in this issue December/January 2015
D
epartments
05 Editor’s Viewpoint 06 Stat Shot 07 TIA Happenings 08 Industry Update 09 The Big Toy Book’s
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Western Europe stagnates, while Turkey shines.
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Activity Toys Get an Upgrade
20 International Toy Industry Profile: Brio
22 International Toy Industry Profile: Viking Toys
49 Outside the Box 52 Talking Social Media 57 Industry Marketplace 58 Flashback: London Toy Fair
December/January 1995
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Tiny Collectibles, Big Impact Tiny collectible toys have been among the industry's biggest successes.
While some manufacturers are taking the classic category into the digital world, others are focusing on more traditional play patterns.
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HoliDAY of Play
International Toy Industry
F eatures
Traditional Toys and Games
Toy Fest West
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E DITOR - IN -C HIEF Jackie Breyer jbreyer@adventurepub.com S ENIOR E DITORS Marissa DiBartolo mdibartolo@adventurepub.com
Phil Guie pguie@adventurepub.com
Stericycle shares tips on how to efficiently handle a recall situation.
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E DITORIAL A SSISTANT Deanna Atkins datkins@adventurepub.com
License for Lifestyle
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P UBLISHER Jonathan Samet jsamet@adventurepub.com
A SSOCIATE E DITORS Christine Duhaime cduhaime@adventurepub.com
Facing a Recall Head On
Spielwarenmesse CEO Ernst Kick discusses the power of licensed brands in the lifestyle sector.
Volume 30, Number 6 www.toybook.com
Ali Mierzejewski amierzejewski@adventurepub.com
This Las Vegas toy show continues to gain popularity among manufacturers and buyers.
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Published by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®
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Spielwarenmesse Stats
A by-the-numbers review of last year’s Spielwarenmesse.
Spielwarenmesse Coverage
An inside look at the trends and happenings of the toy fair in Nuremberg.
Specialty Toys & Gifts ACTIVITY TOY SHOWCASE S8 FRUSTRATION-FREE S12 ASTRA’S INSIGHTS S2 PACKAGING: Reducing Hassle and Increasing NEWS S4 Customer Satisfaction ANATOMY OF A S5 TOY AND GAME INVENTOR
ECO-FRIENDLY S13 TOY SHOWCASE
NEIGHBORHOOD TOY STORE DAY S6 HELPS INDEPENDENT RETAILERS SHINE
WHAT’S NEW S15 MEDIA CENTER S16
E DITORIAL I NTERNS Magdalene Michalik Alexis Willey P RODUCTION D IRECTOR Bill Reese breese@adventurepub.com C ONTROLLER /O FFICE M ANAGER Lori Rubin lrubin@adventurepub.com U.S. Corporate Headquarters Laurie Schacht, President laurieschacht@aol.com
Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® 307 Seventh Ave., #1601 New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 575-4510 Fax: (212) 575-4521
Member, International Toy Magazine Association