whilst we have shut out online store, we still continue to sell collectable and hard to find items via our Amazon and eBay portals, and will post updates or all items including other products for sale via this blog over the course of time
Apologies, followers, if you missed the Friday blog last week, was kinda busy with having a baby... well not me, but my wonderful wife. Jesse Valentine was born at 2:50, on 23rd Sept. So i've not been as blog happy the past few days as i've been spending quality time with the family...
anyhow, there has been lots of new stuff besides a new family member arriving
PBT has done a deal with GB Posters to stock a large range of Child Friendly posters, ranging from Peppa Pig, Disney, Band Posters (One Direction, JLS, Bieber, etc.), Football Clubs (Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United Etc.), Movies, Batman, Spider-man, Moshi Monsters, Hello Kitty, Toy Story, Simpsons, Thomas the Tank Engine, Star Wars, WWE, Avatar, Cars, the list is endless.
GB Posters is the foremost poster company and has many exclusives, and new ranges available all of the time.
we will be stocking the large quality Maxi Posters - large wall sized posters measuring 61 x 91.5cm (like above)
superb quality 3D lenticular posters - measuirng 42 x 29.7cm
plus we will stock a great range of temporary Tattoo Packs, Stickers and Pin Badges.
any stock suggestions on poster lines etc, please let me know, and we'll try and get them in....
retail price guide, and high street catalogue store and major high street toy retailer, Argos, has at last revealed its top 15 for Christmas. personally I think that there's nothing that new or exciting in the list (in terms of what we haven't already seen in every other list), but nonetheless it will prove to be that most of these toys won't be available in Argos come December, so go out and buy these in advance - or if you're a retailer like me get some of these items in to cash in on those people who prefer not to shop at the high street catalogue retailer, or customers who missed out!
The Argos Fab Fifteen Toys for Christmas 2011:
Pre-school toys Dance Star Mickey - Mattel LeapPad Explorer Tablet - LeapFrog Sesame Street Let’s Rock Elmo - Hasbro Octonauts Octopod Playset - Mattel Kiddizoom Twist Camera – VTech Boys' toys
Nerf Vortex Proton - Hasbro Dr Who Dalek Ride-In - Kids@Play (currently limited stock, full stock available from October 10th) Bop It XT - Hasbro Disney Pixar Cars 2 Secret Spy Attack Finn McMissile - Mattel LEGO Star Wars Sith Nightspeeder - Lego Girl’s toys
Fijit - Mattel Moshi Monsters Mosh’n’Chat - Vivid Barbie Puppy Water Park - Mattel Chad Valley Designa Friend - Argos Baby Annabell (age three+) - MGA/Zapf
ta-dah - here it is our official site logo, and our new mascot - Mr Piggy, no official name other than Mr Piggy... he's the man to tell you all about the site and how our unique Piggy Bank Credits will work... more will follow... keep checking back for more news on the blog, and the upcoming site. Launch day is not too far away.
My two 9 year olds have got to that really annoying nagging I want stage. My two are just two of the 50million+ kids currently into Moshi Monsters. And as much as most parents are probably fed up with the moshlings and the site, however, its business for me, and we have a range of toys in to go, including newly released 'Slap Watches' and the new 'Series Two' mini figures, but it is still a problem with two children into the figures and trading cards (and website membership - i.e. double the cost!)
Now my problem is not with 'Moshi Monsters' as a whole, but the whole 'playground craze' and collectability elements of the trading cards and more significantly the mini figures is starting to bug me!!
My two are only allowed to spend money on toys if they have earned it themselves, and they both had birthdays in July, so went out and spent £50 on Moshling Toys at Toys R Us (we didn't have any MM toys in at that time) between them, including 4 packets of mini figures - each of which has a hidden 'rarer' figure (blind packed). As parents we were happy that they spent their money on toys they wanted...but they didn't get the hidden rarer figure they wanted, but they were'nt at the time that disappointed - because they got 20 figures to play with.
