Summary of our market study

The global toy market, valued at $104.2 billion in 2021, is expected to grow to $249.6 billion by 2027 with a 19.0% CAGR from 2022-2027. The USA's toy market contributes significantly to this, reaching $34.27 billion in 2021 and projected to grow to $46.18 billion by 2027. The industry's evolution in the US is primarily driven by an increasing birth rate and higher disposable income, with parents compensating for time away from their children with toy purchases. In 2021 alone, approximately 3 billion toys were sold in the US, generating $38.2 billion in retail sales and a 14.2% increase from the previous year. Demographic trends, including the average age of maternity rising to 30 years by 2022 and a steady newborn rate, reflect that older parents have more financial resources to spend on toys.

This is also influenced by a high divorce rate, essentially doubling the opportunities for children to receive toys. Additionally, seasonal factors like weather and holidays significantly impact sales, with Q4 marking the peak due to holiday shopping, as 70% of toy and game market revenue comes during this period. In terms of production, there were 489 toy manufacturing firms in the US in 2020, employing 5,800 people, albeit representing a slight decline from previous years. The distribution landscape has been shifting towards online sales, which is the preferred shopping method for the majority of parents, followed by purchases made in department stores and toy stores. Walmart, Amazon, and Target are the leading retailers where customers frequently shop for toys, with outdoor and sports toys being the highest-selling category.

Navigating the Dynamic Landscape of the U.S. Toy Market

The U.S. toy market is a continuously evolving arena bound by the whims and purchasing powers of American families. At its core, the market's vitality is tightly interwoven with demographic dynamics, such as birth rates and household incomes. Despite a fairly stable birth rate, with births hovering between 3.5 and 4 million per year, the average age of new mothers has climbed, indicating older parents typically have more financial resources. Consequently, older parents appear more amenable to higher spending on toys, a trend reinforced by the rising number of divorces, which seems to lead separated parents to compete through gift-giving. Income is also a critical driver, with families with children earning an average annual income between $70,000 and $80,000. Over the span of six years, this figure rose by over 10%, thus increasing the disposable income available for children's toys. Additionally, family sizes in the U.S. average at about three members, though this number is somewhat higher in states like Utah and lower in Maine. Such variables shape the demand for toys, balancing fewer customers with extensive resources against greater competition in the industry. Moreover, the toy industry in the U.S. exhibits a pronounced seasonal character, with a substantial portion of sales occurring during the holiday season, notably in the closing months of the year.

Remarkably, sales can surge by over 60% around November and December. The seasonality is attributed to factors like weather, affecting the choice between indoor and outdoor toys, and holidays, with Christmas playing a pivotal role. When it comes to toy preferences, American parents lean towards electronic toys, video games, toy vehicles, and art toys, often guided by their child's interests and bolstered by reliable online reviews, recommendations from their social circle, and enticing marketing initiatives. The market landscape also includes a notable trend towards inclusivity and a resurgence in traditional toy types like construction sets, dolls, and board games. This change in trend was likely triggered by changing societal norms and a need for more at-home activities during the pandemic. In terms of production, the U.S. is witnessing a gradual decrease in the number of toy manufacturers, dropping to just under 500 firms employing around 6,000 people. Distribution patterns reflect a digital shift, with online purchases reigning supreme, although big-box retailers and department stores continue to play a significant role in the industry. Lastly, the U.S. toy market is not immune to global economic currents, as seen.

Leading Innovators and Icons in the Toy Industry

The toy industry is graced with a repertoire of brands that have not only achieved household name status but have also played crucial roles in shaping childhood experiences across the globe. These brands have set industry benchmarks through creativity, inclusivity, and technological advancements, making a lasting impact on both the market and consumer behavior.

