Tag Archives: toys

Baby and parent product label Marcus & Marcus eyes licensing move into toys, fashion, kitchen and more

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The baby and parent product label, Marcus & Marcus is taking its first steps into the licensing space, having appointed LMG to help build brand awareness through a programme of new licensing partnerships.

Developed by two parents, Marcus & Marcus is recognised for its bold, bright and engaging animal friends designed to kep children engaged.  The brand strives to help families take on the challenges of parenting and simplify the everyday chaos.

Drawing from the brand’s ethos and commitment to safety, quality, and sustainability, LMG seeks licensee partners in lifestyle categories such as Children’s Fashion, Toys and STEM Toys, Bags and Luggage, Bedding, Toddler & Infant Products, and Home and Kitchen.

“We’re honored to add the Marcus & Marcus brand to our client roster and look forward to developing products and promotions that support young families and walk them through the ups and downs of parenting,” said Andrew Kwan, EVP LMG, Maxx Group.

“The adorable Marcus & Marcus animal friends inspire fun, fresh and unique designs. We will be guided by the needs and desires of modern parents in our approach, we’re looking for licensees that embrace the core brand principles of safety, innovation and sustainability,” said Eric Tong, senior licensing manager LMG, Maxx Group.

The three-year partnership between Marcus & Marcus and LMG will commence Spring 2021. LMG are currently seeking licensee partners in Children’s Fashion, Toys and STEM Toys, Bags & Luggage, Bedding, Toddler & Infant Products and Home & Kitchen.

Kids’ audio platform Yoto raises $17m funding to fuel European and North American growth

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The kids’ audio platform, Yoto – the London-based team behind the award-winning Yoto Player – has raised $17 million in a Series A funding to help facilitate its rapid growth across Europe and North America.

The investment was led by Acton Capital with participation from JamJar Investments, Global Founders Capital, Emerge Education, as well as MPL Ventures.

Controlled using physical cards to play children’s audio content, Yoto Player has been developed to give children full control over their listening with access to entertaining audio – spanning stories and music – designed to encourage learning and imaginative play.

Since launching the new Yoto Player in early 2020, the firm has experienced explosive growth, securing partnerships and content deals with trusted household names such as LEGO and Disney as well as licenses with Penguin Random House, Sony Music, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan and more.

Yoto’s extensive and expanding content library features some of the world’s greatest children’s content including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Gruffalo, The Snowman, and Planet Omar with LEGO Duplo, Frozen, Finding Nemo and many more household names to be released in the coming months.

“In times where kids are growing-up on screens, one of the most important skills they need is to be able to use technology consciously and with balance. Yoto’s proprietary audio platform puts children in full control of how and when they consume audio content,” said Fritz Oidtmann, managing partner at Acton Capital.

“What further convinced us to invest was Yoto’s unique approach to combining native content with carefully curated partnerships. We are very happy to support the team’s vision to make Yoto’s high-quality, kid-centered content available worldwide.”

Richard Reed, JamJar Investments and Innocent Drinks co-founder, said: “As a dad of three, I know from first-hand experience what a lifesaver Yoto is – it fires up your kids’ imagination and creativity, so they play independently and safely.

“As an investor, Yoto is everything you could be looking for – a new entertainment format for kids that has limitless potential, loved by its buyers and adored by its users, led by a whip smart, mission-focused team.”

In an effort to offer audio that will inspire the next generation of independent creative minds, Yoto is also investing in content that promotes mindfulness, meditation and sleep. Recently, Yoto launched a series of sleep content cards with Lifescore & Abbey Road Studios.

Leading the industry in audio that inspires children to take creative play into their own hands, Yoto also offers music, audio-based activities, podcasts, radio and sound effects.

In addition, the Yoto Player has a ‘Make Your Own’ function enabling users to link to their favourite radio stations or podcasts and record their very own stories.

“We designed Yoto around our own kids and we’ve seen how amazing it is to give kids control of their own listening. I’ve seen how this really does help with creativity and imagination compared to screen-time and the research backs that up,” said Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto.

