Creative play pays off for British producer Left-Field Toys
British brand is scaling fast with construction and collectible toys its best-sellers for young and Kidult customers
Welcome to new house of fun Left-Field Toys, an early stage producer playing to its strengths developing ranges strong on engagement and innovation. Rare both for being British and a small independent in an industry dominated by huge global brands, “we surprise shoppers with toys that don’t play by the rules, break conventions, spark debate and are shareable, unexpected products that have potential to become bestsellers and go viral,” declares co-founder and owner Daniel King.
The company’s focus on quality toys that look good with affordable price tags has paid off since launch in two years ago, and in 2027 Left-Field is aiming for a £5 million turnover. A major sales partnership with TGJones, formerly WHSmith, along with other retailers including Amazon is contributing significantly to its success.
“Having products in TGJones’ stores so customers can touch and try before buying really helps,” observes King. While young customers are broadly in the eight-to-15 years sweet spot, Left-Field is also at the heart of the all-ages, booming Kidult toys category with construction and collectibles the two main categories for its 30 product lines
Among its star sellers are Clutching at Straws, a fast-paced reaction game encouraging family connectivity that’s easy to set up and get going. Blokee’s action figures, including licensed Transformers, fall into the desirable collectibles sector while Magnetics’ tile building fosters concentration and creativity, two key attributes for skilling up next gen engineers and technicians. Selling tiles with bags so parents have products that are super portable and have no need to hunt for missing pieces has also proved immensely popular.
Hubble Bubble offers machines and kits for parties and sensory play while Cute, one of the biggest cultural trends and styles globally, features too in the shape of My Kawaii plushies (soft toys) and its interactive fun dolphin claw machine that helps improve hand-eye coordination and motor skills. “Rather than focus on traditional toys we focus on ones that engage using creativity and problem solving to get beyond just relying on a traditional distribution model,” explains King.
Toys are designed in the UK with manufacturing in China before being third-party distribution in the UK and Ireland. “We did try making domestically but the costs weren’t viable or machinery capable,” says King, an experienced toy industry insider for over two decades, whose strong contacts network convinced him solo success was possible.
With an operation that’s fast to react and be first to market, AI programmes now help the design and modelling processes improving efficiency by 50 per cent and cutting costs. Currently employing one other team member, up to six more hires re scheduled going forward and in a major move there’s a plan to raise up to £500,000 external investment. Associated with that Left-Field is potentially seeking an angel investor with specific expertise in taking smaller businesses into international markets. For the company that could be the US and Middle East.
On the new product development front King, always observing how children interact and how that is changing, is now considering squeezy stress toys with sweet themes and more opportunities in the party games sector. Others include a new version of Clutching at Straws and Blokee 2. Toys have a special, unforgettable place in most people’s affections. For King it’s “a toy monkey with a music box inside that my nan made”.
Leftfieldtoys.com , tgjonesonline.co.uk, The Toy Fair in London January 20, 2026, www.toyfair.co.uk
