Hasbro has signed a multi-year extension to its long-running relationship with Disney Consumer Products to continue creating toys and games for Star Wars and Marvel.

Under the extended agreement, Hasbro will continue to develop a wide range of products for families and fans of all ages, based on the brands. Hasbro also maintains its separate licensing arrangement with Disney that brings Marvel characters into the Magic: The Gathering trading card game.

“It’s an honour to be able to deepen our relationship with Disney Consumer Products to create even more magical play experiences for consumers across the globe,” said Tim Kilpin, Hasbro’s President, Toys, Board Games, Licensing and Entertainment.

“Star Wars and Marvel provide an extensive array of captivating content that gives us an unlimited trove of fresh ideas to create from. Our collaboration spans more than half a century, and we look forward to strengthening our relationship by bringing consumers everywhere brand-new play experiences tied to the exciting universes and characters of Star Wars and Marvel.”

Paul Gitter, Executive Vice President of Global Brand Commercialisation at Disney Consumer Products, added: “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Hasbro to evolve our expansive portfolio of Star Wars and Marvel toys that bring these iconic adventures into daily life.

“From must-have collectibles to Lightsaber toys, we aim to push the boundaries of creativity to deliver innovative products and engaging play experiences that bring our fans closer to their favourite stories and characters.”

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Joe Allard: we’ve been trying to set this up for soooooooooo long… We were nearly there a while ago, and then we had Covid. But here we are; thanks for making time!

Well, I’m glad someone thinks so! I’ll give you a list of people to call later; see if you can change some minds. Meanwhile, it’s hard to know where to start with you! As a man of many talents, how do you like to be described?
Creator of Rare Antiquities. I’m kidding! Sort of… Often I just say artist and leave it at that, but that’s a bit general. In a professional situation I introduce myself as a designer, sometimes more specifically a toy designer, although that is also not entirely accurate as these days I’m doing more collectibles than toys, as well as many packaging illustrations.

Yes, you’re a hard man to pigeonhole. It seems you moved from one dream job to another though… You used to be a comic book artist for Marvel? Tell us about that!
Yes! My first professional gig as an artist was as a digital colourist on comic books for Marvel and Malibu Comics. Growing up, comic books and movies were really my main passions. I wanted to be either Steven Spielberg or Todd McFarlane.

Arguably best known for creating Spawn?
One and the same! And since becoming a comic-book penciller seemed slightly more attainable, I put my attention towards that first. In high school and early college, I sent of many sample pages to the editors at Marvel and DC Comics trying to get a penciling gig, to to at least get their feedback so I could get better. My second year of college I applied for an internship at Malibu Comics just to see if I could get my foot in the door.

This is wonderfully old school – any luck?
Well… I was offered a paid gig in the mail room! I took it, though, and proceeded to plot my triumphant rise to professional penciller. See kids, the stories are true, you really can start in the mail room!

Is this true? Is this really how you got your break?
Yes! I started out stuffing comic books in envelopes and mailing them to contest winners. Eventually, I was promoted to shipping manger. I was so stoked to have a desk and a phone extension. Along the way Marvel bought the company and started to beef up the colouring department, which was pretty state of the art at the time – and one of the first to start using Photoshop to colour comics. I applied for one of the jobs, and took the required colouring test.

But this is without any Photoshop experience?
Right. Even so, I was able to translate my traditional colour and painting skills to digital rather well and was fortunate enough to be offered a spot in the colouring department. I really consider my time there an extension of college as I learned a lot while on the job. The colouring department was a really good group of people who helped me grow a lot as an artist. Many are still great friends today.

Terrific. All good things, though… How did it come to an end?
Once Marvel purchased Malibu, they slowly started to shut things down. First the bullpen illustrators and inkers, then the editors. After a while it was just us left in the colouring department. They kept us running for a few years, and I got to colour Marvel classics from Spidey, to X-Men and more. Some were some killer; some terrible. Eventually they shut us down as well, and sent our jobs to studios out of the country.

This is just to save costs, presumably?
Something about being able to pay the artists less because they didn’t pay income tax over there! Ireland was one of the places that opened a colouring studio and took most of our work away. I remember I was colouring a Captain America trading card for Fleer at the time, and when we heard the rumours, I recoloured and changed him to Captain Ireland and put copies up around the office in protest. We were not happy to say the least, but business is business I guess and it ended up being a blessing in disguise for me.

Because it led you to the toy industry?
Right. Once word came down that they were shutting down the colouring department, everyone started looking for relevant jobs. That pretty much meant animation and background painting… I soon realised that it was going to be tough to land a gig with so many of us looking for the same jobs and started to consider other options. One of the colourists that had already been let go was awesome enough to give me a heads-up about a job opening at a gift company nearby called Applause.

Rrrrright. A company not without difficulties, but at that time…
At that time I only knew of them for making plush animals and such, but I learned they were making Star Wars and Marvel gifts, and collectibles as well. That sounded awesome. I figured working there meant I’d still get to draw my favourite Marvel and Star Wars characters, AND they’ll be made into actual toys and gifts! Why didn’t I consider this career before was baffling. Nowadays, there are degrees in toy design at many colleges, but when I was young, I didn’t even realise that was a job I could go after.

Well, let’s talk about that. Growing up, did you play with toys and games?
Did I ever. I was a HUGE toy kid growing up. I was always either playing with my action figures or drawing pictures. Massive amounts of Star Wars, GI Joe, Masters of the Universe, M.A.S.K. – you name it, I played with it at some point.

And what about design? Did you appreciate design back then?
I definitely appreciated design as a kid playing and drawing my own stuff. I started drawing really early, so it was always part of my memories. I didn’t understand why I liked one thing and not another, or why something looked good one way, for example, but I always had an opinion on it. I used to stare at the GI Joe packaging for hours. The paintings on the figures and the vehicle boxes were so captivating.

I find this fascinating: I don’t know anyone that was looking at that sort of thing so young…
Yes, and to that point I actually found the Star Wars card backs a bit boring because they were just photos from the films. G.I. Joe had these amazing dramatic illustrations that really screamed action and fun. They made me simultaneously want to both draw and play with my Joe figures. It still blows me away that today I’m illustrating the cart art for action figures from Super 7. A dream come true for sure!

Let’s talk about those. You recently did some extraordinary card art for Super7’s Transformers ReAction figures…
Man, talk about dream jobs. This has been such a pleasure and privilege to work on. As I say, I grew up mesmerized by GI Joe and other package art, so getting to contribute some of my own is pretty freaking amazing. I can’t thank Kyle and Josh and the fine folks at Super7 enough. When S7 came to me for the gig, they said they wanted it to look just like the original-generation cartoon but more rendered, more detailed, and in a retro kind of way. Something that might have been on a toy package in the 80s.

Where did you start?
So I basically started by watching a bunch of Transformers cartoons – rough I know! But I was getting inspired; getting pose ideas. I took screenshots along the way of poses and angles that looked cool and worked off of those, trying to choose poses that captured the spirit of each character… Stoic Prime, or cocky Starscream. As for the rendering style, I really just tapped into my old 90’s comic book rendering skills. I figured that was pretty retro and also came naturally to me.

