GAMES, PLAYTHINGS AND PLUSH Toy Best Sellers at Toy Stores

By Sara Karnish

As of press time, the hectic holiday season was wrapping up, and toy retailers were preparing for the New Year. In this article, they looked back on the best-sellers of 2021.

Fidgets, “pop-its,” and other sensory toys continued to dominate sales for most retailers. “If it squished, popped, stretched, or spun, it sold,” said Heather Edwards , manager/buyer for Snickelfritz Toys in Vernon Hills, Ill. “Schylling NeeDoh and TopTrenz Popits were some of the best-sellers. Lava Lamps, Micro Scooters, Bruder Trucks and Magna Tiles were also leaders for our store.”

Sensory toys were also big at Indiana’s oldest toy store, which has been in operation for 51 years, The Toy Chest in Nashville, Ind., although Owner Hilary Key said their customized packages made special occasions even more special for young customers. “This won’t come as a surprise to anyone—every item in my top is a fidget toy! Poppers, infinity cubes, Simpl Dimpl, NeeDoh, et cetera. If I sort by profit dollars, Airforts sneak in to the Top Ten as well as the packages that we make for our customers. For instance, when a customer orders a generic ‘Easter Basket”’ or ‘Birthday Box’ then we build it according to what they tell us about the recipient. Fidgets have really been the craze this year, but our custom packages are what have really increased our sales,” she said.

Besides fidgets and sensory toys, Shawnta Ray , owner of Happy Up, Inc., with locations in Edwardsville, Ill., and Clayton, Mo., said more sophisticated, next-level toys were popular. “Hands Craft makes these miniature houses and rooms that you’re making from scratch. They’re very detailed—definitely an older teenager or adult product. Almost all of them have working electricity. One of our trends has been what I call ‘tedious crafts’—you can’t think about anything else. They’re really mind-clearing. I think that’s some- thing we all need right now!” She is also excited about their new stock of advanced wooden die-cut puzzles, aimed at “serious puzzle people,” as mentioned on the store’s Facebook page. “The ones I’m carrying now— they’re definitely an investment. They start at $35 and go up to well over $100. They have some really interesting cutouts. We’re also selling a ton of games right now.” Another item “selling great for us is ‘interactive plush.’ There’s a company called I Scream who makes a pillow-shaped plush filled with plush starlight

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