toynews issue 97 september 2009

INSIDE…

BRAND LICENSING EUROPEFull preview of Olympia’s big2009 licensing industry showcase

Issue 97 September 2009

STATION TO STATIONWho’s spending what and where,in our TV-advertising feature

BROWN’S PURPLE PATCHFlair’s boss talks about thefirm’s recent run of good form

ALL CHANGE FOR TOMYEuropean head Robert Mann,outlines its restructuring plan

The toy industry’s highest circulation trade title

Exclusive media partner

THERE’S A LOT of talk at the moment aboutindie toy retailers grasping opportunities.

The thinking is that the indies, having beenhanded a lifeline through the disappearance oftheir old foe Woolworths are, through lethargy,lack of foresight or whatever, going to be unableto retain the business that has come their wayover the last six months.

A lot of which perhaps does them a disservice.But it’s a valid concern, nonetheless, because theindustry badly wants them to succeed. And, ofcourse, they do too.

In our retail column this month, TRA headGary Grant talks about the need for retailers touse the publicity generated by the Dream Toysevent, next month. Suppliers too.

So there was talk of initiatives to encouragesuppliers to put in that extra effort with theirstands and presentation, with endorsements fromus. I’m not sure they need any trade mag, evenours, to give them marks out of ten.

But it does highlight the need for the industryas whole to unify and maximise the uplift fromshowcase events like Dream Toys. It’s not easy toturn press and TV coverage into pounds andpence, but with planning and preparation it canbe done. So think about Dream Toys and thinkabout how it can help your business.Ronnie [email protected]

COMMENTLIVING THE DREAM

It highlights the needfor the industry to

maximise the uplift fromevents like Dream Toys.

18 News

21 Brand Licensing Preview

29 PPC’s year of progress

LICENSING

FEATURES30 Flair’s purple patch

33 Tomy restructures

34 Xanadu’s name game

36 Energizer’s power ranges

39 Christmas TV plans

49 Children’s bikes

59 Games and Puzzles

74 Retail Opinion

76 Counter Insurgent

76 Price Check

77 Retail Charts

78 New Products

79 Hero Product

RETAIL

REGULARS4 News

6 Appointments

8 Exclusive NPD analysis

10 TV ad spend data

12 TV ratings

15 Campaign of the month

Contents

John BarrattAdvertising [email protected]

Lisa FosterManaging [email protected]

Katie RobertsStaff [email protected]

Dan [email protected]

Jon SalisburyEditorial [email protected]

Stuart [email protected]

Samantha LovedayLicensing [email protected]

Ronnie [email protected]

Intent Media is a member of thePeriodical Publishers Associations

Editorial: 01992 535646Advertising: 01992 535647

■ ToyNews has 100% named circulationand 0% duplication.

AUDITED CIRCULATION:Average Net Circulation: 6,011

July 1st 2008 to June 30th 2009.www.toynewsmag.com

SEPTEMBER 2009

WITH TRANSFORMERS ridinghigh and its game range performingstrongly, a bullish Hasbro hashighlighted its position as thenumber one UK toy manufacturer,according to NPD figures.

On the back of the movie sequel’ssummer success, the Transformersrange sold £2.6 million at retail inJuly giving it a 33 per cent share ofthe action figures sector.

However, the firm’s currentdominant market share is also drivenby its games range, which is up 50per cent in July with a 33.5 per centshare. Within this, Monopoly salesare up 45 per cent, Guess Who? up257 per cent, Connect 4 up 337 percent, Operation 193 per cent andCluedo up 109 per cent.

Littlest Pet Shop is also up 28 percent in July and Nerf up 100 percent. Despite the rises, however, withthe total market down 13 per cent,Hasbro sales are down 19 per cent sofar as a year on year comparison,although July sales are up 28 per centon the same month in 2008 and up36 per cent in terms of units.

Hasbro’s UK managing director,Jonathan Evans, commented: “2009was always going to be a challenging

year - the first half of 2008 wasenormously successful for us makingcomparisons tough enough; butcoupled with the recession and the

loss of Woolworths we have had tomake sure we have the best possibleplans in place.

“This is now coming to fruitionand the most pleasing aspect of it isthat we are seeing significant growthacross our core brands and focuslines such as Nerf, the games range,Playskool and Littlest Pet Shop, aswell as from the entertainmentprovided by Transformers: Revengeof the Fallen and GI Joe: The Rise ofCobra ranges.

“We have plenty more to come inthe main season and we areconfident that we will comfortablyoutperform the market and achievesignificant share growth in 2009.”

Hasbro: 0208 569 1234

Success of key summer ranges sees firm top market share chart ● Games and Transformers lead the charge

LEGO AND Mega Brands showedcontrasting fortunes in their recentfinancial results.

Confident six month figures fromLego showed sales up by 23 percent, with profits also heading in aupward direction.

The firm has seen sales leap by 23per cent for the first six months ofyear, with profit before tax hittingDKK 927m (£107m).

This figure is compared with DKK564m (£65.8m) for the same periodlast year.

Net sales for the first half of theyear stood at DKK 4.3bn (£496.3m),compared with DKK 3.5bn (£403.9m)in 2008.

Classic product lines such as LegoCity and Lego Star Wars were the

best sellers, but the firm reportedimprovements across nearly allproduct ranges. For example, newplay theme Lego Power Miners gotoff to a strong start, with sales wellahead of expectations.

By contrast, Mega Brands reportedlosses of $13.3m for the quarterended June 30th. The losses werecompared to that of $3.6m in thesame quarter last year.

In line with the firm’s expectations,sales in the period decreased 34 percent to $70.1m, compared with$106.4m year-on-year.

The drop reflects lower sales inboth product lines.

Toy sales declined to $32.1mcompared to $50.4m in the sameperiod in 2008.

The firm has attributed themajority of the decline to lowershipments in the boys five-plus andmagnetic construction categories.

Stationery and activities lines alsodeclined to $38m compared to $56min 2008. North American sales fell to$53.3m compared to $69.7m in Q22008. International sales declined to$16.8m compared to $36.7m year-on-year.

Mixed results for construction giants

We areconfident that

we will comfortablyoutperform themarket.

Jonathan Evans, Hasbro

JUMBO IS putting some weight behindits Peppa Pig Tumble and Spin linewith a number of different marketingexecutions and promotions.

Having launched the game inMarch, Tumble and Spin the firm hasnow kicked off a marketing campaignaimed at encouraging children tointeract with the game online.

Jumbo worked with PrismEntertainment to develop a micrositefor the game,www.peppapig.com/tumbleandspin,where Peppa Pig fans can play thegame, learn the rules and enter acompetition. The site is linked tovarious online retailers for a directpoint of purchase. It was hosted onthe Peppa Pig website and had aprime position on the home page andgame section.

In the first two weeks of the gamebeing live it was played by over20,000 unique visitors. It also featuredon Facebook where there is a PeppaPig group with over 20,000subscribers. More than 80,000 PeppaPig registered users received news ofthe product launch at retail.

Using the content generated fromthe microsite, an online PR campaignwas launched and the game has nowbeen reviewed, previewed andproduct awareness was gained onvarious different parenting sitesincluding iVillage, Activity Village,eParenting, Female First, Askamumand many others.

Full page editorial competitons inleading pre-school magazinesincluding Peppa Pig Magazine andFun to Learn Friends built theawareness of the game with its targetaudience.

“Redan Publishing has been a greatsupporter of Peppa Pig Tumble andSpin Game and has created somefantastic competitions througheditorial content building awarenessof the Jumbo Games product,” saidKirstie Oliver, marketing manager atJumbo Games.Jumbo: 01707 260436

Jumbo backsPeppa line

Bullish Hasbro claims UK leadership

4 NEWS

by Ronnie DunganEVANS: Significantgrowth acrosscore brands

SEPTEMBER 2009

THE SUCCESS of Nintendo Wii andgames aimed to involve a wide varietyof ages and abilities have eaten awaythe core game market in the last yearaccording to NPD figures.

The video games category hasgrown 33 per cent, while games havedeclined 19 per cent. However, theboard games market was still worth£205 million in 2008 (source: NPDConsumer Panel) and rated the thirdlargest toy category accounting forover seven per cent of all value spenton toys. With 54 per cent of all gamespurchased for consumers aged ten orolder, the category also has widerappeal than other toy categories andneeds to satisfy the changing demandsof today’s game players.

For the year so far the games market isstill registering a decline (source: NPDEPoS Retail Tracking Service), buttravel games is showing a 20 per centgrowth driven by travel variations ofold favourite like Travel Operation andTravel Guess Who. Despite licencesbeing down in the total games marketsome key performers, such as HighSchool Musical, Peppa Pig, and In theNight Garden continue to boost Card,and Pre-school Games.

“Across the games category the topselling items are traditional or newvariations on the old,” said an NPDspokeperson. “For example the topselling item is still Original Scrabble,with Monopoly, number three andRubiks Cube at number four.

Most of the new innovation ingames recently has been newvariations on old games with theMonopoly Here and Bow WorldElection edition at number two.Connect 4, Cluedo and Operationreinventions all in the top 20 sellers.There has been little true innovationoutside licensed games in the last yearand hopes are high for the new Legogames, hotly tipped to be a big sellerthis Christmas.”NPD: 01932 355580

Entertainment giant increasing toy range to offset flat sales of DVDs and CDs

A NEW report on the toy marketis available from Key Note and at areduced rate to ToyNews readers.

The 23rd edition of Key Note’sToys & Games Market Report is outnow. The report is usually priced at£460, however ToyNews readerswill be able to obtain a 20 per centdiscount on the report, making itavailable for £368.

The report examines the UKmarkets for traditional toys andgames. The products are primarilytargeted at the under 14s, however,there is also some overlap with theadult market where soft toys andgames, for example, are designedfor or bought for adults. While theproducts examined in the reportmay have some electronic content,they exclude video, PC and consolesystems and games.

Market sectors include: boysaction figures; activity toys,building and construction sets, andarts and craft sets; dolls; electronictoys, including electronic learningaids; games/puzzles; infant/pre-school; outdoor and sports; plush;vehicles and others.

For more information contactLisa Ivey at Keynote,[email protected]

£205m games marketfeels ‘Wii effect’

BOOKMARK US TODAYmobile.toynewsmag.co.uk

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HMV HOPES to have toys in everystore as it looks to take up the slackin the music and film markets.

The entertainment retailer hasjoined the queue to mop up marketshare left by the defunct Woolworthsand has switched from its seasonalChristmas toy ramp-up to a longerterm plan as a toy stockist.

“We have an offer all year roundthat usually links into licensedproduct launches tied in with music,film and games franchises, but atChristmas and other key seasonaltimes during the year we do ramp thisoffer up. However, we are committedto a long-term approach and we seethis area becoming more important tothe business over time,” said MaxineLister, HMV merchandise manager.

The firm has had success withlicensed products such as Ben 10,Rubik’s, board games like Monopoly.This year it will also have Twilight

and New Moon board games, as wellas looking for exclusives or added-value activity.

“HMV has been involved in toysand games for a while now,” addedLister, “usually involving keyentertainment franchises such as StarWars, Simpsons etc. It’s fair to say it’s

been growing steadily, but we’relooking to ramp this up now, and amore concerted effort is being madeto mould this offer.

“The market continues to showsteady growth, and this is at a timewhen our other natural markets suchas recorded music and films have, atbest, levelled off. So it presents agood opportunity to diversify a littleand to extend our product mix.

“Also, with the sad demise ofWoolies, the market has fragmented,and we feel there is an opportunity toconnect with their former customers,although we recognise this issomething HMV has to earn. We seeour strength being with the link tolicensed products that fit with theHMV offer and opening up some newmarkets to our consumers. This is along term ambition for the groupwhich will evolve over time.”HMV: 01628 818 300

HMV looks to toysto plug product gap

www.toynewsmag.com 5NEWS

by Ronnie Dungan

Keynote toyreport out

Video games is nowsocial gaming too

Can toys take upthe slack from DVDand CD sales?

John Barratt has joined IntentMedia as advertising manager onToyNews and Licensing.biz.

Barratt has replaced Adrian Miles,who has decided to work abroad for ayear, and comes with six years' mediasales experience at the Trader Mediagroup working across a number ofprint and online titles.

All day-to-day advertisingenquiries on ToyNews andLicensing.biz are now being handledby Barratt.

ToyNews editor, Ronnie Dungan,commented: "It's great to have Johnon board with his experience in thiskind of sales environment, and I'msure it will be a major asset to bothtitles going forward."

Green Board Games has appointedNicky Winterbourne to its ‘GreenTeam’, to support the independentretail trade.

Winterbourne brings with her awealth of experience, including 30years with John Adams.

All advertising and marketingqueries have now been taken over bySarah Winter, who is also in chargeof all sales.

Finally, Carol Bradshaw is nowresponsible for all production.

Having recently closed down itsUK operation, Smoby is returningwith a new office in Bradford.

The new office will control thesales and distribution of all Smobyand Simba Dickie merchandisethroughout the UK.

The office and warehouse will bebased in Bradford and will be headedup by Tony Belford, who has beenassociated with Simba Dickie formany years during their growth inthe UK.

Belford commented: "I am lookingforward to expanding the Simba,Dickie and the Smoby businessfurther and establishing it as a majorbrand within the UK."

The company will be known asSimba Smoby Toys UK.

The trading director of ShopDirect, parent company ofWoolworths Online, has left the firm– sparking speculation that thebusiness is in trouble. David Inglisleft after successfully heading up therelaunch of the Woolworths brandonline in June.

KJ Istok will take up thepermanent post of CEO at KidzEntertainment, which he had alreadybeen filling during Anna LisaMcBride’s recent leave.

A further change for the firm seesSlawek Eikert appointed as the newcountry manager for Poland, addingto an ever-expanding team as thecompany continues to grow in keyterritories – particularly EasternEurope and Russia.

In Russia, the firm’s co-owner anddirector of entertainment, ClausTømming, is in charge of an effort tointroduce licensing to what is anotoriously difficult market.

International television executiveStephen Davis has been namedpresident of Hasbro Studios.

Davis will begin work with the firm in September, leading a team of internal and external creativetalent in a wide-range of genres,including animated, live-action andgame show programming, as well asthe content designed for digital andmobile extensions.

Hasbro has hired the prominentinternational production and

distribution television executive tohead up its newly-formed, LosAngeles-based Hasbro Studios.

The virtual studio will produceshows based on the firm’s brands,deliver new branded content andproduce programs from third partycontent creators.

Lego has put its PR account out topitch, as part of a strategy change fornext year.

Norton & Co, which handles PRfor Lego's individual products, willnot be affected by the review whichwill see five agencies vying for thelead business.

The major PR account, currentlyheld by The Red Consultancy, isbelieved to be worth about £175,000.The winning agency will be in chargeof brand strategy.

The Red Consultancy was broughtin to promote Lego's educationalranges and products back inSeptember 2008.

A source at Red said it would notbe working with Lego in 2010, owingto 'a change in PR strategy for thebrand'. However, Red will be retainedby Lego until the end of this year.

FROM LEFT: John Barratt, NickyWinterbourne and KJ Istock

6 APPOINTMENTS

INDUSTRY MOVESNew sales exec for ToyNews, Smoby sets up a new UK office and Green Board Games increases its ‘Green Team’...

Jumbo Games Limited, 2 Carters Row, Hatfield Park, Hatfield, AL9 5NBT: 01707 289289 E: [email protected] W: www.jumbo.eu

Products are not to scale. Peppa Pig - Astley Baker Davies/E1 Entertainment 2003. THE MR MEN SHOW™ DILLYDALE™ Copyright © 2009 THOIP (a Chorion company). All rights reserved.

NEW NEWNEW

NEW NEW

NEW NEW

SEPTEMBER 2009

UK RETAIL SALES rose 1.8 percent in value on a like-for-like basisin July 2009 and up 2.6 per cent ona total basis according to the BritishRetail Consortium.

This was compared to July lastyear where changeable weather hadaffected sales. Sales slowed forclothing and food, while homewaresand furniture sales benefited fromthe wet weather and clearancediscounts as people turned theirfocus to indoor decoration.

Within the toy market, arts andcrafts grew four per cent when theschool holidays started and parentswere looking for ways of keepingtheir children amused. One of themajor drivers within arts and craftsis reusable compounds with bothSpin Masters’ Moonsand and Flair’sPlasticine seeing strong growth.However, Crayola still dominatedthe category with nearly £1 in every£10 spent on the brand.

Other categories that grew werebuilding sets and all other toys.Lego’s dominance of building setscontinued, owning nine of the topten properties in July – only MegaBrands Mega Bloks Maxi at numbernine stoppped it having a cleansweep. Within all other toys,GoGo’s Crazy Bones was the topproperty despite the low averageprice of £1.09.

Dolls had a stronger month aswell, with Disney Princess growing41 per cent and both In My Pocketand Slyvanian Families growing.The top-selling item for July was theZapf Chou Chou Mummy Make MeBetter Doll. However, Barbie was

still the top property across thecategory with Barbie Petites makinga strong impact on the market. ThePetites assortment was the topselling Barbie item and the range isnow sixth in the play-set themeddoll category.

Transformers was the top propertyacross toys for the month, as thefilm release in late June continuedto encourage toy purchase, withtwelve out of the top twenty best-selling new items in July all from theTransformers range.

Little Tikes has made a bigimpact on the market, securingthird biggest property in July as well

as the top-selling item with LittleTikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversaryitem. Another property making animpact is Timmy Time, which hasleapt up the rankings in the lastmonth with the success of theTimmy Time Jigsaws – now the topitem in puzzles for July.

With the summer coming to anend and a raft of major toy releasesin August, the Back to Schoolseason sales will prove to be a goodindicator of how the market willperform for the vital Christmasperiod, where traditionally 50 percent of total toy sales occur in thelast three months.

Summertime specials

Transformers was the top propertyacross toys for the month, as the film

release in late June continued to encouragetoy purchase, with twelve out of the toptwenty best selling new items in Julyall from the Transformers range.

Top 5 propertiesJuly 20091. TRANSFORMERS2. BEN 103. LITTLE TIKES4. THOMAS AND FRIENDS5. STAR WARS

Best ItemProgression July 2009

Fisher-Price RainforestMelodies and LightsGym (Mattel)The baby gym has moved upfrom number 518 to animpressive number 25…

Best propertyprogressionJuly 2009

Harry PotterSince the latest movie launch,the famous wizard has leaptfrom its 199th position to arespectable 60th place...

Also racingup thecharts is thepre-schoolTimmy Timerange whichhas risefrom number280 tonumber 75...

08 NPD RESEARCH

UK toy sales(value, year to date)

July2008

July2009 -12%

Source: NPD

July 08: £5.49 July 09: £5.74

Sales Average price

PropertiesRetail Sales Trends

UK JULY 2009 (£ SALES - VALUE) UK JULY 2009 (UNIT SALES - VOLUME)

1 BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE 10CM FIGURES BANDAI

2 KIDIZOOM CAMERA VTECH

3 BEN 10 ULTIMATE OMNITRIX BANDAI

4 BAKUGAN STARTER PACK SPIN MASTER

5 CARS VEHICLE ASSORTMENT MATTEL

6 SMART TRIKE PLUS GIRLS MOOKIE

7 HOT WHEELS BASIC CAR ASSORTMENT MATTEL

8 POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY FIGURES BANDAI

9 BEN 10 FIGURES 10CM ASSORTMENT BANDAI

10 FIRST STEPS BABYWALKER VTECH

UK YEAR TO DATE (UNIT SALES - VOLUME)




4 GOGO’S CRAZY BONES III EXPLORER PACK MAGIC BOX

5 POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY FIGURES BANDAI

6 BEN 10 FIGURES 10CM ASSORTMENT BANDAI

7 BAKUGAN BOOSTER PACK SPIN MASTER

8 GOGO’S CRAZY BONES EVOLUTION BOOSTER MAGIC BOX

9 STAR WARS CLONE WARS BASIC FIGURES 3.75" HASBRO

10 GORMITI FIGURE FOILBAG ASSORTMENT FLAIR

NPD Eurotoys is the Number 1information provider forMarket Research to the Toy Industry in Europe

Contact: NPD Eurotoys UK, Rosemount House, Rosemount AvenueWest Byfleet, Surrey, KT14 6LB. _ 01 932 355 580

UK YEAR TO DATE (£ SALES - VALUE)


2 TRANSFORMERS ROBOT HEROES HASBRO

3 GOGO’S CRAZY BONES EVOLUTION BOOSTER MAGIC BOX

4 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE LEGENDS ASSORTMENT HASBRO

5 GOGO’S CRAZY BONES III EXPLORER PACK MAGIC BOX


7 PLASTICINE 8 PACK FLAIR


9 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE DELUXE FIGURES HASBRO

10 BAKUGAN BOOSTER PACK SPIN MASTER

1 LITTLE TIKES COZY COUPE 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION MGA

2 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE DELUXE FIGURES HASBRO

3 TRANSFORMERS MOVIE LEGENDS ASSORTMENT HASBRO

4 FIRST STEPS BABYWALKER VTECH

5 KIDIZOOM CAMERA VTECH


7 SMART TRIKE PLUS GIRLS MOOKIE TOYS


9 BAKUGAN STARTER PACK SPIN MASTER

10 BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE 15CM DNA FIGURES BANDAI

NOTES: All participating NPD retail data suppliers provide weekly data via EPOS systems. NPD figures are not projected to represent non-participating retailers but provide 100 percent of the sales from participating stores. EPoS sample includes the following retailers: Amazon, Argos, Asda, Boots, ELC, Firebox, Freemans, Grattan, Hamleys, HMV, HalfordsLittlewoods, Mailorderexpress, Modelzone, Mothercare, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Shop Direct, Tesco, Toymaster, The Entertainer and WHSmith. The approximate coverage is of 60%

www.toynewsmag.com 09NPD RESEARCH

Retail Sales Trends

MONTHSUB MARKETS

COMPUTER/ELECTRONICGAMES

TOYS & GAMES/PRE-SCHOOL/LEARNING AIDS

TOTAL (ALL)

YEAR ON YEAR DIFF %

£5,512,335 £7,461,904 £16,305,208 £25,846,939 £15,313,631 £2,123,967

£84,748 £259,436 £1,533,457 £951,214 £177,872 £20,837

£5,597,083 £7,721,340 £17,838,665 £26,798,153 £15,491,503 £2,144,804

-8.10% -31.82% 1.63% 13.60% 10.56% 0.71%

AUG-08 SEPT-08 OCT-08 NOV-08 DEC-08 JAN-09SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£)

MONTHLY SECTOR SPEND

MARKETINGSPEND ANALYSIS

10 ADVERTISING TRENDS

MONTHLY ADVERTISING SPEND (12M TO JULY ‘09)

COMPUTER GAMES / ELECTRONIC GAMES 98%

TOYS & GAMES / PRE-SCHOOL / LEARNING AIDS 2%

TOTAL (ALL) 100%

SECTOR SHARE

COMPUTER GAMES/ELECTRONIC GAMES

TOYS & GAMES/PS TOYS & LEARNING AIDS

Hasbro is the fourthbiggest advertiser inthis month’s chart

£4,563,226 £5,731,756 £7,097,913 £5,743,467 £5,427,349 £4,204,488 £105,332,183

£77,672 £155,822 £293,971 £29,729 £7,795 £22,737 £3,615,289

£4,640,898 £5,887,578 £7,391,884 £5,773,196 £5,435,144 £4,227,225 £108,947,472 -

-12.94% -20.02% -22.66% -24.98% -27.76% -35.91% -8.26%

FEB-09 MAR-09 APR-09 MAY-09 JUN-09 JUL-09 TOTALSPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND*(£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£) SPEND* (£)

www.toynewsmag.com 11ADVERTISING TRENDS

TOP 20 ADVERTISERS (JANUARY ‘09 TO JUNE ‘09)

COMPANIES PERCENTAGE OF CHANGEALL SPEND

NINTENDO 24.5% 9.4%ELECTRONIC ARTS 9.3% 128.2%ACTIVISION 5.5% -32.3%HASBRO 4.6% -40.1%CAPCOM 4.1% 281.5%UBISOFT 3.9% -32.9%MATTEL 3.6% -71.1%THQ 3.3% 9.2%SONY COMPUTER ENT. 3.1% 56.1%ROCKSTAR GAMES 2.4% -60.3%FLAIR LEISURE PRODUCTS 2.3% -16.1%SEGA 2.2% -54.6%CHARACTER OPTIONS 2.1% -41.0%VIVID IMAGINATIONS 1.6% -50.7%BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT 1.6% 77.2%LEGO GROUP 1.4% 17.2%MICROSOFT 1.2% 92.9%HARMONIX 1.2% -32.3%BANDAI 1.2% -40.5%WARNER BROS 1.0% N/A

Billetts Media Monitoring is the fastest and most sophisticatedadvertising monitoring service in the UK that provides both

spend data and latest creative treatments.

