I came across an article that was recently written for The Sydney Morning Herald; “Retail revolution: How a superhero toy could change the Australian landscape.” If you’re interested, the article is worth reading and taking the time to understand. It is an interesting question to ask because there is certainly a shift towards a new craze of “collectibles” that kids are loving and which started with the introduction of the smash-hit which is Shopkins. The article above focuses on Ooshies from HeadStart and the success that these bite-sized superheroes have achieved in such a short period of time.
Dreamed-up as a collectible set of “pen toppers” based on comic characters, the increasingly popular kids collectible has thrust Australian toy company Headstart International into the global playground, where it’s vying for popularity alongside superstars Shopkins and the top selling Hatchimals.1
Where this new generation of collectible toys are concerned, we have seen the recent success of Shopkins and Ooshies, but now we are seeing even more examples of these smash-hit collectibles. Although Hatchimals have already been mentioned here, two of the other latest additions to the collectible craze are L.O.L. Surprise! and Num Noms. So what do Hatchimals, Num Noms & L.O.L. Surprise! have in common? They are three of the hottest toys on the planet right now and the numbers prove it.
“Since launching in March 2016, Num Noms has been rivalling Shopkins for the most popular girls collectible and has clearly cemented itself as number two brand in dollar value. MGA’s newest girls brand, L.O.L Surprise!, launched in the USA in November and immediately became the number one toy (sales) at all retailers and is set to blow all girls brands out of the water this year. Our first week of L.O.L Surprise! sell-through in Australia was by far the biggest opening week of sales we’ve ever seen on a single item. The retailers have been ringing our phones off the hook, but unfortunately we are now sold out of L.O.L Surprise! until new shipments arrive in May.”
Andrew Hendy, Director @ HeadStart
L.O.L. Surprise!
These are the newest collectibles from MGA which have 7 layers of surprises inside; these include secret messages, collectible stickers, water bottles, shoes, outfits, accessories and dolls. L.O.L. Surprise! recently won both the Doll of the Year & Toy of the Year honours at the Australian Toy Hobby & Nursery Fair in March. L.O.L. Surprise! is also expected to be one of the hottest products for this coming Easter and the growth of the brand continues to be very strong.
About L.O.L. Surprise!
- Newest Collectible launched in time for Christmas 2016 by MGA
- Completely sold out around the world
- Walmart’s #1 selling item in the entire Toy Department
- In the US, the L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls Assortment was the #1 item in Dolls in January 20172
“We are thrilled to be recognised by the Australian Toy Association and presented with these two outstanding awards for L.O.L. Surprise! We look forward to bringing surprise and delight to more kids around the globe in the coming months.”
Isaac Larian, CEO @ MGA Entertainment
Num Noms
Num Noms (also by MGA) are targeted towards the younger girl demographic and are now in their 4th series. Num Noms take collectible toys to the next level by allowing children to pick a container, add a Nom then pick some Nums and create their own flavour combinations.
About Num Noms
- Over 500,000 Mystery Packs already sold in Australia
- Snackables episodes launched on YouTube in November 2016
- Extensive licensee portfolio already in production
- In the US, Num Noms™ Blind Bags Assortment was the #2 item in Dolls in January 20172
Hatchimals
Hatchimals are a new style collectible by Spin Master that have had fans queuing outside of Target stores in the US which allow kids to experience a different hatching experience with every Hatchimal. The more kids play with Hatchimals, the more quickly they will hatch and if the Hatchimal falls asleep it can be woken by turning it upside down for 8-12 seconds.
About Hatchimals
- Hottest toy for Christmas in 2016 with almost 30,000 units selling out in Australia in four weeks!
- Hatchimals Colleggtibles rolling out from May 2017 with over 70 characters to collect for Season 1
- On 6th October 2017, Spin Master will unveil a new Hatchimals concept
“Hatchimals is the only toy on the market that a child can quite literally love to life! Each Hatchimal will only begin to hatch with the encouragement and touch of the child. Because the child is pivotal in the hatching process, hatching becomes an event! Hatchimals also offer the ultimate blind bag experience. This has captured the imagination of consumers – you never know exactly what you’re going to hatch! These features combined to create a unique proposition in the market, which has been critical to its success as a brand to date.”
“A new segment will be launching under the Hatchimals brand in May 2017, called Hatchimals Colleggtibles. A new scale, new price-point and new way to Hold! Hatch! Play! is coming soon!”
Georgina Anderson, Brand Manager @ Spin Master Ltd
Indeed these new collectibles are taking the world by storm and they look set to become even stronger in the Australian retail market as more products and collections launch in the coming months. Stay tuned…
