Insight - Circana

Beyond your wildest themes

This month, Melissa examines the key themes that have been influencing toy sales in the UK, noting that these themes can gain just as much traction as individual licences.

For the last four years, licensed toys have been out-performing non-licensed toys in the UK and across Europe, currently up +1% in value this year while non-licensed toys have declined -5%. YTD August 2024, licensed toys account for 33% of all toys sold, up from 27% in the same period in 2021. While historically many licences in toys come from key theatrical releases and streaming or TV shows, there has been a blurring of the lines between these sources over the last few years as many character driven properties are chasing a “360-always on” presence in consumers’ lives, with video games, shows, online shorts and other media all expanding character awareness.

While licensed product continues to be a key metric for the toy market, there are different ways of splitting the data which can provide new insights into what types of items or themes consumers are attracted to and purchasing within the market. The biggest theme is Transportation, with 11.6% of all toy sales going to a transport item; the strongest products within this category are Hot Wheels, Lego Technic, Monster Jam and Lego Speed Champions. This is a classic theme which has had a steady 11-12% share of the market over the last five years.

Demonstrating the UK consumer fondness for their pets and animals generally, the second largest theme in the market is Other Animals, which is also the fastest growing theme so far this year, adding over £16m in sales up to August. While generic animal products account for 30% of Other Animals, there has been growth with animal items within VTech Baby and Fisher-Price as well as with plush, where lines such as Snackles and Adopt Me! have shown growth this year. Interactive pets have also helped this theme with the original Bitzee and some Robo Alive lines adding to sales in the first eight months. Other Animal Characters has also grown over £4m this year with Lilo & Stitch performing particularly strongly, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog showing growth over 71% YTD. Both licences have films coming out that should continue to drive performance for the remainder of the year and into 2025. Elsewhere, other strong performing Animal Characters include Paddington Bear and Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit, as well as Lion King. After Other Animals, the third fastest growing theme is Pro Sports Leagues where the Euro Champions Football Tournament over the summer has helped increase sales, especially through collectible cards and stickers. National Football League has also performed well this year, in addition to motor sports with growth from Formula 1 and NASCAR. Another of the fastest growing themes in the UK is Fantasy Creatures & Characters, which has a wide range of items and properties and added £5m additional sales this year. The top properties are Magic Mixies, Monster High and Furby, which are all in growth this year. This theme also includes the Trolls, Ghostbusters and Stranger Things licences, as these content-driven properties expand toy offerings. In particular, the Monster High Wednesday Doll and Nightmare Before Xmas ranges have been picking up sales in the last couple of months as we head towards Halloween – potentially a growing occasion opportunity for the UK toy market.

Manga/Anime has overtaken both Space and Superheroes themes in size and now accounts for 4.8% of all UK toy sales. Manga has seen strong performance this year from One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. The relaunch of Beyblades is also starting to add sales to the theme. The Space theme tends to be dominated by Star Wars, which has grown this year, but it has also seen growth from Lego City with its space theme for 2024, as well as Dune following the movie release at the end of 2023. Superhero themed toys have declined this year with a significant reduction in film releases, but Deadpool related items started picking up in August with the release of the Deadpool & Wolverine movie.

By looking at themes within the toy market rather than just individual licences or categories, it’s interesting to see which areas are gaining in popularity, whether through content or new product. This year animal nurturing, sports and fantasy creatures are appealing to consumers of all ages. What impact these themes will make over the important Q4 period remains to be seen, but new launches within these themes makes it extremely likely their popularity will continue to the end of the year.

Item Progression:

With the start of the new football season, its no surprise that the Adrenalyn XL Premier League 20242025 Kick off Multipack is the top gaining item for August. Every year at the start of the season, the new football collectible ranges launch strongly and feed into the back to school and collectible trends within the market. Adrenalyn Premier League items account for two of the top ten best-selling items for the month across total toys and nine of the top ten in Non-Strategic Trading Cards and Collectible Stickers. Outside of football lines, both Lilo & Stitch and Hello Kitty stickers have also performed well.

Fastest Growing Subclasses

The fastest growing subclass remains Standard Building Sets with the Lego Icons the second fastest growing property across the total toy market as the Botanical range continues to expand and flourish. Lego Creator 3-in-1, Lego Disney Classic, Star Wars and Sonic the Hedgehog have also grown this year.

Collectibles growth across the UK toy market is a big driver behind a number of subclasses growth this year. Traditional Plush is the next fastest gaining subclass where Squishmallows remains the largest property, but there has been strong growth from Snackles and Rainbocorns as collectible plush lines continue to grow. Micro collectibles has been a driver for Miscellaneous Toys as well, with Zuru’s Mini Brands the largest property in the category and MGA’s Miniverse the fastest growing property. For nonstrategic Trading Cards & Collectible Stickers, football remains key with both World Soccer and UEFA the biggest licences. However, there has also been new licensed products from Lilo & Stitch, Bluey, Sonic the Hedgehog and Squishmallows contributing to growth this year.

Vehicle Playsets & Accessories has enjoyed a strong performance this year, with both Hot Wheels and Monster Jam properties growing double-digits. The Hot Wheels City Monstrous Creatures Assortment is the top selling item. Within Mini Vehicles, Monster Jam has grown +38% this year, while Cars The Movie has also had double-digit growth.

Despite a relatively cool summer temperature-wise, two Outdoor categories have seen strong growth: Skates/Skateboards/Scooters with Evo and Zinc growing by double-digits and Playground Equipment, where Trampolines have driven sales gain.

Finally two technological categories have gained sales this year with PS Talking & Sound driven by Tonies and Robotic/Interactive Playmates with Bitzee, Fingerlings and Robo Alive all growing. Interactive toys look to be strong