“I’m thrilled with how far we’ve come and the amount of families we’re getting amazing feedback from, and this new investment from some of the best funds in the UK and Europe that share our vision allows us to continue to fuel the curiosity of this generation of young learners through audio.”

Green age waste ban | The Insights Family explores sustainability in the kids’ market

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This article appears in the Spring/Summer edition of ToyNews

With greater purchasing power comes greater social responsibility… or words to that effect. Undeniable though, is the increasing demand and interest in sustainability and eco-consciousness among target audiences. Here, The Insights Family’s founder, Nick Richardson explores the issue

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Figures from the latest Kids Insights data shows that over half of UK kids aged three to 12 have “a lot” of influence over the toy purchases their parents make. In addition to this, UK kids spend a collective £709m of their own money on toys and games in 2020.

However, children’s purchasing power has changed with growing interest in the environment.

Sustainability is becoming a way of life for many consumers as more people are choosing to buy greener, healthier, ethically sourced, and more environmentally sustainable products. Eco-friendly products accelerated their infiltration into toys in recent years and companies – the likes of Hasbro, LEGO, Mattel, MGA, Playmobil and Clementoni included – also understand that a clear and transparent environmental strategy can give them a competitive advantage while staying relevant.

This trend will increasingly affect families’ purchasing habits and toy brands are strongly recommended to emphasise their environment friendly credentials when planning their marketing campaigns.

The increasing penetration of smartphones and tablets among children is stimulating social activism while also driving eco-friendly product purchases. So-called ‘Greta effect’, named after Greta Thunberg following her “how dare you” speech at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, raised the awareness further.

There is also a large eco-influence coming from parents. According to our Toys & Games Global Report 2020, over a third of UK pre-school parents think that it is important for their children to take care of the environment – a year-on-year increase of 56 per cent. Over a third of parents hope to teach their child to take care of the environment before they have even reached their fifth birthday.

Brands have already started to work on producing eco-friendly toys, or at least use more recyclable packaging. According to our Kids & Family Industry Report 2021, 69 per cent of toy companies believe they can make a difference in the sustainability sector.

As a good example, LEGO is another toy manufacturer which has made substantial progress and commitments to change by 2030. The company introduced reusable plastics for bricks and is said to be considering the idea of a LEGO subscription service. In an effort to improve the brand’s sustainability, a rental service could reduce the fossil fuels required to make LEGO, all while keeping eco-conscious parents happy. LEGO is also making a switch towards paper bags instead of single-use plastics.

Meanwhile, Mattel introduced its own MEGA Biobloks at 2020 Nuremberg Toy Fair with the aim of reaching its 100 per cent recycled materials goal by 2030. Likewise, Clementoni revealed its Baby range made from 100 per cent recycled materials in January 2020 as part of its own sustainability push.

The same with Amazon, the favourite online shop of two million kids aged three to nine in the UK, has revealed plans to roll out 500 electric delivery vans in the UK as part of their Climate Pledge. From manufacturing to distribution, there are opportunities for corporations to make improvements to their sustainability practices to engage sustainable consumers.


What does this mean to you?

Brands need sustainability to be incorporated into long-term business strategies, with public transparency and accountability surrounding these targets, to show their loyalty and awareness.

We believe the brands that will succeed at appealing to the sustainable consumer will be the ones who make it straight-forward and rewarding for customers to change the way they consume, purchase, or behave.

Children’s influence on their parents and brands continues to grow every day. Therefore, understanding what attitudes kids hold in real-time and how this affects their purchasing decisions is a critical advantage for brands.

With the purpose to provide children, parents, and families with a voice to shape their worlds, The Insights Family is highlighting why brands need to pay attention to trends like this and carefully reflect on consumers opinion.

The Insights Family® has released its Kids & Family Industry Report 2021 where we have shown how companies are also responding to societal needs, with 64 per cent reporting their business decisions will be affected by a drive towards sustainability.

