Page 22 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine June-July 2020

INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIRS
HONG KONG TOYS & GAMES FAIR 2020
and 80 per cent of the painting is done by hand to show weathering. Clearly marketed towards the kidult and collector markets, the prices for these models reflect the level of fine detail and articulation possibilities.
The Soap Studios Fantastic Beasts Newt Scamander figurine is also highly intricate and contains 37 joints and detailed clothing. The 6.5” model comes with a backdrop to allow an avid collector to take professional looking photos in their own home.
Aside from the detailed models, education and STEM learning was a hot topic at the breakfast with Eastcolight and Play Shifu bringing these subjects to children.
Eastcolight’s range of educational kits, including the Aquaponic set and the Growth Experiment kit were impressive, with the play pattern focused on learning how the ecosystem
ABOVE L TO R:
FIRST ROW: Plants vs. Zombies toys Eastcolight Aquaponic set.
SECOND ROW: Plush peacock
Micador Australia; Richard Gluyas and Cameron Milnes, Go Go Bird stand
works and understanding that nothing goes to waste in nature.
Indian company Play Shifu on the other hand, was more focused on early education and its Plugo app incorporates physical stimuli with a game. Utilising building pieces, children can learn numbers, patterns, music and letters by using their physical pieces to match or answer the question on screen.
In the afternoon of the second day, the Toy Industry Conference Get Power Up – Opportunities in Toy Industry took place. With speakers from the HKTDC, Hamleys and the Toy Industry of Europe, the session was jam-packed with insightful information from toy and retail trends to manufacturing and how to access different markets.
Some key learnings I took from the session included that traditional toy categories are still strong sellers in China, however the STEM category is fast growing, with 98% of parents in China expressing interest – or have already purchased – items of this nature.
Kung Fu Data CEO Josh Gardner also discussed the power of the Chinese market on Tmall and Taobao. Using Rubik’s Cube as a case study, Gardner revealed that the
Rubik’s Cube market is relatively steady with an average 23.1 million RMB spent per month across Tmall and Taobao, representing 0.41% of the overall toy market on the platforms.
The final days of the show I spent wandering the halls searching for recurring themes or patterns. It seems to me that exotic birds –
last year it was very much of the flamingo orientation – are sticking around. The peacock seems to be the next iteration of exotic bird, as a spotted a few of these in my wanderings. Owls also seem to be on the cards, as well as brightly coloured parrots.
The evergreen dinosaurs have staying power, however the ones in trendy pastel colours will no doubt appeal to the mummy bloggers and influencers of the world.
Interestingly enough, I also came across
a play kitchen sink equipped with dishes, a working tap and a seven-step hand washing guide. I’d love to know how the sales of that particular item are going now, given our current circumstances.
If all is back to ‘normal’ by January of 2021, the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair will return a week later than this year and will run from January 11 to 14. ❉
22 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MAY / JUNE / JULY 2020