This year, Playmobil is launching over 300 new products.

The Aquarium range features several sets including the Aquarium, Aquarium Shop, Penguin Enclosure and Aquarium Enclosure. Also available will be six additional animal packs, including Sea Turtle with Babies, and Seal with Pups.

As fans await the festivities surrounding the next Royal Wedding, Playmobil welcomes a new Wedding range featuring a Bridal Shop, Wedding Limo, Wedding Reception, Wedding Ceremony and Flower Children and Photographer.

The new Horse Farm range features nine sets, from Horse Farm to Horse Show, through to Horse Transporter, with a detachable roof, opening rear doors and a fold-out ramp. This range will be complemented by a new free app available at the App Store or Google Play and by a further four new Horse Professionals packs.

The new Fairies range features unicorns, fairies and dragons. There are 10 sets within the range, including Magical Fairy Forest with Fairy Queen throne, the Enchanted Fairy Ship, which floats on water, and Mystical Fairy Glen, which has a colour changing light-up central flower.

The Top Agents range is back, supported with a new online film and free app. The range features a variety of vehicles and sets including the SpyTeam Battle Truck, which comes with figures, a hidden jet plane and shooting mechanism. It also floats on water and can be upgraded with an underwater motor for extra speed. The Agent P. with Racer set is suitable for land or water and features firing cannons, whilst Agent T.E.C.’s Robot has a transforming function.

2018 will also see the expansion of the 1.2.3 range, suitable for children aged 18 months+. Arriving this spring will be the new Pirate Ship, which floats on the water and features a water shooting canon. Also new to the range is the Pirate Island with a treasure cave, and spaces in which to place sea creatures.

Drumond Park’s sales director is raising money for the brain injury charity The Silverlining. 

Ross post-headshave, and Heidi enjoying a day out at the Guards Polo in Windsor, which supports The Silverlining with free tickets.

The day after her 17th birthday, Ross McDonald’s daughter Heidi was involved in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Nearly 18 years to the day after her accident, Ross had his head shaved to raise money for the charity The Silverlining, which has provided invaluable support to Heidi and her family in the years since her injury occurred.

The Silverlining Charity aims to improve the quality of life of all those affected by brain injury. Its work engages brain injured people with the wider community in such a way which invigorates, motivates and rehabilitates to discover a sense of purpose, social structure and added meaning to their lives.

On Wednesday evening last week, following a busy day at the London Toy Fair, Ross joined the “Vivid hair cut team” and braved the blades to raise money for the charity, arriving at the fair on Thursday sporting a new look.

Ross commented: “This wasn’t planned. It was 9.30pm on Wednesday evening, and we were in a taxi coming back to the Hilton after dinner with the Vivid sales guys. Several of the team are noted for their short hair or shaved heads, and I was taking some good-natured flak from them about my hair – it was looking rather long and in need of attention. That’s when the idea was born.”

“Dave Howard was wearing a rather trendy hat (for him) and he followed me around the hotel as I told guests the story, with Dave collecting cash donations. As midnight approached, Dave had over £550 in his hat, and promises of a further £1000 which has now been paid. Jackie Davies from Hasbro dipped again into her pocket for the honour of wielding the clippers.”

Readers can still donate to the fund by clicking on this link.

K’Nex and its parent company, Smart Brands International, will be auctioned to the highest bidder today. 

This is according to a legal advertisement on Philly.com. The legal notice states that “PNC has received an offer from a third party” and a proposed sale agreement with that buyer sets a price of $21m. The notice also states that “any bid received at the public sale…must be higher or better than the offer contained in the proposed sale agreement.”

A K’Nex spokesperson said on Thursday that they were unable to comment on the possible sale, and a PNC spokesperson said they had no further comment beyond the sale notice. Township officials said on Thursday that they had no knowledge of the auction, but hope the company’s future remains bright, that the company stays in Hatfield, and no jobs are lost in the transition.

Osborne’s Toymaster, Rushden, was the first UK retailer to buy and sell Lego sets.

To celebrate this milestone, Lego has created its store front completely out of Lego bricks. From the 26th January – 29th January, customers will be able to see the takeover shop façade.

Last Friday saw the unveiling of the shop front with the Lego UK managing director, Marina Edwards, congratulating Will and Pam Osborne on this great achievement.

The event was covered by Sky News, ITV East Anglia, BBC News Online, Channel 5 News, BBC Look East, BBC Radio Northampton, and Heart Four Counties.

Company has committed to acquiring all of the assets of the French doll manufacturer.

Corolle, a subsidiary of Mattel, is a French doll brand with 40 years of heritage to its name. Headquartered in Langeais, Loire Valley, its lines of premium dolls are treasured by children and handed down from generation to generation. The company currently enjoys robust sales and brand recognition throughout Europe and worldwide.

If the transaction proceeds, the Simba Dickie Group would establish a new French company in the legal structure of an SAS (a Simplified Joint-Stock Company). Upon completion of the transaction, the new subsidiary of the Simba Dickie Group would acquire the assets and run the business in Corolle’s existing location in Langeais, with all employees under Simba’s new leadership.

It is understood that Simba Toys’ leadership team intends to upgrade the Corolle doll portfolio in order to reach the upper price range, and increase sales worldwide.

The completion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, and a consultation process with Corolle’s employee representatives in accordance with French Law. The other terms of the transaction are confidential.

The specialist youth, kids and family research agency is aiming to better understand the 7-14 demographic.

Giraffe Insights has announced the launch of its latest research project Youth Squads in partnership with DC Thomson Media, which segments youth audiences into key groups in helping brands to determine how best to communicate and engage with them.

As part of the Youth Squads study, Giraffe Insights identified commonalities that exist amongst young people; namely how they develop as they get older, the role family plays, the importance of friendship and the use of technology. However, it is the extent to which these influences play a part in their lives that enabled the young people to be segmented into these new audience groups reflecting their differences in attitudes and behaviours.

The research leverages a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, including digital diaries and in-depth interviews with 64 young people aged between 7-14 years, as well as Youth TGI data from Kantar Media with a sample size of 4,163. Using this approach Giraffe Insights was able to identify 11 Youth Squads, each with their own key driving characteristics.

Maxine Fox, managing director of Giraffe Insights, commented: “The research demonstrates that although influences in young people’s lives are constantly evolving as a result of technological and societal change, a number remain constant, not least the essential role that friends and family play. This research provides a valuable tool for brands looking to understand younger audiences beyond their age and gender and how to most effectively communicate and engage with them.”