To read the Kids & Family Industry Report 2021 and learn more about the attitudes, behaviour, and consumption patterns of kids, parents, and families, and to get freemium access to The Insights Family® real-time data portal, please visit: https://try.theinsightsfamily.com/toynews

The Insights Family (formerly The Insights People), is a global leader in kids, parents, and family market intelligence, providing real-time data on their attitudes, behaviour, and consumption patterns. Every year the company surveys more than 362,100 kids and more than 176,800 parents.

The LEGO Group unveils F.R.I.E.N.D.S Apartment Set complete with Janice minifigure

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Ready? Altogether now: Oh. My. God.

It’s official. The LEGO Group has just detailed the launch of the new LEGO F.R.I.E.N.D.S Apartments Set, a 2,048 brick set that allows fans to recreate their favourite scenes from the now iconic Warner Bros. sitcom.

Setting the scene of some of TV comedy’s most memorable moments, the build features both Monica and Rachel’s, and Chandler and Joey’s New York apartments, as well as – quite possibly – TV’s most famous adjoining hallway.

The new release from The LEGO Group follows the success of the LEGO Ideas Central Perk set released in 2019 and arrives complete with features and props – including the moment Monica put the Thanksgiving turkey on her head, and the one where Joey and Chandler had only a canoe as furniture, as well as the episode in which Phoebe’s dollhouse went up in flames.

Other accessories from the show include the Poking Device; Gladys, Phoebe’s creepy art piece; the cheesecake that falls on the floor; Pat the Dog; the chick and duck, and more.  The set also gives fans the real sense of the original filming studio with set lights and allows them to display both apartments either separately or linked together with the hallway.

The set also arrives with new minifigures of the gang in some of their most memorable outfits; Rachel’s iconic plaid skirt; Ross’ too tight leather pants; Monica in an apron; Phoebe in a classic floral look; Chandler in a suit and loud designer tie; and Joey wearing all of Chandler’s clothes.

And for the first time ever, Janice will also feature as a minifigure in a classic over-the-top gaudy outfit.

Anderson Ward Grubb, LEGO Set Designer said: “Following the success of the LEGO Ideas Central Perk set, we wanted to develop another tribute to this iconic TV show with a focus on the famous apartments. We worked directly from production photos of the set as well as watching and re-watching a lot of episodes so we could capture as many iconic moments as possible.

“One fun challenge was figuring out how to represent some aspects that change over the course of the show that appear in some episodes and not in others. I am looking forward to seeing if the eagle-eyed fans will spot them.”

LEGO The Friends Apartments set is available exclusively for LEGO VIP members from May 19th and from LEGO Stores and www.LEGO.com/Friends-Apartments from June 1st, 2021.

Little Brother Books welcomes LOL Surprise, Barbie, and Fortnite to the annuals roster

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LOL Surprise, Barbie, Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft will each be expanding their presence across the children’s Annuals market, thanks to a bolstered new portfolio of titles to launch from Little Brother Books.

The UK Annuals publisher is preparing to launch a range of six new titles this spring/summer, which will include three Fun, Play and Learn titles hitting shelves this May, featuring the popular toy brands LOL Surprise and Barbie. The pair will be joined by World of Dinosaurs.

This season will also see the launch of three Ultimate Gaming Guides, including GamesWarrior’s Ultimate Guide to Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft.

All six titles will feature new content created exclusively by Little Brother Books and will each be priced at £5.99. The series will go on sale this mlnth across Amazon, TJ Morris, Sainsbury’s, Smyths Toys, and other book retailers.

Little Brother Books believes that high visibility at retail is key to driving impulse sales and has been successful in placing 1000s of dedicated FSDU/POS in major retailers over recent years.

Matthew Reynolds, MD at Little Brother Books, said: “Our mid-year Annuals and Gaming Guides launching this season are testament to our success in refreshing this market and I’m thrilled that we have six titles to delight parents and children alike this summer with six of the hottest properties in the market.

“Despite 2020’s challenges, Little Brother Books once again dominated the Annuals market, and we retained our position as the number one publisher in this sector for the third consecutive year with unrivaled distribution for our leading brands.

