Tag Archives: featured

Character Group reports “very strong first half year performance” as turnover grows 44 per cent

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The Character Group has reported a “very strong performance” for the half-year ending February, 28 2021 with a turnover increase of 44 per cent to £74.5 million, and underlying pre-tax profit of £6.1m.

The toy firm has attributed the successful first half year trading to the strength of its portfolio of brands, with expectations for growth to continue through the second half of the financial year, and beyond Christmas 2021. The group has seen success in building sales growth momentum across both the international and domestic markets.

Goo Jit Zu is penetrating all major international markets, with distribution already achieved in more than 40 countries. The Character Group’s other major brands (Peppa Pig, Pokémon, Little Live Pets, Shimmer ‘n Sparkle InstaGlam, Stretch Armstrong, Fireman Sam, Scooby Doo) are also exceeding expectations.

In addition, there has been a focus on developing a sustainable, eco-friendly range of products over numerous brands with the new “World of Licensed Wood” range. This now includes a comprehensive selection of figures, vehicles and playsets. Licences within the range currently include Peppa Pig, Disney Princess and Fireman Sam.

There is also an Eco-Plush multi-licensed collection, which is being enthusiastically embraced by the industry and consumers alike.

Meanwhile, a partnership with Moonbug Entertainment has seen the creation of a master toy line for the new pre-school property, My Magic Pet Morphle – a range that will launch later this year.

The statement issued by The Group today ended with an outlook for the second-half of the financial year: “In the shorter term there are challenges, with the underlying delays at ports, shipping shortages and opportunistic pricing on freight rates (all principally fall-out resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic) and mounting pressure on the costs of production in China.

“However, with the substantial increase in Group sales in the first half, we have continued to see a strong performance from sales of our product portfolio in all our territories from the commencement of the second half of the year. This growth is forecast to continue through to and beyond Christmas 2021 and we are on target to deliver the best performance in a calendar year in the Group’s history.

“By working tirelessly and in close partnership with our customers, suppliers and brand owners, our personnel have delivered a seamless, efficient and safe transition from the old to the new “normal”.  Every one of our team members has played a significant role in this achievement and, on behalf of the Board and all the Group’s stakeholders, the Group wishes to express their gratitude to them.”

Licensing Expo 2021 confirms all virtual event with plans for in-person return in 2022

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The Las Vegas Licensing Expo is now to be a fully virtual experience, Informa Market’s Global Licensing Group has confirmed this week, with plans now in place to return to its in-person format for 2022.

“We’ve heard from our industry, and the best way to serve the international market in 2021 is to provide in-person experiences later this year, as well as a rich online experience that everyone can be a part of this summer,” said Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets.

“We’ve all felt the impact of not being able to gather in-person in 2020, and while the speed of recovery is promising, we serve a truly global market. Feedback from Licensing Expo customers and partners indicate that August is still too soon for the majority of the licensing community to properly plan and execute participation in an in-person event of this size and magnitude with continued restrictions on international and corporate travel.

“Our mission remains to create the most valuable platforms for our industry to connect and grow, and therefore we have decided to focus our efforts on our virtual experience in August, followed by in-person events in Q4 and beyond.”

Licensing Expo Virtual is now set to take place August 24-26, 2021 as a free-to-attend event supported by a robust online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover a range of properties available for license.

Maura Regan, president, Licensing International, exclusive sponsor of the virtual event, said: “Licensing International’s mission is to serve the licensing industry, help advance our member’s business and celebrate our successes as an industry. Licensing Expo Virtual does all of that and we are proud to be the exclusive sponsor.”

Licensing Expo Virtual will offer curated matchmaking, digital brand roadshows, the Licensing University, a host of world renowned keynotes, and Licensing International’s highly anticipated Licensing Excellence Awards.

Following Licensing Expo Virtual will be the inaugural Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit U.S. (Oct. 27-28, 2021), which will take place live and in-person in New York City at Convene Liberty Street.

Then in November, Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London on Nov. 17-19, 2021, with an online event following two weeks later (Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2021). To make online participation and navigation seamless, BLE will also use the same platform as Licensing Expo Virtual.

B&LIS and BLE in-person events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards designed to ensure all participants can attend safely and with confidence.

Licensing Expo will return to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 24-26, 2022.

Where’s the fun in fungible? | Could the toy industry be key to unlocking the potential of the NFTs market?

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For those who remember typing BRB into their MSN chat box, or anyone still wrestling with the WFH concept, there’s a new acronym in town, and it’s potential to shape the future of entertainment and the collectables space is boundless. It’s probably time we all got to know NFTs a little better.

Here’s The Insights Family to help talk us through the concept and what the arrival of Non-Fungible Tokens could mean for the toy industry.

We all know this generation of children are like no other, growing up in a world with an unprecedented level of access to technology.

Even by the age of three, an average 51 per cent of children globally own a tablet device, and by the age of 12, 69 per cent of kids globally own a mobile phone. This generation are as comfortable existing in a virtual world as they are the physical, and they expect a seamless integration between the two.

We have seen many key development milestones just as likely to be reached today in a virtual world as the physical; a child’s first concert for example could just as likely happen within the gaming platform, Fortnite as it could in a real-life venue.

As the physical and digital worlds blur for this generation of kids, we are also seeing children spending and earning money digitally via gaming platforms like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite. Kids’ identity now lives online, whether that be on a social media feed or materialised through digital purchases. For these kids, a cosmetic skin they purchased in Fortnite is as much about self-expression and personality, as the t-shirt they put on the same morning.

The speed of innovation in this sector continues to accelerate and its important brands stay ahead of the latest trends and opportunities.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) are currently one of the most popular trends within the cryptocurrency market. A token which verifies legitimacy and singularity of a digital asset, they have primarily been used to sell digital art or assets, such as the first ever Tweet, selling for over $2.9m. The technology has since been adopted by major art auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

According to The Insights Family data, from Q1 2020 vs Q1 2021, there is a 11 per cent increase in kids as young as six to nine who have heard of cryptocurrencies. While information about blockchain is permeating throughout the kids ecosystem, it is still a relatively niche market.

However, as global adoption of cryptocurrencies continues to increase, brands are using the NFT as a real-world use-case for the technology. It’s currently mostly fashion brands – such as Gucci experimenting with NFTs, enabling consumers to buy and ‘wear’ their products via Augmented Reality or in-game on Roblox.

In fact, these fashion sales of clothing for digital versions of yourself are not news anymore. It is a long-standing practice, and a lot of video generate their main income through it. For example, one of the most popular games of recent years – Fortnite, is monetised entirely through cosmetic microtransactions.

What this means to you…

One example of potential NFT integration in the kids’ ecosystem could be as an extension of collectable items – for example, trading cards, a digitised version could be available as a token. The popularity of trading cards in general increased throughout the pandemic – from six per cent of kids aged three to 12 purchasing in Q1 2020 to nine per cent by December.

Within the toy space, in theory, anything in the digital world which has scarcity and value derived from that scarcity could be reimagined as an NFT.

For instance, some collectors are already spending millions on ‘NBA Top Shot’ – a website that allows people to buy, sell and trade basketball highlights as NFTs.

