized matching poster, which can be used as a guide or displayed.

Farmyard Heads and Tails is a first matching activity. Featuring 12 farmyard characters and objects to match, this simple game develops observational and memory skills. The large, wipeclean pieces are easy to hold.

Robot Run is a colour and shape matching game.

Players take turns to match their robot characters by type or colour.

The company’s best-selling game Shopping List has been relaunched, along with two add on packs which have been re-named Shopping List Extras. The new version of the game has visually enhanced graphics and new illustrations, including some new items and the choice of a basket or trolley to put them in. There are also new style lists, including one represented on a tablet device, to give the game a modern feel.

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NEW Games & Puzzles

DKL Marketing Ltd 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton NN3 6QD, UK tel 01604 678780 • fax 01604 678787 • email dkl@dkl.co.uk • web www.dkl.co.uk

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twitter.com/DKLtoys

Games and puzzles

Smart Toys and Games 01903 885669 | www.smartgames.eu

Smart Toys & Games has made great headway during its first year as a direct UK operation and both SmartGames Three Little Piggies and SmartMax Lighthouse were winners at this year’s Right Start Best Toy Awards.

Three Little Piggies is a logic game with a familiar theme. It intrigues young children by the way the pigs fit inside the houses, look through the windows and then escape the wolf.

SmartMax Lighthouse brings the award-winning pre-school magnetic construction range to life with light-up flashing LED bars.

This autumn, Smart Toys will be launching its new range of SmartMax Try Me packaging.

SmartGames’ award-winning games have multi-level challenges and each has a unique game mechanic with themes that appeal to both boys and girls. They come in travel, compact and table top editions in plastic or a premium wood range. The range starts at pocket money levels through to top end quality with wooden games as year round gifts.

Construction system SmartMax allows children to explore the world of magnetism in a fun and safe way. The products are durable and made from quality materials, the magnets are strong and can carry up to 60 times their own weight.

Every SmartGames product comes with an extensive challenge guide and every SmartMax product comes with a colourful play guide.

University Games 03334 050 120 | www.university-games.co.uk Following the successful introduction of Bunny Jump and Chicken Charades, University Games has launched three new children’s action games – Seagull Splat, UFO Alarm and Aladdin’s Flying Carpet.

All three new games have TV exposure in 2015, together with the existing core lines, Don’t Rock The Boat, Bunny Jump, Chicken Charades, and 5 Second Rule.

Also, continuing the success of both the Pointless Board Game and Mini Game version, University Games has introduced a refresh for both formats. The Mini Game has a complete set of new questions, whilst the Board Game receives new questions and an enhancement to play.

Players now have the opportunity to download a free scoreboard app to their tablet or smartphone.

As well as Pointless, the mini games range includes 5 Second Rule, Smart Ass, Spot The Difference, Sort It Out, and Who, What, Where? Jr.

Winning Moves 02072 989 507 | www.winningmoves.co.uk The special edition James Bond Monopoly board game celebrates the spy’s 50th anniversary. It includes exclusive Bond-inspired playing pieces.

The James Bond Trivial Pursuit edition contains 600 questions based on the 007 movies. The new James Bond Top Trumps cards feature the new villain in the James Bond Spectre moive due for UK cinema release in October.

The Game of Thrones Monopoly edition includes the Iron Throne as one of the six playing tokens with the others including a White Walker, Dragon Egg and the ThreeEyed Raven. Players can venture around the locations of King’s Landing, Winterfell and Castle Black.

The Peppa Pig Junior Monopoly edition is available for younger players, as well as the new Peppa Pig Guess Who and Peppa Pig Top Trumps Activity Tin which includes five games and activities along with a poster.

www.hoteltycoongame.co.uk & Hotel Tycoon

Hotel Tycoon - Toy World.indd 1

07/08/2015 10:41:51

Games and puzzles

Clementoni 0208 782 1134 | www.clementoni.com

Flair 0208 633 0320 | enquiries@flairplc.co.uk

The Disney Junior Mega EduKit 7 in 1 comes with a compact case including a variety of games such as a classic memory game, dominoes, blocks, three puzzles ranging in difficulty from 30 pieces to 60 pieces and Clementoni’s bestselling Quizzy and Quizzy pen, illustrated with Disney Junior characters including Minnie Mouse, Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins. The set aims to encourage all Disney fans to use their memory and problem solving skills, not forgetting building on their fine motor skills with the Quizzy.

Flair has a portfolio of games featuring Thomas & Friends.