“2021 is shaping up to be even more successful with other major retailers coming onboard, as well as exciting new brands joining our portfolio.”

Toy firm Playmonster appoints Hollie Holmes as global head of licensing

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The international toy firm, Playmonster, has appointed a new global head of licensing in the form of Hollie Holmes, an industry expert boasting more than 20 years experience of the consumer products business.

In her newly created role, Holmes will oversee the company’s global licensing business with an emphasis on the development and expansion of new IP across new and existing categories. Holmes will report to Scott Flynn, vice president of sales and marketing at PlayMonster.

Over her 20 year career to date, Holmes has secured partnerships with a number of leading global entertainment, gaming, celebrity, influencer, toy, automotive, and pop culture culture brands. She has a long history of developing and maintaining strong executive relationships and is a collaborative partner.

“Hollie brings vast experience and demonstrated success in building strong licensing programs that impact business in a meaningful way,” said Flynn. “It’s a whole new level of focus for us that we expect will not only amplify our existing portfolio but open more doors to exciting new opportunities.”

Most recently, Holmes served as senior director of strategic development: Global Licensing Acquisitions and Entertainment Partnerships at Mattel, where she was responsible for entertainment partnerships and license acquisitions across Mattel’s global portfolio, including those for its iconic brands – including Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price.

She oversaw the acquisitions for hundreds of licenses each year, negotiating and executing agreements with partners, and evaluating and acquiring new content in various stages of development.

Tim Kilpin, president of PlayMonster, said: “Hollie is one of the most widely respected and visionary executives in the licensing industry today, and we couldn’t be happier that Hollie chose to continue her career with PlayMonster.”

Holmes said: “Working with Tim previously at Mattel was an incredible experience, and I’ve always known I wanted to work with him again. Scott, and the entire PlayMonster team are innovative, fun, known as a great partner, and incredibly agile, which I’ve learned brings the term “moving quickly” to a whole new level.

“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to help expand our focus and accelerate growth for the PlayMonster team.”

PlayMonster is continuing to build its portfolio of brands and content-driven IP across categories, strengthening its activity not only in core categories but incrementally with the introduction of new business lines, including Koosh and BriteBrush, that significantly scale the company’s growth and leadership position.

Funko sees record first quarter as games, plush, and Loungefly all achieve sales growth

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Funko has seen record first quarter net sales increases across both its US and European markets, reflecting what the pop culture specialist has cited as ‘broad-based strength across geographies, products, and channels.’

Net sales grew 38 per cent to $189.2 million compared to $136.7 million in the first quarter of 2020. The firm also saw the number of active properties increase by 12 per cent to 762 from 681 the year prior, with net sales per active property increasing 24 per cent.

US sales grew 39 per cent to $136.5 million, while Europe saw its net sales increase a full 55 per cent to $39.8 million. Other international regions saw a more modest growth of two per cent to $12.9 million, but Funko has highlighted the ongoing disruptions that many of those regions are experiences due to Covid-19.

Funko’s Pop! branded products grew 33 per cent while net sales across its Other segment – meaning non-figure products – increased by 52 per cent, led by Loungefly branded products which grew 82 per cent in the quarter. Funko has also been strengthened by its recent developments in games and plush.

Direct-to-consumer sales increased more than 160 per cent driven by continued strong demand on the Company’s Funko and Loungefly e-commerce sites, while 66 per cent of the company’s sales were attributed to evergreen content.

“Improving consumer demand in the US and Europe contributed to broad-based strength within our brands, products and distribution channels, leading to a record first quarter,” said Brian Mariotti, chief executive officer.

“Throughout the pandemic, our teams have maintained a relentless focus on delivering innovation and engaging with our fans around the world, positioning the business to drive topline growth as the demand environment strengthens.

“In the first quarter, this enabled us to achieve sales growth of 38 per cent, strong Adjusted EBITDA margins and a substantial increase on the bottom line.

