Traditional Toys and Games Licensing in Western Europe

Top five licenses for young children 5-year outlook

Star Wars

Star Wars saw declines in Western Europe in 2017, a result of both a slowing total traditional toy market, and likely unfavourable comparison sales to 2016, which saw an overhang of demand from the 2015 release of Star Wars The Force Awakens. While continued movies and other media will help Star Wars remain prominent to 2022, the early brand fatigue may suggest a limit to its influence without more innovative movies and toys to drive demand.

PJ Masks

While PJ Masks originally aired in the US, the property is actually based on a French series of books, which may be part of the reason the show has been able to resonate so well in the US and Western Europe. As the show is only reaching its second season in 2018, it is likely that the brand may only grow in importance through to 2022, as its audience expands.

Disney Princess/Frozen

Although Disney Princess and Frozen saw declines in Western Europe in 2017, the brand has proven very resilient, and will likely see a large increase in 2019 off a new Frozen movie, as well as a variety of princess-oriented films likely to come out.

Paw Patrol

Paw Patrol has done well within the Western European market, as it has a strong backing of media content along with a variety of toys. As the brand consistently tops sales each year, Paw Patrol will likely remain influential, although the loss of Toys “R” Us may impact sales for the brand, particularly in the UK.

Cars

Despite an extended period between film releases, Cars remained a popular brand within Western Europe. The 2017 release of Cars 3 also caused a reversal of years of decline, although the modest overall growth suggests that without a major push of new media content, Cars will likely become gradually less relevant through 2022.