The 2016 New York Toy Fair showed off some of the hottest new toys and trends for the upcoming year. What were the top trends? Let’s find them out!
The NY Toy Fair is the biggest in North America and one of the biggest in the entire world. The top brands are always present to show off their latest projects. A lot of new up-and-coming toy companies also reveal themselves to the world at the New York Toy Fair.
CNBC reporters were there to find out what the top toy trends for 2016 are. The big names like Marvel, Pokemon, Star Wars and so on are obvious. They don’t even need to be mentioned. So instead we are taking a look at the types of toys that are getting the most attention.
One of them is, obviously, technology. Drones, robots and all other gadgets and interactive toys are gaining popularity. Like the Auldey Toys Sky Rover helicopter which can be activated via voice commands. “We are all about building these fun, app-controlled robots and building connected play experiences that really try to fuse both the digital play that kids are having on their smartphones and tablets with the physical world,” Paul Berberian, CEO of Sphero, told CNBC. “We don’t want to compete with the games on the tablet, we want to be part of them.”
Next are the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and STEAM (add “art” to STEM) toys. They aim to motivate more children to explore these topics. Kids are encouraged to invent their own models.
Then come the classic toys. These are your stuffed animals, action figures, board games and family games. Some retro toys are returning as we’ve talked about it before. Some of them have a new, modern spin, others stay true to their roots.
The next big trend is collectibles. Quite a lot of toys have the phrase “Collect them all!” on their boxes. There’s a very good reason. Collectibles remain one of the most solid trends in the toy industry. Why have only one stuffed animal or action figure, when you can have 10? But collectibles are not only about numbers. “Or on the other side of the spectrum, it is also for socialization. Kids are using all these collectibles to trade and hang out with friends and create their own story lines”, says Retzer, assistant marketing manager with TIA.
Hot items from this year’s Toy Fair are plush Whiffer Sniffers, super hero and “Star Wars” figures from Jakks Pacific, Legos and plastic Zomlings toys, CNBC notes.
