Page 6 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine May-July 2019

TOY, HOBBY AND LICENSING FAIR 201
Anniversaries abound
The show floor mood was one of resilience, innovation and idea sharing. Imogen Bailey reports.
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I'M originally a Melbourne girl, so arriving back in my hometown to attend my first Australian Toy, Hobby and Licensing fair felt good. Plus, the warm weather and delicious coffee after the chills and rubbish caffeine of New York and Nuremburg was a welcome change.
Over the four days of the fair, over 4300 toy and retail professionals graced the floors of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with over 2800 of those being unique visitors.
Coming out from very slow trading in December and January – retail turnover declined 0.4 per cent in December and rose only 0.1 per cent in January according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics – coupled with the closure
of Toys R Us – you'd be forgiven for expecting gloomy attitudes.
However, the complete opposite was what was on show. The vibe of the floor wasn't one of doom and gloom, but rather one of resilience, innovation and idea sharing.
Despite the turbulence of 2018, the Australian toy industry was out in force, with new products to show.
As is the state of the global toy industry, 2019 is the year for major anniversaries and these are being celebrated just as much Down Under.
At the Mattel stand, the big celebration was that Barbie is turning 60 in 2019, so there’s loads of cool stuff coming to celebrate that. Mattel was also gearing up for the release of Toy Story 4, while also focusing on evergreen brands such as Thomas and Friends and Hot Wheels.
Reinforcing what I saw over in the US in the Hasbro showroom, was the Hasbro Australia stand, showcasing new innovations and also celebrating big anniversaries. My Little Pony
is turning 35 this year, and on the stand, Jenny Lacey showed us some beautiful licensed apparel featuring the brand, including a gorgeous girl's tutu from Tute Du Monde and a sparkling tinsel jacket created by Australian designer, Rachel Burke, to celebrate the brand’s anniversary.
Hasbro's famous blaster brand, Nerf, is also celebrating a big birthday in 2019, turning the big five O. As part of the celebrations, Nerf has teamed up with the biggest video game ever,
13 INDUCTED INTO THE ATA 25 YEAR CLUB
One the second day of the Fair, the ATA welcomed 13 new members to the 25 Year Club at its annual function.
Over 100 affiliates attended the function to welcome and congratulate the new 2019 members.
Those inducted into the club were:
• Karl Rushton
• Monika Marler
• Rami Holsman
• John Howard
• Deborah
Godwin
• Howard Sher
• Pam Sher
• Andrew Casper • Glenn Doyle
• Lincon Boyd
• Michael
Lawson
• Robert Davies
• Vic Roach Inductees into the 25 Year Club.
6 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MAY / JULY 2019