Now, I've been collecting toys myself for many years and know how and why these 'rarer' figures are issued, mainly, to encourage more purchases and trading with friends, hence the 'playground craze' elements (and to earn the manufacturer more cash). However, in the age of the Internet, my two have got wind of the fact that they can by-pass the collecting and go straight to the marketplace and buy the rarer figures at an inflated price. However they only have a limited amount of money and MUST save up to buy stuff, and as much as I appreciate that they can buy what they want and can afford, its that they are after this one Moshi Monster Moshling figure - Scamp, and rather than buying blind packs at £5 each with the thrill of the chase, they want to go on ebay and buy the figure straight away.
They have £20 currently saved up from pocket money, and are both badgering us as parents to allow them to buy a 'Scamp' Moshling from ebay.
Bearing in mind that they could buy 4 packets of moshlings - with 4 chances of getting a rare Scamp or something else, they are willing to forgo this experience to buy a Scamp at a range of £10-£18 based upon the most recent sales at ebay.
Again I have nothing wrong with people selling collectable figures at inflated prices, I've done that myself previously with Star Wars figures, but generally adults with disposable incomes were the main buyers of these. Its just that my two are willing to part with their hard earned money on 1 figure when they could get 20 or so for the same price, because they want to go to school and say that they have Scamp - to show off.
I have seen recently that Mind Candy, the makers of Moshi Monsters and their products, have issued warnings to retailers that they will not tolerate blind packs being opened, to sell individual figures, but this does not stop so called 'scalpers' buying up packs from stores and doing the same, ie. not retailers.
I also saw recently in Tesco's too, that they have security tagged their Moshi Monster Packs - asking them 'not to be opened' until purchased. Which, in this day and age I find astonishing that people are willing to rip open a box, and then re-place it if it doesn't contain the rarer figure that they want.
So we have been badgered recently, as parents for us to buy this one figure, and we have stood firm and stated, that we think that its silly to spend that amount of money on one figure, and that there are loads of other things out there. I acquired an entire bundle of toys on ebay including 20+ action figures and some vehicles in superb condition - for resale for £20 the other day. If my kids had done this they would have a lot more playability and enjoyment for the same amount of money. I know its hard to negotiate with them on this but as parents we are standing firm on this one. Thing is their parents have a house full of toy boxes which they could buy at 'cost' because we run a toy store, but because we don't have this one thing, and our principles are firm we are not bowing down, just yet.
My reasoning on this is that back when we had playground crazes, mainly for me, panini football stickers, we bought the packets, blind, then opened them traded them with our friends and then if at the end of the season or run of figures could buy the missing ones from panini at 5p a sticker, up to a maximum of about 21.
Mind Candy, who i agree with on the not opening of blind packets, won't sell the rarer figures themselves at the end, and prices will still go up because of the short supply.
From what I understand about the Moshi Monsters website, is that you have to collect Moshlings through trading online, but only some characters can be acquired through subscriptions at a cost of £30+! And these are the virtual moshlings!
Still if we can get our kids back on track and save up for something more worthwhile we'll be happy, after all it is a craze, and this time next year, or even next month they may be onto something else... i know we're not alone on this, but its whether other parents give in and buy what their kids want for them regardless. Maybe i'm old fashioned but we're trying to teach our kids the value of collecting and the chase rather than the trend for have it NOW.
in stock over at our Amazon store we have these neat 3D poster puzzles from Disney. Viewable in both 2D & 3D with the included glasses, and including glue, these can be built and then displayed and viewed in a Dual format.
I've decided to do a regular Friday Blog, as well as the usual random blogs through the week.
This is mainly because on Fridays the weekend is coming and the kids and parents hit the stores and the Internet, and go shop.
Kids get to see the cartoons they want on a Saturday and Sunday morning, go to the cinema on Friday night, and so are subject to all the media they need to enable toy buying over the weekend, advertising and more, and they will go out and spend their hard earned pocket money in our toy stores. Hopefully!
After all they have been at school all week, swapping and bragging about what they have - which Moshling is best, which Match Attax formation is working, and they want to go in fresh on Monday mornings with more to tell their friends about and show off the new Minifigures they snagged with their hard earned moolah.