Every year the number of younger kids who spend more of their money online increases. In the UK, since the pandemic began in March 2020 the number of three to 12 year olds has almost doubled from 17 per cent to 28 per cent in February 2021. This, along with fast-paced innovation, means that it’s important brands stay ahead of the latest trends and opportunities.

Therefore, The Insights Family team of researchers, data scientists and developers have created the latest version of our platform, Portal 4.0, which will open more possibilities for brands. The new tools will enable brands to understand the attitudes, behaviours, and consumption patterns of kids, parents, and families.

To learn more about the attitudes, behaviour, and consumption patterns of kids, parents, and families, and to get freemium access to The Insights Family real-time data portal, please visit: https://try.theinsightsfamily.com/toynews

String theory | The enduring legacy of Gerry Anderson and creating sci-fi worlds

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If ever you needed an excuse to spend the day streaming episodes of Thunderbirds, Stingray, or any of the plenty other titles in the vast, yet iconic, library of Anderson Entertainment, then let the matter that today marks the first ever Gerry Anderson Day be it.

If you don’t need an excuse, then you’ll be pleased to know that this inaugural event marks just the start of a wider, far-reaching play being made by Anderson Entertainment as the company – headed up by Jamie Anderson, son to the creator of so much now familiar to the sci-fi genre today – looks to build on the rich heritage, nay, pedigree of the Anderson name.

From new content across the entertainment mediums – including audio stories and live action – and tantalising new IP, to its fast-expanding range of merchandise and more left-field licensing opportunities, which includes hotels and themed escape rooms, Anderson Entertainment is a family business with an enduring legacy and some major plans for building upon it.

Here, Robert Hutchins talks to Anderson Entertainment MD, Jamie Anderson about the heritage of a name, the enduring legacy of the series that pioneered the sci-fi genre, and how – when it comes to toys – the Anderson Entertainment portfolio is spanning the generations, as well as why now is the right time to be launching and celebrating Gerry Anderson Day.

Jamie Anderson is a respected writer, director and producer whose CV includes audio plays based on his father’s creations.

We’ve not failed to mention that his father is Gerry Anderson, creator of some of the most iconic and era-defining, as well as genre-defining, television and brand named in entertainment, including Thunderbirds, Stingray, Space: 1999, Terrahawks, and plenty more.

“I’m also MD of Anderson Entertainment, which deals with both the production and merchandising sides of my father’s business,” Anderson tells ToyNews. “I’m not only tasked with building on the continuing popularity of classic shows like Space: 1999, Thunderbirds and Stingray but my team is developing new audio and video productions based on established favourites like Thunderbirds and Terrahawks.

“We’re also building brand-new IP, like audio drama First Action Bureau and the sci-fi drama Firestorm. And there’s a fast-growing merchandising arm to manage! All of this has to be true at all times to the legacy of Gerry Anderson and his creative vision. So, there’s a little pressure…”

David Lane adjusts Alan in Thunderbird 3

And of course the product side has to connect with audiences across the many generations that Anderson spans.

“That’s right,” says Anderson. “One thing all audiences share is a love of the Anderson name, but we obviously differentiate IP and products depending on demographics: merchandise available ranges from model kits and dress-up to t-shirts and collectables. Ideas under consideration include limited edition, hand-coloured silk screen prints, nostalgia-driven publishing – there’s a lot of uncollected material out there – music content and even themed escape rooms.”

And, of course, toys.

“We have high hopes for an expanded toys and collectibles range – and not just for kids. Who doesn’t want to have a Thunderbird 2, a Stingray or a Space 1999 Eagle on their office desk?”

The range of IP to work with is pretty wide too. Anderson is about more than just the Supermarionation puppets of Thunderbirds and Stingray that made it famous. There’s live action like UFO, animated comedy like Dick Spanner and more recent output such as First Action Bureau, an audio sci-fi drama now on its second series.

Clearly, decades after he started out, the Anderson name still resonates. Hence the decision to launch Gerry Anderson Day on his birthday, April 14th. But the timing of the first Gerry Anderson Day is important for other reasons.

“More and more of Gerry’s classic shows are appearing on TV and streaming services; there will be special showings on Gerry Anderson Day. The classics are also enjoying strong sales on DVD and Blu-Ray, while new series and new product ranges are on the way. It’s a good time to celebrate the guy who started it all.”

The continuing relevance of Gerry Anderson’s work is underlined by written and spoken input from writers, stars, famous fans and guests on Gerry Anderson Day. But what inspired the creativity that they are all queuing up to praise?

“Dad’s main inspiration came from real life,” says Anderson. “Right from his early days he was fascinated by aviation. In fact many of the pilots in his shows were inspired by his brother Lionel, a flyer who was killed in the Second World War. But news stories, science documentaries, and things he saw in real life, including, on one occasion, a plane doing an emergency landing, inspired him too. He stored up hundreds of ideas – and many made it to the screen.”

And what about his own creativity? How far did the apple fall from the tree? Take even just a glance at the output that Jamie Anderson has to his own name, and it’s a strong argument that creation is genetically encoded into the Anderson gene. However, in his role at Anderson Entertainment, where do his focuses lay? Is is in IP creation, or spotting the right opportunities for the Anderson brands?

“It’s both,” says Anderson. “Obviously my own background as a writer, director and producer helps me to see opportunities for both new IP and developing existing IP.

“One of our big projects right now is a new series of audio books, the first of which is Thunderbirds: Terror from the Stars. It boasts impressionist Jon Culshaw, star of Dead Ringers and Spitting Image, as Parker and Jeff Tracy and Genevieve Gaunt of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as Lady Penelope.”

Many other audio books will follow, bringing early novelisations to a new audience with the help of some major names. Many of these actors – like Jon Culshaw – were themselves, childhood fans of Gerry Anderson.

“Famous fans like Jon – and Jonathan Ross, Eddie Izzard, John Barrowman and so many others – perfectly illustrate the fondness of so many generations for Gerry’s tremendous legacy,” adds Anderson.

That said, Anderson Entertainment has done lots of new work – against, it has to be said, some tough odds. “Dad would love the idea that we completed series one of First Action Bureau and the new audio book during a lockdown,” says Anderson.

There will be even more famous names featured in a forthcoming Gerry Anderson documentary – “the first serious, in-depth look back at his life, amazingly” – which is being produced by The Format Factory. Coming to TV screens in 2022, it will be, as Benjamin Field of The Format Factory puts it “an appraisal of a great and sometimes flawed man – honest, unflinching, but always fascinating”.

Jamie Anderson has been surprisingly busy given a year of lockdowns. What’s the first thing he’ll doing when all restrictions end?

“In work terms, I’ll probably be doing much the same as I was during lockdown: planning, having meetings, writing, directing – except that I can now do all that with real people in real studios and offices. And I suspect there’s going to be lots to do…”

Family fortunes | The Insights Family talks its ‘game changing’ Portal 4.0 and the ever growing business of family market intelligence

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This week witnessed some pretty major new developments for the kids’, parents, and family market intelligence outfit, The Insights People, which not only revealed its re-branding to The Insights Family, but also welcomed its new chairman – in the form of Simon White – and unveiled its ‘game-changing’ new client tool and platform, the Portal 4.0.

