UK TOYS

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6.02

SHOTLIST:

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

LEADIN:

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.

STORYLINE:

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.

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LEADIN:

Laser guns, Harry Potter wands and a poopin' puppy are just some of the must-have toys for children this Christmas.

Despite an impending Brexit, the UK toy industry says it's expecting a bumper 2018, buoyed by movie and gaming inspired gifts.

STORYLINE:

You better watch out, Santa Claus is coming to town and he's carrying a laser.

Father Christmas was on hand to try some of this year's top 12 toys for 2018, announced by the UK Toy Retailers' Association at its DreamToys exhibit.

Laser guns make the list and are proving popular with people of all ages.

Santa Claus says: "One of my favourite toys, I do like lots of them and there's 12 of them here, of the favourites. We've got everything from Harry Potter and Lego, we've got Harry Potter's wands and there's the L.O.Ls which is the unwrapping games as well. We've got lots of Nerf as well, Monopoly."

The top toys are selected by a panel of retailers and experts and it's a predictive list of what's expected to be popular.

There's everything from collectible L.O.L Surprise dolls to a slime studio and a Fortnite edition of Monopoly.

But with a new Harry Potter film due out, anything related to the boy wizard is expected to dominate, according to the chairman of  the DreamToys committee, Gary Grant.

"Children's oriented films are really good for toys. So we have Harry Potter this year, we've got Toy Story next year. We've got the Lego movie which brings the Lego bricks to life. So when we get a good movie coming out it does have an ongoing benefit for the toy industry," he says.

The Harry Potter Wizard Wand has cast a spell on ten-year-old Isabella Bonnell who's trying it out.

"It's so fun because you get to learn all these different spells and it's fun practicing them. It makes funny noises when you do a spell," she says.

There are also new Lego options available for Potter fans, including various figurines, the Hogwarts Express and a model of the Great Hall.

"There's a relevancy. Harry Potter is now back with Lego so we're very very proud that a lot of kids will hopefully find Lego undreneath the Christmas tress and have the chance, together with their parents, to be creative and imaginative," says Marius Lang from Lego.

But it's not just film franchises that are helping to sell toys.

This girl is 'flossing' - a dance move that players of ever-popular video game Fortnite will be familiar with.

Hasbro has teamed up with Epic Games to release a Fortnite edition of Monopoly.

Twelve-year-old Ashton Eiman says it's just as exciting as the video version: "It's very good. It's got all the characters. These are all in Fortnite at the moment and I really like it."

Grant says keeping up with film, TV and other trends is needed to appeal to young consumers.

"It's key. The industry looks at what's going on within a child's life. What are they playing with, what are they watching. But also the other part of the industry which has been thriving this year are the collectible items."

These dinosaur collectibles are from the Fingerlings Untamed Jailbreak T-Rex playset and are on the top 12 list.

So too are the L.O.L Surprise Under Wraps dolls.

Toy analyst Frederique Tutt says: "Collectibles is really driving the market in the UK. Sales are 30 percent (higher) compared to last year. So they will want to have the whole collection. So this is series 1 and then you get series 2, series 3and there's no end of fun."

The UK is the fourth largest toy market in the world after the US, China and Japan and has annual sales of 3.5 billion pounds.

One of the more quirky cuddly creatures in the popular Paws and Claws category is Ricky the pup.

What makes him special is his ability to eat treats and then later poop them out.

There's also some unease in the toy industry about the UK's upcoming exit from the European Union which could see supply lines disrupted.

"So much is still uncertain about next year regarding Brexit. But as I said most of the toys come from the Far East and obviously items coming in to the UK, apart from the devaluation of the pound, I can't really see that there's going to be any issues unless we have a major problem with our ports with our stock being delayed," says Grant.

Nine-year-old Jackson Knopf has already decided what he wants from Father Christmas: "Definitely Laser X, the slime thing and some Lego."

With more than five weeks to go until Christmas, Santa will no doubt be busy keeping note of who wants what.

London, UK - 14 November 2018

1. Various of Santa Claus playing Nerf Laser Ops with young girl (£44.99)

2. Various of two boys playing Laser X (£49.99)

3. Santa Claus with Laser Ops gun

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Santa Claus:

"One of my favourite toys, I do like lots of them and there's 12 of them here, of the favourites. We've got everything from Harry Potter and Lego, we've got Harry Potter's wands and there's the L.O.Ls which is the unwrapping games as well. We've got lots of Nerf as well, Monopoly."

5. Wide of display showing DreamToys top 12 toys

6. Various of L.O.L. Surprise Under Wraps collectible figures (£14.99)

7. Close of box for Laser X

8. Tilt up of Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio (£29.99)

9. Monopoly Fortnite Edition (£21.99)

10. Harry Potter Wizard Training Wand (£24.99)

11. Close of box for Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego (£74.99)

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"Children's oriented films are really good for toys. So obviously we have Harry Potter this year, we've got Toy Story next year. We've got the Lego movie which brings the Lego bricks to life. So when we get a good movie coming out it does have an ongoing benefit for the toy industry."

13. Various of young girl playing with Harry Potter Wizard Wand

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Isabella Bonnell, 10-years-old:

"It's so fun because you get to learn all these different spells and it's fun practicing them. It makes funny noises when you do a spell."

15. Various of Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Lego (£89.99)

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Marius Lang, Lego:

"There's a relevancy. Harry Potter is now back with Lego so we're very very proud that a lot of kids will hopefully find Lego underneath the Christmas trees and have the chance, together with their parents, to be creative and imaginative."

17. Various of Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Lego

18. Tilt up of young girl dancing (Doing the Floss from Fortnite)

19. Various of young boy playing Monopoly Fortnite Edition

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Ashton Eiman, 12-years-old:

"It's very good. It's got all the characters. These are all in Fortnite at the moment and I really like it."

