Toy World takes a look at how the Pocket Money Toys and Collectibles category is remaining resilient, despite ongoing challenges for the industry due to the cost-of-living crisis.
It is an age-old tale, when a family visits the shops, the children each want a toy. A wide range of pocket money toys and collectibles ensures that toys are readily available to both children and kidults alike, regardless of their background or financial stability. As average selling prices rise across the toy market, this category remains vitally important to retailers, especially across the first three quarters of the year.
According to Circana’s latest report, collectability has helped to drive sales of lower priced items across the total toy market, with collectibles accounting for 14.5% of value sales and 20.9% of volume sales in 2023. Last year was a strong year for collectibles, adding £10m to reach £288m overall, with numerous retailers increasing the range of collectible items available in store.
On TikTok, blind bags and unboxing videos continue to be all the rage, with blind bags garnering over 748m views, and rising. Suppliers have taken full advantage of the trend, producing products for fans to rip into and collect. Epoch’s Sylvanian Families started 2024 with the launch of Volume 14 of Baby Collectibles, coming in blind bags. MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! has kept a focus on unboxing, and Just Play’s Disney Doorables range has fully engaged the power of social media, creating a community of fans through unboxing.
Throughout the category, brands are highlighting Disney and Marvel, two powerhouse studios behind some of the world’s most popular licences. Eolo Toys’ latest introduction is the Disney Fidget Dolls range. Meanwhile, the Marvel Mission Arena Trading Card Game from KAP Toys has 219 Marvel characters to collect, combining gaming, the character universe and collection.
Nostalgia has become an important spearhead within the industry, targeting multiple audiences and especially engaging the kidult market. Legacy toys are on trend, with old favourites coming back into the limelight. These include One For Fun’s Loom Bands, Bandai’s Littlest Pet Shop and the all-new Zhu Zhu Aquarium from John Adams.
To read more about the latest products across the category, as well as industry professionals’ reflections on the ongoing pressures and how they’re keeping the category fresh, click here for the full article, which appeared in the April edition of Toy World.