Wooden Dominoes and Track Puzzle has 28 dual sided dominoes and four engine pieces. Children can either play the traditional game matching the images or turn the pieces over to create a wooden train track. The range also includes the Block Cart, Tic-Tac-Toe and a Wooden Clock Game with 12 double side selfcorrecting puzzle pieces, two jumbo time-dice and a clock stand.

The aim of Tumblin’ Monkeys is to take it in turns to pull out the sticks one by one and watch as the monkeys begin to fall. Stacking them high is the strategy behind Ali Baba where players must add their 15 playing pieces to the camel’s saddle one at a time.

Golden Bear 01952 608308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com

HTI 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk

Golden Bear focuses on TV hits for its games and puzzles, including Peppa Pig, Something Special and CBeebies Bugbies.

The Peppa Pig wooden dominoes help develop children’s recognition and manual dexterity skills.

Based on the Something Special characters, the Mr Tumble and Friends Wooden Puzzle includes six chunky wooden pieces each with a coloured peg to help pick up the pieces. The new Wooden Dress Up Mr Tumble gets little ones mixing and matching.

Golden Bear’s CBeebies Bugbies range of toys includes the Toppling Bugbies. Consisting of 30 stackable blocks each one features a character from the channel.

HTI provides a range of Peppa Pig wooden puzzles and toys. The Peppa Pig Floor Puzzle is a 49 piece jumbo jigsaw featuring a classroom scene. The 3D Clock Puzzle helps little ones to learn to tell the time. Other puzzles include a Peppa Pig Dress Up Numbers and Muddle Puddle Peg Puzzles.

HTI’s in-house games range includes Draughts, Chess, Ludo and Snakes and Ladders, Bingo and Lotto. Compact magnetic compendium travel games that offer four classic board games in one are also available.

HTI’s Wood Works range comprises colourful chunky shape sorters, a learning clock, alphabet and number puzzles, dominoes, an abacus, assorted peg puzzles, a chalk board and jumbo floor puzzle.

Halilit 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk There are currently 24 different games, puzzles and activities in the Scotchi range. The pieces are washable, flexible and have a hook and loop fastening.

Some of the products are based on traditional favourites such as Let’s Go Fishing and Opposites Lotto, while others have a more modern theme, such as Create An Animal and In Our House.

Latest additions to the range include Around The Table, Farm Activities, Lace And Match All The Way and Good Morning.

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Games and puzzles

Vivid

01483 449 944 | www.drumondpark.com Despite achieving the full year NPD positions of #1 in adult games and #3 in family games in 2014, Drumond Park has the foot firmly on the accelerator when it comes to plans for AW15: With two million units of Logo sold to date, Drumond Park is looking to keep consumers engaged with a new TV commercial for the Logo Board Game and an extension to the brand in the form of Logo Lite, which is both a new game in its own right and offers additional cards for the original Logo game. Both Logo and Logo Lite will be supported with TV and will be on air from November. Shout! enters its second year after a successful UK launch last year and Articulate continues to go from strength to strength.

Family Fortunes has been updated to include new questions and new packaging to make sure that the game stays fresh and appealing.

New in children’s games are in-house developed brands in the form of Og on the Bog and Rattle Me Bones as well as the re-vamped Shh!..Don’t Wake Dad game. All will be supported by TV campaigns and new commercials.

For younger children, Drumond Park is introducing pre-school game Barbeque Party, which had a strong performance in France last year.

Within the magic segment, Gee Wizz is a new set for young aspiring magicians and new tricks have been added to Gross Magic along with a packaging facelift.

Toy World 102

John Adams is boosting its collection with some classic brands and new products for 2015.

First up is family favourite, Triominos. A triangular take on the traditional dominoes game, the new range will contain three new products under this heritage brand in its 50th Anniversary year, across a range of price points. The range will be led by hero product Triominos Classic Deluxe, which will feature the recognisable triangular packaging, with other items including Triominos Excel and Triominos Travel.

The company will also be expanding its Action Games category with two new additions: The Greedy Sheep and Elly Fountain. Both products will be supported

by TV advertising and PR. The popular Shopkins licence also joins the games collection. The Shopkins Puzzle Tin, Supermarket Scramble Game, Pop ‘n’ Race Game and Big Roll Bingo, will all be released in the autumn and will offer exclusive Shopkins collectible figures for added play value.

John Adams will be adding Tipping Point to its TV games collection this year.

Based on the daytime ITV quiz show hosted by Ben Shephard, the game will come complete with a table top electronic Tipping Point machine with moving base plate, as well as question cards and counters.

