The toy industry is riding high amid a sales boom that’s seen dollar sales, unit sales, and average selling price spike across the board. Now, with the first half of the year in the rearview mirror, the approaching dog days of summer feel like a speed bump in the journey to September’s LA Fall Toy Previews and the all-important holiday selling season.
But some worthy detours lie ahead.
PUT THE HAMMER DOWN
From Gen Con in Indianapolis to ASD Market Week in Las Vegas to the North East Toy & Gift Show (NETS) in Springfield, Massachusetts, there’s plenty of action on the midsummer road trip when it comes to new product discovery. Whether you’re a specialty retailer seeking the latest in fast-moving trends, a game shop on a quest for new tabletop titles, a C-store hunting for impulse items, or a general merchant looking to boost sales with high-margin closeouts, you’ll find inspiration on every turn.
The spirit of action, adventure, and mystery fuels our latest issue of The Toy Book, but there’s another factor running in tandem with all of that: ambition.
In an industry built on imagination, ambitious dreamers are creating new stories and products to connect kids and families of all ages. For Brandon Braswell (pg. 14), that means growing a retro-inspired action figure brand, 9 to 5 Warriors, from the ground up. For Deirdre Cross and Jessica Aceti (pg. 36), it means harnessing the knowledge and experience gained from creating games for other companies as the foundation for The Office of Tiffany Birdsong. And for Jordan Gershowitz (pg. 32), it’s carrying on a toy industry legacy at the intersection of storytelling, entertainment, consumer products, and live experiences. Our team caught up with all of them for a look at the future of fun.
Analog play is having a welcome moment this year, and kids of all ages are creating adventures of their own across familiar categories, like action figures, vehicles, games, and, thanks to some fresh licensing deals, ride-on toys (pg. 26). Likewise, Wham-O’s Hacky Sack is back on the global stage, relaunched by PlayMonster (pg. 44) and getting teens and adults moving with new takes on high-action, tech-free play.
Beyond that, a new wave of blind boxes, bags, and mystery packs (pg. 46) gives collectors the dopamine hits they seek, with everything from cute critters to clip-on bag accessories to shelf-ready sports stars in miniature.
ICONS OF ACTION & ADVENTURE
And in a world where pop culture mashups have become the norm, our editorial cover offers a glimpse of new stories ahead as an icon joins the world of G.I. Joe: Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft. If knowing is half the battle, then raiding is the other half, and it will all come into focus in the pages of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero x Tomb Raider, debuting in comic shops this October from Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics. Croft joins the 6-inch-scale G.I. Joe Classified Series as the Tomb Raider franchise marks its 30th anniversary, arriving in November, with all the accessories needed to hunt for relics on Cobra Island.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
As this issue lands, our Toy Book team is hard at work on the jumbo-size Fall Toy & Licensing Preview Issue. Debuting during the LA Fall Toy Previews in September, with bonus distribution at Brand Licensing Europe in October, the next issue features The Licensing Book as an internal supplement and comes packed with exclusive content you won’t want to miss. We’re living life on the pulse of play. Now, let’s rock!
Stay on the Pulse of Play!
A version of this feature first appeared in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Action, Adventure, & Mystery Issue. Read the full issue here!
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