And with something like that, it seems to me that a lot of what you do is much more art than toy! At what point do toys become collectibles, though? And at what point do collectibles become art?
Well, I have a pretty basic line I can draw between toy and collectible. So on a literal point: if you can play with it, it’s a toy. If it has articulation or accessories, it’s a toy. If it’s a static statue or bust, that would be considered a collectible. That doesn’t mean a toy cannot also be a collectible, though. Anything can be a collectible really, if you collect it. So let’s take ReAction figures, for example…

Which, I should’ve said earlier, are like “wish-we-had” figures from Super 7…
Wish-we-had figures! Yes, that’s it. So… Are they a toy? Yes. They’re articulated and come with an accessory. You can play with them if you want to. Are they also a collectible? Absolutely. People often collect them for the packaging art, and don’t open the blister. That said… It’s ALL art in my opinion! It’s all been created with art, and can still be viewed as art.

Makes absolute sense. I do sometimes wince when I see people ripping packing open with scarcely a second glance… It feels sacrilegious.
I guess that’s because – whether it’s a designer vinyl figure or a preschool toy, it’s all derived from artwork and can be viewed as artwork itself. It’s what I learned to call “Art for Industry”. So yes, it’s art. Creative people are putting their artistic talents to use, often with passion. But, you can’t deny it’s also, and mainly, for industry.

Right. The art is there, but it’s not the main point.
Right. It’s for profit first. It’s needs to generate profit in order to be considered successful. So much like life, it’s all of it and none of it at once. Deep, I know. Although I support collectors keeping items in the package if they choose, I’ve long had the feeling that they’re supposed to be played with.

And in terms of your creative process, can you walk us through it? How do you get the spark of an idea? Do you start with a doodle in a notebook? At what point do you sit down and sketch? At what point does that become data?
A notebook? You mean one of those things with paper? Ha, honestly I haven’t used paper in a while. Too long actually. If I doodle in a sketchbook, it’s for pleasure, which I don’t do enough of. If it’s work related, I’m all digital. Other than post-it notes all over my Mac screen so I don’t forget some ideas, it’s straight to the Cintiq to digitise my thoughts so to speak.

You surprise me. I had you down as a renaissance man!
It’s just easier work flow. As far as the creative process, It’s depends on the job and many other factors, not the least of which are my mood. Sometimes there’s an instant spark as soon as a client tells me about a job and I get a flood of ideas. Most often though, I need to mediate on it. I let the client plant the seed in my mind, and then I let it grow naturally. As naturally as deadlines will allow that is!

I’ll often think about a project or an idea for days and days before I even doodle or sketch. Usually I’m working on one project, but thinking about the next one – or the next three depending on my workload. But that allows me to work out a lot of stuff in my head before I even start to draw. It also allows the ideas and inspiration to come naturally rather than be forced.

What’s the ideal situation, though?
In an ideal situation, I’ll have several projects – with fairly flexible deadlines – so that I can bounce between them depending on where the inspiration is sparking. Sometimes I’ll be working on one job, but thinking about another, and I’ll get that spark, I’ll get inspired on that other job, so I’ll stop what I’m working on and jump over to the other job. You gotta ride the lighting when it strikes. I can’t always work that way due to deadlines, but when I can it’s the best and keeps things fresh and fluid.

I totally get it. In fact I rather like that line: you’ve got a ride the lightning when it strikes! So, now… Sometimes, toy companies come to you for something specific… I was looking at Mattel’s Parrot Pile Up, for example. There’s a blast from the past! What was your involvement with that?
Wow, yes; that’s an oldie. I used to do a bunch of work for the Mattel Games Department. Most of those jobs were similar – the internal games team would come up with an idea for a new game and hire me to do the concept art and pitch deck.

This was before the idea was fully realised?
Usually, yes. In order to get approval to develop the game further, they’d need to create B-Sheets as they were called, or presentation boards, in order to show the bosses what the game would look and play like. For Parrot Pile Up, they needed the little parrot guy designed as well as the game pieces. This was just initial concept art, so it was cool to see how similar the final product looked to what I did.

Yes, that’s what caught my eye – that little guy IS your drawing! 
Normally, it doesn’t go that way. Often I don’t even recognise a game by the time it gets released: it’s gone though so many changes! This was an exception. I think the last game I worked on was the Pass the Gas game. I got to design some farts. Something I never thought I’d be doing, but had a blast.

A blast! Okay… So you’re also known for creating busts. You’ve done everything from The Muppets, to Spider-Man and Deadpool for Diamond Select…
Yeah, those Legends in 3D busts I’ve been doing for Diamond and Gentle Giant have been such a great gig. Rarely does one designer get to design an entire line of collectibles. Super grateful to Chuck over at Diamond for this rare privilege. Apparently, they’re selling well as we keep expanding the line, and they keep giving me more to work on. I’ve done over two dozen of these so far and more on the way!

And what’s the design process for these?
The design process on these starts like many other projects, with knowing your subjects. I’m familiar with – and a fan of – most of the L3D busts I’ve designed, so it was fairly easy to tap into what I personally love about those characters and try to bring that out.

Bring out the figure’s personality? What’s the secret of that?
Yes, it’s all about exposing the character. How do you convey that character’s personality in one expression? Or more often, due to their having a mask or helmet, how do you convey a character’s personality in just a head turn or tilt? You just want to get to the core of who the character is: is he a hero or villain, say? Is he stoic or cunning?

Right. In one static head pose…
Right. So for the bust itself I try to pick a pose that’s undeniably that character. It’s also important to me that it feels like it’s in motion. I’m not a big fan of perfectly symmetrical, forward-looking bust designs… Especially with masked or helmeted characters. You have to make it clear that there’s someone inside that armour, that it’s alive. One thing that really helps these L3D busts is the base…

Because they’re idiosyncratic?
Exactly. For each one, the base is made to be something personal to the character; something that has some meaning. That’s where a lot of my time is spent on these, coming up with and designing the base to be fun and interesting, rather than just a simple pedestal or something generic. That’s really one of the defining elements that sets these apart from most other busts.

For which one achievement would you most like to be known?
Just one!? Yikes, So far… I guess maybe putting smiles on collectors’ faces when they connect with a piece I worked on. Sounds cheesy I know, but being a collector myself, it’s the best feeling when you find a piece you connect with in some way. Something you just have to own. It triggers an emotion or a memory, It reminds you of a favourite scene in a movie, or of a character you grew up admiring. If I can achieve that feeling in a collector, I feel I’ve done my job and the design was successful.

Well, Joe, I’m sad to say we need to start wrapping this up but I have two questions left. Before we finish, let me say it’s been well worth the wait: thank you so much for making time. But tell me this: if you were to write your autobiography, what would you call it?
Take It Out And Play With It!

Oh that’s great!
I’ve long said those words… In regards to toys especially and sometimes collectibles. As I say, I have respect for those who keep their collectibles in the packaging – it is, after all, art. However, being the toy-playing, action-figure loving guy that I am, anytime someone asks the question “Should they open it or not?”, my reply is always the same… Take it out and Play with it!

Love it. Finally, then, what’s the most interesting thing you have in your office or on your desk?
My cat, Onyx. She’s been my coworker and office mate for over sixteen years. She keeps me sane and grounded. That said, I know you’re looking for a less sappy toy or collectible answer, so I’ll give you this nugget…

Actually, I was quite happy with the cat until you said nugget! So you can have two!
The most interesting thing actually on my desk right now is a little figure I designed that was incredibly close to getting released a few years back. It would’ve been a pretty fun and different type of platform figure with all sorts of potential. Unfortunately, at the eleventh hour things fell apart – and he never saw the light of day. I stare at this little guy every day hoping I’ll get to bring him to the world someday.

Brilliant! Wonderful. Thank you Joe; what a treat to speak with you.

