Moose Toys
Known for its creativity and innovation, Moose Toys is one of the most forward-thinking toy companies in the world. From global sensations like Bluey to Little Live Pets, Moose pushes beyond conventional play to craft products that surprise and delight consumers worldwide.
The opportunity
As children transition out of traditional toys at younger ages, Moose Toys identified an opportunity to engage pre-teens and young teenagers whose interests were shifting toward beauty and self-expression inspired by social media culture.
The challenge was to design a product that could bridge the worlds of play and beauty. It needed to feel aspirational yet age-appropriate, offering the sensory joy of slime while resonating with an audience increasingly drawn to lifestyle and aesthetic trends.
“Our key insight was that slime and beauty weren’t opposites at all. Their tactile and aesthetic synergies made the combination feel unique, natural, and instantly appealing to older kids.”Craig Stevenson, Creative Director, Moose Toys
The collaboration with WGSN
To bring this vision to life, Moose Toys collaborated with WGSN, leveraging its global consumer and trend insights to validate creative concepts and guide product development.
WGSN’s forecasts provided clarity on key emerging behaviours and trends beyond one category, including:
- The rise of the “Sephora girl” and “Sephora kids generation” among Gen Alpha, forecasted by multiple beauty reports, including Alpha Beauty Innovators
- The growing focus on tactile, sensory experiences in youth lifestyle trends, forecasted by multiple Insight and Interiors reports, including STEPIC Innovations 2026 and Key Trend 2026: Feel Appeal
These insights confirmed the creative direction behind Gui Gui, empowering the Moose Toys team to infuse trend inspiration into every element of the brand, from its minimalist, beauty-boutique retail presentation and premium cosmetic-style packaging to the product’s terminology and fragrance choices, such as roasted pistachio and vanilla bean. This comprehensive approach ensured Gui Gui authentically captured the beauty-play lifestyle popular with today’s kids.
“WGSN’s forecasts validated our creative direction, confirming that our innovation was aligned with global consumer trends.”Rowen Wagner, Head of Design, Moose Toys
The resulting brand, Gui Gui, successfully blends tactile play with authentic beauty aesthetics. It incorporated a cosmetics-grade vessel design, elevating the product delivery to something that felt truly outside of the typical toy.
The results exceeded expectations:
- Sold out at Target within two weeks
- Achieved 85% sell-through at Walmart in four weeks
- Expanded internationally, most recently launching successfully in Japan
- Nominated for Creative Toy of the Year in the TOTYs (the Oscars of the Toy Industry)
The brand’s ability to appeal to a variety of age groups, from 8-year-olds to older teens, demonstrates that the model of trend-driven product innovation is effective on a global scale.
Looking ahead
Following Gui Gui’s success, Moose Toys plans to introduce new slime textures and push the boundaries of beauty-inspired products at different price points – with a few big surprises to come, inspired by ongoing consumer feedback and WGSN’s trend forecasts.
“Moose Toys is all about original ideas and fearless creativity. WGSN helps us make sure our boldest moves are also the smartest ones.”Rowen Wagner, Head of Design, Moose Toys
