Sustainability


are still very important to us, and we’re continuing to grow that side of the business, but we’ve expanded into the games area, the animatronic plush area with Curlimals [cuddly woodland creatures that move and make cute sounds], and the outdoor market with our Smart Ball. So, going forward, we have a balanced portfolio of licensed and non- licensed properties.” Having its own IP gives


crack the problem without compromising on the highly reputable quality of our products,” Barry asserts. “A lot of it comes down to knowledge, and working with academics, and partners in other industries.” Joining Products of Change and Wastebuster has given Golden Bear access to environmental information channels and expertise, while the company is in the process of setting up membership of The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), a sustainability assessment tool that standardises how facilities measure and evaluate their environmental performance, year over year. For companies wanting to remain at the cutting edge of their industries, operating sustainably is fundamental, Barry believes. “We pride ourselves on being forward-looking, and when it comes to eco issues, the world is only going to go in one direction. I think we’re on the leading edge of this and we want to stay there. The rest of the world is going to be going that way as well, so being as eco-friendly as possible is going to put us in a good position at a global level, too – and we have strong goals to grow internationally.” Known historically for its preschool


licences – Golden Bear Toys is the master toy licensee for Hey Duggee, and also holds licences for Bing and In the Night Garden, among others – the company is increasingly producing its own IP. “Preschool licences


Golden Bear Toys greater freedom to expand globally. “The beauty of having our own intellectual property, like Windy Bums or Curlimals, is that there’s no restrictions in terms of where we can go with it. With licensed properties it can depend on what platform the particular show is available on, and in what territory. With our own IP, it’s simply a case of: how good can we make it?” As an insight-led and “agile” company, Golden Bear Toys is quick to respond to gaps in the market. The Smart Ball, for instance, was born from research that revealed a lack of age-appropriate football gifts. The Ball


contains a sensor that can measure the number, or speed, of kicks, and features light and sound effects. “We’ve got a new ball coming out this year, and we already have plans in place for 2023 and 2024,” says Barry. “What’s great about the


product is that while there’s a slight tech element to it, it’s accessible.


It doesn’t involve downloading an app or linking it with Bluetooth, it’s ready to use straight from the box.” That said, licensed products


remain huge sellers for the company. “Hey Duggee is number one in the UK, and it’s a fantastic property to be involved with,” says Barry. “Parents as well as kids love the show, and it gives us so much inspiration. In fact, we usually have to whittle down our product ideas as we have so many.” One


of the most recent creations, the Hey


Duggee Transforming Space Rocket (pictured left),


impressed the judges at January’s Toy Fair and was named one of the show’s Hero Toys. “We’re enormously proud of the fact that they’re all designed and developed here in the UK,” states Barry. Golden Bear was able to showcase another


innovation at Toy Fair: its Virtual Toy Platform.


“We invested in it at the start of the pandemic and we think it’s


pretty groundbreaking,” says Barry. “We designed it to show the products in their best light and made it interactive for the buyers, so they didn’t have go to through a death-by-Powerpoint process. And it was a fantastic platform for our international buyers, who could access it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s still a hybrid world, despite Covid being hopefully on the wane, and incorporating the system into our physical space at Toy Fair meant that I was able to answer every question that a buyer or retail partner or licensor had, whether it was about the packaging size or the lifestyle images or the TV commercial, because I could go to the touchscreen and find out easily.” Barry is understandably proud of Golden Bear’s recent achievements. “What I’m most proud of is that sustainability is now embedded into the fabric of the culture of the company,” he states. The months ahead, however, are sure to bring challenges. “Last year it was the cost of containers. We’ve tried to limit price increases where we can, but the container prices aren’t going to go back to where they were pre-pandemic. And obviously, there are inflationary pressures now, and they’re going to start hitting the market. But I always say, if it was easy, it would be boring.”


Spring/Summer 2022 | ToyNews | 27


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