What motivated you to start Vivid back in 1992?
I’d watched Torquil Norman build Bluebird Toys from scratch to becoming a major player in just ten years and thought we could replicate that formula and maybe do it even better. Also I was fed up of the big corporate scene after Tyco acquired Matchbox and thought there was a real gap for a new, lean, entrepreneurial toy company that could exploit local entertainment licences that the big multi-nationals weren’t interested in.

So what was Vivid’s first product line 20 years ago? 
Captain Scarlet and Koosh Balls were our two big ranges. We got lucky with Captain Scarlet because BBC2 showed the series in a high profile early evening slot and our sales were close to £10 million in our first year – a mere five times more than we budgeted.

What’s been the best moment over the past two decades? 
Probably becoming the UK’s number one toy company in 2007 when we managed Bratz, Crayola and WWE – all doing great business. We were the first and still the only British toy company to achieve UK toy market leadership in over 30 years. Hopefully we won’t be the last.

And the worst?
Undoubtedly the unexpected, but dramatic, reduction in China toy quota by the EU in January 1993. That almost killed us off as it discriminated unfairly against new-start companies.
Thankfully we found a loophole and were able to carry on and grow.

What is it about Vivid that has made the company survive and thrive?
Probably our ability to spot winning toys and licences before competitors, and our ability to manage risk appropriately in a volatile industry. Vivid has never lost money in any of the 20 years it has operated and that is no mean feat.

How many of the original team in 1992 are still with you?
Out of the original ‘magnificent seven’, there are still four of us left – Alan Bennie our vice chair, Neil Bandtock, our UK managing director, Paul Weston, our CEO, and myself as chair.

What is your personal favourite Vivid toy from the past 20 years?
Probably the Thunderbirds Tracy Island as it is not only a great toy and won Toy Of The Year, but also because if you ask any British male under 25 years of age, they grew up with this iconic toy and go dewy-eyed remembering it. Also, everyone remembers the Blue Peter Make Your Own Tracy Island PR coup which was arguably the most creative response to a Christmas toy shortage ever imagined.
Take That dolls are another favourite from the early years as everyone said we were crazy to try and sell pop-star dolls, yet they were a huge hit... and with JLS, Justin Bieber, The Wanted and One Direction, we still dominate this specialist niche in the doll market.

What has been the single biggest change in the UK retail market over the past 20 years?
Undoubtedly, the levelling of the playing field that resulted from the demise of Woolworths in 2008, thus allowing other retailers to grow and thrive. Without that, independent toy retailers and specialist toy chains would not have grown in strength and the grocer onslaught would not have advanced so fast.

And what is the biggest change you expect in the retail scene in the next 20 years?
The impact of internet retailing and mobile entertainment for kids. We’re already seeing these changes now and I’m sure the pace of change will accelerate exponentially in the next few months or years.

What will be the biggest challenge for Vivid in the coming years?
Continuing to innovate and stay relevant in a fast-changing retail and kids media scene and also to internationalise our operations to give us a stronger and more stable geographical spread of business.

And what do you believe will be the biggest hits for Vivid in 2012?
2012 is going to be another big year for Crayola with some really exciting innovation coming through. The Hobbit toy range for Q4 intro looks truly outstanding and, of course, Moshi Monsters will roll out a full line of new collectables, play-sets, arts and craft, puzzles and games.
For the spring season we believe Gyro-Bots could be a really strong innovation in boys collectables, and our LUMI light-up jewellery range could be the surprise hit for tween girls.

What single piece of advice would you have for anyone starting a new toy company today?
Try and be very different from your competitors, innovate like crazy, stay lean... and invest in a good prayer mat. And never, ever give up because the next Moshi Monsters or Thunderbirds is just around the corner.

20 years in toys

From Koosh Balls to Moshi Monsters, we take a look at the Vivid hits over the past two decades:

1993 - Koosh balls
1994 - Captain Scarlet
1995 - Take That Original Dolls
1996 - Pogmaker
1997 - Hulk figure
1998 - Winnie the Pooh large plush character
1999 - Teksta
2000 - Thunderbirds Tracy Island
2001 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures
2002 - Lord of the Rings figures
2003 - Spiderman figure
2004 - Bratz doll
2005 - Fifi and the Flowertots range
2006 - Roary the Racing Car range
2007 - Fluffy Go Walkies
2008 - Animagic Honey
2009 - Buzz Lightyear
2010 - Crayola Glow Dome
2011 - Mosh n Chat