Traditional Toys and Games in China

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

STEAM trend influencing sales in 2019

Chinese parents are increasingly looking for more from the traditional toys and games that they purchase for their children, with education becoming a more integral part of the purchasing decision. This was reflected in the strong development of traditional toys and games which encompass the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) trend.

Pop Mart driving dynamic growth in blind collectables in 2019

Dolls and accessories saw extraordinary growth in current value terms in 2019 with this being driven largely by the huge success and rapid rise of blind collectables. Consumers have shown a strong interest in blind collectables with the excitement around whether they will obtain a limited edition proving very enticing.

Licensed products on the rise thanks to popular film and TV franchises

Licensed products saw strong growth in 2019, driven largely by an upsurge in licensed products in action figures and accessories, construction, but particularly dolls and accessories. Foreign intellectual property (IP) agreements for the likes of Frozen and The Avengers proved especially popular with Frozen 2 and Avengers: Endgame being released in cinemas in 2019.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

In 2020, sales of traditional toys and games are now expected to grow by 4% in constant 2019 value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19, which represents a slight increase on the sales forecast in our 2019 edition of toys and games.

Affected products within traditional toys and games

With schools closed during the lockdown there has been an increase in demand for educational toys and games with parents being forced to introduce home schooling in many instances. Products such as construction toys and arts and crafts are also seen as a good way to entertain children for a longer period of time.

Recovery and opportunities

China has already started to come out of its lockdown with stores and schools reopening and consumers returning to work, albeit while still following social distancing guidelines. There is expected to be a boom in sales during China’s seasonal holidays in the second half of 2020, with some people likely to look to make up for the disruption caused to Chinese New Year and other celebrations and festivities.

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