The PFB - Piggy Friday Blog, will simply be about whatever takes my fancy, obviously it'll mainly be about toys...
So this week, I'll be talking about Nostalgia and Toys and forthcoming ranges.
Yesterday, I managed to grab a sneaky preview of the new Cartoon Network version of Warner Brothers Animation Thundercats (2011), and have acquired the first 6 episodes before they debut on CN in the UK, tomorrow morning (11.00hrs).
Now, you may not believe it, but I was just a bit too old to be into Thundercats when they first hit our screens way back in 1985, but I knew of them, and their popularity back then, as there was a lot of toys and merchandise and has been a lot of retro Merchandise produced since. In fact, like Transformers, of old, again I missed the boat on these, but as the toys have become collectors items I've been kept up to date over the years on their popularity - and which is why we're here talking about a new series of Thundercats
The new series does not link to the old, its not a follow-on - probably what we call a re-boot. So along with the show, will be re-booted toys - kids today won't be interested in collectors figures from a series they don't know about, so this Thundercats series is all fresh, including its merchandise.
Animated using traditional Japanese animation its fresh and its modern, but has the same feel, and imagery as before, the Thundercats Logo is the same and the main characters remain. Lion-O Mumm-Ra, the Sword of Omens and the rest are all back
So in keeping with the new theme of the Thundercats, our friends over at Ban Dai - home of Ben 10, have launched an entirely new toy range to go with the new series. Potentially a risky venture, should the series be a flop, but trust me having seen episodes 1&2, it certainly looks good, and the kids are gonna snap up the toys, of which sneaky peaks were previewed at Toy Fair 2011, in London.
There will be the obvious collection of Action figures, and playsets and vehicles, including the what looks to be awesome, Thundertank (above), plus what I believe all the boys will be after is the Sword of Omens (see below), plus costumes and much much more.
I have a good feeling that this range could take a few retailers by surprise, if they don't stock it, as obviously the Nostalgic elements of this will inspire mums and dads who were 8,9,10 back in 1985, to buy their kids the latest stuff from this range. Its unlike anything on at the moment, where kids and adults can watch together. (Figures from the show which started in July in the States are indicating good numbers for the target audience but also high peaks of Nostalgic adults).
Which parents didn't take their kids to see the Smurfs, Transformers, X-Men and going back Spider-Man, etc., all with a little bit of Nostalgic memory in their hearts. Which parent doesn't buy a toy for their kids thinking, I wish I had that when I was little?
Savvy Film, TV and Toy execs and manufacturers know this. Now, some lines work and some don't. Transformers has been hugely popular, but the toys of old surely win out for nostalgic reasons with 30 somethings, but the kids don't know what went before, so they only know the now, and now its the movie toys, for Transformers - which is keeping things going. The new toy line for Thundercats, to go with the new fresh cartoon will be the same.
More memories seem to be coming later this year with Tintin. I wasn't particularly a fan, was more into Asterix, than the quiffed boy, but I'm sure there will be a few Dad's dragging their kids along to see what Speilberg has done with the nosey detective kid, with the white dog, and I'm sure this will be topped up by some toy ranges. I know Meccano has a vehicle range already lined up - two nostalgic lines in one, old style (Dad's favourite construction sets) Meccano & comic book favourite Tintin - surely a winner.
Providing the toy line is good solid and playable and links nicely to the series or movie, the products will work and sell. Thundercats is hitting at the right time, there's nothing like this at the moment, and its a series that kids will love regardless of the fact its been on before. Some revamps don't seem to appeal, but that's because they make them badly, rather than the idea being bad - see Knight Rider, for example, this remake could and should have been much better, and if it had lasted would have reaped great toy based rewards - it failed and the toys were unrealised.
Still I'm tipping this new Thundercats series to be very popular, and that both old-school Dad collectors and their kids will be fighting for the toys when they come along in the late Autumn, like they did when they made a couple of Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle movies a few years back. The movies were popular with the kids, even if the nostalgic parents didn't appreciate them as much as the cartoons they loved, kids still lapped them up and bought the toys in their millions, as did parents wanting to relive days gone by.
