Toy industry sales reach $18.4bn in first half of 2018

Figure is up 4% over last year says NPD Group.

Toy industry sales reached $18.4 billion in the first half of 2018, a 4% increase over last year, according to data from NPD Group.

NPD tracks 13 international markets, with its latest data showing that Mexico grew the fastest (+15%), followed by Brazil (+11%) and the US (+7%).

Europe posted a 1% decline as growth in Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain was offset by slight declines in other countries.

“Traditional play patterns, collectables, social media and innovation are the major themes we saw trending globally in the first six months of the year, and I expect they will continue to accelerate,” said Frédérique Tutt, global toys industry analyst at The NPD Group.

“More than entertainment, brands have been an important trend to move the needle for the industry so far this year. Some key themes have also emerged or have been increasing in popularity, such as dinosaurs and unicorns on the one hand, and slime or toilet humour on the other.”

PAW Patrol was the highest ranked preschool property for the period, coming in at number eight in the Top 10 Global Toy Properties for January to June 2018 (based on dollars).

MORE NEWS
GlennMoorePPSA500x500
 
Comedian, actor, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and one of the best and most prolific joke writers in the country, Glenn will be taking charge of proceedings at the Royal Lancaster London on Tuesday 12 November....
SmythsHeroToys500x500
 
Smyths Toys Superstores has named a number of preschool brands among its Hero Toys for Christmas 2024....
TIAAwards500x500
 
Retailers can compete nationally in like-for-like categories and can apply in more than one category, if applicable....
PaddingtonGap500x500
 
Gap is collaborating with the Paddington brand on a limited edition capsule collection of baby and toddler wear to celebrate the release of Paddington in Peru, which hits UK cinemas on 8 November....
MisirliPPSA500x500
 
Christine Roberts, head of licensing at Misirli, explains why the company supports the Progressive Preschool Awards....
JoolzHubnew500x500
 
The Joolz Hub² has been designed to meet the needs of urban parents, with a space-saving design shaped and refined following a survey of 5,000 parents....
Get the latest news sent to your inbox
Subscribe to our daily newsletter

The list doesn't exist! Make sure you have imported the list on the 'Manage List Forms' page.