Today we’re incredibly excited to share the next chapter in our story. Later this month, we’ll be launching Toy Hero - a brand-new home for toys, imagination and play.
When we started Book Hero nearly two years ago, our mission was simple: to help more Kiwis fall back in love with books and reading. Since then, more than 100,000 customers have chosen Book Hero, and while we still feel like we’re only getting started, we’re proud of the progress we’ve made.
Toy Hero is a celebration of creativity, childhood, discovery and fun - and we can’t wait to share what we’ve created with you. Our new website is nearly complete, Tim the Toy Man has joined the team, and hundreds of incredible toys have already arrived in our warehouse, with many more on their way before Christmas.
Why toys?
When we first started Book Hero, plenty of people were confused about why we’d launch a business selling physical books in the age of iPads, Kindles, Netflix and endless other distractions.
But we had a hunch that books were more sought after than people realised - and that what New Zealand needed was a decent in-stock selection, fast and reliable delivery, and curation by readers who actually read and love the books.
Less than two years later, Book Hero is going from strength to strength. We’re now consistently selling more than 1,000 books every day, and while we never take that support for granted, it has given us the confidence to take another leap of faith.
Over the past few months, we’ve been using the Book Hero website to dip our toes into toys, puzzles and games - and quite frankly, we’ve been overwhelmed by the response.
Like books, toys encourage curiosity, creativity and imagination. They’re screen-free, hands-on, and most importantly, fun. Giving toys their own proper home in New Zealand makes complete sense - and it also allows us to preserve the heart of Book Hero as a dedicated specialist bookstore.
Books have always held a special place in my heart. It was the same for Tim, and for so many others who have joined the team since. Many of the Book Hero team are young parents, and it’s been wonderful to see the joy they experience bringing our toys home to their own children.
We’ve always been motivated by building the type of store we’d want to shop at ourselves - and Toy Hero will be no different. I’m 45 now and don’t have kids of my own, but seeing these toys arrive, and seeing the joy on children’s faces, has brought back very welcome memories of my own childhood.
Toys, stories, imagination and play - they’re things the world will always need more of.
Books and toys belong together
One thing we’ve learned over the past two years is that people who love books also love puzzles, board games and toys. Children’s Books is one of our most popular collections, and many of those same customers and parents are excited about our expansion into toys.
We don’t see books and toys as separate worlds. They’re part of the same childhood.
A child might discover Bluey through a book before falling in love with the toys. They might spend the afternoon playing with action figures or figurines before reading the story together at bedtime.
Over the past few months, I’ve loved seeing orders where customers are adding toys to their books - and vice versa. Toy customers are discovering Book Hero, and I’m confident our expansion into toys will actually help grow the market for books in New Zealand too.
Meet Tim the Toy Man
I’m especially happy and proud that my friend Tim Fulton - better known as Tim the Toy Man - has joined the team and will form the heart of Toy Hero.
Tim is a big kid at heart, in the very best possible way. Few people know toys better, and even fewer are as passionate about helping people discover them. We’re very lucky to have him leading this next adventure.
In Tim's own words...
“As a kid growing up in the 80s, there was no Netflix or internet. If you wanted to watch a cartoon, you had to race home for TMNT on Channel 3 at 4pm, then spend the next hour on the phone talking about it with your mates. One of the week’s highlights was heading to the local video store, debating what to rent. You used your imagination for everything - building bases in paddocks or creating worlds with action figures. Today, that same mindset drives how I think about toys - not just as products, but as the starting point for creativity, imagination and play.”
Thank you
While Toy Hero is a huge milestone, it’s the team, our customers, and the momentum we’re building that I’m most proud of.
As time marches on, we now have team members celebrating their one-year anniversaries with the company, and it’s remarkable how far they’ve come in such a short time. The growth we’ve experienced is thrilling, but it isn’t always easy. Every day there are more products to receive, more customer orders to ship, more customers to help in-store and online - more of everything.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but we love it.
We’re now operating at a scale where the work we turn up to do every day is reaching more and more Kiwis up and down the country. We’re making life better for people just like us - people who love reading, love board games, love puzzles, and love play.
Book Hero began with a simple belief: that reading and books still matter.
Toy Hero begins with another: that imagination and play still matters too.
We’re proud to be building stores that celebrate curiosity, creativity and play. Thank you for continuing to come on the journey with us, and for making this next adventure possible. Your support is creating amazing opportunities for a special group of people who truly love what they do.
We can’t wait to show you what’s next.
