The iconic pre-school property, Sesame Street is continuing to grow its international portfolio of toy partners, having signed a new partnership with the US games, puzzles, toys, and crafts specialist, MasterPieces.
The new MasterPieces Sesame Street products will begin to appear on shelves across the US this summer with a raft of launches designed to engage children in original craft activities, memory games, and classic card games designed to entertain and educate young minds.
MasterPieces is a staple of the US toy industry, having successfully delivered puzzles, toys, games, and more to the market for 25 years. It’s partnership with Sesame Workshop will see licensed product featuring a cast of popular Sesame Street characters, including Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and more.
David Rolls, president of MasterPieces, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Sesame Workshop. Together, we’ve been able to create some of our most captivating and fun, educational products that all feature many of the tremendously popular characters, including Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and more.
”For over 50 years, Sesame Street, produced by the nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop, has delivered not only school-readiness lessons promoting literacy and numeracy, but also age-appropriate guidance on healthy habits, self-expression and self-regulation, empathy, friendship, and much more.
“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, and that means nourishing the mind and body,” said Gabriela Arenas, vice president of licensing, North America, Sesame Workshop. “We’re pleased to be working with MasterPieces to bring fun and engaging activities to children and families.”
The new Sesame Street products include craft kits such as the Sesame Street Garbage Truck ( a DIY wood paint kit featuring Oscar the Grouch), the Sesame Street Best Friends Character Bank, and the Sesame Street School Bus. In games, MasterPieces will launch the Grouchy Old Oscar card game, Elmo & Friends Matching Game, and Sesame Street 3-in-1 Educational Card Games.
The global automotive brand, Peugeot, has outlined its ambitious intentions to launch into the toy sector, having appointed Licensing Matters Global to roll-out a brand extension programme through licensing partnerships.
The London-based global licensing agency has detailed its new, long-term partnership with the Parisian company, Peugeot Industrie, a Peugeot Family Group subsidiary in charge of the expansion of the Peugeot brand into various consumer product sectors.
Under the agreement, LMG will aim to drive the Peugeot brand into toy aisles through new licensing partnerships.
“We are looking forward to working with LMG to expand our global consumer product offering,” said Christian Peugeot, CEO, Peugeot Frères Industrie. “Gifted with 210 years of entrepreneurial spirit, Peugeot constantly enriches its expertise to create objects and experiences that facilitate everyday life. We believe LMG is the right partner to tailor a program that will instill the Peugeot DNA in new product verticals.”
Michael Kwan, CEO of LMG, added: “We’re honoured to be given the opportunity to support Peugeot Frères Industrie’s ambition.”
“Throughout its history, Peugeot’s inventions – ranging from ground-breaking saw blades to first automobiles, via stylish table mills and robust DIY equipment – have embodied relentless technical ingenuity, timeless elegance and a family spirit,” added Felipe Noriega, vice president EMEA, LMG. “We are eager to help expand the legacy of this world-famous brand, through licensing, into objects and experiences that deliver those core brand attributes to consumers.”
LMG are currently seeking partner licensees in selected product across the toy sector, as well as consumer product categories such as Toys, Garden Power Tools, Camping Equipment, Major Electric Appliances, Sports Equipment, Travel Accessories and Fashion, among others.
The Pokémon Company International is celebrating its milestone 25th anniversary with a wide-ranging raft of new partnerships, product roll-outs, and activations that includes special anniversary merchandise from licensees such as Jazwares, Mattel, Funko, and The Wand Company.
New product from its portfolio of global partners will coincide with landmark partnerships and the franchise’s first venture into the music business that sees the firm team up with Universal Music Group to work with some of the biggest artists in the space to launch its project P25 Music.
Pop icon, Katy Perry, has been revealed as a premier collaborator on the new year-long music campaign that aims to celebrate the multi-media appeal that Pokémon has wielded since its launch in 1996.
The star-studded program will accompany fan-focused activations celebrating 25 years of Pokémon across the franchise’s portfolio of video games, mobile apps, animation, merchandise and more.