To find out how BMM could benefit your business visit:www.ebiquity.com/uk/bmm

or email us at [email protected] (TOP 20) 80.1%% -14.4%

TOTAL (ALL) 100% -23.2%

*Discounted

Our monthly marketing analysis page looks at TVand press advertising spend. The information fromBilletts (formerly Thomson Intermedia) accuratelymonitors actual discounted spend across themedia, as opposed to quoted ratecard figures andoffers comparisons with rival sectors as well…

(JAN ’09 - JUNE ‘09 VSJAN ‘08 - JUNE ‘08)

Lego’s advertising is up 17.2per cent year-on-year

SEPTEMBER 2009

The top-performing children’s TV shows on terrestrial and multi-channel....

The ratings game12 AIRTIME STATISTICS

1 16:35 HORRIBLE HISTORIES BBC1 215 14 1

2 16:34 MI HIGH BBC1 152 11 3

3 08:50 BEN 10 GMTV 151 13 8

4 16:35 HORRIBLE HISTORIES BBC2 141 12 1

5 16:34 SMART BBC1 135 10 3

6 17:46 CHUGGINGTON CBEEBIES 134 8 23

7 08:30 SHAGGY & SCOOBY DOO GET A CLUE GMTV 122 13 8

8 16:32 HARRY AND TOTO CBEEBIES 122 9 12

9 17:26 MISTER MAKER CBEEBIES 119 9 37

10 16:59 KERWHIZZ CBEEBIES 115 9 9

TIME TITLE/DESCRIPTION CHANNEL OOOs % AIRINGS

SHOWS ACROSS ALL TIMES JULY 09

1 17:29 GRANDPA IN MY POCKET CBEEBIES 174 9.4 39

2 10:01 BASIL'S SWAP SHOP CBBC 169 10.8 1

3 08:50 POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY GMTV 166 13.2 64

4 08:34 SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GMTV 163 17.4 65

5 16:35 THE LEGEND OF DICK AND DOM BBC1 160 10.2 13

6 08:03 BACK TO THE BARNYARD GMTV 157 18.5 20

7 16:20 SKUNK FU BBC1 157 10.5 1

8 16:35 HORRIBLE HISTORIES BBC1 156 11.8 11

9 08:19 BEN 10 GMTV 156 14.0 56

10 16:35 LITTLE HOWARD'S BIG QUESTION BBC1 152 9.5 13


SHOWS ACROSS ALL TIMES YTD JULY 09

1 10:34 GRIZZLY TALES FOR GRUESOME KIDS CITV 87 7 16

2 10:29 ICARLY: IGO TO JAPAN N’ODEON 75 7 1

3 16:00 HORRID HENRY CITV 74 8 116

4 16:30 YU-GI-OH! CITV 69 5 18

5 09:25 TMNT FAST FORWARD CITV 63 5 15

6 17:11 SONNY WITH A CHANCE DISNEY 62 5 71

7 07:54 POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY GMTV2 57 5 24

8 10:00 BARBIE - THUMBELINA NICK JR 53 4 1

9 07:26 POKEMON BATTLE DIMENSION GMTV2 51 6 45

10 17:46 HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE DISNEY 48 3 2


COMMERCIAL MULTICHANNEL SHOWS (ALL TIMES) JULY 09

SOURCE: INFOSYS/BARB. NOTE: THESE CHARTS ARE BASED ON AVERAGE PERFORMANCE

1 17:35 JONAS DISNEY 145 9 1

2 08:09 TOM AND JERRY TALES GMTV2 103 8 90

3 07:42 DINOSAUR KING GMTV2 102 9 119

4 15:59 HORRID HENRY CITV 102 9 684

5 16:28 HANNAH MONTANA SING-A-LONG DISNEY 102 7 5

6 08:27 JUSTICE LEAGUE GMTV2 97 9 40

7 16:31 GRIZZLY TALES FOR GRUESOME KIDS CITV 98 8 110

8 16:28 FOUR EYES! CITV 89 7 118

9 17:31 WOLVES WITCHES AND GIANTS CITV 87 5 1

10 16:29 MY GOLDFISH IS EVIL CITV 87 7 83


COMMERCIAL MULTICHANNEL SHOWS (ALL TIMES) YTD JULY 09

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Major TV advertising campaign in October & November

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Hasbro Family Game Night (HFGN) launches in the UK and Ireland onSeptember 14th with an intensive five week launch plan….

Family Game NightHasbro

www.toynewsmag.com 15CAMPAIGN OF THE MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2009

THE FIVE-WEEK period between back toschool and October half-term break is lookedupon as the perfect window to speak directly tofamilies looking for ways to spend more qualitytime together.

It has also been well recognised that boardgames purchases are happening later and laterevery year and the campaign is designed to bringthat initial games purchase forward, allowing forthe secondary purchase at Christmas.

Craig Wilkins, senior brand manager says: “Wereally want to create an occasion for families toget together weekly and play board games. Wehave fantastic well-known games that familieshave grown up with and with cost effective waysto socialise now increasingly popular, theopportunity for the for the games category ingeneral is really exciting.”

PROMOTIONSHasbro has partnered up with Pizza Hut.Families that purchase one of the featured gamesare eligible for two for one pizza every week forthe rest of 2009.

Games featured include MonopolyChampionship; Pictureka; Cluedo; Guesstures;Cranium Family; Jenga; Operation and Connect4x4.

Once families have purchased one of thegames within the campaign period, they send a

leaflet with their details to HFGN where theywill be sent in return a co-branded bookletcontaining a voucher for every week untilDecember 31st.

MARKETING ACTIVITYThe campaign will receive over £500,000 ofinvestment over the five-week period. TVadvertising will be the core focus of thecampaign with 200 Mum’s TVR’s throughout thefive weeks. The advert will bring to life the greatmoments that we all enjoy about board gamesand will feature classic like Cluedo andMonopoly as well as the huge success of 2008that was Pictureka.

The online campaign will directly target mumswith over 3,000,000 impressions and will clickthrough to www.familygamenight.co.uk wherefamilies can pick up tips on how to hold theirown family game nights as well as interactivegames and product features.

This will be Hasbro’s largest PR campaign in2009 with events planned throughout the fiveweek period and a famous face heading up thecampaign to give it real exposure across all formsof media.

The in-store execution will also be exceptionalwith a front window display in over 550 retailers.200 pallets and over 1,000 FSDU’s will be instore for the launch of the campaign.

To continue the launch, Digital Gamingpartner EA games will also be launching HFGN2 on all digital platforms in November includingTV support.

All of Hasbro games POS will feature theHFGN logo as will all TV advertisements. Thecampaign was launched in 2008 in the US andCanada and both markets saw uplift across thecategory for the promotional period whichcontinued through until Christmas.

Plans are already in final discussions forspring/summer 2010 with new promotionalpartners looking to come on board.

We want to createan occasion forfamilies to get

together weekly and playboard games.

Craig Wilkins, seniorbrand manager

The UK’s only dedicated monthly licensing coverage

News • Media • Opinion

As the business gets ready to return toOlympia for Brand Licensing Europe,ToyNews runs through some of the keyplans from the major exhibitors…

The main eventPages 21-25

PPC Enterprises’ legal andcommercial director Mark Hurry talksus through the last 12 months andwhat’s coming up next for the firm…

Picture PerfectPage 29

Aardman reveals retail plans forWallace & Gromit 20th, Chapman’snew pre-school properties, Fisher-Price unveils Waybuloo toy line, TheFA adds toy companies…

NewsPages 18-19

SEPTEMBER 2009

18

CHAPMAN ENTERTAINMENT willlaunch two new pre-school properties – withbroadcasting commissions – at BrandLicensing Europe later this month.

The firm, which already boasts topperformers Fifi and the Flowertots and Roarythe Racing Car in its portfolio, will showcasethe properties on stand 560 across the twodays of the event.

“We are confident that our new pre-schoolproperties have stand out and wide appeal,”commented Andrew Haydon, commercialand finance director at Chapman.

“They are beautifully animated, withstrong brand values and fantastic scripts –the perfect combination.

“The feedback so far has been extremelypositive from the limited number of partnerswho have seen the new programmes andwe’re looking forward to progressing thosediscussions at Brand Licensing.”

Fifi and the Flowertots was Chapman’s firstproperty and is now in its fourth year. To dateit has secured over 116 licensees globally,with the show on air in over 166 countries.Meanwhile, Roary the Racing Car has over 50licensees internationally and has been sold to

over 130 countries.”Chapman: 0870 403 0556

RAINBOW SPA is gearing up for theEuropean arrival of the new line ofWinx fashion dolls, with eachcountry planning heftyadvertising campaigns andmarketing support.

The roll out is planned tocoincide with the broadcastof series four of Winx Club.In France, Smoby will berolling out ads dedicated tothe new Believix line ofdolls on Gulli and TF1,running from October toDecember, while inGermany Simba will behitting Super RTLand NICK.

Other similarTV and mediacampaigns will

be taking place in all majorEuropean markets with

strong local toy partnerssuch as Bizak (Spain),Concentra (Portugal),

Scanditoys (Scandinavia),Tim Toys (Poland) andCToys (Russia) amongothers.

Rainbow also believesthat success in each

market will be enhanced bythe European launch of a

new MMOG, a BelievixNintendo DS game andPanini sticker albums.In addition, the WinxLive on Ice show is due

to take place in 2010.Rainbow SpA: +39 (0)

71 7506 7500

Chapman readies newpre-school brandsBrand Licensing Europe will be platform for firm’s grand unveiling…

by Samantha Loveday

Euro launch due for fresh Winx dolls

AARDMAN is planning to celebrate the 20th anniversary ofWallace & Gromit with an exclusive retail package.

Numerous licensees have joined forces to provideindependent and mini-multiple gift stores with a range ofincentives for orders placed in September, ahead of themilestone birthday in November.

The retail discounts from Rainbow Designs (plush andgift), Wow Stuff (Cracking Contraptions range), Esdevium(Fleeced board game), ECP (home and kitchenwares) andRobert Harrop (limited edition figurines) will be supported byAardman with exclusive POS packs.

Wider activity surrounding the anniversary will include apreview and Q&A event with Nick Park at the London FilmFestival in October.

Fans will also have theopportunity to watch the films,which have been specially re-mastered, at selected cinemasand a DVD box set featuring allfour short films for the first timewill be released by 2Entertain.

A graphic novel of A Grand Day Out and The Art ofWallace & Gromit sketch book, both from Egmont, will alsobe available from September.

“The 20th anniversary of Wallace & Gromit is a wonderfulopportunity to celebrate what has been a landmark story inthe licensing industry,” said Sean Clarke, head of AardmanRights. “Naturally we want to include our licensees and retailpartners in the activity surrounding it.

“We have some groundbreaking new gift product and bysupporting independent retailers with exclusive POS packagesand incentives in orders, we are offering a unique opportunityto be a part of our celebrations.”Aardman: 0117 984 8900

Aardman dealsreward retailers

LICENSINGNEWS

HAYDON: “We are confidentour pre-school properties willhave wide appeal”

SEPTEMBER 2009

www.licensing.biz 19

GOGO’S TOYS DRIVE ONToy, board games and inflatables arethe latest products to join thelicensing programme for Gogo’sCrazy Bones. Re:creation isproducing Phlat balls and Zeebees,while Imagination Games will roll outa board game. Mondo will also beproducing a line of inflatables.Bulldog: 020 8325 5455

FACTORY SIGNS MAGICROUNDABOUT MASTER TOYCollectibles firm FactoryEntertainment is planning to roll outplush, vinyl and die-cast lines forParthenon’s The Magic Roundaboutin 2010.Parthenon: 020 7580 3099

TOONATTIK CELEBRATES500TH EPISODEGMTV kids block Toonattik will bemarking its 500th episode onSeptember 5th. It will be showingSpongebob Squarepants, plus thefirst terrestrial airing of Disney’s Kitvs Kat and new episodes of DorkHunters from Outer Space.GMTV: 020 7827 7000

PANINI MAKES ITPanini will launch Disney Make It, anew four-weekly arts and craftmagazine, this month. Issue one willshow readers how to make aMonsters, Inc doorstop, a LittleMermaid treasure chest and KimPossible pom poms. A Finding Nemoprinting kit will be covermounted.Panini: 01892 500 100

FRANCO AND FORMULA FUNREVS FOR LAUNCHNew boys property Franco andFormula Fun will be debuting atMipcom in October. Based on theillustrations of motorsportcartoonist Jim Bamber, Blue ZooProductions will create the series forbroadcast in autumn 2010. TheKeith Pashley Experience will beworking on all marketing aspects ofthe brand and will initially betargeting the toys, games andpublishing sectors.Keith Pashley: 01608 738134

IN BRIEF

Toy firms score with The FA

FISHER-PRICE has officiallyunveiled the first toy collection forCbeebies’ pre-school hit Waybuloo.

The range is due to hit retail in theautumn and is made up of plush,play-sets and figures. There are twoNara play-sets – Yojojo in the music

studio and Lau Lau in the arts andcrafts studio. Each set comes with acharacter figure and four accessories.

Interactive plush makes up a keypart of the collection. Peek & WiggleYojojo includes a number of phrasesfrom the show and its own melody;Peeka Lau Lau also includes thecharacter’s signature tune; while

Talking Nok Tok and Talking De Liare also available.

Completing the range areWaybuloo small friends – with allfour characters to choose from – fourfigure packs each containing aPipling and two accessories, plus aselection of bath toys.Mattel: 01628 500000

Waybuloo toys heading to retail

CPLG SPORT has signed a numberof product extensions and newlicensing deals for The FA, includingsome key ones in the toy sector.

Jumbo Games is now on board andwill be producing a range of puzzlesaimed at the six plus age group.These will include a 100-pieceofficial team photo puzzles, launchinglater this year, and a line of 54-piecemini puzzles featuring action shots ofkey players from the qualifyingmatches of the 2010 FIFA WorldCup South Africa.

These are due in February 2010.Also in the toy sector, Hy-Pro,

already one of The FA’s key licensingpartners, has extended its agreementto add canvas wallets to its range offootballs and accessories.

Other new licensees signed upinclude Character World, OxfordProducts, UK Elite Promotions andBuild-A-Bear Workshop, plusFootball Mania and Home Win haveextended their deals.

“The England brand is one of thestrongest licences in the world,

especially during a tournament yearand we expect to see unprecedentedsales of official products bearing theThree Lions crest during 2010,” saidNicola Lord, senior commercialmanager at CPLG Sport.CPLG Sport: 020 8563 6400

by Samantha Loveday

LICENSINGNEWS

Plush, play-sets and figures for new pre-school property due to debut this autumn…

APPAREL • ART & DESIGN • ENTERTAINMENT • FOOD & BEVERAGES • PUBLISHING • SPORTS • TOYS & GIFTS

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21BRAND LICENSING EUROPE PREVIEW LICENSING

SEPTEMBER 2009

4KIDS ENTERTAINMENT(STAND 470)Trading card game Chaotic will be akey focus. Spin Master is on board todevelop toys including action figuresand collectables. A soft launch of theaction figures is due to take placelater on this year, followed by a fullroll out in early 2010. H Grossman isalso producing a range of outdoorproducts including tents, bicycles andskateboards.

Dinosaur King will also be on stand.According to NPD data, it was a topthree new property in the toys andgames category (Source: NPD, YTDJune 09) and 4Kids is confident thatwith the introduction of new linesthis autumn, the brand will continueto grow.

Two new properties will beintroduced at the show – pre-schooloffering WordWorld and Karito Kids,which already has a portfolio of dolls

and books – while evergreen brandsYu-Gi-Oh and Teenage Mutant NinjaTurtles will also be pushed.

Finally, The Dog, The Cat and ThePig from Artist Collection will also beon the booth.

AARDMAN RIGHTS(STAND 610)Pre-school show Timmy Timecontinues to notch up the viewers: ithas now been watched by more than5.8 million individuals since launchin April (Source: Barb).

Meanwhile, the second series ofShaun the Sheep is currently inproduction and remains a majorfocus for Aardman.

There are 28 UK licensees onboard – including Golden Bear asmaster toy and Egmont as publishingpartner – in addition to numerousinternational licensees.

Aardman will be looking to secureinternational partners across anumber of categories for allproperties, including Wallace &Gromit (which celebrates its 20thanniversary this November) andChop Socky Chooks.

BBC WORLDWIDE(STAND 530)BBCW will be introducing four newchildren’s properties at the show.

These are Ragdoll’s pre-teen seriesTronji, animation Dirtgirlworld,animated book adaptation Wibbly Pigand ZingZillas, a new musical showfor pre-schoolers.

On top of this, established brandsincluding 3rd and Bird, In The NightGarden, Teletubbies, Charlie & Lolaand Doctor Who will all be on show,as well as properties from its adultportfolio like Strictly Come Dancingand Top Gear.

BIG BOCCA (STAND 320)The Upper Deck affiliated companywas created in 2006 to develop, co-produce, distribute and licenceanimated properties for kids. Anewcomer to Brand LicensingEurope, Big Bocca will be puttingparticular emphasis on the toy linesfor Huntik. Upper Deck, the mastertoy partner for the property, will belaunching its new range in Europe inthe autumn. It will include six-incharticulated figurines of the Seekersand Titans, nine-inch deluxe Titans,plus three figure action packs.

BULLDOG LICENSING(STAND 565)If you haven’t yet seen the potentialof Gogo’s Crazy Bones, BLE might bea good time to check it out.

The collectable has swept throughplaygrounds since its launch last year,with Halsall, Hy-Pro, Re:creation andMV Sports among the partners onboard.

Thumb Wrestling Federation:TWF will also be on the stand, withSambro’s toy line being a key focus.

New Bulldog property Super Whywill be making its BLE debut, whilethe stand will also feature classicproperties Andy Pandy and Bill andBen, plus design-led brands LittleEwe and Goochicoo.

BBC Worldwidewill be launching

four new children’sproperties,including Tronji.

After last year’s successful tenth anniversary celebrations, Brand Licensing Europe is heading back to Olympialater this month. As ever, ToyNews will be there (stand 603), and over the next five pages we highlight what toexpect from some of the key exhibitors. Check out our sister website, Licensing.biz, for even more coverage...

Olympianhighlights

22 LICENSING BRAND LICENSING EUROPE PREVIEW

SEPTEMBER 2009

CHAPMAN ENTERTAINMENT(STAND 560)Exciting news from the Chapmanstable, with the firm planning toreveal two new pre-school shows atthe event (see page 18).

Lead properties Roary the RacingCar and Fifi and the Flowertots willalso be showcased.

CHORION(STAND 540)It has been a relatively quiet year forChorion so far, but BLE will see itpresent Mr Men and Little Miss, plus3D animated series Olivia – forwhich Spin Master is the globalmaster toy partner.

Chorion will also be looking tosign new agents and further licensingdeals for The World of Eric Carle andNoddy in Toyland, which has debutedin the UK on Five. Biplano is thelicensing representative for Noddy inIberia, where Make Way for Noddywill air on TVE, while Chorion willbe securing further partners at BLE asthe 60th anniversary celebrationscontinue.

CLASSIC MEDIA(STAND 440)All-new animated pre-school showTinga Tinga Tales is co-produced withTiger Aspect in Nairobi using localtalent and aims to bring to lifeAfrican folk tales. It will premiere onCbeebies in 2010.

Meanwhile, Guess with Jess is dueto air from this autumn, whilePostman Pat Special Delivery Service iscurrently being bolstered byCharacter Options’ master toy line.

The brand now has 60 licenseeson-board and a live theatre tour willroll out across various UK venuesfrom spring 2010.

COOLABI(STAND 505)The timing of this year’s show ispretty good for Coolabi – the firm’sScarlett & Crimson and PurpleRonnie brands are expanding intonew territories and licensed areas,while its classic screen and publishingsuccesses, including Hammer,Bagpuss, The Clangers, Ivor theEngine and Poppy Cat are provingequally popular.

“As the biggest event of its kind inEurope, Brand Licensing isunmissable,” said Janet Woodward,head of licensing at Coolabi. “Thepromotional, business andnetworking opportunities areunmatched in the European market.”

DRI LICENSING(STAND 310)Miffy’s licensing programmecontinues apace with RainbowDesigns’ Little Star collection andthe new Miffy Classic gift line, Nextand Mothercare babywear ranges andfashion success in New Look and TopShop among other retailers.

New from The World of RoaldDahl, meanwhile, are the Mr Fox giftstationery launches, plus EnormousCrocodile plush from RainbowDesigns, with keyrings also due tofollow in 2010.

E1 ENTERTAINMENT(STAND 240)E1 will not only be highlighting itsrebranding from ContenderEntertainment Group, but alsorevealing plans for its growing list ofproperties.

Peppa Pig now has over 55licensing agreements in the UK aloneand has been sold into over 180territories. The same team is nowworking on Ben & Holly’s LittleKingdom, which already has clothing,toy, DVD and book partners onboard with more on the way. Amerchandising launch for Ben &Holly, and fellow Nick Jr propertyHumf, is planned for 2010.

E1 is also the UK licensor forvampire flick Twilight and itssuccessors New Moon and Eclipse, aswell as classic superhero brandAstroboy. Other third partyrepresentations include Hi-5, It’s ABig Big World and textile design brandKim Parker Home.

HIT ENTERTAINMENT(STAND 425)Hit now owns and distributes morethan 1,500 hours of pre-schoolprogramming around the world.

2010 will see the firm celebratingthe 65th anniversary of Thomas &Friends with a year-long programmeof marketing and retail initiatives, aswell as the launch of all-new CGIanimated programming for both Bobthe Builder and Thomas & Friends inthe UK. Angelina Ballerina: The NextSteps will also launch in CGI on NickJr later on this year.

Fireman Sam continues itsbroadcast expansion with its debuton GMTV’s The Fluffy Club, while itcurrently ranks as Cartoonito’s toprating pre-school show for the yearand continues to perform well onFive’s Milkshake.

LUDORUM(STAND 640)Ludorum will be seekinginternational partners for pre-schoolhit Chuggington – which has nowsecured broadcast in over 165territories.

E1’s Peppa Pignow has over 55

licensing agreements inplace in the UKmarket alone.