21. Eiman playing Monopoly Fortnite

22. Various of Gary Grant looking at top 12 toys

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"It's key. The industry looks at what's going on within a child's life. What are they playing with, what are they watching. But also the other part of the industry which has been thriving this year are the collectible items."

24. Tilt down of children playing

25. Close of boy with Fingerlings Untamed Jailbreak T-Rex Playset (£24.99)

26. Various of girl unwrapping L.O.L. Surprise Under Wraps collectible figures

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, Toy analyst:

"Collectibles is really driving the market in the UK. Sales are 30 percent (higher) compared to last year. So they will want to have the whole collection. So this is series 1 and then you get series 2, series 3 and there's no end of fun."

28. Tracking shot of child with Air Hogs Supernova drone toy (£39.99)

29. Various of FurReal Ricky, Trick Lovin' Pup (£134.99)

30. Various of children playing GraviTrax (£39.99)

31. SOUNDBITE (English) SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"So much is still uncertain about next year regarding Brexit. But as I said most of the toys come from the Far East and obviously items coming in to the UK, apart from a devaluation of the pound, I can't really see that there's going to be any issues unless we have a major problem with our ports with our stock being delayed."

32. Various of children playing with Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Jackson Knopf, 9-years-old:

"Definitely Laser X, the slime thing and some Lego."

34. Tilt down of DreamToys exhibit hall

35. Various of Santa Claus waving

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.

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

UK CHRISTMAS TOYS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6:06

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

London, UK - 14 November 2018

1. Various of Santa Claus playing Nerf Laser Ops with young girl (£44.99)

2. Various of two boys playing Laser X (£49.99)

3. Santa Claus with Laser Ops gun

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Santa Claus:

"One of my favourite toys, I do like lots of them and there's 12 of them here, of the favourites. We've got everything from Harry Potter and Lego, we've got Harry Potter's wands and there's the L.O.Ls which is the unwrapping games as well. We've got lots of Nerf as well, Monopoly."

5. Wide of display showing DreamToys top 12 toys

6. Various of L.O.L. Surprise Under Wraps collectible figures (£14.99)

7. Close of box for Laser X

8. Tilt up of Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio (£29.99)

9. Monopoly Fortnite Edition (£21.99)

10. Harry Potter Wizard Training Wand (£24.99)

11. Close of box for Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego (£74.99)

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"Children's oriented films are really good for toys. So obviously we have Harry Potter this year, we've got Toy Story next year. We've got the Lego movie which brings the Lego bricks to life. So when we get a good movie coming out it does have an ongoing benefit for the toy industry."

13. Various of young girl playing with Harry Potter Wizard Wand

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Isabella Bonnell, 10-years-old:

"It's so fun because you get to learn all these different spells and it's fun practicing them. It makes funny noises when you do a spell."

15. Various of Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Lego (£89.99)

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Marius Lang, Lego:

"There's a relevancy. Harry Potter is now back with Lego so we're very very proud that a lot of kids will hopefully find Lego underneath the Christmas trees and have the chance, together with their parents, to be creative and imaginative."

17. Various of Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Lego

18. Tilt up of young girl dancing (Doing the Floss from Fortnite)

19. Various of young boy playing Monopoly Fortnite Edition

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Ashton Eiman, 12-years-old:

"It's very good. It's got all the characters. These are all in Fortnite at the moment and I really like it."

21. Eiman playing Monopoly Fortnite

22. Various of Gary Grant looking at top 12 toys

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"It's key. The industry looks at what's going on within a child's life. What are they playing with, what are they watching. But also the other part of the industry which has been thriving this year are the collectible items."

24. Tilt down of children playing

25. Close of boy with Fingerlings Untamed Jailbreak T-Rex Playset (£24.99)

26. Various of girl unwrapping L.O.L. Surprise Under Wraps collectible figures

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, Toy analyst:

"Collectibles is really driving the market in the UK. Sales are 30 percent (higher) compared to last year. So they will want to have the whole collection. So this is series 1 and then you get series 2, series 3 and there's no end of fun."

28. Tracking shot of child with Air Hogs Supernova drone toy (£39.99)

29. Various of FurReal Ricky, Trick Lovin' Pup (£134.99)

30. Various of children playing GraviTrax (£39.99)

31. SOUNDBITE (English) SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"So much is still uncertain about next year regarding Brexit. But as I said most of the toys come from the Far East and obviously items coming in to the UK, apart from a devaluation of the pound, I can't really see that there's going to be any issues unless we have a major problem with our ports with our stock being delayed."

32. Various of children playing with Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Jackson Knopf, 9-years-old:

"Definitely Laser X, the slime thing and some Lego."

34. Tilt down of DreamToys exhibit hall

35. Various of Santa Claus waving

LEADIN:

Laser guns, Harry Potter wands and a poopin' puppy are just some of the must-have toys for children this Christmas.

Despite an impending Brexit, the UK toy industry says it's expecting a bumper 2018, buoyed by movie and gaming inspired gifts.

STORYLINE:

You better watch out, Santa Claus is coming to town and he's carrying a laser.

Father Christmas was on hand to try some of this year's top 12 toys for 2018, announced by the UK Toy Retailers' Association at its DreamToys exhibit.

Laser guns make the list and are proving popular with people of all ages.

Santa Claus says: "One of my favourite toys, I do like lots of them and there's 12 of them here, of the favourites. We've got everything from Harry Potter and Lego, we've got Harry Potter's wands and there's the L.O.Ls which is the unwrapping games as well. We've got lots of Nerf as well, Monopoly."

The top toys are selected by a panel of retailers and experts and it's a predictive list of what's expected to be popular.

There's everything from collectible L.O.L Surprise dolls to a slime studio and a Fortnite edition of Monopoly.

But with a new Harry Potter film due out, anything related to the boy wizard is expected to dominate, according to the chairman of  the DreamToys committee, Gary Grant.

