What’s Trending for 2023?

from Toy Times May 2023

ASTRA’s Toy Boat 2023 A resounding success!

by Tom Rushton, Principal, Revenew Sales

At all of the recent toy and gift shows, it seemed everyone was looking to find that next amazing item, or trend, or color, or animal, or theme that will drive sales for all of us in the PLAY Industry. Retailers, manufacturers, and sales reps are all keeping their eyes peeled to spot IT – that one item that stops them in their tracks, and makes them say, “Hmmm, yup, that’s IT – that’s going to drive customer traffic along with store and online sales through the roof!”

But it doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes an item grows, like the recent Poppers craze, when we see it in the hands of more and more kids. We see it at schools and after school, being pulled out of backpacks and shown to us parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends and caregivers. And then one day, when you receive the email from your child’s school banning them from bringing it any longer, that’s the peak of popularity. The Big Ban from your kid’s backpacks!

I enjoyed being included on a Toy Trends of 2023 panel at Toy Fest, which included five of us sharing our thoughts. But I left the panel thinking, I want to ask these same questions to a broader sampling of our industry.

So, what did we find during our recent Carnival Tour of endless booths, panels and trade shows? The comments and thoughts below are from a mix of retailers, sales reps and manufacturers who wore out their favorite “show shoes” and racked up the frequent flyer miles so that we can all plan more strategically, to ensure a successful 2023.

Retailers were asked: What’s selling in your stores? What are your customers asking for?

Maryam AL Hamami, owner of The Game Chest with five Los Angeles area locations

Anime is what all the children and Kidults are asking for. All anime is hot. Plush has been strong for us as well, both Pop Culture and Realistic plush like Douglas and Wild Republic. Collectibles are also hot. Anything in a blind bag or something you have to collect more than one of, like Sonny Angels. Pokemon is my biggest seller right now. Almost every day it outsells everything else.

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Rick Derr – Owner of Learning Express, Lake Zurich, IL

Top Categories:

1. Plush (Squishmallows, but others as well)

2. Fidgety/Sensory items under $15

3. Compounds - mostly slimes

4. Fashion/Tween (Spa, Eye, Lip, Bottles, Bags, solar changing)

5. Pretend and Play for ages 3-6

Top individual items performing well locally:

1. Froggy’s Lair Biospheres

2. Squishmallows Easter assortment

3. Toxic Slime Lickers

4. Pokemon

5. Miniverse (MGA)

Ann Kienzle – Owner of *play, four area Chicago locations

We’re finding the classics

& crafts, and construction. Our top five items include classics like the Rainbow Piano from Mukikim, the Pound and Tap from Hape and BRIO Figure 8.

John Coppin - SWBG

For product trends, most categories seem to be performing well, but two I would call out would be plush and candy.

Squishmallows continues to be strong, but we are seeing smaller plush and comfort plush doing very well. On candy, it seems both unique and retro brands are growing very well.

We are seeing cows trend up, for whatever reason, which I don’t understand, and we are seeing Axolotl trending. Axolotl’s are driven originally by Squishmallows but it seems to have spread to other places.

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Manufacturers were asked: What have you recently released at the January Gift Shows, On The Toy Boat or at ToyFest? What animals, colors, trending themes are you showing your buyers/retailers?

Kevin Daniels - President/CoFounder of Fun In Motion Toys

We’ve been showcasing the two new series in our planned quarterly Shashibo design launches for 2023. We are working very hard to fill the needs that our customers have indicated by expanding offerings to a younger audience, while at the same time expanding our reach and satisfying the needs of our artist community which has embraced Shashibo.

Julian

Davis - Head of Mighty Jaxx US

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been carving out a strong fan base within the United States. With collections supporting international IPs including anime favorite, One Piece, the cute world of Sanrio, the creatures of the Upside Down in the television show Stranger Things and many more, the brand is quickly becoming a major player within the collectibles industry in the region.

Steve Velte - Global Toy Experts

Referring to data from market research firm Circana (formerly The NPD Group), the ‘kidult’ demographic of consumers is the largest driver of growth in the toy industry, accounting for nearly $9 billion in sales. I think retro-toys, as well as, crossover “kidult play patterns” will drive this business. Collectibles will continue to be a strong business driver with an opportunity for innovative companies that create a unique collectible series or delivery mechanisms.

According to Kidcraft, a group that focuses on movies and animation, an important trend impacting the toy aisles of major retailers this year is the influx of nostalgic brands heading to the big screen with

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(continued from page 50) a refreshed look, including Mattel’s live-action Barbie movie, Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Nintendo’s upcoming coproduction with Illumination The Super Mario Bros. movie.

I believe the pandemic renewed interest in classic games and toys that are built to be handed down from generation to generation. I believe that trend will continue in 2023.

Sales Representatives were asked: What are your retailers asking for?

Tony Davis - Partner and Executive Vice President, Enchanted Moments preserves the flavor and texture of the candy, resulting in a crispy, crunchy treat. We have seen a surge in demand for these products.

We are also seeing a growing interest in healthier snack options. Consumers are seeking out snacks that are both tasty and nutritious, such as fruit snacks and nut bars.

Sandy Lepire – Principal of Sunshine Sales have fallen asleep more quickly since

Fruit, especially strawberries are definitely trending. Mushrooms have sprouted up on everyone’s hot list as well. Home gardening goes with the fruit and mushroom trend.

Harry Potter and Disney 100 are the requested license for 2023. Pokemon continues to sell as fast as we can get it for our stores.