US

Games and Puzzles enjoyed growth of 55%, Outdoor & Sports Toys was boosted by 22%, Building Sets sales jumped 20% and Arts & Crafts enjoyed a sales increase of 13% during Q1 2020.

“2019 was one of the more complicated years to get a good read on toy industry health,” said Juli Lennett, vice president and industry advisor, Toys, The NPD Group.

Design execs from the likes of Mattel, Hasbro and Funko Games are in the running.

On one of his rare U.K. stopovers, we met with David Moffat, the inventor of Pass the Pigs, a classic that has enjoyed over 37 million sales.

“PlayMonster is a perfect fit for me with its culture of playfulness and determination, and commitment to innovation,” said Gill.

Darren Lee Phillipson, Vice President of Global Product Design at Alpha Group, looks at how a creative approach to pitching can make all the difference.

The LEGO Review Board has decided they will be the next LEGO Ideas concepts to become a reality.

We caught up with Big Potato’s Tristan Hyatt-Williams to find out why people are excited about the return of Blockbuster (even if only in party game form).

This session will shine a spotlight on how emerging tech is set to shape the toys and games of the future and look at how it’s already changing the ways in which kids (and big kids) play.

“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