I'm giving up control of my toy empire — and it's not a tax dodge
The meeting rooms are named and decorated in tribute to famous characters that have helped to keep the old-fashioned toy industry afloat despite the rise of video games and children spending ever more time on TikTok rather than with dolls or racing cars. There's a bright yellow Minion one, a pink Barbie room; in the Batman room employees on laptops are working on quarterly cash flow. In the Toy Story meeting room, there are little plastic soldiers lined up on top of the TV screen used for video conferences. 'Because if you can't have some fun working in toys, you're screwed,' says Grant, 66.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
27 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
I bought my daughter a dress but was horrified when I discovered what was written on the front – it's appalling
Social media users demanded answers and wanted to know which brand was behind the appalling dress. KID YOU NOT I bought my daughter a dress but was horrified when I discovered what was written on the front – it's appalling A MUM has urged parents to ''look at your kids' clothes carefully before you buy them'' after making a shocking discovery on her daughter's dress. Mum Savannah took to TikTok after she took a proper look at her tot's ''cute Easter'' frock and was appalled by the writing on it. 2 The mum decided to take a proper look at her tot's dress - and was horrified by the shocking writing Credit: tiktok/@savannah00112 2 Social media users demanded answers as to which brand was behind the appalling dress Credit: tiktok/@savannah00112 At first glance, the kids' piece doesn't look too unusual - it's an adorable dress with a bunny design, short sleeves, as well as some text on the bottom half. However, it's the latter that shocked Savannah to the core after one day she inspected the writing. ''It came with matching shorts, there's like bunnies, eggs and jelly beans and baby chicks,'' Savannah told her followers on the platform. ''One day, when she was napping, I just figured I would take a peak and see what it actually said.'' Although it is not known whether the little girl ever wore the dress in public, Savannah was horrified after realising what the shocking text said. One of the gruesome lines, for example, read: ''Want to have an Easter egg hunt under the covers?'' As she went on to reveal the following lines, social media users demanded answers as to which brand was behind the appalling dress. ''This coupon entitles you to one free peep show,'' gobsmacked Savannah read out. ''Let's pretend we're rabbits and do whatever comes naturally,'' the mum went on in the now-viral video. ''This one is kind of hard to read but something along the lines of, 'My tulips want to be on your tulips'. I was stunned when I saw a vile, sexual top in Zara's kids section and it just got worse when I turned it around ''And then the weirdest one - 'You've been the best husband and friend a girl could ever ask for'.'' Sharing the shock discovery on her page, Savannah urged in the caption: ''Read your kids clothes carefully.'' Uploaded just two days ago, the clip has racked up more than 20million views - with thousands slamming the brand behind the gruesome design. Keeping kids safe on YouTube RESTRICTED Mode is an optional setting on YouTube that helps filter out mature videos. It's not perfect, but it's a good way of scrubbing out a large portion of the adult material on YouTube. However, you have to turn it off manually for each browser or device your child is using – it can't simply be applied at account level. On your computer, go to the account icon – a little person icon in the top right corner of your screen. Click Restricted Mode, then use the toggle button to turn it on. On the Android phone app or mobile site, tap the menu icon, which looks like three vertical dots. Then go to Settings > General and turn Restricted Mode on. On Android TV, go to the Home screen then scroll down to the Apps row. Select YouTube, then scroll down and select Settings. Choose Restricted Mode or Safety Mode, then select Enabled. On the iOS app (for iPhones or iPad), tap the account icon in the top right. Tap Settings then Restricted Mode Filtering, then choose Strict: Restricted Mode On. On the iOS mobile site, tap the menu icon, which looks like a three-dot column. Tap Settings then tap Restricted Mode to turn it on or off. As over 20,000 TikTokers flooded to comments in sheer horror, one said: ''need to investigate the clothing maker coz who t* allowed that?'' Another agreed, writing: ''What company made that is the question.'' Someone else commented: ''everyone attacking her for not reading it, it's children's clothing. who would expect a babies dress to have those words on it?'' ''This was clearly intentional. The company needs to be investigated. I wonder how long have they been doing this,'' a viewer added. ''I hate this world with all my heart,'' a TikToker penned.
