Back in the office this week, and it feels like everyone is using this ‘calm before the storm’ period to get ready for something – whether that’s next week’s BLE show, or the run-up to Black Friday/Christmas in general.
Autumn/winter ’26 previews are starting to take place: we’ve even got to make the arduous journey from the East Wing of our building to the West Wing for one preview next week. It certainly beats a 450-mile round trip!
The Toy World team will be heading to BLE, so we hope to see many of you there over the three days. If you want to do some valuable prep in advance, the October issue of Toy World includes an extensive preview of the show, as well as a round-up of the latest licensed ranges hitting shelves in the coming weeks. Both sections focus predominantly on the Kids & Family entertainment arena, so you don’t have to wade through pages of irrelevant content to get to the good stuff that you really need to know about.
Anyone who works with the licensing community on a regular basis will have an inkling of the fun and games we’ve had pulling this issue together, navigating draconian (and often senseless) embargoes and approval processes, and the whims of certain licensors who like to make it just a little bit more difficult than it needs to be for everyone to shout about their new ranges. To all of the licensors who adopt a more pragmatic, commonsense approach to sharing information, thank you – it’s very much appreciated.
In addition to the extensive licensing section in the October issue, there is plenty of other toy-focused content, including an exclusive interview with The Entertainer’s CEO Andrew Murphy. I honestly believe that everyone in the toy and licensing community should read this candid, wide-ranging interview – I challenge anyone to get to the end and say they didn’t learn something new from the piece. The article covers a wide range of topics including an impending deal with Modella Group to supply toys to TGJones and Hobbycraft (a very interesting opportunity); a major expansion of The Entertainer’s Kidult offering as it moves beyond its core ‘under 12’ audience; life after the Grants, Sunday opening and much, much more. Andrew doesn’t shy away from tricky subjects either, discussing the inevitable need to rationalise mainstream toy ranges to be able to accommodate the extra Kidult SKUs that are being added to the portfolio. In my humble opinion, it’s the definition of ‘essential reading’.
With LA drawing to a close and previews starting, we’re also beginning to hear snippets of news about some of the changes we’ll be seeing in the coming months.
Read the rest here.
