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Familiar properties fill up the shelves of the construction aisle.
by Ali Mierzejewski
T
he construction play pattern has always allowed kids novelty toys), McFarlane says that the company is taking this to create buildable worlds and adventures straight step confidently. The company designed The Walking Dead from their imaginations. But with a recent surge of li- construction products with blocks that are compatible with censed toys entering the category, kids are able to build more other construction bricks on the market, but with detailed and more familiar worlds based on their favorite existing prop- skins covering them. The result is finished products that don’t erties. According to The NPD Group, dollar sales of licensed look like brick constructions—they look like items you could building sets grew by 6 percent from 2011 to 2013. As the display on the shelf, which is great for the older demographic world becomes more multi-media driven, licensed properties that makes up The Walking Dead’s viewing audience. As far as are deeply integrated into kids’ making his construction aisle daily lives. Established building debut with a licensed property inMcFarlane Toys pays close attention to detail with its The Walking Dead-themed construction line. toy companies, as well as those stead of a proprietary one, Mclooking to get their feet wet in Farlane says this may prove to be the category, are jumping on the an easier entrance. bandwagon with characters and “For a small company, it’s a environments that are already a huge benefit,” he says. “If you go staple among kids—and even in with an unknown [brand], then collectors. you have to educate the public on what it is—and now you have a A Buildable Debut big marketing spend. With a big This fall, McFarlane Toys brand name, you’re already will enter the construction catehalfway there.” gory with a licensed building toy The Bridge Direct has also line based on AMC’s series, The Walking Dead. Todd McFar- entered the construction aisle with licensed C3 sets based on lane, founder of McFarlane Toys, is adamant on creating some- WWE and the NBA. “There are advantages to launching with thing that the construction aisle is missing. both licensed and non-licensed products. It just comes down to “Twenty years ago I walked down the action figure aisle and the concept, the fit, and the appeal,” says Dan Meyer, marketI asked a simple question, ‘I don’t get why it can’t look cooler. ing director, The Bridge Direct. The C3 NBA product line will launch this fall, while the C3 It’s only plastic,’” says McFarlane. “I’m asking and answering the exact same question now in a new aisle. And the answer is: WWE StackDown line is already on shelves. The Bridge Direct focused on building a licensed toy line that was true to its conIt can.” Although McFarlane Toys is out of its comfort zone in this cept, as well as a good fit for the company. WWE provided not category (usually it focuses on action figures, collectibles, and only an audience of young boys—the typical demographic in
10 • THE TOY BOOK
JULY/AUGUST 2014