The 2018 New York Toy Fair once again gathered toy companies from all over the world. As always, they showed off thousands of toys and stuffed animals. And the New York Toy Fair shaped the trends for 2018.
There are some quite interesting toy trends shaping for this year, The Columbian reports. Some of them continue from last year, others seems to hope to be the new big thing.
Would they make it? It’s hard to tell. No one expected last year’s fidget spinner craze. Yet, that didn’t stop these toys to become the hottest thing in the industry, albeit only for a few months.
This is actually the new norm. In today’s world hot trends last for a very shot amount of time. That’s probably due to the huge flood of information and stuff which is keeping people’s attention occupied. So, they often jump from one thing to the other.
Still, some toys can grab the attention and hold it for a while. Here are some of the latest trends shaping from the 2018 New York Toy Fair.
Of course, we start with the stuffed animals. The Columbian thinks the new trends for our favorite toys are odd shapes and things. For example fruit plush toys, flat stuffed animals and the like.
Another new trend is scented toys. This was always a popular niche in stuffed animals. Now it seems it wants to expand other types of toys to enhance play or simply make toys more calming.
Interactive kitchens and nurseries are also shaping up to be quite popular. These are larger sets and interact with kids to help their play be even more unique.
Next up – potty humor. This has always been among the top trends. Kids and adults alike like funny fart and poop toys and this year there will be even more games, plush and toys with that…theme.
Next to them are STEM toys. Talk about a difference. STEM toys include interactive, programmable robots, learning toys, etc.
Blind boxes are also one of the long-time trends. Kids love to collect toys and see what they get. Now, there’s a new twist: Packs which show parts of the toy or content, but the main item (often a rare one) remains hidden.
As for characters, this is also going to be the year of the odd ones. Sloths, llamas, aliens are going to be quite popular. They will be everywhere in all types of toys and accessories.
Next to them also expect dinosaurs. This year is the 25th anniversary of the original Jurassic Park movie. And there’s also going to be a new movie from the franchise. So, dinosaur toys are going to once again be quite popular.
