Toys & Games
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| Playthings |
The Toys & Games industry includes dolls and stuffed toys, tricycles, puppets, board and family games, children's vehicles, toy musical instruments, hobby goods and supplies, skateboards, scooters, tricycles, models, radio-controlled vehicles, toy guns, electronic games (e.g., Gameboy) and action figures. Pre-packaged software video games are not included here, but can be found instead in the Video Games & DVD spotlight.
The International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) is a London-based organization comprised of several national toy associations. The site includes statistical reports for 3 years. Each report contains global and regional toy sales. Sales by channel of distribution and by product category are available as well. Additional figures include sales by child population and average expenditure per child. Also look for ICTI's code of business practices, association news releases and industry statements. GAMA or the Game Manufacturers Association is an international body of more than 300 companies involved in the design and distribution of strategy, rollplaying, card, board, and family games. The site includes some links to industry news, a monthly GAMA newsletter, and a directory of retail members. The International Toy Center (ITC) operates as something akin to a permanent trade show/wholesale market. The center operates out of a building located in New York City. The site provides a list of tenants and exhibitors as well as leasing space information, a calendar of industry events, and links to industry trade associations and publications.
The Toy Industry Association (TIA) is the voice of the U.S. toy manufacturing industry. TIA, along with the U.S. government, has developed voluntary standards for the industry. Check out TIA's online library for industry statistics, where you'll find annual sales data for action figures, dolls, vehicles, games, puzzles, and more. Additional highlights include industry statements, TIA articles, a 40-page toy industry fact book, and several other publications. Detailed trade show information is provided as well. The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) maintains a directory of toy manufacturers with complete address information. The association is open to manufacturers as well as retailers.
Two regional U.S. associations are the Toy Association of Southern California (TASC) and the Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association (WTHRA). TASC is a Los Angeles-based organization, which lists Mattel, the world's largest toy company, as one of its members. The site provides some basic facts as they relate to toy manufacturers in southern California (e.g., employment and sales figures) as well as past editions of a TASC newsletter and downloadable articles, written by consultants, attorneys, and newspaper columnists. The Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association is responsible for the Western States Toy & Hobby Show, which, according to the site, is the association's sole responsibility. Annual show dates are provided, along with a list of members and a nice list of industry links.
ULTRA is the United League Toy Representatives Association, representing toy manufacturers in New York and New Jersey. The site includes some upcoming industry event information as well as some industry links and a membership application. The Hobby Industry Association (HIA) is a New Jersey-based organization representing craft and hobby products' manufacturers. Check out the 'Research' section for downloadable demographic reports (e.g., The Impact of Hispanic Crafters on the U.S. Craft Industry) as well as usage and purchases' studies, and other papers. Also have a look at HIA's consumer site - I-craft - where you'll find some good statistical data for hobbies and crafts in the U.S. The Naional Retail Hobby Stores Association (NRHSA) caters to the retail aspect of the hobby sector. Look for a list of manufacturers, a searchable database of hobby stores, and a hobby shop owner's guide. Three additional hobby-related associations in the U.S. include: The Radio Control Hobby Trade Association (RCHTA), the Model Railroad Industry Association (MRIA), and the National Model Railroad Association.
The Canadian Toy Association (CTA) represents manufacturers and distributors of toys, games and seasonal products throughout Canada. Look for an industry forecast in the press releases' area as well as safety data, import and export facts, and industry links.
Two organizations representing Europe's toy industry are the Toy Traders of Europe (TTE) and the Toy Industries of Europe (TIE). TIE has the better of the two sites. You'll find historical worldwide toy industry facts and figures as well as statistics for Europe, back issues of an association newsletter, and current as well as archived press releases. The Toy Traders' site features European toy events' details and downloadable informational brochures.
The British Association of Toy Retailer's (BATR) site contains some excellent historical sales figures. Click on the 'Marketing' link and you'll see total sales figures for the UK sector, sales by outlet (e.g., toy shop, mail order, department store, etc.), sales by category (e.g., dolls, games, vehicles, etc.), and top 10 factors people consider important when buying toys. The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) offers a toy safety guide, press releases, members' and products' directories, and several free publications.
The Asia-Pacific region has several national associations, each of which has a presence on the Web. The Japan Toy Association site contains limited data on the English version, however, you will find contact details, number of members and related information. The Thailand Toy Industry Association (TTIA) offers a members' directory, broken down by types of toys (e.g., fabric plush, metal, plastic, wood, etc) as well as worldwide trade fair dates. If you're looking for historical statistics (1996-1998) from Taiwan have a look at the Taiwan Toy Manufacturers Association (TTMA). You'll also find historical export data, product trends, and government actions/proposals. The Australian Toy Association (ATA) contains a significant amount of toy safety data as well as industry statements (e.g., what's hot for Christmas 2003), toy standards, and a nice 'top selling toys' section.
One final site, in the association realm, worth mentioning is the National Safe Kids Campaign, a U.S. organization dedicated to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury. A section is devoted to toys and includes product recall data and safety tips. There is also a media center with toy injury data and press releases for the past 5 years.
