Toys: More kids want ‘em this holiday

November 23, 2011 by Wendy Goldman Getzler

Market research firm The NPD Group has found that toys make up 47% of US kids’ holiday wish lists – a number that has grown by 8% since last year.

The firm’s Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS) recently compiled 1,477 mentions of items that kids are hoping to receive as holiday gifts, and of the toy items mentioned, the most prevalent are evergreen brands such as Barbie and Lego. Video game hardware and software take a 13% piece of the pie (a 2% dip from last year), followed by consumer electronics at 10% and apparel and accessories at 9%.

Within consumer electronics, it’s not surprising that iDevices such as the iPhone and iPad received several specific mentions.

NPD has also released insight into licensed product sales trends for the year. According to an August report, the top-five children’s licenses across product categories were Cars The Movie, Disney Princess, Dora The Explorer, Star Wars and Toy Story, each generating anywhere from 7% to 3% of total licensed product sales. (In the US, licensed toy sales account for an average of 25% of total toy industry annual revenue).

NPD KIDS provides monthly insight into purchases made on behalf of kids ages zero to 14 across product categories, with an emphasis on licenses and brands.

Tags: Barbie, holiday sales, iPad, iPhone, Kids Industry Data Service, Lego, The NPD Group