Page 36 - Toy & Hobby Dec-Jan 2020
P. 36

HEADLINE MAKERS
YEAR IN REVIEW
MAY/JUNE/ JULY 2019
ON THE COVER: VENTURA GAMES
LIMA UNDERGOES TRANSFORMATION TO WELCOME NEW LICENSING ERA The Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association, or better known as LIMA, rebranded in May and is now known as Licensing International. The rebrand
came after a year-long process to define
and strike the right chord in representing the modern licensing industry. The rebrand also came with a refreshed website and member portal which has been designed
to give users a more sophisticated
experience, improve communication and increase engagement.
FUNRISE LANDS
GLOBAL CAT DEAL
In June, Funrise landed a global, multi-
year licensing deal with construction brand Caterpillar (Cat), to produce, distribute
and market a line of toys based on the Cat machines. The toy line includes machines across a range of styles including motorised, light and sounds, RC and free-wheeling toys in different scales, as well as metal Cat machines for ages three and up.
KIDSTUFF ACQUIRES RED ROCKET TOYS
Australian toy retailer Kidstuff acquired independent retailer, Red Rocket Toys
in Rose Bay in May. Kidstuff welcomed
the entire Red Rocket team to the fold and has worked to deepen its ties with Sydney's eastern suburbs. The new store added to Kidstuff's footprint in the area alongside existing stores at Woollahra, Double Bay and Bondi Junction and was rebranded and renovated after the acquisition.
TOYS R US AND BABIES R US RETURNING TO AUSTRALIA
The Toys R Us (TRU) and Babies R Us (BRU) businesses returned to Australia and debuted in New Zealand in June, in partnership with Australian retailer, Hobby Warehouse. Hobby Warehouse was granted an exclusive licensing partnership with TRU, which has seen Hobby Warehouse sell through the URLs toysrus. com.au and babiesrus.com.au for Australia and New Zealand. Hobby Warehouse then went onto sign a partnership with eBay to become the marketplace partner for TRU.
her future endeavours. It was then announced in September that long-serving ATA events manager Alice Sanderson was to assume the role of executive manager while Georgina Kritsilidis was appointed to the position of events manager.
HASBRO SNAPS UP EONE
IN $4 BILLION DEAL
Global toy giant Hasbro is set to acquire UK- based entertainment house Entertainment
One (eOne) in an all-cash transaction worth US$4.0 billion. The acquisition will see popular preschool brands such as Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and new property Ricky Zoom enter the Hasbro stable of brands, further expanding the business into the preschool market. The deal will also see top eOne executives join the Hasbro business. eOne shareholders approved the proposal to acquire the business in October, with the deal expected to be finalised in Q4 2019.
BLUEY TOY LINE REVEALED
BBC Studios, Moose Toys and Ludo Studio unveiled the first-look at the soon-to-be- released Bluey toys in September. As revealed by Toy & Hobby Retailer in June, the debut range consists of a plush line and a figurines collection. The plush line became available in major retailers including Big W, Target and Kmart in early November while the Bluey figurines will become available in December. It was then announced in October that BBC and Moose extended their partnership to add a range of lifestyle products including play tents and furniture to the assortment. ❉
HEADSTART, THE WIGGLES AND BIG W TEAM UP FOR CHARITY Australia's Red Nose charity received a boost in donations this year, after Australian toy business Headstart, The Wiggles and Big W came together to support the charity by
releasing a special edition Red Nose Wags the Dog plush. All the proceeds from
the sale of the Red Nose Wags went to the Red
Nose charity, which is Australia's leading body dedicated to ending sudden
and unexpected deaths in infants and babies.
ATA EXECUTIVE MANAGER GABBY ANDERSON STEPS DOWN Gabby Anderson, the long-serving executive manager of the Australian Toy Association (ATA) resigned from her position in August. In a statement issued to ATA members, the ATA said that she had been an integral part
of the Association and wished her the best for
AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 2019
ON THE COVER: MOOSE TOYS
36 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER NOVEMBER / DECEMBER / JANUARY 2020


































































































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