The ATA Program of Awards is an integral part of the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair, held from 11 to 14 February at the MCEC, celebrating the best innovations, products and achievements in the industry.
Divisible By Zero (DBZ) tries to enter every year in each of the relevant categories and this year its Clixo Super Rainbow Pack won Specialty Product of the Year.
Sue Brennan of DBZ says you got to be in it to win it and this year they did.
“Winning the award is very exciting and does bring a lot of attention to both the product range and DBZ in general,” she enthuses.
“We exhibited at the toy fair and the feedback was fantastic, with many congratulations from both resellers and other exhibitors.”
Clixo is a modern building block for the 21st century. The light and flexible patented design empowers kids to discover their creative confidence as they play and explore. With just a small number of parts and without the need for detailed instructions, this STEM toy is both educational and fun for all ages.
Pieces are made from recyclable and durable synthetic paper with strong embedded magnets for maximum safety. The materials are kid-safe (non-toxic) and specially developed for the brand.
For William Valentine it was a matter of belief when entering the awards as the 2024 collection is its strongest yet.
“Our collection is a mix of gifts, novelty, toys, games to homewares,” explains sales director, George Khoury.
“There’s a great selection of best-sellers and new on-trend items. We wanted to see our products judged by industry experts as well as our consumers—the kids.”
William Valentine’s Nee-Doh Super Ripples won the Kids’ Choice Junior Award (ages 4 to 6).
“It’s a huge honour to accept the award on behalf of the brand owner, Schylling, that designs and manufactures the Nee-Doh brand. It’s a reflection that consumers want the original branded product that leads with innovation as opposed to counterfeit product that follows.
“The Nee-Doh is the original Groovy Glob. It’s all about squeezing, pulling, smushing and soothing your way to the best mellow and chill,” enthuses Khoury.
“It’s a huge trend on TikTok and appeals to both teenagers and adults as well as younger children. Our retail partners and their consumers love it—they can’t keep enough on their shelves.”
The win certainly was a drawcard at William Valentine’s stand as everyone wanted to see the winning product. Originating in the gift category, William Valentine has added more ‘toyetic’ brands into the portfolio.
“This award is a boost to help raise our profile across many gift and toy retailers, especially during our 20th anniversary year,” Khoury adds.
“The tangible benefit [of the win] was to drive additional foot traffic to see the award-winning product and to reinforce to our retail partners our message that Nee-Doh is the original and best brand and get on board if they are not already ranging it.
“In addition to Nee-Doh getting a lot of attention because of the award, we also debuted over 300 new items and four new brands at the fair. We had free Slush Puppie drinks for our retailers to enjoy and demonstrations of our hit game ‘It’s Banana’s’, which has had over 350 million views on TikTok and Instagram.”
