Summer 2011

All Fun and Games By Becky Tyre

Good toy design encourages creativity, invites exploration, and sparks a child’s interest and imagination. As these examples illustrate, the same criteria apply to retail toy displays.

This wooden wagon is just the right height for kids to reach the toy farm set on display. Components of the toy set are stored, in their boxes, inside and beneath the wagon within easy reach for purchasing. The wagon is easily moved around the shop, making it a versatile display fixture. It is also an ideal size to merchandise in a store window display.

A thin dollhouse shelf unit is a cute display fixture and works well to display a variety of children’s products. The sections can mix products like dolls and books and still have areas for children’s shoes and picture frames without looking like an unrelated display. A fixture like this can be used to create a dedicated children’s area in almost any type of store.

Clawfoot bathtubs make for attractive and whimsical displays in stores that sell toys. Even better, they are the right height to catch the curiosity of a “small” shopper. They also serve to contain unruly products, like plush animals and tub toys.

When manufacturers provide display components and signage, it enables retailers to create cohesive displays of their products. The wood boxes serve as containers for the small, loose, plush animals and also enable the toy sets to be stacked, creating height in the tabletop display.

White picket fence slats form an attractive bin for displaying plush dolls and toys of various sizes. The taller fence posts in the back are a nice fit for hand puppets, which can be tricky to display. Plush animals and dolls are best displayed with their faces showing, since it is their faces that attract customers the most.

Editor’s note: GIFT SHOP magazine thanks the retailers who graciously shared their ideas with us for this article.

Becky Tyre

Becky Tyre is the senior trends editor for GIFT SHOP Magazine and the owner of the Retail Details blog.