“We are confident that our innovation pipeline, strategic focus and experienced teams will enable us to deliver continued growth and expansion in the dynamic macro environment. We’re investing behind our key strategic priorities and expect to achieve topline growth of 33 per cent to 38 per cent in 2021, above our previously stated range, while also driving increased profitability.”

On a brand basis, Pop! branded products grew 33 per cent to $150.3 million, reflecting strong growth in the US and Europe. Loungefly branded products grew 82 per cent to $24.5 million. Both brands generated strong demand in the US and Europe, as well as strength across our direct-to-consumer channels.

Net sales of other branded products increased 41 per cent to $14.3 million driven by board games, plush and action figures.

Tonies to open exclusive pop-up in Harrods’ Fourth Floor Toy Department

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An exclusive Tonies pop-up is preparing to open at the world-renowned department store, Harrods and its Fourth Floor Toy Department this May 29th, welcoming kids and families to the world of the popular children’s audio player.

The pop-up will feature best-selling Tonies from the company’s collection of over 100 characters, including stories from the beloved author Julia Donaldson, such as The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and Stick Man, as well as the young, charming Zog.

Offering content to entertain and educate both infants and children of up to ten years old, the Harrods’ pop-up range will also feature childrens’ favourite, Peppa Pig, as well as a selection of Disney classics including the Lion King, the Jungle Book and Toy Story.

As well as an abundance of Tonies, a range of Tonies accessories will also be available at the pop-up, including the firm’s line of Tonie-Carriers with space to hold 20 of the Tonies figures, each available in six different colours.

Tonies has been active in the licensing space in recent weeks, having announced a new slated of characters to join its audio storytelling platform, including the likes of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bob the Builder, and PAW Patrol. This week has seen the company detail a partnership with the BookTrust and the Life-changing Libraries initiative, created by How to Train Your Dragon author, Cressida Cowell to move the government to increase funding for primary school libraries.

Tonies library of licensed audio stories now span some of the biggest entertaiment franchises, from Disney and Universal, to Julia Donaldson and more.

Acamar Films builds on UK licensing success for hit preschool IP Bing

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The popular kids’ property and pre-school series, Bing is continuing to expand its UK licensing programme, building on the success the IP has seen across the toys and wider consumer product space to date.

Last year, demand for Bing products enjoyed an 11 per cent year on year increase, while this year, Acamar Films – the London-based studio behind the IP – has welcomed strategic new categories to the portfolio, dialing the UK licensing programme up to 25 licensees in total.

Not only will 2021 Bing move into bathtime and dental products with Solent, but also launch onto the children’s audio system, Tonies, as the platform prepares to deliver an audio storytelling experience for all Bingsters, slated for a 2022 release.

It follows a string year of sales growth across Bing’s master toy range with Golden Bear, a line that saw sales increase 115 per cent year on year in 2020. Golden Bear will be expanding the collection with the introduction of Nicky, a new character from the latest series, as well as siblings Coco and Charlie.

New lines for Autumn/Winter include a musical dancing Bing and a large play-set of Bing’s House. For the very first time, bath toys will be available for Bingsters with the new wind up Bathtime Boat set to make a splash at retail.

Meanwhile, 8th Wonder boasts a raft of new wooden toys and games to add to their Bing range, marking the Bing Skittles and Carry Along House as high performers, while MV Sports will be widening its retail footprint with additional listings of its wheeled and outdoor toys.

In publishing terms, Bing continues to perform well for HarperCollins, who witnessed a 62 per cent year on year net sales growth in 2020 and has nine new titles scheduled for release this year.

Juliet Matthews, publisher, media and brands, HarperCollins Children’s Books, said: “Thanks to strong support across retail and increased range space, Bing’s backlist continues to perform well alongside exciting new titles such as Bing and the Fire Engine and the timely vaccination picture book with stickers, Doctor Bing. Our single sound novelty title The Rainybow Song is a stand out title, selling 1k copies consistently every week.”

Softlines have also expanded across daywear and outerwear from licensees Fashion UK and William Lamb. There will be a specific growth in girlswear to match the boyswear offering and new lines include dresses, sweatshirts, joggers, trainers and rucksacks.

