This month in ToyTalk: That adorable little Zingy continues to make waves, despite having no toy, industry veterans are honoured by the BTHA, Hamleys goes for gold and Bandai employs a feisty feline to guard its warehouse…
TOYTALK
TOY GUINNESS WORLD RECORD OF THE MONTH
Most travelled toy mascot ZINGY STARDUST
IT MAY not be coming to toy aisles, but Zingy – EDF Energy’s mascot bot made from toy technology – has helped drive record sales for the ‘80s classic Together In Electric Dreams. Since Zingy appeared in
The most travelled toy mascot is a bear called Raymondo, owned by ISPY (UK), which travelled 395,605 miles (636,714.8 km) from September 27th 2009 to September 3rd 2010, passing through six continents and 35 countries on its journey. Corporate.guinnessworldrecords.com
CONGRATULATIONS to Vivid Imaginations’ founders Nick Austin and Alan Bennie, and former Tomy CEO Robert Mann, who were all honoured by the BTHA at last month’s Industry Day. Austin and Bennie received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the event. “Their contribution to the toy industry has been absolutely immense,” said Clive Jones, the BTHA’s president. “This lifetime achievement award is thoroughly deserved by them both.” Meanwhile, Mann (pictured, inset) was honoured with the Toy Trust Outstanding Achievement Award.
the energy ad campaign dancing to the tune by Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder, the song has seen its sales increase significantly. Before the ad, the song was selling about 100 downloads a week in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company, but this rose to a peak of around 7,000 downloads a week since the Zingy campaign. The track even returned to the singles chart as a result of the exposure of the ad, re- entering and peaking at number 46, and has sold around 30,000 downloads in total after being featured on the ad.
HAMLEYS GETS OLYMPIC FEELING
TO CELEBRATE the launch of Hamleys’ new window display, the retailer invited a range of national, sporting and parent media, and their children, to an Olympic party on Saturday June 16th. Hornby showcased the latest Official London 2012 range and allowed both small kids and big kids to be let loose in the toy store. In order to get into the spirit of the Games, the party room was decked out in red, white and blue colours, with traditional British tea and cupcakes, while the Wenlock Queen’s Guard mascot also made a special guest appearance.