SEPTEMBER 2009

The first DVD release, Let’s Ridethe Rails, was released earlier this yearand is the number one selling pre-school title of the year so far,according to the firm. Two furthertitles will roll out before the end ofthe year. Licensed products will beavailable from spring 2010, with keypartners including RC2/LearningCurve (master toy) and Parragon(publishing).

Meanwhile, Dennis and Gnasherwill debut at the show, following thelaunch of the new animated TVseries on CBBC in September.Publishing and home entertainmenttitles will launch from 2010 andLudorum is now seekinginternational partners.

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT(STAND 745)The firm will be showcasing SuperHero Squad, which features a new‘super stylised’ look to some of itsbiggest characters. In addition,Marvel, which is celebrating 70 yearsof publishing this year, will show anumber of its biggest classic brands,including retro artwork featuringHulk, Iron Man, Spider-man, X-Menand Fantastic Four among others.

Emphasis will also be placed on theAvengers Assemble initiative, amajor licensing and merchandisingcampaign to support Marvel Studios’upcoming theatrical slate. Thisincludes Iron Man 2 (May 7th 2010),Thor (May 20th 2011), CaptainAmerica (July 22nd 2011) and TheAvengers (May 4th 2012). Thisreflects the first time that individualSuper Hero characters and story arcswill be interwoven and culminate ina multi-character movie. Also expectsome Spider-man 4 teasers.

MATTEL CONSUMERPRODUCTS(STAND 399)Following Barbie’s successfulrepositioning programme this year,MCP is looking to extend the brandfurther into the adult licensingcategory and will be showing its newdirection at the event.

Meanwhile, the core Barbielicensing programme continues togrow with the introduction of tween-focused electronics, beauty, appareland sporting goods, while newautumn movie, Barbie & the ThreeMusketeers will be supported with acomprehensive product rangeincluding dress up and publishing.

Fisher-Price will be extending itsBabygear and Nursery portfolios withthe launch of a co-branded car seatand travel cot ranges.

There will also be new product inthe outdoor category and a Europeanroll out.

Hot Wheels has seen its consumerproducts programme grow by 25 percent. A new animation series is

currently in development withNelvana and Nerd Corps, called HotWheels: Battle Force.

Finally, there is also strong interestin games brand Scrabble.

NELVANA(STAND 548)Beyblade is back with 51 new episodesand a revamped toy line featuring ametal gear system. Lining upalongside Beyblade on the Nelvanastand will be The New Adventures ofBabar, Franklin and Ruby Gloom,which now has over 50 licenseesacross four continents.

Meanwhile, Bakugan has over 50deals across a variety of productcategories in the EMEA region. Asecond series – Bakugan: New Vestroia– is now in production.

NICKELODEON(STAND 499)NVCP will be presenting a brandnew licensing opportunity aroundforthcoming film The Last Airbender.Directed by M Night Shyamalan andbased on Nickelodeon’s animatedshow Avatar, the film is due incinemas in July 2010. Spin Master isthe master global toy partner.

In addition, Nickelodeon will bepresenting further developments with

Dora the Explorer and SpongebobSquarepants, plus Wonder Pets, NiHao, Kai-Lan, Go Diego Fo, H20 andSouth Park.

NMSI TRADING(STAND 365)National Museum of Science andIndustry Trading represents four UKheritage brands: the ScienceMuseum, National Railway Museum,Flying Scotsman and the NationalMedia Museum.

Various new products will beshowcased across the brands.Heritage properties are a growingsegment for the toy sector, asreported in ToyNews August, soNMSI's stand should prove to be apopular draw.

PERFORMANCE BRANDS(STAND 630)Planet Cook will be one of the brandshighlighted at Olympia, with the firmaiming to develop it into a long-termproposition across a variety of sectorsincluding toys, apparel, games,publishing and homeware.

Performance Brands has also beenhelping to develop the licensingprogramme for pre-school propertyNumberjacks (from Open Mind). Thebrand has already enjoyed success inthe publishing, soft toy, outdoor andwheeled toys, puzzles and games,DVD, apparel, bedding andconfectionery sectors.

PPC ENTERPRISES(STAND 740)PPCE will be unveiling The Hive, apre-school CGI series that follows the

Mattel will behighlighting the

new adult licensingdirection for theBarbie brand.

SEPTEMBER 2009

fortunes of the Bee family. The series– from the creators of The Pinky &Perky Show – comprises 78 seven-minute episodes and has been signedup by GMTV in the UK.

Speaking of Pinky & Perky, thefirst toy lines from Martin Yaffe aredue to be unveiled at Olympia.

Monty Python – celebrating its 40thanniversary this year – will also be akey focus for PPCE. The firm will beshowing exclusive content from anew documentary, which is due fortheatrical and DVD release later thisyear, followed by TV broadcastaround the world.

“We’re really looking forward topresenting what is an incrediblystrong selection of brands,”comments Mark Hurry, legal andcommercial director at PPCE.

RAINBOW S.P.A(STAND 570)Rainbow is looking to make a bigsplash at this year’s event, bringingwith it a number of properties.

PopPixie is already the number onetoy brand in Italy and Bandai hassigned up as the master toy licensee.The show is made up of 52x13-minute episodes and Rainbowbelieves it lends itself well to anumber of categories.

Meanwhile, Winx Club is back for afourth series, including newcharacters and pets. The autumnEuropean TV launch will becoordinated with new fashion dollsand supported by a major TVcampaign, followed by the launch ofBandai’s Nintendo DS game.

Rainbow will also be showcasing

Huntik: Secrets & Seekers. The brandhas already enjoyed success withapparel, back to school, trading cards(from Upper Deck), sticker albums,magazines and 3D figurines.

RDF RIGHTS(STAND 730)Main focus for RDF will be on pre-school hit Waybuloo, currently airingon the BBC. Since its launch earlierthis year, the programme has provedpopular with youngsters and RDF iscurrently rolling out theaccompanying licensing drive.

BAFTA award winning Yo GabbaGabba will also be highlighted, alongwith arts and crafts brand MisterMaker and Big Barn Farm, whichcombines live action and animation.

ROCKET LICENSING(STAND 604)While showing off the continueddevelopment of established brandsThe Dangerous Book for Boys, TheDaring Book for Girls and Rocky,Rocket will also be launching anumber of new properties.

These include St Trinian’s: TheLegend of Fritton’s Gold and TrueBlood from HBO.

Atari and Fame will also be ondisplay, along with a number of MGMproperties, while Rocket is promisingto make further new brand revealsonce the show kicks off.

START LICENSING(STAND 350)It’s looking likely to be a busy showfor Start, which arrives at Olympiaarmed with a wide range of brands.

These include DC Thomson comicand magazine brands The Beano, TheDandy, Commando, Jackie, Topper,Beezer and The Hotspur.

Other DC characters likeBananaman, Billy Whizz and theBash Street Kids will also behighlighted.

A recent new signing for thecompany is the Honey Monster fromthe Sugar Puffs cereal brand. Alreadysuccessful in apparel, Start is hopingto extend it into plush, ceramics,stationery and collectables.

Pre-school show Big & Small willform a key part of the stand. Currentlicensees include Jumbo (plush,jigsaw puzzles and card games),Avanquest (CD Rom), Little StarCreations, Zak (lunchware) andFashion UK (apparel).

Bang on the Door continues to beanother major focus, with over 20years of licensing success behind it.

Recent successes include acollection of Fabric Animalsstationery in WH Smith, while recentlicensees added to the roster areLittle Star Creations, Mindscape andPrimary Teaching Services.

In addition, Start will also bepresenting Sky series Brainiac,Gladiators and Are You Smarter Thana 10 Year Old?

TARGET ENTERTAINMENTGROUP (STAND 550)TEG will be presenting girl’s fashionand lifestyle brand Brit Chicks, whichit signed up earlier this year.

In addition, it will also be lookingto sign more deals for the PlayStationsoftware IPs, including LittleBigPlanet,Invizimals and EyePet, all of which aremaking their debut at Olympia.Target signed up with SonyComputer Entertainment Europeback in April to act as the consumerproducts agent for the IPs in the UKand EMEA.

The firm will also be representingthe pre-school animation FluffyGardens and live action comedyseries Emu.

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX(STAND 445)The firm says it is bringing itsstrongest ever slate of entertainmentproperties to Olympia.

The billion-dollar Ice Age franchiseboasts one of the studio’s largest filmmerchandising programmes, withmore than 200 global licensees.

PlayStationsoftware IP like

EyePet will be makingits Olympia debuton Target’s stand.

24 LICENSING BRAND LICENSING EUROPE PREVIEW


SEPTEMBER 2009

The Avatar brand will besupported with an innovative toy linefrom Mattel, while Fox will also lookto build on the Alvin and TheChipmunks franchise.

The Simpsons is currently in themidst of a year-long celebration of its20th anniversary. The new Ladies ofSpringfield licensing drive for femaleswill be a key focus for the show, aswell as the likes of Family Guy, 24,Halo and Garfield.

TV-LOONLAND(STAND 205)Little Princess continues to go fromstrength to strength, airing every dayon Five and supported by a stronglicensing programme made up of over60 licensees.

Also on the stand will be The Owl,with Rainbow Productions’ costumecharacter making an appearance atthe show. CGI animation Pat & Stanand pre-school show Penelope willalso be on display.

WARNER BROS CONSUMERPRODUCTS (STAND 799)WBCP arrives at Olympia riding highon the success of Harry Potter and theHalf-Blood Prince. The firm will alsobe showcasing DC Comics, includingits plans for the 75th anniversarycelebrations, plus Batman andCartoon Network series Batman: TheBrave and the Bold.

Evergreens such as Superman,Wonder Woman, Supergirl, GreenLantern and The Flash will all be ondisplay, as well as Scooby-Doo andthe Looney Tunes.

Fox will befocusing on the

new Ladies ofSpringfield driveat the show.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH9.45am-10.30amDigital strategies for licensedcharacters in an ever evolving worldSeminar led by Gary Pope, MD,Kids Industries

11.00am-11.45amCross border licensing in Europe –managing local culture, retail anddesign considerations to ensure yourproperty’s successSeminar leader: Marina Narishkin,MD, Copyright Promotions France,with Martijn van der Erve, MD,Van der Erve NV

12.15pm-13.00pmHow to negotiate a betterlicensing contractSeminar leader: John Burns,Partner, Halliwells

13.30pm-14.15pmKEYNOTE: Bruno Schwobthaler,SVP Sales & Business Development,Warner Bros Consumer ProductsEMEA

14.45pm-15.30pmNPD special report on licensing

16.00pm-16.45pmTrend Tracker – Licensing ina recessionSeminar lead by Louise French,Associate VP Marketing & BusinessDevelopment, Beanstalk Group

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1ST9.30am-10.15amBreakfast seminar for independentretailers – how to start or build yourlicensed product offering to gainretail advantage

10.45am-11.30amRoyalties, pricing and financialknow-howSpeaker TBC

12.00pm-12.45pmKEYNOTE: Address from AstleyBaker Davies’ Phil Davies, andtrends report from ShowcomotionChildren’s Media Conference

13.15pm-14.00pmCross border licensing in Europe –managing the legal landscapeSeminar led by Christian Fortmann,European trademark attorney,24IP Law Group

14.30pm-15.15pmGaming to win in licensing Seminar led by Michael French,Editor in Chief, MCV Magazine

15.45pm-16.30pmCreating the best products:taking licensed properties fromscreen to shelfSeminar led by Oliver Dyer, MD,Skew Studio

The Licensing AcademyNearly 600 people attended the Academy in 2008 andthis year's programme will again allow visitors thechance to get up to speed with the latest trends...

For more information on all the brands available from Winning Movescall 020 7262 9696 or email [email protected]

NEW

Come and visit us at Autumn Fair in Hall 5, Stand C24to see the rest of our range!

WE ARE NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR THESE GAMES

Answer this question correctly and send your answer, name, company name & address [email protected] by September 30th 2009

Q) Which of the brand new Top Trumps packs listed below is 3D?

a) Ice Age: The Collection b) GI Joe c) Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

IF YOU CAN ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION CORRECTLYYOU STAND A CHANCE OF WINNING THESE PACKS.

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Ice Age: The Collection is thecoolest Top Trumps pack of theyear! Featuring mammothManny, hapless Sid, and Diego,the softest big cat around, thispack spans all three Ice Agefilms to make one definitivecollection for any fan of theprehistoric movies. Who is thebravest herd member of all?And will Scrat ever get hishands on that acorn?

Harry Potter and The HalfBlood Prince Top Trumps

Join Harry Potter on his mostperilous adventure yet as he iscalled upon to aid old friendAlbus Dumbledore in a questto uncover the truth about LordVoldemort. Harry and hisHogwarts and Order of thePhoenix allies discover sinistersecrets and terrible truths, witha little help from the mysteriousHalf-Blood Prince.

WINWINNING MOVES WILLBE GIVING AWAY:1 x CDU GI Joe Top Trumps 3D

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SEPTEMBER 2009

THIS TIME last year, PPCEnterprises was only really justfinding its feet. The commercial armof the Picture Production Companywas established in February 2008 todevelop and exploit in-house andthird party properties off the screen.

Its first big focus was onrejuvenating the Pinky & Perkybrand, taking a small stand at lastyear’s Brand Licensing Europe toshowcase its initial plans. 12 monthson, and PPC will be arriving atOlympia later this month with a mixof classic and new brands, and asignificantly bigger stand.

“The past 12 months have been ablur,” admits legal and commercialdirector Mark Hurry. “We have putall our resources and efforts intoraising the profile of our brands. Ithas been an enjoyable experienceand our brands are certainlybenefiting from all the hard workand enterprise on our part.

“On the whole, I feel that we aremaking very good progress and thelicences we have concluded this pastyear across a range of brands areevidence of this.”

Front of mind at the moment forthe firm is the 40th anniversary ofcult show Monty Python. This willform a key part of PPC’s presence atOlympia. “In the past nine months,we have concluded over 15 licencesfor Monty Python including apparel,greetings cards, sound key chains,gift, toy, video games, posters anddress-up,” says Hurry. “We are alsoinvolved in the filming of Not TheMessiah, a musical based on The Lifeof Brian, at the Royal Albert Hallthis October. This is tocommemorate the 40th anniversaryof Python, with a six-hourdocumentary about the Python story,also set to be broadcast around theworld later this year.

“On the toy front, we are workingwith a very well-respected toydesigner and manufacturer for toylines that will have globaldistribution and will hit shelves inQ1 next year.”

On top of this, the first toy rangesfor Pinky & Perky will arrive at retaillater this year from master toylicensee, Martin Yaffe. Since itslaunch on BBC and CBBC, the new-look show has consistently achievedviewing figures of 300,000 to500,000 per day. The series has been

sold to over 20 territories, and overthe next 12 months it will be airingin various countries includingScandinavia, France, Poland andAustralia and New Zealand, withfurther territories in negotiation.Other licences include apparel(Next), CD Rom games(Avanquest), socks and underwear(J-Fox Sox), plus a live stage showwith Fiery Angel.

Meanwhile, Hurry believes thatThe Hive has the potential to bePPC’s biggest brand. The pre-schooltitle is made up of 78 seven-minute

episodes and has already been signedup by GMTV. It is also being pitchedin North America and has receivedinterest from several Disneyterritories.

“[The Hive] is from the same teamas Pinky & Perky, so has a greatpedigree, with fantastic production

values and well crafted storylines,”says Hurry. “We have a superbbroadcasting platform covering theworld and will be looking to developmerchandising across a variety ofsectors.”

While PPC’s portfolio is lookinghealthy, Hurry admits that he isalways looking out to representfurther brands. “These could comefrom a ‘good fit’ scenario acquisitionand/or from organic growth, utilisingour unique production andmarketing heritage.”

Hurry is also well aware that thelicensing business in general is facing

down the obvious repercussions ofthe economic downturn. “Lack ofmoney leads to lack of demand, butthat is being exacerbated by a veryrisk averse culture at retail that ismaking it hard to get products onshelves, even though the licenseesare out there. Thus the main

challenge will not be findinglicensees, but finding outlets for thefinished product. However, from ourown point of view we are very happywith our current situation as ourbrands have connected well withboth licensees and retailers alike.”

With a good spread of brands, PPCseems to be well placed goingforward and Hurry is certainlyconfident about the immediatefuture. “We’ll be looking to build onwhat has already made PPCE asuccess – good people, greatcampaigns and strong properties,” heconcludes.

Picture perfectIt’s been a pretty busy last 12 months for the commercial arm of the Picture Production Company. Having already createda stir with the relaunch of Pinky & Perky, Samantha Loveday finds out what’s next for the firm...

Lack of money leads to lack of demand,but that is being exacerbated by a very

risk averse culture at retail that is making ithard to get products on shelves, even thoughthe licensees are out there.

Mark Hurry, PPCE

29LICENSING PPC’S YEAR OF GROWTH

Pinky and Perky, The Hive and MontyPython have helped establish PPC

FLAIR’S CURRENT trading is verymuch of a worry to boss Peter Brown.

As we know, these are tough timesand many companies in this marketare cutting marketing budgets,forecasts and in many cases jobs too.

Not so with Flair, however, whichis currently trading 39 per cent up onlast year and enjoying record success.The problem is typical of the man,who is anything but smug about it, toworry that any publicity given to thefirm’s current purple patch, might beseen as vainglorious, set against sucha background of relative austerity.

“We’re a fairly modest company, soit’s always a bit of an embarrassmentto talk about numbers. I feel for ourfellow distributors who are struggling,”says Brown, lighting another MonteCristo with a £20 note.

Actually, anyone who knows himwill probably be delighted that thefirm is currently thriving so. It mayhave been the suggestion that wephotograph him on a bed coveredwith £10 notes that set off theegalitarian in him and got the alarmbells ringing.

Nevertheless, the sentiment isgenuine. But the firm should berightly proud of its performance overthe last year. It adds further weight tothe notion of continuing to invest inmarketing and product in a recession.

“It’s fortuitous. We can claim creditfor some of it, but it’s just the way thesituation panned out,” says Brown.“Everything is working at the momentand the acquisition of Flair by GiochiPreziosi has made a difference. Theysaid ‘go for it’ and encouraged us toincrease our advertising andmarketing efforts to drive them to thelevel they wanted to see. Shipmentsare up 59 per cent. The company as awhole is up 39 per cent and our orderbook up 56 per cent.”

The firm’s boys’ collectibles rangeGormiti is up 64 per cent year onyear and there is an accompanyingTV series coming soon which shouldcement its success further.

GX Racers has just launched

and is also performing aboveexpectation, giving the firm a strongboys’ offering. And in girls’ toys,Sylvanian Families is reaching a new

audience through the independentsector, while arts and crafts productsare also experiencing an uplift. ItsBeano Comic Maker line is one of itsbest selling items.

Marketing spend is in line with thegrowth. There issignificantinvestment inadvertising onTV, POS, coreadvertising,displays, endcaps… rightacross the board.

Of course, suchunexpectedgrowth hasbeen a testof thefirm’s

ability to fulfil its order book andmaintain customer service levels

“Traditionally we have had veryhigh service levels. And if in January

we had said we would increase by 50per cent, people would say we wereoff our rockers. One of the things weincreasingly have to deal with ismeeting customer requirements.

“We forecast 27 per cent growthand we are trading well above

that. Shipments are up asimilar level. We just say to

people be aware that we have tomanage this growth. We sink or swimthrough support of our customers andthe last thing we want to do is letthem down.”

But other than an increase inmarketing spend, backed by its Italianowner Giochi Preziosi, what is it thatFlair is doing right?

“In a recession the type of productswe are offering seem to be attractive toconsumers. They are turning awayfrom the glitz and bling and wantproducts with longevity and play value.

“We always try and positionourselves as a company with productsthat offer enduring play value and Ithink customers recognise that.”

But whilst Brown can maybeoptimistically forecast growth withsuch strong new lines and an up inmarketing, it’s the level of theincrease which has surprised him.

“When you start a company youcan put on that kind of growthinitially and its almost expected, butwe’re ten years old.”

Ever the industry uncle Browncannot enjoy his success withoutthinking about the wider picture. Inorder to sustain the growth he needsa growing market. “We hate to seeour competitors not doing well,” hesays. “We’ve all only got one set ofcustomers and we need to keep themhealthy, we need a buoyant market.”

Despite his wider worries, Brownhis enjoying his success. He knows itscertainly a nicer problem to havethan some are having to deal with atthe moment.

Discreet smell of successBucking all current industry trends, Flair is enjoying something of a purple patch at the moment with sales figuresthat would stand-out in even a growing market. Ronnie Dungan spoke to the firm’s understated boss Peter Brownabout the firm’s current success story…

30 SUPPLIER FOCUS FLAIR

Everything is working at the moment.Shipments are up 59 per cent. The

company as a whole is up 39 per cent and ourorder book is up 56 per cent. In a recessionthe type of products we are offeringseem to be attractive to consumers.

SEPTEMBER 2009

Brown: Understated

GX Racers: Takingoff for Flair

Gormiti:TV series

coming

SEPTEMBER 2009

Just like starting overTomy has undergone an overhaul of its business with a new structure and new product focus. Ronnie Dungan spoke toEuropean chief Robert Mann and European marketing head Joanne Gray about its new plan of action…

33SUPPLIER FOCUS TOMY

MANY A well-planned businessprojection will have found its wayinto the bin over the last 12 months.

Unprecedented economic pressuresand the toy market’s own uniqueproblems of a retail base undergoing amajor reshape have sent plenty ofsuppliers back to the drawing board.

Some, like Tomy, have had to takesome big decisions in order to adjustto these changes.

European chief Robert Mannexplains how the firm had to makehard choices to survive: “We had torip up our plan at the end ofSeptember because everythingchanged so dramatically. The planhad to be re-worked and we re-budgeted for the rest of the year.”

The collapse of Woolworths had amarked effect on Tomy’s prospects.

“Woolies was a big proportion ofour business. The question was howmuch had moved to other parts ofthe industry? And where would thattake us in the fiscal year 09/10?”

Ultimately, the overhaul lead tothe loss of 42 people’s jobs acrossEurope, 31 from the UK, includingsome long-serving, popular faces. Nota choice taken lightly.

“The decision was drivenfinancially from Japan. I knew wherewe would end up if we took noaction. We either had to increasesales by 20 per cent or look atreduction in costs and change theworking of the organisation.”

Not many are seeing 20 per centsales increases right now.Physically it

meant a reduction in office space andorganisationally, it means the salesand marketing departments havebeen combined and are now headedup by Paul Fogarty.

The good news is the painfulprocess seems to have worked.

“If you take the first quarter of thecurrent year on our budget plan andthis year we will move from a tradingloss to an operating profit.

So all of the changes have had amarked effect. Sales

have been verygood. We’reahead ofbudget andup on lastyear.”

Thechange

to

the product line-up has seen a morefocused line, but a widening range inthe area of boys, girls and tech toys.

“Rather than seeing our Wooliesitems in other retailers we’ve seen amuch broader range in other areas.

“Lines are being introduced to newcustomers. Many customers wouldn’tbuy into certain categories.Aquadraw was a loss leader forWoolies but now without Woolies it

has re-established itself in themarket,” Mann explains

Head of European marketing,Joanne Gray, says: “Rather thantreating it as a whole toy market, werecognise that certain products workbetter in certain areas. So as a teamit’s more of a category management,challenge-specific approach.

“Whereas in the past we haveconcentrated on ten different thingswe’re now concentrated on doingfour or five better.”

Thomas is moving to Mattel at theend of the year, which has much todo with Tomy extending elsewhere.

“We lose Thomas at the end of2010,” says Mann. “But the team are

working hard to overcome impactfrom that. The real opportunity is tosee Tomy emerge with a more definedboys and girls range.