In line with the sweeping changes across the children’s and parents’ media and entertainment landscape, The Insights Family’s new platform now holds proprietary data collected from surveying over half a million children and parents across 17 countries every year, providing over 600 million data points for its customers to view, filter, and analyse. By anyone’s standards, that’s a lot of data.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Nick Richardson, founder and CEO of The Insights Family to explore the trails being blazed and the paths being carved by a Manchester start-up that over the course of the last four years, has made its international presence well and truly felt.

To kick us off, Nick, can you give us a bit of background on yourself and how The Insights Family came to be?

I grew up in Manchester and graduated Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Marketing Management. As part of that degree, I had a placement with Mattel Toys – where I worked on the Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tyco brands.

After graduating, I worked in senior marketing and commercial roles for brands and agencies such as ExxonMobil, Momentum Worldwide (part of IPG group), Just Marketing (now CSM Sport & Entertainment), Hilton Hotels, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, and PennWell (now Clarion Events).

As a marketer, I have always been naturally curious and creative – and have worked closely with data. I have had several roles where I was responsible for auditing existing research, developing research, and using this information to redevelop commercial strategies.

After 10 years of living in and around London, I decided to move back to Manchester. When I returned to the city, I enrolled on an Executive MBA course. During this course I started to see an opportunity to develop a disruptive and highly innovative research business which could be scalable, so I started to look at which industries were lacking data and insights.

During a catch-up meeting with SuperAwesome’s Matt Lester, who I had worked with while leading Hilton Hotels F1 sponsorship, it became very apparent that kids’ lives were unrecognisable from when I worked at Mattel in 2002/2003.

However, the ways in which companies were approaching their marketing had not really changed. Companies who operated in this space needed help and support to understand what was going on, what it meant, and ultimately some clarity and confidence to make decisions to evolve their previously tried and tested approach.

That was the challenge, so we made it our mission to do that, a mission which still burns hard in everyone who works for us.

You guys haven’t seemed to stop this past year, with international growth at a phenomenal rate. What has the thinking been behind the growth you guys have seen? What’s driven the growth? Does having operations around the world mean you’re set up with holidays for life?

Since our launch in 2017 and as the business developed, it soon became apparent that a lack of data on the kids and parents’ ecosystem was not isolated just to the UK – but there was a need on a global basis that nobody was fulfilling. Therefore, we set our vision to be the global leaders, and made it our business to achieve that.

While we are now operating in 17 countries, our international team of researchers and developers are driving these developments from our Manchester HQ. The growth has been quicker than I could have ever imagined, which is down to so many factors from our initial investor, some lucky breaks, but most importantly it is down to the culture we have created, and the incredible efforts and collaboration from all our team.

Once we and other countries come out of Covid-19 restrictions, I cannot wait to see our team and get to travel more, no doubt with a few extra days rolled on for the odd holiday.

Speaking of developments, there latest major development from you guys is the Portal 4.0, a new platform for clients, destined to ‘change the way it all works for them’. This sounds exciting. Can you tell us about this one?

Firstly, everything which made Portal 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 so special remain. The ease of use, real-time data, and the ability to view, filter, interrogate, and analyse the data intuitively remain.

However, with all the feedback we have captured, we have not only made hundreds of small but significant improvements and enhancements, but we have also now integrated all the cutting-edge innovations which we have been working on in the background.

First and foremost, the portal holds all our propriety data, collected from surveying over half a million kids and parents across 17 countries every year. It provides over 600 million data points to view, filter, interrogate, and analyse.

In addition to that, it houses all the tools we have been developing, such as our Media Mix Compass – which is a media planning tool that enables clients to compare 11 different categories of media, based on their reach, preference, and time spent.

The platform also includes clustering tool Persona Perspectives™. Powered by cutting edge Machine Learning and utilising the latest theory from the world of psychology, clustering will unlock previously unseen insights into an audience and fanbase. This tool was developed with a team of academics at Manchester Metropolitan University.

We have also added contextual data for every country which we operate in, providing socioeconomic and demographic data and insights for additional context. There are new API feeds from the likes of Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube.

A new section of the portal has also been created to house all our clients’ bespoke research projects – enabling them to utilize all the functionality of the portal as well as our persona technology.

So, in summary we have not only moved the goalposts, but we have completely rebuilt them. But don’t just take my word, I would encourage people to go and have a look and let us know your feedback.

How will this new platform position you guys in the UK and on the international stage? How will it work to help position clients on the international stage?

Despite 2020 being a challenging year, we managed to grow substantially and lay the foundations for this year – which we believe will see us essentially double in size every six to eight months.

Our new identity and portal will also provide the foundations for this. As I mentioned, there are so many significant new developments in the new portal – with our team of researchers, data scientists, and developers working with academics, and collaborating with our clients from around the world to bring in a suite of solutions.

This will see us transition from not “just” being a research company, but to a business-critical partner to clients who can use the tools such as our Media Mix Compass™ to actively shape their strategies.

One of the core approaches to our research which makes us standout from anyone else, is that we are independent, and the kids, parents, and families surveyed are age, gender, and nationally represented and not recruited through our own platforms. This means the data is not biased, has no agenda, and can be analysed on a global, regional, national, or local basis – something which I believe will be critical as we transition from globalisation to localisation.

Why is it important that clients are armed in this way with the ability to spot and react to opportunities in the ever evolving kids’ and family market?

It is my belief that research, and data is now a critical part of all our jobs. If you work in advertising, content, licensing, marketing, product development, or sales it is an essential tool to provide understanding, test our convictions and ultimately measure our results.

However, there are still large amounts of market research and data which are not accessible, and worse than that – quite intimidating. And whilst we can call default to doing a bit of desk research or talking to our own kids, if we are honest with our selves – that doesn’t really stack up. That is why we have set it to be our mission to become the world’s top brands business-critical partner. Portal 4.0 is so accessible that even my mum can use it!

Our unique approach to surveying kids, parents, and families on a continual basis enables us to identify trends as they are forming. Likewise, if we take the effects of Covid – it provides our clients with an unrivalled view of what their attitudes, behaviour, and consumption were before Covid-19, how they have evolved during the pandemic and lockdowns and ultimately what they will become after.

As far as I am aware, we are the only company in the world to have this information. We know from our industry report that only six per cent of organisations that operate in the kids, parents, and family space believe that they have a sufficient understanding of them.

Our Trend Alert™ Reports and real-time data also saw us spot the rising popularity of trends such as Fortnite and TikTok months before they exploded in popularity in the kid’s ecosystem.

However, one of the most important trends we have tracked is this generation of kids have more influence than ever before. For example, our data in the UK shows a 15 per cent increase in influence that tweens have from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021 in terms of grocery items purchases, as kids are increasingly concerned with our effect on the environment and becoming healthier.

It is therefore more important than ever to reach and engage these young stakeholders and every brand must now become a family brand.

What do you think are some of the biggest challenges to have swept the children’s and family space in recent years? What sort of picture of the future does this all paint, and how are you helping businesses ready themselves for that future landscape?

