Licensed toys—especially those tied to sports and anime brands—are outperforming the rest of the toy categories in European markets, according to a recent market study from Circana.
Across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, licensed toy sales are up by 2.4% for the first seven months of 2024. And this is especially significant considering that the overall toy industry experienced a 3.1% sales decline during the same period.
Licenses have driven 28.8% of all toy sales in these five key European markets so far this year, and the ones that have gained the most market share include UEFA Football Championships, Mercedes-Benz and Disney’s Lilo & Stitch.
Sports licenses accounted for 2.2% of total toy sales in Europe during this period, with toys based on anime brands cornering a 5.8% share. Anime has evolved from a niche category to one that’s very popular on shelves, thanks to the enhanced entertainment presence offered by streamers including Netflix, Amazon and Crunchyroll.
Looking ahead to the remainder of 2024 and into 2025, Circana will be keeping an eye on how upcoming kids films such as Wicked, Moana 2 and Gabby’s Dollhouse perform in the toy aisle.
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