Beginning in December, Kindi Kids Minis and their accessories will be available online and at retail locations across the US.

Moose Toys has conjured up the next big idea for Kindi Kids; introducing Kindi Kids Minis, a brand-new scale offering a whole new way to play in the Kindi Kids world.

Kindi Kids Minis are four inch dolls with Kindi features iconic to the brand; a colourful bobblehead, glittery eyes and poseable bodies, just like the original dolls. These 10 palm-sized Kindi Kids include familiar favourites Donatina and Mystabella, as well as newcomer Berri D’ Lish, plus other new friends. The Kindi Kids minis are small enough for kids to take anywhere or enjoy at home. They can move around on their wheeled Mini Vehicles or on the rabbit-eared Bobble Bus.

The innovation, creative designs and robust marketing has made Kindi Kids a must-have pre-school doll. Kindi Kids debuted on shelves in autumn 2019 and was recognised by the NPD Group as the No.1 new doll property launched over its first three months in the US market. This year, Kindi Kids Snack Time Friends holds the top spot in the Large Doll category. Most recently the brand celebrated back-to-back nominations for the prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards for 2019 and 2020.

Senior vice president, head of US marketing & strategy at Moose Toys, Alex Ries, commented: “Kindi Kids has quickly become a beloved pre-school brand, and we are delighted to introduce our fans to the adorable new world of Kindi Kids Minis. These pint-size minis are rich with the fun, quirky details kids love and expect from Kindi Kids, and we are certain that this engaging world will encourage hours of imaginative play.”

Beginning in December, Kindi Kids Minis and accessories will be available online and at retail locations across the US. Kindi Kids Minis will be sold for $4.99 as a single pack); Kindi Kids Mini Vehicles assortment of vehicles will be sold for $9.99; and the Kindi Kids Bobble Bus retails at $19.99.

The range will be coming to the UK in the early part of 2021.

eBay’s 28m UK customers will be able to shop the full range of Hamleys’ toys and games, featuring over 1,600 product lines.

Hamleys has announced the launch of its first eBay shop, as part of the company’s plans to expand its online presence.

Founded in 1760, Hamleys has become famous worldwide for its physical stores, captivating experiences and eye-catching shop windows, in particular at its iconic Regent Street shop which has been a huge draw for locals and international tourists alike.

As of yesterday, eBay’s 28m UK customers will be able to shop the full range of Hamleys’ toys and games. Over 1,600 product lines will feature on eBay, including Hamleys top 10 toys for Christmas 2020 and the retailer’s own-label range of toys, plus the shop has an offer of up to 40% off until 22^nd December.

The overall toys category on eBay has seen sales grow dramatically in the past year, with both new and retro toys proving popular. During Black Friday, sales for toys were up 58% compared to the previous year. Superheroes and Star Wars dominated the most popular purchases, with Star Wars and Marvel Avengers Lego sets among the most popular – 16 superhero themed items were bought every hour over the Black Friday period on eBay UK.

The addition of Hamleys will give a further boost to eBay’s growing toys offering, with The Entertainer and Early Learning Centre also recently joining eBay.

Murray Lambell, general manager, eBay UK, commented: “So many of us will have a special memory about Hamleys – as a child spending an afternoon of play in one of their stores, or as a family visiting its famous Christmas grotto. As the pandemic continues to disrupt the high street, we’re pleased that we can give iconic brands like Hamleys another online shop window, bringing the magic of their experience in-store to reach the millions of customers we have in the UK and worldwide.”

Click here to browse the Hamleys eBay shop.

The BrainBox series contains addictive memory challenges in which players have 10 seconds to study a card before answering questions on what they saw.

BrainBox, the successful range of 10-minute educational games, is set to expand into the Wizarding World with the upcoming release of BrainBox Harry Potter in May 2021.

The BrainBox series contains addictive memory challenges in which players have 10 seconds to study a card before answering questions on what they saw. Having previously covered topics on everything from maths and English to dinosaurs and football, the family-friendly brand now invites players to re-live the beloved film series.

Cards will be packed with fun facts about the franchise as well as stills from all of the Harry Potter films, offering youngsters the chance to prove that they’ve got what it takes to be top of the class at Hogwarts.

It’s part of a series of plans for the coming year from Green Board Games, the game’s publisher which joined the Asmodee Group in 2019 as Asmodee’s first UK-owned game-design studio.