"Children's oriented films are really good for toys. So we have Harry Potter this year, we've got Toy Story next year. We've got the Lego movie which brings the Lego bricks to life. So when we get a good movie coming out it does have an ongoing benefit for the toy industry," he says.

The Harry Potter Wizard Wand has cast a spell on ten-year-old Isabella Bonnell who's trying it out.

"It's so fun because you get to learn all these different spells and it's fun practicing them. It makes funny noises when you do a spell," she says.

There are also new Lego options available for Potter fans, including various figurines, the Hogwarts Express and a model of the Great Hall.

"There's a relevancy. Harry Potter is now back with Lego so we're very very proud that a lot of kids will hopefully find Lego undreneath the Christmas tress and have the chance, together with their parents, to be creative and imaginative," says Marius Lang from Lego.

But it's not just film franchises that are helping to sell toys.

This girl is 'flossing' - a dance move that players of ever-popular video game Fortnite will be familiar with.

Hasbro has teamed up with Epic Games to release a Fortnite edition of Monopoly.

Twelve-year-old Ashton Eiman says it's just as exciting as the video version: "It's very good. It's got all the characters. These are all in Fortnite at the moment and I really like it."

Grant says keeping up with film, TV and other trends is needed to appeal to young consumers.

"It's key. The industry looks at what's going on within a child's life. What are they playing with, what are they watching. But also the other part of the industry which has been thriving this year are the collectible items."

These dinosaur collectibles are from the Fingerlings Untamed Jailbreak T-Rex playset and are on the top 12 list.

So too are the L.O.L Surprise Under Wraps dolls.

Toy analyst Frederique Tutt says: "Collectibles is really driving the market in the UK. Sales are 30 percent (higher) compared to last year. So they will want to have the whole collection. So this is series 1 and then you get series 2, series 3and there's no end of fun."

The UK is the fourth largest toy market in the world after the US, China and Japan and has annual sales of 3.5 billion pounds.

One of the more quirky cuddly creatures in the popular Paws and Claws category is Ricky the pup.

What makes him special is his ability to eat treats and then later poop them out.

There's also some unease in the toy industry about the UK's upcoming exit from the European Union which could see supply lines disrupted.

"So much is still uncertain about next year regarding Brexit. But as I said most of the toys come from the Far East and obviously items coming in to the UK, apart from the devaluation of the pound, I can't really see that there's going to be any issues unless we have a major problem with our ports with our stock being delayed," says Grant.

Nine-year-old Jackson Knopf has already decided what he wants from Father Christmas: "Definitely Laser X, the slime thing and some Lego."

With more than five weeks to go until Christmas, Santa will no doubt be busy keeping note of who wants what.  

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LEADIN:

Laser guns, Harry Potter wands and a poopin' puppy are just some of the must-have toys for children this Christmas.

Despite an impending Brexit, the UK toy industry says it's expecting a bumper 2018, buoyed by movie and gaming inspired gifts.

STORYLINE:

You better watch out, Santa Claus is coming to town and he's carrying a laser.

Father Christmas was on hand to try some of this year's top 12 toys for 2018, announced by the UK Toy Retailers' Association at its DreamToys exhibit.

Laser guns make the list and are proving popular with people of all ages.

Santa Claus says: "One of my favourite toys, I do like lots of them and there's 12 of them here, of the favourites. We've got everything from Harry Potter and Lego, we've got Harry Potter's wands and there's the L.O.Ls which is the unwrapping games as well. We've got lots of Nerf as well, Monopoly."

The top toys are selected by a panel of retailers and experts and it's a predictive list of what's expected to be popular.

There's everything from collectible L.O.L Surprise dolls to a slime studio and a Fortnite edition of Monopoly.

But with a new Harry Potter film due out, anything related to the boy wizard is expected to dominate, according to the chairman of  the DreamToys committee, Gary Grant.

"Children's oriented films are really good for toys. So we have Harry Potter this year, we've got Toy Story next year. We've got the Lego movie which brings the Lego bricks to life. So when we get a good movie coming out it does have an ongoing benefit for the toy industry," he says.

The Harry Potter Wizard Wand has cast a spell on ten-year-old Isabella Bonnell who's trying it out.

"It's so fun because you get to learn all these different spells and it's fun practicing them. It makes funny noises when you do a spell," she says.

There are also new Lego options available for Potter fans, including various figurines, the Hogwarts Express and a model of the Great Hall.

"There's a relevancy. Harry Potter is now back with Lego so we're very very proud that a lot of kids will hopefully find Lego undreneath the Christmas tress and have the chance, together with their parents, to be creative and imaginative," says Marius Lang from Lego.

But it's not just film franchises that are helping to sell toys.

This girl is 'flossing' - a dance move that players of ever-popular video game Fortnite will be familiar with.

Hasbro has teamed up with Epic Games to release a Fortnite edition of Monopoly.

Twelve-year-old Ashton Eiman says it's just as exciting as the video version: "It's very good. It's got all the characters. These are all in Fortnite at the moment and I really like it."

Grant says keeping up with film, TV and other trends is needed to appeal to young consumers.

"It's key. The industry looks at what's going on within a child's life. What are they playing with, what are they watching. But also the other part of the industry which has been thriving this year are the collectible items."

These dinosaur collectibles are from the Fingerlings Untamed Jailbreak T-Rex playset and are on the top 12 list.

So too are the L.O.L Surprise Under Wraps dolls.

Toy analyst Frederique Tutt says: "Collectibles is really driving the market in the UK. Sales are 30 percent (higher) compared to last year. So they will want to have the whole collection. So this is series 1 and then you get series 2, series 3and there's no end of fun."

The UK is the fourth largest toy market in the world after the US, China and Japan and has annual sales of 3.5 billion pounds.

One of the more quirky cuddly creatures in the popular Paws and Claws category is Ricky the pup.

What makes him special is his ability to eat treats and then later poop them out.

There's also some unease in the toy industry about the UK's upcoming exit from the European Union which could see supply lines disrupted.

