Wooden toys
RRetail view achel Alexander, Knot Toys
What’s working well at retail for wooden toys is a good question but here are few suggestions from lots of different companies that have been working well for us. For wooden Jigsaws that are fun, bright,
educational and make fantastic gifts I would run with both Lanka Kade and Alphabet Jigsaws. Lanka Kade is Fair Trade and more educational in that the letters are lower-case and run in a logical sequence, as do the number puzzles. Alphabet Jigsaws are more fun and unusual in terms of their designs and make great gifts as they are boxed, easy to wrap and come complete with a drawstring bag for all the pieces! I would suggest Melissa and Doug for
great value on a whole range of wooden toys. They are chunky and robust, appeal to a slightly wider range of ages as they have their “food groups”, “sandwich making”, “crafty items” and “magic sets” for the slightly older children (up to about 8 years). EverEarth has a lovely range of toys. I
love this company as it uses slightly more subtle paint colours, making their items more appealing to girls as well as boys. They are very well made but have a quirky feel to them and are clever in their designs. I would pick out especially the Noahs Ark Shape Sorter, the Ramp Racer, Stacking Frog, Triangle Music Centre and the Workbench as being favourites in the current range as well as the ever-popular Activity Walker.
John Crane always have a great range and as well as the High Tea Shape Matching, which will be a good seller I would also pick out the First Matching Puzzles , the lacing
kits and the magnetic letters and
numbers.
number one as their wooden toy supplier of choice. The longevity of wood is another big plus in its
favour, particularly when the economy is more fragile. “Parents are always looking for more value,” says Haba’s Martin Neild. “They may not spend as much, or as often but they will spend money on something that will last, so if you have that quality in the product then they are prepared to invest in it. You have to have that combination of price value and play value. “One of the ways we are enhancing our wooden toys is by building educational aspects into them because it extends the reach of the product beyond being a simple plaything. Again, it adds more value to the product and is attractive to the parent as well as stimulating for the child. “We’ve always had the visual and tactile elements in place, but another aspect we have been introducing is sound by attaching bells and so on, which adds another dimension to the product.
“And as the child develops, our toys develop with them. There’s not much innovation about the humble wooden block but with our Technics range we can add small connectors and wheels for instance so the child can build different vehicles. In that way, we extend the appeal of the toy.”
28 Toyworld All this requires the right kind of retail
environment to communicate the quality and versatility of wooden toys like Haba’s, which is tough in challenging economic conditions. “The kind of store that we like to see our toys in
is probably a smaller, more niche independent that wants to offer something different to mainstream toy shops,” says Martin. “It’s been a difficult year but even so we’ve seen new retailers coming in and being more niche rather than value – they want wooden or ‘retro’ style toys because they want to make a point of difference. Those are the kind of toy shops we like to be in.” Bigjigs too has seen fashions come and go over
its 26 years and has skilfully incorporated the latest themes into its ranges. “Currently, we’re having a lot of fun with thing like space, pirates and ballerinas, which now feature in traditional Bigjig toys like the trapeze. It’s a design that has stood the test of time and still captivates children today,” says Liz Ireland. “We find that wooden toys that provide all the
traditional elements but also have a modern touch are selling really well at retail, particularly in the independent sector. That’s where we find the positive messages about the quality and longevity of wood are best communicated: By retailers who have bought into the ethos of wood.”
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