Anyone with kids will probably admit their house is overrun with toys, but that doesn’t mean children won’t be wanting more soon. Well, the annual Toy Fair was held over the weekend, and the U.S. Toy Industry Association just revealed the biggest trends for 2017, so parents now have a heads up on what they’ll kids will be whining about wanting in the coming months.
Among the top trends:
- Collectibles - The collectibles industry has been huge over the past year, seeing $1.8 billion in sales, and that’s not about to change in 2017. And while most may wind up collecting dust on your shelves, kids do learn some skills from them, like social skills if they are negotiating and trading, as well as organizational skills and perseverance to find the ones they want.
- Up & Active – With kids often spending hours sitting on the couch playing video games, new toys to get them moving are big this year. The toys can motivate them to burn energy and can get the whole family involved. Some even involve tech, which may get kids more interested, while others are more traditional and simply incorporate physical activity.
- Technology Trends – More and more companies are incorporating tech into their toys, with virtual reality, drones, virtual pets, robotics and more being added to traditional toys.
- Oh So Classic – Although kids love tech, retro and classic is also still in. Several brands are reinventing or reintroducing their products for newer generations, making them appealing to both kids, parents and more.
- Movie Mania – Toys based on popular movies will be bigger than ever, thanks in part to an increase in family-friendly movies being released this year. Parents can expect to see toys on the market from two LEGO movies, “Cars 3,” “Smurfs: The Los Village,” “Beauty and the Beast” and more.
- From STEAM to STREAM – More educational toys will focus on teaching kids things like Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM), and some are even including robotics, (hence STREAM). Plus, classic toys like puzzles, memory games, building blocks and more aren’t going away anytime soon.
Source: Market Watch