So, assuming that the line and series for Thundercats does do well, which I think it should, toy and film & TV peeps should keep making nostalgic based event movies that bring in both box office / TV advertising revenues and toy sales dollar, providing they are well made - and that being in conjunction with making new and fresh movies and TV shows. For what is a favourite with our children today, will probably be revamped, repackaged and resold in 20 years time to their own kids, Ban Dai must be signed up for the 2031 release of Ben 10 (I'm thinking Ben 30 - for a title!).
Many older brands and names have been revived based solely upon this urge for nostalgia. Traditional Fisher-Price Toys are being repackaged to be resold to cash rich parents to share with their kids as Retro Classics (above), as are old skool versions of Frisbee, Hula Hoop, and versions of Scalectrix and other toys and games are being remade, last year we even saw the Big Trak programmable vehicle. Not sure if that was as popular and sought after as retailers had hoped, because there seemed to be plenty left in January this year. Picking the right toys to sell and the right retro products to sell to the i-kids generation may be getting harder, but as long as parents are there to buy products from around 30 years past, we retailers will be stocking them and manufacturers will always be keen to supply them.
Nostalgia gets to us all in the end, do you remember the Flumps...? time for a remake...
Seems that there has been some mumblings from the toy buying consumers
that the snow last Xmas was putting people off from shopping online this Christmas period. I wanted to try and ease those fears.
Now I'm not predicting that we'll have snow or not, far from it, but wanted to try and put worried consumers minds at rest. So that if you order your goods online in time, it will arrive in time. If there's no snow in the last week of December then its likely that any orders made will get through, however, as this is also the busiest time of the year for deliveries of all items not just toys and gifts, then some items may get delayed in the general scheme of things anyway. Be prepared and then you won't worry.
Its all about preparation. The chances are that heavy Snow will not just delay deliveries, but prevent consumers from actually getting to shops themselves anyway, so thinking online is unreliable is wrong, beacuse shops shut and shelves get empty in the stores... and who wants to go out shopping last minute in Snow crowded streets anyway, stay in keep warm and order from the net.
I was trading last year and have done for every Christmas for a few years going back and have had very few problems. I think last year we had one delivery arrive late and another that we said would be late and the buyer was happy with that. If you are prepared then you will get your goods well in time.
Snow comes and so does Christmas, but we know one is definitely coming and its at a fixed date, so get in early this year and you won't have any problems... We'll be sending out stock everyday from now to the big day. If you are expecting to order items online do it when you can, and get the good in, put them away and rest easy while those without the planning moan about the snow.
Knowing how the supply chain works, I know that not all the items you want will be in stock and available for very long and it may be until after the Holiday season that popular items get back into stock. If you want a Dance Star Mickey or Fijit grab them early...
us internet retailers are feeling that despite the fears from last years bad weather, this Xmas will be the busiest and most successful for online than ever before, and I think the rush has already started.
Ok, so everyone else has done it, here's what i think will be selling well this Xmas time for Kiddies...not scientifically proven, but some stuff we think will be going well, and will be not necessarily in short supply but certainly sought after this coming season.
1. Disney Dance Star Mickey
2. Fijit
3. Need For Speed Mega Bloks Sets
4. Lego Character Clocks - new designs coming this year include Captain Jack & Toy Story 3 (coming to PBT this Autumn)
5. Smurfs
6. Kre-O Transformers
7. Lite Sprites
8. Lego Minifigures Series 5 - stocking fillers
9. V-Tech Toot Toot Drivers Garage
10. Moshi Monsters - anything and everything Moshi!
obviously there will be so many toys that your kids will be wanting, check us out we have some cool stuff coming, and will also stock some harder to find older stock items. Unique site features and other promotions will be worth dropping in for...
new into PBT's stock at Amazon and in stock for Xmas at our official PBT's store, we have a range of Littlest Pet Shop items including the lovely and Patriotic Blythe Sightseeing Set which features Blythe in London, wearing British inspired designs, these will sell out fast, based upon the trend for all things UK / GB in the run up to 2012 Olympics! (see picture above)
