PORT
WASHINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 2002--While overall sales
of traditional toys are expected to be flat this year, there is some positive
news for the $25 billion industry according to NPDFunworld(SM), a division
of leading market information provider The NPD Group, Inc. Year-to-date
sales (January through August 2002) show some hot-growth toy categories,
brands and licenses.
There
is also an emerging list of must-have toys for Holiday 2002, since more
than fifty percent of annual toy sales occur in the fourth quarter.
Hot
new growth categories include card games, action figures, building sets,
dolls and special feature plush. In 2002, these top categories reflect
the increased upward growth of licensed products, fueled by hot movies
and nostalgic properties.
Star
Wars items by Hasbro and Lego, and Spider-Man products by ToyBiz drove
first-half licensed product sales growth in action figures and building
sets. MGA Entertainment's Bratz dolls stole the top three spots in the
doll category in August 2002 with three items: Bratz Assortment, Bratz
Funk N Glow Assortment and Bratz Boyz Assortment. Mattel's Barbie as
Rapunzel (introduced in June 2002) is climbing the charts. Fisher-Price's
(Mattel) Chicken Dance Elmo, the number one plush toy in July and August
2002 is expected to be another must-have product during the 2002 holiday
shopping season.
Licensed
products have been popular this year, accounting for 25 percent of all
first half 2002 sales. Seven of the top ten best selling toys introduced
in 2002 are licensed products, with five Star Wars items ranking in
the top ten.
"Star
Wars is an excellent example of a license which appeals to both the
younger and older collectors. We can expect to see more adult collectors
sharing nostalgic trends with their children and adding a few prime
pieces to their own collections," said Reyne Rice, director of marketing
and communications, NPDFunworld. "An interesting twist in the market
place is everything that is old is new again," said Rice.
Most
of this year's top growth licenses have been around for more than ten
years: Star Wars, Spider-Man, Scooby Doo, Batman, Barbie, Power Rangers
and Nascar. Second half 2002 re-introductions of 20-year-old classics
like Masters of the Universe, Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake will
continue to develop this trend.
The
emerging license, Yu-Gi-Oh!, based on a Japanese anime cartoon, is gaining
momentum in the U.S. and will be a top choice for kids' gifts this holiday
season. The Yu-Gi-Oh! Metal Raiders card game, introduced in June 2002,
has already secured the number six spot on the list of top ten toys
introduced this year.
Yu-Gi-Oh!,
is predicted to equal or surpass the Pokemon craze among kids, with
tweens as the primary target audience. Yu-Gi-Oh! was ranked 144th among
top licensed properties in the U.S. in April 2002 and, by July 2002
it had skyrocketed to the number five top licensed property for the
month.
Top 10 Best Selling Toys (Jan-Aug. 2002) Introduced in 2002
Ranked According To Dollar Sales
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rank Item Manufacturer Intro. Date Avg. Price
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Star Wars
Episode II Asst. 1 Hasbro March '02 $5.66
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Star Wars II
Electric Lightsabers Hasbro April '02 $20.29
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Star Wars
Episode II Asst. 2 Hasbro March '02 $5.67
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Star Wars Episode II
Deluxe Figure Asst. Hasbro March '02 $9.99
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Catch A Bubble Spin Master February '02 $3.03
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Yu-Gi-Oh! Metal
Raiders Konami June '02 $3.47
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Basic Star Wars
Jedi Starfighter Lego Systems February '02 $19.92
----------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Bionicle Tahnok Lego Systems January '02 $7.92
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Bionicle Kohrak Lego Systems January '02 $7.90
----------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Pokemon New Wizards of
Theme Deck the Coast February '02 $9.85
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: NPDFunworld(SM) TRSTS(R) Service
About
NPDFunworld
NPDFunworld
is the definitive online source for accessing essential market information
and insights organized around business issues. Through powerful interactive
features, NPDFunworld provides the toy and video games industries access
to information from The NPD Group's point-of-sale tracking and world-class
online consumer panel. It provides a personalized view into what is
selling, where, to whom and why. As the only information source that
does this, NPDFunworld makes information for some of today's most critical
business decisions accessible and actionable across the enterprise.
About
The NPD Group, Inc.
The
NPD Group, Inc. (NPD) is a global market information company that measures
product movement and consumer behavior across a broad range of industries
-- apparel, automotive products, consumer electronics, cosmetics and
fragrances, food, foodservice, footwear, housewares, information technology,
interactive entertainment, toys and music. NPD's clients, many in the
Fortune 500, use this insight to uncover market opportunities, strengthen
channel relationships and benchmark industry performance. Since 1967,
NPD has introduced numerous industry firsts, most recently combining
and calibrating information from consumer panels and point-of-sale tracking
via its flagship services, the NPD Worlds. The firm has offices and
affiliations in 60 countries. For more information on The NPD Group,
visit http://www.npd.com/.
