The countdown is on to the Real FX Disney Stitch First Edition being unleashed on June 26th, which will include a Stitch certificate that verifies it as first off the production line. Wow! Stuff has announced that pre-orders will shortly open for one of the most hotly anticipated toys of 2024. Real FX, the Disney Stitch First Edition will be in the hands of fans for the first time on June 26th. Designed and developed in-house, over several years, by the engineers and scientists at Wow! Stuff, Real FX new Disney Stitch was first teased at international toy fairs and received a phenomenal recept ..read more

B&M sales in the UK rose 8.5% year-on-year, up 3.7% on a like-for-like basis, as the retailer opened 47 new stores. B&M group sales have grown to £5.5b and revenues increased 10.1% for the financial year to March 30th 2024. The retailer said these results were ”underpinned by volume growth and positive like-for-like performance”. B&M added that it expects its preferred profit measure, adjusted EBITDA (pre-IFRS 16) to be at the top end of its guidance range, £629m. This would represent a 9.8% increase on last year, which reached £573m. Sales in the UK rose 8.5% year-on-year, up 3.7 ..read more

The Lego Group has announced its Lego Star Wars 25th anniversary collection will continue to expand with new launches on Star Wars Day: May the 4th. The TIE Interceptor building set which was part of the first launch of the Ultimate Collector Series in 2000 is back in a new and redesigned version. Fans of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi can relive the action of the movie, as they recreate the distinctive wings, detailed cockpit and laser cannons of the magnificent Lego Star Wars TIE Interceptor building set. The 1,931-piece set is an impressive 16 inches long and comes complete with an exclusive ..read more

The upcoming June issue of Toy World will include a specialist feature on the extensive Wheeled Toys category. The Wheeled Toys category comes into its own as the weather starts to get warmer and kids look forward to being released from school for six weeks. The category includes products such as scooters, bikes, skateboards and ride-ons, all of which get kids outdoors and active. Throughout the year, wheeled toys are a larger purchase, especially for birthdays and Christmas, and retailers are already ordering such items for the run up to Q4. in the current economic climate, wheeled toy suppl ..read more

The Hot Wheels City Experience is arriving in Manchester this summer and will feature a design centre, an immersive museum, a playground, a gamer zone and a Hot Wheels Lab. Live Nation, BeFun and Mattel have announced that Hot Wheels City Experience will be arriving at the BEC Arena in Central Manchester this August, making its European debut in an interactive experience as it brings the legendary toy cars to life. Spanning a series of immersive stations and interactive activities, this event guarantees surprises for families and devoted collector fans alike, inviting them on a captivating jo ..read more

Tomy International has spent Q1 giving back to its communities, with days of service and monetary donations. Throughout the first quarter of this year, employees from Tomy International offices across the US, UK, Europe and Australia volunteered days of service, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., National Day of Service and inclusivity ambitions overall. The company has a long history of gathering teams together to support the community and take part in important observances. Across ten offices from Dyersville, Iowa to Exeter in the UK, Tomy International supported causes close to the heart o ..read more

Commotion has announced that the new Wooden Dinosaur Blocks from its signature Tickit range are now in stock at its UK and EU warehouses. Launched at Nuremberg’s Spielwarenmesse earlier this year, Commotion‘s set of 10 chunky beechwood figures were well received by toy and education resellers, who welcomed the quality, educational benefits and price point. CEO, James Shepherd, said: “I’m thrilled about our upcoming Dinosaur product launch. It’s been a long-awaited milestone following the amazing feedback from our customers, and I’m confident it will exceed expectations.” Features and benefits ..read more

We have entered retail results season here in the UK, and some of the big names have unveiled extremely healthy annual numbers over the past week – especially multiple retailers with a strong food element to their business. Tesco shares have jumped after it announced that last year’s sales rose 7% to £61.48b, and the retailer struck a confident, bullish tone in its reporting notes. Elsewhere, Home Bargains revealed that turnover increased 10.2% from £3.4bn to £3.7bn in the year to 30th June, while pre-tax profits rose 12.4%, up from £293m in 2022 to £332m. Thanks to the increase in sales and p ..read more

Rainbow High has celebrated Find a Rainbow Day with an influencer and PR campaign that has amassed a reach of over 1m subscribers and 70,000 video views. MGA Entertainment‘s Rainbow High celebrated Find a Rainbow Day on 3rd April with an engaging influencer and PR campaign to mark the launch of the fifth season of its hit animated series and brand-new Rainbow World, whilst introducing the new Classic Rainbow Fashion Dolls. The new collection, which stars in the latest series on YouTube, brings back original and fan-favourite characters from series one and introduces a new sparkly slime play p ..read more

Smoby has returned to the Gloworm Festival for a third year, bringing back the Smoby Play Zone to entertain families. Gloworm Festival has announced the return of Smoby for the third consecutive year. Smoby is set to make the festival experience even better by bringing back its exciting and interactive Smoby Play Zone to delight families. Gloworm takes place from 16th-18th August 2024 at its new location, Holme Pierrepont Country Park, Nottinghamshire. Richard Walpole, festival director at Gloworm Events, said: “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Smoby for the third year running ..read more