Makin’ whoopee

As regular readers will know, we often like to start this column with a weather update. After such a good summer, autumn is definitely here and currently, there’s a monsoon outside. Fortunately, we have just had a delivery of kids’ umbrellas.

Last month, we shared that we were quite pleased with trade in August, which ended up being a very strong month. September has started off well too; the kids went back to school a bit later than usual, and new lines released for September have been very strong this year. The new Lego Into the Spider-Verse Collectible Minifigures has been phenomenal, and we virtually sold out in the first 10 days. New Premier League Trading cards from Topps have also had a very strong start, with football more popular than ever.

The launch of Baby Three Dolls from Kandy Toys (KTL) has been a huge success - especially for a new brand. There are obviously a lot of fake products of this ilk out there, but we were confident with Baby Three that, once people see the products out of the box, the quality is evident. Fans are starting to collect them already, which is fantastic and gives us more confidence for other products releasing this year in the Japanese blind box category. There’s been a real uptick in demand for Disney Cars too, with the Diecast and Mini Diecast from Mattel both among our bestsellers. This is one of those evergreen licences which hasn’t been oversaturated; there’s not a lot of product out there and not in all locations, so it’s a good one for independents to pick up on.

Now the school holidays are over, we have had a reorganization in all our stores. The outdoor sections have been scaled back, and space for board games has increased. We’ve also extended the space available for collectibles and pocket money lines. In previous years, we would have had a lot of big stock deliveries in September, but we have changed our strategy this year. It is noticeable that the big build up to Christmas has moved later in the calendar and doesn’t really begin until the end of October. So, there’s no need to take in loads of stock early, only to sit on it for six weeks before it starts to sell. There will always be bestsellers that we need to order more of, but the majority of lines need to prove themselves before we commit to large quantities.

Regarding top toys for Christmas, ours don’t necessarily match the lists from the majors, although it goes without saying that the Pokémon TCG will take the top spot whenever we have stock. We expect Peppa Evie lines to sell well, and the new Toniebox 2, with its new features, should lead to an increase in sales across the whole Tonies range. Anything Formula 1 related, such as Lego Speed Champions, is expected to be popular as a gift. We say it every year, but one of our best-selling lines by quantity will be the whoopee cushion – there must be one in every stocking…

Halloween is the last major event before we head into Christmas, and sales of Halloween product are growing for us. The dress up category used to dominate, but nowadays, we sell more gifts and themed items. We have a lovely selection of plush from Keel and Ty that will go down well with our customers, and the new Halloween Jigglets, from 3D Studio Gifts, have been selling since September.

Licensed toys make up a big part of our business, and this sector is growing once again with the huge slate of entertainment releases this year, following a bit of a lull caused by the writer’s strike a couple of years ago. We’re expecting Wicked to perform well after the success of the first film and all the hype around Part Two. Having been to a preview at Mattel, there is lots to get excited about for 2026. To end on a high note, we’re happy to report that the food at Mattel was nearly as good as the products, so it was a very successful preview all round!