Toys R Us eyes return via new company, Tru Kids Brands
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write the next chapter of Toys R Us by launching a newly imagined omni channel retail experience for our beloved brands here in the US,” said Tru Kids’ Richard Barry
JUNKO creator Pete Rope on his eco-friendly toy that turns ‘junk’ into playthings
We caught up Rope to learn more about his journey to date with JUNKO, and what’s next for his eco-friendly toy brand.
Adam Hollywood sheds light on the origins of his music streaming party game, MusoDJ
We caught up with Hollywood to find out more about the origins of the game, and learn how the tabletop space compares with the industry he has spent most of his career in: the music business.
Designers behind The Mind and Monikers team up for new party game, Wavelength
Wavelength is a social guessing game where two teams compete to read each other’s minds.
Worlds Apart raises £45k for RSPCA through Scruff-a-Luvs sales
The charity partnership will continue into 2019, with the aim of raising further funds from sales of new Scruff-a-Luv varieties this Autumn/Winter.
Bananagrams, Storyball and Fundamentally Children to discuss routes to market at US Toy Fair’s Creative Factor
Bananagrams’ Rena Nathanson, Storyball’s Meir Biton and Fundamentally Children’s Amanda Gummer will shed light on the various paths that companies and designers can take in getting their product to market; be it doing it themselves or finding an unusual marketplace tactic.
Voice activation to become kids’ preferred operating system this year, predicts Kids Insights
“Gen Speak – children using a smart speaker to call up content, answer a homework question or order a new pair of trainers with their own pre-paid credit card – is rapidly becoming the new normal in many homes, and we see this trend continuing,” said Kids Insights’ Nick Richardson.
Alpha, Triclops and Sweet Spot Studio to talk licensed toy design at US Toy Fair’s Creative Factor
Alpha’s Darren Lee Phillipson, Triclops’ Rob Ames and Sweet Spot Studio’s Jon Vanderbeek will discuss the process of creating licensed toys in a session chaired by Mojo Nation’s Billy Langsworthy
Hape, Playmobil and Ravensburger among Spielwarenmesse ToyAwards winners
In the SchoolKids category, the Magical Mermaid World from PLAYMOBIL emerged as the winner, while the quiz game kNOW! from Ravensburger won the accolade in the Teenager & Adults segment.
Zuru’s Adam Woods on disruption, creativity and booty-shaking llamas
We caught up with Zuru’s creative director, Adam Woods, to discuss the origins of Boppi the Booty Shaking Llama, as well as delve into the firm’s ‘bold and disruptive’ creative culture.