NPD Says U.S. Toy Industry Mid-Year Sales Grow More Than 7 Percent

The U.S. toy industry grew 7.5 percent in the first half of this year, outpacing last year’s mid-year and annual growth rates, according to The NPD Group. NPD estimates that the industry will grow approximately 7 percent, or $1.4 billion, for full-year 2016.

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“I expect to see continued growth for the U.S. toy industry for the remainder of 2016 and, if it reaches 7 percent for year-end, that would be the fastest growth of the U.S. toy market since 1999,” said Juli Lennett, senior vice president, U.S. toys industry analyst from The NPD Group. “Toys with movie tie-ins will continue to contribute to the increase, stemming from those released both in 2015 and 2016. Television, over-the-top and other content providers, like YouTube and social media, will also continue to drive growth.”

Star Wars was the biggest contributor to the industry’s mid-year growth, with dollar sales for Star Wars toys increasing nearly 200 percent through June. “Star Wars is already at $300 million for the year, compared to $700 million for all of 2015. With two-thirds of toy sales yet to come in 2016, Star Wars could be even bigger this year than last,” said Lennett.

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Looking at sales by supercategory, Outdoor & Sports Toys was not only the largest with $1.7 billion in sales, but also the hottest category and another top reason for industry growth so far this year. Last year, at this time, Outdoor & Sports grew the most of any supercategory and, this year, that growth nearly doubled to represent 32 percent of total toy industry growth for the year so far. Overall, eight of the 11 supercategories posted gains during the first half of 2016, with Action Figures and Dolls the two to grow the fastest, at 19 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

About the author

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik was the Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book from 2020-2022. She was also a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.

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