Off the toy fair!

Happy kids

The biggest playground in the world will open its doors from 4 to 9 February, 2010. But this is not for kids. They will have to be patient until the 70,000 or so new products hit the stores. Before this, the 2,700 exhibitors at the International Toy Fair Nuremberg will have to win over their visitors. The Simba Dickie Group has plenty of surprises
in store for its guests.

More than a million toys in eleven different product categories are going to be showcased over an exhibition space of 160,000m². Just short of 2,700 manufacturers from 60 countries will await more than 80,000 visitors from around the world. The International Toy Fair Nuremberg is the world’s number one when it comes to toys, hobby articles and leisure products. But above all, it is a place for targeted industry information, networking as well as establishing and fostering contacts. The latter will be at the core of the Simba Dickie Group’s presence at the fair. Everything flows together at the meeting point in hall 6. "In the Simba Dickie Group area, specialist retailers or buyers can work their way from brand to brand", Thomas Peter says with a smile. The Senior Marketing Manager of Dickie-Tamiya has been responsible for the entire fair organization for years.

Simba Dickie Group‘s Meetingpoint in hall 6.

Once again this year, a host of new products await visitors at the Simba Dickie Group stands encompassing some 2,500m². The crowd puller in 2009 was the Smoby area. It was, after all, the first appearance of Smoby Toys as part of the Simba Dickie family. The stand area proved very spacious.

No one could have guessed how many guests would come. A lot did. Visitors were soon stepping on each other’s toes. "It was too cramped, so we have expanded", says Thomas Peter. As this is not possible widthwise because of the limited space, moby is growing upwards. "We are putting a second fl oor on top as a quiet area for talks between us as the host and the customers."

A stroll around the stands
"The two-fl oor principle proved extremely effective for Schuco", says Thomas Peter. The famous odel brand invited specialist retailers to its own stand in hall 7 for the fi rst time in 2009. The little gems were mostly presented in display cabinets, all open, all easily accessible. Customer service was located on the additional top level, shielded off from the hustle and bustle of the fair. "The customers feel very much at ease here", was Peter’s assessment.

There will also be extra room for the puzzles, card games, board games and educational games from the Noris-Spiele and Goldsieber brands. Year after year, something is moved over or shuffl ed around, repainted or redecorated, optimized. BIG occupies a lot of space. The many Bobby-Cars alone simply require more freedom to move.

Guide: Most of the Simba Dickie Group’s stands are located in the east sector.

Enter the cuddly toys
Everyone at the Simba Dickie Group is excited about one particular novelty – the fi rst Nicotoy stand. The little Belgian brand joined forces with the Fürthbased company in 2006. Extremely well-known and popular in France and Belgium, the unusual cuddly toys and teddy bears are not so active in other markets. They are exceptional when it comes to quality, design and play value.

They are now getting their fi rst major appearance at a trade fair in hall 2, on a space of 20m². "When the Toy Fair management asked us whether we would like to take part in the special theme, we accepted straight away", explains Thomas Peter. "Baby articles are an important part of the Simba Dickie Group’s product portfolio. So we are very happy to have a presence in Baby’s World", says Peter. You have to go with the trend: parents are investing more and more in their children‘s development. The demand for products for babies and small children is growing. The turnover generated by baby toys increased five percent in 2008 in Germany, Italy and the UK alone.

Baby’s favorite: Jürgen Deschner with Nicotoy teddy bears.

Jürgen Deschner, Marketing Manager of Simba Toys, is responsible for setting up an effective baby segment for the Simba Dickie Group. And he has even more highlights up his sleeve. "Collectables are back in trend", says Jürgen Deschner. For instance, Filly Princesses, the tiny fantasy horses made of velvet, were developed in 2007 and suddenly became the most successful collectable in Germany during many months in 2009, Jürgen Deschner is hoping that the little Chi Chi & Friends dogs, which have been available as collect-ables since May 2009, see a similar success. Girls and boys are equally crazy  about the 25 different animals of just three centimeters in size. At least eight new dogs will come onto the market in 2010.

And the squapping goes on
Another trade fair hit, according to Jürgen Deschner, will be Squap, the catching and throwing game developed in cooperation with Swiss engineers. "Squap has exceeded all expectations", he admits outright. A complete sellout within a few months in  2009. "Now it is an established Simba theme and is really going to boom in 2010." This is because, and Jürgen Deschner is proud of this, "we have succeeded in getting sports chains like Intersport to stock the game as a sporting good."

Adorable Evi: The sweet fashion doll is perfect for any role play.

Evi is another product important for the Simba specialist. She is the little sister of the now 22-year-old fashion doll Steffi Love. While Steffi Love is developing into a popular supermodel, little Evi is great for anything that captures little girls’ hearts: Evi is ideal for virtually every role play and fi ts perfectly into little hands. She loves horses and likes walking; she is an animal keeper, indian, princess or nurse, or simply a best friend. Together with Steffi Love, there are now more than 1,000 variations in look and outfit.

Cool prototype: Thomas Peter with the "Lama" from Carson Model Sport. 

As trade fair manager Thomas Peter’s regular occupation is in the fi eld of Model Sport, one new product is making him  specially happy: the Carson surprise. "We are showcasing a new helicopter. The lean period following a change of manufacturer is fi nally over  and we now have "Lama", based on a Swiss original", Peter raves. Carson’s range of fl ying products had been limited. Now, a cool helicopter is taking to the skies.
 

2: Leo in lacquer: The special edition of the BIG New Bobby-Car captivates with its lavish animal design. 3: This will be fun: King Wobby from Simba Games & More is a game of skill for young and old. 4: Practice makes perfect: The hit Hello Kitty line is growing. This pot, pan and kettle have great cooking sounds and lighting. 5 and 6: The Eichhorn Collection is exclusive to specialist retailers. This pull-along crocodile and turtle, and little house are three of the 20 articles.