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State of the<br />
Industry<br />
BEN GADBOIS<br />
Global President and COO,<br />
Spin Master Ltd.<br />
<strong>The</strong> toy industry was up approximately 7<br />
percent in 2015. What are your expectations<br />
for <strong>2016</strong>?<br />
Robotics continues to be an interesting<br />
space for Spin Master with many of our toys<br />
incorporating the technology, like our Zoomer<br />
Kitty and Meccanoid personal robot. As technology advances,<br />
we’re seeing the costs of development and production come down,<br />
making it possible to launch new innovations and market them at a<br />
very attractive price for consumers. For Spin Master, that means the<br />
opportunity to bring toys to life through a variety of technologies,<br />
like robotics, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. What<br />
appeals to us is the ability to create more complex and long-lasting<br />
play opportunities to keep children engaged. However, even as we<br />
expand our technical know-how, we always keep things kid-friendly<br />
first. A great example is our Meccano brand, which we reinvigorated<br />
for the modern era of toys through the launch of Meccanoid. This<br />
is real-world engineering that can be used by kids, bringing STEM<br />
subjects to life in a meaningful way through play.<br />
Licensing is another strong area for the industry, and clearly the<br />
most outstanding example of that was Star Wars. Our lineup has<br />
a strong licensing component, and in addition to new items from<br />
Star Wars, we’re looking forward to introducing iconic brands such<br />
as <strong>The</strong> Powerpuff Girls, Teletubbies, and Popples to a new generation,<br />
while also seeing great promise in new properties, such as <strong>The</strong><br />
Secret Life of Pets.<br />
We’re beginning to see more innovation and risk-taking in new<br />
product introductions than in recent years. Will you introduce<br />
any new products or lines that take play to a new level?<br />
Innovation has always been at the heart of everything we do at<br />
Spin Master and our launch as a publicly traded company last year<br />
has enabled us to continue on this path. In <strong>2016</strong>, consumers can<br />
expect to see more toys, games, and entertainment properties from<br />
Spin Master that push the boundaries of fun into new territories. Our<br />
new Air Hogs Connect: Rescue Force, for example, brings together<br />
a physical Air Hogs quad copter, a digital app, and an immersive<br />
augmented reality experience like never before. Kids pilot a real<br />
quad using their smart device, which in turn displays the augmented<br />
reality world, within which their quad is projected. <strong>The</strong> system itself<br />
is simple, with only the vehicle, mat, and app—all from Air Hogs—<br />
required, but delivers a brand new play opportunity and a deeper<br />
level of play for R/C enthusiasts.<br />
SOREN TORP LAURSEN<br />
President, Lego Systems<br />
Star Wars drove toy sales in the fourth<br />
quarter. Which licenses will be hot in<br />
<strong>2016</strong>?<br />
Star Wars was a strong driver for<br />
2015 toy sales, but many properties<br />
contributed to growth last year, and we<br />
also continue to see the importance of<br />
and need for unique, homegrown play opportunities to propel<br />
the Lego business, such as Lego City, Friends, and Ninjago. Star<br />
Wars will continue to be a key property for Lego growth, fueled<br />
not only by the films, but also by our new original Disney XD TV<br />
series, Lego Star Wars: Freemakers Adventures. Additionally, we<br />
see continued growth coming from both DC Comics and Marvel<br />
Super Heroes franchises and from Lego Disney Princess, both<br />
the classic stories as well as new building sets linked to Frozen.<br />
We’re also thrilled to support the new Angry Birds movie with a<br />
line of building sets linked to the film.<br />
<strong>The</strong> toy industry was up approximately 7 percent in 2015.<br />
What are your expectations for <strong>2016</strong>?<br />
To see growth in the toy industry is exciting. Our own business<br />
continues to grow strongly and ahead of the industry, which<br />
we see being a true testament to the fact that in spite of all the<br />
noise about the things that distract children from traditional toys<br />
and play, there is still a growing need for the role that toys play in<br />
their lives. As long as we, and everyone in toys, remains focused<br />
on what our play materials mean to children—both physically<br />
and digitally—and we continue to serve their needs, we believe<br />
that our business, and the industry overall, will continue to grow.<br />
We’re beginning to see more innovation and risk-taking in<br />
new product introductions than in recent years. Will you introduce<br />
any new products or lines that take play to a new level?<br />
We have a relentless focus on innovation, and this year<br />
we’re really excited about our new Lego Nexo Knights property,<br />
which integrates physical Lego building with a highly collectible<br />
mechanic that links to an exciting digital play world. Medieval<br />
knights in a futuristic realm come to life through an exciting new<br />
TV series on Cartoon Network, a digital gaming app, and an<br />
extensive line of building sets, where every engagement can<br />
unlock new powers to enhance a child’s play experience. Lego<br />
Nexo Knights brings together everything that today’s kids love:<br />
Lego building and self-expression, strong characters, a deep<br />
content-driven story, and digital gaming.<br />
68 THE <strong>TOY</strong> BOOK | FEBRUARY <strong>2016</strong> | <strong>TOY</strong>BOOK.COM
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