There are so many challenges. I look back to my days at Mattel – and cannot believe how much the landscape has transformed. If we are all honest, it has probably taken the best part of a decade for the industry to recognise this, and the scale of the change.

I would like to think that we have helped the industry and individuals to not only recognise the changes, but also understand the implications and be best positioned to transform their approach across their business.

As for the biggest challenge – my view would be the impact of digital, this impacts all aspects of an organisation and business. It has transformed everything, from advertising and media to the need to be a content curator and syndicator. Plus, the arrival of new digital centric IP.

It has been challenging, but it is also extremely exciting as there are significant opportunities that come from this – and that is why we do what we do, to mitigate the risks and accelerate the opportunities.

For you, what is the most exciting part of working in the children’s and family space? To what extent is this a market that leads change across the consumer landscape, and how does it shape future trends?

As Nelson Mandela once said “children are our greatest treasure. They are our future”. Being a proud father of my daughter, I am so proud that we as a business provide children, parents, and families with a voice to shape their worlds. And of course, with the speed of technology evolution it is incredible to witness the impact of this on their and their parents’ attitudes, behaviour, and consumption – and how brands need to evolve their thinking to remain relevant.

To get freemium access to our award-winning real-time portal, please visit:

https://try.theinsightsfamily.com/toynews

Opinion | Foundation of success: What can retailers learn from the LEGO approach?

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As global pandemics go, the onset of Coronavirus, while forcing many to navigate a treacherously rocky road to begin with, hasn’t fared too badly for the toy industry; a global business that has provided support and entertainment to families and children worldwide. Among some of the last year’s biggest successes was LEGO, who achieved a 13 per cent growth on sales over the course of 2020.

With an eye for analysis, Utku Tansel LLB, MBA, an industry analyst who has led global research programmes across the entire toys, games, and licensed consumer products spectrum, turns his attention to the Danish toy maker and how shifting focus onto new and emerging audiences has helped the art of LEGO building continue to go from strength to strength.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing some retailers around the world to close, LEGO opened 134 new stores – of which 91 were in China – last year. The company plans to open a further 120 new shops in 2021, including 80 in China alone, expanding its total global store count to almost 800 in 2021.

This is part of LEGO’s business strategy towards – what it calls an ‘omnichannel network’ – operating in tandem with LEGO.com, whose online visits doubled over the last year. This ties with Mintel’s COVID-19 tracker showing that nearly half of British consumers are now doing more shopping online – a double digit increase since mid-April 2020.

LEGO’s sales in 2020 grew by a substantial 13 per cent, while operating profit rose by 19 per cent worldwide. Its retail strategy is definitely working.

Merging online and offline

 

In terms of new product launches, the LEGO Super Mario set from 2020, which uniquely blends physical bricks with online games, has been one of LEGO’s most successful theme launches. The product line featured an interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in real life game levels created with LEGO bricks. The figure has LCD screens in its eyes, mouth and belly to display a wide range of instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks.

Meanwhile, and collaborating with Universal Music Group, the innovative company continues with this strategy in 2021 with the LEGO Vidiyo release –  which taps into kids’ creativity through music and play. Through LEGO Vidiyo, children can direct, produce, star in, and share their own music videos, using chart-topping tracks from Universal Music’s extensive variety of global artists. Its playful music video maker experience combines physical and digital play as special effect ‘BeatBits’ and music inspired minifigures integrate and come to life through AR in a vibrant new app.

Mintel Trend Extend My Brand investigates how brands are expanding into new categories and demographics to find new business as well as intrigue consumers. Brands are advised to assess the opportunity to use their company’s established image, visibility, and strong brand following to launch new product lines – which LEGO has been utilising very successfully in recent years. They are encouraged to explore new categories and price points that may cater to an extended clientele while still aligning with the brand’s identity.

Brick by brick, LEGO, which dominates the construction category globally, has been expanding its presence in toys targeting beyond its core business. In 2020, the company entered the arts and crafts category with the introduction of LEGO DOTS – a concept which offers kids a creative canvas for self-expression. Based on multiple shapes and colourful tiles, the line featured bracelets and items for home décor.

Targeting stressed-out adults

Aiming at adults, LEGO also released its 2nd 2D tile building theme, LEGO Arts, in 2020 featuring Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Marvel Studios Iron Man, and Star Wars The Sith. Mintel Traditional Toys and Games, US, May 2020 report highlights that consumers need toys and games to bring more than just fun and brands can connect with adults by appealing to their need for wellness.

With products for adults that can tout stress relief and relaxation, each LEGO Art design is accompanied by a bespoke soundtrack. These soundtracks dive deep into the inspiration behind each wall art set helping adults unwind and fully immerse themselves in the building experience. Our consumer research (US, March 2020) confirms that there is a large market for toys and games for adults, since half of consumers who have purchased toys and games in the previous 12 months have done so for an adult.

 

Providing a unique retail theatre experience             

LEGO stores are a great example of retail theatre with plenty of life sized models and figurines as well as play stations. Their outlets are seen as a destination in their own right by consumers. Mintel Trend Experience Is All highlights that most consumers still put a premium on the advantages of shopping in-store, which includes the ability to try products in person and to be helped by customer service associates.

This trend is not about countering online sales, but rather turning shops into enjoyable experiences that promote purchases – either in-store or remotely. Retailers are reminded that shops are windows and adverts as much as places to purchase stock and they need to extend the time people spend there as well as the frequency of their visits.

So, what’s next?

Post-pandemic (or when the restrictions are eased), LEGO should be able to continue to build on its success. As I also investigated in my West End Farewells? – Regent Street’s Hamleys has met a modern cross-roads Opinion piece in ToyNews recently, for consumers, a shopping day out will continue to be a leisure activity and it will increasingly be a choice rather than a necessity.

Overall,the retail landscape will be leaner, the battle for consumer attention will be fierce and when the economy recovers, consumers will remain value conscious. In city centres, particularly, newer and better retailers are coming in which will undoubtedly help with the footfall into the high street, moving forward.

There is a huge opportunity and good retailers will continue to do well. LEGO is in a very good position to capitalise on these.

Utku Tansel has 17 years of success in driving global thought leadership, project and content management, delivering strategic business intelligence and insight to major international companies. He can be contacted via LinkedIn

Making sound waves | “Tonies has got to the heart of what a generation of parents has been looking for”

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For a company with high expectations, Tonies continues to surprise itself. The German-born audio toy platform has never been quiet about its plans for the UK and international market, not since its emergence on the scene only a few years ago. But it never expected success on the scale it has seen this past year.

If the pandemic has thrust into the limelight the technology used to keep us all connected throughout this year of unrest, then Tonies is one among the antidotes. A screen-free device that uses tangible (lovingly hand-painted) characters as a means of escapism for children – and parents – overwhelmed by a dependence on screen-time these past 12 months, Tonies placing above all else, the power of story-telling.

It’s the company’s own admission that the “multifold growth it has achieved in the UK market this past year” has been far beyond its expectations, yet it is a position it has been quick to capitalise on, bolstering its ranks with a senior team comprising ex Universal and Skip Hop experts in the children’s market in a move to ready itself for further international growth this coming year.

