A combination of brand-new games from Essen and a debut from Gibson’s Games gave Board Game Club its busiest night of the year on Wednesday 21st November.

Among the instant hits shipped back from Germany was the pattern-matching curiosity Layers from Happy Baobab. Meanwhile, Crystal Hall from Gibson’s Games found fans in every corner of the jam-packed room.

Crystal Hall sees each player lead a coven of wizards around a great hall in search of four crystals among 36 face-down tiles. Along the way players must dodge cauldrons, curses and potions. Acknowledging that it plays for longer than Board Game Club’s usual fare, co-founder Lesley Singleton commented on its popularity: “It’s got enough plot to pull you into a magical world. Unlike a lot of role-playing games, though, it doesn’t ask too much. It’s been a real hit.”

Rebecca Hersee, marketing & sales assistant at Gibson’s Games adds, “It was great to see so many board game fans playing Crystal Hall and getting tips from two of the inventors who came along to the event, John and Luke. We are thrilled with how the game was received.”

Elsewhere at the venue, which at times became standing-room-only, guests got to grips with Layers. This sees up to four people racing to match patterns by building up thin layers of transparent plastic. The Club’s other co-founder, Peter Jenkinson, explains its appeal: “Layers needs you to think quickly but carefully. The faster you match a pattern, the more you score, so you’re racing a timer and the other players.”

Now in its fifth year, Board Game Club lets games enthusiasts and industry insiders meet, mingle and play in a relaxed, informal way. For further information, visit www.boardgameclub.net.

The Creative Play Awards are sponsored and organised by Creative Steps magazine, which promotes creative play as vital in a child’s development.

After months of testing, the prestigious 2018 Creative Play Awards results have now been announced and will be published within the winter issue of Creative Steps magazine, as well as on www.creativesteps.co.uk and across all its social media platforms.

The results of these awards recognise the best products available to enhance creative development in young children and are beneficial to the consumer when making purchasing decisions.

John Hopley, editor of Creative Steps, commented: “Now in its 11th year, the quality of entries in the 2018 Awards has been exceptional and shows just how esteemed our awards scheme has become, recognising the best creative play toys, games and resources. We feel it is vital to have the products tested by end-users and have sent out more than 100 products to independent testers in homes, schools and childcare settings around the country. The competition was very strong, showing the importance of learning through creative play for children and the products that allow them to do so.”

The Winners and Highly Commended results are as follows:

Toys and Games – Indoor (0-3 years)
Winner – VTech – Toot-Toot Drivers Police Patrol Tower

Toys and Games – Indoor (4-7 years)
Winner – Ravensburger – Break Free
Highly Commended – Orchard Toys – Giraffes in Scarves

Toys and Games – Indoor (8-11 years)
Winner – Ravensburger – Make ‘n Break
Highly Commended – Asmodee (Esdevium) – Rory’s Story Cubes

Toys and Games – Outdoor (4-7 years)
Winner – Learning Resources – GeoSafari Jr. Explorer Scope
Highly Commended – Little Tikes – Fun Zone Splash Face

Electronic and Multimedia (4-7 years)
Winner – Vtech – Kidizoom Smart Watch DX2
Highly Commended – Spin Master – Boxer

Painting/Colouring/Modelling Materials (4-7 years)
Winner – Bandai (Evolution) – Crayola Playsets
Highly Commended – John Adams – Play Stuff Dough Scrummy Shop

Boys Craft Kits (8-11 years)
Winner – Ascent Hue – Hue Animation Studio
Highly Commended – Trends UK – Haynes V8 Engine

Girls Craft Kits (4-7 years)
Winner – Interplay – Fairy Light Garden
Highly Commended – Spin Master – Kumi Kreator

Girls Craft Kits (8-11 years)
Winner – Ascent Hue – Hue Animation Studio

Imaginative Role Play (0-3 years)
Winner – Imagine That Publishing – Tiny Town: Busy Day Play Felt
Highly Commended – LeapFrog (VTech) Water & Count Vegetable Garden

Imaginative Role Play (4-7 years)
Winner – Orchard Toys Money Match Café
Highly Commended – Little Tikes – Shop ‘n Learn Smart Checkout

Teaching Resources (0-3 years)
Winner – Bloomsbury – Ideas for Tuff Trays

Teaching Resources (4-7 years)
Winner – Learning Resources – Giant Magnetic Water Cycle

Teaching Resources (8-11 years)
Winner – Trends UK – Science Mad Chemistry Set

Special Educational Needs Toys/Resources (4-7 years)
Winner – Wendy Woo – My Mood Stars
Highly Commended – Golden Bear Toys – Mr Tumble Domino Train

Books (Children)
Winner – DK – Unlock Your Imagination
Highly Commended – Ryland Peters & Small – Origami Ocean Friends

An eBay survey polled 2,000 parents planning to spend on toys for their own children as well as other people’s.

The study reveals that parents will be purchasing an average of 19 toys ahead of Christmas morning – with Lego, Disney themed merchandise and Star Wars toys all set to take their place under the tree this year. Nearly eight in 10 parents also admitted to overspending at Christmas – with a third of parents even confessing to buying too many toys and having to keep some for other occasions. The survey revealed that, on average, parents plan to spend  around £392.82 on toys for their own children as well as other people’s.

