According to market research firm NPD Group, game sales in the United States grew 21 percent from the year before, reaching a total of $1.77 billion in 2016. The games category, in fact, was the third largest segment of overall toy sales, falling just behind collectibles and outdoor & sports toys at 8.7% of the total market.

Also of note, within the collectibles segment, blind pack sales grew 60 percent 2015-2016 and were six-times greater than in 2013!

Youth electronics were up 3 percent. Building sets were down 3 percent.

NPD reported similar growth in the U.K., where the games & puzzles segment also increased 21 percent year-on-year.

• Comments Off on Game Sales Grew 21% in 2016

According to retail data compiled by The NPD Group, the games and puzzles category scored top growth statistics among toys for 2015. U.S. sales of games and puzzles grew 10.8 percent, compared to 6.7 percent for toys overall. Following games were vehicles at 9.7 percent and building sets at 9.4 percent. The youth electronics category came in last, shrinking at a rate of 4.9 percent.

Content was a key driver behind the growth of the toy industry in 2015. Whether it be a movie (Star Wars, Jurassic World, Minions, and Avengers), television show (Paw Patrol), app (Minecraft), or a strong YouTube following (Shopkins), all of these properties with ties to content were top contributors to the growth.  “Movies” in total outperformed the market in 2015, growing by 9.4 percent. With the early release of Star Wars toys on Force Friday, Star Wars managed to become the number-one property for the year, with over $700 million in sales. It also brought in more sales and contributed more growth than Jurassic World, Minions, and Avengers combined.

• Comments Off on Games and Puzzles Top Performers in U.S. Toy Market

The NPD Group reports that the recent holiday shopping season saw U.S. retail sales in the game and puzzles category up a healthy 9 percent. Still, that lagged somewhat behind building sets, which grew 13 percent, and youth electronics, which grew 11 percent.

Annual sales in the overall toy industry grew 4 percent to $18.08 billion in 2014, compared to $17.46 billion in 2013.

• Comments Off on Game Sales Up 9% in Holiday Season

According to a new report by The NPD Group, mobile electronic games are the play product most requested of parents by their children age 2-12. However after the begging is over, 37 percent of parents report purchasing arts and crafts supplies, 36 percent traditional games, 31 percent app games, 31 percent stuffed toys, and 29 percent puzzles.

• Comments Off on Traditional Games Edge Out App Games in Actual Purchases

According to the NPD Group, game and puzzle sales in the UK grew 4 percent during 2013. The firm’s end-of-year review, released for the opening of London Toy Fair, also revealed that overall size of the UK toy market was down 1 percent to £2.9 billion, while the number of units sold dropped 5 percent.

The biggest hit to toy sales came from the so-called “pocket-money” category, impulse purchases priced £5 or less, such as blind-bag Lego minifigs. Sales in this category fell 12 percent.

Furby Boom led the list of top-selling individual products.

• Comments Off on Games Bolster UK Toy Market