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[UPDATED] COBI Releases Construction Sets Depicting Leaders and Vehicles of Nazi Germany

Source: COBI/The Toy Book

Updated Feb. 28, 2021, 5:55 p.m. ET: COBI has removed the Nazi sets from sale and CEO Robert Podles has issued a statement and plan of action for the future. Read it here.

Polish toymaker COBI is raising eyebrows with the upcoming release of new building sets from its Historical Collection.

The Limited Edition 1939 Mercedes G4 (COBI-2408) was revealed in a since-deleted Instagram post this morning. The building set, which launches on March 1, includes a 340-piece vehicle that comes with mini-figures of “Field Marshal Paulus” and an “Abwehr officer.” Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus was a field marshal who led the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht — the unified forces of Nazi Germany — during World War II. Abwehr was the Wehrmacht’s military intelligence agency at the time.

Source: COBI/Instagram

Earlier this month, COBI launched preorders for another set, the 1938 Mercedes 770 Limited Edition (COBI-2406), which includes a limited-edition mini-figure of German Admiral and Chief of the Abwehr Wilhelm Franz Canaris. Canaris was originally a supporter of Adolf Hitler who turned on the Nazi regime and was executed for high treason.

Both of the aforementioned building sets are offered in standard and limited editions, and the latter sets include red and black “German” flags that bear an Iron Cross insignia and additional, exclusive figures.

The new toys are leading some to question why such imagery is included on sets that are marketed, in part, to kids ages 6 and up.

“When I saw this toy on Instagram, it confirmed what I know to be true. Anti-Semitism and all types of hate are alive and well,” says Ariel Moghaddam, vice president of Mighty Mojo Toys. “A company that is being carried by Walmart and Kohls — two national retailers — is out here producing and exposing antisemitic propaganda. Not only is this offensive, but will no doubt encourage hatred, which leads to extreme violence.”

Source: COBI/Instagram

On COBI’s website, a preorder page for the 1938 Mercedes-Benz notes Adolf Hitler’s affection for the vehicle, which was “heavily associated with the Third Reich and Nazi Germany.” The description points out that Hitler gifted the cars to allies, including Benito Mussolini of Italy, Francisko Franco of Spain, and others.

“At COBI, we’ve always aimed to represent history in the most accurate way possible, and that means bringing attention to historical figures of all kinds, both the positive and negative,” a COBI spokesperson told the Toy Book. ”Our sincere belief, too, is that by highlighting certain aspects of history, we are in no way trivializing the past, but instead bringing a laser focus on specific events and people in history so as to create a more informed society.”

The spokesperson says that the company tries to balance its inclusion of historical figures.

“The inclusion of Marshal Paulus is intended to serve as a cautionary tale of the overreach of power, not an endorsement of the person in any way,” they said. “We know knowledge is power, and this is one way in which attention can be brought to figures like this, who deserve the scrutiny. Inversely we’ve also made it a point on many occasions to include figures like Oskar Schindler or President De Gaulle to bring light to their significant positive contributions to our global history.”

The current discussion regarding COBI’s Historical Collection is not the first time that the company has faced criticism for the line.

In 2014, The Washington Post reported that COBI sets were removed from Gekas, a Swedish department store, because of concerned parents. At the time, COBI’s CEO Robert Podles told Ruptly — a division of Russian media outlet RT — that the company was teaching history “through good fun.”

“We do not show only Nazi German, or fascist objects, or the vehicles of the Nazi German army, but also in our sets we have Soviet, American, and British marked toys,” Podles said. “We believe that through good fun we can teach history and we will continue this line in the future.”

While the line is available for sale in many parts of the world, certain vehicles may not be available in Germany.

In many parts of Europe, the sale of items containing Nazi imagery is prohibited, and in recent years, the situation has become further muddied. In 2018, a line of COBI tanks was removed from sale at a store in Berlin after it was discovered that the collection included Nazi-era tanks that had been presented with generic symbols in place of the actual icons of the regime. At the time, a COBI spokesperson told Berliner Zeitung that “they are not ‘Nazi toys’” and they are often called that “to make a sensation out of it.”

eBay even offers clarification on what Nazi items can be sold on its auction platform, noting that while historical Holocaust-related and Nazi-related items, including reproductions; any item from after 1933 that bears a swastika; and media identified as Nazi propaganda are banned from sale on its platform, “historically accurate WWII military model kits that have Nazi symbols” are permitted to be sold.