"So much is still uncertain about next year regarding Brexit. But as I said most of the toys come from the Far East and obviously items coming in to the UK, apart from the devaluation of the pound, I can't really see that there's going to be any issues unless we have a major problem with our ports with our stock being delayed," says Grant.

Nine-year-old Jackson Knopf has already decided what he wants from Father Christmas: "Definitely Laser X, the slime thing and some Lego."

With more than five weeks to go until Christmas, Santa will no doubt be busy keeping note of who wants what.

London, UK - 14 November 2018

1. Various of Santa Claus playing Nerf Laser Ops with young girl (£44.99)

2. Various of two boys playing Laser X (£49.99)

3. Santa Claus with Laser Ops gun

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Santa Claus:

"One of my favourite toys, I do like lots of them and there's 12 of them here, of the favourites. We've got everything from Harry Potter and Lego, we've got Harry Potter's wands and there's the L.O.Ls which is the unwrapping games as well. We've got lots of Nerf as well, Monopoly."

5. Wide of display showing DreamToys top 12 toys

6. Various of L.O.L. Surprise Under Wraps collectible figures (£14.99)

7. Close of box for Laser X

8. Tilt up of Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio (£29.99)

9. Monopoly Fortnite Edition (£21.99)

10. Harry Potter Wizard Training Wand (£24.99)

11. Close of box for Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego (£74.99)

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"Children's oriented films are really good for toys. So obviously we have Harry Potter this year, we've got Toy Story next year. We've got the Lego movie which brings the Lego bricks to life. So when we get a good movie coming out it does have an ongoing benefit for the toy industry."

13. Various of young girl playing with Harry Potter Wizard Wand

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Isabella Bonnell, 10-years-old:

"It's so fun because you get to learn all these different spells and it's fun practicing them. It makes funny noises when you do a spell."

15. Various of Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Lego (£89.99)

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Marius Lang, Lego:

"There's a relevancy. Harry Potter is now back with Lego so we're very very proud that a lot of kids will hopefully find Lego underneath the Christmas trees and have the chance, together with their parents, to be creative and imaginative."

17. Various of Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Lego

18. Tilt up of young girl dancing (Doing the Floss from Fortnite)

19. Various of young boy playing Monopoly Fortnite Edition

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Ashton Eiman, 12-years-old:

"It's very good. It's got all the characters. These are all in Fortnite at the moment and I really like it."

21. Eiman playing Monopoly Fortnite

22. Various of Gary Grant looking at top 12 toys

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"It's key. The industry looks at what's going on within a child's life. What are they playing with, what are they watching. But also the other part of the industry which has been thriving this year are the collectible items."

24. Tilt down of children playing

25. Close of boy with Fingerlings Untamed Jailbreak T-Rex Playset (£24.99)

26. Various of girl unwrapping L.O.L. Surprise Under Wraps collectible figures

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, Toy analyst:

"Collectibles is really driving the market in the UK. Sales are 30 percent (higher) compared to last year. So they will want to have the whole collection. So this is series 1 and then you get series 2, series 3 and there's no end of fun."

28. Tracking shot of child with Air Hogs Supernova drone toy (£39.99)

29. Various of FurReal Ricky, Trick Lovin' Pup (£134.99)

30. Various of children playing GraviTrax (£39.99)

31. SOUNDBITE (English) SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Grant, Chairman, DreamToys committee:

"So much is still uncertain about next year regarding Brexit. But as I said most of the toys come from the Far East and obviously items coming in to the UK, apart from a devaluation of the pound, I can't really see that there's going to be any issues unless we have a major problem with our ports with our stock being delayed."

32. Various of children playing with Cra-Z-Slimy Creations Super Slime Studio

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Jackson Knopf, 9-years-old:

"Definitely Laser X, the slime thing and some Lego."

34. Tilt down of DreamToys exhibit hall

35. Various of Santa Claus waving

LEADIN:

Christmas is coming and children around the world are preparing their wish lists for Santa.

The toy industry is keen to predict and shape what this year's must-have toy will be.

The DreamToys event in London, brings a gang of child testers together to promote the season's best-selling gadgets and gizmos.

STORYLINE:

From drones to teddy bears, who can predict which toys will become treasured possessions and which ones will be condemned to the bottom of the toy box a few days after Christmas.

The DreamToys event in London brings together a board of industry analysts and experts to pick the top toys they expect to be the most sought after each Christmas, then organises a promotional event to market the must-have list of the top toys.

One of the stars of this year's show is Roarin' Tyler the Tiger by FurReal.

This interactive toy pet responds to sound and motion commands - tickle him and he purrs affectionately, tell him to sit and he sits... sometimes.

The animatronic tiger can move his eyes, ears, head, mouth and tail. He even has a rubber toy chicken of his own to play with.

Nine year old Louise Edwards is playing with Tyler at DreamToys. She says he could serve as a substitute for her own pet.

"Because my cat used to just sit around all day and then when I found this, when it came out, I was like 'I really want this' because it's like my cat but a bit more interactive because my cat just used to sit there all day because he was blind."

FurReal Roarin' Tyler costs £134.99.

But not everything is cute and cuddly at DreamToys in London.

This fluffy unicorn has fangs - it is part of the Feisty Pets range. It doesn't make this year's must-have list.

In many countries the top-selling toy at the moment is the LOL Surprise by MGA - the same people who gave us the Bratz dolls.

These tennis ball sized toys contain tiny dolls which can be dressed and accessorised.

LOL Surprise is part of the the blind-bag collectible trend which is seeing enormous growth - in the UK collectible sales increased by 24 per cent in 2017 compared to the previous year and represent one in every five toys sold, according to analysts the NPD Group.

LOL was only launched in April this year and is already the market leader in the UK, U.S. and Spain.

