A new survey posits the opinion that the U.S. toy industry is cranking out new toys that are more fun than ever but many toys are still sidelined in the toy box.
Funosophy‘s Nancy Zwiers and New York-based research firm Michael Cohen Group (MCG) produced an updated version of a report titled U.S. Toy Industry Play Value Report Card: After the Toys Come Home (originally released by MCG in 2011) that was created using fresh data from the parents of kids ages 2-6. This year’s findings were released in a webinar presented on March 1 by Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WiT).
The updated report quizzed parents on their thoughts toward new toys and their experiences dealing with supply chain issues while picking out toys during the holiday season.
According to the study, 48% of parents surveyed in 2022 said that their kids played with toys continuously. This is a big gain over the 19% that said the same in 2011. Still, some parents said that their kids’ toys are only being played with occasionally or never, with plush toys ranking as the most underused according to 23% of respondents.
Parents reported that the reasons for toys falling out of favor have remained consistent over the past decade with reasons spanning lack of interest and boredom.
The archived webinar containing the full findings of the report can be viewed at the WiT website.
