Last Updated on December 23, 2019 by Danielle
The Toy Industry has its biggest year in a decade thanks to Star Wars toys.
Jedi fighters, menacing dinosaurs, and small collectible figures helped deliver one of the strongest years the toy industry has seen in a decade.
The NPD group reported that U.S. toy sales grew 6.7 percent in 2015 to $19.4 billion. 9 of the 11 toy categories saw increases last year with Games/Puzzles and Vehicles leading the way. Toys for toddlers and infants grew 5.7 percent. Only the arts & crafts and youth electronics declined. According to the NPD, the toy industry had an amazing year and there wasn’t one key driver.
The rise was driven by movie properties, television shows and Youtube. Movie toys were huge, growing 9.4%.
The biggest driver? Star Wars related toys, which pulled in $700 million in sales alone. That’s more than Jurassic World, Minions, and the Avengers did together. It began with the early release of Star Wars toys on Force Friday and the momentum continued through December. Star Wars toys increased sales in 3 categories including action figures, vehicles, and other toys.
The NPD also listed the top selling toys of the year. There was a wide range of diversity with the top ten toys including everything from simple toys to more complex toys. Even the price ranges varied greatly so there was something for everyone.
Some toys on the list were from established brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, Star Wars but there were also newer brands like Paw Patrol, Minecraft, and Shopkins.
In fact, the top selling toy of 2015 was Shopkins 12 pack assortment from Moose Toys. The 2 pack was the 4th best seller. Despite Star Wars toys accounting for the huge increase, only one Star Wars toy, Sphero BB-8, made the list. Other hot toys included the Paw Patrol Basic Vehicle, Barbie Dream house, and Minecraft The Cave.
Last year, Christmas fell on a Friday so consumers had one extra day to shop. Sales during the week of Christmas grew by 25% and it represented 8% of all toys sales in the year.
Toysrus also reported that it saw its sales grow by 1.4 percent from November to January.
The last time the industry grew 7% was the year that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released. That year we also saw Pokemon trading cards, Furby, and Beanie Babies.
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