Come Together
By Staff -- Playthings, 7/1/2006
As most toy retailers know, how a store apportions its shelf space can have a big impact on what sells. It's much the same when it comes to children's books, marketers say—offering favorite kid titles and their related plush and toys positioned together can prove lucrative.
“We encourage our wholesale partners to merchandise our soft toys next to their companion books to encourage cross selling,” says Shana Clarke, marketing director, Yottoy, New York, a design studio that specializes in plush book characters.
Beyond its popular lines of book/plush gift sets, Yottoy also markets separate plush book characters. The recognition and appeal of these familiar faces has meant success for the company, Clarke says. Booksellers offering these kinds of toys (and, likewise, toy stores offering these books) can instantly reap the rewards. “Buying plush is such a visceral thing,” Clarke says. “Children will pick up our Maisy, for example, and it will encourage them to buy the book as well. Our soft toys bring the books and characters to life.”
Yottoy's current line of plush includes Corduroy, the Velveteen Rabbit, and Harry the Dog, along with a 10-inch Paddington plush ($19.99) released late last year. The classic honey-brown bear has been selling “extremely well,” Clarke adds, as are Yottoy's Maisy figures ($14.99). Yottoy will release an 18-inch Paddington with signature suitcase ($49.99) in September, and a Little Fur Family character ($10.99), from Margaret Wise Brown's book.
