Toy industry sales reached $18.4 billion in the first half of 2018 across the 13 international markets tracked by The NPD Group, reaching sales up 4 percent over last year.
Mexico grew the fastest, up 15 percent, while Brazil followed with 11 percent growth, and the U.S. up 7 percent. Europe had a 1 percent decline as growth in Germany, Russia, Italy, and Spain was offset by slight declines in other countries.
L.O.L. Surprise! is ranked as the No. 1 toy property in all 13 countries combined. Global sales of collectibles increased by 26 percent, and now account for 11 percent of dollar sales in the total toy industry.
The youth electronics segment grew by 29 percent, led by Fingerlings. Sales of miscellaneous toys grew by 12 percent, with the major drivers being Soft’n Slo Squishies, Major League Baseball cards, and Panini Russia 2018 World Cup stickers. The games segment (excluding strategic card games) grew by 12 percent with Monopoly, UNO, and Exploding Kittens among the contributors to its success.
NPD’s newly released Global Toy Market Report—which delves beyond the 13 markets and spans North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania—shows that the global toy industry has been growing steadily since 2012, as well as the global spend per child. North America remains the largest region driven by the U.S.—the world’s largest toy market—while Asia is the strongest growth prospect, having grown by 21 percent in the last five years. NPD forecasts the global toy market to reach $99 billion in 2022.
