The Javits Center hosted the 114th International Toy Fair over Presidents’ Day weekend, with 1100 exhibitors and an estimated 30,000 attendees. In 2016 U.S. toy sales grew 5% and are estimated to be $26 billion for the year, so the mood was upbeat.
Numerous mainstream publishers were on hand, including HarperCollins, Macmillan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Chronicle, Sourcebooks, and Highlights for Children, which is launching a new line of educational workbooks that ships next month. Sterling had books displayed as well as its expanding gift line, which includes a new Emma Bridgewater line of paper goods. Quarto’s large booth featured its new acquisition, SmartLab, and its newest employee, Diane Naughton, now Quarto’s Director of Marketing for Children’s. She mentioned that the Walter Foster title Adventures in Lettering is a very successful alternative to coloring books (though Quarto publishes plenty of those too).
Nevertheless, everyone, it seems, is still cashing in on the coloring book craze, with close to fifty companies listed (only forty are listed under “Books” in the fair guide). Bendon Inc., which has both Star Wars and Marvel licenses, says that while those coloring books do extremely well, Coloring the 60s is at the top of adult bestsellers. Fox Chapel has a catalog of hundreds of coloring books that range from Bible journaling to animal coloring books to seasonal collections.
Meanwhile Toy Fair puts out its own list of trends for 2017, and they include:
- Collectibles
Posting 33% growth with $1.8B in sales in 2016, they are expected to maintain their popularity in 2017. This trend includes basic and affordable collectibles, collectibles that have multiple play functions, as well as some higher-priced licensed collectibles for avid collectors. There were shelves upon shelves of action figures at the Fair.
- Up & Active
Toys that encourage kids to get up and move – both indoors and outdoors – are on the rise – with large courts set up around the fair for demos. The trend includes tech toys that weave in active components, traditional games that incorporate physical activity, and digital toys that foster face-to-face play.
- Technology Trends
This year there is a surge in augmented and virtual reality toys, drones (also promoted as a way to exercise), virtual pets, robotics, and more. Toymakers are trying to leverage technology to enhance traditional play patterns rather than replace them. One interesting variation on this was Moonlite, a company that has a View-Master-like gizmo that attaches to your smartphone and projects pictures from a storybook. The parent reads along as she clicks on the next picture. The founder, Natalie Rebot, was at Google, and the company just raised $350k on Kickstarter. They are in talks with publishers to license more picture books.
- Classic
Last year, games/puzzles and dolls were among the fastest growing toy categories tracked by the NPD Group. Low or no-tech toys with retro and classic styling and materials (like wood) are expected to do well this year. Music in the form of retro radios, classic instruments and karaoke seemed more in evidence this year.
- Movie tie-ins
Licensing about 30% of total U.S. toy sales, and 2017 promises a wave of licensing opportunities, from two LEGO movies (Batman and Ninjago) to Cars 3, Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Beauty and the Beast.
- Edutainment: STEAM to STREAM
The trend in educational toys that teach kids important concepts like Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) will now have Robotics incorporated into the trend – transforming STEAM to STREAM. And there are the important staples of puzzles, memory games, building blocks, stacking toys, and other playthings that teach critical skills like problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking, which were very much in evidence throughout the Fair.
Perhaps because of the pervasiveness of coloring books, an increase in parents’ interest in educational entertainment for their kids, or (and) a desire to keep a strong presence in the gift market channels, there seemed to be more publishers with more booth space at this year’s Toy Fair. And better yet — several said they were taking orders on the floor from both indie and big box stores. Look for a bustling 2017, and an even bigger Toy Fair presence in 2018.