The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
I bought my daughter a dress but was horrified when I discovered what was written on the front – it's appalling
A MUM has urged parents to ''look at your kids' clothes carefully before you buy them'' after making a shocking discovery on her daughter's dress. Mum Savannah took to TikTok after she took a proper look at her tot's ''cute Easter'' frock and was appalled by the writing on it. 2 2 At first glance, the kids' piece doesn't look too unusual - it's an adorable dress with a bunny design, short sleeves, as well as some text on the bottom half. However, it's the latter that shocked Savannah to the core after one day she inspected the writing. ''It came with matching shorts, there's like bunnies, eggs and jelly beans and baby chicks,'' Savannah told her followers on the platform. ''One day, when she was napping, I just figured I would take a peak and see what it actually said.'' Although it is not known whether the little girl ever wore the dress in public, Savannah was horrified after realising what the shocking text said. One of the gruesome lines, for example, read: ''Want to have an Easter egg hunt under the covers?'' As she went on to reveal the following lines, social media users demanded answers as to which brand was behind the appalling dress. ''This coupon entitles you to one free peep show,'' gobsmacked Savannah read out. ''Let's pretend we're rabbits and do whatever comes naturally,'' the mum went on in the now-viral video. ''This one is kind of hard to read but something along the lines of, 'My tulips want to be on your tulips'. ''And then the weirdest one - 'You've been the best husband and friend a girl could ever ask for'.'' Sharing the shock discovery on her page, Savannah urged in the caption: ''Read your kids clothes carefully.'' Uploaded just two days ago, the clip has racked up more than 20million views - with thousands slamming the brand behind the gruesome design. Keeping kids safe on YouTube RESTRICTED Mode is an optional setting on YouTube that helps filter out mature videos. It's not perfect, but it's a good way of scrubbing out a large portion of the adult material on YouTube. However, you have to turn it off manually for each browser or device your child is using – it can't simply be applied at account level. On your computer, go to the account icon – a little person icon in the top right corner of your screen. Click Restricted Mode, then use the toggle button to turn it on. On the Android phone app or mobile site, tap the menu icon, which looks like three vertical dots. Then go to Settings > General and turn Restricted Mode on. On Android TV, go to the Home screen then scroll down to the Apps row. Select YouTube, then scroll down and select Settings. Choose Restricted Mode or Safety Mode, then select Enabled. On the iOS app (for iPhones or iPad), tap the account icon in the top right. Tap Settings then Restricted Mode Filtering, then choose Strict: Restricted Mode On. On the iOS mobile site, tap the menu icon, which looks like a three-dot column. Tap Settings then tap Restricted Mode to turn it on or off. As over 20,000 TikTokers flooded to comments in sheer horror, one said: ''need to investigate the clothing maker coz who t* allowed that?'' Another agreed, writing: ''What company made that is the question.'' Someone else commented: ''everyone attacking her for not reading it, it's children's clothing. who would expect a babies dress to have those words on it?'' ''This was clearly intentional. The company needs to be investigated. I wonder how long have they been doing this,'' a viewer added. ''I hate this world with all my heart,'' a TikToker penned.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
American mom living in Australia reveals major differences between kids' birthday parties in the two countries
An American mom who moved to Australia has revealed the biggest differences between kid's birthday parties in the two countries. In a recent video posted to TikTok, Lex, who has lived in Australia for almost a year, sparked a viral conversation after she detailed the top five variations when it comes to children's bashes - and how her family has adapted to them. 'They're just a little bit different from birthday parties in American,' the mom, who lives in Brisbane, Queensland, explained. Joking that her son is turning six soon so she's got 'birthday parties on the brain,' Lex went on to list the five keys differences. The first difference she noticed after going to a 'handful' of birthday parties down under is how 'laid back and chill' the parties were. Lex noted that in America, she feels as though birthday parties are trying to 'keep up with the Joneses.' 'You have these big, extravagant birthday parties [in the US],' she explained. As an example, she added: 'We went to a birthday party one time where they bought a petting zoo to the kid's house.' 'So what I enjoy here is that you know, most of the birthday parties we've been to have been at people's homes or at the park down the road,' added the mom-of-one. 'They ain't worried about having the perfect venue and spending all this money 'Also decorations are super chill, there's no decorations like balloon arches. There are decorations but it's just very simple.' The second difference was that there's less paper and plastic products used at birthday parties in Australia. 'In the States, we use paper plates and plastic forks and knives and plates all the time,' explained Lex. 'Therefore, it's much more common at birthday parties to see them in excess.' Meanwhile, in Australia, she said her son has been to a few birthday parties where they don't even offer plates for cake; instead, they give it to the kids in a napkin - sometimes without forks even. 'It was perfectly fine,' she quipped. 'Why are we using all these paper and plastic products?' The mom said the third difference was her 'favorite.' 'I love it when Australian's sing Happy Birthday,' she gushed. 'They say "hip, hip, hooray" at the end.' 'I love how much our son loves it now too,' she added. 'That's his favorite part of the son.' The fourth major difference according to Lex was the snacks offered at Australian birthday parties. She listed chocolate crackles, fairy bread (sprinkles on buttered white bread), and and the 'party mix' gummy candy. 'I just noticed in general that the snacks people offer here are different,' she observed. The fifth difference was that most of the cakes at Australian birthday parties are homemade. 'I think it's amazing and wholesome that the parents make the cakes,' she said, citing a popular cookbook, The Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Cookbook. 'I'm a big fan of all five differences,' she fondly reflected. 'I can't say there's one thing I miss.' The video went viral and users were divided in the comment section over whether these rules applied to all parts of Australia - with some suggesting it may be regional specific. 'Probably in Brisbane but you come to Sydney and it's a completely different story,' one user wrote. Another chimed in with her birthday memories, sharing: 'We had a pool and my birthday is October so my birthday parties were always a pool party with a BBQ, super fun and super easy. 'We'd play pass the parcel, the chocolate game, the doughnut game and lots of pool games. I loved it and my friends loved it.' 'It's all about everyone having a great relaxed day,' agreed someone else.