The Rummikub range has been expanded. New introductions include Rummikub Xpress, Travel Rummikub, Rummikub Prime, Rummikub Junior and Rummikub Word which will sit alongside Rummikub Classic. The Rummikub UK Championships will take place in September.

Following on from Linkee, the crowd sourced game as seen on Dragons’ Den, comes Dinkee Linkee; a slightly easier version.

After a 2014 celebrating its 40th Anniversary, the company’s Rubik’s range will continue to offer a product range based on the iconic cube.

approval

01480 414 361 www.johnadams.co.uk

Love Monopoly?

Shuffle has a game for everyone!

subject to licensor

John Adams

More great Shuffle titles coming soon!

© 2015 Disney © 2015 Disney/Pixar. © 2015 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

MONOPOLY © 1935, 2015 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

Sales@Cartamundi.co.uk Ph: +44 (0)12 68 51 15 22 www.shuffle.cards

Games and puzzles

Tech-free fun drives games sales ChiTAG’s Mary Couzin examines some of the trends currently driving the American games market

T

here’s a classic category in the toy space which just won’t quit: games. Retro favorites, such as Hasbro’s Operation and Jenga, are enjoying major sales increases. These games, along with hundreds of others, are decidedly low-tech, fulfilling consumers’ desire to unplug from devices and connect with each other on a more personal level.

Other factors driving game sales include growing consumer interest in products that reinforce STEM concepts, nerd activities that have become unbelievably cool, and campaigns promoting the numerous benefits of play. Manufacturers are cranking out board games that fit into all of these trends, giving consumers a host of options, and resulting in a games aisle that just keeps getting bigger.

Here in the USA, tabletop games and puzzles are showing anything from a 10% to 21% increase, depending on sources. NPD showed 2014 sales of $1.42 billion, while Klosters showed sales in excess of $2billion - and this number does not include hobby/ niche sales or crowdfunded games. Below are some of the top trends in this growing category.

Tactile games Tactile games ditch the traditional board, cards and playing pieces for unique type play apparatuses that allow players to get more hands-on. With Hasbro’s Pie Face, players must fill a plastic purple hand with whipped cream, place their face in the face frame, and roll a dice to see how many times they must tighten the tension on the hand.

One unlucky player will eventually land him or herself with a face full of whipped cream.

The game allows for lots of laughs, tense and exciting gameplay, and a completely new experience for game night. Similarly, USAopoly’s Lift it!, Spin Master’s Moustache Smash and IMC’s ChronoBomb all have tactile and active elements. These games get kids and parents up off the couch and engaged on multiple levels.

Sometimes jumping in and having fun without reading the rules is the perfect antidote to the non-stop world we live in. Game inventor Peggy Brown says, “Once you buy a game, it’s yours to keep, so make up your own rules, play it a new

way, deconstruct it, combine it with other games… you can’t really play it wrong… just play it!”

Educational Games: full STEAM ahead Like lots of other toy categories, games aren’t just for entertainment. They provide kids with hands-on learning experiences, and because of this, parents are willing to spend more money on quality games. Companies are creating more and more games that teach kids science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) concepts.

Adult-focused Party Games Games are not just for kids, and while adults have been playing board games for years, many companies are cranking out games designed specifically with adults in mind. Largely based on humour, adultfocused games are typically designed for large groups. What’s Yours Like, from Patch Products, challenges one player to guess the mystery word based on other players’ descriptions, resulting in big laughs and easy bonding experiences.

Crowd-Sourced Crowd-sourced games, which are funded by the public on digital platforms like Kickstarter before they are actually produced, continue to gain traction. More than $53.6 million was pledged for tabletop board games on Kickstarter last year. One of the most well funded campaigns was for Exploding Kittens, bringing in more than $8.7 million from 219,382 backers.

Founder Elan Lee’s original funding goal was $10,000 to print 500 decks of cards, which he exceeded in eight minutes.

Another heavy hitter is Sony Pictures and Cryptozoic Entertainment’s Ghostbusters board game, which exceeded its funding goal by 618 percent on Kickstarter, with 8,396 backers and more than $1.5 million pledged.

From Hobby to Mass Niche board games from relatively small sized manufacturers and European-style strategy games are entering the mass market with

tremendous success. Mayfair Games’ Settlers of Catan is currently the fourth largest board game brand in the U.S., with retail value sales of more than $80 million in 2013, even though it was largely an unknown niche brand nearly 10 years prior.

Hobby games have enjoyed six consecutive years of growth and $735 million in sales last year, making them not so much of a hobby anymore.

