from the F


our shows, six weeks; Toy Fair season is an intense, hectic, adrenaline-fuelled ride. Like all good show seasons, I


finished thoroughly exhausted, but with a fresh zest and enthusiasm for the months ahead. One of the most frequently used words of the season has been ‘realistic’. There appears to be a healthy sense of perspective about the year ahead, with expectations erring on the cautious side of optimistic. The general consensus appears to be that Christmas came late (one large retailer reportedly used the phrase “the last two days saved us” in Hong Kong), but at least it did come, and post-Christmas trading has also reportedly been relatively healthy. Hence there appears to be little evidence of heavy stocks being held by retailers, which usually augurs well for first quarter business. Starting in Hong Kong, and continuing along the trail, the mood amongst the UK toy community remained upbeat. The official confirmation from NPD that the UK toy market ended up only 1% down in 2012 added to the air of positivity. Indeed, at the risk of courting controversy (who, me?), if children’s tablets and maybe even Activision’s Skylanders figures had been included in the figures (which some would suggest there is a compelling argument for), the market would actually have shown a very significant increase. Either way, the fact that many British parents did not rein in spending on their children throughout a fiscally challenging 2012 has to be an encouraging sign for the year ahead. As for the Toy Fair itself, I thought it was an unqualified success. Ultimately, what do you want from a good trade show? You need buyers to turn up and for them to be in a positive frame of mind. Everything else – consumer media hoopla and all – is just the icing on the cake. On both of these important counts, the show ticked all the right boxes. The major British accounts all seemed to be present, and if some people


publisher John Baulch - @Baulchtweet


questioned how many independent retailers had turned up, all I can say is that I saw many of what I perceive to be the go-ahead ones. The Toy of the Year awards came in for some


relatively uncharitable low-level grumbling from certain quarters, but I think it’s important to keep a sense of perspective about the event. Yes, a few format tweaks are definitely needed next year, but let’s not over-react (perhaps I’m only saying that because I worked out very early on the optimum place to stand in order to waylay passing waiters). It was great to see some fresh names among the retail winners – including regular Toy World contributor Toy Barnhaus and Midco Toys, who both represent an emerging new breed of independent retailer; young, enthusiastic, passionate and huge fans of toys. As for the toy awards, I suspect few would argue with the majority of the choices. If they showed a bias towards the larger toy companies, it was perhaps a reflection of last year’s trading patterns. And a couple of well- deserved special recognition awards – for IMC and John Adams – illustrated that it wasn’t just the big boys who had a monopoly on strong performance in 2012. All things considered, I got the feeling that people on all sides of the fence were very happy with this year’s Toy Fair. The fact I ended up with a croak where a voice should be was hardly surprising. But, without a shadow of a doubt, it was all worth it. Thanks to everyone who visited our stand or picked up our magazine from the front of the hall - the fact that we ran out before the end of the fair shows how popular it was. For those of us who make a living from the toy market, I can’t think of a more productive way to spend three days in January. Next up was Nuremberg, where the


traditional Bavarian greeting of sub-zero temperatures and snow thankfully failed to materialise. As ever, the Toy World team was faced with the daunting task of getting round as many exhibitors across the 17 halls as time allowed. We certainly gave it our best shot. The vast new Mattel stand was an expedition


in its own right; it must surely merit its own Nuremberg postcode? The popular British Stand once again ran like a well-oiled machine, expertly marshalled by Stuart Whitehill and his team from the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. Any British toy companies wishing to be part of next year’s should get in touch with them soon, as I’m sure the majority of this year’s participants will want to be involved again. You can read our editor Tom’s report on his first-ever visit to the amazing Spielwarenmesse on page 72. Immediately afterwards we headed to the NEC in Birmingham for Spring Fair, with Hall 3 providing the focus for retailers and suppliers of toys and children’s gifts. ‘Steady’ and ‘solid’ were the phrases most repeated, and if the toy hall perhaps lacks the pizzazz of the Toy Fair or Nuremberg – probably because most of the ‘big guns’ aren’t present – the show demonstrated that it certainly has its place in the grand scheme of things. I saw a healthy sprinkling of major buyers, a respectable number of mainstream toy independents and a great many faces I didn’t recognise – most likely those hybrid toy/children’s gift accounts which Spring Fair specialises in. And there, I guess, is the rub; some of the toy exhibitors I spoke at the show to continue to question why they aren’t mixed in with general gift exhibitors in the ubiquitous Hall 5. I have heard – and can see – both sides of the argument, and I have little doubt that it is a subject which will continue to be debated going forward. But for now, Toy Fair season has drawn to a


close, and now, some would say, the real work begins in earnest. I’ve typed up so many follow up emails and proposals that I’m in danger of contracting repetitive strain injury, and no doubt many people reading this will be in a similar position from filling in all the quote forms and spec sheets. I just hope that a few buyers are also suffering from repetitive strain injury after writing/typing out their post-show orders. That would help to get the year off to a good start for all of us.


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