Among them is Lucia Kreuzer, the former global commercial director of Hello Fresh who now heads up Tonies UK and IE, having been appointed by the board to accelerate the growth of Tonies and steer its business into its next phase.

This week, associate title, ToyNews caught up with Kreuzer to learn more about those plans and delve deeper into the innovation of the Tonies brand, and its secret formula that has placed it “at the heart of what a generation of parents are looking for right now.”

Hello Lucia, thanks for chatting with us. Can we kick off by talking about business at Tonies over the past year. The pandemic saw families re-establish relationships with toys and play, what role did Tonies have to play and what success did you see through this? 

The pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the family dynamic in so many households. With the huge move to home working, there has been a real challenge in keeping children happy, occupied and entertained for hours on end – and it can be so easy for children to spend entire days in front of a screen while parents are trying to get their work done.

I think parents are now much more concerned with the effects of too much screen time, and this is where Tonies comes into its own as a screen-free antidote to iPads, computer games, and TV, while sparking children’s imagination and independent play. What we really believe is key to the appeal of Tonies is its versatility – children can enjoy creative play to unwind from schoolwork, listen to the fun educational content, and stay connected to the family members they’ve sadly been separated from due to the pandemic.

Children also love the beautiful Tonies, our hand-painted figurines, as they are so unique and have that collectability element – even our  youngest customers love to play with them as they listen to their stories or songs, which is wonderful.

We had big plans for Tonies in the UK last year but the multifold growth we have seen has been far beyond our expectations. We have been so overwhelmed by the positive customer feedback, press and awards we received last year.

“We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.”

The team’s been bolstered with some key new hires. Can you talk us through what your roles will now be with Tonies, your areas of focus, and how this will prime the business for growth in the coming months and years? 

Just as our business is experiencing huge growth, our team at Tonies is growing rapidly too. We have been so lucky to attract very talented people to build up further areas of the team.

Liz Peters (ex Universal) has joined our Product team as Portfolio Manager, Gemma Stokes (ex Skip Hop) has joined our team as Senior Marketing Manager and comes with a wealth of experience in the baby and toy industries, and Paul Chattaway (ex Ring) will be driving our retail growth as Head of Sales. They all come with real expertise in their fields that I know will help to spark the creativity, purpose, and success of the Tonies brand going forward.

What will be the strategy for international growth? Why is now the right time for Tonies to be  planning for global expansion like this? 

Our continued growth and influence in our German home market provides the basis for our solid  international expansion. We are currently active in five countries, enabling over two million kids to let their imagination run free. Tonies launched last September to the US market, offering children there a completely new way of listening to stories and music. We will launch in France later this year.

While we are expanding internationally, there is still immense potential for us to grow in existing markets through adding to our portfolio, expanding our retail footprint, adding new product categories and functionalities and more – the possibilities are endless!

There has never been a better time for us to be thinking about growth, Tonies has got right to the heart of what a whole generation of parents has been looking for. More than ever, they are searching for alternative ways to entertain, educate and inspire their children and enable their  minds to grow. Most of all, they want what is best for their child.

You guys pioneered what has become an exciting audio-toy space. How is Tonies taking that  reputation for innovation forward for the coming year? How will you be leading the space through new developments? 

Innovation is part of our brand’s DNA. We were first to market and created a new category from scratch. We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.

We have an amazing line-up of strong content launches and accessories, partnerships with exciting brands and organisations, and will further broaden our retail coverage with existing and new retailers. Our aim is to be synonymous with fantastic audio storytelling for children.

“We want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.”

Key to the Tonies success is the library of children’s stories you guys have and your licensing  partnerships. What plans have you got for building out the portfolio over this year? What licensed lines can we expect from you guys?

Our product and audio system is unrivalled in the market. Last year we added further strong licenses, from much-loved classics like Toy Story and Frozen to Elmer and Spot the Dog to our ever increasing portfolio – offering a curated and appealing range of stories, music and educational content for children.

This year we have already launched our Peter Rabbit and In the Night Garden Tonies, as well as adding to our range of Disney Tonies with Aladdin. We have lots of exciting blockbusters from the page and screen coming to life as Tonies later this year, and we are so excited to expand our partnerships with Hachette Children’s Group, Viacom Consumer Products, Mattel Inc, and NBC Universal and many more wonderful partners.

What is the Tonies approach to representation and diversity within the story portfolio? How will you guys promote this message as you continue to grow internationally and tap into new  audiences?

The world of storytelling is certainly far more diverse than it used to be and we want children using their Toniebox to be able to identify with the Tonies they put on their box. Additionally, we want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.

What do you look for in the IP that you bring to the Tonies platform? 

We put a great deal of thought and work into the content that we bring to Tonies as we want to ensure that there is a huge amount of variety in our portfolio. We really foster strong bonds between children and parents through the magic of storytelling – whether parents are introducing their children to their own nostalgic stories, listening together to the latest blockbuster story that their child loves, as well as our wonderful music and educational content. And, of course, we are always looking to consumer trends and insights to predict the next bestseller.

You guys have obviously got new agencies on board for the marketing and PR strategies, how is this reflective of the wider plans for this year and beyond? 

We are incredibly excited to partner with VCCP as our new creative agency and Diffusion as our new  PR agency. Both agencies really impressed us with work that they have done in the past and their passion for Tonies. We have some exciting campaigns coming up – so watch this space!

You’ve aligned yourselves with a number of children’s causes, among them children’s mental wellness. Can we explore the Tonies relationship with this topic? Why is it important for  you, and what does storytelling and story time do to help the issue? 

Children’s mental wellness is a topic that is so close to our heart. As a brand we want to continue to build on our great work, as it is so incredibly important. We recently ran a campaign in February to support Children’s Mental Health charity, The Place2B and raised funds for them by asking our audience to share our post and we donated per share.

The pandemic has seen so many children suffer with their mental health amid so much upheaval and  increased social isolation. We have found that the Tonies audio can help children to feel like they have some company and can be a real source of solace in such a confusing time.

While so much has changed over the past year, children’s bedtime stories, for example, can act as a real anchor in their daily routine and bring some much-needed familiarity. The outside of the Toniebox itself too is so soft that children can often be seen cuddling it while they listen to stories or music – it can be incredibly soothing to them.

During the first lockdown, one mother from our community told us how her husband was on the Front Line NHS Covid ward and therefore was unable to see both his wife and young child for 19 weeks. Every night he would leave a new message for his young son on his Creative-Tonie (that you  can record yourself), who hugged it nightly whilst listening and the Toniebox became almost  synonymous with his father’s voice. A truly touching story.

What’s the next step for you guys? What can we expect to see from Tonies in the coming  weeks/months? 

We have big ideas and plans for this year – from amazing content and an accessories line-up to new  partnerships and co-operations. It will be an exciting year for Tonies and our partners.

Thank you Lucia, and just before you go, is there anything else you want to be shouting about right now?

Our wonderful founders, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, started Tonies with the belief that childhood should be a magical time, full of big adventures and loving memories. They wanted to create a way for kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, stimulating their imagination and  creativity in ways that a screen simply cannot.