“2021 is going to be a huge year for BrainBox,” commented James Wallis, studio manager at Green Board Games. “BrainBox Harry Potter is a fantastic way to relaunch the line, followed by a fresh new look for the whole range – including a completely revamped BrainBox Board Game – and the new line of mini-BrainBoxes, in a pocket- and pocket-money-friendly format. We couldn’t be more excited.”

The BrainBox games, which will form a key part of Asmodee’s newly launching Brain Games collection for creative and enquiring minds in 2021, has sold over 8m copies worldwide, in 65 countries and 30 different languages.

The Harry Potter edition, as well as others in the series, will be previewed at AsmoFair, the third edition of Asmodee’s pioneering virtual trade show, from 17^th-23^rd January. Now including a 360-degree virtual tour of a fully built show stand, the event is an opportunity for retailers to get a closer look at must-have products for the year ahead from Asmodee’s vast range of games and collectibles. Weekend and evening meetings are also available – buyers can head to asmofair.co.uk to book a slot.

Francis passed away peacefully on 13th December.

Francis was born in the town of Fuerth, near Nuremberg, into a Jewish toy trade family. His great grandfather, Jacob Wolf Spear, started J. W. Spear & Soehne in 1878. By the time Francis was born into this close-knit family – he was the youngest of five grandchildren – the company was being managed by his grandfather Carl Spear and a great uncle.

Initially, Francis’s father, Richard Spear, who is still well remembered in the toy trade today, opened up the office/factory in Brimsdown near Enfield. However with the worsening situation in Germany in the 1930s, Richard decided to take the family to England – Francis was just four years old at the time. Richard brought over many family members from Germany to England before the war started, whilst others fled for the safety of other countries.

Richard and his family were naturalised just prior to the outbreak of the conflict and the factory took on war work. Francis, his brother Ralph and other family members were evacuated to Wales during the war and this is where Francis found his love for country life.

When he joined Spear’s Games, Francis worked in a number of different departments, but his passion was for the production side of the business and he took on the role of production director, overseeing the manufacturing process. Francis became managing director of J. W. Spear and subsequently its chairman. He was respected by many in the toy trade for his honesty, loyalty and modesty.

When the company was sold to Mattel in 1994, Francis purchased farmland in Hertfordshire.

Francis had a passion for flying and was an excellent pilot, flying his own plane to and from his property. He donated his first plane to the Kenyan flying doctors to add to their fleet. He was a talented musician and enjoyed being in the Hertford Choir for many years. He loved mountain hiking and all types of walking activities; he skied both langlauf and downhill and was always very active. He also established and managed the Spear’s Games Archive at his home. The Archive opened in 1996 and had many visitors, both local groups and games enthusiasts from around the world.

In 2010 he was approached by Nuremberg council regarding the setting up of a Spear’s Games Archive in Germany. In 2017 the Spear’s Games collection was transferred to Nuremberg and is well visited and used.

Francis set up the Spear Charitable Trust to benefit charities and former employees, and was closely associated with the Soil Association and organisations like the Woodland Trust. He was also very active in local groups associated with twin towning, civic matters and the Hertford museum.

Francis passed away peacefully on 13th December 2020. He will be remembered fondly by all his work colleagues, his family and his many friends.

Toy World would like to express its sincere condolences to the family at this sad time.

New additions to the brand include #Hairgoals series two and the first ever O.M.G. boy fashion doll.

The global fashion doll brand L.O.L. Surprise! continues to introduce innovation into its bestselling toys this Christmas, following its fourth-consecutive-year in the DreamToy’s Top 12 Toys list.

#Hairgoals returns with a whole new set of characters to collect in series two. Brand new O.M.G. fashion dolls have also been added to the range with the Winter Chill O.M.G. Fashion Dolls collection, complete with new winter-themed fashion looks, and the O.M.G. Remix 2 Pack, which includes the brand’s first-ever O.M.G. boy.

Each set comes complete with the iconic layers of unboxing, packaging that transforms into themed playsets, stylish accessories and catwalk inspired fashion looks.

Following the successful launch in 2019, which saw social support from celebrity fans, the popular #Hairgoals range now has nine brand new characters to collect. Fans can unbox the stylish new hairspray style packaging, which doubles as a salon playset, to find 15 new surprises inside, including comb and hair accessories to style up their doll’s unique locks. In addition, each character can be dipped in water to reveal a surprise colour change feature.

