In Toy World’s June issue, Rachael Simpson-Jones takes a look at the licences that are currently dominating the Action Figures category and asks leading suppliers how stockists can meet the needs of fans and collectors.
The Action Figure category is inextricably linked to the Character Licensed Toys category, with suppliers and manufacturers leaning heavily into evergreen or on-trend TV, film and gaming licences. In 2024, this means they can tie into some major anniversaries for steady, evergreen brands as well as a few that are enjoying a major resurgence thanks to new content.
Let’s start with the evergreens. According to Martin Rowe, senior Marketing manager at Hasbro UK & Ireland, 2024 is set to be a huge year for Transformers, with the brand turning 40, the highly anticipated Transformers One movie dropping in autumn, and an array of marketing activations taking place throughout the year. Hasbro revealed its new Transformers One action figure line-up in April.
Transformers isn’t the only franchise celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also marking four decades since the heroes in a half shell first appeared in comic book form. Since then, the property has spawned a raft of games, TV series and films, the most recent of which – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – will be followed this summer by Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The new content has been bolstered by a strong line of action figures, not least of which is Playmates Toys’ range.
With so much to get behind this year, fans are certainly spoilt for choice and retailers have much to keep an eye on in the coming months. While choice is a great thing for consumers, it can pose something of a headache for retailers, which – as Bandai UK’s Collector & Hobby Brand manager, Ciaran Chivers-Procter, notes – have to both keep abreast of the latest trends and be reactive to emerging properties. For indies, that means knowledge is power.
To discover more insights from suppliers and learn about upcoming developments in the category this year, click here for the full article which appeared in our June issue.