Playthings, published by Reed Business Information, has been reporting on the toy industry for more than 100 years. A good idea is to register (free) with the site first in order to have access to more of the content. There are five topic areas, all of which include news stories on one of the following: manufacturing, retailing, licensing, new products, and people (executives, board members, etc.). Headlines are not more than a day or two behind. The current edition's feature articles are available free of charge, however, users must search for the titles (click on the table of contents link to see all of the articles) using the site's search box. There is a magazine archive dating back 5 years. All of the articles are available free of charge to registered users. Click on the 'Advertise' link in order to download Plaything's media kit. Here you'll find toy industry statistics, including bar and pie charts representing toy, doll, and game sales as well as the top 25 toy retailers by distribution channel. Reed also publishes Kids Today, which is a trade publication for the juvenile furniture industry. It's included here because it offers daily news, much of which deals specifically with the toy industry.
Kidscreen is a Brunico Communications publication, billed as "an international trade magazine serving the information needs of those involved in reaching children through entertainment." Look for brief (full-text stories are available to subscribers only) news summaries on licensing, retailing, marketing, and more. An archive dates back 4 years. There is also an industry contacts' section, which includes a lengthy list of media/toy companies with location and phone numbers. Tdmonthly magazine, sponsored by toydirectory.com - a wholesale buyer's guide for the toy and hobby industry - offers free full-text articles on industry happenings, new product information, retailing tips, toy recall updates, and a monthly company spotlight. An article archive, which is browsable by topic (e.g., water toys, edible toys, cars, etc.) dates back to June, 2001.
Figures.com, sponsored by Action-online, is a news publication dealing with the toy and action figures' segment of the market. Look for free daily news headlines, release dates for new action figures, and a trade show calendar. Stores.com, catering to the retail market, is sponsored by the National Retail Federation (US). The scope of the magazine extends to all segments of the retail and chain store universe, including the toy and related industries. The site contains selected articles from the current edition as well as an archive dating back 6 years. There are several 'top' lists included on the site for the top 100 retailers, the top 100 specialty stores, and the top 200 global retailers.
Wizard Entertainment offers several trade publications for the toys' and games' market: Wizard Universe.com, Toyfare, Inquest Gamer, Toy Wishes, and Anime Insider. Toyfare, Wizard Universe and Inquest Gamer feature free full-text news stories. Inquest Gamer and Anime Insider are subscription-only publications. The Bloom Report, published by a US - based consulting firm, specializing in toy and related retailers and manufacturers, offers toy stock quotes, courtesy of Yahoo!, and a current sample report. The report contains industry news culled from the likes of Forbes, the Associated Press, the Montreal Gazette, and Reuters.
Hobby Merchandiser offers selected free full-text articles from a monthly publication geared towards the model/hobby end of the market. An archive dates back to 1997. Licensing is a big part of the toy market for manufacturers as well as retailers and Licensing Magazine is devoted entirely to the topic. Feature articles are available free of charge. Supplements, also free, include: The Art of Licensing and MAGIC Marketplace. Adventure Publishing Group, Inc. distributes several industry publications including: The Toy Book, The Licensing Book, The Toy Report, The Licensing Report, Specialty Toys and Gifts, and Toy Wishes. Other than some samples there is very little in the way of free content from any of the sources online.
Governmental sites offering toy industry statistics include the U.S. Census Bureau. Look for U.S. doll and stuffed toy manufacturers, by size of enterprise. The number of paid employees as well as annual payroll figures are available for 4 years. The Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM) offers similar figures for 8 of the past 10 years. Look for the number of total employees, total payroll, the average number of production workers, hours worked, wages, total cost of materials, and the total value of shipments for dolls and stuffed toys, games, and children's vehicle manufacturing.
The 1997 Economic Census provides even more data. You'll find the North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) codes along with the definitions for dolls, stuffed toys and game manufacturers. Figures include total sales and total paid employees. A Geographic breakdown (by state) with the number of establishments, sales, sales % of U.S., annual payroll, and paid employees can be found here as well. Other information from the 1997 Census includes 1997 and 1992 data, side by side, on a comparable Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) basis, non-employer statistics, and county business patterns. Data regarding toy retailing can also be found within the census site. One particular page titled, 'Bridge Between NAICS and SIC Retail Trade,' provides the number of retail establishments, sales, number of paid employees, and annual payroll figures for hobby, toy, and game stores in the United States.
The U.S. Office of Consumer Goods provides some great index pages for many industries including the dolls, toys and games sector. Here you'll find links within and outside the site to current exports and imports, safety standards, Census Bureau reports, and more. This is not to be missed! The U.S. Office of Trade and Economic Analysis (OTEA) provides trend tables, broken down by industry, and based on the NAICS classification system, for all sectors including doll, toy & game manufacturing (NAICS 33993), doll & stuffed toy manufacturing (NAICS 339931), and game, toy & children's vehicle manufacturing (NAICS 339932). Trends include: value of shipments, total employment, production workers, capital expenditures, and the value of imports and exports for a 7 year period. Also available from the OTEA are U.S. trade quick reference tables, containing imports to and exports from various countries. Look for specific segments within the toys and games sector (e.g., wheeled toys, dolls, electric trains, stuffed toys, toy musical instruments, etc.).
