The toy business loves a good story, and this year has certainly delivered one or two. The next chapter unfolds this month under the California sun. Industry leaders, buyers, and dreamers are making a pilgrimage to the epicenters of play, from showrooms and toy-laden offices across the Los Angeles area to the secret labs of El Segundo.
If you’ve never been, picture it: palm trees swaying, studio lots buzzing, and toy execs zipping between meetings like a scene straight out of Entourage — but with more plushies and action figures than cocktails (but yes, there are some of those, too). Traditionally, the LA Fall Toy Previews aren’t a flashy public spectacle with the media blitz of Toy Fair; they’re a quiet, high-stakes proving ground. This is where concepts get their first big thumbs-up (or down), where buyers whisper about shelf space, and where the whispers can quickly become future headlines you’ll one day read on toybook.com.
This year, rising up just steps from Mattel, Moose Toys, ZURU, and 1960 on Grand comes a new hub for the industry on the West Coast: The Toy Building by The Toy Association. On page 26, The Toy Association’s Greg Ahearn welcomes guests to the new locale.
ATTACK OF THE KILLER T’S
As we go to press with this issue, there has at least been some smoothing of the uncertainty that’s rattled the industry since Toy Fair in March: tariffs. Nobody wants to see the cost of fun go up, yet the “T-word” has been on everyone’s lips for months. For most, rates are in place, so planning is back on the table. On page 35, we look at how Tariff Mitigators can help companies create a better supply chain.
CONTINUED DUALITY
The funny thing is, in the same breath we talk about tariffs shrinking margins and declining consumer confidence, we’re also talking about growth. U.S. retail sales are up year-to-date, a glimmer of good news in what has otherwise been a year of mixed messages. For those keeping score, this is the kind of contradiction the toy industry has learned to live with. Boom and bust often ride shotgun together; the smart players know how to steer through it. Circana’s Juli Lennett checks in on page 32 to unpack the data with an outlook on the future.
HOLLYWOOD HITS
Weighty topics aside, it’s been a big year for storytelling, and storytelling sells toys. After all, one of this year’s most buzzed-about new releases was a baby pig. We delve into the “Evie-lution” of Hasbro’s Peppa Pig franchise on page 70 and explore how it connects with preschoolers and their families worldwide.
Another franchise occupying shelf space nearby in the toy department is DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse (pg. 82). This month, the series makes the jump to the big screen, and Spin Master, The LEGO Group, Disguise, and others will have new products to support it.
This issue’s Backstory (pg. 90)also has a Hollywood angle as we look back at Kenner’s 1995 relaunch of Star Wars at retail. Of course, that’s just the start of another feature-packed issue of The Toy Book.
RACING INTO Q4
As we roll into the holiday season — the real third act of this year’s story — the stakes are high, but so is the energy. Tariffs, trends, and occasional headwinds can’t stop an industry that thrives on imagination and reinvention.
Speaking of imagination, a big shout-out to artist Kenny Kiernan for delivering another hand-drawn cover featuring some of the biggest players in the toy box, racing toward the Toy District for a look at next year’s holiday hits.
Once upon a time in Hollywood … the toy industry gathered to plan what’s next. From prototypes to purchase orders, the scene in LA is set for blockbuster moves. Let’s rock!
Stay on the Pulse of Play!
A version of this feature first appeared in the 2025 LA Fall Toy Preview Issue of The Toy Book. Read the full issue here!
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