There’s no place for Scrooge in this year’s holiday toy shopping season

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Amidst all the glitz and glitter of the season, this year’s holiday shopping period may be one of the most challenging in recent years. Consumers will still be buying gifts, but people are definitely being more cautious about their holiday budgets.

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That said, toys continue to be on shopping lists this year – so much so Canadians were shopping for toys back in September, according to NPD Group (industry data specialists), adding toy sales have increased from last year at this time.

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Nostalgia seems to be driving toy sales, notes Juli Lennett, U.S. toy industry adviser for NPD. “As we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, nostalgic properties continued to be popular with consumers,” Lennett said.

“Playthings parents loved back in the day are making a comeback,” added Marissa Silva, co-editor-in-chief for The Toy Insider, in a recent media release. “Multiple generations of family members can experience games and activities together. Plus, shoppers are turning to toys with a bigger purpose beyond play, like instilling wellness or socially responsible values, making them great conversation starters.”

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Toys serve as vehicles to enhance quality family time, say industry experts. “Games and activities are a great value so I would not consider them a luxury,” says PlayMonster’s master marketing manager, Lisa Wuennemann, adding “I believe parents are looking for toys that kids will come back to again and again,” citing the popularity of such items as Koosh, 5 Second Rule and Disney Trivia and “Spirograph, a great brand for kids of all ages and all occasions.”

“This year gift givers are price conscious and as a result extra thoughtful with their purchases,” says Spin Master’s president of toys and CCO, Chris Beardall. “Families are looking for toys that will surprise and delight and provide great play value for the money.”

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What’s hot? Games, puzzles, outdoor and sports toys. Plush – as in the famous Squishmallows – is huge this year, along with interactive toys and traditional favourites (Monopoly anyone? Just recently Canadian Tire came out with an edition celebrating its 100th anniversary).

Hasbro, the name synonymous with the toy industry, states Peppa Pig and the classic Play-Doh My Little Pony (Netflix series My Little Pony: Make Your Mark launched on Netflix in September) are huge this year, along with popular entertainment toys from premier partners, including Marvel’s Black Panther figures, Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends playsets, and Star Wars droids from the Obi-Wan Kenobi Series, including the L0-LA59 (Lola) Animatronic Droid. “Nurturing imaginative play is still strong,” says Hasbro (shop.hasbro.com/en-ca) company officials in a recent email, saying such brands as Baby Alive and FurReal continue to be big ticket items. Plus, this year Hasbro is taking the classics and adding a twist with new games such as Monopoly Travel World Tour board game and Connect 4 Spin.

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And, the industry has created a board game based on the popular Wordle online word game.

Beardall says this year’s popular choices include “The new Sink N Sand board game is a great option as it combines a family-friendly game with the popular Kinetic Sand. The iconic Rubik’s Cube is flying off shelves, and the newest, Rubik’s Phantom features thermochromic technology, temporarily revealing the tile colours with the heat of your fingertips.”

Perennial favourites for younger kids include PAW Patrol toys, especially as 2023 “marks the franchise’s 10th anniversary year with a second feature film and a spin-off series debut.”

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One of the hottest trends this year comes in a squishy, lovable toy called a Squishmallow, a stuffed toy that doubles as a soft pillow. “We attribute the popularity of Squishmallows to their uniqueness … and appeal to a wide variety of ages,” says Helen Bergoet, senior director, international marketing, for Jazwares, distributors of the fluffy toy that comes in a wide variety of sizes and themes – more than 200 million Squishmallows have been sold globally to date (available where toys are sold – I saw them at my local Shoppers Drug Mart!)

Also in huge demand: STEM 10 – science, technology, engineering and math toys that make learning fun.  And let’s not forget the solid satisfaction of Nintendo games (nintendo.com/en-ca). “Nintendo has always focused on creating special moments for every type of player,” said Andrew Collins for Nintendo. “Families love to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Nintendo Switch Sports together, kids can’t get enough of Minecraft or Pokémon and solo players get a kick out of games like Super Mario Odyssey.”

Lastly, electronic learning products continue to be popular, especially for those with younger children. V-Tech Toys is offering this year toys that include a child’s first smartwatch, a Smart Chart “medical kit” as well as Leap Frog infant and preschool learning toys.