The game aisle has never been more robust, with more types of games on the market than ever before. From five-minute card games, to updated classics, to strategybased games that could take hours, there’s something for every type of player.

Publishers, retailers, and parents alike are all enjoying the trend to play tabletop games, get away from screens, come face-toface, enjoy time together, and have a blast.

Loads of choices are fueling growth and will undoubtedly continue to do so.

Copyright © 2015 Exploding Kittens, LLC This article originally appeared in The Toy Book

Toy World 104

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as seen on

Dragons’ Den

Allegedly

The Argos catalogue arrived at the end of July, and it was undoubtedly pored over by the toy community: retailers looking at the opening pricing gambits, suppliers seeing how their own products look on the page and assessing how their competitors have fared.

The catalogue is significantly smaller in dimension than last years’ version, and as might be expected, the smaller page size appears to have visually impacted some products more than others. It also arrived accompanied by a whole raft of flyers and inserts, rather like a Sunday newspaper – there was certainly a lot of Argos-related paper flying around over the course of a weekend, in which many suppliers will have paid heavily to be featured. All of which singularly failed to impress my eldest daughter: when asked if she wanted a copy, she replied “Why bother – if I want something from Argos I’ll look it up on the website.” It seems that the transition from catalogue to digital is already firmly underway in the minds of younger consumers….

Former Tesco buyer Tara Mortimer will be taking over the role of girls’ buyer as Lindsay Rogers is going off on maternity leave, while Adam Reed has joined Nickelodeon as Retail Marketing Director….

Amazon has attempted to capitalise on the burgeoning popularity of Black Friday by creating a ‘mini-me’ Amazon Prime Day (maybe it should have been called Grey Wednesday?) to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The jury is out on whether it was a success or not: consumers immediately took to social media sites in their droves to bemoan the lack of genuine bargains.

The general consensus was that most of the stock was discounted because no-one wanted to buy it in the first place. Nevertheless, the company quickly went public with a statement saying how successful it had been and confirming that there are plans to make it an annual event. So what is the real story? Sadly we may never know, as Amazon is notoriously reticent when it comes to engaging directly with the media. They say it was a huge success, but as Mandy Rice-Davies once famously said, “They would say that, wouldn’t they?”

The suspicion remains that the vast majority of the people who signed up for Amazon Prime to gain access to the special offers cancelled when the free trial ended after 30 days. And if the sale does happen again next year, it is likely that Amazon will endeavour to make sure that the offers are a whole lot stronger than this year’s selection….

According to newspaper reports, Tesco is planning to reward its senior executives with a share windfall worth £25m. Admittedly, the eye-watering sums will only be triggered if specific targets are met, and it won’t happen for another three years. Nevertheless, with shares having fallen by 20% over the past year, shareholders are not exactly thrilled by the news, while other observers have pointed out that Tesco’s failure to pay the living wage has meant that the taxpayer has had to make up the shortfall through tax credit payments, estimated at £364m last year. All in all, it does seem to have been yet another PR own goal: you might have thought that Tesco would have been a little more mindful of how the news would be received, especially after all the negative publicity it attracted last year. Let’s

just say it’s taking the company motto of ‘Every little helps’ to new levels….

Toys R Us is another retailer making headlines, this time as a result of several insurance companies allegedly cutting back on their coverage for suppliers over in the USA. There will be some sympathy for Toys R Us from other retailers: the insurance companies in question – Coface and Euler Hermes – have shown before that they are certainly not great friends of the toy trade. Nevertheless, it just adds to the chatter about Toys R Us’ future on the grapevine, which won’t help anyone. Here in the UK, the new, leaner buying team is settling in: some buyers are having to get to grips with new categories they don’t necessarily have great experience of, while everyone is grappling with new stock and order procedures. There are unconfirmed rumours that the retailer took the decision not to open any new accounts this year while the new processes are bedding in. Others have suggested that there may be less focus on own brand within the UK product mix going forward, as the quantities involved are simply not large enough. Whatever the truth, the fact is that the industry - on the whole - is willing them to succeed. A healthy specialist channel is something that the vast majority of toy companies want to see, and Toys R Us unquestionably has a valuable role to play in that.

People often underestimate just how savvy and cluedup our ultimate target consumer - children can be. In particular, consumer journalists that have a habit of looking down their nose at the toy industry, implying that the fine and noble profession we all love so much is somehow less dynamic and complicated than more thrusting sections of the business world. So it was hugely amusing to see the Financial Times being ripped to shreds by a 6 year old boy recently. Read his letter below and smile: at least one journalist will be careful not to patronise the toy industry in future.

Looking for great GAMES?

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

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