S Club’s Bradley Macintosh collaborates with Hasbro to launch new nostalgic Transformers range

Research from Hasbro, the toy and game company behind the iconic Transformers brand, has found Brits as young as four years old (18%) put their toys down for the last time in childhood, only to pick them up thirty years later with their own children.

To coincide with the introduction of a new Transformers range, marking the launch of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Hasbro has conducted research and a decline in playtime has been observed spanning across thirty years – this is also linked to a concerning trend in time scarcity and the hectic routines of parents, revealing over half of UK parents (51%) confess to being too busy with work to dedicate quality time in playing with their children.

Findings show work (51%), household commitments (32%) and exhaustion (22%) as leading causes for this lack of engagement affecting Brits.

In response to this, Hasbro is championing the significance of toys in shaping childhood memories and fostering strong bonds between parents and children. S Club’s Bradley McIntosh has joined forces with Hasbro to launch a new range of nostalgia-inducing Transformers toys – allowing both parent and child to escape into a world of shared imagination.

“I love spending quality time with my family, especially when I get to play with my son Kairo. Engaging in shared play is incredibly important, as it fosters communication and helps create that unique bond. Transformers held a special place in my heart during my childhood, and I had the pleasure of sharing that experience with my cousin then. Now, being able to share it with Kairo is truly amazing. The difference, though, is that he’s experiencing characters like Optimus Prime for the first time, whereas my connection with them goes way back…” said McIntosh.

Research shows the average age when Brits put aside their toys unknowingly is nine years old, but starts as early as four (18%), resulting in a thirty-year gap before they engage in playtime again as parents — shown further by a significant number of brits (46%) expressing their desire to go back in time and retain their favourite toys to engage in quality co-play time with their own children today.

This has also been supported, with nearly half of Millennials (47%) stating their fondest memories from childhood involved playing with toys alongside their siblings and a quarter of parents said they were happiest when playing as a child.

When considering how they would feel if they were handed their favourite toy today, UK parents said it would unlock emotion (42%) and joy (28%), which would also create a sense of nostalgia (56%).

They also agree that creativity (73%), curiosity (58%) and self-expression (57%) are the top reasons play time is important and beneficial, not only for their children, but for themselves too. The results demonstrate that toys have the power to evoke powerful emotions that benefit overall creativity.

The research has further been brought to life with a heartwarming piece of content starring S Club’s Bradley Mcintosh, and son Kairo, urging parents to invest in their favorite play toys from their youth and engage with multigenerational play.

Now’s the perfect time for parents to bring back that 90’s nostalgia to enjoy with their children today. Check out the new Hasbro Transformers: Rise of the Beasts range at Smyths Toys and The Entertainer.