However, despite the majority of parents splashing out this Christmas, ebay.co.uk has also seen an increase in budgeting this year as the purse strings tighten, with 63% admitting they have a financial plan in place to ensure they can afford to buy their children everything they want – nearly a quarter of parents will try and limit spending to under £200 overall. Parents also admitted to getting more organised by spending an average of 19.4 hours planning, shopping and wrapping children’s Christmas presents.

When it comes to choosing what toys to buy, half of parents said toys which spark imagination motivates their decision the most, with more than four in 10 concerned about the educational impact of toys, while 45% buy toys which they enjoyed playing with as a child.

It seems parents also consider their children’s ‘creativity and artistic nature’ when choosing toys for Christmas, with 47% saying this often motivates them to buy certain items. And while 56% of parents say their children’s pester power has a ‘massive impact’ on their purchasing decisions, many are influenced by recommendations from others, and the popularity of TV shows and books.

Over the last year there have been more than 100m searches for toys on eBay.co.uk. There have been 578,000 searches for Lego, nearly 185,000 searches for Scalextric and nearly 180,000 people were looking at Playmobil in the lead up to Christmas. And when it comes to classic favourites, top performing items sold over the last decade include Uno, Scrabble, and Hama Beads.

Alice Winter, category manager of toys and games at eBay.co.uk, commented: “We know how much time goes into finding that perfect present and this year, regardless of budget, we want to help people navigate our great selection of toys – from the latest Lego set to the traditional and retro.”

Mike Ashley intends to close stores in shopping centres owned by intu Properties, The Times reported on Sunday.

In mid-November, four House of Fraser stores were set to close after its new owner, Sports Direct, failed to reach an agreement with the landlord, intu.

At the time, the retail company said it had engaged with intu, but was ultimately “unable to agree reasonable terms for these stores to continue trading”.

On Sunday, The Times reported that Ashley will shut 17 stores – a mix of Sports Direct, House of Fraser, Flannels, USC and Evans Cycles outlets – as soon as leases reach a break clause or expire.

Ashley claimed this will cost more than £25m a year in lost rent and service charges for intu. The real estate investment trust’s rental income was £460m in 2017.

Everything you need to know about this bumper issue, and how you can get involved.

Work is now underway on the massive January Toy Fair preview edition of Toy World. This comprehensive issue will be mailed out to all UK toy buyers two weeks before the event opens.

Additional copies will be given out at the London Toy Fair, and also from the British Pavilion in Nuremberg.

All companies advertising in this edition will receive generous editorial coverage within the dedicated Toy Fair Preview section of the January edition, while regular online coverage in the run-up to the event, and during the show itself, will help bolster advertising initiatives.

This issue will also include previews of the Nuremberg and New York Toy Fairs, as well as a separate pull-out supplement dedicated to Spring Fair.

The ad deadline for this issue is 12th December, and the editorial copy deadline is 3rd December.

For further information regarding editorial opportunities contact Rachael Simpson-Jones, editor, rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk, or Casey Goodman, editorial assistant, casey@toyworldmag.co.uk.

To find out more about advertising opportunities, contact Mark Austin, mark@toyworldmag.co.uk.

Brainstorm has recently teamed up with Burnley Belvedere Football Club to sponsor their kits.

Proud of its North West roots, Brainstorm is always looking for opportunities to support its local community.

Belvedere are 2018 East Lancashire League champions, and The Original Glowstars Company brand will work alongside the club sponsoring their team and training kits.

Nick Saunders, director at Brainstorm, commented: “This was a good opportunity to support a local community initiative using our brand, The Original Glowstars Company. To sponsor this hardworking team is a perfect fit. It’s a widely recognised brand that continues to grow from strength to strength and we hope to share in that success with Burnley Belvedere FC. Also the kit looks great with our logo.”

New country manager, Thomas Randrup, told Toy World about the extension of its Horse Club and Eldrador Creatures ranges, and a new year of activity in the planning.

It’s fair to say it’s been a bit of a whirlwind introduction to the world of Schleich for me, and I’m looking forward to 2019. In terms of trade for 2018, it’s been decent year for Schleich in what has been, overall, a difficult year for the market. Our core collections have been very well received, and the new play sets in each range are in high demand. Now it’s time for us to build on this.

We are excited about what is coming up in 2019. We have some dynamic growth targets over the coming year so plenty to get stuck into, and it’s likely we’ll need to strengthen our team further in the near future. We have new products launching in January across all of our categories, so we hope to make a very strong start to the year. For Farm World, there are all new animals to discover, plus ready to go play sets such as the new Puppy Pen and a working Horse Stable. Wild Life will see new animals join the line-up, and this year we have a play mat that will provide the perfect back drop for playing with them. The Schleich Horse Club remains a big focus for us, and we will build on the considerable success we have already achieved in establishing it in the market. Key new pieces such as the Rider Cafe and Playmat will complement the existing range perfectly.

In addition to all the new products, we also have some key events to look out for; watch out for our Red Rabbit event in spring plus many other promotional opportunities. We will also be investing considerably more in our marketing support from 2019 onwards, as we look to significantly raise the brand profile of Schleich in the UK. All we can say is watch this space.

To read the full article, click here.