Freelance creative Danny Heffer talks trade show highlights – and why heritage brands might be missing a trick…

Danny, having attended the London Toy Fair recently, were there any key design takeaways from the show?
No seismic shifts in the industry! I’ve noticed everyone is quite risk averse at the moment, so I think it was a case of doing what you do well. Doubling down on core skills. Having said that, it felt like a positive, albeit quiet, show.

Was there a ‘best in show’ toy range you saw?
I’m really into what Paper Engine are doing at the moment. It feels like a really quality product, being attractively packaged and branded coherently as a range. The product is great – a nice lean into construction and engineering and then some decent play value after the build. The new 3D Marble Maze looked great on the stand.

Paper based toys have all looked a bit ‘worthy’ in the past, a bit like brown bread, we all know it’s good for us but do we really want it? This feels like a toy that has merit beyond it being sustainable. It’s a good use of the medium. I look forward to seeing where they go with it next. They’ve dipped into licensing with Aardman, I wonder what’s next on the slate? Transformers maybe? Paper-based Meccano?

You mention sustainability – is the increased awareness around sustainability influencing the toy market at the moment?
I think it’s becoming more ‘built in’. It’s moving from being a gimmicky call out to just being an intrinsic part of the product. It’s expected now and should be how we’re all creating and producing. I saw fewer stands with a ‘sustainable’ section and more with it just being part of the general product range. Hooray for that.

Licensing-wise have you picked up on any new trends going into 2025?
I saw lots of new ranges that had tactility as a thing. Squishy, stretchy, furry, sticky… I guess we have Squishmallows to thank for that in part. It’s a reason to not buy digital I guess and reinforces actual physical play.

You also attended Spring Fair recently. Focusing on Heritage brands, how were these shaping up design-wise at the show?
There’s a few things going on. In the Heritage area, I’m not seeing much in terms of variety. A lot of Heritage organisations are moving into licensing, but I think they’re missing a trick by not looking for what’s unique about their collections. Or asking themselves what their overriding mission or function is. I’m kinda over William Morris! Or at least that floral pattern look applied to greetings or textiles.

Museums have mind bogglingly rich collections; it’d be great to see some more crate-digging to see some new looks and styles. They have always been places of inspiration and thought leadership, so I’d love to see them looking forward on trend and pushing the envelope. Admittedly they have a core audience that loves that look – particularly overseas – but that audience will age and move on. How can they bring newer audiences in? The idea of museums as an inspirational resource is a lesson for us all so perhaps a curated collaboration with an outside designer or brand is a way of engaging… I worked with Barbour and Shaun the Sheep recently to create an ‘inspired by’ fleecy waxed jacket, bringing the values of both brands together. It would be interesting to see what Museums could do with that principle.

And how about the greetings cards space? What excited you there in that sector?
Well greetings was a different picture! There’s a freshness there I feel. I’m seeing a lot of Shrigley-esque handmade designs that look like they’re straight from an indie designer’s studio. Really bright, colourful and, above all, funny. I’m all for funny – aren’t we all at the moment? I see board games and greetings being quite aligned in that surreal humour these days. I wonder if each can feed off each other?

I was also struck by the size of the market. Predictions were that with the progress of technology, card giving and gifting would be on the wane but it’s clearly thriving. Card shops are still there on most high streets. I think it’s really heart warming that we’re all still thinking of each other enough to keep that going.

Final question! Having been to a couple of tradeshows, do you have one piece of advice for exhibitors about how they can get more out of their stands?
Show don’t tell… I think stands that create retail-like environments really work. They do that hard work for buyers in showing how to merchandise and range their stores. Functionally, and at Spring Fair in particular, having something to take away would be handy. Often stands are busy and there’s not a chance to talk to anyone. Having something to pick up on later with contact details would be handy. Print isn’t dead!

Lastly, free foot massages please. I did 20,000 steps on Tuesday!

That would be nice! Great insights, thanks Danny.