BACKGROUND MATERIAL

TOY BUSINESS STATISTICS
! Toy of the Year ! BATR Toy Awards ! Toy Facts and Figures
TOY OF THE YEAR ( 1965 2001)
The BATR began its prestigious Toy the Year awards back in 1965, which are presented annually at a special awards dinner held during the Toy Fair at ExCeL, London in January The judges are members of the BATR Council - the criteria: the product should have proved very popular in the past year and excited interest in the toy market both with customers an retailers - in other words, it must hay made an impact but doesnt have to be the too selling toy. Rubiks Cube, Turtles, Tracy Island and Teletubbies were in fact in short supply when they won 1965 James Bond Aston Martin die-cast car 1966 Action Man 1967 Spriograph 1968 Sindy 1969 Hot Wheels cars 1970 Sindy 1971 Katie Kopykat writing doll 1972 Plasticraft modelling kits 1973 Mastermind - board game 1974 Lego Family set 1975 Lego Basic set 1976 Peter Powell kites 1977 Playmobil Playpeople 1978 Combine Harvester (Britains) 1979 Legoland Space kits 1980 Rubik's Cube 1981 Rubik's Cube 1982 Star Wars 1983 Star Wars toys 1984 Masters of the Universe 1985 Transformers (Optimus Prime) 1986 Transformers (Optimus Prime) 1987 Sylvanian Families 1988 Sylvanian Families 1989 Sylvanian Families 1990 Teenage Mutant Turtles 1991 Nintendo Game Boy 1992 WWF Wrestlers 1993 Thunderbird's Tracey Island 1994 Power Rangers 1995 POGS 1996 Barbie 1997 Teletubbies 1998 Furby 1999 Furby Babies 2000 Teksta 2001 Bionicle

BATR TOY AWARDS

1998/1999 Toy of the Year - FURBY (Tiger Electronics) Craze of the Year - Pro YoYo II (TCL) Innovative Toy of the Year - C-Watch (Toy Options) Pre-School Toy of the Year - Bounce-Around Tigger (Mattel) Do/I of the Year - Baby Born (Zapf) Educational Toy of the Year - Sea Monkeys (Educational Insights) Company of the Year - David Halsall plc
1999/2000 Toy of the Year - Furby Babies (Tiger electronics) Craze of the Year - Alien Eggs (Grossman) Game of the Year - Who wants to be a Millionaire (Upstarts) Boys Toy of the Year - WWF Wrestlers (Kidz Biz) Girls Toy of the Year - Baby Annabell (Zapf)
2000/2001 Toy of the Year - Teksta (Vivid Imaginations) Craze of the Year - Pokemon Trading Cards (Wizards of the Coast) Game of the Year - Who wants to be a Millionaire (Upstarts) Boys Toy of the Year - WWF (Kidz Biz) Girls Toy of the Year - Baby Annabell (Zapf) The Pimpernel Award - Thunderbirds Tracey Island (Vivid Imaginations) The Most Innovative Company Tiger Electronics 2001/2002 Toy of the Year - Bionicle (Lego) Craze of the Year Pogo Stick (Grossman/Halsall/LBG Group) Toy License of the Year Bob The Builder (Hit Entertainment) Boys Toy of the Year Robot Wars (Logistix Kids Retail) Girls Toy of the Year Whats Her Face (Mattel) Craft Toy of the Year Candy Floss Machine (General Creation) Pre-school Toy of the Year Leap Pad (Leapfrog)
SOME TOY FACTS AND FIGURES
What Top 10 Factors People Consider Important When Buying Toys
1. Toy Safety 2. Educational toy 3. Price 4. Durability of the toy 5. Well designed 6. Toy the child specifically wanted 7. The brand/manufacturers name was well-known 8. The toy was unlikely to go out of fashion in the near future 9. It was a toy you could add to or buy accessories for (e.g. Lego, Barbie) 10.It was a toy suitable for various age groups Lowdown was that the toy had been advertised on TV or it was the latest craze. Source: BMRB/Mintel

Around 55% of all toy sales take place in the last quarter of the year, and much of that is concentrated in the last four weeks running up to Christmas. Children are getting older younger that means they grow out of toys earlier. They also have a growing range of non-toy merchandise to chose from such as CDs, fashion trainers. even fast food competes for their pocket money!