“Pokémon has been a constant in my life from playing the original video games on my Game Boy, to trading Pokémon Trading Card Game cards at lunch, to the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with Pokémon GO,” said Katy Perry. “It is an honour to be chosen to help celebrate a franchise that has given me so much joy in the last 25 years, and to be able to watch it evolve in the ways it has provided that kind of electric joy for the kids in my life and around the world.”
Further details about Katy Perry’s participation, additional artist surprises, and more about the P25 Music programme will be announced throughout the year.
Meanwhile, and tapping into the concept of exploration of new worlds that has been at the heart of the Pokémon video game franchise since its launch in 1996, The Pokémon Company International is inviting fans to relive journey’s through the regions of the Pokémon world via a new website launch that will serve as the hub for all fan celebration activities as they are announced.
Building on its programme of collaborations for the year ahead, however, and The Pokémon Company International is partnering with the likes of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Levi’s, McDonald’s and more, while fans can expect special anniversary merchandise from partners including Jazwares, Scholastic, Mattel, Funko, Power A, and The Wand Company.
Additional partners and the means in which they will celebrate the milestone anniversary this year will be detailed throughout the year.
Of course, the celebrations wouldn’t be complete without fanfare for the cornerstone of the Pokémon brand, so The Pokémon Trading Card Game will be launching a special 25th anniversary-themed collection of Pokémon Trading Card Game cards later on in the year.
In the meantime, fans will be able to collect over-sized cards featuring Pikachu and first partner Pokémon from the various regions featured in the franchise.
According to The Pokémon Company International, the details revealed today ‘are a glimpse into what the world can expect from Pokémon in 2021.’ With 25th anniversary activations planned for Pokémon animation, video games, mobile games, and more, “fans have a year full of new journeys ahead.”
The lockdown success of the games and puzzles market, a surge in the kidult market, and early Christmas trading all fuelled by the restrictions and implications of the Covid-19 pandemic, has helped the UK toy market hit a five per cent sales increase for its overall value.
According to the latest results from The NPD Group, total sales for the year hit £3.3 billion, helping the UK maintain its position as the largest toy market in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.
The biggest spike in toy sales of the past year came during the first nationwide lockdown, throughout which toy sales increased by 22 per cent. The NPD has cited the nation’s rediscovery of the value of play to stimulate children and adults, as well as alleviate pressures imposed by the stay at home messaging alongside the closure of tourism, hospitality, and leisure.
Games and Puzzles saw the highest category growth with a 19 per cent increase, as families spent more time playing together. Puzzles, which can be enjoyed both in groups and individually, increased by 38 per cent.
Building Sets and Outdoor Toys also experienced significant growth in 2020, growing by 18 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. Good weather in the spring and early summer lockdown provided opportunities for families to bring fun and add in some exercise to combat the increase in indoor screen time. They also had the benefit of helping to compensate for missed holidays at Easter and in the summer.
The periodic closure of schools also meant that many parents turned to educational toys for assistance to help bolster their children’s cognitive development. This drove a nine per cent increase in sales of Learning and Exploration toys such as Scientific Sets and Musical Instruments.
‘Kidults’ now responsible for more than one quarter of toy sales
In addition to these trends, the industry witnessed yet further evidence of the kidult market’s appetite for toys.
This adult and teen category now represents 27 per cent of total toy sales, up by 16 per cent since 2016. In 2020, with more time on their hands, kidults completed complex building set kits, played more games and entertained themselves with puzzles.
As this group tends to purchase higher priced toys, their buying power helped increase the average sales price of toys overall.
Meanwhile, with concerns over shortages of supply and of delivery capacity, people were urged to shop early for toys in Christmas 2020. The result was a very strong November for the toy market, that saw sales increase 11 per cent year on year. This was, however, followed by lower than usual sales in December – down nine per cent year on year – exacerbated by lockdowns in November and December.
Classified as essential retail and therefore able to remain open during lockdowns, grocery chains fared well for toy sales in the last two months, up ten per cent year on year.
