Wheeled Toys
the development of our own ZINC range of wheeled toys that includes in-line scooters, tri-scooters, bikes and trikes which make real engine sounds at the turn of a key, squirt water from hidden mechanisms or light up and change colour as you step on or off. One even has a working speedometer and records your total mileage. “We think ZINC is set to exceed the
success of Street Gliders, which became a global playground craze.” It’s not all about micro-scooters though as Kids@Play has found with its innovative inflatable ride-on Dalek. The Dalek proved to be an immediate hit
at Toy Fair back in January and Kids@Play MD, Malcolm Evans has been surfing the wave of positive publicity ever since. “The Dalek is receiving Phenomenal
interest,” says Malcolm with Hamleys nominating the product in the Best Toy plaudits, while The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Guardian, The Mirror, The Metro have all
carried features on the Dalek. “In fact The Daily Mail featured it as the ultimate dream Christmas present. The BBC is pretty pleased too saying: “We have always dreamed of developing a ride-in toy Dalek, but no one had previously been able to achieve this for us, we are so excited by the Kids@play project.” The success of the Dalek has boosted Kids@Play into Wales’ FG50 as one of the fastest growing companies in Wales.
Safety first A major aspect for toy retailers when
it comes to wheeled toys is that the products have to be well made and good quality and above all, safe. It simply isn’t worth selling something that will fall apart after five minutes - that just creates an unhappy customer (and child) and gives the store the headache of trying to sort things out. Worse still is the prospect of something being unsafe. Wheeled toys represent movement, which in turn can lead to speed so stocking and seeling product that won’t fail at a critical moment is paramount. Fortunately, most modern parents see the sense in investing in quality products if the trade off is safety. There’s the additional benefit for retailers of selling protective-wear in the form of helmets and other safety equipment. Something H Grossman has been
developing nicely with his fun and funky range of Raskullz range of safety helmets with their shark or Mohican-themed designs. “Getting kids
to wear
safety helmets is tough at the best of times,” says Martin Grossman. “But with the Raskulls range that really isn’ t a problem - the kids love them!” Alongside safety comes the need to
make sure wheeled toys are up to the job. Inevitably, there will be an issue with repairs and servicing and retailers need to address their capabilities and how far they they are willing to get involved. Toys shops are not bike stores with
extensive workshops and servicing departments so it’s essential that the need for repairs is kept to a minimum and any adjustments or servicing can be easily accomplished. The grey area is after- market or tune-up parts, particularly with the more specialist products like pro micro scooters. Getting involved here requires a much greater commitment on the part of the retailer and is soemthing that needs to be carefully considered. It also runs the risk of running over into
bike shop territory, which is not something traditional toy retailers will want to do without extensive research. Ultimately though, wheeled toys are
proving to be a a valuable category for retailers and one that looks to endure for a long while yet. All we need is a bit more sunshine.
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