Andrew Laughthon, senior vice president of Europe, MGA explains what the new LOL Surprise is all about:

"It comes with seven layers of surprise. It builds on the unboxing, every kid can unbox this, so you take each layer off and you get a surprise under each layer. The great thing about it, after you've gone through all those different layers you end up with a fantastic doll at the end."

Retailing at £9.99 it is just in the pocket money price point, but according to Frederique Tutt, a toy industry analyst at the NPD Group, demand is outstripping supply and parents might want to consider shopping earlier rather than missing out later.

She says: "I think it's now (shops are running out of LOL toys) but they're getting supplied as often as they can. But it's the number one selling toy in the US and the UK, in Spain, in many of the countries that the NPD Group tracks. So it's difficult to meet demand."

It's Tutt's job to track trends and she thinks the excitement of children posting on YouTube unboxing videos is driving the collectible market.

She explains: "I think it's the surprise element, the kid doesn't know what's going to be inside so they're really excited to open it and that brings us to some viral videos that we can see on YouTube, the kids unboxing this element of surprise for them is really important and this has been a driving trend in the market this year especially."

Another surprise is hatching inside this large egg.

Summer Meyepa is rubbing the egg to speed up the hatching process of her Hatchimal - of course, she doesn't yet know what is inside.

She says: "It's actually a Hatchimal, I'm not sure which one because they're always a surprise so I'm hoping it's going to be a really good one that's really cuddly and really cute."

It takes a lot of rubbing to warm up the baby Hatchimal but soon there is movement inside and Summer's excitement increases as the egg cracks open and two babies pop out.

"It is actually dancing, it's literally just cracked it and I've got one... I've got two, and I think that they're maybe twins," she says.

Hatchimals Surprise cost £74.99 from Spin Master Toys.

Another collectible are the Fingerling monkeys from WowWee, priced at £14.99.

These little monkeys cling to your fingers and have 40 actions and 50 different sounds.

Nine year old Abigail Silverlock has been making her monkeys react to her.

She says: "I like to collect them because then you can just hang them all over you and you can hang them on your fingers and your bags and your cardigans."

It might all look like fun and games but this is a serious business, in the UK alone annual Christmas toy sales are worth £1.2 billion according to the NPD Group's Consumer Tracking Service.

The average Christmas toy spend per child is £121 (up to age 11) with an average of 11 presents received.

But after a particularly buoyant 2016, the toy market in the UK is slightly down year-on-year and will be hoping to regain ground over the important Christmas period.

Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys committee says: "In 2017 so far the (toy) market is down about two per cent and I think it's a lack of confidence in the market place, brought about by a number of factors, the Brexit factor, there's a lack of confidence, the general economic factor, there's a lack of confidence, rising prices, whether that's fuel prices for vehicles or whether it's interest rates that have just gone up a quarter of a point, that is going to drain an element of disposable income out of people's pockets so we're going through uncertain times. But 40 per cent of the toy trade's entire year turnover is just in a very short period of eight weeks and we've every expectation that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have caught up on the small decline that we've experienced year-to-date."

The Christmas sales drive is already in full swing... but will toy retailers be landing on their feet at the end of the festive period?

London, November 8, 2017

1. Mid of boy flying drone

2. Close of boy tilts down to remote control

3. Wide of children playing at Dream Toys

4. Wide top shot of event and Christmas tree

5. Pull focus of star on Christmas tree

6. Mid of Louise Edwards playing with FurReal Roarin' Tyler (£134.99)

7. Close of Tyler being stroked

8. Low angle of Louise telling Tyler to lie down

9. Close of Louise tickling the tiger

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Louise Edwards, nine-year-old, voxpop

"Because my cat used to just sit around all day and then when I found this, when it came out, I was like 'I really want this' because it's like my cat but a bit more interactive because my cat just used to sit there all day because he was blind."

11. Various of Feisty Pets Glenda Glitterpoop unicorn

12. Close pan right of LOL Surprise series dolls

13. Tilt up of LOL balls

14. Mid of Andrew Laughthon opening ball

15. Close of opening

16. Mid of same

17. Close of LOL doll with water bottle

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Laughthon, senior vice president of Europe, MGA

"It comes with seven layers of surprise. It builds on the unboxing, every kid can unbox this, so you take each layer off and you get a surprise under each layer. The great thing about it, after you've gone through all those different layers you end up with a fantastic doll at the end."

19. Various set up shots of Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

"I think it's now (shops are running out of LOL toys) but they're getting supplied as often as they can but it's the number one selling toy in the US and the UK, in Spain, in many of the countries that the NPD Group tracks. So it's difficult to meet demand."

21. Pan right of chart showing the seven layers of surprises in the LOL surprise ball

22. Tilt up of poster for LOL doll reading: (English) "Take me home!"

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

"I think it's the surprise element, the kid doesn't know what's going to be inside, so they're really excited to open it and that brings us to some viral videos that we can see on YouTube, the kids unboxing this element of surprise for them is really important and this has been a driving trend in the market this year especially."

24. Low angle of Summer Meyepa rubbing Hatchimals egg

25. Close of egg being rubbed

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Summer Meyepa, nine-year-old, voxpop

"It's actually a Hatchimal, I'm not sure which one because they're always a surprise so I'm hoping it's going to be a really good one that's really cuddly and really cute."

27. Close of egg starting to crack

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Summer Meyepa, nine-year-old, voxpop

"It is actually dancing, it's literally just cracked it and I've got one... I've got two, and I think that they're maybe twins."

29. Wide low angle of Summer playing

30. Wide of Abigail Silverlock playing with Fingerlings monkeys

31. Close of monkeys

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Abigail Silverlock, nine-year-old, voxpop

"I like to collect them because then you can just hang them all over you and you can hang them on your fingers and your bags and your cardigans and stuff."

