1 Percent Increase Toy Sales

NPD Group, a market research firm, reported a 1 percent growth in the licensed toy industry in the first quarter. NPD Group industry analyst Anita Frazier stated that licensing is a crucial feature for the toy industry. “The average retail selling price of a licensed toy was nearly 50 percent larger than that of unlicensed toys in the first quarter,” she said, “showing the premium a toy can generate by being associated with a child’s favorite character or property.” She went on to discuss how licenses are very gender specific and that the licenses with the top growth were mainly geared to boys. The top five properties for quarter one were (in no particular order): Barbie, Crayola, Cars: The Movie, Star Wars and Hot Wheels. The five licenses with the most growth were Angry Birds, Cars: The Movie, Hello Kitty & Friends, Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars. The top five traditional toy licenses were: Toy Story, Thomas & Friends, Star Wars, Disney Princesses and Cars: The Movie.