Trends set to fuel sales this year include kidult toys, music-play and mindfulness, says The Toy Association
“This year’s biggest trends underscore the ongoing impact of the pandemic on play; the toy industry’s growing commitment to helping kids become better global citizens; and the many social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of mindful, musical, and ‘kidult’ toys,” said The Toy Association’s Adrienne Appell.
LEGO minifigure DJ Llama signs record deal with Astralwerks
“It’s an honour to sign the first ever llama and LEGO minifigure to a global record deal,” said Luke Armitage, VP of Marketing at Astralwerks.
Gaming Goldmine
Phalgun Polepalli, Director at DICE Toy Labs, spells out what needs to happen for the Indian board game market to soar, and why international publishers – both tabletop and mass market – should look to license their next hit from India’s growing community of inventors
Sustainability in Licensing Conference to take place in June
“Our aim with SILC 2021 is to help both future-proof our industry and our world,” said conference curator Helena Mansell-Stopher.
TOTY Awards 2021 winners revealed
Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Child Animatronic Edition Toy won Toy of the Year, and also took home the award for Innovative Toy of the Year.
Animated Cluedo series on the way from the studio behind Bob’s Burgers
“Clue is an iconic whodunit property that exudes mystery and intrigue, and has fans all over the world – we can’t wait to share our reimagined animated version with audiences,” said eOne’s Pancho Mansfield.
Fisher-Price’s Nikki Bauman on understanding inventors – and overthinking ideas
Nikki Bauman discusses Fisher-Price’s process, inventor relations, and killing creativity.
Golden Bear Co-founder Christine Nicholls talks toys, values and staying curious
Christine Nicholls of Golden Bear on family values, being bold and moving forward.
Semi Co-op’s Rachel Kremer and Heinze Havinga on celebrating great game design through comics
We caught up with Rachel and Heinze to learn more about the origins of Semi Co-op, and why comics is a perfect vehicle for celebrating great game design.
Educa Borras bolsters sustainability efforts by adopting vegetable-based inks and recycled cardboard for its games and puzzles
Since December 2020, all products manufactured at the firm’s factory in Sant Quirze del Vallès use vegetable-based inks.