33. Set up shot of Gary Grant with Tyler Tiger

34. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys committee

"In 2017 so far the (toy) market is down about two per cent and I think it's a lack of confidence in the market place, brought about by a number of factors, the Brexit factor, there's a lack of confidence, the general economic factor, there's a lack of confidence, rising prices, whether that's fuel prices for vehicles or whether it's interest rates that have just gone up a quarter of a point, that is going to drain an element of disposable income out of people's pockets so we're going through uncertain times. But 40 percent of the toy trade's entire year turnover is just in a very short period of eight weeks and we've every expectation that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have caught up on the small decline that we've experienced year-to-date."

35. Low angle of boy playing with acrobat toy

35. Close of face

36. Close of finger pressing button

37. Low angle of acrobat jumping and landing upright

LEADIN:

Christmas is coming and children around the world are preparing their wish lists for Santa.

The toy industry is keen to predict and shape what this year's must-have toy will be.

The DreamToys event in London, brings a gang of child testers together to promote the season's best-selling gadgets and gizmos.

STORYLINE:

From drones to teddy bears, who can predict which toys will become treasured possessions and which ones will be condemned to the bottom of the toy box a few days after Christmas.

The DreamToys event in London brings together a board of industry analysts and experts to pick the top toys they expect to be the most sought after each Christmas, then organises a promotional event to market the must-have list of the top toys.

One of the stars of this year's show is Roarin' Tyler the Tiger by FurReal.

This interactive toy pet responds to sound and motion commands - tickle him and he purrs affectionately, tell him to sit and he sits... sometimes.

The animatronic tiger can move his eyes, ears, head, mouth and tail. He even has a rubber toy chicken of his own to play with.

Nine year old Louise Edwards is playing with Tyler at DreamToys. She says he could serve as a substitute for her own pet.

"Because my cat used to just sit around all day and then when I found this, when it came out, I was like 'I really want this' because it's like my cat but a bit more interactive because my cat just used to sit there all day because he was blind."

FurReal Roarin' Tyler costs £134.99.

But not everything is cute and cuddly at DreamToys in London.

This fluffy unicorn has fangs - it is part of the Feisty Pets range. It doesn't make this year's must-have list.

In many countries the top-selling toy at the moment is the LOL Surprise by MGA - the same people who gave us the Bratz dolls.

These tennis ball sized toys contain tiny dolls which can be dressed and accessorised.

LOL Surprise is part of the the blind-bag collectible trend which is seeing enormous growth - in the UK collectible sales increased by 24 per cent in 2017 compared to the previous year and represent one in every five toys sold, according to analysts the NPD Group.

LOL was only launched in April this year and is already the market leader in the UK, U.S. and Spain.

Andrew Laughthon, senior vice president of Europe, MGA explains what the new LOL Surprise is all about:

"It comes with seven layers of surprise. It builds on the unboxing, every kid can unbox this, so you take each layer off and you get a surprise under each layer. The great thing about it, after you've gone through all those different layers you end up with a fantastic doll at the end."

Retailing at £9.99 it is just in the pocket money price point, but according to Frederique Tutt, a toy industry analyst at the NPD Group, demand is outstripping supply and parents might want to consider shopping earlier rather than missing out later.

She says: "I think it's now (shops are running out of LOL toys) but they're getting supplied as often as they can. But it's the number one selling toy in the US and the UK, in Spain, in many of the countries that the NPD Group tracks. So it's difficult to meet demand."

It's Tutt's job to track trends and she thinks the excitement of children posting on YouTube unboxing videos is driving the collectible market.

She explains: "I think it's the surprise element, the kid doesn't know what's going to be inside so they're really excited to open it and that brings us to some viral videos that we can see on YouTube, the kids unboxing this element of surprise for them is really important and this has been a driving trend in the market this year especially."

Another surprise is hatching inside this large egg.

Summer Meyepa is rubbing the egg to speed up the hatching process of her Hatchimal - of course, she doesn't yet know what is inside.

She says: "It's actually a Hatchimal, I'm not sure which one because they're always a surprise so I'm hoping it's going to be a really good one that's really cuddly and really cute."

It takes a lot of rubbing to warm up the baby Hatchimal but soon there is movement inside and Summer's excitement increases as the egg cracks open and two babies pop out.

"It is actually dancing, it's literally just cracked it and I've got one... I've got two, and I think that they're maybe twins," she says.

Hatchimals Surprise cost £74.99 from Spin Master Toys.

Another collectible are the Fingerling monkeys from WowWee, priced at £14.99.

These little monkeys cling to your fingers and have 40 actions and 50 different sounds.

Nine year old Abigail Silverlock has been making her monkeys react to her.

She says: "I like to collect them because then you can just hang them all over you and you can hang them on your fingers and your bags and your cardigans."

It might all look like fun and games but this is a serious business, in the UK alone annual Christmas toy sales are worth £1.2 billion according to the NPD Group's Consumer Tracking Service.

The average Christmas toy spend per child is £121 (up to age 11) with an average of 11 presents received.

But after a particularly buoyant 2016, the toy market in the UK is slightly down year-on-year and will be hoping to regain ground over the important Christmas period.

Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys committee says: "In 2017 so far the (toy) market is down about two per cent and I think it's a lack of confidence in the market place, brought about by a number of factors, the Brexit factor, there's a lack of confidence, the general economic factor, there's a lack of confidence, rising prices, whether that's fuel prices for vehicles or whether it's interest rates that have just gone up a quarter of a point, that is going to drain an element of disposable income out of people's pockets so we're going through uncertain times. But 40 per cent of the toy trade's entire year turnover is just in a very short period of eight weeks and we've every expectation that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have caught up on the small decline that we've experienced year-to-date."

The Christmas sales drive is already in full swing... but will toy retailers be landing on their feet at the end of the festive period?

