Parents spend a fortune on toys

(Left) A Zoomer worth Sh25,000 on display at the Nakumatt Kids & Co. store at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU 

By DOREEN WAINAINAH

In Summary

• From a miniature electric Mercedes to a 5-ft stuffed Minnie Mouse, today, it’s all about brand names when it comes to kids’ playthings.

‘Sit Zoomer’ or better yet ‘bed piny’, ‘ikara thi’, ‘ikhala’ or ‘dance Zoomer’, ‘Miel’, ‘Khina’, ‘ina’ and the little robot dog will do as commanded, even when this is done in vernacular.

The Sh24,995 robot toy is barely a foot long and a foot high and on its first week on the shelves, it sold out. Parents and their children were falling over themselves to see the little robot dog dance, walk and even sit on command.

Kevin Maina bought his son a miniature electric Mercedes car to match his own. The young professional in his early 30s did not see the expense as a big deal and does not shy away from displaying this toy car alongside his own vehicle on social media.

Infamous power couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have been known to splurge quite a bit on their daughter’s toys. The socialite had posted a picture on her page of a miniature Lamborghini, a Christmas gift for the then six-month-old tot.

Unlike the powerhouse couples with endless money, Kenyan professionals, too, are today aping the trend with electric cars, play houses and even playground sets.

The miniature vehicles ranging between Sh40,000 and Sh70,000 are a popular purchase among the young parents who want to show off. They come in a variety of makes from Range Rovers, Mercedes, Porsche and even vintage cars and Mini Coopers.

The modern parent is pulling out all the stops to satisfy the needs of their children when it comes to toys, with price taking the back seat after quality and prestige.

Brands are all the rave lately with parents picking international names like Fisher Price, which recently enlisted Colombian musician Shakira in the design of a new range of toys, Lego by Duplo, Disney and Little Tikes, among others.

The demand for high quality toys has seen the growth of one of the oldest toy stores in the country Toyworld grow its branches to six, and retail chain Nakumatt to invest in bringing in toys through its Kids & Co subsidiary.

“This investment has been informed by the growing demand for quality toys by our smart shoppers,” says Neel Shah, chief business development officer for Nakumatt.

Demand

The chain has put in over Sh500 million investment in the last two years to support the growth and demand for toys in the region.

“Through our Kids & Co Subsidiary, we are now the licensed retailer and regional franchise holder for the entire range of Disney World Toys and Merchandise, Mattel Toys (Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher Price), Lego, Leap Frog, Monopoly, Play Doh, Marvins Magic and others. We also hold the rights for leading toy brands such as Lego, the world’s largest toy company by value,” he says.

“The current trend based on sales analysis at Kids & Co indicates that action figures, bikes, scooters and ride-ons, learning and educational toys appear to be the best sellers,” says Neel.

The Lego Technic, a popular range of Legos that is motorised and moves once constructed, starts retailing from Sh38,660.

Trends in toys are greatly influenced by movie and TV trends. Top tier toys include collectibles particularly action figures, which include movie release icons. A nearly five-foot stuffed Mickey or Minnie Mouse toy is available for Sh42,000, while the famous minions, popularised by the Despicable Me movies, can cost up to Sh20,000.

Size is not the main influencer of cost when it comes to these toys, but the durability too. Toddlers, especially, have a destructive stage where cheap quality toys need replacement on almost daily basis.

Durability

After struggling with such toys for a while, Peter Wafula and his wife opted to purchase a brand known for its durability.

“We walked into a toy shop and picked Fisher Price from recommendation by a friend,” he explains. The first purchase, which was only three items, set them back Sh15,000.

The cost, according to Peter, was high initially but a year down the line, they have not needed to replace any of the toys. Well at least those that have survived water damage.

“Duty on toys is very high as they are considered luxury items, yet every child needs and plays with them,” says Nitin Shah of Toyword. This plays a role too in the costing of toys.

At Toyworld, depending on the ranges of toys, the pricier pieces can go for anywhere between Sh20,000 to Sh30,000 apiece. This does not include playhouses which range from Sh50,000 upwards. A Little Tike garden cottage is Sh56,950 while a town house and playhouse from the same brand are Sh79,950 and 54,950 respectively.

Those who consider toys too mainstream go the extra mile and purchase a mega slide or an entire playground set which costs from Sh72,500 for a jungle climber, Sh84,950 for a slide and Sh145,000 for a playground set.

Toyworld, who carry the Little Tike range, include the assembly for the toys in the price.

“We prefer to do the assembly ourselves to make sure that all the nuts and bolts are done correctly,” says Nitin.

Inflatable and collapsible pools also make the purchase list. Easy assemble pools range from Sh15,000 while frame pool sets that have reinforcements cost from Sh74,950 to Sh150,000. These pools are hardier than inflatable pools and come in various widths and depths.

But even with high quality, durable and expensive toys, children outgrow them in a matter of months, or a year if you are lucky. Most retailers and manufacturers group them in one year and below, one to two, two to four, five to eight, nine to 12, 13 to 18 and 18-plus for boys and girls.

Trends

The annual purchase to satisfy and keep the children occupied while keeping up with the trends will result in quite a collection of ‘junk’. The most recent favourite trend that took the market by storm was Disney’s Frozen. The characters Elsa and Anna have become every young girls’ choice for a doll, right next to the timeless Barbie and the other Disney princesses.

The Minions, Ben 10 and Hot Wheels are the ultimate toys for boys aged between five and 13, and before that there were characters from Cars the movie.

 

To cash in on this, the toy manufactures and retailers have different items to suit each stage of a child’s development, which in turn means a new doll or car joins the discard pile. A parent once aptly described a toy consumer being similar to a car buyer: you have to offload to upgrade to the next.

Re-sell

For those without the storage space and those who do not place much sentimental value on their children’s toys, the second-hand market has become the best bet to sell them. This new market for used toys is booming business where rather than handing the toys down or giving them out for free, the parent or child can make an extra shilling with which to upgrade.

Due to depreciation because of wear and tear, the toys are sold off for about half the initial cost. This has offered bargain hunters and collectors a place to get unique toys for a steal