Licensed Toys Have Fueled Toy Market Growth in the Country

Port Washington, NY, December 7, 2022 – According to The NPD Group, e-commerce sales for licensed toys in China increased by 6% in the third quarter (July – September) of 2022 versus the same period last year.

Due to this year’s warm weather, pools and water blasters became two of the top-gaining toy classes, up 48% and 129%, respectively. Also, as children spent more time staying at home due to the pandemic, educational toys were favored by parents, with classes like electronic learning, brainteasers, and scientific toys experiencing double-digit growth.

In China’s toys licensing market, Disney was the biggest licensor in terms of overall sales, and the top-gaining licensor in the third quarter, followed by Warner and Nintendo. Harry Potter and Batman contributed the most to Warner’s growth while Super Mario Brothers help to drive growth for Nintendo.

Chinese cartoon IP Super JoJo was one of the fastest-growing licenses, especially in Infant/Toddler/Preschool toys. The Japanese license Sanrio Characters also saw significant growth from last year, which was mainly driven by its Toptoy and Miniso blind boxes, and Keeppley building sets products.

Automobile licenses are becoming increasingly important in China’s toy market, accounting for 25% of licensed toy share in the third quarter. Building sets, which increased 15%, were the best performing category for automobile licenses, including Porsche, Ferrari, and BMW.

The top 5 gaining licenses in the third quarter were Disney, Toy Story, Porsche, BMW, and Super JoJo.