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A prolific figure in the world of toys and action figures, David Vonner has worked at the biggest toy firms in the world, on some of the biggest brands around.

From designing KISS products at Spencer Gifts to working on the Marvel Legends line at ToyBiz, David also created successful lines at Hasbro, Spin Master and, most recently, at Mattel as Design Manager for WWE. He also appeared in the recent Disney+ series Marvel’s 616, discussing his work bringing Marvel characters to life for the toy industry.

Now working as an independent creative in the form of Vonner Studios, we caught up with David to find out more about his approach to toy design, how he fuels his creativity – and what he learned from working at Hasbro, Spin Master and Mattel.

Hi David. Great to catch up. Now you’re so entrenched in the toy space, it’s hard to imagine you working in any other industry… But was there a desire to do anything else?
As kid, I didn’t even think it was a career you could have. I was inspired by comic books, and adults said you can get a career in art, so I wanted to become a comic book illustrator. I started to draw and be inspired by other art forms like music, poetry and hip-hop, and even today I’m drawn to things like graffiti as a means of unlocking my mind.

In High School, I took graphic design classes and then went to my guidance councillor, but he had no clue how to become a comic book illustrator. There was place called Joe Kubert’s School of Art, and that’s where I wanted to go because it focused on comic book design. But, my mum wanted me to focus on something broader so that I had something to fall back on because – at the time – comic book illustrators weren’t paid a lot of money – unless you were a superstar like John Byrne or Bob Layton!

So you changed direction?
Yes… It was the first big disagreement between me and my mum! I grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey – a casino town – so advertising was a major thing. She suggested I focus on graphic design in advertising and after agreeing, disagreeing and agreeing to disagree, I went to The Art Institute of Philadelphia. It was the perfect blend of art and a pathway to a career.

Was it everything you’d expected that kind of course to be?
It was a culture shock. I went to a predominantly black school and was very comfortable with the culture and the environment there, and there wasn’t many other people who expressed themselves in an artistic way like I did.

Once I got to The Arts Institute, I was a very small fish in a big ocean filled with lots of creative people that didn’t look like me. I questioned myself and I started going through the early stages of anxiety. It affected everything – my ability to create, to function in a classroom, to learn, to engage…

On one break, me and my friends were hanging out and we ended up making some very bad decisions and a friend decided to rob a gas station. It went haywire, I got arrested and was facing 10 years in jail. Fortunately, I proved I didn’t have anything to do with the crime, but then I had to pick up my life from the ground up.

Wow, that sounds like an incredibly tough time.
It was, but eventually I picked myself up and started working in the casino industry in Atlantic City. I was a dealer at the Sands Hotel casino, and my mum was the pit boss there. I earned enough money doing that to then go back to school… but then I found out I had a baby on the way.

Wow – David, so far your story has everything but a fire in the orphanage!
Ha! Well, it made me focus and get things done. On the day of my portfolio review, I had my daughter strapped to my chest – portfolio in one hand, diaper bag in the other. I was like “Give the baby a future! Let me pass!”

Ha! Did it work?
I did end up passing and graduating. A few weeks later, I saw an ad for a design position at a retail chain called Spencer Gifts. They did everything from gags, to horror gifts to rock and roll products. Its HQ was in my hometown and they were looking to start their own product development department.

I applied with a portfolio tailored to what Spencer was all about. I was 24, I went to the interview in a suit that was two sizes too big, and it was the first time my art was critiqued in an industry environment. They thought it was good and they gave me a shot!

Amazing. So this being your first taste of the toy – or gifts – space, what sort of things were you creating?
Clocks, snow globes, lava lamps, 3D wall busters, posters, cups, goblets, slippers – we did the KISS characters as bears in slipper-from! That all became the genesis for how I got ideas for toys later in my career. The slippers fed into my work on Hasbro’s Hulk Hands! Figural lava lamp work influenced how I create action figures.

So how did toys enter the scene?
Well while I was there, there was an emergence of toys designed by Todd McFarlane – McFarlane Toys. He was creating a whole new form of action figure, and a new process to create them. He was using sculptors that were coming out of art school and, like me, had grown up on comic books and cartoons and hip-hop. And the established toy design world started retiring at that time, so there was an evolution.

I left Spencer and joined Shelcore Toys, designing pre-school toys. Eight months later, I saw an ad for a designer position at a toy company called ToyBiz, which had just purchased Marvel out of bankruptcy.

I got an interview, went into the office and was amazed. The elevator door opened, I saw the big, webbed glass doors and my knees started to shake. I so wanted this! I had my interview, and a few more interviews, and then I wound up getting hired.

Me and Joe Quesada, who became editor-in-chief at Marvel, had our orientation together. We were all tasked with bringing Marvel out of the muck, and we knew could make it cool again, but we had no clue what the brand would go on to be.

Yes, it’s strange to think of Marvel being anything other than the behemoth it is today! Now if we zone in on action figures, have you seen an evolution in the design of action figures since you started out?
It’s funny, if you look at the play vs display argument… When I was a teenager, Masters of the Universe had just come out. My best friend’s older brother was really into it, and they had a wood-shop in their basement. He would cut out blocks of wood, draw MotU characters on there and then display his actual MotU figures on those blocks of wood. It was so cool. So that element of action figures being displayed, and not just used for play, is nothing new.

When I design now, I get inspired by all the things I engaged with when I was young, including those wooden blocks. My mum used to make my He-Man figure outfits – now that’s called customisation and it’s a big business!

What else inspired you when it came to designing action figures?
I was inspired by GI Joe, He-Man, my Evel Knievel Stunt set, The Six-Million Dollar Man… Comic books, of course. It’s all about tapping into the fun of your childhood and using that to create projectiles, or fresh new ways to play.

The problems you run into as a designer are when you encounter people that have lost sight of that. My view on that is – just leave the room and let the kids play! If designers play long enough, they’ll come up with something that might be great for the business.

Is it a good time to be an action figure designer?
Absolutely. There will always be the need to strip features back – form follows function… But you need to push things as much as possible to get to where you want to get to.

Look at Spider-Man in the toy industry. Over time, that action figure has evolved massively. In the early Nineties, the technology wasn’t there, the process wasn’t there and sometimes, the vision wasn’t there. But now we have everything. People are coming up with way cooler stuff.

The downside is how we pay for it. The world is changing. We have great products, but they are expensive to purchase and expensive to manufacture – in every sense of the word. When you hold an action figure, you’ve had an impact on global shipping, manufacturing, the price of oil. It all has an effect.

The other thing I’ll say on this is that it’s cool to be a creator. It’s a recognised career path now. Before, it wasn’t a ‘real job’. Now, we’re in a creative, design-led world. And that’s not just toys and games, it stretches to every sector, even the military.
 
From a creative point of view, is the action figure sector in a good place?
I think so. The cats are out of the bag – and I’m one of the cats! We can share, mentor and teach others to create new stuff and push things forward. Someone out there with a great idea could become the next Hasbro or Mattel.

The downside is that there’s so many movies and brands out there now and it’s being driven by a few huge companies. The fact that everything has to be tied to a license could hamper the new Mickey Mouse or new Marvel from ever making it.

Post ToyBiz, you’ve worked at some huge companies – Hasbro, Spin Master, Mattel… I imagine they all have differing creative cultures, so were you able to pick up important design lessons from your time at each one?
Each was unique, but one key thing I learnt that actually spanned all of them was the importance of creating a team within a team.