“With what is happening nowwe’re confident we can navigatesuccessfully and be repositioned as adifferent company. From ourperspective, the future bodes welland we’ve got some winners in ourportfolio. With that in mind theThomas effect will not be as evidentas if we stood still. We’ve got an extrayear compared with most people.”

Mann sees the slimmer range askey to the future in a risk aversiveretail environment.

“Companies that are slimmingdown their range will have a futureand those that are not will have avery different business in a year to 18months’ time.

“There’s still going to be changewithin the industry, no question. Idon’t think we’re ever going to seelarge fascia on the High Street again.Stores will have a smaller footprintbut will be able to trade with greaterproduct line-up because of online.”

And online is another battlegroundwhich the new-look Tomy is keen totake on and integrate into its salessheet with a new offering, Webcare.

“Online is a big challenge forsuppliers like ourselves. We aregrasping it as a business. We’ve set upWebcare, which is a system whichallows us to supply direct toconsumers through retailers. So aretailer has a site which draws thetraffic, they take the order and wefulfil it. The retailer takes on the costof the distribution to the customerbut not the stock.”

Like it or not, online is going to bepart of a manufacturer’s offeringgoing forward. The only variable isthe amount of retail involvement. Ina market that doesn’t take changelightly, Tomy’s quick response to fast-shifting trading conditions shows thetough choices having to be made.

The hope is that a stronger firmwill emerge and that, should thetrend prevail, a stronger industry too.

MANN: Madehard choices

to survive

If you take the first quarter of thecurrent year on our budget plan and this

year we will move from a trading loss to anoperating profit. So all of the changes havehad a marked effect.

Robert Mann, European Chief

SEPTEMBER 2009

TELL US briefly how the idea forthe game came about?I have run a creative agency forapproximately 20 years, specialisingin corporate identity and maximisingbrand opportunities for clients in anumber of sectors ranging fromfinance to various leisure andentertainment sectors.

As part of this work, I have beeninvited to give presentations on theimportance and power of brands tocreative students looking to take acareer in the industry. To get awayfrom the standard presentations Ideveloped a brand game, which wasfar more engaging. Students reallyresponded to the game and itbecame apparent that this wassomething that could have a widerreaching audience. The result is Eye-Dentity which has been a long timein the making but we are alldelighted with it.

How did you go about acquiringthe use of so many big namebrands for the game?There are over 320 brandsrepresented in this first game so itwas not an easy task ensuring all thepermissions were granted, butbecause of our working relationshipsand strong connections with anumber of major companies, ourinitial focus was based on ourcontacts within these organisations.Through our professional approachand experience in the value of abrand, these companies realised itwas a great opportunity topotentially get their brands into afun, family environment.

What sort of deal do you have forusing those brands? Is it UK-onlyfor example? Non-exclusive?We have to adhere to corporateguidelines. These brands take a longtime to develop and they should onlybe used in the way the owners arehappy with. Initially, the deal is non-exclusive and is for the UK only.

Can you tell us a little more aboutthe launch plans?We have a big launch planned. Wehave engaged Evolution PR inorganising the consumer press andalready have many featuresconfirmed. We are also working witheach of the brands to further theconsumer PR. This will all kick off in

early autumn with a launch atHamleys. We have also arranged tensof thousands of trial packs of thecards to be given out by retailers whoin turn will also be supported by PR.

How difficult is it to launch aproduct from a standing start?The organising of a manufacturerwas quite simple - through myagency experience in print I was able

to source a company that met allcriteria and within the price point -quality was paramount; they wereBritish (let’s face it being British is aquality that many consumers arelooking for) and environmentallyaware, adhering to all guidelines

Being accepted as a games supplierwas more complicated but through

hard work and contacts we have gotthere. Initially, I approached retailerswhose brand values I admired, andcomplimented Xanadu's.

Once they accepted I had a directchannel for these retailers to list thegame. We have also been workingwith Esdevium to ensure that wetake the game which is suitable forolder and younger players to a morediverse market

Tell us a bit about the marketingplans?Our marketing plans include point ofsale material and also the samplesthat can be given out to customers atthe till points.

The game is amazingly addictiveso to give out game cards topotential customers allows them tosee immediately what it’s about. Wehave organised a full schedule ofcompetitions many of which will bein conjunction with the brands wehave used in the game to increaseawareness with a potential reach ofmillions and we are also in talks witha major newspaper group for anationwide promotion.

If the game is a success, where doyou take the concept after that?How do you plan to follow it up?The game board can be utilised timeand time again and we already havevarious themed additional card packsin the pipeline.

A travel version is also beingconsidered along with electronic andAP editions, which are a possibilityto extend the brand.

The name game34 SUPPLIER FOCUS XANADU

We have a big launch planned. We haveengaged Evolution PR in organising the

consumer press and already have manyfeatures confirmed. We are also working witheach of the brands to further PR. Thiswill all kick off with a Hamleys launch.

Brand identification board game Eye-Dentity is the brainchild of ambitious corporate designer Simon Wilsonand is packed with household names and brands. Ronnie Dungan spoke to the designer about how he putthe game together and what his plans are for its launch…

© 2009 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or TM where indicated. All rights reserved. © 2009 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Hasbro customer service: 00 800 22427276

SEPTEMBER 2009

THE RECESSION is shaping thebattery category, as staying inbecomes the new going out. As aresult, the growth of gaming providesan opportunity to boost sales.

Gaming is the fastest growingconsumer electronics sector, up 138per cent by value. Toy retailers cancapitalise on this growth by havingthe right products in stock, in theright place and at the right time.

Energizer’s Ultimate lithiumutilises a relatively new technologyand is designed as the ideal solutionfor high powered gaming accessories.Energizer Ultimate Lithium lasts upto 20 hours longer in Nintendo Wiiaccessories and up to 30 hours longerin the Xbox 360 controller, providingconsumers’ with good value formoney in high technology devices.

The UK is becoming a nation ofgadget lovers with every householdowning an average of 30 batterypowered devices. The UK batterymarket is worth £326m and grocerymultiples have the lion’s share,accounting for 48 per cent of sales.Almost a third of all sales are madein the last three months of the year.Sales almost double in December,followed by strong sales in January asconsumers purchase batteries for newtoys and gaming accessories.

With many toy retailers looking toadd extra lines, it’s worth knowingyou would need to stock 17chocolate bars to achieve the sameprofit as a pack of four AA batteries.

Rechargeable batteries also providean economical solution.

Torches too are a good addedvalue item. The UK market is worth

£22m. The peak period for torches isbetween September and January withsales driven by key events such asHalloween, Bonfire Night, Christmasand the end of summer. Torches see asummer sales spike too, lifted bycamping holidays and music festivals.

A third of shoppers buy torches onimpulse so dual siting on the mainfixture and clip strips or freestandingunits will promote overall sales.

Retailers can also maximise theopportunity by focusing on Christmasor the end of British Summer Time(25th October 2009), for instance.

Finally, many retailers are taking ashine to head torches, one of thefastest growing categories with salesup 18 per cent year-on-year.

Positive thinkingFor toy retailers looking for extra sales from added-value, impulse-purchase items, batteries offer a common senseoption that fits with the core product and requires very little specialist knowledge. But a little more wouldn’t hurt.Here, leading supplier Energizer offers some insight into the power-cell market…

36 SUPPLIER FOCUS ENERGIZER

With many toy retailers looking to addextra product lines, it’s worth knowing

that you would need to stock the equivalentof 17 chocolate bars to achieve the sameprofit as one pack of four AA batteries.

Energizer has identified three simple in-store actionsto drive battery sales:

1. 46 per cent of shoppers buy batteries on impulse, so co-siting can make abig boost to overall sales. To drive sales place batteries at thecheckouts/tills and adjacent to devices, which require batteries and useimpulse displays in other areas of the store.

2. Ensure your battery offering includes a selection of good value, lower powerbatteries and added value, higher power lines plus a mix of other batterytypes including specialist, rechargeable and torches.

3. Help shoppers buy the right battery for their device by using educationalsignage to improve satisfaction and encourage repeat purchase.

Re-charge your battery sales

Power rangesUnderstanding theimportance of the differentbattery chemistry isimportant and will helpretailers map their in-storefixture better...

ALKALINELargest sector in the battery marketrepresenting 75 per cent share.Used in everyday householdproducts such as CD players, toysand radio, which require longerlasting power.Energizer is the only alkalinebattery manufacturer recordingyear-on-year growth with sales upfive per cent in the last year.

CARBON ZINCLongest established battery type.Used in everyday householddevices such as TV remote controland clocks.Represent excellent value whenminimal power is required.

LITHIUM Used in high tech and digitaldevices such as digital camera,mp3 players and wireless gamingaccessories (e.g. wii remote) whichrequire more power.Growth of power hungry devices isdriving the consumer demand forlithium batteries with total sales upby 44 per cent.Energizer’s Ultimate Lithium judgedBest Buy by Which? Battery Report.

RECHARGEABLE Account for 12 per cent of the totalbattery market and growing at 15per cent year-on-year.Rechargeable batteries used forpower-hungry products (e.g MP3player, digital camera and wirelessgaming accessories).A value-for-money alternative todisposables, rechargeable last formany years.Improved recharge times have moreconsumer appeal.

SPECIALISTRepresents five per cent of market.Used in smaller devices such aswatches, tamagotchi and healthmonitors that require a specific sizeof button cell.Growth is driven by lifestylechanges which are fuelling demandfor smaller digital devices.

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www.toynewsmag.com 39SECTOR GUIDE CHRISTMAS TV

As seen on screenTV support remains a crucial part of a retailer’s buying decision as well as creating consumer interest in products.Backing their hero lines for Christmas, suppliers are now pulling together plans for their TV advertising campaignsfor the all-important fourth quarter. ToyNews finds out more about who is spending what and where…

Mattel has invested in 43 per cent moreTV advertising than its nearestcompetitor for the first half of 2009 andis set to continue with a number ofcampaigns leading up to Christmas.

Barbie will receive support with twosponsorships on Milkshake andCartoon Network running until the endof the year. With a package ofprogramming to include on-air, online,retailer and girl-activated activity, thiswill support the new Barbie propertyBarbie & The Three Musketeers as wellas core ranges. The sponsorshipprogramme will also be supported byeight TV campaigns enabling the

campaign to reach 94 per cent of girlsaged four to nine years-old.

From the Girls Inc portfolio comesfour TV campaigns for Polly Pocket, MyBaby and High School Musical. PollyPocket will see two campaigns.

Hot Wheels maintains a major focuswith TV campaigns supporting leadproducts including the new ColourShifters Garage, Trick Tracks Mega DinoChallenge and Shark Bite Bay.Christmas TV driver Rocky the RobotTruck brings news for Matchbox. Boyscan now interact as Rocky comes to lifewith interactive sensors, motorisedmovement and 100+ phrases and jokes.

Disney/Pixar Cars Mack TrackChallenge and the Mini’s RadiatorSprings Speed Trap will both receive TVsupport throughout autumn. The ToyStory brand will also receive support forSpace Ranger Buzz Lightyear.Interactive dinosaur Screature willfeature in TV slots throughoutautumn/winter. Screature comes withsounds and movements and usessensors to detect movement and set-offa water spray.

Mattel continues its commitment tokids games with TV backing for newlaunch Whac a Mole and Piranha Panic.Scene It? The Simpsons edition willreceive support throughout the lastquarter marking 20 years since theseries hit screens. New launchPictionary Man is also set for TVsupport leading up to Christmas.Bringing together drawing, clues andinteractive accessories the gamecreates a new way to play.

Leading products within the Radicaportfolio will benefit from TVcampaigns, including 20Q, PasswordJournal and new item U-Create. Childrencan record samples, mix and match

loops and add in their own voice orMP3 tunes.

Fisher-Price rolls out campaigns forChristmas with a multi-channelapproach, using TV at the basis of thecampaign. Infant lines receiving TVsupport include Amazing Animals Singand Go Choo Choo, the pink version ofBounce ‘n’ Spin Zebra and the newStack and Surprise collection. Pre-school introductions such as Kid-ToughCamera, Imaginext Space Shuttle andShake ‘n’ Go Extreme will also see TVsupport. There’s news for the LittlePeople this autumn with the first TV slotfor the Racin’ Ramps Garage.

Character brands are high on theagenda with the Winnie the Pooh infantline backed with a TV campaign. Fisher-Price also focuses Christmas support onWaybuloo TV drivers Peek and WiggleYojojo and Peeka Lau Lau, bothfeaturing phrases from the show.

Elmo Live, will again feature in a TVcampaign throughout autumn. Otherproperties from Fisher-Price that will besupported with TV include Dora theExplorer, Wonder Pets, Little Einstein’sand new property Handy Manny.

MATTEL 01628 500000

Focusing heavily on activity around itskey properties pre-Christmas, Lego UKhas developed an integratedsponsorship and advertising package tohit key periods in the retail calendar.

Lego Games will be supported fromlaunch with over 850 TVRs targetingboth kids and mums, running over thekey holiday periods and focusing onhero range items Minotaurus andRamses Pyramid. Lego Games will alsosponsor Jetix during September and willalso feature on Video on Demand frommid-November throughout the keyChristmas buying season.

The Lego City Traffic theme issupported across the back to school and

half term weeks with 940 TVRs focusingon the new Garage and HelicopterTransporter sets.

Lego Bionicle new vehicles and canswill feature on 620 TVRs running acrossthe back to school period withsubsequent activity planned for Octoberand November.

The Lego Power Miners focus itemTitanium Command Rig will feature on665 TVRs in September and October,with Lego Star Wars Venator RepublicAttack Cruiser and Hyena Droid Bomberitems being the focus of 485 TVRsduring the back to school period. LegoIndiana Jones Temple of Doom play-setis the focus of 615 TVRs.

LEGO 01753 495000

Overarching the games category will beHasbro Family Games Night with a TVcampaign encouraging families to setaside a night a week for board games.

Others getting TV treatment will beElefun, Gator Golf, Guess Who Extra,Connect 4x4, Guesstures, MonopolyCity, Monopoly Deal, Pictureka Flipper,Cluedo Harry Potter, Cranium WOW anda range of classic games.

Boys TV highlights are Transformersfigures, Power Bots, BumblebeeHelmet & Blaster and the Devastator.GI Joe deploys action figures, Ninja 12”,Snake Eye Role Play and Pit Play-set.Star Wars Dual Action Light Saber,Commander Helmet & Blaster, Figures& Vehicles are supported. Wolverinebrings an Electronic Battle Clawcampaign, backed with MarvelTransformer Crossovers. Nerf continuesto feature along with vehicles including

Transformers RPM’s Mini Vehicles andDevastator Showdown Track Set.

Littlest PetShop will showcase theDaycare Centre and Get the Pets. TheFurReal Friends Lulu My Cuddlin’ Kittywill star in its own ad, as will Zambiand Biscuit returns to TV.

My Little Pony’s TV lines are SweetieBelles Gumball House Play-set, So SoftSleep and Twinkle Starsong. Baby AliveReal Surprises’ TV campaign will runthroughout autumn/winter.

Playskool lines include BusyBallpopper, Step Start Walk ‘n Ride andLullaby Gloworm, with Clipo Hippo,Helmet Heroes and DinoRoars brands.

ITNG Sleepy Igglepiggle and NinkyNonk play-set will be supported. MagicSwirl Ice-Cream Shoppe and newBurger Builder Play-Doh play-sets willalso be advertised. Ads featuringWotwots toys will also be aired.

HASBRO 020 8569 1234

VTech is to invest in three TVcampaigns in the run up toChristmas which all began toappear on both terrestrial andsatellite channels in August.

The advertising will supportthe newly launched V.SmileMotion, the V.Smile brand(including V.Smile, V.Smile CyberPocket and V.Smile LearningGames) and Kidizoom, targetingboth housewives with childrenand children aged four to six.The campaigns will achieve atotal of 5,000 TVRs.

The first ad had its initialairing for three weeks from mid-August and promotes theV.Smile Motion, the educationalgames console featuring awireless motion controller. Thiswill be followed by a secondaryburst of the same ad from lateSeptember until the end ofNovember, whilst the V.Smilebrand and Kidizoom ads willappear on our screens duringOctober and November.

In addition to the TV support,VTech will be investing in aNickelodeon sponsorship, wherethe Kidizoom Pro, the

multimedia digital camerafeaturing an MP3 player andadvanced photo editingcapabilities, will feature in acompetition spot. A 30-secondspot on Nick Toons, Toonsters,Nick Jr and Nick Jr 2 will driveviewers to a dedicatedmicrosite on www.nick.co.ukwhere kids will get the chanceto win one of 20 Kidizoom Pro’s.Break bumpers featuring thewinners from the competitionwill run on Nick Toons.

The campaign will run for atotal of seven weeks from thebeginning of September andduring this time, over 1 millionchildren aged four to eight willbe exposed to VTech’s KidizoomPro product.

A brand new TV promotionfor the Bugsby Reading System,will also run on a children’s TVstation later in the year.

Clive Richardson, marketingdirector for VTech explains: “Wehave already demonstrated ourcommitment to heavilysupporting key products in2009 and this will continue intothe peak Christmas season.”

VTECH 01235 555545

40 SECTOR GUIDE CHRISTMAS TV

This year all Drumond Park’s majorbrands will benefit from TV and onlinesupport, delivering more than 4,000TVRs. The multi-faceted programmekicked off in early August and runsthrough to Christmas.

The firm is promoting four children’saction games: Magic Tooth Fairy, Doh-Nutters, Bubble Buster and Pig GoesPop. Over 3,000 TVRs will support theaction games, with each one thesubject of a 14-week campaignfinishing on December 14th. Thecommercials are running on CITV, CH5,Nick Jnr., Nick Toons, Cartoon,Boomerang, Jetix and Pop.

Drumond Park’s magic advertisinghas campaigns in the pipeline for GrossMagic and Horrid Practical Jokes. Theproducts will get over 350 TVRs each -using CITV, Nickelodeon, Nick Toons,Cartoon Network and Jetix.

The Rubik’s Cube is set to keep itsdominant position, with another 14-week TV campaign, also running fromearly August. And into the marketplacefor this autumn/winter season is theRubik’s 360. Nickelodeon, Nick Toons,Cartoon, Jetix and CITV are all beingutilised for both Rubik’s campaigns.

Drumond Park’s family and adultgames continue to dominate thesector, both in marketing support andsales through all types of retailer.

Christmas 2009 sees Logo joinArticulate and Rapidough. All threeadult/family games will be supportedwith a TV blitz on channels includingITV2, E4, UK Gold and Living,commencing in October and running upto December 27th.

Finally Drumond Park will be airingan ad campaign featuring its Britain’sGot Talent electronic board game.

Bakugan has reached number twoaction figure property in the UK (NPDMay 09). The brand will see asponsorship of GMTV’s Toonattik,sampling and heavy spot TVadvertising and has anew TV animationseries launching.

Air Hogs celebrated ten years inflying toys this year and TV advertisingwill support the brand acrossSeptember and October.

Paperoni the ‘no mess, no glue’paper creativity toy is aimed at girlsaged four and over and will besupported by a 800 TVR campaign,print advertising and PR, which

highlights the Paperoni Studio, whileBendaroos, the flexible building sticks,will continue to be supported by TVand print up to Christmas.

Glo Doodle, the drawing toy with atransparent surface, which uses lightto draw and trace in three brightcolours is also being advertised in theUK in the second half.

Moon Sand has a selection of newplay-sets including Fairies and CementCity in its Autumn range. The product isback on TV with a 600+ TVR campaignfocused around the Adventure Islandplay-set and further supported withprint advertising

SPIN MASTER 08708 508408DRUMOND PARK 01506 855577

SEPTEMBER 2009

Flair’s investment in TV advertising in2009 has increased significantly in adeclining TV market.

Once again Gormiti will have TVpresence that will be boosted with thelaunch of the new TV series onNickToons. Advertising on the newlylaunched Atomic Series has alreadystarted and this will be accompanied byadvertising and sponsorship supportingthe animated series launch fromOctober to December. Also planned is aTV sponsorship deal, plus a PRcampaign with youth titles.

GX Racers, a new brand for Flair, willalso see TV advertising support withten, 20 and 30-second ads airing fromAugust to late November. The carsperform stunts on the small screen andthis is mirrored with a PR campaign thatwill see 150K GX flipbooks beingdistributed through the boys’ press.

Sylvanian Families commercials are30-second snippets of life in Sylvaniafeaturing the new Pleasure Boat, the

Beauty Salon and the BabblebrookGrange, the Village Square andDepartment Store, the Caravan and Carand the Old Hollow Oak Tree-house.

The new Disney Fairy dolls are basedaround Tinker Bell and Disney’s newDVD, Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure,and will be released in November. Thesedolls will see TV support in August,September and November as will thenew feature doll brand Cicciobello.

The My Life console will also besupported with TV in October andNovember with its new Summer Partyand Hannah Montana cartridges beingthe focus of attention.

Finally, Flair’s creative play brands willbenefit from an increased level of TVsupport this autumn/winter. Supportcommenced in August until half termand into November for brands includingToobie Woobies, Cool Cardz, Ben 10Hero Identity Station, Shaker Maker,Teeny Meez, Aqua Beads, Blendy Pensand Colour Splitz.

This autumn/winter, Re:creation will beTV advertising at key periods in the runup to Christmas. A total of 1350 TVRswill be aired on multichannel stationsincluding Nickelodeon, GMTV andCartoon Network. A combination of 20and 30-second ads will be aired.

The products to be advertisedinclude Razor, Horrid Henry, Zeebeez,Yada Yada Yada and jOG.

Razor is one of the key productranges for the firm and its campaign

will total 650 TVRs for both RazorRipStik and Razor Spark Scooter acrossspecialist and children’s channels.

Horrid Henry’s new play-set andfigures will be advertised with a total200 TVRs targeted at children’schannels. Zeebeez will have a total of250 TVRs and the voice-warping deviceYada Yada Yada will have 100 TVRs. Thegaming peripheral, jOG, compatiblewith the Nintendo Wii will have a totalof 150 TVRs.

RE:CREATION 0118 973 6222

FLAIR 0208 643 0320

TV will be part of the overall marketingcampaign for Esdevium. SteveBuckmaster, director of sales atEsdevium Games, agrees: “We arecommitted to ensuring key brands getthe marketing support needed tosupport retail listings and keep the kidscoming in for product.

“Many of the brands we represent arenon-seasonal and deliver year-roundsales, therefore we feel that bulking allTV ad spend into the holidays is notespecially productive. We prefer to focuson a year-round schedule, to supportthese year-round sellers.”

On the back of a 750 TVR campaign inthe spring, Chaotic will be supportedfrom August with 175 TVRs through4Kids with input on timing, tagging,budget, and content from Esdevium.

Each of the four new releasesthroughout the year is supported by acampaign featuring 250 TVRs throughthe Pokemon Company, with the currentcampaign kicking off in September andrenewed once again later on inNovember and December.

Esdevium Games is responsible forsetting timing and tagging to ensurecohesion and maximum sales impact.

ESDEVIUM GAMES 01420 593500

Interplay is to increase its TVadvertising substantially for Q4 2009.The campaign kicked off early inAugust with a short burst of TV tosupport launches with all three girls’Wild Science kits being supported.Luxury Soap Science, The PerfumeLaboratory and The Fizzy Bath BombFactory are all included in the plan andare part of the Wild Science collection.Further ads will also be seen for thenew Solar Power Butterfly and RainbowMakers which form part of Interplay’sTechnokit collection.