Continuing on from the popular Remix range, the L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Remix Rocker Boi and Punk Grrrl 2 Pack are bringing the fashion dolls into the uncharted music world for kids and parents alike. Both dolls bring statement styled hair and their own music-inspired style. Fans can unbox two full-size records and play them on the record player packaging.

Finally, the brand new L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Chill O.M.G. fashion dolls come with 25 surprises, highly detailed features, beautiful hair and their own mountain-ready style. Inspired by the slopes and with four sets to collect, each includes an O.M.G. fashion doll, her L.O.L. Surprise! sister, fierce fashions, shoes, a shoebox, accessories, a hat box, handbag, a brush, garment bags, a doll stand and a Winter Chill themed package that becomes a reusable playset.

L.O.L. Surprise! is for children aged six plus. To find out more visit www.lolsurprise.com.

Hornby said it would not accept any non-UK orders until 4th January 2021, after the transition period ends and EU-UK trade switches to a new relationship.

Due to the uncertainty over Brexit and disruption at UK ports, Hornby has decided to temporarily pause all orders to customers based outside of the UK.

The company said it would not accept any non-UK orders until 4th January 2021, after the transition period ends and EU-UK trade switches to a new relationship under rules that have not yet been agreed.

Hornby head office tweeted the decision to pause orders on Tuesday, writing: “We hope you can understand the difficult position we are in and remain patient with us until we can find a solution.”

Hornby product exported from the UK to the EU could face tariffs of up to 4.7% of its cost if a no deal Brexit occurs. Consequently, if tariffs are imposed while goods from the UK are delayed in transit, an EU customer could be liable to pay the duty themselves before receiving the goods, a complication Hornby wants to avoid at all costs.

Lyndon Davies, Hornby’s chief executive, said: “I’ve seen the Gulf war, Falklands war, three-day week, crashes on the stock market – after all these things, there are issues. All we’re asking is tell us what is going on. We’re forced into a position of saying, what is the point of going through the pain of all these orders? What the world of business has to do is sort out the mess and the carnage of what’s left.”

Importers to the UK have been struggling with increased demand for goods before the 1st January Brexit deadline, adding to global problems in the shipping industry that have already caused significant delays for imports from east Asia.

Lyndon added that Hornby had taken delivery of one shipment of Batman vs Joker Scalextric sets, which had been “going up and down the strait of Dover for three weeks”, as a result of port delays.

However, in light of the situation, the company has stockpiled enough inventory to prevent running out of key items for as long as a year.

Lyndon is also confident that the company will be able to cope in the long term, partly as a result of its encouraging sales increase during lockdown. Hornby experienced a 33% jump in sales in the six months to September.

A portion of the sales from MGA’s L.O.L. Surprise! MGAE Cares Frontline Hero doll will be donated to a number of children’s hospital charities around the UK and Republic of Ireland.

As part of the MGA Entertainment (MGAE) Cares programme, the company is donating a portion of the sales from its new limited-edition L.O.L. Surprise! MGAE Cares Frontline Hero doll to a number of children’s hospital charities around the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The hospital charities include Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, Children in Hospital Ireland and MGA UK HQ’s local hospital, Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.

Each hospital will receive a monetary donation, equivalent to £1 per doll sold, helping to fund much-needed medical equipment and resources for children’s wards. In the case of Children in Hospital Ireland, the money will help support the hospital’s charity work across the ROI, including its play schemes and advocacy efforts.

The L.O.L. Surprise! MGAE Cares Frontline Hero doll has been created to help children understand the importance of current health and safety measures during this time. Dressed in a white lab coat, the doll comes complete with a signature mask accessory sticker and a special MGAE Cares heart sticker. It is available now from Smyths, The Entertainer and Amazon.

Samantha Wilson, UK marketing director for MGA Entertainment, said: “These uncertain and challenging times call for us all to get involved and do what we can to help. We are extremely proud to be able to support these five incredible charities through the sale of this product – connecting directly with children in hospitals – and look forward to continuing this support into the future.”

Helen Miles, corporate fundraising manager at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, added:  “We’re so grateful for MGA Entertainment’s generous donation and support, which will help us continue bringing play to our hospital and allow our children to be kids first and patients second.”

MGA Cares is a global effort, started by MGA Entertainment’s CEO, Isaac Larian, in April 2020, to provide essential support and personal, protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers and healthcare facilities on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19. Previous support has included large-scale donations of personal protective equipment to hospitals in the USA and the UK and financial support.

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming February issue and how you can get involved. 