When I worked at ToyBiz, we all loved Marvel, and there only 13 of us – it was very small. Working at the bigger companies is different beast – there are so many brands and so many individuals. It’s a world, and there are worlds within worlds!

In a big company, there are going to be some corners of it that don’t fully understand a brand like Marvel, but there are also plenty that do. So those that do stick together and take ownership – it’s a case of ‘don’t ask for permission, beg for forgiveness!’

What fuels your creativity?
It’s all about immersing myself in the mind of a 13-year-old kid. I’ve still got comic books under my bed, and my workspace has always been like that too. That’s the key to it.

There’s always challenges, and not everyone is going to like what you design. Being an artist is different from being a designer. Being an artist is who you are; it’s within you. You have to learn to be a designer, and it means taking rejection and critiques. And those people being resistant are part of the process too. They don’t kill creativity; in fact they can fuel it.

Before I let you go, what are you up to now?
What I’m up to now is a direct result of Covid – and the inevitable! I got laid off from Mattel right at the start of the pandemic.

The first time I ever got laid off, I thought it was unfair. “You’re just going to give me a box for my things and tell me to kick rocks? Are you serious?” But it’s what you sign up for when you work in this animal…

The economy and retail landscape will have ups and downs and as I learned from a devasting lay-off at Hasbro, this is just part of the process when you work at major corporations – they expand and they contract with these highs and lows.

In a creative job, you wear a lot of hats. You could be brainstorming, then meeting with legal, then reading scripts, then working on packaging, then art directing – all kinds of stuff! So I thought why not lean into all of those different skill-sets, strengths and relationships, away from that structure? So now, if you want to collaborate, let’s do it and make something happen.

How can people reach out?
I’m so accessible! It’s @DavidVonner on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and my email is dvonner@gmail.com. Reach out!

To read more about David’s thoughts on brands, licensing and Marvel, check out part two of the interview over on our sister-site, Brands Untapped, by clicking here.

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Funko is preparing for its first-ever Funko Fair, a two-week long virtual event that will introduce fans and partners to new products expected to hit retail later this year.

“Funko is always discovering new ways to surprise and delight our fans by bringing the best of pop culture directly to them,” said Brian Mariotti, Chief Executive Officer at Funko.

“Funko Fair is all about virtually showcasing the newest products that our incredible creative team has been working on for the past several months. This is a terrific opportunity to usher in 2021 with a fresh slate of consumer products that celebrate imagination and pop culture.”

Licensors confirmed to be participating in Funko Fair includes Warner Bros, The Pokémon Company International, NBCUniversal, Five Nights at Freddy’s and many more.

Additionally, there will be days designated for Disney, Marvel and Star Wars branded products, and Loungefly will also be showcasing their latest accessories.

The Fair kicks off the morning of January 19th with a new episode of FUN TV, a monthly short form production co-hosted by Brian Mariotti and Mike Becker.

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Asmodee is launching a range of new licensed Dobble editions this year, based on the Paw Patrol, Pixar, Marvel and Minions brands.

Dobble has already experienced licensing success with editions based on The Gruffalo, L.O.L. Surprise and Harry Potter.

“Dobble is a game whose format lends itself very well to great licensing crossovers, which we’ve already seen with the phenomenal success of the likes of Harry Potter Dobble,” said Anil Boodhoo, Asmodee UK’s National Channel Director.

“We’re excited to be partnering with four iconic brands on an ambitious release schedule as we continue to take Dobble from strength to strength.”

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Jon Bruton is an Asmodee stalwart. We caught up with the Purchasing Executive to learn what he looks for in a game… And why passion and quality aren’t everything.

Thank you, Jon, for squeezing us in. Very good of you. For people that aren’t in the know, what is it that Asmodee does?
Asmodee Group is a group of companies consisting – primarily – of publishers and distributors; a little like an umbrella. At Asmodee UK, we’re a distribution business. Our role is based on fulfilling demand. We do also have marketing capacity which we use to help create or stimulate further demand, but basically we take product to retailers who then sell to consumers. And as part of that, Asmodee UK probably has the widest reach of any UK distributor within the games industry.

And my understanding is that you used to be a maths teacher? How did you go from teaching to King of Asmodee?
King of Asmodee! I don’t know about that! But I’ve always had a passion for games. Ever since I was younger, I played games. My parents live in Fleet and – when I was relatively young – I remember receiving games via mail order…

What sort of thing?
I started buying all the Avalon Hill games. They eventually opened a store in Aldershot, which was fairly close by. That meant I could cycle over to buy games: an early copy of Talisman and Dungeons & Dragons; things like this.

This was a regular thing?
Fairly, yes. As a customer, I got to know the owners of the shop. Then their son, Dan, started a games distribution business. So I’ve known the Esdevium family for years and years. When they started attending shows and showing games, I think I was their first demonstrator.

I had no idea! And how did this become a vocation?
It got to a few years ago and there was the opportunity! At the time, I loved teaching, but very much felt the stress. The advisor role came up in Asmodee… Although, having had the job offer, I turned it down three times!

Why was that?
I was unsure about moving away and very, very passionate about teaching. In the end, I took the decision thinking the Esdevium/Asmodee opportunity is never going to come up again… Whereas, I can go to teaching back any time.

Brilliant. You say you were probably Esdevium’s first demonstrator… I always think someone who physically sells product gets a deeper understanding of it. Is that your experience?
Yes, very, very much. I think games and inventions are always peoples’ passion, and – obviously – the number of times I’ve heard, “This is the next best thing since Scrabble.” And it’s not. It’s just a word game.

And you look to predict what really is the next best thing since Scrabble?
Yes, hopefully. I always liken predicting how well a game’s going to sell to predicting what a film’s going to be like… Some films with huge budgets behind them are massive box-office failures. Then there are sleeper hits… Look at Get Out by Jordan Peele.

Don’t let Mojo’s Billy Langsworthy know you’re a film fan… You’ll get dragged to so much rubbish! Honestly – it was a relief when the cinemas shut…
That bad?! It is quite a good analogy, I think. You can turn around and go, “Okay, Fantasy Flight Games – FFG – is the Marvel of games publishers.” You know when a Marvel film comes out, it’s going to be at a certain level… It’s going to be really big. But when Ant-Man came out, the question was, “Is it going to be as big as Thor? Or Captain America?” Because they’re better-known superheroes… It’s trying to judge that; knowing The Avengers would be the crème de la crème of the Marvel films, and FFG games is like that…

So what would be the Get Out of the games industry?
Things like Magic Maze, maybe… Games that are effectively from less well-known publishers. But they grow almost because of their quality, and they’re uniqueness. I always use that as an analogy, but I think the reality is that there are great games that don’t sell – and there are rubbish games that sell in huge quantities.

Yes! Well… Let us name no names! But knowing what’s going to sell isn’t based purely on quality, then?
No, it’s never just quality. The quality of the game gives something longevity, but commercial value on a game is probably less about gameplay and more about the entire packaging behind it. So having an idea as to what it is about the entire package is really important.

Let’s say I’ve come up with an idea, then, and I’m showing it to you. What is it you’re looking for to tell you whether it’s the next Avengers?
The starting bit is, is it good, and is it sellable. Past that, it depends what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for us to distribute a finished product, it’s quite different from working with you in the early stages… Before you go to print, say. We also want it to be good beyond a very-limited lifespan.

You mean you’re not interested in jumping on short-term trends?
No. As a business, I think one of the things that makes Asmodee unique is that we don’t want disposable products. We want brands that we can see grow over a period of time. A lot of mass-market toy-and-game manufacturers seem to have an adage: you lose money on the first container, and you lose money on the last container.

