SECTOR GUIDE: PRE-SCHOOL Nice little earners
With a raft of new innovation, as well as traditional favourites and top performing licensed tie-ins, the pre-school sector is on track for another storming year. Samantha Loveday takes a look at what some of the main companies have coming up
FISHER-PRICE
Building on the success of its Little People … Big Discoveries marketing campaign to support the brand refresh of the Little People range this autumn/winter, Fisher-Price continues to engage and educate mums on the benefits of play-set play as their children develop through those early years of discovery. Moving into 2014, the
marketing programme is set to build, with the refreshed Little People Fun Sounds Farm and Happy Sounds Home remaining key product focuses. With the characters continuing to play an integral role, new character packs will be introduced in spring, as well as vehicle
GREEN OWL TOYS
The rolling snail sorter from Bajo is two toys in one. The sorter toy has six shapes to fit through the holes and, once the sorter (shell) is placed back onto its body, children can pull it along, with the sorter shell spinning round with the snail. Bajo has been manufacturing for
20 years, with its wooden toys mainly aimed at children from six months up to six years old.
Its collection of logic games
can stretch up to eight year olds, with the toy’s level of difficulty increasing as the child continues to get older. Green Owl Toys will be
exhibiting the Bajo range at the next Top Drawer show in January 2014, displaying the wooden line as well as some new launches. 020 8851 9904
assortments with new musical features. The momentum continues for Imaginext as the brand sees increasing success of the Imaginext Quest Club. The Batcave remains a key focus in the DC SuperFriends offering, alongside the launch of a new Motorised Batmobile in spring/summer. In addition, Fisher-Price will also launch a new Imaginext Space range featuring a Space Shuttle play-set, vehicles and figures. The Thomas & Friends collection, meanwhile, will welcome Thomas’ My First Delivery play-set. The range also continues to focus on popular key products such as RC Thomas. The number one pre-school property
also sees a new raft of character engines for both Take n Play and Trackmaster throughout spring, as well as new play- sets including the Take n Play Spills & Thrills on Sodor play-set and Trackmaster Cranky’s Spinning Cargo play-set. The core Disney licence
ranges Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Minnie Mouse and Jake and the Never Land Pirateswill continue to excite with the introduction of new figures and play-sets. Minnie Mouse will also be bolstered with the launch of Cheerin’ Minnie in autumn/winter. Fisher-Price will also
introduce new vehicle scale for Octonautsin
spring/summer as the Gup
Speeders become mini collectables. Finally, evergreen Dora the Explorerwill see new
MEGA BRANDS
Following the autumn/winter launch, the new Billy Beats dancing piano offers a new way of learning within the First Builders range, helping to encourage the development of key skills that are enhanced by sound and music elements. Billy Beats includes eight
programmed songs, light up keys, themed sounds and Mega Bloks building blocks. There are three modes of play – including Teach Me, which shows pre-schoolers how to read sheet music.
The launch of Billy Beats
marks new innovation for Mega Bloks, as sound and music are used to stimulate all of the senses, and engage pre- schoolers in creative play. Billy Beats joins other a/w 2013 additions including new collectable and themed figurines, Block Buddies. New to the Lil’ Vehicles range are Ricky Race Car and Catie Convertible, while Firetruck Finn is another new vehicle in the First Builders line. 01844 350033
additions, while the Bubble Guppies collection will add figures and play-sets. 01628 500000
www.toynews-online.biz
November 47
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