Joining the click and collect debate, The NPD Group has said that online services ‘proved to be essential’ for retailers operating within the confines of lockdown and social restrictions. Britons moved online to buy their toys throughout 2020 as retailers adapted and maximised their omnichannel offering to reach them.
As a result, in the 12 months ending September 2020, online toy sales grew to almost half of all sales.
Frédérique Tutt, global industry analyst at The NPD Group, said: “The top 15 sellers of the year tell much of the story for toys in 2020. We turned to toys and games to help fill the long weeks of lockdown.
“Toys provided the hub for fun, entertainment, education, exercise and stress relief. They helped make the decidedly abnormal feel normal – especially at Christmas. Manufacturers and retailers worked hard to meet the need for toys of all kinds for all ages, shifting sales to online and Click & Collect, and to grocery chains to fulfil demand. 2020 accelerated changes already underway in the toy sector and underlined the importance of innovation, strong supply chain and channel management.”
Roland Earl, director general at the British Toy & Hobby Association, added: “2020 was an extremely challenging year for retail as a whole, and toy retailers of all sizes had to adapt and innovate in this difficult environment in order to ensure consumers could still obtain the products they require.
“The end of year statistics reflect the role that toys and games played in bringing enjoyment and assisting families and individuals to navigate the difficulties of repeated closures and lockdowns. Despite varying functions, objectives and age suitability, all toys are ultimately designed with one overarching goal – to bring fun, enjoyment and play value to the recipient and never has this been more important.
“Looking ahead to 2021, the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic will remain for some time, though toy designers will continue to innovate during tough conditions to ensure families have access to the items they want and need.
“Brexit will continue to have an impact on all industries in 2021, and the toy sector specificially will continue with its thorough preparation following the deal announced at Christmas.”
NPD’s Tutt, concluded: “One thing is certain, the importance of playing together with toys, games and puzzles as a family, group or alone has been re-established during the lockdowns.
“Many people have also rediscovered the value of nature and the environment in the pandemic, and one encouraging sector trend is that green issues have come to the fore, and many manufacturers are reducing packaging and incorporating eco-friendly materials in their products.
“Finally, when cinemas hopefully reopen later on in the year, blockbusters will boost toy sales once again.”
The global toys and licensing powerhouse, Jazwares, has promoted Laura Zebersky to the position of president. The 15-year veteran of the toy industry most recently held the title of chief commercial officer, overseeing its global licensing, marketing, and sales efforts.
Judd Zebersky will remain as chief executive officer and the pair will continue to drive forward the success of the company together.
Laura Zebersky helped catapult Jazwares’ growth by driving global licensing, marketing, retail expansion and exponential sales. In 2017, she was a recipient of the prestigious Women In Toys Wonder Women Award, honouring top female executives, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and other change makers within the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries.
Judd Zebersky, CEO, Jazwares, said: “Laura is the most amazing business and life partner anyone could ask for. Her understanding of the toy industry and business savvy is unmatched. Partnering with Laura, now as president, the future success and possibilities for Jazwares are boundless.”
Jazwares has also announced the promotion of several management executives across the company.
Kelly Deen has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing and is credited for transforming the marketing and campaign strategy within the company. Deen joined Jazwares in 2019, bringing her experience and passion for the toy and entertainment category, and has led the team to drive tremendous results despite the challenges of the past year.
Previously, Deen led marketing and intelligence at tech startup, Magic Leap, and consumer marketing at Cartoon Network.
Additionally, Gerhard Runken has been promoted to senior vice president of brand for Jazwares’ boy brands and Kellytoy brands, including Squishmallows, Micro Machines, and Pokémon, among others.
Runken was previously the vice president of marketing and brand at Wicked Cool Toys prior to the acquisition in October 2019.
As Jazwares celebrates continued growth in Europe, Jonny Taylor has been promoted to senior vice president, Europe. Previously the managing director, UK and Nordics, Taylor established the UK office in 2012 and has managed the German office since February 2020.
In his new role, Taylor will continue to support development in these markets, while also focusing on growth in other key territories.
