Page 9 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine June-July 2020

TOYS FOR SOCIAL ISOLATION
1. OLLYBALL – LOUMET
Ollyball is designed for indoor full-force play. Ollyball weighs less than 30 grams and absorbs shock on impact, all while keeping its shape, and will not break any windows or mark the walls. Kids can even colour their Ollyball with crayons, water-based markers, metallic markers, glitter markers and even dry erase markers.
3. SLACKERS NINJA LINE –
MODERN BRANDS
The Slackers Deluxe Ninja Competition Set brings an obstacle course to everyone’s backyard. This complete set allows for dozens of different set-ups, so no matter the age or skill level, families can create a course for fun and outdoor exercise.
2. BUILDZI – DIVISIBLE BY ZERO
Buildzi is a fast-stacking, block-building game. From the creators of Tenzi, Slapzi and Itzi, players race to vertically build and recreate the structures given to them on a card.
16 INDUCTED INTO 25–YEAR CLUB
On the second day of the fair, the ATA inducted 16 new members to its 25-year club. This year’s inductees were:
• ChristineAlbers
• SandraBenny
• JohnDorman
• GlennDoyle
• MurrayForbes
• AnthonyGiles
• LynetteGiles
• Grahame Grassby
• AnneMayes
• Rhonda McMurtrie
• Gary Page
• Tony Pastore
• ShaneRamsay
• ShereeWetton
• JamieWhite
• AnnabelWilliamson
raise awareness around the world about these devastating fires raging through Australia and will provide help to all wildlife affected by the tragedy,” TY founder, Ty Warner said at the time.
Meanwhile, sustainability was showcased
in a different way at the Hunter Leisure stand with the Super Green line. The organic arts and crafts line is made from 100% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable and uses natural dyes.
Down the aisle at the Jasnor stand, the Wow Pods were ‘wowing’ attendees. The motion- activated, light-up, collectible pods contain popular licensed characters – including Trolls, Harry Potter, Marvel and DC characters – who ‘live’ in the pods.
Aimed at kids a little younger than those who collect Pop! Vinyls, the Wow Pods are an introduction in pop-culture collecting.
Moose is also capitalising on collection culture with its new Oh My GIF line. The blind-packaged, surprise toy brings popular gifs, memes and emojis
to life. Each ‘GIFbit’ moves in a fun and unexpected way through a twist, turn or push, and is categorised into segments such as fail, wow, love and goals.
At the other end of the hall, VTech launched its Toot Toot Cory Carson line – based on the business’ show with Netflix. Adding the new cars to VTech’s most popular brand, the new range includes Cory and his friends as well as location-based playsets. The new Cory Carson Toot Toot Driver cars can also ‘talk’ to the existing Toot Toot Driver cars.
Over on the Johnco stand, the ‘STEM Starter Kit’ display grasped our attention. Recognising that buyers have limited time on the stand or may
just be venturing into the STEM space, Johnco arranged popular STEM products in one shelf to give retailers an overview of what they should buy if they want to stock STEM products but don’t know where to start. A smart strategy to make the buyer’s time on the stand the most productive.
Banter Toys’ Duellerz card game also caught the Toy & Hobby Retailer team’s attention. The game brings a new ‘battle twist’ to the classic game Rock, Paper, Scissors. Cards like ‘Double Scissors,’ ‘Rainbow Paper,’ and ‘Rock N Roll,’ give players extra powers to win the hand.
Meanwhile, Ventura was showcasing the 4D scratch off New York history puzzle. The puzzle sees puzzlers assemble the past and scratch off the top to reveal the present. When complete, puzzlers can turn over the puzzle to retain the original art they assembled.
Other noteworthy trends at the show included; portable play – toys that come with the ability to conveniently take play on the road (when we get back to normal) which was showcased through products that fold up into a carry case, backpack or fit neatly into a handbag; unplugged play and getting back to family was showcased through a vast array of games and puzzles across the stands – a category which has boomed during social isolation; and, the intersection of technology, toys and play was highlighted through AR capabilities, vlogging products and toys with apps.
The Australian Toy, Hobby and Licensing Fair will return to Melbourne from 28 February to 03 March 2021. ❉
OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Toot-Toot Cory Carson cars
Resoftable plush
Duellerz cards
Limited edition Captain America figurine Oh My GIF!
Living Nature Plush
ABOVE: Ed O’Brien Slackers inventor
MAY / JUNE / JULY 2020 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER 9