Licensed character properties are back in the press and on TV this week, thanks to Dream Toys.
It’s been all eyes on the toy sector this week, with the reveal of the annual Dream Toys listing.
Licensed properties have traditionally been featured heavily, both in the top 12 itself and in the wider categories. Last year, Frozen, Minecraft, The LEGO Movie and Transformers toys were all included. In 2013, Doc McStuffins and Monster High among others made appearances.
Pleasingly, this year saw nods given to Peppa Pig, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, In the Night Garden, Twirlywoos, Bing, Care Bears, Jurassic World, Minecraft, Marvel’s Avengers and Barbie – all included in the overall 63 products.
Out of the top 12 itself, seven of the toys were licensed. It was great to see Paw Patrol, Shopkins and Thunderbirds all included – with product from Spin Master, Flair and Vivid.
However, for the wider media which packed into St Mary’s Church it was all about two particular properties – Frozen and Star Wars.
Three Star Wars toys made it into the top 12 – two from Hasbro and one from LEGO – while Jakks Pacific’s hugely popular Sing-a-Long Elsa was representing the Frozen camp.
Perhaps even more impressive for Frozen were the figures from NPD – Frozen toy merchandise has more than doubled in sales year to date compared to last year.
The original film was released in 2013 and since then the only new piece of content has been the Frozen Fever short (Frozen 2 is coming, but no one knows when). But that doesn’t matter, because Frozen is a year-round success story – it doesn’t need to rely on that short film release window for merchandise sales.
Star Wars, of course, is the master of this – products sell year in, year out, regardless of whether there is new content.
But this year, there is new content and since Force Friday on September 4, Star Wars toy sales have tripled, according to NPD. App-enabled drone, BB-8, in particular seems to be on everyone’s Christmas list, adult and child alike.
Movie-related toys have experienced a 28% uplift in sales year on year, and they represent 15% of all UK toy sales (compared to 12% in 2014). This year more than ever, they will drive the toy market to healthy growth.
But while the character and entertainment brands may be the ones taking all the headlines this Christmas, it isn’t the only sector performing well.
Since we launched The Source, some of the most read stories have been on lifestyle brands and the new launches and promotional activity around them. Strong examples from this week alone include Jamie Oliver’s new partnership with the fresh food delivery service HelloFresh, plus a look at Chupa Chups and its direct to retail strategy.
These kind of brands don’t have entertainment releases or film launches to drive them on, but as we’ve found, that doesn’t matter. Licensing is a year-round industry.