Plans have been put in place to launch the first official Nerf Action Experience attraction in Manchester’s Trafford Centre shopping destination through a partnership between Hasbro and Rocafella Leisure Group.
The £4.5 million attraction will mark the first of its kind Britain, mirroring a similar attraction already open in Singapore called Nerf Xperience. The news has been reported following plans to change 25,000 square feet of units at Barton Square were placed with Trafford Council.
According to Manchester Evening News, the application reveals that three first floor units will be combined to create the space to accommodate the adventure attraction. A 4,000 sq ft mezzanine floor is also planned, with room for a café and a viewing platform.
The application states that Nerf is a ‘family entertainment leisure experience, incorporating laser guns and virtual interactions and is a market leading attraction with 20 attractions across Europe’.
“Nerf’s occupancy at Barton Square will be their first UK destination,” it adds.
It is expected that the new Nerf Action Xperience will create somewhere around 50 new jobs.
Word of the partnership between Hasbro and Rocafella Leisure Group was first announced when the event company’s chief operating officer issued a social media statement detailing the launch of the experience at the Trafford Centre “in early 2021.”
“Taking UK family Entertainment Centres top the next level with the first of its kind. A huge thank you to @Hasbro and their dedicated team,” he said.
Given the manner in which Innersloth’s hit mobile and Steam gaming title, AmongUs, has managed to capture the world’s attention over the course of 2020, it was always to be the rather fortunate firm indeed to whom the licensing and toy rights finally fell.
Launched in June 2018, it took a global pandemic to give the free multi-player game the airtime it needed, driven in popularity by a number of high-profile Twitch channels that picked it up as the ultimate antidote to Coronavirus boredom, to officially become the most downloaded game globally of the past year.
Beating other popular mobile games such as PUBG mobile, Roblox, and Call of Duty, AmongUs hit a total of 264 million downloads globally last year. 41 million of those were in the US alone.
The game fired the collective imaginations of gamers the world over and incited much chatter over who – indeed if anyone – would be the company that aligned itself with the sensibilities of its studio, Innersloth, enough to take the game into the physical consumer products space.
Toikido founder Darran Garnham
It came as little surprise then when, only last week, the toy, licensing, and entertainment industry guru, Darran Garnham, declared that the honour had fallen to him and his boundary-pushing, multi-discipline business venture, Toikido.
The big news for everyone keen on tapping into one of the biggest entertainment IPs to have emerged from the 2020 pandemic – and most likely its ongoing 2021 twinned experience – is that, with the global master toy rights to AmongUs, we can expect to see launches across a number of categories, including – “but certainly not limited to” – collectables, figures, plush, play-sets, RC, and more.
The partnership will mark the first for Toikido, a business itself born out of the last year, as it looks to “push the envelope of innovation” in not only the kind of toys and IP it delivers to a contemporary toy industry, but in the way the industry itself operates. From the outset, Toikido certainly appears to be one of the many silver linings that the children’s industry has striven for over the last 12 months.
“Toikido has been born by handpicking amazing people who I have always wanted to bring together,” Darren Garnham, the business’ founder, tells ToyNews. “We’ve developed an ecosystem across many disciplines and skills that are really going to shake things up a bit.”
First and foremost, Toikido will be doing so by partnering with existing studios as well as developing its own brands, games, and content. Secondly, states Garnham, is that Toikido has been designed from the ground up, to push the envelope of what toy companies of the 21st century look like.
“We are a young team and between us have decades of knowledge, strong relationships throughout the industry, and we are trusted,” says Garnham. “It’s a group that includes Grammy and BAFTA winners, inventors, investors, social media, IP and tech experts, and it’s this unique blend of talent and skills that will make the difference.”
A name well-known in the toy, licensing, and entertainment circles, Garnham’s career has seen him attached to some of the biggest companies across the space, including the likes of Nintendo, Pokemon, LEGO, MTW Toys, and Mind Candy as part of the team that built Moshi Monsters into a multi billion-dollar retail business. It’s an enviable CV and one – through his experience with Moshi and a tenure at Universal (where he managed over 4,000 licensees) that has given him the skills needed to run a global IP business.