Toys For Different Ages

Babies (0 - 12 months) Rattles, squeaky toys, ball, chimes and bells Toddlers (1- 3 years) Pull along toys, soft toys, dolls, finger paints and large crayons Preschool (3 - 5 years) Hand puppets, construction kits, train sets and puzzles (5 - 7 years) As well as all the toys listed above, bat and ball games, pencil sets, colouring kits, craft and hobby kits and musical instruments
Childrens Pocket Money % Spend 2000
With the current market size for toys worth just under 1.67 billion at retail and bearing in mind the number of children, the BTHA estimates annual expenditure on toys per child is 150. Total 57% 28% 18% 21% 18% 18% 14% 13% 10% Boys 57% 22% 31% 19% 30% 20% 17% 1% 4% Girls 56% 36% 24% 24% 5% 17% 10% 27% 18%
Ice cream/sweets/chocolate Comics/magazines Music Saves some/all of it Computer games/equipment Soft/fizzy drinks Sporting activities Cosmetics Clothes and shoes

BUSINESS NEWS/INTEREST RATE UPDATE #488 Howard Erman, CFP December 15, 2010
TOP SELLING CHRISTMAS GIFTS, EVER
2010: Apple iPad: It's the first of its kind - a slim tablet that lets you seamlessly glide between movies, music, browsing the web, and Street Fighter beat-downs. With Wi-Fi and 3G, everything from racing simulators to magazines are just a touch away. 2009: Nook eReader (Barnes & Noble): We had a classic consumer showdown on our hands this holiday season: B&N's e-book has a second screen while Amazon's Kindle has just one; throw in its Wi-Fi and the Nook seemed set for a Christmas KO. 2008: Elmo Live (Fisher Price): Children can't really resist a "truly lifelike creation" that seems "to actually be speaking as his mouth opens," can they? But wait! The red monster also "waves his arms, sits and stands, even crosses his legs with just a tickle or a squeeze." 2007: iPod Touch (Apple): The first touchscreen and Web-enabled iPod went from annual fanboy fantasy to national must-have, largely because it came at a fraction of the iPhone's price tag. Christmas? There's an app for that. 2006: Playstation 3 (Sony): Sony's response to Microsoft's Xbox 360 had a North American launch inspiring such anticipation that pre-sale units hit $3,000 on eBay (retail topped out at $599), while mothers and mouthbreathers alike camped out for days to buy one in person. 2005: Xbox 360 (Microsoft): Beating Sony to the punch? Check. Internet connectivity for Halo tournaments stretching from nerds in Taiwan to schoolchildren in Toledo? You got it. Enough supply to meet holiday demand? Not so much. Frenzy ensued. 2004: RoboSapiens (WowWee): What's a RoboSapien, you ask? Why a remote-control, fourteen-inch-tall humanoid capable of performing sixtyseven preprogrammed actions and movements, including (but by no means limited to) break dancing, farting, and belching, of course! 2002-2003: Beyblades (Hasbro): In a classic demonstration of the power of synergy, Hasbro released these customizable "fighting" spin-tops in Japan simultaneously with a hit cartoon. World domination followed. 2001: Bratz (MGA Entertainment): Ah, Cloe, Jade, Sasha, and Yasmin. They're the original quartet of ten-inch "teenagers distinguished by large
heads and skinny bodies." While their June 2001 launch proved disappointing, by Christmas they were well on their way to billions. 2000: Razor Scooters (Razor USA): This was the year we decided we didn't want to drive. or walk. What to do? Dodge children in the streets! The original Razor also won Toy of the Year for establishing itself as a "classic mode of transportation, like bikes and skateboards." 1999: Pokemon (Nintendo): With the Japanese cartoon a sensation, kids demanded more, and the video-game series came to rival even the Mario titles in popularity, inspiring South Park to parody the whole phenomenon 1998: Furby (Tiger Electronics): Who wouldn't want a furry robot that can talk and blink its eyes? Indeed, who wouldn't want one so badly that they'd be willing to pay a huge markup? After retailing for $35, Furbies skyrocketed to $100, not to mention "collector's items" like "tuxedo Furby" and "biker Furby." 1997: Tamagotchi (Bandai): Housed in an egg-shaped computer, these digital pets required feeding and poo-cleaning, but the hard work paid off with the occasionally redeeming happiness monitor. Deeply creepy stuff, but apparently very popular: seventy million Tamagotchis have been sold. 1996: Tickle Me Elmo (Tyco): "When squeezed, Elmo would chortle. When squeezed three times in a row, Elmo would begin to shake and laugh hysterically." Needless to say, this was something Sesame Street watchers everywhere needed to have. And they needed to have it now. 1995: Beanie Babies (Ty Inc.): First conquering Chicago and then spreading all over this plush nation, Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Spot the Dog, Flash the Dolphin, Splash the Whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, and dozens of other $5 bean-bag creatures with pun-tastic names. 1993-1994: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Bandai): Five racially diverse teenagers with superpowers fought evil aliens for a TV smash, and so came a line of toys featuring the Rangers and their "Zords" - you know, giant robotic dinosaurs they used to combat aforementioned evil aliens. Duh. 1992: Barney Talking Doll (Playskool): Barney & Friends was aimed at a younger crowd that somehow found it irresistible to watch a man in a dinosaur suit sing some of the most mawkish songs ever. This talking doll brought the tunes all day long. Needless to say, parents were thrilled. 1991: POG (World POG Federation, Others): It may have the least likely origin of any Christmas-season smash: a milk-cap game played during breaks by Hawaiian dairy workers. A two-person contest involving a flimsy discs and a slammer, POGs gave kids the chance to, well, take their friend's

