Prime Time Toys' Max Liquidator Monster Blasters in Sea Dragon, 'Gator, and Shark models

"Independent retailers can profit from a seasonal offering that builds their business beyond the 4th quarter," Monica Jones, marketing director for Swimways, tells Playthings. She also notes, "We believe the big boxes shut down the summer season far too early, but this presents a great opportunity for independent specialty retailers. They can offer water toys all year long and do quite well with a year-round proposition for 'staycationers' and vacationers."

Virginia Beach, Va.-based Swimways has distribution at more than 35,000 storefronts, from mass market chains to drug stores, but specifically offers a selection of its products just to independent toy retailers, "so mom and pop stores aren't directly competing with big box retailers," Jones says. The company also offers a retailer website with product information, catalogs and FAQs.

New this year from Swimways are additions to its Swim Sports collection, including Pro-Chip Island Golf and ESPN-licensed pool games like the ESPN Swimming Challenge, an electronic racing timer; ESPN Splash Jam Basketball, which keeps track of baskets scored; and the ESPN Spring Jam Volleyball for two or four players. Other new items include a Tony Hawk version of Subskate, the underwater skateboard; the new Subsurfer, an underwater surfboard; Submergibles; Can O' Worms; the glow-in-the-dark Toypedo Twister, which can be propelled underwater up to 40 feet; and a range of Disney-licensed toys and floats for younger kids.

Hasbro's Super Soaker 50, a 2009 reissue of the original model in celebration of its 20th anniversary

Jones adds, "With the economy in its current state, families are skipping vacations and looking to turn their backyards into a custom-designed, personal oasis where family and friends can enjoy hours of fun. This summer there will be a high demand for outdoor pool and water toys. Our advice is to stock up and create a fun summer merchandising display that puts customers in the mood for 'Back To Pool' as soon as the weather turns warm."

Indianapolis-based Fundex Games is also hoping for a profitable summer season. The company long known for its range of award-winning board games, dice games and card games has continued to expand its outdoor line of RecreAction Games as well as its water-based toys collection. New this year from Fundex are Chuck-O Splash, in which players toss colorful beanbags at a floating game board at the opposite end of the pool and Jarts Splash, in which players fling specially-designed floating pool darts into a floating target ring.

Swimways' Spring Jam Basketball

Fundex sells its water-based play items across all channels, including traditional toy outlets as well as sporting goods and pool and spa supply stores. According to Sabato, game-based water toys are ideal for specialty toy retailers looking to expand outside their normal water toy offerings "of single player dive toys and torpedoes," plus specialty retailers can take advantage of the company's free video demonstrations to show in their stores and to use in training their staff on the features and benefits of their items. "This is a great time to add additional SKU's of multi-player games for the pool to give their customers more options as well as enrich their mix with higher margin dollar items," Sabato adds.

For Prime Time Toys, Pompton Lakes, N.J., "pool and water-related toys remain a major focus," according to Joe Pokowitz, who heads up marketing in the U.S. for the company. Pokowitz says that, though Prime Time has its hands in a number of toy categories, including outdoor/backyard activity toys like bows and other foam launchers, its success with key water toy items over the years have made them staples. He adds, "We are fortunate to be able to stay in production on water toys for most of the year."

The company bolsters its business through independent stores as well as mass market retailers, catalogs and online sales; it also distributes through international retail channels. Yet Pokowitz notes, "Specialty toy retailers play a major role in the success of our distribution matrix. They are loyal supporters of our core items, and often help to drive demand for new product introductions."

Prime Time offers its retailers product demo DVDs and has recently embarked on a PR program to raise consumer awareness of its brands, Pokowitz says.

He advises specialty retailers interested in the water toys category to carry a mix of proven sellers and newer, innovative items, and to get ready well ahead of summer. "The seasonal nature of this category makes it ideal for replacing the items that everyone remembers having fun with the year before—so make sure that you keep them all in stock," he says.

New products this year for Prime Time include the Max Liquidator Blaster Board, a floating foam water blaster, kickboard and shield; Monster Blasters, wild animal-topped Max Liquidators foam squirters; Critter Blasters for younger kids; and Hydro Blasters, which feature free-spinning handles. Prime Time also will market its bestselling Original Splash Bombs.

Another company taking advantage of placement for its water toys in lots of different retail channels is Los Angeles-based Toy Quest, known for its Banzai brand, which offers more than 500 SKUs. "The outdoor seasonal business represents a large portion of our overall business," says Brett Bogar, vice president of product development, who notes that Banzai toys are sold in more than 20,000 retail locations.