“I have worked with the very best toy companies, watched how they pitch, what they pitch, how they innovate and where opportunities exist to do things even better,” says Garnham. “I have also been exposed to models well outside the toy industry and this has led us to conclude that there are untried models we can pull from other industries into the toy space and make a real difference to how business is done.”
It’s through a career as diverse as the people and talent he has met throughout it that Toikido begins to be pulled together. It’s not just a team drawing from the toy or licensing industries, but backgrounds working with some of the biggest artists (in both music and social media) in the world.
“This allows us to not only launch toys from different platforms, but also from unexpected places,” he says. “This cross-functional, cross-platform integration and knowledge is one of the things that sets us apart.”
Garnham makes it abundantly clear that Toikido is here to “turn things on their head” in the toy space. A career spent watching innovation in product give way to cost in order to meet the demands of each part of the chain, Garnham wants to prove that “it’s still possible to make amazing products that give each part of the chain what they want without having to drop the quality bar.”
“Retailers want as much margin as possible, licensors as much royalty as possible, but also the best products, and the end consumer wants value for money. The we include R&D costs, marketing, shipping and placement, and compromise and mediocrity take over. This often leads to cheap, disposable toys making innovation difficult,” Garnham says.
“But we will be delivering toys that will be kept and passed down the generations because they are great toys with great play value.”
With a hand in Mediatonic, the wellness app Calm, KidsKnowBest and SuperAwesome, Garnham makes no secret of the fact that he likes to be involved in “fast moving, disruptive companies.”
“I love the journey, the energy, the belief to win,” he explains. “I also like data driven decisions. Research and launch, but don’t be afraid to kill or pivot if required.”
As a result of such mind-set, Toikido will be partnering with kids and family market experts Kids Industries and Kids Know Best as part of its service to partners, utilising the expertise of each to drive the firm’s insight and design strategy as well as targeted marketing initiatives through influencer programmes.
So to write 2020 off as the year we’d like to forget is to do a disservice to the leaps in innovation and forward-thinking that have been taken because of it. The toy industry itself has managed to find a new stride and has given space for opportunities as it has continued to grow during the challenges presented to it.
“Personally, I have taken 50 less flights this year and spent that time with my kids, while the negative knock-on effects for business has been minimal,” says Garnham. “I think we will question the need to spend the first quarter of the year running around the globe from fair to fair. With that being said, we work in an extremely sociable sector, and I can’t wait to bump elbows with friends when we next meet.”
When that will be, who’s to say. In the meantime, Garnham and the Toikido team have enough to keep them busy. Handling toy roll-out for the biggest mobile gaming IP of the past year is no small undertaking, and it’s a tone for the future of Toikido that the team is keen to pitch right.
“We are building a culture that will support our partners, avoid cannibalisation, and as a business, dedicate itself to supporting the shared visions, rather than taking in too many IP and getting distracted,” says Garnham.
“Within the team we have experts in numerous fields, so if the licensor requires, we can help expand IP from one platform to another – bring games into movies, toys into animation, social media talent into toys or music.
“We’re a new type of toy company for a brand new type of world, and we look forward to bringing a number of you on the journey with us.”
SKOOG, a new media tech company on a mission to offer children new creative and immersive play, has secured a global partnership with Sesame Workshop to launch an interactive platform that merges tactile technology with a content library featuring the popular Sesame Street characters.
SKOOG aims to combine multi-sensory play with interactive content and meaningful learning experiences.
The platform was originally launched with the focus on helping children with disabilities express their creativity through music, but has expanded into a suite of hands-on technology devices that children of all abilities can engage with.
SKOOG’s platform includes a parent-controlled app with unique cube-like hardware that lets kids play and create without relying solely on a smartphone screen.
Sesame Street marks SKOOG’s first children’s brand colaboration with a new platform that combines SKOOG technology with Sesame Workshop’s early childhood expertise and educational content to create a new hands-on – and screen independent – way to play.
