Everything you need to know about the June issue of Toy World, and how you can get involved.

This issue will include comprehensive category features on wheeled toys, infant toys, arts & crafts, and boys’ figures, collectibles and play sets.

Regular features such as Talking Shop, Viewpoint, and Allegedly will also be included.

The deadline for editorial will be the 1st May, and the deadline for adverts will be the 13th May.

For further information regarding editorial opportunities contact Rachael Simpson-Jones, editor, rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk.

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

The company says the success of the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee boosted sales of its toys, sending its shares up 16%.

As reported by Reuters, Hasbro has announced surprise profits for Q1 2019, pointing to the success of the Bumblebee movie as a major factor for its turnaround in fortunes.

The company has been focusing on deals with production houses to boost sales of its action toys as it recovers from the impact of the liquidation of Toys R Us last year. Revenue from the company’s franchise brands segment, which includes Transformers and other long-running brands including Play-Doh and Monopoly, rose 9% to $393.6m in the quarter ended 31st March, far surpassing analysts’ average estimate of $361.7m.

Earnings of 21 cents per share also beat the consensus market expectation of an 11 cents per share loss as sales surged past expectations.

The company has also invested more money on virtual games as kids spend more time on electronic devices, including shifting its Magic:The Gathering collectible cards into virtual form.

Revenue from the company’s entertainment, licensing and digital business jumped 24% to $92m, primarily due to a new e-sports programme based on the online version of the card game.

The results were a major recovery from Hasbro’s $112.5m, or 90 cents per share, loss a year earlier, when it was hammered by $61m in costs caused by the bankruptcy of Toys R Us. The company also cut its selling, distribution and administrative costs by about 31% year-on-year to $225.3m.

Net revenue rose 2.3% to $732.5m, compared with expectations of a near 8% fall.

The fourth generation, family-owned British company celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Gibsons is launching seven new jigsaw puzzles for spring, in addition to relaunching its classic strategy game, L’Attaque, in celebration of its centenary in May.

Amongst the new 1,000 piece puzzles is a montage of Vintage Walls Ice Cream imagery. With a rich history stretching back to the early 20th century, Walls is deeply rooted in Gibsons’ local culture and communities.

To commemorate the 75 years that have passed since the D-Day Landings in 1944, Gibsons has re-released artist Bill Perring’s 1,000-piece puzzle from 2004. The scene shows the Allied Forces landing in France with a Spitfire in the foreground, two Typhoons to the right, and landing craft approaching the beach in the background.

Gibsons will also be releasing Curious Kittens, which depicts a new dolls house that has peaked the interest of some cute felines, All Aboard to Keswick, a steam train puzzle painted by Stephen Warnes, and Caravan Escapes, a nostalgic scene that brings back memories of caravan holidays in the great British countryside.

There are two new 500-piece puzzles amongst the new designs. Greg Giordano has designed In the Garden, which shows an overgrown garden filled with everything from butterflies to blue tits. Glenny’s Garden Shop is a floral design awash with colour, painted by the talented Steve Read. Available in a 500XL piece count, this puzzle will get fans in the mood for spring. The pieces of this puzzle are double the size of those in a 1,000-piece puzzle, making it ideal for beginners or those with visual or motor-skill impairments.

As with all Gibsons jigsaws, the pieces are made from the highest quality 100% recycled board.

Licensing veterans Trudi Hayward and Jean-Philippe Randisi have partnered again, this time to create a new company.

Trudi Hayward has many years of consumer products experience across brand and entertainment properties, previously working for Beanstalk Europe, CPLG, Entertainment Rights, Viacom (where she set up the UK Nickelodeon CP business and then looked after all pan-European activities), and ITV, where she was in charge of Global Consumer Products.

Jean-Philippe Randisi, after several years at Disney, ran Saban Consumer Products Europe, then set up the consumer products business of Viacom in Europe with Trudi before taking over International. He then joined ITV, heading up Consumer Products, Home Entertainment and International Digital, as well as kids content production. More recently, he was CEO of Zodiak Kids, the production and distribution division of children’s content at Banijay Group with studios in the UK and France.

Brand-Ward’s mission is to help IP owners and creators in the kids’ entertainment business grow outside of their core business and monetise their IP globally. The company will achieve this by supporting: content – sourcing of IP, content strategy, production strategy, production financing, co-production; brand development – market positioning, marketing strategy and plans, digital exposure, marketing and creative assets development; and sales – TV/digital strategy, Consumer Products strategy, blending (merging broadcast and CP strategies into one consistent market approach to maximise success), appointment and management of distributors and agents.

Trudi commented: “I am delighted to be working with Jean-Philippe again; I suspect it will be no surprise to the industry that we have joined forces once more, this time to offer our clients the best strategy across content and monetisation, globally.”

Jean-Philippe adds: “With my content and media expertise, and Trudi’s consumer products experience and local market knowledge of retail nuances, we hope that partners will find our services hugely beneficial when creating and rolling out new IP.”