In late autumn however, the majorTVRs will be accumulated for both ofthese collections when the company

doubles its TV presence from theprevious year. The result will see brandawareness for all the products whenthey are shown on terrestrial andsatellite stations throughout Octoberand November with ads that have beenspecially created to show the scientificand creative nature of the products.

Interplay’s managing director, RossAinsworth comments: “Our pilot lastyear with TV advertising was incrediblysuccessful with the brands supportedseeing amazing spikes in sales. Thishas given us the confidence to putmore behind TV support this yearwhilst increasing the products that will benefit.“

INTERPLAY 01628 488944


SEPTEMBER 2009

Goochicoos are four new interactivedolls. Each soft–bodied doll includesseven interactive features and a uniquefeature which sets it apart from the rest.Little Star can sing, Beauty Queen talksto her mirror, Little Rascal plays fetchwith his pet dog and Kitty Cat plays withher kitten.

The TV commercial airing this autumnwill feature the classic 1970’s song byAlvin Stardust ‘My Coo-ca-choo’ adaptedto ‘My Goochicoo’.

Ben 10 wheeled toys are spearheadedby the Monster Scooter which featuresan on board drawer containing nine Ben10 monsters. For Christmas, MV hasintroduced a new scooter complete witha groundbreaking light and sound

console information about Ben 10’sAlien Force. The unit is activated by anOmnitrix wrist strap worn by the rider.

The Omnitrix Scooter will be on airthis autumn and will feature an onlinecompetition to win Ben 10 goodies.

Barbie has a range of wheeled toyswith on board cosmetics and beautyaccessories. On air this autumn, thecampaign will feature the BeautySecrets Scooter which includes an on-board secret drawer packed with 15beauty treats and the Beauty Secrets10” Bike incorporating two detachablecosmetics cases.

The new commercial is one of the firstto feature the new ‘Barbie Girl’ themetune and colourful graphics.

With a campaign running well intoDecember, all brands will be supportedwith consumer print, PR, online and TVadvertising spread across bothterrestrial and satellite/cable stations.

Ben 10 will see TV spots for theUltimate Omnitrix, Kevin’s Car,Stretching Figures, Alien CreationChamber, 15cm DNA action figures andAlien Creatures as well as new spotsfeaturing Humungousaur Hands andEcho Echo Voice Changer.

Power Rangers Jungle Fury willbenefit from 17 spots, which willcontinually be reviewed and rotatedthroughout the season. Advertisedproducts include the DX Jungle PrideMegazord, Strike Rider Cycles, ThunderRoar Vehicles, Solar Morpher andvarious action figures.

TV items for the latest PokémonDiamond & Pearl brand include the

Diamond & Pearl Pokédex, andSpinning Poké Ball Launcher.

New doll property KeyTweens willhave two spots, focusing on PrincessWorld and Adventure World sets.

Harumika, the new arts & craft,fashion toy will also feature in its ownTV spot as well as having a dedicatedwebsite www.harumika.eu wherechildren can upload their all of theirfavourite creations.

Star Friends, the new interactivebaby doll, will be showcased in a TVcampaign, which is aimed at girls agedthree to seven.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary thisyear, the new Noddy in Toyland toyrange will be featuring in spotsfocusing on the Noddy House play-setand R/C Car. Other TV supported linesinclude Tamagotchi Music Star, thelatest generation of the perennial toy.

BANDAI 01489 790944

MV SPORTS 0121 748 8000

Corinthian’s new collection of 12character figures, Stink Blasters, willfeature on Kix! boys’ channel thisSeptember as they take over the stationwith sponsorship bursts and on-aircompetition.

The new marble craze Marbz, featuringBen 10, will also be TV advertised in therun up to Christmas to encourage kids tocollect all 360 marbles.

Disney MicroWorld TV support will bedominated by the Disney Princess figure

collection and Snow White andCinderella MovieBooks.

The In My Pocket figures and play-sets will also be TV advertised again thisautumn, with several new productsbeing given airtime from September.Both the new Puppy In My PocketFashion School and Pony In My PocketArena will be seen at regular bursts. Thenew Jungle In My Pocket Giraffe andElephant Huts with exclusive familieswill also be shown for the first time.

CORINTHIAN 01494 462640

Imagination will be TV advertising itsTop Gear game for one month fromNovember 21st to December 21st. Thegame will feature in a ten-secondadvert and TV channels are to be

confirmed, but will target a maleaudience with channels likely toinclude Dave, Living and Nickleodeon,as a starting point. The campaign willinclude approximately 100 TVRs.

IMAGINATION GAMES 01483 206955

SEPTEMBER 2009



SEPTEMBER 2009

The new Discovery Magical MelodyMaker from Tomy's Discoveryrange, is an interactive electronicmusical toy that brings instrumentsto life. The Discovery range will bepromoted with a TV advertisingcampaign with a total of 350 TVR'sleading up to the Christmas period,featuring Discovery MagicalMelody Maker and DiscoveryForget-Me-Not Photo Album.

Tomy has a strong line-up forThomas this year, including thenew Thomas and Cranky CoalLoader (£34.99), and more newtrain sets and Engines from TheWorld Of Trackmaster. With over700 TVRs running from Julythrough to December, Tomy are setto build storming Thomas sales.

The firm is supporting theTeletubbies brand with a pre-Christmas TV campaign promotingDance With Me Teletubby (£34.99),Telly Tummy Teletubbies (£24.99)and Po’s Matching Game (£17.99)leading up to Christmas. It will runfrom September to December with300 TVRs in total.

Tomy is supporting theAquadraw range with new ads anda national TV campaign delivering

over 800 TVRs targeting kidsprogramming on terrestrial andsatellite channels and an onlinecampaign targeting parenting siteswhich will deliver over four millionpage impressions.

K’Nex will be TV advertisedthroughout autumn/winter 2009.This will be the first time that thebrand has featured on TV for threeyears.

Two separate 20" range ads willrun in conjunction with each other,introducing new products andestablishing the range. The rangewill benefit from a 300 TVRadvertising campaign.

Battle Deck is a racing systemand launches with three key lines,the Battle Deck Car Assortment(£4.99), the Battle Deck SuperRaceway (£19.99) and the BattleDeck Mega Raceway (£39.99).Tomy has teamed up with CartoonNetwork to launch a multi-platformmedia campaign for the brand. Theon air and online elements of thecampaign will equate to 800 TVRsleading up to Christmas. BattleDeck will also be supported by anew website;www.battledeck.co.uk.

The Battle Strikers campaign is MegaBrands’ biggest marketing launch todate. The TV campaign was launched inJuly with 800 TVR’s running throughoutthe summer holiday period across theUK and Republic of Ireland, with furtherTV advertising campaigns to come forthe autumn/winter season. In total thefirm will be running 1,600 TVRs. Inaddition, Mega has secured asponsorship deal with Cartoon Network.

The new MagNext range consists ofcreative elements that provide manyextra build opportunities combinedwith bright colours and graphics. The

new range now means that there is 20per cent more content. This Christmas,Mega will be running 600 TVRs acrossthe UK and Ireland.

Streetz is a new adrenaline-filledconstruction toy packed withtechnology and gadgets for high-speedaction. Streetz initial TV advertisingstage will run until mid-September.There will be 700 TVRs’s in the firststage with further advertising in themain season.

Advertising for all products will beappearing on a mixture of terrestrialand satellite television channels.

Bob the Builder's InteractiveConstruction Site features a number ofdifferent layout combinations. Thetechnology used within the play-set canrecognise when a Machine Team vehicleis being operated and responds withsounds and phrases. Push-along vehiclesof Scoop, Muck and Tumbler are includedin the set, along with a Bob figure.

The TV campaign kicks off inSeptember and runs throughoutautumn/winter on key channels,

including Nickelodeon, Five, CITV,Cartoon Network and GMTV Kids.

Fireman Sam's Activity Fire Stationcomes complete with interactive stationhouse, Venus and Jupiter vehicles, play‘water balls’, knock-down targets andfigures of Sam, Penny and Norman.

The Activity Firestation campaignruns from September until December,across key channels, includingNickelodeon, Five, CITV, CartoonNetwork and GMTV Kids.

MARTIN YAFFE 01706 717800MEGA BRANDS 01844 350033

TOMY 020 8722 7300

Worlds Apart’s four-strong Dream Towncollection will feature prominently inthe TV schedule throughout Octoberand December, and will also be backedup with a heavyweight PR campaignduring the same period to add to itsconsumer awareness.

The company has also scheduled TVadvertising for Go Glow Light and GoGlow Time in the lead up to Christmas.And once again, Worlds Apart is addingPR support to the brand as the GoGlow products will be integral in itsReady for Bed Campaign in October.

WORLDS APART 0800 389 8591

Golden Bear will be launching itsautumn TV campaign with the My 1stTalking JCB range.

The new My 1st JCB commercialfeatures the familiar diggers - Joey JCB,Doug Dumptruck, Rex Roller, LarryLoadall, Roxy Robot and the newcharacter for 2009 - Freddie Fastrac.

Also featured in the ads are the newlarger characters launching inautumn/winter 2009 - Talking Max andTalking Elvis Excavator.

The 20-second ad will be aired inbursts during the autumn/winter,showing across terrestial and digitalchannels, achieving over 400 TVRs.

GOLDEN BEAR 01952 608308

Vivid is supporting 20 brandswith TV this autumn/winter andover 40 individual campaignsacross a range of categories.

The boys category kicks offwith 300 TVRs across theThinkway Toy Story Definitiverange to support the movie re-release of Toy Story 1. DinosaurKing will be backed by fiveweeks of TV and boys techbrands Laser Challenge and SpyGear TV campaigns start overthe October half term along withWWE which will focus on thenew Punjabi play-set and theRaw Arena

TV on the girls category willfocus on core brands AnimalHospital and I Love Ponies with400 TVRs which include the newCut n Style Pony and Honey MyBaby Pony. A further 320 TVRsare planned to launch the newAniMagic brand focusing onpuppies Peanut and Dotty andCharlie the kitty. With over onemillion units sold worldwide, TValso continues for Fluffy GoesWalkies this autumn.

230 TVRs are planned in forthe large doll ranges including

PJ Sparkles and Two Cute Twins.Girls tween sensation I-Carly TVstarts in October for five weeksand lifestyle brand Spa Factoryhas seven weeks of TV plannedto launch the AromatherapyCenter and Facial Massager.

The new Fabtastic Foodrange has 400 TVRs behind CoolCookie Creations, SandwichMaker and Pop n Freeze.

2000 TVRs are plannedacross the pre-school categoryto include a focus on newautumn/winter launches Tickle nGiggle Fifi, Crazy Stunt Roaryand the new Timmy Time NightNight Timmy feature plush andNursery School Playset.

Over 1500 TVRs will supportthe Crayola brand acrossBeginnings, Core andCreations. The first everBeginnings TV line Colour Me aSong starts September and thesecond burst of TV for GlowStation, Spinaroo and DoodleDaisy starts in October. 600TVRs are planned for the newCrayola Creations 3 in 1 StickerStudio and Design-a-Bag alongwith Illumination Station

VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449944


SEPTEMBER 2009

Ravensburger will support its newautumn 2009 Puzzleball launches witha major TV advertising campaign,running in October and November.

Managing director Tim Hallcomments: “NPD"s full year figures for2008 show Puzzleball with a marketshare of over 87 per cent, and we're

maintaining this momentum withexciting new product launches.”

Amongst the new items areManchester United and Hello Kittylicences, which will sit alongsideexisting brands like Ben 10, Star WarsClone Wars, High School Musical andthe generic Christmas designs.

RAVENSBURGER 01869 563800

With pre-christmas TV advertising inmind, Grossman’s campaign will focuson the outdoor range and pocketmoney toys and on the Ozbozz ThreeWheeled Cosmic Light Flashing Scooterfor the younger kids and the OzbozzFlashing Storm Two Wheeled Scooterfor the slightly older kids.

There will also be the opportunity tosee the new Alien Birth Pod and AlienFizz Pod ads.

The Megasaur ads will also continueto feature in the approach toChristmas. Other TV advertised linesthis year will include Dino Magic andMermaid Magic.

Character Options will begin itspre-Christmas campaigns witha boost having committed toadditional TVRs for its portfolioin early autumn. The move willlend further support at thetime of launches of new brandssuch as Go Go Pets whilstadding to the strategy for HMArmed Forces, Let’s Cook,Peppa Pig and Postman Pat.

New ads are planned for theHM Armed Forces and will formpart of the media plan with over1600 TVRs scheduled. Particularattention is being placed onChristmas lines including theRAF Fast Jet and the Army’sLight Battle Tank. Both 20 and30-second ads have beencreated with further creativesfor the new role-play products.

The Let’s Cook and GirlGourmet brands and theirlatest 2009 additions will see20 and 30-second ads runninguntil late November. This willcoincide with the brand’s widermarketing strategy thatincludes a new website, aninternet advertising campaignand a print campaign.

The new Go Go Petscollection features interactivehamsters with a range ofhabitats and accessories tocollect. The nature of thebrand is represented in a new20-second ad that will beaired from launch datethrough to early winter.

Postman Pat and Peppa Pigare to be supported with TVconcentrating on PrincessPeppa’s Palace Play-set,Peppa Pig’s Classroom andSpaceship play-sets andPostman Pat’s vehiclecollection. For both licences,the Hide n Seek Plushes willalso be subject to TVRs.

Another licence that willbenefit from over a 1000 TVRsis Scooby Doo; with the focusof attention being on theMystery Mates Mansion Play-set, Stretch Scooby and HideN Seek Scooby.

Finally Character’s creativebrands are all well supportedwith commercials for Style Six- the new fashion inspiredcreative collection, GR8 Gear,Bindeez and Aqua Sand.


SEPTEMBER 2009

GROSSMAN 0141 613 2525

CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800

Firesover20ft!

SEPTEMBER 2009

www.toynewsmag.com 49SECTOR GUIDE BIKES

On yer bikeThe children’s bike market offers much for both the toy and the bike specialist with a mixture of licensed productand heritage brands. In conjunction with our sister magazine BikeBiz we’ve put together a selection of the bestofferings in the entry-level kids bike sector…

Kids can do away with stabilisersaltogether if they have honed theirbalance skills first, that's why abalance bike is the ideal way to learnto ride a bike for most toddlers.

This is why John Crane has addedanother colourway to its First Bikecollection from Branching Out, as therange continues to grow. There are nowthree versions available: the First Bikein pink is decorated in hearts andflowers, while young speedsters willfavour the racing red version. The newaddition for this year, is the First Bikein a royal blue.

Each First Bike has a padded seat toensure a comfortable ride and both

come with easy grip handlebars. Plus,the chunky pneumatic tyres not onlymean a safe ride, but also give the FirstBikes a grown-up feel.

Both wooden bikes have fully heightadjustable seats meaning they willremain rideable even as children growup. The latest blue version has all ofthe main features and also boasts auseful carry handle.

Also available is a bike stand, idealfor busy retailers in need of a means ofmaximising their displays in store. Alsomade from natural wood, the stand willkeep each First Bike model upright inits store display and looking its best atall times.

JOHN CRANE 01604 774949

MV’s roster of low risk licences consistsof classic characters such as Barbie,Thomas & Friends, Mr Men, Bob theBuilder and Hot Wheels all of which aremarket tried and tested.

For girls Barbie needs no introductionand the iconic doll brand is celebratingits 50th anniversary in 2009. MV’s 12”and 14-inch bike frames areavailable in Barbie signaturepink with handlebar tasslesand a My Special Thingsfloral pattern. The 12-inch version hascolourful mag wheelswhilst the 14-inchmodel has a doll carrierand spoked wheels.

For boys Thomas & Friends isconsistently the number one licence forpre-schoolers at retail whilst in a recentpoll Bob the Builder was voted by kids

from birth to four years-old as the mostliked character. Both are backed withextensive marketing campaigns and TVprogramming. MV has 12-inch bikes,helmets and accessories available.

In addition to the classic line-up, MValso has the two most popular

older boy licences around inBen 10 and Transformers. Ben

10 continues to dominate in thiscategory and the 14 and 16-inch

bikes and helmets range hasbeen shortlisted for theBest Licensed Toy or

Games Ranges at theforthcoming LicensingAwards. Transformers

is also flying high onthe back of the

blockbuster movie Revenge ofthe Fallen. The DVD launches inNovember offering further support.

MV SPORTS 0121 748 8000

Winora is now able to supply its diverserange of kids’ and adult bikes to the UKtrade from its base in Germany.

The children’s range covers boy’s andgirls’ models in a variety of sizes. Thebuilds use components from brandssuch as Suntour, Shimano and Tektro.

For those retailers who are interestedin taking stock of any items from theWinora catalogue, they can receiveaccess to the business-to-businesswebsite where products, prices andconditions can be found and itemsordered for delivery.

WINORA 0049 9721 6594 139

A major wheeled toy manufacturer in theUK, Halsall cements its competence inthis outdoor toys category with manynew children’s bike designs forautumn/winter 2009.

Supporting one of the most successfulmovie brands ever, Halsall has created arange of Toy Story bikes and protectiongear to support the Digital 3-D theatricalreleases of the original Toy Story movies1 and 2 in UK cinemas October 2009 andJanuary 2010 respectively, followed bythe release of the all new Toy Story 3 filmanimation in July 2010.

Also new on the children’s bikes scenefor autumn/winter 2009, Halsall’s HelloKitty range features the tween fashionbrand that’s currently taking the girlsmarket by storm.

In addition the company continues tooffer a range of bike designs and sizeswith brand relevant features fromexisting licensed wheeled toy rangesincluding Fifi and the Flowertots, BabyAnnabell and Baby Born, HannahMontana, Roary the Racing Car,Spiderman, Scooby-Doo, JCB and WWE.

HALSALL 01253 778888

Saracen's kids' range is almost hereand is due in stock in the first week ofOctober, coinciding with the publiclaunch at this year's Cycle Show.

Under Madison's guidance, therange has been highly revamped, yetstill offers great value price points. Theboys’ Bolt and girls’ Bella, bothretailing for £129.99, cater for thechildren, coming in a ten-inch wheelsize only. The bikes are bothaesthetically pleasing and functional.Both do away with bar-tassles in favourof bar-mounted water bottle holders.The builds are tough too, built around

a 6061 lightweight alloy tubing kids willhave trouble destroying the bikes.Then there's safety features, such asthe enclosed chainwheel, keepingyoung legs protected from thesprocket's teeth and oily chain muck.Smaller hands are also gifted a shorterreach brake lever and comfy mushroomstyle grips.

Higher up in the range and uppingthe target age range, Saracen's 12-inchTuffTrax Junior is adorned withrespectable components from Suntour, Shimano and Saracen's ownbranded components.

MADISON 01908 326000

SEPTEMBER 2009

www.toynewsmag.com 51SECTOR GUIDE BIKES

With the return of the micro scooter,retailers wouldn't be wrong to diversifytheir kid's offering in the presentclimate. The addition of the Zinc rangehas strengthened Hy-Pro's wheeled toyoffering, bringing a number of design-led, entry-level scooters, skateboards,in-line skates and skate accessories.

The playground craze of StreetGliders will also appear under the Zincbrand. The flagship products will

revolve around a range of featurescooters that include interactiveflashing light effects, hidden built-inwater blasters and real engine andbraking sounds.

When this range is supplemented bya full pre-school Zinc Junior range withsimilar interactive features on bikes,trikes and tri-scooters, the brandshould create a huge buzz within thekids wheeled toy market in its first year.

HY-PRO 01582 670100

Quality of specification, bright coloursand graphics make Bumper pavementbikes a serious contender in the 'myfirst bike' category. The key models areavailable in all four popular pavementwheel sizes, which enable dealers tomaximise sales while minimising shopfloor space coverage.

The range consists of five boys andfive girls models and maintains theflow of best sellers like Firepower andCommando boys and Starlet andSparkle girls, which have all beenupdated with new graphics andadditional features.

Fresh new models include a Nursegirl's bike in 14 and 16-inch wheel sizesand a completely revamped StuntriderBMX available in 14, 16 and 18-inchwheel options.

Bumpers are built like bikes and notlike toys with a full ball bearingspecification, V-brakes on 14-inchmodels and above, alloy rims on all 16and 18-inch wheel models andstabilisers fitted as standard to all 12,14 and 16-inch wheel models,excluding the Stuntrider BMX, whichhas rear stunt pegs. Added featuresinclude a rear storage box on all boys’bikes and either a box or dol carrier onthe girls’ models. Front bags,handlebar BMX pad sets andhandlebar streamers continue.

Bumper bikes are distributedexclusively in the UK by Moore Largewith the complete new range in stockand available now. The 2010 brochureand trade price list can be requestedby calling the Moore Large sales team.

MOORE LARGE 01332 274252

Raleigh's kids' bike range totals 75different models covering all agecategories and starts at trikes andscooter right up to 26-inch wheeledbikes for teenagers.

The firm's most popular selling girls’bike is the Molly in shimmering pink.This model starts at £89.99 and comesin a 12-inch wheel size and covers sizesup to 16-inches. The build is completewith accessories, including a Mollybag, doll and carrier, a furry seat coverand is decorated with spoke beads andhandlebar streamers.

Predicted to be a big hit thisChristmas with girls of all ages is the

exclusive range of Raleigh Me to Youbikes, complete with the original TattyTeddy. These are available in a widerange of wheel sizes from 12 to 26-inches from £79.99.

For the boys and the Raleighenthusiasts, the bike to always cause astorm and sell out right away is theChopper. Essentially the same bike asthe original 80s classic, the new modelsports a deep red and flame graphicscheme with more aggressive Comp3styled tyres and Shimano Nexus three-speed gears.

Raleigh is holding an official dealerlaunch from September 7th to 11th.

RALEIGH 01773 532600

Dawes Cycles’ 2010 range offers a newbreed of steel bikes that still offers thesame quality expected from theBirmingham-based brand, but at moreaffordable prices.

Starting at a retail price of £149.99,these bikes have been designed tocounter the price rise that retailers feltearlier in the year due to theweakening of the pound. The rangeconsists of both boys and girls 20 and24-inch wheel models.

The boys’ 20-inch Lightning hasstriking graphics and a suspensionfork, while the girls’ model has rigidforks and a low step-through frame.The 24-inch wheel boy’s Zombies andgirls’ Sapphire models both have 18-speed Shimano gears.

Stalwart alloy favourites such as theBandit, Redtail and Vixen get a faceliftfor 2010 keeping their graphics up tothe minute.

Dawes has also launched theEspoir3000. This is an affordablechildren’s road bike available in 24 and26-inch wheel sizes. The bike utilizes16-speed Shimano STI gears and analloy frame. The bikes are bothproportioned and geared for theyounger riders with short cranks andnarrow, short drop bars.

The bikes have clearance formudguards and have canti-brakes sothey are easily converted for useduring the coming cross season. It’sideal as a multi-function starter bikeand retails at £369.99.

DAWES 0121 7488050

52 SECTOR GUIDE BIKES

Martin Yaffe’s range of licensed ride-ons and wheeled toys includesLazyTown, iCarly, Dora the Explorer andWonder Pets.

The LazyTown bike is decorated in acool blue design with stripes andimages of Sportacus and his airship.

For the girls, there’s a bright pinkbicycle, decorated with images ofStephanie singing and dancing. Bothbikes benefit from cushioned seats,hand brakes, chunky tyres and a robuststeel frame.

Tween girls will love taking off onbike rides on the iCarly Hi-back Bike,decorated with eye-catching images,phrases and furry seat.