  • Mattel : A titan in the toy manufacturing world, Mattel has gifted generations with timeless treasures. Barbie, a flagship product, pioneered the fashion doll segment and has evolved over the years to symbolize empowerment and inclusion. Mattel's Hot Wheels has fueled the imaginations of children, adding a sense of speed and design to playtime with its detailed die-cast cars. Under its umbrella, UNO continues to be a family favorite, engaging all ages in strategic fun.
  • Hasbro : Another colossal player, Hasbro, has captured the hearts of many with a range of action figures and beloved franchises such as My Little Pony and Transformers. They stand testament to Hasbro's expertise in not only creating engaging play experiences but also branching into multimedia storytelling, thereby widening its influence.
  • LEGO : LEGO's interlocking plastic bricks have built a legacy of creativity and construction, offering both children and adults a platform to visualize and create. With a robust catalogue featuring themed sets to appeal to a wide array of interests, LEGO's educational edge also exemplifies how play can be both fun and developmental.
  • Fisher-Price : Fisher-Price has established itself as a pioneer in designing toys for infants and young children, recognizing the significant role of play in early development. Their product range is vast and includes much-loved Little People playsets which invite young minds into a world of imaginative play with educational undertones.
  • MGA Entertainment : Home to the Bratz Dolls that have become a cultural phenomenon, MGA Entertainment has carved out a niche for itself in the fashion doll market. The brand's ability to tap into contemporary fashion and youth culture has garnered a loyal following and challenged norms within the traditional toy landscape.
  • Bandai Namco : Renowned for its contributions to the world of anime and video games, Bandai Namco has immortalized characters from narratives like Dragon Ball, bringing them from screen to tangible play with a wide-ranging lineup of merchandise.

Each of these companies has contributed uniquely to the global toy market, fostering a diverse and interactive landscape for the child in everyone. Through continued innovation, commitment to quality, and understanding of market trends, these main players consistently stay at

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Summary and extracts

1 Synthèse du marché

1.2 Introduction

Toy is defined as an object, often a small representation of something familiar, as an animal or person, for children or others to play with. Children’s products pertain to consumer products which are designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.This market will take in consideration the producion and retail of them in the USA. 

Perceived to hone the early cognitive development and creativity of children during playtime, toy products – ranging from vast categories of action figures, arts and crafts, battling toys, collectible toys, costume and dress up dolls, mini playsets, educational toys, games and puzzle, infant toys, models, musical instruments, outdoor seasonal toys, sports toys, ride-ons, powered vehicles, to youth electronics (such as robotics or drones) – continue to be high-demand products among parents and kids alike.

The world market was valued 104.2 billions of dollar in 2021 and it projected to grow with up to $230.64 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 7.30% in the forecast period, 2021-2028. China has been the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of children’s products and toys for a few decades, accounting for almost 80% of the global toy supply. 

The toys market in the USA is worth 34.27 billions dollar in 2021 and it is projected to grow up to 46.18 billions dollars in 2027. The toy industry has been evolving for years and is experiencing exponential enlargement in the United States. This growth is primarily due to increasing birth rate and the high disposable income among its citizens. Thus, a growing number of dual-income households have both parents working tend to equate their absence with many toys and gifts for their kids while they are with their nannies. 

The demand for toys has risen in the United States due to concern over the safety of the raw materials utilized in building toys. Parents and educators gradually pick green toys made of eco-friendly natural fabrics like clay, wood, plastic, etc. The USA is the birth place of many well- known toys brand such as Fisher-Price, Barbie, Nerf and Hasbro that are sold all over the world. 

1.2 Global market

The global toys market reached a value of US$ ***.* Billion in **** and the market is expected to reach a value of US$ ***.* Billion by **** exhibiting a CAGR of **.*% during ****-****. 

Global toys market value World, ****-****, billions of $ Fonte: Toyassociation, Imarc

By value, the world’s top * most lucrative exporters for all types of toys are mainland China, which exports ** times longer than the second country, Germany, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Collectively, that cohort of leading toy suppliers generated just over three-quarters (***) of global export sales for toys on global markets during ****. 

Exported value of toys World, ****, billions of dollars Source: ****

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing exporters of all toys since **** were: Vietnam (***).

There are few important Brand and toys producers that are know all over the world for their products, some of them are very iconical and have been known world wide, like the Barbie Doll, and become a symbol of globalization.

The ones that made more money in **** were MGA, the company that produce Bratz Dolls and their movies, Lego, the company that produces the famous construcion blocks, and Bandai Namco, the company that produces  Anime-themed games like the ones from Dragonball Saga. Note that some ...

1.3 USA Market

The toy industry is a powerful economic engine helping to fuel the U.S. economy. The toy industry’s annual total economic impact in the U.S. is $***.* billion (***) each year.

U.S. market size for the total toy industry for **** is approximately $**.* billion, representing a **.*% increase vs **** according to The NPD Group/Checkout/US. The market has steadilyincreased from **** by **% in two years. 

Toys market value USA, ****-****, billions of dollar, % Source: ****

The most sold toys are Outdoor&Sports toys, *.** billions, followed by Dolls, *.** billions, and Preschool toys, *.** billions.  

