BING INSPIRES MY FIRST CRINKLY NEWSPAPER AND CRINKLY COMIC! Rocket Licensing, which manages the bing licensing campaign in the UK and Ireland, has announced that bing, the timeless, relatable and multi-award-winning pre-school tv series from acamar films, has now inspired two editions each of the much-loved nursery times my first crinkly newspaper and my first crinkly comic, the first licensed brand to feature in these innovative and fun formats! The four launch issues will include two nursery times newspapers based on the bing episodes frog and smoothie, while two crinkly comics (bing: at home and bing: matching colours) will introduce first words to young children. The crinkly range is distributed in the uk and internationally via Dynamic Distribution. The new Bing titles will be available in Waterstones, independent bookshops, toy shops, baby boutiques, gift shops, baby play cafes, museums, galleries and zoos as well as many online retailers. Bing supports healthy child development, with themes and stories created with child development experts to ensure that the stories shared help young audiences grow their emotional language and reasoning skills. Bing is perfectly suited to the multi-award-winning nursery times titles, whose core audience ranges from three months up to three years. The crinkly books are light and easy for babies to hold independently, allowing them to engage with the bright and bold pictures. The sensory crinkle aspect and the high contrast titles also appeal to many children with sen and visual impairment. The crinkly titles are also safe, washable and long-lasting – easy for carers and parents to fit into a bag or even a pocket for days out. The publishers and founders of nursery times and crinkly comics are designers jo joof and nicola moore, who met designing children’s books and built their business partnership from scratch. www.rocketlicensing.com UK TOY MARKET RETURNS TO GROWTH FOR FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS The latest annual industry report by the BTHA and Circana confirms year-onyear growth of 6 percent with strong demand for toys throughout the year Building sets emerge as the fastest-growing category, rising 25 percent, closely followed by action figures (+16 percent), and games and puzzles (+15 percent). Licensed toys strengthen their market position, accounting for 38 percent of total toy sales following a year of blockbuster film releases in 2025 Results point to an evolving era of play, as families increasingly engage with toys through shared entertainment, nostalgia, and cross-generational appeal Annual industry insights from the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) and global market research company, Circana, unveiled at Toy Fair in London, show the uk toy industry returned to growth in 2025 – its first growth year since the covid-driven surge of toy sales in 2020. Figures reveal toy sales were up 6 percent year on year, contributing to a sector now worth £3.9 Billion. This marks a significant turnaround for the uk toy sector after several challenging years. Toy sales increased every month of 2025 compared to 2024, showing steady recovery. Whilst the ‘kidult’ category continued its upward trajectory for those purchasing toys over the age of twelve (+10 percent), children’s toys for under twelves also delivered solid growth in 2025, with sales up 4 percent year on year, and representing 67 percent of overall market expenditure. TRENDS UK ADDS TABLEWARE AND DRINKWARE BRAND STOR TO ITS PORTFOLIO Trends UK has been appointed as a uk distributor for the spanish tableware and drinkware brand Stor. Trends UK has confirmed that it will bring the stor brand to the uk from late spring, supported by an impactful marketing campaign. Known for its vast collection of quality licensed tableware and drinkware for kids and young adults, stor has become a much sought after brand in more than 100 countries of the five continents. Stor has one of the largest catalogues of licensed household goods currently available, thanks to an in-house team of more than 20 who are dedicated to the design and creation of these ranges. The partnership will see a full roll-out across retail during 2026, bringing families’ favourite brands to the homewares department. Drinks bottles, food containers, lunch bags, and children’s tableware will be available soon in a variety of licensed designs that will be perfect for fans of kpop demon hunters, minecraft, bluey, disney stitch, and pokémon. Guy Rooney, MD at Trends UK, commented: “Stor presents such a unique opportunity for trends uk and we’re absolutely delighted that it now sits within our portfolio of brands. We already offer a wide selection of licensed lines across many key categories, as well as our own ips, and stor allows us to reach customers in a new but very much connected retail sector. It adds significant value to our offering, making us a one-stop-shop for toys and goods that will delight children – and adults – of all ages.” Initially, Trends UK will add to its offering 22 Stor products, across five different licences, with scope to extend this selection through the year. www.trendsuk.co.uk INDUSTRY NEWS 13
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