Dora’s My First Bike is perfect fortoddlers wanting to find their feet and

the Chopper Bike is ideal for pre-schoolers, eager for theirindependence. Both bicycles featurerear stabilisers and new Doracolourways. The seat and handlebarson both bikes are adjustable, allowingthem to grow with their owner. TheChopper Bike has a removable bag andsoft touch handles, decorated withtassels.

The brightly coloured Wonder PetsMy First Bike and wooden Trainer Bikehave been specially designed withchildren in mind. My First Bike’s robusttubular steel frame, mud guards andnon-inflatable tyres withstand therough and tumble of kids at play, whileboth bikes help children to gain theirfooting and confidence.

The Quadrabyke is designed to growwith kids as they hone balance skills.Bicycle designer Tony Wayman hasdeveloped a bike which begins as astable four wheeled model and can beconverted into a tricycle and eventuallya bicycle, as and when the child'sconfidence improves.

Available in fire red, kiss pink, icesilver and wave blue, the Quadra isfitted with white plastic wheels withEVA custom tyres. A soft paddedsaddle tops an adjustable heightseatpost. Soft black grips are tailored

to young children’s hands, while frontand back brakes ensure the childlearns to stop effectively.

The bicycle’s metamorphosis centresaround a unique patented multi-axlesystem, which allows rapid changes inthe bike's setup. This versatility meansthe product's lifespan is extended,meaning parents can monitor a child'sprogress and make the decision whenit's time to switch to two wheels.

Quadrabyke conforms fully toEuropean and United States safetystandards. Retail price is £109.99.

MARTIN YAFFE 01706 717800

SEPTEMBER 2009

QUADRABYKE 01905 831919

web: www.q-byke.comtel: 01905 831919

TM

Trike Bike

Joining the Great Gizmos collection for2009 are two Okiedog ride-on toys.Fropper and Cheeky Chick are thenames of these wheeled modelsdesigned for kids aged 18-36 months.

Fropper is a ride-on toy and bouncerin one and comes ready to use straightfrom the box. Castor wheels up frontmake cruising around safe and easy foryoung racers. These are non-abrasivetoo, making it ideal for indoor oroutdoor use.

When not in use, this ride-on can bestored away easily, as it folds up to afraction of its riding size in a few easysteps and comes with a built-in handgrip that makes carrying easier.

Alternatively, the Cheeky Chickmodel doubles up as a ride-on and awalker. There is raised handlebars andwide front wheels for support, so achild can stand in front and push itbackwards to get around.

Like its counterpart, the CheekyChick folds up to a fraction of itsoriginal size and can be carried easilythanks to a carrying strap storedunderneath the seat.

Finally, a parental handle is availablethat can be attached to both theFropper and Cheeky Chick which allowsparents to push their child around andhalt their progress should they beheading for danger.

GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221

The Coyote Cub range consists of 16 allalloy junior models from 14-inchthrough to 24-inch wheel sizes,covering rigid, front and fullsuspension. With retail prices from£119.99 through to £195, parents won'thave to break the bank in order to gettheir kids cycling.

The firm also offers through itsConcept Range, Balance Bikes,Scooters from 12 to 16-inches in size,Go Carts and a full range of kid's bikesfrom 12 to 24-inch wheel sizes. Pricesfor this range begin at £49.99 and topout at £139.99.

Examples of the boys’ bikes are theWarrior and Wild Thing models. Each isbuilt with lightweight alloy tubing andcarries a hi-tensile fork (Warriorfeatures suspension). Both roll on 20-inch double wall alloy rims and arekitted out with Avocet's own Coyotebranded tyres.

Gearing is handled by a Shimano six-speed Revoshift shifter on both models.The girls’ equivalent Koobalahi alsoutilises Shimano's six-speed Revoshift,Coyote branded tyres and V-brakes. Theframe on the girls’ bike, however,features a low step-over.

AVOCET 0161 727 8608

Supplying the Adams range to UK retailers, FisherOutdoor has a diverse stock of product geared towardgetting kids out and about on two wheels.

The Adam's Runabout bike, available in either asteel pink for girls, or a steel blue for the boys, can bebought at retail from £59.99. For that money,customers are getting an easy-learning balance bike,minus the pedals, so kids can learn to control theirbalance with their feet.

The simple, low-maintenance design has a quickrelease seat clamp, meaning the model can beadjusted to a child's height. The frame, which featuresa tough ball bearing headset, has a low-stepoverdesign to limit accidents. Alloy frames are Norco

branded, while the steel builds are Adams branded.Also from the distributor's stock, stores can

suggest a few add on items, such as the Basil JasminRosa Shopper bag for girls seeking flash accessoriesto go with their ride. The ten-litre, water repellent baghas a reflective flower pattern on both sides, anadjustable and removable shoulder belt and anattachment for hooking the bag up to a bike.

Alternatively, parent's safety concerns can beaddressed with any of MET's kid's helmets. For £19.99the twin-shell buddy (46 to 53 cm) or Super Buddy(52 to 57cm), will keep a child protected in style. Thehelmet carries a reflective sticker, non-pinch strapsand six cooling vents.

FISHER OUTDOORS 01727 798345

Kiddimotos are a child’s first bike and act as animportant tool for child devlopment disguised in a funand desirable package.

Aimed at two to five year-old children, Kiddimoto’srange of wooden balance bikes are an ideal provenlearning platform.

Designed to teach children the art of balance and co-ordination at an early age, the bike bypasses thenecessity for stabilisers that can often hold back motorskills development.

All Kiddimoto balance bikes are constructed fromrecyclable, natural birch plywood and are very safe as aform of supervised educational play.

Kiddimoto continues to develop the range to offerinteresting, bespoke and engaging products to themarket. Continually evolving, the Kiddimoto concept nowfeatures a Superbike, Scrambler, Scooter and Chopperdesign in the range.

The new Heroes collection, based on the Superbike,offers the motorcycle enthusiast the additional benefit ofsupporting the legendary riders who have achievedWorld Champion status in the sport.

Recent collaborations include Raleigh, Honda,Husqvarna, Triumph, Metzeler and Suzuki, providingretailers with strength in POS material.

With a wide spectrum of colours available for eachmodel, children can design their first bike. Kiddimotonow also produces a range of accessories designed tocompliment each model.

Kids can choose from branded gloves, t-shirts andhelmets in a variety of colours.

What’s more, Kiddimoto offers a personalisationoption which includes a number and child’s name stickerset to make their bike stand out from the crowd.

Retailing from £99.99 to £119.99, the margin swaystowards the retailer’s favour.

KIDDIMOTO 01749 871175

54 SECTOR GUIDE BIKES

SEPTEMBER 2009

Look out for new My World puzzles in 2010.

Winners of a Gold Good Toy Award

£250 worth of My World

and Jigmap puzzles

Gibsons are the UK’s leading supplier of puzzles for the jigsaw enthusiast. Our range includes over 200 quality puzzles for adults and children.

For more information on these and any Gibsons product, seewww.gibsonsgames.co.uk, call 0208 661 8866 or email [email protected]

Answers to [email protected] before September 30th 2009

my world puzzles:Are ‘planet’ friendly – made on 100% recycled puzzle

board and in Britain

Have been developed in conjunction with child Psychologist, Dr Amanda Gummer

Are developmentally appropriate at every stage linking to the Early Learning Goals and National Curriculum

Have a slot at the top so children can post their pieces

Eight puzzles aimed at pre-school children covering themes such as farmyard and jungle animals, nursery

rhymes and everyday experiences

For your chance to win £250 worth of My World and Jigmap puzzles simply

answer the following question:

How many puzzles are there in the My World range?

a) 4 b) 8 c)10

Pressure from a more family-oriented video games market has put further strain on sales of board games,which is seeing a decline in its traditionally strong appeal as a social-bonding experience. Nonetheless, it is stilla business worth more than £200m in the UK. ToyNews finds out what’s coming up from the key players...

Counter culture

SEPTEMBER 2009

www.toynewsmag.com 59SECTOR GUIDE GAMES & PUZZLES

With its core message of Build – Play –Change, the Lego Games range is theresult of a global research programmeinvolving families. With eight gamesavailable at launch, the systemrepresents a growth driver for thecompany, which is investing in amarketing campaign.

A two-tier campaign targeting boysaged four to nine and mums forms thebasis of the marketing, which willinclude over 1,000 TVRs, channelsponsorship, online and print campaign,teaser activity, a national newspaperpromotion and PR.

In Robo Champ, players collect piecesto be first to build a Lego robot. Playusing the special Lego dice and changethe sides of the dice to adapt rules oradd pieces. The game takes 15 minutesto play.

The Magikus game is first built, thenplayers choose a row to select aningredient from by using the owl playingpiece on one of the brown spaces. Butpotion ingredients can be stolen orswapped or blocked by the bat. Sides ofthe dice can be changed to introducedifferent rules.

In Monster 4 players race to be the firstto get four monster pieces in a row.However, there’s a giant spider that canwipe out all monsters, so players need tochange the sides of the dice to create newblocking rules and spider-dodging moves.

Build the volcano then play the LavaDragon game with the aim to be first toclimb to the top of the erupting volcanoand avoid the molten lava to win thedragon. Build up the dice by adding thecoloured tiles to each face until it’s full.

After players build the Race 3000

track, the race is to be the first tocomplete one lap to win. Put drivingskills to the test by building the dice andmoving car playing pieces in response tothe dice throw and tile colour. Changethe dice to adapt the rules, bring the pitstop into play to make short cuts.

Play Pirate Code by selecting a secretcode and hiding it in a treasure chestusing the gem pieces provided. A gameof logic, the objective is to try to breakthe opponents’ code. Make the gameshorter by using the brown tiles to makeit into a two-player challenge and usethe white tile to introduce the skeleton.

Build the Minotaurus maze using thetemplate then play to be the first Knightto reach the temple in the Minotaur’slabyrinth. Other players can challengeby moving the Minotaur playing piece tosend others back to the start. Theplaying time can be adapted and youcan also change the number of spacesthe Minotaur can move and the layout ofthe maze.

Ramses Pyramid is an Egyptian-themed game of strategy and deception.Build the Lego pyramid and aim to bethe first to climb to the top and defeatRamses the mummy King. Collectcrystals and use them to climb up eachlevel, using the corresponding colouredgems. Use the Mummies to blockopponents or rotate the pyramid toblock their path. Change the rules toplay the game in teams or change thewin mechanic.

LEGO 01753 495000

Pre-schoolers can develop co-ordination, building skills and colourknowledge with the Topsy Turtle game.The musical talking turtle instructs eachplayer on what colour block to placeunder its feet to help him out of thepond. Topsy Turtle is suitable for agesthree years and up, £14.99.

Connect 4 (£9.99) is back with a newtwist. The game now has three differentways to play – Original, PopOut andPop10. PopOut allows players to drop acounter in the top, or pop out countersfrom the bottom row. With Pop10,players start the game with a grid full ofcounters and can then start poppingthem out. Also new is Connect 4x4, adouble grid challenge for up to fourplayers. Players must outwit opponentsby making horizontal, vertical ordiagonal lines on either side, or byweaving through from one side to theother, £19.99.

New to Pictureka are the Flipper andGuesstures games. Flipper, Pictureka’sfavourite penguin now has his owngame and spins around and flips outpictures and mission tiles in everydirection. The game is aimed at thoseaged six and over, £24.99. Guessturesis a game of high-speed charadesfeaturing an action timer. Players mustshow off acting skills and race againstthe clock to be awarded with the trophyfor best performance.

Bop It! returns with more challenges,including the brand new Shout It!command. Now players can Bop It,Twist It, Pull It and Shout It to a newhigh score for longer play. Can beplayed alone or using the new, bodypopping party mode to challenge familyand friends.

Cranium Wow is a deluxe edition ofthe original. The adult game features 15activities and 600 all-new questions.

Cranium Junior is the acting,puzzling, sketching, sculpting, code-cracking game for kids. With 300questions, a new board and newsurprises inside, Cranium Junior issuitable for ages seven and up, £14.99.

In Monopoly City, players can buildas soon as they buy and develop theirportfolio from the first roll of the die.Featuring 80 3D buildings and theElectronic Trading Unit.

Risk is taking the action to thebattlefields of Europe in Risk: Balanceof Power. Now with faster gameplay,players must face their opponents headto head in this two-player edition.

Trivial Pursuit Team features newquestion formats including MultipleChoice, Name Six and Go For Broke.Played in rounds, there is no need tocollect wedges, players just have toanswer enough questions correctly toensure they are ahead at the end.

HASBRO 020 8569 1234

2009 marks the 25th anniversary ofthe Paul Lamond brand. To celebrate,the firm launched a new pre-schooleducational range under the Chimpand Zee Games brand, with six gamesand four puzzles.

In the existing pre-school area,there are three new Postman Pat SDSand Gruffalo products.

The children’s range has six newRainbow Magic puzzles, an updatedFamous 5 range and the Fundex skilland action game When Pigs Fly.

The Family area sees the additionof Cacophony and In a Pickle and Luckof the Draw, plus Revelations. Familypuzzle additions include Where’sWally, Alex Baird’s Impossible Puzzlesand three dragon puzzles from TheDragon Chronicles.

The Murder Mystery Dinner Partyrange sees the return of InspectorMcClue in A Vintage Murder and theMcNaughty range is also extended.

PAUL LAMOND GAMES 0207 2540100

60 SECTOR GUIDE GAMES & PUZZLES

SEPTEMBER 2009

Abalone is a classic strategy game.Players strive to be the first to pushsix of their opponent’s marbles off theboard. Things can change in aninstant and despite its design, thegame isn’t always black and white.

Pentago is a game of five-in-a-rowwith a twist. Players must line up theirmarbles but the tables can turn in aninstant. Every time a marble is placed,players turn one of the moveablesquares on the board. Pentago is amix of strategy, reaction, and luck.

Winning Moves will be showingthe games at Autumn Fair.

WINNING MOVES 020 7298 9500

Fiesta Crafts has just launched DrBaffler’s range of Muddle Puzzles. Thesefour wooden puzzles have colourfulrepeating patterns which, on the face ofit, appear quite easy to solve but areharder than they look.

The Muddle Puzzles are illustratedwith a Knight and Castle theme for boysand a Pink Princess theme for girls. Bothstyles are available as either nine-pieceor 22-piece.

The puzzles retail at £2.50 for the22-piece and £2.99 for the nine-piecepuzzle. Suitable from five years andover.

FIESTA CRAFTS 020 8804 0563

YTD (July 09) NPD data shows JumboGames’ share of the market has beengrowing and is now positioned atnumber two in children’s puzzles.

For 2010 new properties will join therange including Horrid Henry, Gormiti,Guess with Jess, Little Kingdom and ToyStory 3. Another addition for 2010 is theFA World Cup.

Peppa Pig Tumble and Spin Game issubject of a strong marketing campaignthrough a viral game and online PR. Thegame is hosted on www.peppapig.com.

The Wasgij fan base is growing andeven has its own Facebook group.

The Falcon Deluxe brand has alsoundergone a makeover. There are alsonew images from the Ladybird licence.

Jumbo’s Big and Small puzzle rangeincludes 35-piece puzzles in twodesigns, Big and Small shaped puzzles(12 & 24 pieces) and a four puzzle boxset depicting scenes from the show. Bigand Small games, including playingcards and a Knock ‘em down Game, arescheduled to launch in February 2010.

JUMBO GAMES 01707 289289

The new adult game from the firm isLogo and features questions based onhundreds of UK and internationalbrands. Pig Goes Pop is already thenumber one best selling children’saction game in many Europeancountries. The game joins Magic ToothFairy, Doh-Nutters and Bubble Buster.

Gross Magic continues toconsolidate its number one position inthe magic sector, with a 14-week TVcampaign scheduled for theautumn/winter months. It is a similarscenario with Horrid Practical Jokes,which continues to sell well.

Joining The Rubik’s Cube is Rubik’s360. Both the Cube and the 360 will besupported with a 14-week TV campaignand a multi-media PR and promotionalcampaign and high density samplingduring the autumn term – through atailor-made national schoolsprogramme.

Finally, Britain’s Got Talent will beback on air with a commercial fromDrumond Park to support its Britain’sGot Talent electronic board game.Other UK TV game licences includeDeal Or No Deal, Family Fortunes andThe Colour Of Money.

DRUMOND PARK 01506 855577

Ravensburger’s games and puzzles havejust won awards from The Good ToyGuide, as revealed by MD Tim Hall:“We’ve won gold and silver awards forChocolate Fix and Tipover, both from ourThinkfun range, and silver awards forRescue Vehicles and Animals of theWorld from our generic puzzles range.”

The firm also has new products forautumn, both in 2D and 3D puzzles, forchildren and adults. New 2D children’spuzzles include designs based on ToyStory, 3rd & Bird, Mickey MouseClubhouse, Handy Manny, Ice Age 3,Wonder Pets, Lazytown and PostmanPat SDS.

The 3D puzzleball range boasts newproducts based on Manchester Unitedand Hello Kitty, which will sit alongsideexisting licences Ben 10, Star Wars CloneWars, High School Musical and theChristmas designs.

The firm’s adult puzzle range featuresnew designs including gift property Me toYou (Tatty Teddy) and Winnie the Pooh.

RAVENSBURGER 01869 563800

Three new products for Septemberhave been added.

Ten Green bottles is a game forthree to six year-olds which isdesigned to reinforce numberrecognition; develop early countingskills and encourage observation andmemory skills and it links with earlylearning goals and NationalCurriculum Maths Key Stage 1.

The gameplay is simple, the firstplayer to match the ten green bottleson their wall with ten dotty numberedcards and post them into the bottlebank, is the winner.

The second new release is OldMacDonald Lotto designed for two tosix year-olds, where players have tomatch farm cards and a farmer withthe images on their boards. First oneto match them all is the winner.

Last, but not least, is Fairy Tales, abox of six two and three-piece fairypuzzles suitable for children 18months and upwards.

ORCHARD TOYS 01953 859525


SEPTEMBER 2009

Top Gear Ultimate Car challenge boardgame will be TV advertised in Q4 2009for the first time.

Gogo’s Crazy Bones is a new boardgame available in October, which allowskids to battle their collections againstfriends and family.

Scabs N Guts is the new‘meducational’ board game aimed atteaching kids all about the human body.The idea of the game is to promotelooking after your body, exercise andhealthy eating.

In Carol Vorderman’s Tribond, playerscan decide on the length of play and addin their own questions. Tribond is a newquick fire game, which asks a ‘threezer’– what one thing links three words. Eachwinning answer receives a token, decidethe length of the game by stipulating thenumber of tokens needed to win.

IMAGINATION GAMES 01483 206955

Character Options’ games portfoliohas two additions for 2009 - onefeaturing Scooby Doo in piraticaladventures and the other a fastmoving physical game of catch themouse. The aim of Scooby Doo’sPirate Peril Game is to steer the ballaround the many obstacles on thepirate ship, including traps such asthe sweeping pirate and gangplank toreach the buccaneer in the crow’snest. The addition of a clockworktimer means players have to race tocomplete the course.

Alternatively, Mad Mouse is aphysical game as four players chasethe motorised mouse around thefloor. The object is to catch the mouseby its tail with the cat’s paw hook toearn the cheesy token. The first playerto get five tokens wins.

CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800

The Wallace & Gromit game of sheeprustling, Fleeced, has been designedand developed by Nick Park andincludes detailed playing pieces ofthe characters along with 40 sheep.

Chaotic gets a new themed set withstarter decks, booster packs, tins andstoryline. Pokémon recently addedSupreme Victors, with the next set inthe Platinum line due in November.New tins will be available this month.

Yu-Gi-Oh! continues to build withnew product being introduced all thetime, including 2009 tins. Specialtygames like The Settlers of Catan andCarcassonne continue to grow, whileEsdevium is adding Alhambra to itsline-up.

ESDEVIUM 01420 593500

New from Vivid for autumn/winter 2009is Wogan’s Perfect Recall (£19.99).Round by round, players must recall the20 answers locked in the answer bank towin the game.

Golden Balls Electronic Game (£19.99)is a game of luck, intuition and bluff.Play against family and friends as you allcompete to get to Bin or Win. Grab thecash and avoid the Killer Balls that canturn millions into pennies. Series five isnow on air and Golden Balls ElectronicGame was the number one selling familyboard/action game of 2008 (full yearNPD 2008.

Vivid also has a full complement ofpre-school games and jigsaws, whichare a proven way for children to learnthrough play – building on their problemsolving skills, they promote hand eyecoordination and colour recognition.New to the Vivid pre-school gamesstable is the much anticipated TimmyTime Pop Up Game (£9.99). Alsoavailable are Fifi’s Stack a Cake andRoary’s Pitstop Panic games (both£9.99). Little girls can take it in turns tobuild Fifi’s cake as high as they canwithout it toppling over in Fifi’s Stack aCake Game. The race is on for the boysin Pitstop Panic where they have toconstruct Roary the Racing car asquickly as they can before the timer runsout and all the pieces pop off.

Vivid’s pre-school puzzles include Fifi,Roary and Timmy 4-in-a-box varieties.Piece together each unique puzzle tosee images of Fifi, Roary or Timmy andtheir friends. The puzzles are allsupported by extensive PR campaigns.

VIVID IMAGINATIONS 01483 449944

Gibsons My World children’s puzzlesrecently won a Good Toy Award.

New products recently releasedinclude ten jigsaw puzzles for the adultmarket covering subjects such asChristmas, steam trains and a busymarket day. The Christmas LimitedEdition puzzle is also now available. Thisyear, the Beano Limited Edition jigsawfeatures Desperate Dan as he switcheson the Christmas lights.

Gibsons has launched 90 jigsaws in2009. Themes include classic nostalgia,wildlife and humour. The adult puzzlescome in a variety of piece countsincluding 250, 500, 1000 and 1500piece, as well as the extra large piecepuzzles. Also now available are four250-piece puzzles in tins featuring oldfashioned sweets and confectionery.

New games include a range ofclassics such as chess, backgammonand Mah Jongg.

GIBSONS GAMES 0208 661 8866

A Right Royal Laugh is a game basedon historical events and previouslypublished royal quotes. The 1,300questions and answers are dividedinto picture cards and five categories:In the public eye; Did that reallyhappen?; The royals at home; Who’sWho? and Famous Occasions.

Collect five different categorycounters by answering questionscorrectly and head towards the finishspace. If you are the first player toanswer three further questionscorrectly, you win the game.

TACTIC GAMES 01483 751267

Further expanding the Scrabbleportfolio, a new autumn addition joinsthe kids line-up.

My First Mr Men Scrabble deliversengaging word play for pre-schoolers.Deluxe Scrabble unveils a new look,featuring a pegged board system tokeep tiles in place.

Uno will see the introduction of UnoMoo. The game uses chunky animalcharacters and challenges players tomatch colours and animals. UnoExtreme continues to be a focus withTV support leading up to Christmas.

2009 marks 20 years since TheSimpsons hit TV screens and DVD

board game brand, Sceneit? celebrateswith The Simpsons Edition Sceneit?

The game of the quick draw is alsoset for a makeover, as Pictionary Manis brought to life. Players discover theobject or word they need to drawthrough the digital screen on his footand then must draw on him and hisaccessories to demonstrate their clue.

Autumn will also see new titles jointhe kids’ game portfolio including newacquisition Whac A Mole, as well asPiranha Panic and Rhino Rampage.

Radica’s 20Q continues to be afocus, while two Waybuloo puzzlesarrive in the autumn.

MATTEL 01628 500000

www.toynewsmag.com 67SECTOR GUIDE GAMES & PUZZLES

SEPTEMBER 2009

Green Board Games will be usingAutumn Fair as a platform to introduce arange of new products.

