Toy World gets hands on with the Arts & Crafts category and chats to leading suppliers to find out what’s driving the space and how creative products are expanding into new areas.

Toy World’s Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to Grant Gie of Creative Kids, Damien Collett of SES Creative and Gary Wadhwani of Craft Buddy about the Arts & Crafts space this year.

Grant talks about the contribution TikTok has made to the category. He says: “The format is perfect for showcasing Arts & Crafts in short, quick digestible content, the go-to video being ‘before and after’ or sped up clips that show the entire crafting process in a condensed timescale. Bold bright colours, such as those of our products, lend themselves to attention grabbing content.”

One of the biggest current trends on social media in the creative category is food; products such as MGA’s Miniverse and Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Magical Mixer Playset lean into this trend.

In modern society, mental health is also helping to drive sales for Arts & Crafts products. Rachael examines how Craft Buddy has been growing its success with its collectible Crystal Art Buddies which include licences from Disney and Marvel.

“With all of the added pressures children are under in the modern age, it’s no surprise that one of the key trends shaping the arts and craft category at the moment is ‘mindfulness’,” says the company’s Gary Wadhwani.

Read the full feature in the June edition of Toy World.