Throughout January, the Featuring… specials from LicensingSource.net shone the spotlight on licensed toys and games.
Figures revealed by The NPD Group at London’s Toy Fair show that licensed toys grew for the fourth consecutive year in 2022 – up by 5.5% – and now account for 31% of the market, the highest ever share.
2022 saw the top toy properties going to the classics Star Wars, Marvel Universe and Barbie, while the fastest growing went to Squishmallows and Jurassic World.
NPD also said that 2023 is set to be “a strong licensing year”.
“New licensed properties like Gabby’s Dollhouse and classics like Star Wars drove major sales throughout 2022,” commented Melissa Symonds, executive director, UK toys at The NPD Group. “With Disney celebrating their 100th anniversary and movie releases such as Barbie, Transformers and Super Mario, 2023 looks set to be another good year for licensed toys, an instrumental part of the UK toy industry.”
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