A Toy Story of US Imports FAQs:
C’mon, are kids still playing with toys?
Despite the fact that your child can likely run circles around you on a smartphone or tablet, kids actually still play with toys (although they seem to be more brand conscious).
According to the NPD Group, traditional toy retail sales in the United States were up 6.7 percent in 2015 from 2014, totaling over $19.4 billion. Datamyne also found that US imports of toys under HS 9503 totaled $14.2 billion in 2015 and increased 11 percent from 2014 by CIF value.
Aren’t video games more popular than toys?
Toys are still king according to Datamyne’s import statistics. Toy imports are 3 times higher than video game consoles by total CIF value.
Where do most toys come from?
China. Yes, 85 percent ($12.2 billion in 2015 by CIF value) of all US toy imports are, as the little sticker says, ‘Made in China.’ Followed by much smaller shares from Mexico, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
Who are the top toy importers?
Ranked by calculated value of import shipments: Toys R Us, Mattel, Dollar Tree, Kmart, and Dollar General are the top US toy importers according to the shipment records.
What’s next?
- Import shipments of toys mentioning Finding Dory went from 9 shipments in January to nearly 80 in May – surging before its June theater release.
- Disney Princesses – there are 11 at last count – will be welcoming a new member this fall, Moana. More dolls and accessories will surely follow in her wake.
- Disney’s Frozen franchise has not melted away yet. Toy imports of Princess Elsa or Anna dolls and other merchandise increased 8 percent from 2014 to 2015.
Alas for Mattel, the staying power of Frozen will benefit rival toy maker Hasbro. ’Twas not always so. Mattel lost its license to the Disney Elsa and Anna dolls last year. Read the story in Mattel vs Hasbro: Barbie and the Princesses.