Toys and Games in the US

Significant growth for video games offsets stagnancy in traditional toys and games

Toys and games continued to see significant current value growth in the US in 2018, driven solely by video games. As there is a continuing trend of children and adults alike moving towards video games for entertainment, this shift in interest led traditional toys and games to see a stagnant performance.

Collectibles and licensing remain bright spots in traditional toys and games

As video games become increasingly popular amongst both children and adults in the US, categories within traditional toys and games which traditionally attracted boys lost share to video games. However, traditional toys and games oriented to girls or adults excelled in 2018.

Leading players and successful strategies

The leading players in traditional toys and games in 2018 remained Mattel and Hasbro, although Mattel re-took the lead, which Hasbro held in 2017. These players both have several brands available, although it was actually Lego which held the lead in traditional toys and games in brand terms in 2018.

A new era of distribution in toys and games

The biggest headline in toys and games in 2018 was the end of Toys “R” Us. Operating for over 70 years, the retailer closed all its locations in the US.

Continued growth for traditional toys and games and video games

Toys and games is expected to continue to see current value growth in the forecast period, with growth expected in both traditional toys and games and video games. Within traditional toys and games, dolls and accessories is expected to see particularly strong growth, continuing the trend from 2018, mainly due to licence partnerships.

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