Page 17 - Toy&Hobby Magazine Aug-Oct 2020

#HelpABookseller campaign to raise more than $100k to help booksellers in the US.
The campaign saw Abrams donate at
least half of the $100,000 and encouraged
its authors, vendors, partners to help fulfil additional donations. Authors that donated to the campaign included Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Henry Winkler (Alien Superstar) and Laura Prepon (You & I, as Mothers).
crafts (up 70 per cent). Sales of outdoor and sports toys grew by 20 per cent.
“Board games are a perfect fit for families looking for educational, fun and smart entertainment at home while staying safe,”
says Darren Kyman, senior vice president, business development, Asmodee Entertainment. “Sales are increasing for both, while digital board games naturally benefit from their dematerialised online distribution. We see impressive growth in both sales and playtime, reaching historic highs for digital board games across all platforms: mobile, consoles and PC.”
“As brick-and-mortar stores shutter to slow the spread of the virus, booksellers are suffering in
a very real way,” says Kinney, author, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. “The term ‘nonessential business’ is part of our vernacular now,
but this crisis has caused us to reflect
on just how essential bookstores, and
their knowledgeable staffs, are to the community. We need to ensure that
booksellers can make ends meet during
this uncertain and difficult time. I’m
proud to work with my publisher, Abrams,
in this effort.”
During our current times, books have continued to show that they are vital for personal enrichment and education. As many of us look inward during this time of isolation, it’s clear that books will always play a crucial role in our lives during times of struggle and beyond. While perhaps not ‘essential,’ books will forever be considered fundamental to consumers around the world.
In February, License Global was at New York Toy Fair at the Javits Center in New York City. Aside from toy trends, the COVID-19 pandemic, which was affecting China at the time, was the talk on the show floor. Many licensees and licensors talked about factories shutting down and whether orders would arrive at all, never mind on time.
Among the attendees at NYTF was a small business owner who goes to the event year after year to place orders for its novelty shop. This year, however, the small business owner would only work with vendors who had stock currently in their warehouses.
Now, NYTF feels like a lifetime ago. We’re all self-quarantining. Our homes are now satellite offices and schools. The Javits Center, once a venue for many trade shows and live events, has transformed into an emergency hospital taking in patients stricken with COVID-19. Staying indoors is our new normal.
So, how are we biding our downtime? With activities, namely, board games. (Coincidentally, this was one of the trends discussed on the NYTF show floor.)
Gaming companies have shown an uptick in sales during the pandemic. According to The NPD Group, total toy sales in the US increased by 26 per cent in the week ending March 21, with the fastest-growing categories being games and puzzles (up 228 per cent); building sets (with an increase of 76 per cent); and arts and
“During our current times, books have continued to show that they are vital.”
Some companies are offering free activities online. There’s the Mattel Playroom, where parents can access online games, colouring books, videos and apps to keep children entertained. BuzzFeed’s Camp may have closed its kids’ retail experience for the time being, but it is releasing a free activity book online every week.
Let’s hope that small businesses at NYTF helped families pass the time while keeping their stores running as well. Whether it’s playsets, books or board games, family-friendly activities are needed now more than ever during this time of our lives. We can all use a little fun with our loved ones, if only for a moment. ❉
licensed properties over that time included Dr. Seuss, Brain Quest, and National Geographic.
Despite strong demand, physical bookstores have closed in mass around the world. The closures have challenged many brick-and- mortar booksellers that can no longer keep their doors open in the face of the pandemic. Due to the increased demand for books and challenges that arise from closures, many retailers are taking on the challenging position of pushing governments to consider bookstores an essential business during quarantine measures.
In absence of these measures, publishers
are working to provide financial support to independent book retailers struggling with shop closures. Book publisher Abrams and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation launched its
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER 17