“Star Command, This is Buzz Lightyear. Permission to save Christmas? ” After its recent premier in … [+]
With more than a hint of nostalgia, Play-Doh and Barbie are brands that toy retailer Hamleys are predicting will be the big sellers for the festive season.
The toy-chain store Hamleys also believes that well-made toys made of a good quality to last with the potential to be handed down will also prove popular.
Internationally famous Peppa Pig also makes the good-list. The characters strong reach with viewers in over 180 countries ands inspired over 12,000 products to date.
“This year it is all about good quality classic toys that can be handed down,” said Victoria Kay. “We are confident that by selecting these products, parents will be making a wise investment in gifts that will be played with well into the future.”
With many households facing a cost of living crisis it is interesting that the most expensive toy on the top ten list a Play-Doh Ice Cream Van comes in at £100, when last year the Barbie Dreamhouse was a pricey £310.
“We’re aware this year that parents will be looking for a variety of toys within a variety of price brackets, to make Christmas as magical as they can,” said Kay. “We’ve got a range of over 20,000 products in our stores with our prices starting from £2 .”
High security in evidence as a new delivery of long-awaited Buzz Lightyear dolls arrives at the … [+]
Buzz Lightyear was the most popular toy back in 1996 creating a black-market for the plastic figurine when supply didn’t meet demand for the space-ranger spin-off.
Toy Story was a Disney film triumph at the box office creating a surge demand that buyers has not predicted. Indeed industry experts suggest that pre the film release date, Mattel ‘had advanced orders for only 50,000 Buzz Lightyears’ yet felt that co-star Woody would be the winner and ‘manufactured about 250,000 and 200,000 copies of the cowboy’ toy.
With a Toy Story spin off film in Lightyear and the power of Disney+ allowing subscribers to watch the move on repeat, Lightyear figures are predicted to be a big seller.
Indeed Nielsen data indicates that Pixar’s “Lightyear” was the third most-watched streaming title of the week of Aug. 1 to Aug. 7 with 1.306 billion minutes watched for “Lightyear” equalling 21.77 million hours.
What will become the Christmas number one seller is still yet to be seen, but early indicators suggest Hamleys wont be too far off the mark with this list:
- XShot Skins the Last Stand (£35)
- Play-Doh Ice Cream Truck (£100)
- Roller Disco Peppa Toy (£37)
- CoComelon Boo Boo JJ (£44)
- One Trick Pony Game (£27)
- Lightyear JetPack Buzz (£60)
- Barbie Cutie Reveal (£33)
- Tick Tock Brick Knock (£34)
- Jumping Sumo (£70)
- Hamley Bear Panda (£22)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehardcastle/2022/09/30/buzz-lightyear-to-the-rescue-space-ranger-set-to-become-christmas-best-seller-again-26-years-on/