Patric and Marcus originally dreamed of every child having a Toniebox in their bedroom and it’s so wonderful to see that dream is now becoming a reality: so far, we have sold over 20 million Tonies globally.

Tonies offers an immersive, wondrous experience you can feel good about, but more importantly a community you can be part of now and  for many years to come.

Making sound waves | “Tonies has got to the heart of what a generation of parents has been looking for”

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For a company with high expectations, Tonies continues to surprise itself. The German-born audio toy platform has never been quiet about its plans for the UK and international market, not since its emergence on the scene only a few years ago. But it never expected success on the scale it has seen this past year.

If the pandemic has thrust into the limelight the technology used to keep us all connected throughout this year of unrest, then Tonies is one among the antidotes. A screen-free device that uses tangible (lovingly hand-painted) characters as a means of escapism for children – and parents – overwhelmed by a dependence on screen-time these past 12 months, Tonies placing above all else, the power of story-telling.

It’s the company’s own admission that the “multifold growth it has achieved in the UK market this past year” has been far beyond its expectations, yet it is a position it has been quick to capitalise on, bolstering its ranks with a senior team comprising ex Universal and Skip Hop experts in the children’s market in a move to ready itself for further international growth this coming year.

Among them is Lucia Kreuzer, the former global commercial director of Hello Fresh who now heads up Tonies UK and IE, having been appointed by the board to accelerate the growth of Tonies and steer its business into its next phase.

This week, associate title, ToyNews caught up with Kreuzer to learn more about those plans and delve deeper into the innovation of the Tonies brand, and its secret formula that has placed it “at the heart of what a generation of parents are looking for right now.”

Hello Lucia, thanks for chatting with us. Can we kick off by talking about business at Tonies over the past year. The pandemic saw families re-establish relationships with toys and play, what role did Tonies have to play and what success did you see through this? 

The pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the family dynamic in so many households. With the huge move to home working, there has been a real challenge in keeping children happy, occupied and entertained for hours on end – and it can be so easy for children to spend entire days in front of a screen while parents are trying to get their work done.

I think parents are now much more concerned with the effects of too much screen time, and this is where Tonies comes into its own as a screen-free antidote to iPads, computer games, and TV, while sparking children’s imagination and independent play. What we really believe is key to the appeal of Tonies is its versatility – children can enjoy creative play to unwind from schoolwork, listen to the fun educational content, and stay connected to the family members they’ve sadly been separated from due to the pandemic.

Children also love the beautiful Tonies, our hand-painted figurines, as they are so unique and have that collectability element – even our  youngest customers love to play with them as they listen to their stories or songs, which is wonderful.

We had big plans for Tonies in the UK last year but the multifold growth we have seen has been far beyond our expectations. We have been so overwhelmed by the positive customer feedback, press and awards we received last year.

“We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.”

The team’s been bolstered with some key new hires. Can you talk us through what your roles will now be with Tonies, your areas of focus, and how this will prime the business for growth in the coming months and years? 

Just as our business is experiencing huge growth, our team at Tonies is growing rapidly too. We have been so lucky to attract very talented people to build up further areas of the team.

Liz Peters (ex Universal) has joined our Product team as Portfolio Manager, Gemma Stokes (ex Skip Hop) has joined our team as Senior Marketing Manager and comes with a wealth of experience in the baby and toy industries, and Paul Chattaway (ex Ring) will be driving our retail growth as Head of Sales. They all come with real expertise in their fields that I know will help to spark the creativity, purpose, and success of the Tonies brand going forward.

What will be the strategy for international growth? Why is now the right time for Tonies to be  planning for global expansion like this? 

Our continued growth and influence in our German home market provides the basis for our solid  international expansion. We are currently active in five countries, enabling over two million kids to let their imagination run free. Tonies launched last September to the US market, offering children there a completely new way of listening to stories and music. We will launch in France later this year.

While we are expanding internationally, there is still immense potential for us to grow in existing markets through adding to our portfolio, expanding our retail footprint, adding new product categories and functionalities and more – the possibilities are endless!

There has never been a better time for us to be thinking about growth, Tonies has got right to the heart of what a whole generation of parents has been looking for. More than ever, they are searching for alternative ways to entertain, educate and inspire their children and enable their  minds to grow. Most of all, they want what is best for their child.

You guys pioneered what has become an exciting audio-toy space. How is Tonies taking that  reputation for innovation forward for the coming year? How will you be leading the space through new developments? 

Innovation is part of our brand’s DNA. We were first to market and created a new category from scratch. We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.

We have an amazing line-up of strong content launches and accessories, partnerships with exciting brands and organisations, and will further broaden our retail coverage with existing and new retailers. Our aim is to be synonymous with fantastic audio storytelling for children.

“We want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.”

Key to the Tonies success is the library of children’s stories you guys have and your licensing  partnerships. What plans have you got for building out the portfolio over this year? What licensed lines can we expect from you guys?

Our product and audio system is unrivalled in the market. Last year we added further strong licenses, from much-loved classics like Toy Story and Frozen to Elmer and Spot the Dog to our ever increasing portfolio – offering a curated and appealing range of stories, music and educational content for children.

This year we have already launched our Peter Rabbit and In the Night Garden Tonies, as well as adding to our range of Disney Tonies with Aladdin. We have lots of exciting blockbusters from the page and screen coming to life as Tonies later this year, and we are so excited to expand our partnerships with Hachette Children’s Group, Viacom Consumer Products, Mattel Inc, and NBC Universal and many more wonderful partners.

What is the Tonies approach to representation and diversity within the story portfolio? How will you guys promote this message as you continue to grow internationally and tap into new  audiences?

The world of storytelling is certainly far more diverse than it used to be and we want children using their Toniebox to be able to identify with the Tonies they put on their box. Additionally, we want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.

What do you look for in the IP that you bring to the Tonies platform? 

We put a great deal of thought and work into the content that we bring to Tonies as we want to ensure that there is a huge amount of variety in our portfolio. We really foster strong bonds between children and parents through the magic of storytelling – whether parents are introducing their children to their own nostalgic stories, listening together to the latest blockbuster story that their child loves, as well as our wonderful music and educational content. And, of course, we are always looking to consumer trends and insights to predict the next bestseller.

You guys have obviously got new agencies on board for the marketing and PR strategies, how is this reflective of the wider plans for this year and beyond? 

We are incredibly excited to partner with VCCP as our new creative agency and Diffusion as our new  PR agency. Both agencies really impressed us with work that they have done in the past and their passion for Tonies. We have some exciting campaigns coming up – so watch this space!

You’ve aligned yourselves with a number of children’s causes, among them children’s mental wellness. Can we explore the Tonies relationship with this topic? Why is it important for  you, and what does storytelling and story time do to help the issue? 

Children’s mental wellness is a topic that is so close to our heart. As a brand we want to continue to build on our great work, as it is so incredibly important. We recently ran a campaign in February to support Children’s Mental Health charity, The Place2B and raised funds for them by asking our audience to share our post and we donated per share.