By pressing soft, squeezable, interchangeable RFID buttons on their SKOOG Cube, kids will be able to enjoy interactive songs, games, and stories featurng the voices of Sesame Street characters.
“Children’s interactive play has never been as important as it is right now. In today’s complex digital world, we set out on a mission to help motivate and inspire children, leading the shift from passive consumption to active engagement – while enabling children of all abilities to play, engage, an consume safe and smart content independently,” said Gregg Stein, SKOOG Inc CEO.
“As huge Sesame Street fans, we’re thrilled to be collaborating with Sesame Workshop, a community of creators, educators, and unforgettable characters built on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Together, we have created a best-in-class physical and digital creative sandbox that will empower millions of children to experience the joy of infinitely expandable personal play patterns, enabled by stories and audio books, branching adventures, games, musical instruments, songs, and so much more.”
Scott Chambers, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president and general manager, North America media and licensing, added: “We hope that our unique combination of SKOOG technology and Sesame Workshop’s powerful content will inspire kids and families to get creative together – with a little help from the Sesame Street Muppets.”
TOMY has embarked on a new licensing collaboration with Universal Brand Development to launch a new line of pre-school toys for its popular Toomies brand, based on the blockbuster Jurassic World franchise.
Jurassic World id a $5 billion global franchise, and with Jurassic World: Dominion scheduled for release in June 2022, the brand is set to be one of TOMY’s “biggest ever collaborations” for the pre-school category.
Launching in June 2021, the line will include Chase & Roll Raptors anda Dino Rescue Ranger, inspired by the iconic vehicles in the films; Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs,a clever twist on Toomies bestselling Hide and Squeak Eggs, using dinosaur eggs in an incubator featuring the core toddler play pattern of ‘sort & pop’; and Pic & Push T. rex,a large T. rex dinosaur with a fun take on the iconic gyrosphere from the 2015 Jurassic World film.
The line will also support TOMY’s classic action game, Pop Up Pirate, with the launch of a Pop Up T. rex from July. The bestselling game recently celebrated its 45th Anniversary.
Mary Wood, general manager UK at TOMY, said: “Dinosaurs are an evergreen toy trend, reaching multiple age points including pre-schoolers, and with our Toomies success in this market dinosaurs seemed like a great fit for our next collaboration.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Universal to introduce this fantastic range – combining our expertise in pre-school toys with the worldwide phenomenon of Jurassic World, this is going to be a major focus for the business for next year and into 2022. Feedback from retailers across all markets has been nothing but positive.”
The Toomies brand has seen exponential growth in recent years, with its Toy range up by 33 per cent at Retail vs 2019. The brand’s ever-popular Hide & Squeak Eggs are also up by 25 per cent, with the full range including the Spring 2020 Hide & Squeak extension items and AW20 additions contributing to 81 per cent of EPOS Sales Year to Date.
Cats vs. Pickles, an international children’s IP that has rocketed to fame on YouTube, is looking to mirror its US success as it prepares to set all four paws down on the UK’s shores this year.
Made available to the UK market through Paul Fogarty’s TWO IN 1 Direct, Cats vs Pickles will introduce its eclectic range that spans more than 100 different styles of Cat and Pickles collectable plushies, Kitty Condo Habi-cats, themed special editions, Jumbo Plush, character pillows, and more.
It follows a soft launch for the brand here in the UK that, through a limited roll-out of the collectable plush range before Christmas, was met with ‘an impressive response,’ and reports of retailers selling 1,500 units within just a few weeks.
In the US, the demand for Cats vs Pickles has been driven by a large volume of bespoke online content created by Cepia. Short form video content on YouTube has generated more than 110 million views from a global audience, with more than 16 million views in the UK alone.
According to Fogarty, average sales of the Cats vs Pickles range have hit over 30 units sold per week, with many major outlets hitting as high as 50 units per store, per week.
Fogarty said: “Cats vs. Pickles is a long-term brand with much more to come from the range later in the year, including licensing. Cepia will be supporting the collection with a comprehensive and heavy marketing schedule, including TV, pre-roll and influencer activity. It’s going to be big.”
