Page 7 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine May-July 2019

TRENDS NOTICED
1. As Fiona – the previous Toy & Hobby Retailer editor – predicted in early 2018, the llama motif has well and truly taken over unicorns and mermaids, so much so that it was unusual to come across a stand without a llama. This was further proven by the winner of the Toy of the Year, Boppi the Booty Shakin Llama.
2. It seems that a nurturing play-pattern
will be popular in 2019, with many toy businesses showcasing a pet, baby or animal that requires loving and attentive behaviour from children. These products encourage children to feed, clothe, rock- to-sleep, play-with and change and clean nappies and/or a potty to teach both boys and girls how to care for something other than themselves – a skill that will no doubt come in handy as they grow older.
3. Sensory play is not going anywhere, with toy businesses investing further beyond slime, introducing compounds such as kinetic sand, marshmallow-like compounds, compounds that feel like small rocks and dry-slime. Squishy things are accounted for in sensory play, with plush-squishies, squishies with glitter and customisable squishies coming to the shelves in 2019.
4. In terms of unboxing and surprise, toy businesses are getting creative with how they employ these elements. Combining the use of sensory compounds, unboxing is getting more and more sophisticated, with kids able to uncover their toy after mining through slime, sand or other elements. Unboxing
has also become a part of the toy experience, such as Colorific’s Pop Toy! requiring kids to squeeze and pop the container that houses the toy.
5. Food play seems to be back in a big way too, with kitchens, barbeques and mini- food sets primed to hit the shelves in 2019.
Fortnite, to bring popular Fortnite blasters to players in the real world. And you can bet your bottom dollar that that's not all the brand has in store for 2019. Watch this space...
Nicole Chungue and Michael Snow from BBC Studios were very excited to be at the show after it was announced that the Aussie children's program Bluey was the most watched show ever on ABC iView and was the top Australian children's program on broadcast TV in 2018. Looking
after the licensing program for the property in Australia, Nicole and Michael were scouting out opportunities to extend the Bluey brand.
Another business celebrating a long-running brand was Hunter Leisure.
In a specially set up 'toy
museum' display – put
on the night which will go towards assisting children with special needs. [This was] a fantastic result,” the ATA says.
The second day meant it was our turn to present some awards, with the Toy & Hobby Retailer Business Excellence Awards presentation taking place on our stand. Although already announced to the industry, the presentation was a way for me to personally congratulate all of our winners and applaud their hard work. The executive manager of the ATA, Gabby Anderson, helped congratulate the winners on behalf of the ATA, making the ceremony all the more important.
Back out on the floor and over on the Vtech/
“Over 4300 toy professionals graced the floors, with over 2800 being unique visitors.”
together by Lincon Boyd
– the Cyclops brand was
honoured. In its 106th year, it
is arguably Australia's oldest
toy brand still trading in
2019. Over at the Hunter Leisure stand, Lincon walked us through the new products Hunter Leisure has coming in 2019. Ranging from stationery which featured popular brands such Lol Surprise, to craft kits where kids can build their own terrariums, to bubbles you can eat, the business has a lot to offer this year.
Closing out the first day was the annual Gala Dinner where the Australian Toy Association (ATA) presented the winners of its Product, Licence, Rising Star and Hall of Fame awards. Held at the Crown Palladium Ballroom, the event was packed-out, with 600 people dressed in a
‘bit of glam’ to celebrate the industry. The night ended on a high with the dance floor filled, and everybody grooving and dancing away
– something I had not seen at the
other fairs.
The night was also one of
charity, where the ATA held its fundraising drive for the Toy Charity Foundation of Australia.
“The initiative, driven by President Jonathan Zimbler, [saw] guests donate over $11,700
LeapFrog stand, Maud Rocher walked us through a small selection of the hundreds of new products coming from the business in 2019. One of the stand-outs was the RockIt Twist – an electronic hand held gaming device which incorporates 360 degrees of buttons, spinners, sliders and switches, to keep children's brains engaged and improves hand-eye coordination.
Across the way at the Big Balloon stand, there was yet another anniversary being celebrated! Peppa Pig turns 15 in 2019, so Big Balloon has a lot of awesome product coming in 2019. However, what really grabbed my attention was the new Popi Doli doll, who is packed neatly into an 'exploding' box. Inspired by the YouTube craft
activity, the exploding box – made from layers of paper and folded into a cube which is held
together by the lid, which 'explodes' or unfolds when the lid is taken off – the
MAY / JULY 2019 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER 7