Selling of toys by category USA, ****, billions of dollars Source: ****

The State that has the bigger economical impact and where more job are generated is California Note that these are the total job generated by the industry so they are not the ones generated only by the production of toys, which will be seen in section *. 

Source: ****

Import & Export

As said it before, the USA is the *th country for exportation of toys in the world. 

From **** to **** the number of imports have been gradually increased, in particular, from **** to **** , it has increased by **%, while it has been increased by **% from **** to ****. The export have been stable, around * billions dollars. As the coverage rate is always lower than *, it means that the exports of the USA can not cover the import of toys in the country.  

Import Vs export of toys in the USA USA, ****- ****, billions of dollars, % Source: UNComtrade Code : **

Country USA imports the majority of toys USA, ****, % Source: UNComtrade Code: **

Country USA exports the majority of toys USA, ****, % Source: UNComtrade Code: **

2 Analyse de la demande

2.1 Demand that depends on demographics

The market of toys strongly depends on the demographics of a country and the purchase power of the parents. 

In the USA the number of newborn has been kept constant,with in between *.* and *.* babies born every year. The most fertile year has been the **** with *.** millions and it has also been the year with the highest percentage of baby born compared top the total population. 

Newborns compared to population USA, ****-****, thousands of people Source: ****

Besides the newborn rate, the slice of the population that buys toys, according to the The Toys Association, is the one made by kids between * and ** years old. The population of kids *-** are projected at **.* million in ****, representing **.*% of the U.S population. By **** kids *-** are projected at **.* million, representing **.*% of the population.

Population Projection Kids *-** USA, ****-****, millions, percentage

Another data that has to be taken in consideration when looking at the market of toys is the age of the kids' parents, linked to the avarage age of woman giving birth. 

Avarage age of woman when giving birth USA, ****-****, unit Source: ****

According to the NY Times Magazine, the average age of maternity has risen from **.* years in **** to **.* years in ...

2.2 Seasonal market

The market of toys is highly seasonal, especially the sales increases during the holiday season. 

The first seasonal factor affecting toys and games is the weather in each season. The weather will affect the percentage of indoor vs outdoor products that are sold.Outdoor toys and games will be sold during summer (***) because summer toys and games usually need to be played outside in nice weather. Depending on how long each season lasts, this could mean that the window of opportunity to sell outdoor products is relatively small, especially in locations with colder average temperatures. This can also be seen on Google Trends checking for the phrase "Outdoor toys". As it is possibile to see, the number of researches in the USA increase during the months of April and May when the weather starts to gert better. 

Number of researches on Google of the word "Outdoor toy" USA, ****-****, number Source: ****

The second seasonal factor that affects toys and games are holidays and national/global events, such as Christmas. Around **% of the toy and game markets revenue comes during the holiday season, which is Q*. Parents love to shower their kids with toys and games for the holidays and even if ...

2.3 Toys facts in the U.S.A.

According to the research made by Premium Joys, children in the US plays on average with * to ** toys according to their parents, so children don’t seem to need as many toys as we may think. The majority of US kids (***) play with a maximum of ** toys out of their whole collection, then, there are **% of kids that play with **-** toys and **% that engage with **-** toys and nd only two in ** children require ** toys or more.

Number of toys children play with USA, ****, percentage

Even though they don't need many toys, american parents buy their children on average * to ** new toys per year. Over two thirds of parents in the US buy between *-** toys for their child per year. Only one in ** parents buy ** toys or more yearly for their kid.On average, parents purchase around ** toys for their kid per year.

Number of toys parents buy to their children every year USA, ****, percentage

According to the research the type of toys that they buy the most are Electronic toys, **.*%, Video Games, **.*%, Toy Veichles, **.*% and Art Toys, **.*%. The toys that are least bought by parents are board/card games and toy guns (***).

Types of Children Toys That Parents ...

2.4 Latest trends

INCLUSIVE TOYS

According to the research comnducted by Mintel,  nearly * in ** parents say they worry about the world their kids are growing up in. Parents hoping to find toys that children want — and reflect the diversity of humans — will find more choices than ever.  More and more companies are trying to make little changes to make their toys more inclusive.

Toy makers have made strides in becoming more inclusive, especially Barbie, long-criticized for holding girls to an unrealistic ideal of the female body.  In the last year, Barbie's parent-company Mattel has caught up with independent doll makers and introduced a more diverse collection of dolls. 

Other toys companies also have given parents options that go beyond "his" or "hers." 