I’ve not heard anyone say that before! You’re making money on everything in between the first and last. This is a common adage?
Right. You very much pump in your marketing spend, which affects your first container. That’s out of the way… On your second container, you cover the marketing spend: you start to make money. But then some companies drop out because they’re disposable games! We want games that last longer, and are good to excellent quality.

And how does that quality affect price?
From a distribution point of view, we’re looking for a price point depending on the sector… If you’re looking at true mass market, it’s got to be a much sweeter price point. Hobby is much more flexible. Again, we’re also pragmatic that if you sell X copies of a £50 retail game, that’s better than twice as many copies of a £15 retail game.

Obviously, it’s looking at what market sector do you think a game would work? Is it unique? Is it going to play really, really well? Is it going to appeal to a core gamer? Or is it going to appeal to your average “man on the street”.

So when inventors come to you and say, “We’d like you to distribute this”, you don’t just take on anything. Where do you look?! And would you dare put a figure on how many ideas you do take on like that?
In terms of acceptance to rejections, it’s a very low acceptance rate. Probably about 1 in 10. Primarily, we look for people within the industry unless someone has a unique and really special idea. That’s because they understand a lot more, and something needs to be viable enough that you can reach enough independent stores to make it worth setting it up. Within mass, it’s much, much more competitive. At that point, when you’re talking larger volumes and larger investments.

Dealing with someone that’s brand new, it’s hard to know if there’s any demand. Obviously, we’re always very keen to work with people when we see a great product at a later stage of development. At that point, it’s really useful to say, “There’s a level of interest here…” We’d be really keen if there’s scope to work with somebody to finish off their product.

But there seems to be some confusion… Some people think if Asmodee is interested in a game, you’ll license it and do everything for them. So how often do you say, “Tweak this, this, and this and come back to us!”?
It’s quite interesting. Sometimes we do see something and say, “This is really good. We’d like to feed this back centrally.” That goes back to the whole thing about Asmodee as an umbrella. If you think of a distribution unit as being the spokes, you’re distributing on the outside and the core being the publishers…

The end of each of the spokes can be a way into the central umbrella. So we do have the odd product about which we liaise with the studio.

This is a bit out of the blue, but if you could wave a magic wand and communicate one thing to all inventors, what would it be?
One thing?! That’s really tough… First and foremost, make your game the best it can possibly be. That means playtest, playtest, playtest – and not just with your friends and family, because they’ll always be enthused. Blind playtest, and with a lot of other people. And as part of that, you have to listen to the feedback.

To get past your own enthusiasm, and that of the people you know…
Yes. This is something you can see with crowdfunding sites. There’s a ‘Cult of the New’… You get very few games that people back on Kickstarter, turn around and say, “This is awful.” Whereas six months later, there’ll be a lot of those games that everybody’s saying, “This is awful,”! But when people first get it, they say it’s amazing. That first group of people is too polite.

I know you have some interesting views on crowdfunding. I’d like to chat to you about that some time, too! But for now, may I infer there was a second piece of advice?!
The second thing I’d say can lead into the first… It’s to get advice from people in the industry and people in relevant positions. Obviously, Playtest UK is fantastic for making sure your game’s as good as it can be. People like us are helpful in terms of whether a game is commercially viable. You can have a fantastic game, but a fantastic game is often too complicated for mass market.

Really important to understand what’s happening if your mates say they love your game but industry feedback is very different…
You know, one of the things I’ve missed this year about not having the UK Games Expo. That’s one of my haunts. I always block time at Expo to go to the Playtest zone as a consumer, to get some playtests and give some feedback. You do get a lot of people go, “I disagree with you. I’ve played this. All my friends and family like it. I disagree with you.”

“No, no, no, no! YOU don’t get it!” You get that a lot?
I do! And I don’t explain; I don’t argue or say, “Look! I do get it! I got a degree in maths! I’ve got a fairly good idea of how to break a game down in terms of its constituent parts… I work for a very, very large game distribution business. I’ve got a personal collection of well over 1,000 games…” But I do like to think I’ve got a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.

You’re there incognito, presumably?
Yes, usually I won’t say who I am. But sometimes you can see someone has really got something, so then I might. Whether it’s something that’s going to work for us or someone else, you’d like to be able to be part of the process. Maybe I’ll give some advice and then, if there’s something that’s got real value, I might give my card but it’s very rare.

I’m curious then… What motivates you to go there? Is that altruism? Or a conscious decision to see what’s upcoming?
Part of it is I love games. I admire people that dedicate time to try and create. Part of it comes back from the whole root of going into teaching… That I want to see the best of people and – in teaching –you make a difference. I think there’s an element of giving somebody advice in a situation like that… Where I can give them some good advice. It’s altruistic in the end.

It sounds it, and you’re clearly a huge fan of games.
Right! I still spend a bit of every working week with people who are trying to get started, or giving advice to people. Someone that’s come in with a submission, maybe, and giving them a steer about improving the game, or sorting contacts, or games that they could draw on to get inspiration.

Talking in person like this, you sound very grounded; very sincere…
Part of it is just being involved in the industry. But funny you should say that: I had this fantastic quote from Adrian at Days of Wonder a couple of days ago… He always starts his emails, “Dear friends”. So I sent an email back to him and said, “One of the things I love, Adrian, is the way that you always say, “Dear friends”… It could sound so insincere but knowing you, it seems incredibly appropriate and heartfelt.” He replied saying, “That’s because it is sincere” and to the effect that people move into the games industry because they want to work with games – but they stay in the industry because of the friendships.

And is that your experience too?
Absolutely, yes… I think it’s a close-knit industry that’s incredibly supportive. Very few bad eggs, and I think for people on the periphery, or wanting to move in, it’s good to be able to give something back. I feel very privileged to do this role. I think, as part of that, there’s an opportunity to feed back to people that are in their early stages of the industry.

You spoke so eloquently there; I hope it comes across as well in the written word. When we first tied in I said one of the questions I was likely to ask was, “How has the board game market changed in the UK over the past 10 years?”…
Ha! And then it changed so massively in the last 10 months!

Right?! Now 10 years feels like a really odd question! So maybe the more relevant question now is: How has COVID impacted the UK games market?
I think that you can look at this in two bits… The UK games market had matured over the last 10 years. Games like Catan, Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride, games that were really niche only a couple of years ago, are much more significant now. Not mainstream, but significant… When I started teaching, there might be one person in the entire school that would know Ticket to Ride. When I left teaching in 2014, there were two or three kids that knew it in most of the classes I taught.

So over time, there’s been more awareness, and games are more socially acceptable because of things like The Big Bang Theory and so on. And I think there being more game shops and game cafes in high-street locations has also legitimised that games aren’t just Warhammer; they’re for families and events. I think we’ve seen more and more of that, and more awareness.

And the COVID part?
COVID has been really fascinating. I think the first reaction in the industry was this is going to be an absolute nightmare: people will have no money, they won’t have access, it’s going to be a disaster… But the first thing that happened was that online suddenly proliferated. The online sales in comparison to bricks and mortar sales, certainly the skew was very much higher to online – understandably.

The second thing is that established games that had been around for a period of time had a massive surge; absolutely huge. We know that in times of economic difficulty, analog games generally do very well because they’re good value for money, and there’s repeat play. And two-player games, a lot of the bit more-enquiring children’s games also do really well… Less disposable games; games you can invest more quality time with families have grown.

