Merchandise Monday: Holiday Season is Just around the Corner!

Part I: Toys

It might still be early in the season, but now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving in on the horizon, there’s no denying that the holidays are upon us! Whether or not you’ve finalized your shopping lists, we’re here to tell you all about the trends we’re seeing for this year’s gift-giving season. Get ready to make that special someone’s holiday extra merry!

Let’s start by keeping the kids happy and talk about toys. LEGO®, Barbie®, nabi® - a new brand at Hinda – and Power Wheels are all forecasted to be big hits this shopping season. Our wide selection of LEGO building sets includes Legends of Chima™, Star Wars™, Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO City. We’ve also got an assortment of LEGO Friends, geared toward girls and LEGO Duplo® - larger blocks for smaller hands!

Your favorite girl will love the new Barbie Color Chalk Hair doll. Barbie’s never looked better than when the young stylist in your life uses the included chalk pods to dream up the trendiest, most cutting-edge ideas in hair color. The blue, pink and purple pods contain enough chalk for 100 applications and the chalk washes out easily with soap and water. Let your kids’ imaginations run wild with this fun new Barbie toy.

Hinda is proud to introduce its new partnership with nabi®. The 16 GB Nick Jr.® Edition features the Wings™ Education System, which tailors courseware to the strengths and weaknesses of the child's skill set level in math, reading and writing. Your kids will have fun with the apps, games, books and videos featuring favorite Nick Jr. characters like Dora the Explorer™, Ni Hao Kai-lan™ and Go Diego Go™.

Staying within the more educational vein, Hinda’s got a Vivitar® 30mm refractor telescope and 3-objective compound microscope set that will keep your favorite budding scientist busy for hours! This kit's telescope includes a tripod as well as 20x, 30x and 40x eyepieces. The microscope is capable of 300x, 600x and 1200x magnification. The set includes specimen slide, blank slides, slide covers, specimen collection vials and tweezers.

When it’s time to get outside and burn off some of that seemingly endless energy, the Ford F-150 from Power Wheels® is just what your little one needs. With realistic side-view mirrors, built-in windshield and roomy truck bed, kids will feel like they’re driving a real truck! They can even lift up the hood to find a realistic-looking truck engine. With big, rugged tires, kids can take their adventures off-road, too!

This is just a small sampling of the wide range of toys and children’s merchandise we have here at Hinda, but these are some of the items we predict will be popular this coming holiday season. Stay tuned for the next installments of our 2013 holiday trends preview, where we’ll cover entertainment/technology, outdoor recreation, home and housewares and more!

Merchandise Monday: Trends from Toy Fair 2013

      

The 110th American International Toy Fair drew nearly 20,000 retailers, wholesalers, importers, buying groups and trade guests to scope out 150,000 innovative toys, games and youth entertainment products across a record-breaking 375,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

Toy Fair 2013 took place February 10-13 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, and Hinda merchandising director LeeAnn Schumacher hit the show floor to report back on the trends she sees taking place this year and as we move into the future.

To begin, we can expect to see games and gadgets that evoke a memory. Classic toys, nostalgic products and vintage items will be popping up on the toy shelves this year. For example, Power Rangers is celebrating its 20^th anniversary, while the Cabbage Patch Kid® doll turns 30. Also, remember the Fisher-Price® record player? It’s back!

Reality TV seems to be influencing toys kids want to play with. Available at Toy Fair this year were “Project Runway” and “American Idol”-inspired items such as the Project Runway® Fashion Design Light-Box Set and the Kidz Bop Glammerati™ Mini Melody Microphone. These toys let kids tap into their creativity and individuality and keep them entertained when their favorite shows aren’t airing.

Toymakers are finding ways to leverage technology, as many physical toys now share an online component. For example, Skylanders™ is the combination of video games and figurines and lets players explore two worlds at the same time.

This will make parents happy:  teens and ‘tweens still want outdoor activities and board games - it’s not all about electronics and smartphones! Board games are now based on apps – such as “Words with Friends” and “Farmville,” – and branded with pop culture figures. It’s all about capturing young adult eyes and holding their attention long enough to keep them coming back.

Following this “offline fun” trend, 2012 saw a 20 percent uptick in the building set category. From classic building blocks to other types of building sets, expect new innovations and an increasing number of new licenses. Lego® has introduced several new lines, including Friends, Legends of Chima and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®, while Mega Bloks® is also is the forefront, launching Barbie™ Pool Party.

This is just a sampling of the trends and products emerging this year. Check back frequently for updates via our weekly “Merchandise Monday” column right here on Hinda Blog!