With the bumper January issue of Toy World off to the printers very soon and the new year beckoning, Toy World is gearing up for the February issue, otherwise called the ‘Green Issue’.

As the name suggests, this month’s issue will include a category feature on sustainable/eco-friendly toys, shining a light on the latest product launches that reflect the sustainability ethos. Plus, with the 2021 Spring Fair show cancelled due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions, this issue will also highlight those companies that would have exhibited if the show could go ahead as normal.

This issue will also include regular features like Talking Shop, Viewpoint and Allegedly, as well as feature interviews and a selection of the latest news from the toy industry.

The editorial deadline will be 5th January and the deadline for adverts will be 15th January. Companies wanting to get involved should contact the team ASAP.

For advertising enquiries, contact Mark Austin by phoning 07710 532952 or emailing mark@toyworldmag.co.uk.

For editorial enquiries, contact Rachael Simpson-Jones rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk.

If you would like to have your copy of the magazine sent to your home address temporarily, contact Anita Baulch at anita@toyworldmag.co.uk.

The launch is part of Covation Holdings’ expansion of its global footprint into the European market. 

Covation Holdings Limited, the global manufacturer of multiple wheeled goods brands, has announced the expansion of its global footprint into the European market with a new UK sales hub for outdoor bicycle brands Huffy, Royce Union and Buzz E-Bikes.

Led by EU general manager, Jon Tilley, the company will focus on driving brand awareness across European markets, while working with retailers on import programmes and exclusive bike ranges. The company’s global manufacturing base is well placed to support the supply of bikes to both the UK and broader European markets.

“I am thrilled to lead the expansion of our brands into these strategic markets and I look forward to the opportunity of creating new, long-lasting relationships with retailers and dealers here in the UK and EU,” commented Jon Tilley. “The European division will build on more than 125 years of industry-leading innovation and will support the company’s continuous efforts to provide quality products and a positive impact in communities where we live and work.”

A full domestic offering of Huffy kids and adult bikes, as well as kid scooters, battery ride-ons and thrill rides, will be in stock and available for purchase beginning in April 2021. Starting in January 2021, the company will begin virtual product previews with retailers on the new ranges across all the brands and categories. Retailers seeking to carry the new brands for sale should contact Covation’s EU team to arrange meetings.

“London is one of the most innovative places in the world and is an ideal location to expand our global presence and further establish our brands,” said Claude Jordan, CEO. “Biking worldwide has seen record growth over the past year, and we are committed to creating a great experience for our retailer partners and consumers within the UK and European markets.”

For more information or to place inventory orders, please contact sales@covation.uk.

The Spring Fair @ Home virtual forum will feature appearances from key industry names as well as a first look at the very latest products, trends and collections.

Hyve Group has announced a new virtual forum, Spring Fair @ Home, set to take place on 8th-10th February 2021. Open to all buyers, Spring Fair @ Home will provide a key hub for industry professionals in the UK and around the world.

Spring Fair @ Home will provide industry insights, as well as a first-hand look at the latest products, trends and collections.

Julie Driscoll, managing director for Hyve’s retail portfolio, commented: “We are delighted to be offering a digital platform for the Spring Fair community this February. Whilst we are working hard towards the return of our physical events, I am so proud that the team has been able to develop a virtual offering that has proved so valuable to both retailers and brands during such a challenging time for retail both here in the UK and abroad.”

Spring Fair exhibitor Steve Cox, UK sales director at Keel Toys, added: “Spring Fair is undoubtedly the most important fair of the year for Keel Toys. At the start of 2021, we all need to get creative to meet with all our key buyers effectively with the lack of physical shows. The Spring Fair Virtual show will be an important part of our mix to present the new ranges for 2021.”

An exclusive content programme will provide access to of-the-minute industry intel, trend insights, peer-to-peer panel sessions, and more.

Dedicated Virtual Showrooms will also provide buyers with an easy and accessible way to discover new brands and see what their current partners have to offer. The Virtual Showroom will provide carefully curated brand line-ups on the Spring Fair website. Dynamic profile will allow brands and designers to put their best virtual foot forward, with capabilities to host videos, lookbooks, brand imagery and more.

Spring Fair @ Home will also see the return of the Product Showcase concept. Giving brands the opportunity to take buyers on showroom tours, or simply talk through their latest collection, the Product Showcase offers exhibitors the chance to submit a 5-minute video to be shown to buyers during a sector-specific time slot.