Talkin’ Toys: Lucky Arc on Expanding Creative Reach, Plush Collections

I think the toy business goes through its regular cycles of shake-ups: peaks and troughs, with trending booms and crushing declines [that] can be exhausting, no matter what discipline you are in. We arrived at ‘Bringing Joy to the Toy’ because when we stand by that mantra, it’s part of our business to ensure the end goal permeates the whole process! I think a ‘challenge’ is much more positive than a ‘problem.’ Keep a positive perspective, look for the best way to do it and nothing is impossible! Everyone will feel it.

We’re very much interested in talking with creators who have as much passion as we have, in making their own toy ideas a reality. A lot of the time, really great ideas get pushed back because of any number of reasons, and that barrier can be intimidating. Some of the best unfiltered creativity comes from the most unexpected places, so we want to champion that through the forming of a creative collaborator program. More on that as we head into 2026!

Our Passion project is definitely MerMates. We’ve worked closely with our creative team to push out on every aspect of the range. Once we had that initial kernel of an idea, it quickly grew much larger in scope; the core line branched out into keychain ‘Minno’ and ‘Dinkies’ blind packs; then ‘Morfin’ MerMates — premium sized characters with transforming tails — opened up the plush range. We have more series planned, and our plush toys are only the beginning.

The themes that MerMates will lead with are only the start of kids’ experience with them. We want to provide the setup: A varied mix of recognizable animals in the character core, all brought together in a group that blends a whole mix of personalities and archetypes; then the fun arrives in all the stories that can arise from that mix, either in the supporting material we produce, or where the kids’ imaginations take the characters through playing out their own stories. Children meet a lot of different personalities as they grow. We want MerMates to help them understand everyone is different, and it’s only through working together those differences can combine to make something great!

Unboxing a blind pack is probably one of the best peripheral experiences (besides the product itself) to emerge from the world of toys, and more broadly, from the field of marketing in the past 50 years. It’s the real life ‘Golden Ticket’ when you get the trading card you’ve been waiting on, or a chaser character from a series line-up. Until now, you’ve always known what’s on offer, and you chased the elusive ones down. With Ponx, we wanted to try the idea of making your own collection from something as simple as colors and features … with absolutely no expectation. You set the rules: You might decide only to have purple colored Ponx in your collection; Only green eyes and horns; or it might just be enough you have the most Ponx of anyone you know. You literally don’t know what you’ll get, but it’s yours. That is something we hope Ponx will stick to … forever!

I could be corny and say ‘expect the unexpected!’ With this year being our first at Toy Fair with our new lines, Lucky Arc is learning the importance of micro-adjustments in what we do, to hone in on our goal of making the whole process of toys ‘joyful’ with us.

Our presence up until this year has been about flexing our maker-muscles. We’ve been primarily a manufacturer, collaborating with our customers to help bring a quality product to market, and we were good at it. This year, moving forward, that is still the foundation, but with the added benefits of a creative arm and widening logistics operation, which means legitimate, tenable brand properties, and more channels to make them available. That integration should also take a few steps out of the purchasing path for our clients, which in turn trims down our costs, since it’s more of a holistic product offering. Therein lies the further ‘joy’ we want to bring to our toys!