Still, it seems a grey market still exists for toys that depict Nazi Germany. One seller on eBay is offering a “Custom WWII German Wehrmacht Army Squad” made from LEGO mini-figures. At press time, the seller has sold more than 1,100 sets.

A 2018 Vice article presented the possibility that selling historical artifacts may just be placing them in the hands of neo-Nazis.

In the case of toys that present similar imagery, we know who’s selling, but who’s actually buying?

Editor’s note: The Toy Book does not support any products depicting or inspired by symbols, people, or events that represent the ideologies of white supremacy, Nazi, or like-minded groups. There are many examples of toys that can be used as teaching tools for kids, but we do not consider products based on these beliefs appropriate in today’s political and social climate.

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: Camp

Source: Camp/the Toy Book

Kat Druback Director of Merchandising of Camp talks the future in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A

The Toy Book: How did Camp cope during temporary store closures? What new initiatives did you implement in order to ensure a safe shopping environment for consumers when stores reopened?
Kat Durback: While it was a difficult moment across the industry, it forced us to think differently about how and where to meet our customers. Ultimately, we went through a shift from a family experience store to a family experience company that existed beyond the four walls of our brick-and-mortar stores.

Just days after we closed our stores, we began offering free virtual birthday parties to our Camp families, an offering we would have hosted in our stores. From birthdays, we quickly expanded to all kinds of virtual experiences for families, from end of the year school celebrations to summertime tie-dye parties. Meeting our customers online through virtual events allowed us to expand our customer base way beyond the communities surrounding our physical stores. From that moment on, the entire Camp team company was focused on how to help families answer the question: What should we do today? And, throughout the past year, we have been delivering on that in several new ways — both online and in-store.

During our store closures, we partnered with Walmart to create Camp by Walmart, which included more than 100 episodes of interactive content; CAMP launched and celebrated 20,000 virtual birthdays; we created digital activity books that were downloaded 500,000 times; created socially distanced mobile airstream experiences filled with toys, food, and activities; created DIY tie-dye kits; launched an exclusive private label Father’s Day collection, and held virtual scavenger hunts.

Since reopening, we’ve taken a lot of measures to ensure our customers feel comfortable in our stores. For example, we designed a new themed experience with COVID-19 safety in mind. In September, when stores started to reopen, we launched “Art Camp,” an immersive exploration of the arts. In this experience, we encourage play and creativity at socially distanced activity stations, and all of our crafts kits can be used in-store or at home. We then launched crafts to-go at all of our locations — families can either create something in-store at socially distanced tables or take them home. In October, we hosted a Trick or Treat Off The Street at Hudson Yards Mall. At this contactless Halloween scavenger hunt, thousands of families searched the CAMP store and the mall to find tricks and treats in a fun and safe way.

In addition to constantly adapting our store experiences, all of our stores have strict safety procedures in place. For example, we require employees and customers to wear masks, provide sanitizer stations, limit the number of guests in our experiences at any given time, and enforce social distancing.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: The Canadian Toy Association

Source: The Canadian Toy Association/the Toy Book

Serge Micheli Executive Director of The Canadian Toy Association talks about the association’s initiatives and goals for 2021 in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: What are the biggest challenges facing the Canadian toy industry as we head into the year, and how is The Canadian Toy Association addressing them?
Serge Micheli: The biggest challenge facing The Canadian Toy Association is serving the needs of our members as it relates to the changing landscape due to the unprecedented pandemic. The Canadian Toy Association is continually working on providing clarification and support to the industry members on the various provincial mandates on retail sales and essential goods and services. We are also providing guidance regarding the impact on their companies and resources that we are making available to them.
In the summer of 2020, The Canadian Toy Association updated its bylaws to include retailers as members of the organization. We are pleased to welcome our new retailer members who have also joined The Canadian Toy Association Board of Directors. This will provide a larger voice for the industry on finding ways to provide more services to the industry.

TB: What are The Canadian Toy Association’s key initiatives for the year ahead?
SM: In the year ahead, The Canadian Toy Association will create online networking and educational events, as we are unable to have in-person events due to the pandemic. It is important for the Association to keep providing critical information to our members, and we are building out a series of webinars that will be led by industry leaders on topics that are relevant to the industry.

