36 Giftware Review September/October 2010 www.giftwarereview.net Best Gifts for Kids Thinking outside the toybox By John Howard


GIFT retailers who want to get Mums and Dads into their outlets to buy presents for junior had better think outside the toybox. Or, indeed, the X-box. Because there’s


some hefty competition between the toy and the electronic industries for the parental pound. The toy industry


has already released its predicted lists of best sellers for Christmas 2010 and it’s handy to look at some of those lists to determine what would fit with gifts without your regular customers thinking they have walked into a toyshop. The 2010 top toy


predictions have been released by household name retailers, Woolworths (now online) and Hamleys. Getting a mention in these lists can often lead to a toy being hard to find in the run up to Christmas - particularly true in 2009 when Go Go Hamsters (as they were called then) were virtually impossible to track down during November and December. But that


which is plastic is anathema to most gift retailers, which leaves perhaps three sectors that warrant close attention. These are: soft toys, traditional board games and cards, and pocket money lines made from natural materials. Add another sector when it comes to


pre-teen and teenage girls – jewellery. High end soft toys, generic Teddy


Bears, rabbits and the like have always provided solid profits for gift shops, and have helped distance them from toyshops by their price and quality. Often unchanging, they are not subject to season or fashion, and there is no reason to include them in January sales, to mark them down ever, or worry about sell-by dates. That doesn’t mean those in the soft toy


business fail to innovate. Swindon-based Aroma Home is a design-led British company producing a range of gift products, many scented and


microwaveable. Brands designed in-house include Hot


Hugs, Fuzzy Friends, Body Wraps and Screen Wipes, all aimed at the gift market rather than toys, and mostly made in the UK.


Of course,


heritage helps some companies find their place in gifts shops. For more than a century, Gund has been creating unique teddy bears and other soft toys recognised the world over for quality and innovation. Today, the


company manufactures an extensive collection of unique characters and licensed plush


under the Gund, Gundbaby and Gundkids brands, and positions its products not as toys, but as collectables.


A company that


is equally focused on both soft toys and the gift industry is Dowman Soft Touch, with a new range of plush based on innovative pre-school brand, Hari’s World. This started life as a series of books featuring a bumbling young elephant named Hari. The fun books also incorporate a subtle safety message that teaches children how to avoid injury. The third book in the series launches with the plush range in September.


generic Teddy Bears, rabbits and the


like have always provided solid profits for gift shops


Books, and pocket money lines, can be


a precise fit with upmarket giftware lines, provided they are properly targeted. The Lalis giftware outlet, Leigh on Sea,


Essex, is having success with specific books from Helen Exley Ltd of Watford, Herts. They are intended for youngsters to buy for other members of the family. The store’s


Shelley Lovatt (pictured) says Light Switch Covers and Chalk Door Plaques from Switchfriends of London are popular. For little girls with a great imagination


the brand new dolls house from Modo is designed to cater for Barbie sized dolls and was first commissioned by Harrods. Now in production, the size of the


sturdy toy allows girls to use their favourite


dolls to enrich the play experience. The company’s head offices are based


in Shrewsbury creating hand-crafted toys and gifts including wooden toys, furniture and nursery accessories.


Various


character licenses have included Thomas & Friends, Postman Pat and Angelina Ballerina. All the products are hand made abroad and regular audits ensure high standards of


production and


excellent working environments are maintained. The products are made from


renewable resources and water-based non-toxic paints meet the highest international standards. Inspection from the Forestry Commission is mandatory before shipments leave the factory.


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