The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) provides a lengthy list of toy recalls. Included in the reports are the name of the product, the total number of units, the manufacturer, the hazard involved with the product, incidents/injuries, where the product is sold (e.g., vending machines, department stores, etc.), the country where the product is manufactured, a potential remedy for the hazard, consumer contact information, and a photograph of the product in question.
Europa, the European Union's official Web site, has some detailed information about the toy sector. This particular page provides links to an overview of the toy sector in the EU as well as statistics (e.g., production, number of employees, exports and imports, and overall retail market) and laws and pending legislation of the member states with regard to toy safety. More extensive information regarding the toy safety council directive of the member states can be found here. The consolidated text as well as country-specific parts are available. Additional legislative documents, regarding specific products (e.g., scooters, water toys, etc.) as well as toy safety data for consumers can be found on the Europa site as well.
The offical statistics site of the UK - National Statistics Online - offers sales and trade data in the form of pdf reports, covering 3 of the last 4 years. Each report is quite extensive (40+ pages) and includes data on specific segments (e.g., dolls, wooden toys, electric trains, puzzles, wheeled toys, etc.) within the sector. Strategis, Canada's business and consumer site, presents Canadian statistics for doll, toy & game manufacturing. Look for an industry definition, trends in the number and distribution of establishments (broken down by province), employment trends, salaries and wages in the industry, production (shipments and value-added), manufacturing costs (includes pie and bar charts), industry performance (manufacturing shipments per employee, manufacturing shipments per production worker, manufacturing value-added per employee, etc.), and international trade (e.g., exports to top 10 countries of destination for the last 5 years, top exports by province for the past 10 years, total imports from the U.S. by state for the past 5 years, and much more. This site is not to be missed for this industry and many others.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the place to go for standards' information. Toy safety is addressed by the ISO in the form of a directive titled, ISO 8124. If you search by this number you will retrieve citations along with purchase information for the 3-part report. Unfortunately the data here is fee-based, however, there are several documents pertaining to toys and toy safety that are free of charge. One such example is a 4-page pdf titled, Safe Toys for the Children of the World.' The document discusses the number of children injured by toys as well as the international market for toys.
There are a number of portal sites devoted to the toy sector. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) offers an industry vertical for the toys' and sporting goods' industries. Look for international market news, full-text feature articles from past editions of Hong Kong Toys - a trade publication reporting on product trends - and total imports and exports (Hong Kong). A current industry profile as well as trade news, articles from a TDC newsletter - Market News Express - and Chinese (Mainland) and Hong Kong statistics are available as well.
Topix.net, a news aggregation site, provides industry verticals on everything from beverages to banking. Toy industry news includes headlines and leads from various news sources on the Web. In addition to title and date, each story features a hyperlinked 'see also' reference to manufacturers, places, and topics mentioned in the article.
Vinyl Toys and the PVC Toys Information Center are informational sites devoted to toys made from a particular type of plastic called polyvinyl chloride or PVC. The Vinyl Toys site is sponsored by the Vinyl Institute - a U.S. trade organization representing manufacturers of vinyl - related products. The highlight of the site is a lengthy list of downloadable reports on the safety of vinyl toys. The PVC Toys Information Center is sponsored by the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI). The site offers downloadable EU research documents related to toy test methods. Also available are media and parliamentary comments, current and archived press releases, and industry links.
The last two portal sites worth mentioning are Game portal.com and Toy portal.com, both published by VerticalPortals.com. Each site features a categorized list of topics (e.g., action figures, baby toys, board games, puzzles, etc.) and links to toy and game-related sites.
There are several trade shows with a presence on the Web for the toy, hobby, and game industries. The Toy & Game Inventor's Forum (TGIF) is a meeting of inventors and industry executives, which is held annually in the United States. Detailed show information is available. The Toy Fair is an annual British event, which is the largest of its kind in the UK. Look for an archive of press releases for the past 5 years. The Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair is Asia's biggest toy fair with more than 25,000 buyers from all regions of the world. Event statistics are provided on the site. Finally the International iHobby Expo is billed as 'the most important hobby and model show on this side of the Atlantic' (The U.S. side).
The Toy Source is a global business-to-business marketplace for retailers, manufacturers and sales reps. Users can register as buyers or suppliers. There is a commission involved for sellers, however, there is no fee for those purchasing merchandise. ToyDirectory.com is designed as a buyer's guide for wholesalers in the toy and hobby industries. The site claims listings for more than 24,000 retailers.
Two market research firms of note are the NPD Group and Market Research.com. NPD offers some excellent free data on their Funworld site. Look for industry trends (e.g., August 2003 toys best sellers), viewpoints, written by NPD analysts, 'top' lists (e.g., top 5 toys items in Germany), and daily industry news. Market Research.com lists toys' and games' research reports along with brief summaries and a complete table of contents for each.
Finally, ToyJobs.com is the home site of a recruitment firm specializing in the toy and juvenile products' industries. The firm is based in Montclair, New Jersey. Current industry jobs are listed on the site.
