Global Toy Industry Sales Grow 2% Year-to-Date, NPD Says



Cash register bells have been ringing, and that’s good news for the global toy industry as it approaches the midway mark of the holiday shopping season. According to The NPD Group, global toy industry sales are up 2% year-to-date over last year. Notably, the $36.7 billion in revenue through September marks a 30% spike over 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. See the big wins…

Exclusive: Caribu Joins the Mattel Portfolio of Brands 



Following the growth of a successful content partnership, Mattel is welcoming Caribu and its founders into the family. Caribu is an interactive video-calling platform that incorporates games, books, and other creative activities from a variety of intellectual property holders into a virtual playdate experience. Get the details…

LEGO Group Unveils New LEGO Sets Inspired by Chinese Culture



At the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE), The LEGO Group unveiled five new sets influenced by Chinese culture and traditions. The sets will be available for sale in China and international markets beginning Dec. 25. Read more…

MGA Entertainment’s ‘Rainbow High Rainbow Vision’ Inspires New Dolls and a ‘Roblox’ Event



The animated YouTube series Rainbow High Rainbow Vision concludes its season on Nov. 23. To celebrate, MGAE has released a new wave of Rainbow High dolls and launched an event inside the Roblox metaverse. Read more…

Funko Releases Pop Culture Pups to Support ASPCA

The Pops! With Purpose collection expands with new collectible figures inspired by Toto from The Wizard of Oz and Einstein from Back to the Future. A portion of proceeds from the sale of each figure will be donated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Get the scoop at The Pop Insider…

Rocafella Leisure Launches NERF Action Xperience in the UK



Hasbro’s location-based entertainment initiatives continue to roll out on a global scale. This week, the company revealed a deal that will result in at least three NERF Action Xperience family entertainment centers in the UK. Read more…

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program Celebrates 75th Anniversary



The Marines and 55,000 volunteers, in addition to local supporters and corporate partners of Toys for Tots, will be carrying out more than 830 toy collection missions this holiday season. Read more…

People of Play’s Inventor and Innovation Conferences Return in Person



“After two years away, we can’t wait to welcome toy and game inventors from 18 countries around the world,” says Mary Couzin, president of People of Play. “If you have a product idea, you need to be in Chicago for this conference.” Get the details…

From the Editor: A Welcome Return to Holiday Traditions



Toy Book Editor-in-Chief James Zahn shares some thoughts on how this holiday season marks a return to tradition that’s being reflected across the industry, including advertising, promotions, and entertainment. Plus: New toy stores are opening, including Alex Baby & Toy. Read the column…

2022 Top Toy Trends: Generations of Play



The Toy Insider continues its look at holiday toy and game trends with a showcase of hot gift ideas that bring families together, including kid-friendly versions of things grown-ups love, games that multiple generations can enjoy together, and playthings that are engaging no matter how old you are. Check out the list…

U.S. Retail Sales Set to Rise this Holiday Season as Consumer Habits Buck Inflationary Concerns



The latest forecast by the National Retail Federation (NRF) revealed that U.S. retail sales should grow between 6-8% over last year during the tracked holiday season of November/December. The increase follows last year’s 13.5% year-over-year growth during the same period. Read more…

CircuitMess Strikes a Deal with Sam’s Club for Chatter 2.0

Sam’s Club Senior Merchant Cole Powell was impressed with the features of Chatter 2.0, a STEM toy from the Croatian company, CircuitMess. The texting toy teaches kids about cybersecurity, how to assemble electronic devices, and how to code. Read more…

Kappa Toys, tokidoki Plan Holiday Pop-Up Experience



A unique, holiday-themed toy retail experience is headed to the Las Vegas Strip. Kappa Toys and tokidoki have teamed up to create the Kappa Toys Holiday Pop-Up Experience at Resorts World Las Vegas. The shop opens on Nov. 19. Read more…

U.S. Video Game Sales Decline in Q3 as Hardware Sales Boom



According to the Q3 2022 Games Market Dynamics: U.S. report from The NPD Group, the U.S. video game industry pulled in $12.34 billion during the third quarter, a 5% decline over the same period last year. Despite the dip, growth in hardware sales is a welcome bright spot following two years of shortages at retail. Read more…

Funko Earnings Pop! (Again) with a Record 36.6% Q3 Sales Spike



Funko continues to wow the toy industry, but growing pains are beginning to emerge amid a contradictory balance between double-digit sales spikes and declining profit and growth looking ahead into Q4. See what’s poppin’...

‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ Reaches Record-breaking $1 Billion Sell-through



It’s Call of Duty season. Activision’s ever-prominent Call of Duty franchise shattered previous sales records with Modern Warfare II. The game, which was released on Oct. 28, crossed the $1 billion sell-through mark in just 10 days. Secure the intel…

Spin Master Hits a Snag in Q3, but Toys Are Up 12.7% Year-to-Date



The company behind PAW Patrol and Rubik’s Cube says that third quarter revenue dropped 12.7% versus the same period last year. The upside is that Spin Master says its core toy business grew 12.7% in the first nine months of the year, as total revenue of $1.5 billion is a 9.3% spike over the same period last year. Read more…

Sesame Workshop Elevates Kim Díaz to VP of Creative Development



In her new role, Díaz will develop and lead the creative development strategy for new long-form and short-form series, specials, and other programming initiatives that align with Sesame Workshop’s mission and creative vision. Read more…

Goliath Group Welcomes Brian Weiss as Its President of North America



Weiss has more than 23 years of toy industry experience. He joins the company from Moose Toys, where he recently served as senior vice president. In his new role, Weiss intends to oversee the expansion of business within both the U.S. and Canada. Read more…