“We are excited to see the growth of Bing across our girlswear, boys and unisex lines,” said Hannah Miles, joint managing director at Fashion UK. “The trend guide collections bring fresh opportunities to tailor creative to each retailer and offer gorgeous designs to our consumers and their Bingsters.”

Aykroyds and TDP continue to build their business year-on-year and Smiffys has introduced an additional girls’ dress up line to their range with Sula, which launched exclusively with Tu at Argos/Sainsburys ahead of World Book Day 2021.

Continuing the focus on Acamar Films’ direct-to-consumer relationships, e-commerce hub The Bing Store will be expanding its product offering further in 2021.

Louise Simmonds, head of UK licensing and merchandising at Acamar Films, said: “It is wonderful to see steady growth across our consumer product programme for 2021 and the support from our partners during such tough times.

“Bing’s timeless and relatable core values, alongside the growing audience engagement we are seeing across our content, digital and social platforms, provides a reliable and trusted foundation for the year ahead.”

Toy shop The Entertainer raises £650,000 for Bristol Children’s Hospital charity The Grand Appeal

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The family-owned toy retailer, The Entertainer has raised an impressive £650,000 for the dedicated charity of the Bristol Children’s Hospital, The Grand Appeal, just two weeks after reopening the doors of its high street stores.

The Entertainer has been raising money for the sick children at Bristol Children’s Hospital by simply asking customers to round up their purchases to the nearest pound when shopping in store, by partnering with Pennies, the micro-donation charity.

Despite UK retail sales suffering due to long periods of closure and reduced footfall during the pandemic, the toy chain has raised almost £100,000 for The Grand Appeal in the last year alone, exceeding £650,000 as stores reopened the week before last.

The Entertainer has been raising funds for the charity, after rolling out the Pennies initiative across its stores in the UK in 2011. A total of 17 of the stores across the South West, from Cornwall up to Wiltshire raise funds for The Grand Appeal.

The donations support the charity’s contribution to specialist treatment for sick babies, children and young adults from across the South West and aid the development of facilities that ensure Bristol Children’s Hospital remains at the forefront of children’s healthcare.

Pennies runs the “digital charity box”, the digital upgrade of the traditional charity tin, designed to fit with our increasingly cashless lifestyles.

In 2018, The Entertainer upgraded the technology to enable customers to donate via contactless payments with Pennies, this introduction has seen customer generosity significantly increase with £400,000 being raised in less than three years.

Karen Emery, area manager for The Entertainer in the South West, said: “We are delighted to announce that we have raised over £650,000 for our partners at The Grand Appeal. Despite reduced opening hours over the last year, its simply incredible to witness the continued generosity of our customers, who are willing to go the extra mile to support an amazing cause, even in such uncertain times.

“Many of our customers and staff have personal experience of using the hospital services and have seen first-hand the difference it makes. Thank you to all our customers in the South West for helping us to support The Grand Appeal.”

Alison Hutchinson CBE, Pennies CEO, added: “The fantastic news is The Entertainer has opened its doors to customers again, following the April 12th lockdown easing. We know they’ve been getting back to what they do best – providing a wonderful and welcoming experience to customers – and enabling them to get back to giving right away.

“Congratulations to The Entertainer and The Grand Appeal on this milestone, and a huge thank you to customers in Bristol and across the South West for their generosity.”

Helen Haskell, corporate partnerships manager at The Grand Appeal, said: “Our partners at The Entertainer and their incredibly generous customers have reached an astonishing milestone, which our team are extremely grateful for. Over the last year, fundraising has been especially challenging due to the pandemic and its thanks to supporters, like The Entertainer, that we have been able to continue to provide the vital services for sick children and their families when they need it most. Every penny truly does make a difference.”

As the Bristol Children’s Hospital charity, The Grand Appeal funds ground-breaking medical equipment, three family accommodation houses, 20 specialist support staff and a programme of art, music and play in partnership with the hospital and its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital.