Latest news with #Subbuteo
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Lescott hails the boom in football trading cards
The former Manchester City star was in attendance for the launch of the Topps Premier League 2026 collection at the Fanatics flagship London store on Regent Street on Thursday. Lescott was amazed by the reaction of hundreds of fans who flooded in to get their hands on the new collection and enjoyed the celebrations alongside legends like Alan Shearer and Steven Gerrard. 'It's crazy because now it helps a younger generation recognise me for my playing days and probably even more than when I was playing. It's a nice feeling,' he said. The former Manchester City star was in attendance for the launch of the Topps Premier League 2026 collection at the Fanatics flagship London store on Regent Street on Thursday. (Image: Topps) 'I'm impressed by the enthusiasm of it and learning the difference in the meaning of them. 'Obviously, you're aware that cards are rarer than others but there's more detail than that. 'When I was younger, there were five cards, one was shiny and you knew you would get a badge in there, but now there are beast mode cards and all that stuff.' The all-new Topps Premier League 2026 collection is a stand-alone range outside of Match Attax and boasts an extensive parallel programme with 15 colour variations across unnumbered and numbered parallels. It features players from all 20 Premier League clubs featured in the collection as well as legends and more autographs than ever before. The launch evoked nostalgia for Lescott who remembered collecting himself as a child and also funding the passion of his youngest son. 'My first collection was Gladiators and then I went into this world [of football]. But my youngest son is an avid collector of cards,' he recalled. 'He used to use them as his version of Subbuteo. He played cards, so he used to collect the cards and put them in teams and would entertain himself, so I'm aware of this world.' It was fitting, too, that Gerrard was in attendance alongside Premier League stars like Theo Walcott, Jermaine Defoe and current Chelsea star Tosin Adarabioyo as Lescott recalls a particularly impressive card from his son's collection. 'He was collecting them before it was as big as it is now. I told him the industry of collectibles, especially in American sports, were massive and it was transitioning over to football,' he said. 'I told him to start collecting some of the rarer players but he just wanted to play with them, he wasn't thinking about collecting them. 'We were lucky enough to be at a Steven Gerrard event years ago and he got honoured with a card and it was a Premier League legends card. So he's got that one, but that's still in the case he's still protecting that one. 'But overall, he hasn't got any ones that would be worth using because they're all frayed at the ends.' Marking the launch of the Topps Premier League 2025-26 collection were football icons Alan Shearer, Steven Gerrard, and Rio Ferdinand, joined by Jermaine Defoe, Joleon Lescott, Theo Walcott and Tosin Adarabioyo, alongside Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin in a star-studded celebration.
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Lescott hails the boom in football trading cards
Joleon Lescott believes the boom of interest in football trading cards helps fans recognise his talents even more than when he was playing. The former Manchester City star was in attendance for the launch of the Topps Premier League 2026 collection at the Fanatics flagship London store on Regent Street on Thursday. Lescott was amazed by the reaction of hundreds of fans who flooded in to get their hands on the new collection and enjoyed the celebrations alongside legends like Alan Shearer and Steven Gerrard. 'It's crazy because now it helps a younger generation recognise me for my playing days and probably even more than when I was playing. It's a nice feeling,' he said. 'I'm impressed by the enthusiasm of it and learning the difference in the meaning of them. 'Obviously, you're aware that cards are rarer than others but there's more detail than that. 'When I was younger, there were five cards, one was shiny and you knew you would get a badge in there, but now there are beast mode cards and all that stuff.' The all-new Topps Premier League 2026 collection is a stand-alone range outside of Match Attax and boasts an extensive parallel programme with 15 colour variations across unnumbered and numbered parallels. It features players from all 20 Premier League clubs featured in the collection as well as legends and more autographs than ever before. The launch evoked nostalgia for Lescott who remembered collecting himself as a child and also funding the passion of his youngest son. 'My first collection was Gladiators and then I went into this world [of football]. But my youngest son is an avid collector of cards,' he recalled. 'He used to use them as his version of Subbuteo. He played cards, so he used to collect the cards and put them in teams and would entertain himself, so I'm aware of this world.' It was fitting, too, that Gerrard was in attendance alongside Premier League stars like Theo Walcott, Jermaine Defoe and current Chelsea star Tosin Adarabioyo as Lescott recalls a particularly impressive card from his son's collection. 'He was collecting them before it was as big as it is now. I told him the industry of collectibles, especially in American sports, were massive and it was transitioning over to football,' he said. 'I told him to start collecting some of the rarer players but he just wanted to play with them, he wasn't thinking about collecting them. 'We were lucky enough to be at a Steven Gerrard event years ago and he got honoured with a card and it was a Premier League legends card. So he's got that one, but that's still in the case he's still protecting that one. 'But overall, he hasn't got any ones that would be worth using because they're all frayed at the ends.' Marking the launch of the Topps Premier League 2025-26 collection were football icons Alan Shearer, Steven Gerrard, and Rio Ferdinand, joined by Jermaine Defoe, Joleon Lescott, Theo Walcott and Tosin Adarabioyo, alongside Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin in a star-studded celebration.
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Top 100 best toys of all time named by experts
Hamleys has put together what it thinks are the 100 greatest toys of all time, ranging from age-of favourites to new technology Lego, Monopoly and the Rubik's Cube are among the best ever toys, say experts. The list of 100 playthings also includes rival dolls Barbie and Sindy dolls, Action Man, table football game Subbuteo, and Matchbox toy cars. The eclectic mix was drawn up by famous toy shop Hamleys to mark its 265th birthday. It includes age-old toys beloved by generations of children, from hula hoops and spinning tops to marbles. But there too are more recent toy crazes that swept the globe, from Tamagotchi and Cabbage Patch Kids, to Beanie Babies and My Little Pony. Among the more modern on the list are Nintendo's Wii and Switch. Board games are represented by everything from Operation and Hungry Hippos to Connect 4 and Snakes and Ladders to Trivial Pursuit. Victoria Kay, head buyer at Hamleys and who chaired the Top 100 panel, said: 'Once you start looking at this, it turns rapidly into a nostalgia-fest - even for toys from four or five years ago. My personal favourites are Sindy Doll – I was always a Sindy girl as she was a cool British icon. I also adored Glo Worm, even though I was maybe a bit old for it and Simon felt like properly, cutting edge, advanced technology when it came out - it was literally the soundtrack of Christmas in the 80s.'. The biggest single chunk of the list, making up around 20%, are dolls and action figures. The global doll market size was worth nearly £10billion last year, and is predicted to top £18billion by 2033. Barbie, arguable the most iconic doll of them all, was launched in 1959 at the New York Toy Fair by Mattel, and is believed to have sold over one billion worldwide. Britain hit back with its doll superstar, in the shape of Sindy, which launched four years later. Other best-selling dolls on the list include Tiny Tears, Bratz, Polly Pocket, and Singing Moana Doll, which topped children's Christmas lists last year, alongside LOL Surprise Dolls. Despite the challenge from computer consoles and smartphones, there is still demand for board games, with market that is forecast to grow to almost £130million by 2027. Monopoly, one of its big sellers, is now in local editions in more than 113 countries and printed in more than 46 languages. Since launching in 1935, it is believed to have sold more than 300 million copies. Lego was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and is now the biggest toy maker in the world, with its colossal success spawning theme parks and movies. Its continued popularity contrasts with another famous name on the list. Meccano was invented by Liverpool-born Frank Hornby, who patented the metal model kit design in 1901, after which it took the toy world by storm. By the 1920s and 1930s, Meccaco was the biggest toy manufacturer in Britain, but it has been in decline since the 1950s. His Hornby train sets also make it only the list of 100 best toys of all time, though another his creations - Dinky toys - are left off. Asked what is the formula for making a toy a global hit, Ms Kay said: 'There are a multitude of purposes behind a toy's design - it can be educational, encourage role play, drive imagination or problem-solving, it can bring comfort or develop hand-eye coordination - there can be so many factors in creating immersiveness. You can never underestimate the power of togetherness created around some of the big-sellers - those toys that bring people of all ages together - get families around a table talking, playing, challenging, maybe even cheating! Monopoly would be nothing without the competitive family battles that emerge.' List of 100 (in no particular order) LEGO Classic Bricks (1958) Monopoly (1935) Beanie Babies (1993) Polly Pocket (1989) My Little Pony (1983) UNO (1971) Rubik's Cube (1974) Tamagotchi (1996) Clackers (1960) Trivial Pursuit (1981) Slime (1976) Scooter (1925) Pogo stick (1881) LUDO (1896) Subbuteo (1946) Transformers (1984) TMN Turtles (1988) Operation (1965) Hungry Hippos (1978) Hatchimals (2016) Bratz (2001) Care Bears (1983) Connect 4 (1974) Kaleidoscope (1950) Yo-Yo (1920) Weebles (1971) Masters of the Universe (1982) Matchbox Cars (1953) Speak and Spell (1978) LeapPad (1999) Teletubby Doll (1997) Thunderbirds Tracy Island (1993) Power Ranger Figures (1993) Pie Face (2016) Lite-Brite (1967) Nerf Blasters (1969) Sylvanian Families (1985) Battleship (1967) Nintendo Game Boy (1989) Stretch Armstrong (1976) Furby (1998) Hot Wheels Cars (1968) Troll Dolls (1959) Play-Doh (1970) Pokémon Cards (1999) Slinky (1943) Cabbage Patch Kids (1983) Mr. Potato Head (1952) Tiny Tears Doll (1960) Mouse Trap (1963) Nintendo Wii (2006) View-Master (1939) Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot (1966) LOL Surprise Dolls (2016) Pogs (1990) Fingerlings (2017) Barbie Doll (1959) Simon (1978) LEGO Harry Potter (2018) Etch A Sketch (1960) Action Man (1966) Spirograph (1960) Glo Worm (1982) Nintendo Switch (2017) Hula Hoop (1958) Super Soaker (1990) Baby Alive Doll (2006) Tiddlywinks (1880) Fisher-Price Telephone (1949) Space Hoppers (1970) Plasticine (1933) Meccano (1901) Marbles (1840) Tammy Doll (1962) Skittles (1974) K'nex (1992) Walkie Talkies (1960) Boggle (1972) Rubik's Snake (1980) Playmobil (1974) Jenga (1983) Hornby Trains (1920) Buckaroo (1967) Zapf Creation Dolls (1970) Top Trumps (1970) Scalextric (1957) Cluedo (1949) Spinning Tops (1860) Fuzzy Felt (1950) Space Invaders (1980) Hamley Bear (1986) Silly Putty (1950) Magic Markers (1980) Tonka Trucks (1940) Sindy Doll (1963) Wooden London Bus (1930) Rocking Horse (1760) Toy Soldiers (1893) Snakes and Ladders (1892) Boglins (1987)
Scottish Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Moment pigeons play football in games organised in Scots street by bird-daft dad
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MADCAP footie fan is causing a flap — by staging games between teams of pigeons in Glasgow city centre. Jim MacNee, 61, trained his talented wingers to kick a 'ball' that's a cat toy stuffed with bird seed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Pigeons, including one named David Peckham, are having a game of football 5 The ball is filled with bird feed as the game gets underway 5 Jim MacNee and his pal came up with the idea 18 months ago And he chalked out a pitch on the pavement and added tiny Subbuteo goals plus advertising hoardings and a scoreboard. Now punters stop to gawp in amazement at the hard-fought matches as Shakhtar Doonetsk take on Dookla Prague twice a day. Jim, from the city's Maryhill, told how he came up with the wacky idea while feeding some birds when a pal joked there were enough of them for a five-a-side game. He said: 'At first I just did it to win a bet that I could get pigeons to play football. 'But I kept going because I love the reaction it gets from people. "The best one is when folk say they've been having a rotten time, but that it's really cheered them up. ..AND HERE'S OUR NEST XI Ronaldoo Goose MacPherson Dwight Stork Virgil van Duck David Peckham Dujon Starling Leandro Albatrossard Kieran Terny Leighton Larkson Swan Heung-min Rookie Foster 'The birds have to hit the ball to get the seeds to come out. I call one of the 'players' David Peckham.' Printroom worker Jim stages games on lunch breaks. The 'sponsors' include Burdweiser, Pidgy Power and Adoodas. Jim, who lost his wife Carol, 61, last October, said: 'The games cheer me up and they cheer up other people too. "They're really into it. Pigeons caused chaos on a Delta Airlines flight Saturday night at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport "It's good to make others feel good.' 5 Pigeon's kick the ball outside of the pitch