The pandemic has seen so many children suffer with their mental health amid so much upheaval and  increased social isolation. We have found that the Tonies audio can help children to feel like they have some company and can be a real source of solace in such a confusing time.

While so much has changed over the past year, children’s bedtime stories, for example, can act as a real anchor in their daily routine and bring some much-needed familiarity. The outside of the Toniebox itself too is so soft that children can often be seen cuddling it while they listen to stories or music – it can be incredibly soothing to them.

During the first lockdown, one mother from our community told us how her husband was on the Front Line NHS Covid ward and therefore was unable to see both his wife and young child for 19 weeks. Every night he would leave a new message for his young son on his Creative-Tonie (that you  can record yourself), who hugged it nightly whilst listening and the Toniebox became almost  synonymous with his father’s voice. A truly touching story.

What’s the next step for you guys? What can we expect to see from Tonies in the coming  weeks/months? 

We have big ideas and plans for this year – from amazing content and an accessories line-up to new  partnerships and co-operations. It will be an exciting year for Tonies and our partners.

Thank you Lucia, and just before you go, is there anything else you want to be shouting about right now?

Our wonderful founders, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, started Tonies with the belief that childhood should be a magical time, full of big adventures and loving memories. They wanted to create a way for kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, stimulating their imagination and  creativity in ways that a screen simply cannot.

Patric and Marcus originally dreamed of every child having a Toniebox in their bedroom and it’s so wonderful to see that dream is now becoming a reality: so far, we have sold over 20 million Tonies globally.

Tonies offers an immersive, wondrous experience you can feel good about, but more importantly a community you can be part of now and  for many years to come.

The art of Hatsune Miku | The virtual pop sensation that’s selling out concerts, inspiring art projects, and growing a global licensing programme

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Even by the standards of a generation that grew up on the animated band, Gorillaz or witnessed the explosion of the BT21 brand (a lifestyle brand comprising characters devised by members of the K-Pop brand BTS), Hatsune Miku presents an interesting concept.

Officially, Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid software voicebank that has been developed by Crypton Future Media that takes on the appearance of a 16 year old singer designed in the style of the Japanese anime art form. To the legions of fans of Hatsune Miku across Japan and increasingly, the Western World, she is a virtual pop sensation.

Utilising Yamaha Corporation’s Vocaloid 2, Vocaloid 3, and Vocaloid 4 singing synthesizing technologies, Hatsune Miku has performed at sell-out concerts onstage as an animated projection with a definitive look that has led to a large scale licensing operation across Japan. And the appeal is spreading.

Most recently, this virtual pop-star was announced the first licensed partner for the Japanese restaurant Shoryu Ramen and its range of DIY Ramen Kits. The partnership marked the latest development for the brand’s move in on the UK market,and, while there is still some distance to go before its popularity hits the same notes as its Japanese reverence, the European licensing agency, Reemsborko is excited by the potential.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Max Arguile, director of Reemsborko to learn more about Hatsune Miku’s global licensing plans and understand the deep passion that the virtual pop star’s audience has for the brand.

Hello Max, thanks for chatting. So, Hatsune Miku is an interesting concept. A vocal software package that takes on the shape of an anime 16 year old pop star. It sounds like a hard sell, but we’ve seen the extensive list of licensing partners signed to the brand already. It’s clear this brand works. But what drives it? What is it about Hatsune Miku that caught the audience attention?

It is interesting, and with Hatsune Miku, the fans are involved from the very beginning via the creative aspect of the property. Hatsune Miku and five other characters originate from a voice software package that allows you to generate a song from scratch. Using that software, fans have created music and video contents featuring the characters, and published them on the internet for other fans to enjoy. There are more than half a million of these fan-created videos that can be viewed online.

The fans also make a lot of artwork of Miku and friends, which is also uploaded. The whole thing adds up to a vibrant online community of Miku fans that sometimes don’t even have the chance to meet up in real life, like when the Miku Expos happen.

And what are these Miku Expos, because they sound fun?

Miku Expos are live tours, the last of which was in early 2020 – five dates starting with Brixton Academy in London, then France, Germany, Holland, and Spain. I went to the London date and was blown away by the ardour of the fans, many of whom (men and women) were in cosplay, dressed as Miku or one of the other characters.

The next day, keen for a chance to congregate once more, hundreds of them came to an in-store event at Westfield Shepherds Bush in order to meet up and contribute to a collaborative art project.

OK, let’s explore that a bit more… what do these collaborative art projects look like?

Alongside every Miku Expo, wherever possible, Crypton will organise a meet-up in the same town as the concert. This is advertised in advance and they will have the tour merchandise and other Miku merchandise on sale at the venue for perhaps two weeks in advance of the concert, culminating in a collaborative art project.

The venues can be a local comic shop, but in our case it was a Japanese restaurant/supermarket. The venue gets increased traffic in the lead up to the gig (the merch often sells out and needs to be replenished by the day of the concert) and on the activity day there can be 100 to 200 people that arrive and take part in the project.

It used to be old school felt tip pens and paper but in this case it was mostly digital. On arriving at the front of the queue, the fans were invited to download an app to their phone or tablet – this revealed black and white artwork. The first 50 people got an exclusive Miku stylus to use when doing the colouring. Once they had finished, they uploaded the artwork to a site to be shared with other fans. The venue had a hugely increased footfall on Sunday morning in January and they sold a lot of product in general, the fans loved being able to make Miku artwork together and just hang out.

So, art projects and cosplay events to one side, for the moment, what do you think Hatsune Miku is bringing to the licensing space? Why does it translate well for European audiences, and how does the licensing approach differ between the Japanese and the European markets?

Hatsune Miku is essentially, a fun property based around creativity. It has the loo and feel of anime, which is one of the biggest trends in licensing right now. Miku’s appeal is international, so is perfect for licensees with that distribution but for me it means I can also now talk to licensees in other territories that may only need to service their local market.

In Japan, this is a brand that is licensed on a very large scale, but internationally it still has some distance to go before reaching the same level. Although buyers can still be resistant to change and wary of something unfamiliar, once in-store, it always works. The reactions we’ve had from licensees once their product goes into retail just exceeds all expectations. Trademark has told that the brand has become one of the top selling properties in HMV, and it has sustained that popularity.

Given the brand’s roots and creation, is Hatsune Miku a good representation of the surge in popularity of anime and manga across the European markets?

Yes and no. Unlike most animé, there is no narrative content behind the brand – in that sense it is closer to Hello Kitty than traditional animé, but there is no committee that meets once a week and might get to review your submissions (but might not) so the approval process on Miku is much slicker.

The team at Crypton are not just the best for approvals in animé, they are one of the best I have ever worked with in 25 years of licensing. In terms of markets, Ben Woodman from GB eye put it very well when he told me that “Miku is a key animé property, her popularity has grown across Europe in the last 12 months and despite the pandemic, we’ve seen our Miku sales increase year on year.”

With various streaming platform really ramping up their anime content over the past 12 months, it seems like the pandemic could have presented a real opportunity to tap directly into emerging audiences. What lasting effect do you think the past year will have in the popularity of manga/anime IP?

