So, the schools have finally broken up and kids have started that glorious six-week stretch of freedom and fun we all remember fondly from our youth. Of course, to coincide with the school holidays, the marvellous weather we’ve been enjoying has turned into a more typical British summer – sometimes, the scripts just write themselves.
According to my iPhone weather app, it picks up a bit next week – although this app has been causing some controversy with attractions and other popular kids’ day out destinations, due to its tendency to feature a ‘rain’ symbol on a day even if there is only a faint chance of rain for an hour or so during the whole day. Attraction owners feel this is putting off some visitors, who are assuming it will be raining all day rather than just a brief shower. You can see why that would be frustrating, especially for businesses that have to turn a profit in their peak six months’ trading between April and September.
Many of these attractions have great shops to entice visitors to spend on toys and other ranges as part of their day out, so for them, the next six weeks are very much their ‘Christmas’. For mainstream toy retailers, hopefully the fact that there are kids around that need to be entertained means they can continue to tick over nicely, before things step up a gear in the autumn.
We’re already seeing a big upswing in the number of ‘new product launch’ press releases we’re receiving: this week’s newsflashes have been dominated by new product stories, rather than general news. And there are undoubtedly some great new lines coming through – not necessarily all huge headline grabbers, but very solid introductions that will definitely drive sales.
In days of yore, we would all have been anticipating the launch of the Argos catalogue any day now – stock would have been brought in to coincide with its arrival, and marketing campaigns put in place in the hope of prompting a mini-surge in sales when the catalogue went live, so Argos buyers would increase their orders. When the catalogue was discontinued, this flurry of early marketing activity largely went with it.
But what’s this I hear… the (slight) return of an Argos toy-focused catalogue this year? Of course, this will be a very different beast to the legendary doorstop of old, but it’s a start, and I hope it’s a successful move in the right direction. With the new Argos Sainsbury’s buying structure bedding in – with separate buying teams once again – it feels like Argos is taking tangible, positive steps to address the gradual decline it has experienced in recent years. If it works, I suspect that every supplier will be delighted – seeing a number 1 or 2 account decline to number 7 or 8 has undoubtedly been painful for them, and I think most would agree that a healthy Argos is good for the toy community. People are rooting for them to turn it round – one to watch with interest.
Meanwhile, if the indifferent weather does persist, perhaps the recently released family-friendly movies will receive another boost. Disney’s Stitch recently became the first $1b movie of 2025, while Warner’s Superman and Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth and How to Train your Dragon have all been performing well, both from a box office and licensed merchandise perspective. With confidence back in Hollywood, it’s no surprise that a host of toy-related films are being touted or have been greenlit: in the last week alone, I’ve read about a new Barbie animated movie heading to theatres rather than direct to streaming, a My Little Pony film and, of course, the Bratz movie (coinciding with the brand’s 25th anniversary in 2026 – is it really a quarter of a century since I was arguing with journalists that their sensationalized take on Bratz was misguided?!). These all feel like home runs, and I am sure there are many more toy brands that are currently in discussion about screen adaptations.
Here at Toy World, we’re also gearing up for the countdown to the festive season. Our September issue will land on desks and online on 1st September, just as retailers are putting the summer holidays behind them and starting to think in earnest about Christmas. It’s a feature-rich issue, with an in-depth look at the Pocket Money & Collectibles category; a round-up of Pre-Christmas marketing campaigns and media opportunities and our legendary Games & Puzzles supplement all providing great opportunities to showcase your key autumn winter lines to the retail channel. And if you are heading to LA in September to take a showroom during Fall Preview Season, we’ll be running a special feature on the LA trip in the September edition, so you can let people outside of your established network know all about your company and ranges, and why they should make a point to visit you during the trip. So, if you’re not currently on the beach or trying to keep the kids amused, drop us a line or give us a call and find out how you can be part of this bumper edition. And if you are trying your best to keep the kids occupied, good luck – I bet you’ll look forward to coming back to work for a breather.
Finally, if you are looking ahead to Toy Fair Season and thinking of exhibiting at the London Toy Fair in 2026, now is a very good time to send your application in, as space is filling up rapidly – the Gold Zone is already sold out, and there is only a limited amount of space left on both the Ground and Upper levels. Applications can be made online at http://www.toyfair.co.uk. We’ll be there as ever, and work on our bumper Toy Fair preview issue will pretty much start as soon as the kids go back to school. For now, enjoy the summer holidays and keep a look out for our sizzling August issue, which will be arriving next week. Maybe that will keep youngers kids quiet for a while – they can start making their Christmas lists from it.
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