So we’ve been pleased in terms of the overall pickup. There have been fewer games published, and there’s less awareness of new and upcoming games… It’s been harder for the sleeper indie hits to get out. The big, established brands have secured their success because they’re what people know. We’ve noticed that with the likes of Shut Up & Sit Down and Dice Tower and things like this, there’s less buzz around new games because people aren’t attending shows. Effectively, the big companies who are marketing, have a good amount of followers are able to weather that storm. The smaller publishers find it a lot more difficult.

Right. We lost board-game cafes and clubs; we lost trade shows and demos… So the gulf between larger and smaller has grown…
Yes, I think it’s polarised. Big brands, successful games doing really, really well. Two-player games doing really, really well. Arty games have struggled because people aren’t socialising in the same way that they were previously.

So I suppose there are two final things. If you could have one question asked of you that you don’t normally get to talk about, what would it be?
Ooh, that’s a tricky one… There’s a piece of advice for inventors I was going to feed back to you that I hadn’t said early on. So the question, maybe, “Do you get influenced by your personal tastes?”

Great question! And DO you get influenced by your personal tastes?
No. Not at all.

Perfect! Thanks, Jon!
No, but the thing is people often say, “The only reason you’re saying you don’t like this product, or that one, is because that’s not your sort of game.” Because the presumption is that I like more involved games, that I’m not going to like this, or not going to understand it. And it’s not true. I’m very pragmatic. I like everything from simple, stupid games to really complicated games. I’ve got Corks sitting around at home! If I can enjoy that, I’m going to enjoy anything else.

So it’s fair to say you can have a broader vision than your own taste?
Yes. And one of the things I love about Essen is hunting down obscure Japanese and Korean games; things like that for my own personal collection. A lot of those I might love… But think I’d absolutely be committing commercial suicide to buy this for Asmodee. I think to be able to distinguish your own personal tastes from what you think is going to be commercially successful in either of your mass markets is brilliant.

Yes; the job is to see what’s commercial – not if it’s precisely your cup of tea!
The other piece of advice I think is important to get across is to avoid the trap of fudging your design by trying to please both markets. Because – too often – you have gamers that want to make something more mass-market… But because they’re gamers, they add in a few extra, complicated bits. Likewise, others might say, “This is incredibly complex – let’s tweak it for mass market…” So they end up on that middle ground, with a game that’s too complicated for mass, too simple for hobby. That’s a disaster. Too many people fall into that trap of trying to have something for everyone.

Out of interest, do you think it’s easier to fully transition one way or the other? Can hobby become mainstream? Or vice versa?
I think the Asmodee model has changed a little in the last couple of years which is quite interesting. We’re now looking more directly to mass-market, but traditionally, it’s been that games that succeed in the independent sector, the gems that are successful, do have an opportunity in the mass markets. But I think, yes, games can do both. If you look at Dobble’s success in the mass market, it’s incredible. Dobble started off in hobby and it still sells in hobby.

Great! Jon, I’m going to wrap this up with one last question. Thank you again for your time. You’ve been very, very generous. My final question is: What’s the most interesting thing in your office?
Oh! Well, I’m working from home at the moment, so my desk is very sparse here. I guess the the most interesting thing in my study… Oh, my goodness, I would say it’s a couple of magic tricks…

Oh, my days! You can’t just trail a magic trick! Let’s end the interview there, Jon; then you can show me the trick!
[Jon then does a piece of mind-reading, correctly divining which one of many, many Dobble-like doodles Deej chose]

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Our Art of Asmodee series looks at how the various studios within Asmodee tackle art direction for their games.

This week, we’re catching up with Space Cowboys, the studio behind a raft of popular tabletop titles including Splendor, Time Stories and the Unlock! series of escape room games.

We caught up with Space Cowboys’ François Doucet to find out more about why the studio enjoys working with new artists, and what went into the art direction for its popular series of Unlock! games.

How did you get started in the tabletop space?
We launched Splendor in 2014, but the majority of people in the studio had a lot of previous experience in board games; they were actually the founders of Asmodee.

How important would you say the art is to the success of a game?
It’s key, but not only for obvious marketing and aesthetic reasons. The theme of a game is mostly expressed through the art and design, and even mechanisms can be “promoted” or explained with a piece of art.

It’s a vital part of the development and commercial success. Even when we play-test a game, the initial art we choose matters, even if we change everything later on.

What guides your approach to working with artists? Do you often have someone in mind for projects, or is it a case that artists can pitch for the work?
We usually have our project managers searching everywhere; previous contacts, new artists, propositions on our Facebook page or website. We like to work with both new artists and experienced ones; we call back guys we worked with a long time ago and have artists work on their very first game with us. All of this has happened already!

Sometimes, we even create art teams with a few artists working separately on the same game. We did this with Elysium, Hit Z Road and Time Stories.

Brilliant – it’s great that you work with new artists, but where do you look to find them?
Our project managers are very attentive and keep their eyes open in many fields; comic books, video games, children’s books. We have no preconceived ideas about the kind of artists we want to work with.

Is there any attempt to create a ‘Space Cowboys’ style that spans all your games? Or it the art direction done on a purely a game-by-game basis?
Totally game-by-game. It’s very, very important to us. We don’t care about the brand; only the game matters!

Looking at the Unlock! series, how key is the artwork to the success of each scenario? And as each scenario has its own look, have these games been a great means of helping you unearth brilliant new artistic talent that you can work with on other games?
Each Unlock! scenario is different; we treat it as a new game and so, we want each scenario to have its own art direction.

We actually worked with many artists before, and some of these “old hands” have been part of the Unlock! adventure. But we also discovered many new artists for sure, and we now have a great pool of experienced Unlock! artists, and of course, we still try to find new people!

For any artists or illustrators reading this and thinking ‘I’d love to work with these guys!’, what would you say is key to creating artwork for your studio?
Be prepared for a lot of changes, a lot of attention to details, and weird stories!

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Capturing stunning photos of toys, Mitchel Wu tells incredible stories in a single shot.

We spoke with Mitch to find out what makes an engaging story, how he has ideas… And why grabbing attention isn’t enough.

Let’s talk about stories, Mitch! Common wisdom says stories need a beginning, a middle and an end… But your images don’t! So are they stories in a moment OR moments in a story?
Yes! Haha, how’d you like that answer? I like to think that most of my images ARE the story – with the beginning, middle and the end all wrapped into one visual narrative. Sometimes my images do all the heavy lifting for the viewer, and sometimes I’ll ask the viewer to chip in and make some connections on their own to fill in the gaps.

Yes; your work’s a bit like Gary Larson’s The Far Side, I think. Sometimes the story’s in the viewer’s head… You recently said you tend to start projects by asking what stories you can tell with products. But do you sometimes have ideas for stories, or visual gags, and then look for toys that fit that idea?
Absolutely, but I only have that luxury for my personal work, of course. A recent example is an image I created of C-3PO trying to lift Thor’s Hammer, and losing his arms in the process. That idea came well before my choosing a particular action figure for it.

C-3PO wasn’t the starting point? That surprises me!
No – only after much consideration did I end up going with C-3PO, because it’s entirely conceivable that his arms would detach under the stress of trying to lift an impossible weight like Thor’s Hammer, and it would be humorous as opposed to gruesome. But one can also easily imagine C-3PO actually finding himself in that ridiculous situation.