London, November 8, 2017

1. Mid of boy flying drone

2. Close of boy tilts down to remote control

3. Wide of children playing at Dream Toys

4. Wide top shot of event and Christmas tree

5. Pull focus of star on Christmas tree

6. Mid of Louise Edwards playing with FurReal Roarin' Tyler (£134.99)

7. Close of Tyler being stroked

8. Low angle of Louise telling Tyler to lie down

9. Close of Louise tickling the tiger

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Louise Edwards, nine-year-old, voxpop

"Because my cat used to just sit around all day and then when I found this, when it came out, I was like 'I really want this' because it's like my cat but a bit more interactive because my cat just used to sit there all day because he was blind."

11. Various of Feisty Pets Glenda Glitterpoop unicorn

12. Close pan right of LOL Surprise series dolls

13. Tilt up of LOL balls

14. Mid of Andrew Laughthon opening ball

15. Close of opening

16. Mid of same

17. Close of LOL doll with water bottle

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Laughthon, senior vice president of Europe, MGA

"It comes with seven layers of surprise. It builds on the unboxing, every kid can unbox this, so you take each layer off and you get a surprise under each layer. The great thing about it, after you've gone through all those different layers you end up with a fantastic doll at the end."

19. Various set up shots of Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

"I think it's now (shops are running out of LOL toys) but they're getting supplied as often as they can but it's the number one selling toy in the US and the UK, in Spain, in many of the countries that the NPD Group tracks. So it's difficult to meet demand."

21. Pan right of chart showing the seven layers of surprises in the LOL surprise ball

22. Tilt up of poster for LOL doll reading: (English) "Take me home!"

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

"I think it's the surprise element, the kid doesn't know what's going to be inside, so they're really excited to open it and that brings us to some viral videos that we can see on YouTube, the kids unboxing this element of surprise for them is really important and this has been a driving trend in the market this year especially."

24. Low angle of Summer Meyepa rubbing Hatchimals egg

25. Close of egg being rubbed

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Summer Meyepa, nine-year-old, voxpop

"It's actually a Hatchimal, I'm not sure which one because they're always a surprise so I'm hoping it's going to be a really good one that's really cuddly and really cute."

27. Close of egg starting to crack

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Summer Meyepa, nine-year-old, voxpop

"It is actually dancing, it's literally just cracked it and I've got one... I've got two, and I think that they're maybe twins."

29. Wide low angle of Summer playing

30. Wide of Abigail Silverlock playing with Fingerlings monkeys

31. Close of monkeys

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Abigail Silverlock, nine-year-old, voxpop

"I like to collect them because then you can just hang them all over you and you can hang them on your fingers and your bags and your cardigans and stuff."

33. Set up shot of Gary Grant with Tyler Tiger

34. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys committee

"In 2017 so far the (toy) market is down about two per cent and I think it's a lack of confidence in the market place, brought about by a number of factors, the Brexit factor, there's a lack of confidence, the general economic factor, there's a lack of confidence, rising prices, whether that's fuel prices for vehicles or whether it's interest rates that have just gone up a quarter of a point, that is going to drain an element of disposable income out of people's pockets so we're going through uncertain times. But 40 percent of the toy trade's entire year turnover is just in a very short period of eight weeks and we've every expectation that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have caught up on the small decline that we've experienced year-to-date."

35. Low angle of boy playing with acrobat toy

35. Close of face

36. Close of finger pressing button

37. Low angle of acrobat jumping and landing upright

LEADIN:

Christmas is coming and children around the world are preparing their wish lists for Santa.

The toy industry is keen to predict and shape what this year's must-have toy will be.

The DreamToys event in London, brings a gang of child testers together to promote the season's best-selling gadgets and gizmos.

STORYLINE:

From drones to teddy bears, who can predict which toys will become treasured possessions and which ones will be condemned to the bottom of the toy box a few days after Christmas.

The DreamToys event in London brings together a board of industry analysts and experts to pick the top toys they expect to be the most sought after each Christmas, then organises a promotional event to market the must-have list of the top toys.

One of the stars of this year's show is Roarin' Tyler the Tiger by FurReal.

This interactive toy pet responds to sound and motion commands - tickle him and he purrs affectionately, tell him to sit and he sits... sometimes.

The animatronic tiger can move his eyes, ears, head, mouth and tail. He even has a rubber toy chicken of his own to play with.

Nine year old Louise Edwards is playing with Tyler at DreamToys. She says he could serve as a substitute for her own pet.

"Because my cat used to just sit around all day and then when I found this, when it came out, I was like 'I really want this' because it's like my cat but a bit more interactive because my cat just used to sit there all day because he was blind."

FurReal Roarin' Tyler costs £134.99.

But not everything is cute and cuddly at DreamToys in London.

This fluffy unicorn has fangs - it is part of the Feisty Pets range. It doesn't make this year's must-have list.

In many countries the top-selling toy at the moment is the LOL Surprise by MGA - the same people who gave us the Bratz dolls.

These tennis ball sized toys contain tiny dolls which can be dressed and accessorised.

LOL Surprise is part of the the blind-bag collectible trend which is seeing enormous growth - in the UK collectible sales increased by 24 per cent in 2017 compared to the previous year and represent one in every five toys sold, according to analysts the NPD Group.

LOL was only launched in April this year and is already the market leader in the UK, U.S. and Spain.

Andrew Laughthon, senior vice president of Europe, MGA explains what the new LOL Surprise is all about:

"It comes with seven layers of surprise. It builds on the unboxing, every kid can unbox this, so you take each layer off and you get a surprise under each layer. The great thing about it, after you've gone through all those different layers you end up with a fantastic doll at the end."

Retailing at £9.99 it is just in the pocket money price point, but according to Frederique Tutt, a toy industry analyst at the NPD Group, demand is outstripping supply and parents might want to consider shopping earlier rather than missing out later.

She says: "I think it's now (shops are running out of LOL toys) but they're getting supplied as often as they can. But it's the number one selling toy in the US and the UK, in Spain, in many of the countries that the NPD Group tracks. So it's difficult to meet demand."