The Canadian Toy Association, working with The Toy Association in the U.S., will continue to expand the Genius of Play into Canada. We will build off the cross-Canada media tour and influencer program from 2020 and will focus on promoting the benefits of play to parents and children across Canada. There is a volume of information on the Genius of Play available on its website.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Canadian Toy Association welcomed Indigo Kids, MasterMind Toys, and Toys “R” Us Canada as members of the Association and to our Board of Directors. We value and look forward to working together and leveraging our diverse membership to continue our focus on growth in 2021 and beyond.

We will continue to grow the Toys for the North charitable toy giving program by working with more toy companies to grow our donation volumes and expanding our partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and Thomson Terminals. It is our goal to reach into more northern communities to help bring more toys to children through this amazing program.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: Funko

Source: Funko/the Toy Book

Andrew Perlmutter President of Funko talks about reaching various demographics, impacts of the pandemic on the toy industry, and more in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: How much of your product offerings are geared toward adults and why are they so popular with this demographic?
Andrew Prelmutter: Funko has always had an older audience. A lot of what we do is rooted in nostalgia from when we were kids. A friend of mine once said, “I see you’re still trying to relive your childhood,” to which I replied, “You bet I am!” So much of what we make comes from properties we loved when we were younger, so it resonates with an older audience. That being said, we are truly a four-quadrant business, made up of men, women, girls, and boys. I see more and more young fans stacking the shelves with our products than ever before, and that really excites us.

TB: Snapsies is Funko’s first line designed specifically for younger kids. How will Funko expand its Snapsies line this year and engage with that audience?
AP: We could not be more excited about our launch of Snapsies in December of last year. Because our fans tend to skew older, a lot of them have children of their own. We want to make sure the Funko brand speaks to our fans and their families. When parents bring their kids to the Funko section of a retailer, we need to make sure that there is something for everyone. Funko’s core business is pop culture collectibles and we do not plan to stray from that, but when there is an opportunity to expand that to hit a specific audience, we will always explore that. The growth we’ve seen with our Loungefly and games businesses is a great example of that approach. We are super excited about Snapsies and have a lot in the pipeline to support this brand for the years to come.

TB: What do you think will be the short- and long-term impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic on the toy industry?
AP: I think there are some obvious impacts around how this global pandemic has already affected the toy industry. The starkest impact is how many consumers are going online, some of whom rarely did prior to 2020. Being able to make purchases online and to have those goods arrive at your doorstep in two days is not only convenient, but also addictive for a lot of people.

Another impact that I’ve seen personally is the lack of kids running around the toy departments at my local stores. I am seeing fewer parents taking their kids into retail, likely because kids tend to touch everything. The toy industry hopes this is a short-term trend. It reminds me of when e-books came out and some people were convinced it was the end of physical books. I think a lot of this will stabilize in the years to come. Some of these trends are the new normal, but in the end, a lot of our old ways will creep back in once the world allows for it.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: Blue Plate Media Services

Source: Blue Plate Media Services/the Toy Book

David Becker President and CEO of Blue Plate Media Services (BPMS) talks about working with influencers, the pandemic’s impact on the toy industry, and more in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: What trends will have the biggest impact on the toy industry in 2021 and beyond?
David Becker: The marketing trend that will likely have the biggest impact on the toy industry in 2021 will be the decline of kids’ cable TV networks and the subsequent rise of connected TV. Cable TV will see a ratings decline of 30% again in 2021, with a significant percentage of viewing time shifting to connected TV channels. This change in media consumption and viewing behavior will force youth marketers and manufacturers to dramatically alter media plans, seeking a replacement for the loss of visibility and reach of the cable networks. While connected TV streaming hours have risen 16% year-over-year, aided by COVID-19, it is a fragmented environment that does not as easily replace the reach of cable TV. It is critical for marketers to replace that reach. Reach drives sales performance. At BPMS, we have done extensive work building measurable media plan components that deliver efficient reach while avoiding excess frequency.

These changes in viewing also impact TV-based licenses. As ratings decline and kids’ viewing shifts to a larger number of platforms and more niche-driven programming, manufacturers will need to be diligent in evaluating licenses. As audiences shift across devices, it will be important to understand the impact on affinity for the license and the scale of the audiences moving forward. In this environment of fractured viewing, the days of relying solely on the license to do the heavy lifting of driving the consumer to your product, with minimal to no advertising support, are challenging at best.