"They always say the toy industry is a trend industry and hopefully it’s not a trend," said Jackie Breyer, editorial director for Toy Insider. "But society is much more aware of inclusivity and it's becoming more more pervasive among everyone to be more aware of including everyone. And toys are following suit." 

Other important toys that are currently under a restyle are: 

Gender-neutral Barbie, the doll gets a restyle to become gender-neutral UNO Braille, specifc for blind people  Wonder Crew ...

3 Structure du marché

3.1 Value Chain

3.2 Production

According to the United Sates Census, in ****, the number of firms with the NACIS ***** "Doll, Toy and Game Manufacturing" was *** and was employing **** people. 

The number of firms has been slightly descresed since **** by -*.*%. going from *** firms to ***. 

Number of toys manufactures in the USA USA, ****-****, number Source: ****

As expected also the number of employees in this secotr has been decreasing by *.*%, with a drop from ****-**** by *.*%. 

Number employees of toys manufactures industry in the USA USA, ****-****, number Source: ****

The majority of the them are small factories with less than * employees, ***, followed by ** firms with *-* employees and only * big firms with in between *** adn *** employees. 

Firms by number of employees USA; ****, percentage Source: ****

The most valuable toys brands in the USA  in **** are : 

Source: ****

3.3 Distribution

The distribution of toys can happen through big retailers store, small family retails or even big supercenter, like Target. In between the specialized retailers it is possible to find brand-ones, like American Girl that resells its own product, the American Girl doll, or general ones, like Toys R Us. 

According to the study made by the Statista Consumer Insights, the majority of parents buy their toys online. The study takes in consideration parents from ** to ** years old who have children below ** years old in their household. The online sales are followed by stores, **%, department stores, **%, and toys stores, **%. 

Where US parents do buy toys USA, ****, percentage Source: ****

The number of retailers identified with the NAICS ******  "Hobby, Toys and Game stores" was **** in **** and was giving a job to ****** employees. The number of establishments has slowly decreased from **** to **** by *.*%.

Number of toys retailers in the USA USA, ****-****, number Source: ****

The number of employees had followed the same trend, but it decreased faster compare to the number of firms, loosing **% of the employees in * years. 

Number employees of toys retailer industry in the USA USA, ****-****, number Source: ****

The favorite retails stores for buying toys are Walmart, chosen by **.*% of people, ...

4 Analyse de l'offre

4.1 Types of toys

Source: ****

4.2 Prices & expense

The variety of products is reflected also in their prices, which can vary for couples of dollars to thousands, depending on the type of toys, the brand of it, if it is a limited edition etc... 

To give an idea about the prices, following are reported the prices of the toys of Amazon as it is one of the most popular places in the USA to buy them : 

  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for toys are **.**% lower in **** versus **** (***). Between **** and ****: Toys experienced an average inflation rate of -*.**% per year. In other words, toys costing $** in the year **** would cost $*.** in **** for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of *.**% during this same period, inflation for toys was significantly lower.

Price inflation for toys USA, ****-****, Percentage Source: ****

It is possible to see that inflation is actually kicking on toys by looking at the Toy Inflation Survey of **** that interview toys retailers: **% admit that they had increased their prices in **** by ** to ** %. 

Retailers' answer to the question "Have you increased prices in ****?" USA, ****, percentage Source: ****

Price increase USA, ****, percentage Source: ****

According to the Toy Industry Association, the average American child receives more ...

5 Règlementation

5.1 Regulation

PRODUCTION

All toys intended for use by children ** years of age and under must be third party tested and be certified in a Children’s Product Certificate as compliant to the federal toy safety standard enacted by Congress, and to other applicable requirements as well.

From initial toy concept to final product for sale at retail, safety is built into every toy during every step of the production process. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission consistently ranks toys among the safest of ** consumer product categories found in the home.

U.S. toymakers follow a mandatory set of safety rules and regulations under ASTM F*** – Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, created under ASTM International. The standard was last revised in ****.

This standard specify the safety requirements the toys has to respect. It takes in consideration the material the toys is made of, the toxicology and chemical substance that are allowed to use on toys, the quality, the age limits and the flammability of it. Then the standard has specific parts for the different types of toys like sound producing toys, balloons, balls etc and the specific requirements for each one of them. For example, there is a part that ...

6 Positionnement des acteurs

6.1 Market segments

  • Target
  • Walmart
  • Mattel
  • MGA Entertainment
  • Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Fisher Price
  • Hot Wheels
  • Barbie
  • Toy R Us
  • Lego

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