The pandemic that started in 2020 has changed many things. These are from our lifestyle to the way we work... One of the things that changed was the consumers' shopping habits. That includes their impact on brands in different industries as well. The effects of Covid-19 were not felt equally across industries. The toy industry, which is one of the lucky sectors, also experienced an unprecedented rise. Thus, it became one of the most profitable industries of this period.

Suspension of education, distance education, curfews, working conditions from home, cancelled holidays… All these caused toy manufacturers to become more popular. Thus the toy industry's market share increase. Because families started to spend more time at home than ever before. They even spent more money on domestic entertainment since the outdoor activities were cancelled. We can look at this growth from the perspective of J. Lennet, the Vice President of the market research firm NPD Group. Lennet says: “The growth we see in the toy industry shows that parents are willing to put their children's happiness above all else. That's why families turn to toys to help keep their kids engaged. As well as active, and happy in difficult times. Simply put, toys are a big part of the happiness equation.

Moreover, according to the researches of the NPD Group; toy sales in the USA increased by 16% in 2020 compared to 2019. And reached up to $ 25.1 billion. In this growth in the sector; puzzles lead with 37% growth, followed by outdoor sports and toy products (27% increase), construction sets (14%), arts and crafts sets (11%) and exploration toys (1%).

Toy Industry and the Situation in Turkey 

One of the important shopping platforms of our country has made special research for toy category products. The research concludes that toys have been in great demand since the beginning of the pandemic. Because toys are not just for fun and enhancing the time spent at home. It also provides healthy emotional support and well-being in times of stress and uncertainty. In addition, the growing "childhood" trend has been fueled by the epidemic. Adults also turned to toys to bring some joy and fun to their lives. Toys and games are an escape route for adults.

4 million toys were demanded in the 2020 announcement by a major Turkish e-commerce site. This fact strongly supports this theory. Among the most popular ones are Lego, battery-powered vehicles, first age toys, figures and dolls. For instance, the most searched words in this category in the media are toy car, Barbie, Elsa, robot, unicorn, sound toy, educational toy, Hot Wheels, Lego and play dough.

Similarly, the opinions of Esin Yürür, President of the Toy Manufacturers Association (OYDER), are parallel to the research given above. Mrs Yürür says; "We have determined that there is a tendency towards educational toys and puzzle-type toys. The whole family can play together due to the fact that children stay at home. A very significant acceleration has been observed in online sales.".

Trends of 2021 

Increasing concerns, interrupted education in 2021 show the rise will continue in the toy industry. The trends that will be at the forefront of this rise in 2021 are;

1. Licensed Toys

Statistics based on early 2021 show that toys related to movie characters have increased by 19 percent in revenue compared to 2019. Non-movie toys, on the other hand, saw only single-digit increases. The brand that has benefited the most from this trend is undoubtedly Disney.

At the same time, toy industry experts do not expect the sales figures of licensed toys from movies and TV shows to slow in 2021. Because even if theatres and cinemas remain closed, digital TV platforms are on the rise.

2. Nostalgic Toys 

After 2021, nostalgic toys are expected to become popular due to the comfort, sensuality and trust they bring to parents. Among these, dump trucks, cute bears, puppets are the first to come to mind. In fact, the famous brand Fisher-Price, powered by this trend, launched a virtual museum with the concept of nostalgic toys on Instagram. The page publishes cute toy pictures for every decade in the company's history. Thus, it directs the parents to buy.

3. Environment-Friendly Toys

Plastic wastes and non-recyclable materials are an issue in the toy industry. Considering that most of the target audience is children, this issue becomes even more important. Parents, whose awareness has increased especially due to reasons such as climate crisis and pandemic, turn to recyclable and environment-friendly toys in their toy preferences. As a result, toy manufacturers are now removing plastic from their products. It also makes thrown toys safer for the environment.

4. Educational Toys and Puzzles 

Working from home and acting as their child's teacher is difficult for many. Many toy companies created products that will be the saviour of parents during the pandemic. For example; science-discovery sets, language learning toys, traditional painting, matching books, art sets, toys that support sensory education.

The sales of puzzles grew by 3 times during the pandemic period. In conclusion, it seems that in 2021, those who want to make good use of the time spent at home, relieve stress and have a family activity will continue to prefer puzzles.

You can also exhibit your licensed products, training sets and toys by booking a stand international meeting point of the child products industry, CBME Turkey.