It’s been an energetic two weeks pounding the conference halls in London and Nuremberg at this year’s Toy Fairs. We had our coffee lounge in London making it our 3rd year hosting, were up on stage in Nuremberg, and hosted two dinners for our brilliant clients. Connecting with contacts and meeting new people has been amazing. Toy Fair is a unique event that showcases the latest and greatest in the toy industry but there’s a lot to take in. In this article we round up the top trends from across the two Toy Fairs
Nostalgia
Walking around the Toy Fair, you could be forgiven for thinking it was the year 2000. As with fashion, movies, gaming and music the toy industry is also experiencing a healthy dose of nostalgia. There were Tellytubbies, Care Bears, Sonic, Yu Gi Oh and even Mr Chips (the mascot of cult British TV gameshow, Catchphrase, which first aired in 1986). This highlights two things: that the well timed release of a product that sparks a parent’s own childhood memories can be extremely lucrative; and how difficult it is to make a brand new product successful. Nostalgia is also very closely linked to the kidult category. It’s a category that has been growing fast and we’ve been hearing word that it is now bigger than preschool for many toy brands, in part because the average price point is much higher.
There was another mascot from an 80s TV show with a presence at London Toy Fair. Bully of the darts-themed British TV show Bullseye was on several Bully-branded products, which leads us on to our next trend…
Darts
A few weeks ago Sky completed a £125m deal to broadcast darts for the next five years, more than double what they paid for their previous deal. A game that is typically played in pubs has spread far beyond its origins. In May last year I was lucky enough to see darts at the iconic Madison Square Garden, who would’ve predicted that 20 years ago? And who would’ve predicted that the next time I would see Luke Littler, the British teenage darts sensation, it would be at the London Toy Fair? Not me. But here he was, on the day after his 18th birthday launching his own product range, created in collaboration with Target Darts. A fervent crowd at least five people deep gathered to catch a glimpse of the boy wonder. To say this was the biggest moment at the London Toy Fair would be an understatement. Perhaps in ten years time, there will be a raft of budding young darts players, all inspired by the “Luke The Nuke” branded darts board they received for Christmas in 2025…
Sustainability
There were more B corps, more wooden toys and more “plastic free” toys than any of the previous Toy Fairs. It’s often some of the smaller brands that are really pushing innovation in this area. Big Potato, are a certified B corp and were drawing the crowds with their standout branding and eyecatching games, like the cheeky “Chicken vs Hotdog”. 8th Wonder has been creating sustainable toys for 25 years, and it’s always interesting to see how big licensed IPs like Bluey, Peppa Pig and even Barbie can be made into wooden toys. Keel Toys were showcasing their range of recycled plushies, and similar to a B corp, their corporate social responsibility extends beyond the environment to protecting workers rights.
Crafting
Painting, crocheting, drawing, beading, stickering; crafting, there was plenty of it at both Toy Fairs. I thought this could be a case of “frequency illusion” as I’d made several trips past the prominent and excellent stand from crafting pioneers Galt. However, a quick look at Google Trends reveals that global searches for the term “kids crochet” were up a massive 35% between December 2023 and December 2024. In fact, even searches for the term “kids art set” was up 25% over the same period.
A special thank you to all of the people who participated in giving us their opinions on the major trends, challenges and opportunities at Toy Fair. We wish all of our partners a strong 2024, there is much to look forward to!