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Adults are in for one roller coaster of a childhood nostalgia trip for the rest of this year. The world's leading toy manufacturers have been digging into the archives to reintroduce a glut of bygone properties to a new generation of children.

Hasbro with My Little Pony and Mattel with He-Man are heading the influx of retro toys into the market alongside Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Hulk, both being resurrected by Vivid Imaginations.

But is the toy industry tuning into a wider cultural trend with this obsession with the past, or is it more symptomatic of a reluctance to take risks in a sluggish economy?

For the manufacturers, retro toys have an in-built brand awareness that requires less marketing investment than completely fresh concepts. Parental endorsement plays a big part in the purchasing decision. As Vivid Imaginations chief executive Nick Austin says: "You get a multi-generational groundswell of affection when you relaunch the properties."

John Salisbury, chairman of the UK Toy & Game Council, adds: "Retro is a powerful thing. Anything we remember from a bygone era has already achieved half the marketing objective. People remember it with fondness."

Salisbury estimates that relaunching a classic property automatically cuts the manufacturer's marketing spend by one-third compared with creating something afresh.

Hasbro has relaunched My Little Pony 20 years after it first arrived on the scene with 14 different pastel-shaded dolls. My Little Pony was the best-selling mini-doll from 1984 to 1990 and Hasbro says the brand has 97% awareness among UK females.

Changing expectations

According to senior brand manager Alpana Virani, this time it is aimed at a younger age group of three- to six-year-olds in recognition that girls above this age now demand more "glitzy, glamorous fashion-led dolls". A £1m ad campaign for the ponies by BMP DDB breaks on August 25 and runs through to Christmas.

Arch-rival Mattel is appealing to the qualities of strength, courage and heroism in its resurrection of the Masters of the Universe action figures. An ad campaign supporting the relaunch through Ogilvy & Mather breaks on September 15.

And Vivid has just begun a £1.2m ad assault to revive the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Salisbury predicts that of the retro launches, Turtles is best-placed to replay its initial success. "They're collectible, funny, slightly aggressive and can make the leap from TV to product," he says.

In fact, all these toys will piggyback on media products. Turtles and He-Man have their own TV cartoon series, while a My Little Pony film is scheduled for release next year. Vivid has also produced a range of Hulk action figures and playsets, which is benefiting from the Hollywood blockbuster and a TV series on GMTV.

Media influence

Indeed, the toy industry is largely reliant on interest generated in the mass media. "Hollywood and TV companies are in love with retro. At the moment it's a safe haven," says Vivid's Austin. "The entertainment industry frankly drives the agenda."

In the era of 'school disco' club nights and 80s nostalgia TV shows, the appetite for all things past appears unabated. But retro fever is not killing off innovation. Hasbro's Beyblades is the best-selling overall toy and many relaunches have added a technological element to satisfy modern demands.

Salisbury insists the manufacturers aren't setting out to skimp on new product development. Rather, he holds that the greater threat to innovation is the increasing dominance of general retailers such as Argos and Woolworths.

"They have buyers who are told to make decisions by general retail formulae rather than take risks. The independents have more nous in judging consumer trends," he says. "If retailers don't take risks, manufacturers won't bother either."

RETRO TOYS OF THE MOMENT
                 Manufacturer  Original   Media spend
                               launch
My Little Pony    Hasbro        1983       £1m (from Aug 25)
He-Man            Mattel        1983       £400,000 (from Sept 15)
Teenage Mutant    Vivid         1990       £1.2m (from July 14)
Ninja Turtles
Hulk              Vivid         1984       £1m (from June 23)
Source: Manufacturers' own figures