Additions to its BrainBox rangeinclude the new Art BrainBox, featuringover 50 masterpieces from the NationalGallery, as well as the Maths, My FirstABC and Nature BrainBoxes. ManchesterUnited BrainBox is also now ready forthe new season.

Other new products being showninclude Dinosaur Dash, a licensedproduct in conjunction with the NaturalHistory Museum, alongside Ingeniousthe successor to Blokus, Qwirkle Cubes,and more.

GREEN BOARD GAMES 01494 538999

Creativity International has a new lineof licensed craft puzzles and games. Itsrange of Numberjacks craft gamesencourage numeracy through creativeplay. One of the kits in the series is thePaint by Numberjacks and encourageskids to identify numbers will aidingtheir neural development as they applynumber recognition with a physicalhand-eye coordination.

This joins the firm’s other craftpuzzles, including the Colour Your OwnMister Maker jigsaw painting kit, MisterMaker Colour and Cut Jungle kit and HitFavourites Colour and Cut kits featuringPingu, Bob, Thomas and Fireman Sam

Each kit is brightly packaged and arepriced at £4.99 each. Each comes withideas and instructions for projects andis designed to encourage confidenceand children’s creativity and stimulateideas and imaginative play.

CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL 01384 485 550

The IQ Block puzzle has 60 possiblesolutions. Once a coloured block hasbeen chosen and placed in the topleft hand corner of the accompanyingcase, the additional nine blocks canbe arranged around it to form asquare.

Alternatively, Cross Three isanother concept featuring triangularshaped pieces with images ofanimals, space scenes and more.Simply place the nine triangularpieces together to form one largetriangle, making sure all the picturesmatch across the joins.

Young puzzlers are also catered forwith a range of wooden pin puzzlesthat comprises four different themes.Each puzzle is designed with a handlemaking it easier for children to pickup and features familiar images,encouraging conversation andlanguage skills.

GREAT GIZMOS 01293 543221

John Crane is launching a new range ofpuzzles in the Branching Out Collection.The new Touch and Feel puzzles featurefur and fleece hidden below animalcharacters. There are two to handle –Touch and Feel Safari features acheetah, monkey, zebra and lion, whilethe Touch and Feel Farmyard includes asheep, duck, pig and cow.

Continuing along the same theme isthe Texture Puzzle Bugs, with a ladybird,frog, butterfly and snail. Each bugfeatures a host of crinkly, fluffy andspiky add-ons.

JOHN CRANE 01604 774949

New this Christmas from Coiledspring isGobblet. The multi-award-winningnoughts and crosses style game involvesgobbling up opponent’s smaller piecesin order to get four Gobblets in astraight line. It is available in classic orkids editions.

There is also a new Eclipse releasefrom Gigamic with orbiting satellitesbattling to protect their home comet.

The CEACO brand of jigsaws have 4-in-1 and 10-in-1 multi-pack assortments.The firm also offers the full Tactic rangeof games, craft and poker.

COILEDSPRING GAMES 0870 446 1515

Underground Toys has signed a dealwith Cardinal to distribute the Twilightboard games and more. The game isbased on the popular novels and TVmovie and includes board, scenecards, playing pieces, and dice.Whoever is first to travel the boardand collect all eight scenes wins.

UNDERGROUND TOYS 0207 8016325

Wow Stuff has produced a range ofMensa and Puzzler games in time forChristmas. The new Puzzler Consoleincludes Sudoku, Fitword andWordsearch. There are six games,plus interchangeable cartridges,allowing players to play a range oftraditional puzzles and brain training.

Games for the Puzzler Consoleinclude Terrible Sense of Direction? tohelp improve memory, and Add upQuicker than the Cashier? to improvemental maths. The Mensa’s BrainTrainer features nine mentallystimulating games, and three levels ofdifficulty, players can monitorperformance. Also in the Mensa rangeis the Reaction Trainer. With tengames to speed up the laziest brains,you can plot your scores on a graph torecord progress.

WOW STUFF 0870 054 6000

Eye-Dentity includes over 300 triviaquestions on the everyday subliminalmessages that are picked up fromcorporate brands and identities.

Eye-Dentity has been nearly two yearsin the making with each brandrepresented being carefully selected andapprovals sought for inclusion in thegame. The game focuses on theinformation retained from a range ofbrands and can be played by childrenand adults. However the brands usedaren’t complete, to make the game moredifficult.

Eye-Dentity features high qualitygraphics and durable playing cards,counters and game-board.

The product is also made in Englandand will be subject to a marketingcampaign including a Hamleys launchand solid PR.

The original Eye-Dentity board gameis available now from Xanadu Gamesand will form the corner stone of a largerbrand that will include additionalthemed sets.

XANADU GAMES 0118 934 4477

Qb is the latest travel word game for allskill levels aged eight to adult. Qb has 48cubes and the design brings aneducational value to the game throughthe building of spelling and vocabulary.

The white cubes ensure players arenever short of the vowel they requireand the red two letter combinationsmake word building very easy. The scoreis determined by how the chosen wordis attached to the crossword grid. Manyteachers have noted the educationalvalue of Qb. Trialing the cubes as astarter activity in class is being tested inseveral schools this autumn.

Qb can be played on any flat surface,even the drop down tray on an aeroplaneor a train. A travel bag is included.

JC GAMES 01833 347886

Professor Puzzle has secured a UKdeal for Hanayama puzzles.

The Japanese range has been builtup over 25 years and features uniquedesigns from puzzle inventors aroundthe world.

There are 30 puzzles in thecollection, split into £10, £12 and £14price points.

Adam Langley, head of sales atProfessor Puzzle, says: “Hanayamapuzzles have become undisputedcrazes in almost every major countryin the world apart from the UK. Wecan’t wait to start sending theseproducts out and developing thistotally unique range.”

PROFESSOR PUZZLE 01932 230992

Children from three can playWonderworld’s range of boxed games.Included in the range is the Eco TownGame – a classic dice game; ChickyMemo Game – a memory game, andTraffic Domino Game – a strategy game.

The Eco Town Game is a dice gamefor kids to learn how to save theenvironment. A town can be createdwith houses, trees, bicycle, recycle binand a rainwater tank.

Traffic 3D Dominos offers a versionof the traditional game with a moderntwist. The aim is to make up a roadnetwork by matching the colouredvehicle parts in front and rearsections on chunky wooden squares.

Build a Village game allowschildren to make up their own villagewith houses, trees and cars. This is aclassic dice board game and allowsup to four players at a time. Theboard itself is illustrated withgreenery, roads and roundabouts andthe coloured wooden accessories arewell detailed.

Finally, The Chicky Memo is amemory game where children need toremember the exact location andcolour of eggs hidden by chickssitting on them in nests. It has twolevels of difficulty and encouragesand builds on concentration skills.

New to 2009 is the 3D CreativityBlocks. Practice puzzle skills on oneside and creative skills on the other.

DKL 01604 678780

2009 has seen Brainstorm launch arange of products developed inconjunction with the Natural HistoryMuseum. Products have been developedto reflect the approach to sciencepromoted by the Museum and thebrand.

Check out the clues and race aroundthe world with Animal Detective, a funanimal spotting game. It includes a50cm inflatable globe with 270illustrations of animals, plus 68 cluecards packed with animal information.Each player can choose a different skilllevel, meaning that players of all agescan play together.

BRAINSTORM 01200 445113

Tantrix UK celebrates its tenthanniversary later this year. Thecompany’s products are easy to demo,thus helping stockists to make shoppinginteractive.

MD Steven Trezise says: “Graduallyexpanding the range has helped ussustain a steady rate of growth, whileproviding our customers with goodmargins and products that just keep onselling. With people likely to be seekingout reasonably-priced Christmas giftsthat have more than just short-termnovelty value this year, we believe thatthe best puzzles and games tick all theboxes, with their ability to keep thewhole family enthralled, not to mentiontheir obvious educational value.”

TANTRIX 020 8680 8918

Flair’s licensed Uno range is availablein a range licences.

New for 2009, Star Wars CloneWars Uno has character posesfeaturing on each card. It comes witha fully moulded Clone CommanderRex card case to store the 112 playingcards. It can be played by two to tenpeople, who are all dealt seven cardsto start with a race to be the first tohave used all theirs up.

Hello Kitty Uno features thecharacter on each card, plus a mouldedcase. Dr Who Uno has a Dalek-shapedcard case and cards featuring villainsand heroes, while Simpsons Uno has aHomer Simpson moulded case andcharacters from the show.

FLAIR 0208 643 0320

Richard Edward produces trading cardsets, card components for boardgames, stand-alone card games, andplaying cards.

A range of specialist printing andfinishing processes ensures thecompany can meet most creativebriefs, from foiling, to glow-in-the-dark or creating inks that react totemperature to randomised collationand unique coding within trading cardsets. Everything is carried out on onesite, too.

Richard Edward offersenvironmental credentials includingFSC and Green Mark, together withscope to reduce carbon footprint bypurchasing a British product.

RICHARD EDWARD 020 8311 8888


SEPTEMBER 2009

Casino Hot Dog is new to the Habarange. Each player has nine bettingchips in a bag and pulls out a chip to geta high score. Whoever thinks it’s toorisky to pull out another chip canvoluntarily opt out. The two players withthe highest scores can move theirfigures on the game board – the aim isto reach the kennel first.

Haba also offers a range of puzzlegames to help develop colourrecognition, meticulous observation andquick reactions. The range includes FireBrigade and On the Farm. Both of thesefeature chunky, wooden pieces, withthree suggestions for playing, assigning,puzzling and observing.

HABA 0161 304 9555


SEPTEMBER 2009

Inspired Gifts and Toys (IGT) has createdan Electronic Crossword Game with over10,000 games, which can be written onthe wipe clean grids or directly onto theLCD screen. The game has three levels ofdifficulty with hints and tips.

IGT has appointed Esdevium Gamesas its partner for the independent andmultiple channels, for this item and allits other products

INSPIRED GIFTS AND TOYS 01344 989624

Quests of the World is a new range ofeducational dice board games, witheach focusing on a separate country.Following on from the success of theoriginal ‘Scottish Quest’ board game,a top-three seller in John Lewis, therange now encompasses ScottishQuest, English Quest, Irish Quest andWelsh Quest.

Suitable for ages eight years plusand for two to six players (or teams).The aim is for each player to race byland, sea and air across England,Ireland, Scotland or Wales with themission to collect letters to form theword QUEST. Players need to earnsovereigns by answering a series ofgeneral knowledge questions abouttheir own country from the 2,000+cards. Their way can also be hinderedby incurring travel and penalty costs,as well as landing on Jester locationsthat force the player to choose eitheran opportunity or a penalty.

1745 TRADING 07775 505143

Army Of Zero provides two differentways to play. On the one hand, it’s agame for two players, featuring 84different characters on a deck ofcards. Deal the cards, form yourteam, decide when to attack ordefend, and roll the dice to defeatyour opponent.

On the other hand, the design ofthe character cards includes a seriesof interconnected puzzles. Players areasked to solve the puzzles using acombination of wordplay, generalknowledge and logic, and to put theanswers together to reveal the secretat the heart of the Army Of Zero.

The person who submits the mostelegant solution by the closing date ofApril 30th 2010 will receive a cashprize of £1,000. Gameplay is suitablefor anyone from seven years upwards.

POINT ZERO GAMES 01625 540493

Clone Trooper and Ben 10 table pinballgames include lights, sounds and adigital match-scoring counter display.

Place four tokens in a row to win theStar Wars Clone 4 game. All the tokensare decorated with the logo of the CloneWars saga. The Star Wars GuessingGame is a game of discovery andstrategy, as is Star Wars Star CruiserAttack. Players must position their fleetof cruisers and ships, while ensuringthey are hidden from their opponent.

In R2:D2 Repair, players must usestellar laser design tweezers to removedamaged parts, then replace whenrepaired. Finally, in the Ben 10 GuessingGame, players must discover theiropponent’s secret character.

IMC TOYS 01904 720908

AmuseAmaze is the word-race gameset in a letter maze and, because theboard changes each time you playand as you play, the game will neverbe the same twice.

That’s because the game board ismade up of 18 individual game boardsthat fit together to give more than sixbillion combinations of board layout.Plus, the letter maze actually changesas you play.

The object of the game is to racethrough the maze of hedges byspelling words using the lettersprinted on the boards and the lettertiles laid down on the board. Plus, onthe way to the finish, you have to visitat least three of the four TargetBoards. In Go Mental, all players areinvolved all the time. Steal otherplayers’ questions or challenge otherplayers to answer questions.

HL GAMES 001 773 549 7425

Leading University Games’ family gameline-up this autumn is Sort it Out!, thegame of putting things in order. Whoknows the biggest, loudest, fastest,smallest, longest everything?

In Murder Mystery Mansion, playerswork in teams to solve the crime usingdeductive reasoning.

On each turn state a suspect, motive,method and place, and each guess takesyou one step closer to the mansion onthe 3-D staircase.

Smart Ass, from Australia, is a quick-moving trivia game where everyone getsa go at the answer on every turn. Playersare read ten clues about a mysteryperson, place or thing and shout out theanswer whenever they think they know.

University Games has added newtitles to two ranges of its puzzles, too.The Impossibles line is just that; noborders, tricky recurring images and fiveextra pieces make for a different puzzleexperience every time. With the ClassicMystery Jigsaw Puzzles line, puzzlersread the mystery booklet, put the puzzletogether and then find clues in theimage to solve the mystery.

UNIVERSITY GAMES 01359 243900

In the game of Tipp-Kick, two teams ofminiature metal football players face offon a tabletop playing field. The playerstake turns to use a button on theoutfield kickers to pass, lob and shootthe ball towards their opponent’s goal.The defending team can use theirplayers and diving goalkeeper to haltthe attack.

The Classic Tipp Kick Set (£19.95)contains everything necessary to set upa football match. The Junior Tipp KickSet (£29.95) includes all the items in theClassic Tipp Kick game, as well assponsorship boards, which areconnected and placed around the edgeof the pitch. Also available is the TippKick Display Stadium.

MARBEL 01208 873123

The X Factor game captures thejourney that contestants go throughon their way to the final, replicatingthe show’s highs and lows, withthemed event cards and sound-alikejudges’ comments.

Halsall’s Wood Works range ofwooden toys includes many pre-school puzzles, such as chunky shapesorters, learning blocks, matchingcards and jigsaws, as well aseducational puzzles.

The Traditional Games collectionprovides a large range from classicboard games, bingo, towering blocks,educational games and 3D puzzles totravel games and magneticcompendiums. Halsall also has a lineof Dora the Explorer wooden puzzles.

HALSALL 01253 778888

with great margins

*carriage paid on 12 or more games

For more information and to order games please call:

0118 982 8811 email: [email protected]: www.xanadugames.co.uk

Talking ShopHamleys takes ongadget department

RED5 HAS opened a concession in Hamleys’ Regent Street storeoccupying about a third of the basement.

The concession carries 400 lines of gifts and gadgets and takes up1,600 square feet, dwarfing the 500 square feet departments Red5has in Selfridges.

Red5 is also planning to open in Hamleys’ Dundrum outlet inDublin and its St Enoch Centre in Glasgow.

The firm signed the partnership in order to add the theatre andcustomer interaction of the Hamleys stores to its product offering.

Red5 partner Joth Baron said: “Hamleys is a perfect fit for us andour experience so far has been excellent. Hamleys is interested ingetting our expertise. It’s bigger than any independent store wehave and has given us a real boost as it is the summer holidays.”

Red5, which operates 13 stores, has also signed for standalonestores in Basingstoke, Leeds andDudley, and has extended its lease inManchester’s Arndale Centre.

The firm is negotiating on afurther four stores and is in talkswith other multiple retailers,including a department store, aboutopening more concessions.

Meanwhile, Hamleys will not openits store in Moscow as planned thismonth after the deal with itsfranchise partner collapsed.Hamleys: 0207 479 7317

Toys in Sainsburysnew catalogueSAINSBURY’S HAS launched its first-everhome catalogue to accompany its non-foodonline offer.

The 98-page catalogue features about 20per cent of its range, and is designed to giveshoppers a taster of what’s available online.

The catalogue has been divided intosections: Toys; Sports and Leisure; Kitchen;Living and Dining; Bedroom; Home;Bathroom; Technology; DIY and Luggage.

Catalogues have been mailed out tocustomers who receive Sainsbury’s Fresh Ideasmagazine, and is also available in its stores.Sainsburys: 0207 695 8225

Page 78New products

Brand Licensing,Dream Toys...they’reall coming up youknow...

EventsPage 90

Retail OnlyDedicated monthly retail coverage

News • Data • Opinion

On their way this month are offeringsfrom Hasbro, RC2, Bandai andRe:Creation.

CONWAYS TOYMASTER isundergoing expansion, openingfour new stores in the North.

The established indie is openingfour new stores in Yorkshire,Teesside and Lancashire.

The four new shops, which willcreate about six new jobs each,are all 2,000 sq ft and are locatedat the Victoria Shopping Centre,Harrogate; The Mall, New Street,Barnsley; King William Street,Blackburn and MiddlesbroughShopping Centre.Conways: 01535 604045

Expansion forindie Conways

Gadget specialist Red5 opens up largestconcession in Regent Street flagshipby Katie Roberts

WAITROSE IS to start selling toysand gifts in partnership with sistercompany John Lewis.

A soft launch will see thousands ofproducts available on a “click andcollect” basis whereby customers canorder products online and collect atWaitrose stores.

The range of products will scale-up towards Christmas and expandfurther next year, which will also beavailable for home delivery viaWaitrose Deliver outside of London.

The deal between the sistercompanies will see John Lewisreceive a percentage for each sale viaWaitrose.com or in the small numberof physical stores that will carry anextended non-food range suppliedvia John Lewis.

The deal also means John Lewiswill only sell exclusively via Waitroseonline in the UK alongside its

current existing home deliveryservice via Johnlewis.com.

The click and collect service,which is similar to the current Argosoffering, will be available to about 90per cent of the UK.

"The idea that retailers can offercertain types of products via aparticular channel is outdated,customers want and expectconvenience, and that’s what thismove will mean," said managingdirector Mark Price.Waitrose: 01344 424680

Waitrose makestoy move

This month’s retailcharts feature Asda,Toy Shop UK, Play.comand Amazon

ChartsPage 77

Page 74How much use is presscoverage to retailers?

“IT HYPES TOYS UP”

DREAM TOYS gets reported inthe media and it feeds the hypeon the toys that we can’t get holdof. It’s a difficult one because theproducts that dominate theDream Toys list are dominated bywhat is sold in the bigger retailersand doesn’t help us out at all.

Unfortunately the independentsare a very small percentage of themarket, so nobody is reallyinterested in helping us out.

Dream Toys does get exposurefor toys in general, but a lot of thetoys that are featured are the onesthat we make very little profit on.Many smaller retailers are wary oftying up money in these smallmargin products as they just won’tbe able to compete.

I think Dream Toys is, in somerespects, a hindrance. It hypescertain toys up and then retailersare all competing to have thelowest price possible. The endresult is that too many retailersare driving down prices in the runup to Christmas and at othertimes, to the detriment of theindustry as a whole.

We run the Toymastercatalogue, which is our bestmarketing tool and that definitelydrives footfall into our shops andit promotes our business to ourlocal customers.Steve Hogg, Toymaster Devizes,Wiltshire

“WE DON’T MAKE AS MUCH OF IT AS WE SHOULD”

IT DOES have a little bit of animpact on sales on its own, and ithelps generally. We probably don’tmake as much of it as we should do.This year, I am going to try harder.It’s difficult to get organised to doit, but I will try this year to dosomething in conjunction with thelocal press and the local radio tomake the most of it.

I think any publicity is great, ithelps to focus the parents minds inthe run up to Christmas and I thinkthe idea is fantastic. I realise thatdue to the nature of the event, it isdifficult to give away anyinformation beforehand, but I think

there is still a lot that retailers cando to maximise the opportunity.

I think it would really help if they[the BTHA] sent weekly emails toall the retailers for the four weekspreceding the event to jog ourmemories and give us some bullet

points and ideas on what you couldbe doing to prepare for the event,for example when you should becontacting the press etc.

I think stickers to highlight thewinning products is a great idea. Itwouldn’t need to be expensive, youcould just have one to put onproducts in the top twelve and thenone to put on all other categorywinners. It wouldn’t cost much forthem to put these things in place,but would really help with filteringthe publicity through to actualinterest in store and sales.Phil Heath, Heath’s Toymaster,Barrow-in-Furness

“DOESN’T FILTER THROUGH”

THE DREAM Toys event doesn’tfilter through to the public. It mightget the occasional mention onbreakfast news or something similar,but we don’t get any feedback on itfrom our customers and it doesn’timpact on our sales.

I think the biggest publicity a toycan get is if it gets featured in theArgos catalogue. That’s what raisesawareness.

We do often end up stocking thetoys featured in the Dream Toyslist, but we don’t get specificrequests for them from the eventcoverage. I think it probably helpsto promote the manufacturer, but itdoesn’t promote the retailer.

Normal toy advertising has beendiluted recently, you don’t see toys

being advertised on the mainchannels any more, they are alwayson the children’s channels. But thissummer, the Bendaroos campaignhas been a phenomenon.

The advert from Spin Master wasthree to four minutes long andincluded everything you could dowith the product.

This has had a real impact on salesbecause it was more than an advert,but there aren’t many products thatyou would be able to do this with.Spin Master has now closed thebook on orders it has been thatsuccessful.

We don’t do anything with thepress to promote products as we seevery little benefit in it. Toymasterdoes a good job with its catalogueevery year and that gets seen bythousands of local customers.

This carries much more benefitthan the press and we find that themore specialised avenues tend towork better for us.

Nick Hall, Geoff’s Toys,Coalville

I think it wouldreally help if they

sent weekly emails toall the retailers in theweeks precedingthe event

I think itprobably helps

to promote themanufacturer, but itdoesn’t promote theretailer

A lot of thetoys

featured are theones we makevery littleprofit on

74 TALKING SHOP: TOY INDUSTRY PUBLICITY

Is all publicitygood publicity?

For this month’s talking point we asked retailers about how much the publicitygained by the toy industry helped their businesses and how much they are ableto distill that to work at a local level. Does Dream Toys make for dream sales?....

www.toynewsmag.com 75TALKINGSHOP: TOY INDUSTRY PUBLICITY

“NOT RELEVANT TO MY STOCK”

“IT DEFINITELY HELPS”

WHEN SOMETHING gets ontoTV, whether its local or national, itis bound to help us out. WithDream Toys, you usually see a fairbit of coverage in the nationals andthat definitely helps with our sales.As far as I’m concerned, anyadvertising is good for business.

Once the BTHA has announcedthe final list of Dream Toys, we willusually incorporate those productsinto a window display so thatpeople know we are stocking theproduct. With all of these awards,whether its Dream Toys, the GoodToy Awards or anything similar, wedo get customers asking us aboutthe products.

We’ve had a few people cominginto the shop and asking if we stockthe Orchard Toys product which

won the Good Toy Award recently,so there is definitely quite a lot ofpublic awareness for these things.

In general, if you get the nationalpress on board, it definitely helps.For example there has been theGogo’s craze. I don’t know whereGogo’s came from, or whogenerated all the publicity, but I’m agreat admirer of it. Once one childhas something new in a playground,they all want it, but it’s advertisingand publicity that starts that craze.

All it takes is for a nationalnewspaper to say there is a shortageof something and the customers willstart going mad for it, so wedefinitely see the effects of it.

Vernon Franklin, FrostsToymaster, Bridport

THE DREAM Toys event doesn’thave any effect on my business, tobe honest. I tend to sell somethinga bit different in my shop, so Irarely have any of the Dream Toysproducts in stock. The event isn’tusually relevant to my stock. Lastyear, I think I had one, so therewasn’t much I could do with that.