Christmas present supply away in minutes. 1990: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Bandai): The action figures and video games were so popular they got kids to learn about Renaissance painters or learn their names, at least. Adolescent abnormal reptiles Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo discovered the ancient art of Ninjutsu from a giant talking rat to fight ninjas while eating pizza. Cowabunga, dude. 1989: GameBoy (Nintendo): The first eight-bit handheld videogame system to utilize cartridges, GameBoy went anywhere and didn't force you to play the same damn game over and over again. 1985: Care Bears (American Greetings/Kenner): The rare successful line of toys inspired by greeting cards - really - these plush teddy bears didn't become a smash until their TV show offered children a glimpse of life in the Kingdom of Caring. 1984: The Transformers (Hasbro): Without them, we might never have discovered Megan Fox. Or how to turn plastic robots into cars, planes, tape recorders, insects, and dinosaurs. Transformative, indeed. 1983: Cabbage Patch Kids (Caleco): Here's how their Web site puts it: "One day, a young boy named Xavier Roberts wandered into a magic cabbage patch hidden behind a beautiful waterfall. He discovered busy little Bunnybees sprinkling cabbages with magic crystals. Suddenly, all sorts of different kids and babies peeked out of the cabbages!" 1982: BMX Bikes (Schwinn Sting-Ray, Others): They didn't emerge out of nowhere, but with the establishment of the International BMX Federation in April 1981 and its first championships a year later, suddenly every kid wanted to be D.D. Leone (what, don't know your bike-racing icons?). 1981: The Smurfs (Schleich): After twenty-four years in Belgium, Les Schtroumpfs didn't connect here until the syndicated Hanna-Barbera cartoon in 1981. So America fell in love with blue creatures in white hats living in mushroom houses in the woods, the 300 hundred-million-sold kind of love. 1980: Rubik's Cube (Ideal Toys): 'Twas another Christmas delight from the other side of the Iron Curtain. A professor at Budapest's Academy of Applied Arts and Design, Erno Rubik often built geometric models. One of them (a 27-piece cube) started being marketed in Hungary in 1977 and by 1980 was frustrating millions of Americans. 1978: Hungry Hungry Hippos (Milton Bradley): Lizzie Hippo (the purple one), Henry Hippo (orange), Homer Hippo (green), and Harry Hippo (yellow) are all hungry for marbles! Four players face off to see whose hippo can eat the most marbles by such cunning strategies as. eh, just bang on the hippo
handle. 1977: Slime (Mattel): There's nothing kids (more specifically, boys) love more than something disgusting. And so slime was a surefire sensation - and continued to connect with Ghostbusters. 1975: The Pet Rock (Rock Bottom Productions): During the '70s, adman Gary Dahl had two revelations: 1) people want pets that don't need to be fed, cleaned, or tended to; 2) people are stupid. The Pet Rock was born. Its popularity was short, but it lasted long enough to make Dahl a millionaire. 1959: Barbie (Mattel): Good ideas are one thing, but it helps if you're married to the co-founder of Mattel. Inspired by a doll she saw on a trip to Germany, Ruth Handler created Barbara Millicent Roberts. And with the help of ads aimed at kids instead of their parents, billions of dollars followed. 1952: Mr. Potato Head (Hasbro): If the Irish Hunger of 1847 soured the world on the potato, George Lerner redeemed it in a big way. His Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television and, not coincidentally, sold a million kits in a year. 1943: The Slinky (Poof-Slinky): While marine engineer Richard James was devising a spring to hold shipboard marine torsion meters steady, one fell from his desk and proceeded to spring end over end across the floor. When stairs also proved no obstacle, toys stores came calling. 1936: Monopoly (Parker Brothers): Charles Darrow patented the real-estate adventure in 1935, and Hasbro claims that approximately 750 million people have partaken, making it the most played board game in the world Guinness says so. 1930: Mickey and Minnie Mouse Handkerchiefs (Waldburger, Tanner & Company): The previous year had seen a Mickey writing tablet, but the handkerchiefs ensured that the mouse nearly named "Mortimer" would become so iconic that "Mickey Mouse" was used as a password for the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. 1929: Yo-Yos (Duncan): After hotel bellhop Pedro Flores attracted a crowd playing a traditional Filipino game with an object on a string during his lunch break, he started the Flores Yo-Yo Company. (Incidentally, "yo-yo" means "come-come" or "come back.")

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