NEWS
5 SECOND FACTS A round up of the latest big numbers, stats and tidbits from the toy business 15
1.5 million Copies of Orchard Toys’ Shopping List game sold to date.
18
Days it took artist Ricardo Zangelmi to recreate M.C. Escher’s Relativity in LEGO
Months taken for
Sorgenfresser to become number one licensed plush in Germany.
Follow us on @toynewsonline
2.4%
Drop in overall footfall in September year to date.
12,000
Number of ‘limited edition’ Brazilian football star
Neymar dolls in production.
Predasaurs Series 2 to tear into 2014
The In Thing readies to launch Insect Invasion at Toy Fair Marketing and sampling campaign with Toxic already in place
By Robert Hutchins
UK DISTRIBUTOR The In Thing has revealed the second series of its popular line of dinosaur-based collectables, Predasaurs. Predasaurs Insect
Invasion will make its industry debut in January 2014 at the London Toy Fair, and will see a continuation of the DNA Fusion theme, pitting the Predasaurs against the new breed, Insectasaurs. The launch in the New
Year will be surrounded with an extensive marketing campaign, including sampling with leading boys’ publication, Toxic Magazine. Kieran Murphy, marketing
manager of The In Thing, said: “We are very excited to be launching the second series of Predasaurs in the New Year. We have some great sampling with Toxic Magazineand a brilliant surrounding campaign.” The sampling activity will see each Toxicreader receive a figure foil pack, while the firm will be running in-store activities surrounding the launch. “The activities will be
similar to the Predasaurs Hunt we ran with series one, with kids hunting through the store for new characters and engaging with the brand.” The distributor also teases that the new line will feature ‘epic figures and various battle scenes’. “Keep your eyes out for
the rare Warrior, Vulltarex,” added Murphy.
08 November
GP Flair confident of Skwooshi success this Christmas
By Billy Langsworthy
GP FLAIR is expecting a good Christmas with its new moulding, stretchy toy Skwooshi. The range stretches
from individual 3oz packs to activity sets, and GP Flair brand manager Kirsty MacKenzie has told ToyNewsthat this variety in price ranges will prove a key factor in its success. “Skwooshi is going to be the must have toy for Christmas and with great price points to suit all pockets, there will be something for everyone,” she said. “It will be perfect as a stocking filler, and an ideal all- round product, not just relevant for Christmas. All families will be Skwooshing this Christmas.”
GP Flair believes
Skwooshi will engage kids and parents alike due to its mess- free nature. “Skwooshi has been
received fantastically well. Kids and parents love the magical element to the compound,” added MacKenzie. The firm has made sampling the focus of the marketing activity for Skwooshi. MacKenzie said: “The
product is so much fun to play with. Our marketing activity is designed to get Skwooshi into the hands of parents and children, working closely with retailers and schools. We have lots of exciting new Skwooshi introductions for 2014 including new play-sets and activity sets.” Flair: 020 8643 0320
Asobi adds French toy brand
Jeujura to portfolio By Billy Langsworthy
Predasaurs certainly aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Kieran Murphy, Marketing Manager
Credited by the firm as a
strong performer throughout the year in its collectables portfolio, the Predasaurs story is one that The In Thing is happy to continue for the foreseeable future. “All of our boys collectables are strong within our current portfolio. We are very excited to be
announcing the second series of Predasaurs and everything the new line of Insect Invasion brings. “We already have plans
for a third series following Insect Invasion. Predasaurs certainly aren’t going anywhere anytime soon,” concluded Murphy. The In Thing: 0845 365 3030
ASOBI IS excited about the latest brand to join its portfolio, Juejura. The French toy brand
features a collection of wooden toys including the log cabin, the green house, the waterfront house and Swiss chalets, all of which have been made from wood found in the Jura forest. “I am excited about
Jeujura because it is a brand I know from my childhood,” Asobi founder Thierry Bourret told ToyNews.
The brand joins Vilac and
Petitcollin, and Bourrett believes the range fits with Asobi’s ties with the Slow Toy Awards, a celebration of toys which inspire the mind, as “the archetypal Slow Toy.” Asobi: 01628 200077
www.toynews-online.biz
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74