"We've developed an aggressive brand marketing strategy targeting kids through national television advertising," Bogar says, noting that the company's campaign for Banzai in 2009 also includes online advertising, consumer print advertising and ongoing promotion through blogs and YouTube. For toy retailers, Toy Quest offers in-store videos and promotions as well as grass-roots and sponsored events, like the company's quest this year to pick one lucky kid to become the first-ever Banzai Toy Tester. The company also appeals to specialty retailers looking to differentiate from the mass market. "They should look to customize some of our great Banzai products and build exclusive programs with us," Bogar says.

New items from Toy Quest include the Titan Blast Rocket, a 7-foot-tall rocket that can soar up to 100 feet; the Color Ball Blaster, which shoots balls of orange, blue, green or red water; the Twin Barrel Blaster, which fires two powerful, alternating streams; and the Shark Bite Water Slide, which comes with 3-D goggles for kids to wear when racing into the jaws of a hungry great white shark. The company will also market its bestselling bodyboards and skimboards, Bogar says.

For Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Great American Merchandise & Events (GAME), successful sales all year round are the result of being well represented at online retailers, catalogs and other specialty stores in addition to the mass market, which offers the company ongoing shelf space for its outdoor products, according to Holly Shimanski, sales account manager. Shimanski recommends that specialty retailers interested in the category seek toys that encourage healthy, interactive play, an ideal fit for these toy channels.

New items from GAME include the Kool-Light-O-Scope, which projects a spinning kaleidoscope of light and color onto the bottom and sides of the pool; the Skip N' Splash, a spinning lawn water toy; the Whac-A-Mole Bop Action Sprinkler, a lawn-water toy licensed from the popular arcade game; and the Whac-A-Mole Pool Blaster, a pool-based toy based on the game.

GAME's Whac-A-Mole Bop Action Sprinkler

Licensed toys aren't always required for sales success, though, according to Sue Tice, senior product manager, International Playthings, Parsippany, N.J.

"Our products are available at locally-owned specialty retailers all throughout U.S. and Canada," Tice says. The company also sells its non-licensed products through catalogs and on its site, which uses Shopatron so specialty retailers can fulfill the orders.

"[We believe] that children learn from play," Tice says. "Our preschool toy line, iPlay, is designed to offer multiple experiences for young children. As a result, water toys are an integral part of this line. Our iPlay Outdoor category lends itself to sand and water toys as well as basic water play experiences, such as with our new Pirate Lagoon, which is an inflatable play center that comes complete with three inflatable pirates and two plastic toy boats."

"We also encourage water play in our basic preschool toy line," Tice says. "Our new Kitchen Sink features water that really flows out of the faucet for realistic play and our Sights 'n Sounds Splash Table is a full world of water fun complete with sounds and surprises for as young as 18 months."

Other new water toys from the company include the sand-centric Sculptor Set, an expansion of the bestselling Beach Builder series that debuted last year.

The iPlay Outdoor line sells all-year round, "although the items specific to beach play definitely peak during the spring and summer season," Tice notes.

Tice advises specialty retailers interested in the water toys category to "take advantage of their sidewalks and warm summer days by demo-ing water toys in a little kiddie pool outside. Letting children actually play with these toys in a water environment will do so much more than a photo on a box." Indoor displays can also be effective in inspiring sales, Tice adds, noting, "To demonstrate something like our Sand & Water Table, rice can be used instead of sand—this is much easier to vacuum up if spilled on the floor!"

The company offers retailers demo versions of its products at half-price so that displays are possible. "This has been very successful for most of our specialty retailers," Tice says, adding that the company is also working on a video to better show off some of its products' features.

Preschool play is also core to business at The Step2 Company, and water toys year-round are a big part of that, Dotti Franks, vice president of marketing for the Streetsboro, Ohio-based manufacturer, tells Playthings.

"Step2 is a market leader in outdoor toys, playhouses, play kitchens, sand and water play, ride on toys, swing sets, and more. So clearly, water toys are a natural fit for us," Franks says, noting, "Water toys typically sell better in the spring and summer months, but the great thing about most of our water toys is they are designed to be able to function inside as well, such as a cemented garage or basement [with] raised legs to help keep feet and floors clean and dry."

Jakks Pacific's Jakks Outdoor Star Wars X-Wing Inflatable

"We're really excited about our newest product introductions," Franks says. "We really listen to parents when they tell us what their kids love about our products, as well as what they would change. All of our new spring 2009 outdoor toys incorporate play areas that kids love but in a bigger, newer way."