It’s not too late to register for the show, which will be held on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th April.

The organisers of the Independent Toy & Gift Show strive to make the buying experience as pleasant as possible with free registration, parking and refreshments. Hosted by plaY-room, the toy division of AIS, only the best trade suppliers are invited to exhibit, and all 30 of the group’s top companies by turnover will be present.

All 84 exhibitors are ready to meet with buyers and are prepared with exclusive trade deals available to all visitors. On arrival, each buyer will be given a booklet containing single product offers.

Held at the Cranmore Park Exhibition Centre, situated only five minutes off Junction 4 of the M42, the show’s theme this year will be jigsaws& puzzles. Gibsons will be marking its 100th year, while visitors can also have their picture taken in a giant life size Wasgij puzzle, celebrate the best of British with Ravensburger, or play the Number Street Game on the Orchard Toys stand to be in with a chance of winning a free Number Street Jigsaw.

To save time on show days, visitors can register here for their entrance badge. Once registered, they are entitled to free parking, a complimentary lunch and access to the One Hit Wonders booklet, featuring offers only available at this show.

A comprehensive range of the iconic micro-sized building blocks is now available.

Starting at just 4mm x 4mm x 5mm in size, Nanoblocks provide kids with everything required to construct detailed and realistic 3D models of varying sizes and complexity.

UK & Ireland distributor Marbel stocks a wide variety of Nanoblocks in a range of designs. New for 2019 are a number of additions to the Mini Collections, Sights To See, Middle and Deluxe series. Each pack clearly displays the difficultly level; ranging from 1-5, there is something to suit everyone, from beginner builder to expert.

Expanding upon the brand’s current selection of dog breeds, the Chihuahua, Siberian Husky, Beagle and Toy Poodle join the line-up. Available in difficulty levels 2 and 3, and with piece counts of between 110 and 200 within the Mini Collection series, these sets are an ideal entry to the the ‘Nanoverse’.

The Sights To See series lets builders explore iconic landmarks from across the globe from the comfort of their own home, such as the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona or the Brooklyn Bridge of New York. Each set ranges in difficultly from 2-4 with between 200-800 pieces.

For those who fancy more of a challenge, the Deluxe series includes the Toyko Skyline kit, featuring an impressive 1,280-pieces needed to complete a number of major landmarks. Fans of mythology can opt for the Kraken. Including over 1,890 pieces, this level 5 set is ideal for expert builders.

Fans can now collect, play and trade.

Panini has announced the launch of the UEFA Road to Euro 2020 Official Trading Card Collection. The race for the 2020 European title starts here, with a brand-new version of Adrenalyn XL designed to showcase the top national teams in Europe, all ready to take to the field and compete in the final stage of UEFA Euro 2020.

With Road to UEFA Euro 2020, the Adrenalyn XL series gains a highly prestigious title, featuring some of football’s best players and highest ranking nations. As well as World Champions France and current European Champions Portugal, it features top teams such as Belgium, Croatia, England and Germany. Plus, there are teams keen to reassert themselves on the European stage, such as Italy and the Netherlands, and up-and coming talents looking to claim their place in the spotlight, including Switzerland, Poland and many others.

Mike Riddell, managing director of Panini UK, commented: “We are excited to announce the launch of the UEFA Road to Euro 2020 collection which features players from all the home nations as well as Republic of Ireland. With so many of the finals taking place in England, Scotland and Republic of Ireland this promises to be like a home tournament and is a must for all collectors.”

The trading card collection will be backed by a multi-channel marketing campaign including a heavyweight national TV campaign. There will be a significant investment in sampling nationwide as well as marketing across digital platforms and magazine cover mount activity. There will be an integrated PR and social media campaign including activation with key influencers. There will be widespread support for retail in terms of POS and retail sampling initiatives.

The Entertainer is opening a branch at Watford’s intu shopping centre this Saturday. 

Lego Batman is a familiar face at The Entertainer.

To celebrate the opening of the new store, Lego’s Batman and Robin will be entertaining children during a fun-filled day of activity. Kids and families will also be able to enjoy balloon modelling, in store demos, face painting and take part in several giveaways and competitions.

The Home-Start Watford & Three Rivers charity will also be at the grand opening, where it will have the opportunity to choose a selection of toys for the children it works with. Home-Start delivers friendship and support to parents with young kids in the Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere areas, to help ensure they have the best possible start in life.

Emma Power, CEO at Home-Start Watford & Three Rivers, said: “We are thrilled to be chosen by The Entertainer to take part in the grand opening. This is a unique experience; taking part in the trolley dash and receiving toys for the charity is going to make a huge difference. We are so grateful for this opportunity.”

Craig Lowe, events co-ordinator at The Entertainer, added: “We are really looking forward to The Entertainer’s Grand Opening event in Watford. It’ll be great for the children to meet some of their favourite life-sized characters and have their picture taken.”