It's Tutt's job to track trends and she thinks the excitement of children posting on YouTube unboxing videos is driving the collectible market.

She explains: "I think it's the surprise element, the kid doesn't know what's going to be inside so they're really excited to open it and that brings us to some viral videos that we can see on YouTube, the kids unboxing this element of surprise for them is really important and this has been a driving trend in the market this year especially."

Another surprise is hatching inside this large egg.

Summer Meyepa is rubbing the egg to speed up the hatching process of her Hatchimal - of course, she doesn't yet know what is inside.

She says: "It's actually a Hatchimal, I'm not sure which one because they're always a surprise so I'm hoping it's going to be a really good one that's really cuddly and really cute."

It takes a lot of rubbing to warm up the baby Hatchimal but soon there is movement inside and Summer's excitement increases as the egg cracks open and two babies pop out.

"It is actually dancing, it's literally just cracked it and I've got one... I've got two, and I think that they're maybe twins," she says.

Hatchimals Surprise cost £74.99 from Spin Master Toys.

Another collectible are the Fingerling monkeys from WowWee, priced at £14.99.

These little monkeys cling to your fingers and have 40 actions and 50 different sounds.

Nine year old Abigail Silverlock has been making her monkeys react to her.

She says: "I like to collect them because then you can just hang them all over you and you can hang them on your fingers and your bags and your cardigans."

It might all look like fun and games but this is a serious business, in the UK alone annual Christmas toy sales are worth £1.2 billion according to the NPD Group's Consumer Tracking Service.

The average Christmas toy spend per child is £121 (up to age 11) with an average of 11 presents received.

But after a particularly buoyant 2016, the toy market in the UK is slightly down year-on-year and will be hoping to regain ground over the important Christmas period.

Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys committee says: "In 2017 so far the (toy) market is down about two per cent and I think it's a lack of confidence in the market place, brought about by a number of factors, the Brexit factor, there's a lack of confidence, the general economic factor, there's a lack of confidence, rising prices, whether that's fuel prices for vehicles or whether it's interest rates that have just gone up a quarter of a point, that is going to drain an element of disposable income out of people's pockets so we're going through uncertain times. But 40 per cent of the toy trade's entire year turnover is just in a very short period of eight weeks and we've every expectation that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have caught up on the small decline that we've experienced year-to-date."

The Christmas sales drive is already in full swing... but will toy retailers be landing on their feet at the end of the festive period?

London, November 8, 2017

1. Mid of boy flying drone

2. Close of boy tilts down to remote control

3. Wide of children playing at Dream Toys

4. Wide top shot of event and Christmas tree

5. Pull focus of star on Christmas tree

6. Mid of Louise Edwards playing with FurReal Roarin' Tyler (£134.99)

7. Close of Tyler being stroked

8. Low angle of Louise telling Tyler to lie down

9. Close of Louise tickling the tiger

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Louise Edwards, nine-year-old, voxpop

"Because my cat used to just sit around all day and then when I found this, when it came out, I was like 'I really want this' because it's like my cat but a bit more interactive because my cat just used to sit there all day because he was blind."

11. Various of Feisty Pets Glenda Glitterpoop unicorn

12. Close pan right of LOL Surprise series dolls

13. Tilt up of LOL balls

14. Mid of Andrew Laughthon opening ball

15. Close of opening

16. Mid of same

17. Close of LOL doll with water bottle

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Laughthon, senior vice president of Europe, MGA

"It comes with seven layers of surprise. It builds on the unboxing, every kid can unbox this, so you take each layer off and you get a surprise under each layer. The great thing about it, after you've gone through all those different layers you end up with a fantastic doll at the end."

19. Various set up shots of Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

"I think it's now (shops are running out of LOL toys) but they're getting supplied as often as they can but it's the number one selling toy in the US and the UK, in Spain, in many of the countries that the NPD Group tracks. So it's difficult to meet demand."

21. Pan right of chart showing the seven layers of surprises in the LOL surprise ball

22. Tilt up of poster for LOL doll reading: (English) "Take me home!"

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, global toy industry analyst, NPD Group

"I think it's the surprise element, the kid doesn't know what's going to be inside, so they're really excited to open it and that brings us to some viral videos that we can see on YouTube, the kids unboxing this element of surprise for them is really important and this has been a driving trend in the market this year especially."

24. Low angle of Summer Meyepa rubbing Hatchimals egg

25. Close of egg being rubbed

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Summer Meyepa, nine-year-old, voxpop

"It's actually a Hatchimal, I'm not sure which one because they're always a surprise so I'm hoping it's going to be a really good one that's really cuddly and really cute."

27. Close of egg starting to crack

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Summer Meyepa, nine-year-old, voxpop

"It is actually dancing, it's literally just cracked it and I've got one... I've got two, and I think that they're maybe twins."

29. Wide low angle of Summer playing

30. Wide of Abigail Silverlock playing with Fingerlings monkeys

31. Close of monkeys

32. SOUNDBITE: (English) Abigail Silverlock, nine-year-old, voxpop

"I like to collect them because then you can just hang them all over you and you can hang them on your fingers and your bags and your cardigans and stuff."

33. Set up shot of Gary Grant with Tyler Tiger

34. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys committee

"In 2017 so far the (toy) market is down about two per cent and I think it's a lack of confidence in the market place, brought about by a number of factors, the Brexit factor, there's a lack of confidence, the general economic factor, there's a lack of confidence, rising prices, whether that's fuel prices for vehicles or whether it's interest rates that have just gone up a quarter of a point, that is going to drain an element of disposable income out of people's pockets so we're going through uncertain times. But 40 percent of the toy trade's entire year turnover is just in a very short period of eight weeks and we've every expectation that by the time we get to Christmas Eve we will have caught up on the small decline that we've experienced year-to-date."

35. Low angle of boy playing with acrobat toy

35. Close of face

36. Close of finger pressing button

37. Low angle of acrobat jumping and landing upright