Page 16 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine Mar-Apr 2019

TREND UPDATE
Consulting the crystal ball
Toy & Hobby Retailer consults expert bodies across toys, retailing, and consumer sectors to give you a comprehensive sneak peek into what to expect in 2019.
SPIELWARENMESSE’S TREND COMMITTEE’S PREDICTIONS
It makes sense that the largest toy fair in the world – Spielwarenmesse – has an idea about what the hot trends are going to be for the year. The show witnesses approximately a million
of the newest and most-innovative products early-on in the piece, making it an ideal body to highlight the trends. Roping in toy experts from around the globe, the Spielwarenmesse Trend Committee combines its shared wisdom and intimate knowledge of different markets to highlight the following three toy trends, which are set to influence the toy aisle in 2019.
READY, STEADY, PLAY! - PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THROUGH PLAY
The rise of the digital world has had an
impact on our everyday lives. Tablets, smart- phones, gaming consoles, TV and everyday convenience aids such as lifts, escalators and cars means that everyone – not just kids – is living a more sedentary life. We have become increasingly connected to the digital space, while simultaneously becoming far more lazy than our ancestors.
According to statistics from the Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare (AIHW),
one quarter of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2014-15, while nearly two thirds of adults were overweight or obese. The stats also report that at age 18-21, 15 per cent of those born from 1994-1997 were obese compared to eight per cent of those born from 1974-1977.
The need for physical activity to be intertwined with fun toys and games is certainly becoming more prevalent as the population
gets lazier, a trend which the Trend Committee forecasts to come to fruition in 2019.
THE WOW EFFECT
– A BIG SURPRISE
As seen with the extremely popular Lol Surprise collectible, the element of surprise hasn't lost its touch. Kids are still drawn to
the thrill of not knowing what they'll get or uncovering different play elements as they unpack the toy. The surprise element in toys has been popular for many years and can be seen in the Kinder Surprise chocolate, lucky- dip games at markets and carnivals and even in the age-old party game, Pass the Parcel.
In terms of this trend remaining dominant in 2019, the Trend Committee says, “Not knowing what’s inside adds to the excitement right to the end.
“More and more manufacturers are delighting children by adding an element of surprise to their products.”
Direct from the horse's mouth: surprise toys aren't going anywhere in 2019.
TOYS 4 KIDULTS
– FOR THE YOUNG AT HEART We're all just big kids aren't we? The Spielwarenmesse Trend Committee certainly agrees, so much so, that it forecasts that toys for 'kidults' – adults who love things usually associated with children – will be a prominent trend in 2019.
Kidults and fandom tie-in well together. There has always been a section of the
toy market which was dedicated to the adult super-fans who collect toys, figures, construction sets and memorabilia from vintage brands, however this collecting behaviour has become more mainstream in recent years.
Funko has capitalised on the shift from hard-core collecting to casual collecting and has created Pop! Vinyl figures for just about every entertainment property known to man – as their slogan says, “Everyone is a fan of something.”
This shift towards toys for kidults in recent times may also – dare I say – be attributed to the flash-in-a-pan, fidget spinner.
Heralding itself as the solution to fidgeting hands, anxiety issues and attention problems,
16 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MARCH / APRIL 2019