TB: What role does working with influencers play in your marketing efforts?
DB: Influencers can play an important role in today’s media mix when reaching and engaging with kids, moms, and families. It’s not surprising that an estimated 67.9% of all U.S. marketers will use influencers in 2021, according to a November 2020 report from eMarketer. When executed properly, influencers can speak to their audience in a way that ads can’t, layering in a level of personal and intimate engagement that is often helpful in driving buzz as products launch. Whether you are working with influencers on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram, influencers can introduce your product to their audience, weave your message into their story, and help to dimensionalize and drive your brand. Before selecting an influencer, however, and investing in talent, be sure you are leveraging the right influencer for the audience you are targeting and the goals and budget set forth in your campaign. At BPMS, when considering adding influencers into the mix, we think beyond simply tapping talent and consider a tactical deployment.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: Brilliant PR

Source: Brilliant PR & Marketing/the Toy Book

Clark Nesselrodt, executive vice president of Brilliant PR & Marketing talks about working with influencers, coming up with media strategies for the company’s clients during the pandemic, and more in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: How are you making up for the lack of major trade shows this year?
Clark Nesselrodt: Though we aren’t booking travel and helping clients develop specific show floor activation plans, from a media and influencer outreach standpoint, we are essentially acting as if the shows were still happening. But instead of making plans to walk our contacts through client booths, we are setting up virtual deskside meetings and creating customized media lookbooks featuring clients’ 2021 new products. We are also using this Q1 push for 2021 new products as an opportunity to speak to a larger audience. Since the pandemic began, we’ve hosted more than 300 top influencers at a series of virtual showcase events that help them learn more about what is behind the brands and companies that make the products we ask them to feature. All of this represents our offensive approach. Our defensive approach requires us to focus on direct-to-consumer strategies. This involves helping clients optimize and drive traffic to Amazon, refine their own e-retail websites to pull in a greater share of online sales, drive conversion performance through digital ads, and calibrate PR value through the lens of search engine optimization and bottom line digital sales.

TB: What role does working with influencers play in your marketing efforts?
CN: Influencers have become a catalyst that can energize and activate so many different parts of a business. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking of influencers solely in terms of product promotion (even though that has never been more applicable with so many brands using Instagram Story swipe-ups as one of their most direct and measurable means for adding new customers to their digital marketing funnels and generating sales). But this is only the beginning of how influencers can be integrated into a business.

A trend we’re seeing is the evolution of the influencer from being a marketing commodity to a source of insights and creative assets. Particularly in a year when live focus groups, photo, and video shoots weren’t possible, we’ve worked with influencers to glean consumer data and develop branded photography and video. Because so many companies are courting them, they have a very unique vantage point on the industry and can be some of our best eyes and ears. And, they are only as good in their own businesses as they are excellent at content creation. This all requires you to go far beyond the product pitch to build deep relationships. We are anticipating and working with some of our clients to help usher in a shift in how influencers help brands build their own social media channels. There is a sweet spot of collaboration in which the influencer is allowed to be more active in the creative process.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: HKTDC

Source: HKTDC/the Toy Book

Ralph Chow, regional director of Americas for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) talks about how the trade organization is adjusting with the lack of in-person events in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: With major toy fair shifts due to the pandemic, how has HKTDC pivoted to connect buyers and manufacturers globally?
Ralph Chow: In the face of the pandemic, it is anticipated that global sourcing behavior will become increasingly digital and that future trade fairs will be a combination of physical and virtual formats. Several of the HKTDC’s physical fairs have been migrated online since the onset of the pandemic, with a brand-new, artificial-intelligence-driven, business-matching platform, Click2Match, helping to bring buyers and exhibitors together.

The HKTDC Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE (ASWO) exhibition, featuring the Click2Match business-matching platform, drew to a successful close in November 2020. The online exhibition featured more than 2,600 exhibitors and attracted more than 27,000 buyers from 132 countries and regions. In addition to organizing online exhibitions, the HKTDC also launched a year-round business promotion through its hktdc.com sourcing platform to connect manufacturers with global buyers.

TB: What are HKTDC’s key initiatives for the year ahead?
RC: In addition to enhancing its hybrid model that combines online fairs with physical fairs and symposiums, the HKTDC will also organize new local exhibitions and hold a number of its key international conferences and webinars online.

