Go Back to www.WebWholesalerMagazine.com
FEATURE
whwytriright 22 Toys and Souvenirs
“2009 was a remarkably uneventful year for the toy
industry, but in a good way,” says NPD Group industry ana- ESCO IMPORTS INC.
lyst, Anita Frazier. “In a time of continued economic turmoil,
6055 Woodlake Ctr, San Antonio, TX 78244
Toll Free: 800-445-3836
toy industry revenues were very stable, and the uptick in unit
Tel.: 210-271-7794 Fax: 210-223-1547
sales in the fourth quarter is a very positive sign for the indus-
Email: jack@escoimports.com
Website: www.escoimports.com
try heading into 2010.” NPD research found that Building
Sets and Arts & Craft s were the two categories with the most
signifi cant gains in sales for 2009, up 23 and seven percent,
already announced plans to roll out several waves of additional
respectively. Sales of Action Figures and Games/Puzzles
hamsters throughout the year. “Th e highly sought-aft er Zhu
were up by four and one percent, while Youth Electronics and
Zhu Pets brought welcome excitement to the toy category
Plush suff ered the greatest sales revenue losses, down 17 and
this holiday,” Frazier remarks, “and many other properties
13 percent. “Th e increase in Building Sets and Arts & Craft s
benefi ted from this in Q4.”
speaks to the entertainment value these categories deliver,”
says Frazier. “Both can deliver hours of open ended play, and
Arts & Craft s does so at very att ractive price points.”
“Uptick in unit sales in
the fourth quarter is a
In its report, NPD also cited several other factors
aff ecting 2009 toy business, including:
very positive sign.”
Unit sales of toys priced under $5 decreased, the only price
Anita Frazier, NPD Group industry analyst
range to do so, while more people opted for products in the
mid range, between $5 and $10.
Also expecting to reap dividends this year are a num-
Children in the 9 to 12 demographic were the only age group
ber of Toy Story 3 licensed products. Th e fi lm, set to open
to gain in market share and absolute dollar sales, a result
in the U.S. on June 13, will be available in the 3-D format,
thought to be related to the gain in sales of building sets,
and a plethora of toys ranging from action fi gures to Legos,
which tend to skew older.
puzzles and craft sets will start hitt ing store shelves over the
Licensed toys represented 25 percent of total industry
next couple of months. Given the still solid performance of
sales, down from 27 percent in 2008. Best selling licensed
merchandise associated with the fi rst two Toy Stor y fi l m s , a n d ,
products, in alphabetical order, were, “Cars: The Movie,”
with most products licensed by Pixar Studios, a Toy Story 3
Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer, Star Wars, and Thomas
bonanza seems a given.
and Friends.
Such developments are welcome news for the likes of
Esco Import Toys (www.escoimports.com), which fi gures
to benefi t from a trickle-down eff ect for its line of toys, rang-
Leading the charge was Zhu Zhu Pets, the robotic
ing from cars, trains and airplanes, to pirate, western, and
hamster toys that typically retailed for $8 to $10, and were
animal toys. “Last year we started seeing improvement, and
oft en resold by individuals for as high as $100. Total sales
over the last few months things have really been picking up,”
fi gures for Zhu Zhu Pets and Go Go Pets (the name the
reports president, Jack Steinfeld. “Th e Christmas season
hamsters sold under in some markets; in the future they’ll
was a lot bett er than it was in 2008, and we’re anticipating
all be branded Zhu Zhu) have not been made available, but
a good 2010.”
sales were strong enough that manufacturer Cepia LLC has
Esco’s large line of dinosaur toys has been an evergreen,
Continued On 26 whwytriright
24 March 2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68