I sell a toy for what I feel it doesfor the child and choose whatproducts to stock based on theireducational value. I want to be ableto talk to the parents, grandparentsand other gift buyers, what thebenefits of the product are for theirchild, rather than where they areadvertised. It’s not about the hypefor me.

I think Dream Toys tends to pickup on the TV-advertised toys andthose sold by the bigger companies,

whereas I go for smallermanufacturers, like those who mayonly offer one product. Thosecompanies don’t usually make itonto these lists.

I work independently on the PRfor our company and tend to workon more locally-based projects.Recently, I did a promotion withDKL marketing, which tied in withother businesses in the local villageand created publicity for our localcustomers. DKL provided me withsome products and we ran a bigcompetition. We have also sentdetails of this to the local press andhope to raise awareness for ourbusiness in this way. I think it worksmore effectively on a local base thanit does with big national campaigns.Sam Broad, CambridgeLighthouse, Histon

PARTICULARLY since Woolworths closed down, there are now a hugenumber of opportunities for retailers to increase their sales, and DreamToys is one such opportunity. But the question is, are retailers ready tomake the most of the potential opportunities for increased publicityand awareness that Dream Toys generates, and turn them into sales?

The TRA puts a lot of effort in getting product before the publicthrough many different mediums – press, TV, radio.

The people who buy toys regularly have probably adjusted theirbuying patterns now that Woolies has disappeared, but there a lot ofuncles and aunties, grandmas and grandads out there who only buytoys at Christmas or for birthdays who may not have a clue where to goand buy now that there’s no Woolies.

So it’s a huge opportunity for retailers to do something different in-store. I think the local press for instance, would welcome a phone callfrom a retailer who has got the best sellers, the full Dream Toy list. Itcould be a great photo-opp for some free local publicity.

Are retailers going to change their windows when the list ispublished in October to capitalise on the £1.5m worth of free publicitygenerated over a 72 hour period by the Dream Toys event?

That continues over into the weekend as well. To make the most ofthat it needs to be picked up a local level.

Manufacturers invest a lot of money going to Dream Toys and theTRA works hard to maximise coverage of the event too.

All the information is on the Dream Toys website on the morning thelist is released and we also send it out to all TRA members. But itneeds to be picked up locally.

It would be great if all the people on the shop floor knew what wasin the list so that everybody is promoting toys and the opportunitiescreated are distilled right the way to store level.Gary Grant,Chairman, Toy Retailers Association

NATIONAL COVERAGENEEDS LOCAL EFFORT

Are retailers ready to make the mostof the potential opportunities for

increased publicity and awareness thatDream Toys generates, and turn theminto sales?

DO YOU HAVE A RETAIL ISSUE WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TOCOMMENT ON? ANY WORDS OF WISDOM (HOWEVER SHORT)

FOR YOUR FELLOW TOY RETAILERS? A PROBLEM THAT WEMIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP WITH PERHAPS? LET US KNOW.

Email: [email protected] call us on 01992 535646 and let us hear your thoughts.

SEPTEMBER 2009

80-piece Bag in PinkMega Bloks

My Little Baby Born MummyLook I can swim

Zapf Creation

GX Racers TightropeTerror Track set

Flair

In the Night GardenPinky Ponk

Hasbro

Dream Town RosePetal Cottage Worlds ApartSTORE

TOY

£15.00 £29.99 £22.99 £15.00 £69.99

£12.99 N/A £20.99 £17.99 N/A

N/A £24.96 £19.99 N/A £69.99

£14.99 £14.99 N/A £7.49 £79.99

£14.00 £24.47 N/A £7.49 £84.97

PRICE CHECK: SEPTEMBER 2009

HIGHSTREET

COUNTERINSURGENT

76 RETAIL ONLY

RECENTLY Iwas staggeredto look in anewsagentand see aSpider-mancomic, with a

free giveaway of a toy plasticgun attached.

This toy gun was black withno orange end as required bylaw, also this comic was in easyreach of children who couldtake it up to the counter andbuy with no questions asked.

Under-16 rules didn’t seemto apply, nothing in small printfor the cashier to miss. Now,I’m not an expert but surelylaws should apply togiveaways as well as purchase.

Have Trading Standardstried to catch out anynewsagents by sending in kidsto buy the latest copy ofSpiderman Comic? TSO hasrecently written to me toconfirm they did a testpurchase of a toy gun by a

minor and failed. I wonder ifthey had tried to buy anycomics with illegal gunsstrapped to them?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen acomic with a packet of fagsstrapped to it and you canimagine the outcry if a comicfor, I don’t know, Ninja Turtleshad a free knife strapped to it.

We responsible retailershave spent all summer tellingchildren that they aren’t ableto buy a brightly-colouredwater pistol and no they can’tbuy Super Soakers because ofa stupid policy of a companygiving a major retailerexclusive distribution.

Parents come in seriouslypissed off because littleJonny/Jessica has draggedthem to the toy shop to buy awater pistol because the nastyman won’t sell it to them.

But it did make me wonderhow our European partnersalso treat some of the moredaft laws we have in place. My

experience with our foreignfriends is that the French willthink it doesn’t apply to them;the Swedes wont care as longat it has a light on it and it ismade of wood; the Dutch willhave already adopted the lawon draft proposals; theSpanish will ignore it; the

Germans will think it is a popat them for starting the lasttwo major world wars and theItalians will be too chaotic toenforce them and the newerstates will think it doesn’tapply to them as they aren’treally in Europe. Only theBritish enforce it.

Now I have no problem withsafety laws and regulations,but I do feel that responsibleretailers are the ones whoseem to get all the hassle. Canyou imagine anyone on aSunday market or any marketcome to that getting the samecrap about waste paper andcardboard? The same willapply to batteries next year.Maybe it is about time thatTSO departmentsconcentrated on those whobreak the law and don’t carerather than go for an easytarget and try to catch out theresponsible retailers.

Maybe it’s about time TSOdepartments concentrated

on those who break the lawand don’t care.

Dispatches from the retail front line...

SEPTEMBER 2009

www.toynewsmag.com 77RETAIL ONLY

RETAILCHARTS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Play.com

Union Jack Retro Space Hopper with foot pump GGG

Disney Fairies: Tinkerbell Book Light Wesco

Fart Alert Button Laughing Donkey

3D Glasses Thumbs Up

Bleach: Ichigo Kurosaki Plush Bleach

My Life Console Flair

Peppa Pig Projector Torch Wesco

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Voyager the Fallen Action Figure Hasbro

Cars: Lightning McQueen Driving Game IMC Toys

Gelli Baff The In Thing

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

The Entertainer

Bendaroos Mega Pack Spin Master

Merf N-Strike Recon CS-6 Hasbro

City Police Station Lego

Speed Stacks Character

Transformers – Supreme Combiner Constructicon Devastator Hasbro

3-in-1 Smart Trike + Mookie

ITNG Talking Plush Igglepiggle Hasbro

Thomas Toddler Bed Worlds Apart

Sylvanian Families Caravan Flair

iTeddy Version 2 Vivid

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Amazon CHART DATE18/08/09

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mail Order Express

Roll to the Rescue Sleuth R/C Tigger Mattel

Super Swingball Mookie

Medical Carrycase Peterkin

Bendaroos 500-piece Mega Set Spin Master

Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera Pink VTech

Crayola Beginnings 24 Jumbo Crayones Vivid

Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera Blue VTech

Crayola Gigantic Colouring Book Vivid

Bananagrams Bananagrams

Rummikub Game Tomy

Baby Annabell Double Buggy Zapf Creation

Academy Desk and Chair Martin Yaffe

Disney Princess Vanity Table Martin Yaffe

Family Camper Playmobil

Farm Mega Set Playmobil

8’ Quick Up Pool O’Blue

Tellatale Theatre and Shop Fiesta

Kindergarten Group Set 100-Piece Mobilo

Thomas and Friends Sand and Water Play Table Martin Yaffe

Fireman Sam Articulated Figures Martin Yaffe

CHART DATE18/08/09

CHART DATE18/08/09

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Toy Shop UK CHART DATETop July searches

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Asda

Transformers

Bendaroos

Scooters

Kitchen

Dolls House

Playmobil

Star Wars

WWE

Paddling pools

Trampolines

Hot Wheels Basic Car Mattel

Shoot Football John Leisure

Mini Lying Animals Asda

Turbo Cars Asda

Littlest Petshop Get the Pets Hasbro

Mini Vehicles Asda

Wooden Puzzle Halsall

Three Ring Pool GP

KC Bean Bag Baby Asda

Power Ranger Jungle Fury Figures Bandai

CHART DATEJuly 2009

CHART DATE18/08/09

SEPTEMBER 2009

PRODUCTNEWS

FEATURING AN array of plushtoys, The Very Hungry Caterpillarcollection of toys and plush fromRainbow Designs stars Eric Carle’sclassic characters brought to lifein colour and detail.

Plush toys include the 42cmVery Hungry Caterpillar LargePlush character, the 28cm HandPuppet and the 26cm Beanie in aCDU. The DevelopmentalCaterpillar, Lion, Butterfly andElephant character toys featureplush bodies and lots of texturesto encourage learning.

The new My First Paddingtonrange of brightly coloured toysincludes the My First Paddingtoncharacter in medium and largesizes, both wearing the trademarkduffle coat and red hat. The SmallMy First Paddington character isan 11cm sitting bear made fromlamboa in bright colours.Rainbow Designs: 0870 758 7700

RE:CREATION HAS introducedBionic Putty, a scientificallyengineered 21st century siliconeputty, new for this autumn.

Created and developed byTinmen, Bionic Putty is a formulathat has the properties of both aliquid and a solid.

Suitable for ages four and over,this multi-faceted putty will hitplaygrounds shortly, supported by aheavyweight TV campaignthroughout spring/summer 2010.Bionic putty can be sculpted,

popped, bounced, stretched orsnapped before it imitates meltinglike ice cream and because it repelswater, you can even make puttywater bombs. Unlike other creative

play products, the putty won’t dryout. Available in two sizes, the playputty has seven different variationsof bionic formulas to choose fromincluding the slime green putty,neon pink, the bionic blue and glowin the dark putty.

The slime green putty turns fromlime green to toxic yellow whenhandled. The neon pink radiates abright fluorescent glow and thebionic blue changes colour to whitewhen stretched.Re:creation: 0118 973 6222

New plushfrom Rainbow

78 RETAIL ONLY

BEN 10, now in its third year, hascontinued to grow and dominate thetoy market in 2009 reaffirming itsposition as the nation’s favourite toybrand (Source: NPD YTD May 09).

Bandai’s new range of role playitems due out this summer iscontinuing to entertain the boys’market. Notable additions to the toyrange of 2008 include the 20cmStretch Figures, the HumungousaurHands (pictured) and Echo EchoVoice Changer.Bandai: 01489 790944

Ben 10 playground invasionheats up with new lines

Creative play goes Bionic

Hasbro Googles new Monopoly

RC2 HAS launched the newThomas Wooden Railway SystemTalking Railway Series, whichuses new Engine RecognitionTechnology to activate over 200personalised phrases (when usedwith Talking Railway engines)from the Fat Controller atTalking Railway Seriesdestinations.

Each engine features a goldmagnet connector in order todifferentiate it from regularwooden railway system engines.They also include personalisedgold name and EngineRecognition icons on their baseand can interact with thetraditional engines by triggeringnon-personalised messages toenhance the play experience. RC2: 01271 336155

RC2 talksThomas

HASBRO’S NEWEST version ofMonopoly is Monopoly City, whichgives players the ability to competeagainst players across the globe viaGoogle Maps.

From September 1st, players willbe able to buy streets based onGoogle Maps, competing againstparticipants across the globe. So nowit is possible to buy and develop thestreet you live on or build an empirein Manhattan using the MonopolyCity Streets instant play onlineplatform.

New streets are released each dayand each player is allowed up to fivetransactions per day. Every street inthe world is available for purchase byonly one player, increasing theopportunity for trading andinteraction. Monopoly City Streetscan be played by logging on towww.monopoly.com

The game includes 80 3Dbuildings and an electronic tradingunit to control auctions andeconomic conditions.Hasbro: 020 8569 1234

SEPTEMBER 2009

VTECH’S KIDICREATIVE range is 353 percent up (Source: NPD June 2009 YTD) thanks toKidizoom. Now looking to broaden the marketVTech is launching Kidizoom Pro – a multimediadigital camera for older children aged five yearsand over.

Kidizoom Pro is a two mega pixel camera with2x digital zoom and built-in flash. It features thesame dual viewfinder, colour screen and durablechild-friendly design as Kidizoom but with amore grown-up look and feel. Kids will also lovethe added MP3 player and enhanced photomorphing effects.

They can edit and enhance their photos withover 30 built-in fun effects, stamps and borders,on the camera itself or using the photo editingsoftware supplied. Kidizoom Pro also featuresvideo taking and five built-in games, with aninstant dial selector making it quick and easy tochange between the features. There is 256 MB ofbuilt-in storage, as well as an SD card slot formemory expansion.

SPONSORSHIPSponsorship activity is planned from Septembergiving kids the chance to win a Kidizoom Pro.The activity is designed to generate excitementregarding the launch of Kidizoom Pro andhighlight its fun features. A 30-second

competition spot running across Nick Toons,Toonsters, Nick Jr and Nick Jr 2 will driveviewers to a dedicated microsite on nick.co.uk.

The campaign will encourage the core target offour to eight year olds to have fun trying outKidizoom Pro’s unique photo morphing featuresonline, with the best distorted faces being seenon special Kidizoom Pro sponsorship bumpersrunning on Nick Toons. The activity will run forseven weeks and during this time over onemillion children aged four to eight will beexposed to Kidizoom Pro.

PR Early product samples were specially couriered tooffer top journalists (across both nationalbroadcast and print) an exclusive preview of theproduct’s unique capabilities. National coveragehas already appeared on the Sun Online(reaching over 20 million) and on Fun Kids LiveRadio (reaching 113,000). Coverage will alsoappear on BBC2’s Something For The Weekend,the Channel 4’s Gadget Show, Channel 4 Walesand on Kidsoup TV in August, as well asnumerous national newspapers.

The Kidicreative range is VTech’s best seller, thanks in the main tothe success of the Kidizoom digital camera. A follow-up product,Kidizoom Pro, features many enhancements and a more grown-up appeal…..

VTech Kidizoom Pro

www.toynewsmag.com 79HERO PRODUCT

According to NPDfigures, Vtech’s

Kidicreative line is 353per cent up,mainly thanksto Kidizoom.

RELEASE DATE – Available now

PRICE – £74.99

CONTACT DETAILS:Phone: 01235 555545Email: [email protected]: www.vtechuk.com

Key info:

Organised by: Sponsored by: Official Publication:

2009

30 September – 1 October 2009

With over 2,000 properties on display, you’ll be sure to find the one that brings your merchandise to life!

Attend and benefit from:

Product showcases including the Toy Store where you will see popular characters transformed into profitable merchandise

12+ free educational seminars in the Licensing Academy

Screening suite* showing exclusive previews of the latest Hollywood blockbusters and associated licensing opportunities

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Advertisers

1/4 page: Annual charge £1,395 (minimum twelve months booking)Get your company featured: [email protected] T: 01992 535 647RATES:

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MarketplaceThe ToyNews Marketplaceoffers an improvedpackage of classifiedadvertising and editorialvisibility, allowingcompanies to maintain thatcontact with readers eachmonth without theassociated cost of fulldisplay advertising.

The ToyNews Marketplacehas also been designed tooffer readers a directory ofall products and services inthe toy industry - Apresence in this sectionensures that yourcompany's details areeasily found, keeping youone step ahead of yourcompetitors.

THE STANDARDPACKAGE INCLUDES:

- 1/4 page advert ineach issue

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The place for business

SINCE THE launch in 1996, the key

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Logiblocs is one of those

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Marketplace

RAINBOW PRODUCTIONS

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■ Character Costumes & P.O.S. ■ Point of Purchase Manufacturers

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James May, the least irritating blokeon the nation’s most irritatingprogramme, Top Gear, has been allover the toy industry of late,building lifesize models from thetrade’s most iconic brands.

As part of his new Toy Storiesseries he has built a lifesize housefrom Lego, a 2.953 mile Scalextrictrack and (pictured here) a bridgemade out of Meccano in the heartof Liverpool’s newly redevelopedPierhead.

The Liverpool project waspossibly the most daring of them allwith May taking his life into his ownhands by walking across a 23 metrebridge constructed entirely fromtraditional Meccano.

Liverpool was home to Meccanofor more than 70 years until theBinns Road factory closed in 1979.Some 30 years on and theconstruction, built using more than100,000 0.5 inch wide strips,girders and bolts brought Meccanoback to its native soil.

Sue Barratt, country manager ofMeccano UK, said: “We are thrilledto be part of such a brave andexciting project in Meccano’shomeland of Liverpool. James Mayhas always been a big advocate ofMeccano and we’re pleased we

could assist him with his goal tocreate this magnificent structurebuilt from parts used by everydayMeccano enthusiasts. Meccano hasadvanced massively in recent yearsand we hope this iconic bridge willget people interested in today’sMeccano and the process ofconstruction.”

May was careful to stay faithfulto the mechanics in Meccano andchose a bridge that moved, withone nine metre beam sliding intoplace like a canal lock gate, and theother 12 metre section rolling downlike a drawbridge.

The construction of the bridgewas handled by the students ofLiverpool University’s MechanicalEngineering department with somehelp from the North East MeccanoGuild.

The bridge was built on the newLeeds Liverpool canal extension,which runs from the Albert Dock,past the foot of the Liver Buildingall the way to Leeds and the rest ofthe European canal system. Thebridge was erected outside theLiver Building (Britain’s first skyscraper, apparently) as acelebration of the successes ofLiverpool and the many Britishengineering feats.

DARING BUILDS OF MAY

88 TOY TALK

SEPTEMBER 2009

TOYTALKThe toy market has been getting some great coverage of late, some of it in the most unlikely places....

A harnessed-up James May preparesto cross his Meccano bridge

Meccano’s country managerSue Barratt and liver bird.

SEPTEMBER 2009

MY No.1s

Jez Fraser-Hook,UK Director, toysNPD

89TOY TALK

Number one album: Jack JohnsonIn Between Dreams-------------------------------------------------------Film: Cliffhanger!!! -------------------------------------------------------Book: Joe Simpson, Touching the Void------------------------------------------------------------------------------TV programme: High Altitude------------------------------------------------------------------------------Number one single when you were born:Google says Rolf Harris’ Two Little Boys. Oh dear!--------------------------------------------------------------------Hero: James Cracknell---------------------------------------------------------------------Thing to do at the weekend: Spending time with mywife, two girls and dog, and mountain biking------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gadget: Mountain bike night lights----------------------------------------------------Tipple: Port---------------------------------------------------Piece of advice: Stay positive,be happy and always rememberto smile!------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GRAZIA GOLD We were going to leave this one but, wemight as well now. Which toy trade facerecently featured in a recent edition ofgirly glossy Grazia, stitched up by his exin a heart-rending warts and all tale ofdoomed love featuring booze, jealousy,mortgage problems and er…Subway?Reading like a toe-curlingly bad editionof Our Tune our favourite laugh out loudbit was when he asked his ex whetheranyone at work “had a crack” at her yet?Pure gold. Excerpts may yet appear.

Sponsored by

2010 DATE SET FOR TOYNEWS FIVESFriday July 9th is the date set for nextyear's ToyNews Fives footballtournament.

This year's inaugural tournament,which raised £1,600 for the Toy Trust,was won by Turner, with Grant andBowman running out winners of theplate competition.

Some 16 teams from across the toyand licensing industry entered and itis hoped that next year's tournamentwill be even bigger. More details ofhow to take part in the tournament,format and sponsorship opportunitieswill be revealed nearer to the time.

Anyone interested in taking partcan register their interest early [email protected]

The all-conquering Turner team with ToyNews Fives Cup

SEPTEMBER 2009

90 FEATURE PLANNER

Editorial deadline: Call for details Advertising deadline: September 11th

OCTOBER 2009

Got any events you would like to see added to the calendar? Email [email protected]

US INTERNATIONAL FALL TOYPREVIEWOctober 6th - 9thDallas Market Centre TXwww.toy-tia.org

AUTUMN FAIR 09September 6th - 9thNEC, Birminghamwww.autumnfair.com

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647

© Intent Media 2009 No part of this publicationmay be reproduced in any form or by any meanswithout prior permission of the copyright owners.ISSN: 1740-3308

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www.toynewsmag.com ToyNews is published 12 times a year byIntent Media ~ Saxon House, 6a St.Andrew Street, Hertford, HertfordshireSG14 1JA Fax: +44 (0)1992 535648 AUDITED CIRCULATION

Average Net Circulation:6,011 July 1st 2008 to June 30th 2009,

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Circulation &Subscriptions

Spring/SummerPreviews

Just a monthaway fromChrimbo and

it’s time to think aboutthose spring/summerranges again.

Children’s TV

The annualmedia guide tothe children’s

television universe,featuring all the majorchannels.

Pre-school

Our secondrun-down ofthe year of

what is happening in thetoy market’s core targetage-group.

International Events

Here’s how toincrease thatinternational

contact book with themarket’s most importanttrade shows.

Editorial deadline: September 11th Advertising deadline: October 9th

NOVEMBER 2009

THE LICENSING AWARDSSeptember 10thRoyal Lancaster hotel, Londonwww.thelicensingawards.co.uk

DON’T

MISS OUT!

HKTDC HONG KONG TOYSAND GAMES FAIRJanuary 4th-7th 2010Hong Kong Convention Centrewww.hktoyfair.hktdc.com

CHINA TOY EXPOOctober 14th-16thShanghai Expo Centrewww.shanghaitoyexpo.com.cn

With a combined circulation of10,000 copies, including distributionat the show itself, our BrandLicensing Show issue is crucial for

anyone in branded toys and includesan extended licensing section. Theelectronic toys sector and moretraditional wooden toys also feature.

Brand Licensing Show Issue ● Wooden Toys ● Electronic toys & TV games

BRAND LICENSING EUROPE 09September 30th - October 1stGrand Hall, Olympia, Londonwww.brandlicensingexpo.com

DREAM TOYSOctober 28thSt Mary’s Church, Londonwww.dreamtoys.co.uk

TOY FAIR 2010January 26th -29thGrand Hall, Olympiawww.toyfair.co.uk

For more info – visit www.energizer.co.uk or call 0845 601 0169

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Join the success for 2010!

Daily Mail (Weekend), 11th April ‘09

52x10’ episodes launched April 2009Broadcasting on CBeebies three times a dayNew episodes for 2010

· One of CBeebies top rated shows with over 5.8 million viewers in 12 weeks

and over 21 audience share among carers with kids ages 0-3 (BARB data)

· Consistently in top 5 ‘Most Popular’ shows on CBeebies iPlayer

· Over 1.5 million plays of Timmy’s Noisy Name Game via the CBeebies website

· Strong licensing programme with Egmont for publishing, 2Entertain for DVD

and Vivid Imaginations as master toy licensee

· Timmy Time’s Nursery Playset shortlisted for the Practical Parenting Awards

“The Aardman Team have struck animation gold once again with this utterly charming series for pre-schoolers…”

Come visit us at stand no.

610!Brand & Licensing Show

toynews issue 97 september 2009

Documents

tv coverage

retail column

retail i

dream toysevent

exclusive npd analysis10

data12 tv ratings15

audited circulation

lot of talk