Exhibitions are a vital component of the business of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), helping to secure an average of 40% of orders for such companies. The fact that it will still be difficult to stage local trade shows in a physical form in the first half of 2021 will have a significant impact on SMEs. The HKTDC is reacting to this new situation in a flexible way, launching a brand-new sourcing event, the HKTDC International Sourcing Show, that will consolidate seven HKTDC trade fairs (including HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair and Hong Kong Baby Product Fair) originally scheduled to be held in spring. The new event will run from March-July 2021 and will be held in online and physical formats, exploring business opportunities across a range of industries. The online-to-offline (O2O) format of the International Sourcing Show will help buyers and sellers alike be better prepared for the “new normal” business environment in the wake of the pandemic.

Hong Kong businesses still have to contend with weakened global demand, disrupted supply chains, and elevated protectionism, business operations are expected to begin to revert to a more normal level when the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, allowing the world economy to stabilize and rebound.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: PlayWise Partners

Source: PlayWise Partners/the Toy Book

Rachel Griffin, co-founder of PlayWise Partners talks about the lack of trade shows, working with influencers, and more in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.

The Toy Book: What trends will have the biggest impact on the toy industry in 2021 and beyond?
Rachel Griffin: The pandemic has forced creativity in how families live life, from pod parties and drive-by birthdays to game nights with grandparents via Zoom. It’s an open invitation for a creativity surge in the toy industry as well, and we expect to see more innovation this year. With the shift in franchise movies, we expect even more products to be created around influencers from YouTube and TikTok. In addition, we believe family games, toys that deliver high play value, and learning-based STEM toys will continue to grow.

Caregivers are looking to engage their kids in fun ways while keeping them off screens as long as possible, since they are spending so much time on screens for virtual schooling. Finally, we expect impulse and fidget toys to be big this year. As restrictions begin to ease, kids will be able to pop into stores with their parents (#targetrun) and spend their pocket money on the lower price point items that they love. Here’s to innovation and silver linings!

TB:How are you making up for the lack of major trade shows this year with adjusted marketing strategies and PR efforts for your clients in 2021?
RHG: While we hope major events (trade and consumer shows) will be back by the second half of 2021, we are aware that may not be the case. Similar to the success we found in 2020, we must be creative and utilize the tools in our toolbox. We will continue to join the conversation primarily through traditional media, social media, and influencers. Thanks to key platforms such as Zoom and Skype, as well as Instagram and TikTok, we are able to bring our messaging from trade show and consumer events to the living rooms and fingertips of our audiences, which easily converts to online sales. Additionally, we will continue to sponsor media opportunities when available to control messaging and timing.

TB: What role does working with influencers play in your marketing efforts?
RHG: Influencers play a large role in our PR and marketing efforts on behalf of our clients. While traditional media tactics can build broad awareness, influencer content can reach a very targeted and engaged audience to drive bottom-of-the-funnel conversion. It’s important to identify the right influencers that align organically with your brand and deliver strong engagement. Overall, we advise our clients to have a healthy mix of kid and parent influencers on both the paid and the earned side across multiple platforms. Kids and parents consume social content differently and trust different sources. To stay “in the know,” you need to tap in to all of them.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

Classic Play Faces the Future at CES

Bookinou | Source: Pimely Sas

From remote learning to virtual events, some of the biggest advancements to come out of the past year have been the major innovations in technology. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) took the opportunity to shine, hosting the first fully digital Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from Jan. 11-14. Usually held in person in Las Vegas, the world’s largest trade show for technology and innovation evolved with the times to virtually connect exhibitors, consumers, tech gurus, celebrities, and media from around the world.

Toys are pushing the boundaries of innovation and several manufacturers made themselves known with product showcases on the digital CES show floor. There may be an onset of new digital and tech toys like flashy STEM robots and futuristic machine-building kits, but that doesn’t mean the demand for traditional toys has dissipated. Many manufacturers at this year’s show took classic toys, such as board games and globes, and gave them a boost with tech updates to make traditional play more cutting edge.

Board games have skyrocketed in popularity last year, lending families a lifeline during pandemic lockdowns to keep kids busy and entertained. Tacto is a line of board games from Playshifu that blends digital gameplay with real game pieces. Each set includes two frames that users can place on the sides of a tablet (not included) to turn their device into a gameboard. Players select a game in the Tacto app and then use the tangible game pieces or figurines to play the game on the screen. There are multiplayer strategy games and chess, as well as single-player coding and laser obstacle games. The gameplay becomes multidimensional as the content changes and interacts with players, but still feels like a traditional board game as opposed to a video game because of the tangible pieces.

