Toy Association Gives Toy Trend Update at International Kids Licensing Day

June 24, 2021 | The Toy Association, which continually tracks what’s happening in the toy business and in parallel industries to uncover the hottest trends shaping how children play, recently participated as a panelist at International Kids Licensing Day.

The virtual, day-long conference, curated by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in partnership with Licensing Magazine, explored trends, tools, and insights to help licensing professionals and buyers succeed in the youth entertainment space.

Kristin Morency Goldman, The Toy Association’s senior communications specialist, participated in a discussion that provided an overview of global toy trends for buyers and licensing professionals. She relayed The Toy Association’s top trends of 2021, how the toy industry pivoted in 2020 to meet consumer demand for toys, and the trends play professionals need to know to set themselves up for success in a post-pandemic world.

“As the world continues to reopen and people resume their regular daily lives, we’re seeing a resurgence of fidget and tactile toys that offer a moment of zen in a busy day, impulse purchases of lower-priced toys found in the checkout line, and a rise in popularity of toys that teach social-emotional wellness as a direct result of the pandemic, which brought upon a shift in people finding more time to prioritize self-care,” said Goldman.

The growing kidult toy market, also fueled by the pandemic, and the increasing significance of toys that promote “socially conscious play” were a part of the discussion as well.

“The bulk of parents right now are millennials and yes, the sustainability and social topics are important to this generation, but as we see Gen Z becoming parents these issues will be even more paramount and will absolutely be impacting toys and family lifestyles,” added Goldman.

Additional topics covered during the conference included Insights into European Licensing (presented by Kidz Global, Italy); Branded E-Commerce (Planeta Junior, Spain and Acamar Films, UK); Toys, Content & Licensing (Hasbro, Spain); Digital Licensing (Wildbrain Spark, UK); Post-Pandemic Children’s Habits (The Insights Family, UK); and Kid Influencers (The Retail Monster, U.S.).

The full conference is available on-demand through July 31.

More information about The Toy Association’s toy & play trends and associated activities can be found at ToyAssociation.org/trends.