Licensing around tent-pole theatrical releases will come back, eventually,  but right now, while cinemas are closed, licensees could be forgiven for avoiding film licenses. Everyone stayed home in 2020 and 2021 will unfortunately see much of the same. People have been used to getting entertained at home and the big winners, I have been told umpteen times by licensees, are gaming and animé brands.

Investment in the production of original animé by Netflix is expanding, Amazon and HBO are continuing to secure classic animé properties, and Crunchyroll has just hit 4 million paid subscribers (their fastest growth to date because they only reached 3 million last year).

Beyond that, the purchase of Crunchyroll by Funimation will soon yield an animé powerhouse in the West. So yes, there is a lot of activity in the industry which will ensure not only that classic properties are more available but that new content continues to be created. It is a great time to be an animé fan.

You’ve shown us a list of the licensing partners that Hatsune Miku is already signed up. There are 18 of them, signed in just the past year, including AR badges and pop-up restaurants. It was only a year ago that you had just two deals. That’s some impressive licensing there, Max. How will you continue to innovate and push the envelope in the licensing of the brand?

I have lots of plans in place to keep the Hatsune Miku brand innovative in the licensing space. The adult colouring book from Anthem fits very nicely from a creative perspective, and the WristWorld mobile game (a company run by teenagers in Oklahoma) is also notable. I also love the limited edition screen-prints from Under The Floorboards and the Rubber Road range – the Christmas decoration is sold out and the rubber duck is in progress. If we can do that and it be commercial, then surely the sky is the limit?

What are your expectations for the brand this year and beyond? Will anime/manga continue to grow in popularity across Europe, and what does the future hold for Hatsune Miku?

The expectations are that yes, anime/manga will continue to grow across Europe. For Miku, there should be return to live touring next year but since performing in front of fans is not possible right now (not even for virtual pop stars), Crypton is putting on a free online gig this summer.

Launched on Kickstarter, the target of $240K was reached in 24 hours – the fans sure love Miku. Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.

No Kiddin’ Around | Why Playmobil is taking the adult fan market seriously this year and beyond

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It doesn’t take a DeLorean for a journey into your own past, but it certainly does help, as more and more toy companies are seeing audience numbers increase across their kidult product offering. Among them, is Playmobil, a company that is blazing a new trail with its expanded Back to the Future line-up this year.

For Playmobil, the kidult market has become big business. In tandem with the growth of the sector across the entire market, the Germany-based international toy maker has seen ‘substantial growth’ in the kidult market over the last four years. And it’s a trend that has given us some of the most eye-bulging launches in the space to date, from Ghostbusters and Back to the Future play-sets, to the retro appeal of Scooby-Doo.

In January this year, the NPD Group confirmed the growing appeal of the kidult market; an audience now responsible for more than a quarter of toy sales. In its year-end update the group revealed that this adult and teen category now represents 27 per cent of total toy sales, up by 16 per cent since 2016. Fuelled by adults with more time on their hands over 2020, home entertainment, it would seem, no encompasses physical play more than ever before.

So it’s just as well, then, that Playmobil has plans to remain consistent with its emerging new adult audience for the foreseeable future. Here, ToyNews catches up with Playmobil’ marketing communications manager, Adam Moore to explore the company’s success and future plans in the kidult space.

Hi Adam, harking back to the virtual tour you took us on earlier this year, it’s great to see a gear change in output targeting the kidult market from Playmobil this year. Can you tell us how important this market has become for you guys?

Playmobil has seen substantial growth in the Kidult market in the last four years. This was continued in 2020 with the Playmobil 70317 Back to the Future DeLorean which was one of our best performing sets. In 2021 we have more fantastic play sets to offer kidults and collectors including the new Volkswagen Camper and Beetle. The market has allowed adults who remember Playmobil so fondly from their childhood, to re experience the brand now they are a bit older.

What sort of growth have you seen across the kidult sector over the last few years? What have been the key drivers of this growth over the course of 2020?

Kidult’s have become a much bigger part of the toy market in the last few years. Adults are looking for product that is cool and great for collecting. We have experienced this trend in recent years with licenses such as Ghostbusters™ and Porsche, and more recently the 202o launch of the Playmobil Back to the Future product. This audience always wants more to add to their collection so new additions add new experiences and collectability, Playmobil continues to keep the audience engaged with new items like the 70634 Back to the Future Part II Hover board Chase.

 It’s been documented that the pandemic has helped fuel that kidult market, but it was very much on the rise prior to Covid. How long has it been on the Playmobil radar, and will you guys keep a hand in this market for the foreseeable future?

Playmobil has been catering for the Kidult market for a number of years. It remains a continued part of our plans across 2021 with new launches for Back to the Future and new licenses like Volkswagen. There may even be some surprises for kidult fans later in the year.

“The Kidult market is an important part of Playmobil business and continues to grow, there is so much potential out there for Playmobil to continue strongly in this category.”

What do you think Playmobil brings to that kidult market and the demand for nostalgia driven IPs and products? Why is Playmobil an ideal partner for tapping into that kidult market and pop culture demand?

Playmobil brings a true representative look and feel of some iconic licenses and vehicles. It’s a good mix of keeping the look and feel of these iconic license but also adding a Playmobil feel with our own characters. We are able to fuse the need for a true look and feel for the collector but also incorporate a sense of individuality and uniqueness.

 The Back to the Future range is brilliantly executed, what was the process of working with the IP like? What are the creative processes in bringing such a cult classic to the play space through Playmobil?

The Back to the Future range was a really exciting license to work with. The team at Universal continue to support and celebrate the franchise. The original film was 35 years old in 2020 so there was a lot to shout about and a lot going on with retailers, even with the unusual circumstances retail was in last year.

The license continues to be a huge success in 2021 and with the new sets out in May and a further Back to the future advent calendar released in September it is due to be another great year for Playmobil and Back to the Future.

 Likewise, the Scooby Doo collection speaks to multiple audiences, with a nostalgia heavy design – how do you strike the balance between targeting the two audiences?

Scooby-Doo has had such a long history with children watching for over 50 years! It was only natural that Playmobil’s tie up with this iconic legacy brand would speak to multiple audiences. The great thing about Scooby-Doo is that the characters, especially Scooby are so recognisable.

This makes it easy for young children all the way up to adults to identify with the brand in its Playmobil form. When you add into the mix the other iconic elements like the famous Mystery Machine and other well known scenes from the brand, it makes talking to both audiences easier.

 What future do you see for the kidult market in the toy space and in particular, its importance to Playmobil? Is it an area that will only grow stronger?

The Kidult market is an important part of Playmobil business and continues to grow, there is so much potential out there for Playmobil to continue strongly in this category and continue to create toys not just for kids but adults and collectors too.

What’s the next step for you guys in the kidult market space?

We have some new and exciting offerings in the Kidult and collectors market coming up. In May with have two new Back to the Future sets as well as more new Scooby-Doo additions in June

There is some exciting news in July, as we have two brand new special edition Volkswagen Campers and Beetles that will come as part of a limited edition run. Each product will have a individual serial number on the bottom of the product and feature chrome effect detailing making them extra special and perfect for collectors.