Biino | Source: Little Lot

Biino from Little Lot has a similar concept, featuring colorful, pillowy fabric shapes that kids can place into slots on a wooden platform to play corresponding games on a tablet. It has all the charm of a traditional wooden toy with the added digital element. Kids aren’t just placing shapes into slots — they are moving through different stories and adventures. Players can also opt to go screen-free by following the LED lights and sound effects without the tablet.

As more families make the move to remote learning and homeschooling during the pandemic, classroom staples and long-established educational toys are getting a modern reboot as well. Playshifu’s Orboot takes something as simple as a globe and adds augmented reality to help kids travel through space and time. There are three globes — Earth, a dinosaur-ridden Earth, and Mars — that users can view through a tablet or smartphone to access interactive features, trivia, quizzes, scavenger hunts, and more. Manufacturers can add even more educational value to toys with a touch of tech.

Bookinou from Pimely Sas is a new kind of reading tool for kids. This screen-free storyteller device is so much more than an audio book player: It reads books to kids in the recorded voice of a loved one, which personalizes the learning-to-read experience. Parents and grandparents can record any book of their choosing using the mobile app, then connect their story to a physical sticker to place on the book. Bookinou will recognize the sticker and play the story while kids learn to read along. The product is timely as well, giving friends and relatives a bonding experience through storytime when they might not be able to get together in person.

Companies will continue to hook kids in with elaborate devices, but sometimes all they need is a balanced mix of tech and tradition. Toys can still push the boundaries of innovation even while remaining down-to-earth.

This article was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

State of the Industry Q&A 2021: eBay

Source: eBay/the Toy Book

In the Toy Book‘s annual State of the Industry Q&A, Nicole Colombo, general manager of collectibles and trading cards at eBay talks about the demand for limited-edition collectibles, consumer spending habits during the pandemic, and more.

The Toy Book: What do you think will be the short- and long-term impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic on the toy industry?
Nicole Colombo: Although the pandemic has forced consumers to push the reset button on their purchasing behaviors, the passion of collectors hasn’t waned. Our State of Trading Card Report shows that after the pandemic began, more than 4 million more trading cards were sold on eBay than in the prior year, and following lockdown, April 2020 was the biggest month of baseball trading cards sales, with sales spiking 82% from March.

Despite lower production yields and factory closures last year, toys were exceedingly popular. We saw significant growth for our toy categories with action figures and building toys being top sellers on our marketplace, and now more than ever, consumers are willing to pay more for items that cannot be found anywhere else.

With families spending more time at home, toys are no longer just a hobby for kids, and parents are sharing their love for nostalgic collectibles with their children — and this helped drive unseasonal demand. To fulfill the shopping void, people are turning online more than ever before to get their collectible fix, while also supporting small businesses. We suspect that long-term shopping behavior will change significantly with a renewed focus on toy collecting.

TB: How will you continue to evolve your collectible toy department this year?
NC: We’re always looking for new ways to enhance the eBay experience for buyers and sellers, especially within categories like toy collectibles and trading cards. In 2021, we will continue to explore opportunities where we can build more features that resonate with the different communities that use eBay to purchase and sell their favorite toys, collectibles, and trading cards.

Collectors have been some of the most enthusiastic and passionate on our marketplace; they come to us knowing they can find exclusive, trending, and unique items from fan-favorite franchises, including Pokémon, Star Wars, and more. Last year, for example, we celebrated our community by partnering with Funko Pop! to auction over 100 super rare, ultra-limited, and sold-out Funko items, including multiple prototypes.

Star Wars is another franchise that continues to surprise us. In 2020 alone, we sold more than 4.8 million Star Wars items, having sold nearly 4 million Star Wars LEGO sets in the past five years. We also saw Marvel increase in popularity following the launch of Disney+, with more than 4.2 million items sold on our marketplace. From trending cultural moments to notable collectibles and exclusive trading cards, eBay is the ultimate destination to score vintage and new-to-market favorites.

This State of the Industry Q&A response was originally published in the February 2021 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!

Related: CES Prepares to Go Digital for 2021 Event