That’s fascinating! I don’t think I would’ve got close to that idea that way round. And can you give an example of the other way?
Sure… In contrast, I bought a General Grievous action figure over a year ago, because he’s such a great Star Wars villain, and Hasbro did an incredible job with him. It sat on my shelf for a year while I waited for inspiration and a story to tell with it. I knew I wanted to create a story around his unique feature; his four arms…

But not an obvious story?
Exactly. The four arms make him a formidable fighter, but I wanted – as I often do – to show him in an unexpected way. I eventually asked myself: what would I do with four arms? That’s how the idea of showing him in a moment of relaxed downtime came about, using those four arms for a far more important purpose than wielding lightsabers.

Look at that! So funny… See, this is what I love: you grab the viewer’s attention AND spark their imagination, just in a second. How do you do that?
Honestly, it’s not terribly difficult to grab a person’s attention. You create an image of a toy doing almost anything besides lying lifeless and still, like one expects a toy to do, and that will grab a viewer’s attention for a fraction of a second. But what happens when you have the viewer’s attention for that fraction of a second? Do you keep it or do you lose it?

The real challenge is getting a person to engage in that image longer, to enter the world you created for that toy, and be impacted by it. Will the image be remembered, or quickly forgotten? That’s where the story comes in. And that in a nutshell is what my goal is for all of my work, personal and professional.

Look at these images of Rafiki and Baby Simba using the exact same toy – which one makes you feel something? Which one will you remember?

Got it. That illustrates it perfectly… So given what you’ve just said, about grabbing attention being just the first stage, what lessons can other people learn? Does the way you think apply to toy design itself, or packaging?
I’d say it can apply, either directly or indirectly. Telling the viewer something once you have their attention is what the goal should really be. For me, story can often equate to emotion. Whether it’s making an individual feel happy, sad, or maybe simply just laugh.

Packaging may not be able to incorporate a story in the traditional sense, but it can certainly make one feel emotion or humour. Or maybe there’s a story on the packaging, literally, told visually or through copy. For toy design it often comes down to a character’s story or backstory. Going back to General Grievous – would he be nearly as interesting if he was just another random toy on the store shelf; if we didn’t know his character and backstory? No! It’s his character and story that makes him a truly memorable character, and it’s what allows me to then take him out of character and to present him in such an unexpected way.

Yes! If General Grievous was a happy-go-lucky sort on screen then there’s no gag. I’m curious, then: how many times do you create images? I mean, obviously, you create it once in your head: General Grievous chilling with the lads… Do you then jot it in a notebook? Or sketch it?
Sometimes all three of those, especially if it’s work for a client and they want to see and approve concepts before I go ahead with photography. I do write down new ideas as soon as I get them, although sometimes they’ll sit in my notes forever, never to be used.

I use a Wacom Intuos Pro graphic tablet for all of my sketching and concepting. It’s been a game changer from the old pencil and paper days. I can draw a character on my Wacom tablet, and then resize it, stretch it, flop it, and colour it, or just go back to an earlier version if I liked it better. This is a concept and final image I created for Moose Toys’ Shopkins Oh So Real Collection

That’s EXCELLENT! I mean, there’s no compromise there at all! So you’ve had the idea for an image and sketched it… Now you have a new set of creative challenges: you have to make Pringles drop, or Fred Flintstone’s car fly… So my question is this: is problem-solving creativity the same as artistic creativity? Does it have the same value?
I don’t believe they’re the same thing, but they can both be equally satisfying, and equally important to the look and success of an image. With that said, I’d much rather see an image with an engaging story and imperfect technique and execution than a perfectly-executed image with no story. Which do you think makes a more lasting impact?

And why go to the trouble of doing the effects in camera? Why not – say – just do a splash of milk digitally?
Because, for me, it’s waaaay more fun!

There we go! “Tick”!
No contest… Sit at a computer and create a meticulous, digital liquid splash, or create one with some milk and a blast of compressed air? I’ll go with the latter every time. For me, it’s difficult to achieve a stronger reality than creating an image that uses something real and actually exists, something that actually interacts with and affects the toys I’m shooting. With that said, every technique and method is as valid as the next. Practical effects, digital effects – it’s all just personal preference, and tools to making your way to the strongest image possible.

Well, I agree in terms of output – but where’s the fun? The look on your face when you’re doing your shots isn’t something I’ve ever seen in a graphic’s suite! So… You’ve said you find inspiration in everything you see and do. Is that a conscious search? Are you walking the streets of LA saying, “How could that lamppost help me? What toy would look good walking a dog?”
Absolutely! I tend to generate ideas in one of a few ways. One of my favourite methods is to show characters in unexpected ways. Another is using current events to help influence stories, as a recent image of Ant-Man stealing a roll of toilet paper did.

Oh, that’s brilliant!
Thank you! But then yes, as you say, observing my surroundings and life in general – often my own. A good example of this is the image of Woody sliding down a stair banister. I’d been shooting toys for a couple of years and was trying to come up with a new Toy Story idea when that banister idea hit me like a bag of bricks. I’ve lived in my current house for 24 years and have gone up and down my stairs a 100,000 times or more. I’m glad my brain finally made that connection. And the idea of Woody playfully sliding down a banister is something you could easily imagine seeing in one of the Toy Story movies.

And in terms of applying what you do to a wider context, then, is it something anyone can do? Would inventors benefit from looking at their ideas and asking what stories they see?
I think it could definitely be a worthwhile exercise. Inventions are largely driven by figuring out a way to fill an unfulfilled need, solve an unsolved problem, or improve something that may already exist. And although there may or may not be a story within the mechanics or design of the invention itself, there’s certainly a story that can be told about the path that led to that invention, the genesis of it…

And that same story is what should be passionately told when pitching the invention to a potential licensor or customer, as you want to get their engagement and emotional investment in it if at all possible. Just make sure your invention lives up to the story you tell. It’s one thing to pique one’s interest, but you then have to deliver on that.

And if I asked you to suggest three specific things that you think could make people more creative, what would they be?
One, I would say care less about what other people think, or what you think other people will think…

Big difference; worth emphasis! What you think other people will think…
Huge difference! So get out of your own head and create; try to create fearlessly! The only way you’re going to stand out from your peers and competition is if you approach whatever you do with your own vision and style.

Two, I’d say be aware of what’s happening in the world and ask yourself how that can be applied to what you do – whether it’s pop culture, art, music, whatever. Go to museums and galleries, movies, concerts, even the great outdoors. Change your surroundings and stimuli and you may just change your point of view.

And three… Three definitely relates to the first thing we discussed! There’s often an expected way of doing or showing things. What would doing the unexpected look like?

Where does doing the unexpected stop, though? I mean… Are there any ideas that are terrific to you that you won’t do because of taste?
I admit to having a – well, let’s say unique sense of humour! As a result the occasional warped image makes its way into the world – like the one of an Alien xenomorph chestburster that apparently got itself turned around in its host’s body – it’s not bursting from the chest…

I’d quite like to see that in a movie! So this goes back to caring less about what other people think…
Right! Because that’s me; that’s my humour and I won’t hide it. The whole point of this is to have fun. I can’t limit what I do based on what I think people will like. First and foremost what I do has to please me creatively. With all of that said, there’s always a line you shouldn’t cross. Social media is like the Wild West, but you still need to watch your behaviour, because I guarantee you there are people – and companies – watching.

I recently worked on a high-visibility documentary project with a major entertainment company, covering one of best-known pop-culture brands in the world. I asked the producer if they looked at any other toy photographers besides me for this project and she said yes. They vetted each potential photographer carefully; a thorough examination of their social-media accounts…

They found something on another photographer’s Instagram page which made them uncomfortable, so the opportunity went to me. Always remember that what you put into the world, especially on social media, becomes a large part of your brand. Always nurture that brand and be strategic in what it says.

