Classic toys popular again during pandemic

Barbies, HotWheels, Legos, puzzles and board games sales are all up this year.

This year's hottest toys are decades old.

Take the Tonka Mighty Dump Truck: Sales of the bright yellow classic are up more than 250 percent froma year ago. Barbies, Hot Wheels and Legos are big sellers, as are puzzles and board games.

Whether it's a yearning for nostalgia or simply a desire for kids to put down their tablets and smartphones, consumers are reaching for old- school favorites, positioning the toy industry for its best holiday season in years.

The pandemic has ushered a fundamental shift in toy- buying habits; instead of perusing the toy aisle or trading notes during playdates, parents are drawing on their own childhoods for inspiration. Classic toys also have strong appeal for adults who want their children engaged in open- ended play for long periods of time.

“It's all about the tried- and- true, the toys that are already familiar,” said Jay Foreman, chief executive of Basic Fun, the Florid a company behind such classics as Tonka, Lincoln Logs, Lite- Brite and Care Bears. “Parents and grandparents are not watching Nickelodeon or YouTube to see what's new. They're buying toys they know: BarbieDreamHouse, Tonka Mighty Dump Trucks.”

Analysts expect toy sales to be a bright spot in a holiday season mired by recession and high unemployment. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $ 650 on gifts this holiday season, down slightly from $ 659 a year ago, according to the National Retail Federation. And though nearly 2 in 5 adults say they will buy less this year, analysts say, parents tend to prioritize the children on their gift lists. Plus, they note, families on the higher end of the income scale are spending less on movies, ballgames, travel and other entertainment during the pandemic, freeing up more money for the holidays.

Toy sales have climbed 18 percent so far this year, according to market research firm NPD Group, a stark contrast to thedouble- digit declines reported by department stores, and other retailers that sell furniture and electronics. Much of the toy industry's growth was fueled by board games, puzzles

and outdoor toys like bicycles, scooters and inflatable pools, as families looked for ways to unplug after a day filled with Zoom calls and virtual learning. Among the season’s most popular toys, according to NPD: Little Tikes, Barbie sand Hot Wheels. Lego, theworld’s largest and most profitable toymaker, also has carved out a niche in the coveted adult market.

“It’s really hard to find a hot product this year, and one of the reasons is that kids aren’t being social with each other,” said Chris Byrne, a toy industry consultant. “You can publish all the hot- toy lists youwant to, but it’s the kid- to- kid interaction that tends to drive whether a toy is cool and in demand.”

Though novelties abound — such as Present Pets, an interactive puppy that unboxes itself, and Vango goggles that make theworld look upside- down — industry analysts say retailers and manufacturers have stocked upon classic toys. In September, both Mattel and Has bro said strong demand for longtime brands boosted thirdquarter results: Barbie sales grew 30 percent; Hot Wheels jumped 9 percent, and family games such as Monopoly and Jenga surged 21 percent.

“It is all about classic play this year,” Byrne said. “People are anxiety- ridden, and those nurturing games we remember from our childhoods are like comfort food.”

Exploding Kittens, a familyfriendly card game that debuted on Kickstarter five years ago, includes goa twizards, taco cats and magical enchiladas. This year, it’s seeing booming sales.

Demand for the game has been climbing steadily since stay- at- home orders took off in March, according to Carly McGinnis, the company’s chief operating officer. Yearoveryear sales have doubled, and the company is printing close to 5million games this year, roughly triple what it did in 2019.

“This year there’s been a shift to family games — stuff that moms and dads can buy to keep their kids entertained at home,” McGinnis said, adding that sales of the adults- only version of the game have declined about 10 percent during the pandemic. “Honestly it’s been really challenging because we just weren’t expecting this.”

A 94 percent spike in game and puzzle sales between March and May led much of the toy industry’s growth during the pandemic, according to the NPD Group. Although some of that growth leveled off during the summer, when families spent more time outdoors, analysts said they expect board games and other indoor activities to pick back up again during the holidays.

Winning over children is one thing. Convincing their parents and grandparents to buy more toys — well, that takes a different kind of effort.

Spin Master, the maker of EtchASketch, Hatchimals and Paw Patrol, has been looking for new ways to appeal to adults during the pandemic, according to Laura Henderson, the company’s executive vice president of marketing and e- commerce. The company recently brought its advertising department inhouse and is spending more on attention- grabbing store displays to appeal to shoppers on “mission- based trips.” It’s also promoting ads on Ins tag ram that play up top- toy awards and other accolades that might appeal to caregivers.

“What parents and grandparents are looking for is validation that they’re buying something kids will enjoy,” Henderson said. “The biggest driver is still what the kid wants, but we’re also seeing a desire for nostalgia.”

Lindsay Maines has spent quarantine stocking up on Matchbox cars, 200- piece puzzles and canisters of Play- Doh for her children. Her 5- year- old spends hours playing with Lego and Lincoln Logs, she says, while her teenagers are going on more bike rides and doing crafts when they’re not taking virtual classes or scrolling through Tik Tok.

The entire family is reaching for board games a lot more than they used to. Her son and husband, she said, recently spent five days playing a single game of Monopoly on the family room floor.

“I kept saying, ‘ Hey, are we going to clean this up?,’” said Maines, 46, who lives in Germantown, Maryland. “But honestly, I didn’t mind. We all want to go back to the toys of our youth and share them with our children, especially now .”

This holiday season, she says instead of buying gifts, she will focus on family traditions like baking cookies and cutting down a Christmas tree together. But she does have a couple of items on her shopping list: a new Etch A Sketch and more Play- Doh.