London, UK - 9 November 2016
1. Close tilt up of Hatchimals egg box the most popular toy
2. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch
3. Various of Tiana Wilson and Santa Claus listening to toy hatch
4. Close of egg showing beak poking through eggshell
5. Close of Santa Claus watching
6. Various of Santa and Wilson releasing the hatching toy
7. Close of Wilson listening to the Hatchimal sing Happy Birthday
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tiana Wilson:
"So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:
"In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."
10. Mid of Hatchimal on the floor being stroked
11. Various of packaged Hatchimals
12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:
"Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."
13. Mid of boy playing with toy gun
14. Close tilt down of girl playing with the new Bluetooth connected Furby which responds to what she does with her smartphone, or tablet computer
15. Wide of woman showing girl how the new Furby works
16. Low wide angle of the girl tickling the Furby toy
17. Pan from Christmas tree to wide of girl walking her toy dog on a lead
18. Close of toy dog on a lead walking
19. Mid zoom out of a girl seated cuddling an interactive puppy
20. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys
21. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys
22. Zoom out from wrapped Christmas presents in giant sack to reveal Santa Claus walking with analyst Frederique Tutt
23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:
"Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."
24. Tracking shot past model wearing costume of Silly Sausage to boy and girl playing Silly Sausage
25. Various of Silly Sausage toys being played
26. Wide of new range of Barbie dolls
27. Close tilt up of one of the new 'curvy' Barbie
28. Close tilt down from new afro Caribbean Barbie
29. Various of Barbies
30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:
"Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can increase by ten percent (in 2017)."
31. Close of bendy and stretchy muscle man toy
32. UPSOUND: (English) voice of Darth Vader from Star Wars over tilt up shot of Vader model
"Release your anger. If you only knew the power of the dark side."
33. Wide of Darth Vader model
34. Various of children playing with dog in a bath toy
35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:
"Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."
36. Zoom in of boy stroking interactive puppy
LEAD IN:
Retailers in the UK have just revealed their top twelve 'must have' toys for boys and girls this Christmas.
The toy industry is predicting bumper sales, although it admits the US election of Donald Trump and Britain's EU exit vote earlier this year could lead to higher prices in 2017.
STORY-LINE:
This is the toy everyone is raving about in the run up to Christmas.
Hatchimals respond to nurturing and warmth until eventually the egg cracks open and you have a new chick to take care of.
It's one of twelve toys which have made it to the list of Dream Toys which are selected each year by the industry.
Santa Claus and school girl Tiana Wilson are clearly fascinated and the excitement builds up as the chick starts hatching.
Wilson happily lists the toys attractions: "So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."
A lot of interactive, or responsive toys like Hatchimals are most popular this winter, although the old favourites like Thomas the Tank Engine and Lego have secured places on the top toy list.
Toys like Furby have been updated with new technology so they are connected to computers via bluetooth.
Gary Grant the chairman of Dream Toys' selection committee says: "In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."
Securing a Hatchimal this year might be tricky. According to Grant, there is already a worldwide shortage of the toy because the factory can't make enough of them.
Globally the demand for the Hatchimal is over a quarter of a million units, and the company expects to sell over 100,000 toys at around £60 each.
Grant says the shortage has meant some people are buying them to resell at a profit.
He says: "Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."
One of the less expensive toys making the list this year is the Silly Sausage which tests your dexterity.
This is the new Barbie range developed to reflect the diversity in our societies.
The shape of the dolls is less extreme and more in keeping with natural proportions of young women.
There is even a 'curvy' Barbie, but you have to look closely to tell the difference between them.
There is a great deal of trepidation in the industry.
Analysts say 2015 was a record year with the global market valued at 86 billion dollars with an average growth of 7% across all the major markets.
But the US election and Britain's withdrawal from the EU is creating a great deal of uncertainty, over currency values and more importantly the security of existing trade deals.
Frederique Tutt, a global analyst who's a specialist on the toy industry says we shouldn't assume that it's going to be a gloomy future.
Tutt says: "Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."
Toy retailers operate many months ahead so Tutt says there won't be price rises this year.
This is because trading is done in US dollars and most companies will have already stocked up on the currency to hedge against any drastic changes.
Tutt however admits price increases are likely next year and she says: "Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can rise by ten percent (in 2017)."
This Darth Vader is more of an adult toy.
Hidden sensors mean he can call out when you least expect him to.
Although there's the same old excitement about the approach of the winter holidays and the biggest gift buying time of the year, the industry is concerned about what lies ahead.
Grant says: "Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."
They say a puppy isn't just for Christmas, but sometimes they are.