Yes, I think that’s right; that makes sense… So, Mitch, you and I met at New York Toy Fair but it sounds like you’ve had quite an amazing year leading up to that. Tell us about it…
Yes, it’s been pretty incredible. During the past year I had the honor of working on image campaigns for Disney UK’s Toy Story 4, Kinder Surprise’s Animal Adventures, Schleich USA’s Power of Imagination, and Hasbro’s Power Rangers Lightning Collection…

I’m grinning like the Cheshire Cat because every time you mention an image I’m thinking: we can show that off! I’m so excited! Keep going, what else?!
Haha! What else? I was featured on 60secdocs, a popular platform for short-form documentaries, which ended up getting several million views across various social channels. If you have a minute – literally – you should maybe check it out.

We can post a link to that! I mean… You’ve got seven-million views now; after people see it in a Mojo interview that’ll rocket to, like, seven million and eight… And you were in the UK’s national press a couple of days ago?
Yes. That was great! Were they your big papers?

Oh, for sure… All the major tabloids: The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Star, Daily Mail… Almost everything with Daily in the name!

I’m also absolutely thrilled to share with you that I’ll be featured in a Marvel documentary series this summer. It was a lot of fun filming it, but I definitely prefer being behind the camera!

Disney’s Marvel, presumably? Not the powdered milk?
I don’t know what that is…

No, I know; it’s a British thing! But that’s awesome! And how do we see that? What’s it on?
It’s coming to Disney+; I don’t think there’s a date yet.

And New York Toy Fair? How did that happen; what was it like?
You know, that happened to be one of the most incredible experiences of my professional and personal life. I was invited in by Marian Bossard and The Toy Association; the American trade association for the US toy industry, to give a talk on my journey, as well as exhibit a large body of my work…

And that’s not common, right? They don’t do one every year?
No, I’m told it was their first-ever exhibition.

Really?! In 104 years, they never did that before?
No. It’s amazing to me; it was really an honor. I was also invited to cut the opening ribbon with Shaquille O’Neal, who is exactly 2’ taller than me! There’s a video of that too; summarises my experience in New York pretty nicely. An incredible experience.

Great partnership! Wonderful idea. I wasn’t going to ask this but now that it’s come up, do you collaborate with any other partners? Companies or products, I suppose, as an ambassador; as a partner?
Oh, for sure. I especially love collaborating with the very companies that help me create my stories and images. Currently this includes Atmosphere Aerosol, Litra Lights, Platypod Tripods, Spider Holster and Wacom – all leaders in their fields. I work alone, but it’s really a team effort when you think about it! But that’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about toy photography: the incredible connections, friendships and partnerships I’ve made during this journey – meeting you at Toy Fair is a great example!

Awwww, Mitch, you old charmer! Well, it was a pleasure meeting you and your wife there, it really was – and seeing you work… Eye-opening; mind-boggling! I should thank Playtime PR’s Lesley Singleton for coming to find me and introducing us… It’s the only thing she insisted Billy and I looked at!
Is that true?

Yes! She properly frogmarched us to the Schleich stand! So let’s think about wrapping this up… I guess the last two are my favourite questions. If you were going to write your autobiography, what would you call it?
Never Stop Playing

Perfect! And finally what, Mitch, is the most interesting thing in your office? Or on your desk?
Well, you can imagine my office is packed with all kinds of toys and interesting props… So on my desk there’s a little rubber foot with a brain eraser I placed on top of it. That little brain eraser has made it into a few of my images, and I imagine that foot will someday as well.

Great! Great… I really should run a book on these answers! “Who had brain on a foot?” Mitch, this has been such a pleasure, I can’t tell you; thank you! We’ll put links under my sign off so anything you want to link to just email it over. And thanks again!

Website
https://www.mitchelwutoyphotography.com

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/mitchelwuphotography/

60secdocs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M50xRaEgMw4

NY Toy Fair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dONggDruIkg

Atmosphere Aerosol – https://www.atmosphereaerosol.com
Litra Lights – https://litra.com
Platypod Tripods – https://platypod.com
Spider Holster – https://spiderholster.com
Wacom – https://www.wacom.com

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The post Why grabbing attention isn’t enough: toy photographer and storyteller Mitchel Wu on his creative process appeared first on Mojo Nation.

The U.S. toy industry saw dollar sales increase by $256 million to $3.6 billion in Q1 2020, a 7.6% increase over the same time period last year.

While Easter, which occurred a week earlier this year than it did in 2019, may have been responsible for some sales in March, school closings was the key driver of toy industry growth in the first quarter, states The NPD Group.

Games and Puzzles enjoyed growth of 55%, Outdoor & Sports Toys was boosted by 22%, Building Sets sales jumped 20% and Arts & Crafts enjoyed a sales increase of 13% during Q1 2020.

The top properties for Q1 2020 included L.O.L. Surprise!, Pokémon, Disney Frozen, Barbie, Star Wars, Marvel Universe, Hot Wheels, Nerf, Funko Pop!, and Little Tikes. These top 10 properties combined posted 19% growth versus the rest of the market, which was up 5%.

Once again, content proved to be king as all four of the top four growth properties (Disney Frozen, Star Wars, Toy Story and Pokémon) were bolstered by movie releases in 2019.

When looking at lockdown conditions, during the five weeks from March 15th to April 18th the toy industry grew 19% vs. the 1% growth experienced in the first 10 weeks of the year. Easter sales were included for both years during this five-week comparison period and, therefore, had no seasonal impact.

The strongest dollar growth categories during this five-week time period, contributing 77% of the growth, included Games and Puzzles, driven by family board/action games, adult puzzles, card games, and children’s games; and Outdoor and Sports Toys, driven by playground equipment, skates/skateboards/scooters, and pools. Building Sets and Arts and Crafts contributed the remaining 23% of the growth.

“With organised and school sports cancellations being one of the casualties of COVID-19, parents and children yearned for something to take the place of those outdoor, physical activities,” said Juli Lennett, NPD’s toys industry advisor.

“Trampolines and skates/skateboards/scooters fulfilled that need for many families, and with warmer weather approaching, Outdoor and Sports Toys will be the supercategory to watch if lockdowns continue.”

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Wild + Wolf is launching a wave of Disney games under its Ridley’s Games brand.

Marking the first ever licensed range for the brand, the collection will include Disney editions of Think Fast, Selfish and Drawsome, as well as unique games for the Marvel and Star Wars franchises.

The contract will include rights across the UK, France, Iberia, GAS, Benelux, Nordics, Italy, CEE, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The initial collection, launching in AW20, will include:

Think Fast: Disney Edition
Drawsome: Disney Edition
Disney Villains Selfish
Disney Quiz Trivia
Star Wars Force Battle
Star Wars Selfish
Star Wars Jigsaw Puzzle
Star Wars: Mandalorian Game (Name TBC)
Star Wars Quiz Trivia
Star Wars: Don’t Upset The Wookie
Marvel Hulk Smash
Marvel Spidey Sense
Marvel Quiz Trivia

“We couldn’t be happier to work with Disney,” said Emma Puzey, Licensing Manager of Wild + Wolf.

“Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars are global household brands that are loved by millions of people around the world. Our licensed range strengthens our mission to create innovative, giftable, and entertaining games for all ages.”

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