In Toy World’s July issue, Gabriela Jimenez speaks to a selection of leading suppliers about current trends in Dress Up & Role Play and explores the latest products entering the category this year.

Role-play remains one of the most enduring categories within the toy industry, allowing children to feed their curiosity and explore different aspects of the grown-up world imaginatively and safely. Through role-play, kids can develop critical social and emotional skills, learn about different professions and experience being their favourite role model, whether that’s a fictional character they adore or a member of the community they look up to. Parents acknowledge the importance of their children learning through imaginative play and developing critical life skills including effective communication, independence, empathy and cooperation from a young age. Therefore, the demand for role-play toys that will teach these essential skills remains high.

David Lubliner, head of Customer Marketing, Europe, at Melissa & Doug, tells us that he and his team are seeing a significant trend towards inclusive and diverse role-play sets, as parents are looking for toys that represent a wide range of cultures, professions and abilities. The company’s catalogue includes 15 different role-play dress-up sets that cover a wide range of careers to enable children to experience all the professions that appeal to them.

As technology continues to advance, today’s role-play toys are far more than just basic imitations of everyday items. Many toy manufacturers offer realistic toys that not only resemble the real thing, but also feature recognisable trademarks and brands. Casdon excels as one of the leading companies creating role-play toys that are almost identical to their real adult counterparts. The company has established partnerships with some of the world’s best-known household appliance manufacturers including Henry and Hetty, Dyson and, most recently, Ooni, the world’s No.1 pizza oven company.

Many of today’s parents consider a toy’s environmental impact before making a buying decision, which has led to toymakers prioritising sustainability to align with evolving consumer values. Commotion is just one of the toy companies taking steps towards accommodating the needs of eco-conscious buyers, after recently announcing a new collaboration with the eco-friendly brand PolarB. Meanwhile, in the world of dress-up, industry-leading companies recognise the importance of manufacturing costumes that are both eco-conscious and long-lasting.

To find out more about the latest launches across the category, as well as industry professionals’ reflections on the latest trends, click here for the full article.