As the shops of Britain fill with the glow and bustle of the holiday season, a quiet revival is unfolding on the shelves of toy sellers. Between January and October, toy purchases rose 17 per cent on the previous year, the strongest pace in a decade, even as household budgets remain tight. Behind the figures lies a familiar human impulse: parents and grown adults reaching for the tangible, the shared, and the hands-on, while a wider unease about screens and childhood hovers in the background.
Stickers and Building Sets Drive a Bumper Year for UK Toy Sales Ahead of Christmas
As the shops of Britain fill with the glow and bustle of the holiday season, a quiet revival is unfolding on the shelves of toy sellers. Between January and October, toy purchases rose 17 per cent on the previous year, the strongest pace in a decade, even as household budgets remain tight. Behind the figures lies a familiar human impulse: parents and grown adults reaching for the tangible, the shared, and the hands-on, while a wider unease about screens and childhood hovers in the background.
By the time Christmas shopping peaks in the UK, toys are flying off shelves at a remarkable pace. This year the run-up looks unusually strong: sales up to October were 17% higher than the same period last year, the fastest growth in a decade, according to the research firm Circana.
The rise comes despite tight household finances. Melissa Symonds, Circana's UK toys director, pointed to one sign of how families are coping: some of the biggest gains have been in toys priced between £5 and £10. Nearly half of all toy sales arrive in the weeks before Christmas, and families are watching their costs closely.
Part of the lift comes from the so-called kidult market, toys and games for people over 12, often bought by adults for themselves, whose sales rose 22% in the first half of the year. Yet children's toys, still the majority of the market, have also had a good year.
What children are being given reflects a wider unease. Symonds linked the popularity of squishy toys, stickers and Lego-style building sets to a growing debate over children's screen time. Connected toys make up less than 1% of sales, a sign that hands-on play still rules. Recent stories, including a BBC investigation into an AI teddy that told a user "I can't help with killing you", have only sharpened those worries.
Parents, too, want to be part of the fun. One in five parents of three- to nine-year-olds say the chance to play together as a family shapes their purchases. Paul Reader, who chairs the Dream Toys panel, put it simply: "Nothing beats a board game with that." His advice to bargain hunters is to shop around but buy from reputable sellers, so that toys are genuine and safe. With the biggest stretch of the season still ahead, everyone will be watching how it ends.
By the time Christmas shopping reaches its peak in the UK, toys are leaving shelves at a rate of 23 every second. This year, the run-up to that moment looks unusually strong. Figures from the research company Circana show that the number of toys sold up to October was 17% higher than in the same period last year, and the pace of growth is the fastest in a decade.
The gain comes despite the cost-of-living pressures squeezing household budgets. Melissa Symonds, UK toys director at Circana, pointed to one sign of how families are coping: some of the biggest growth has been in toys priced between £5 and £10. She also noted that nearly half of all toy sales arrive in the build-up to Christmas, and that families are still watching costs closely.
The toy sector has had relatively low sales in recent years, and part of what has lifted it is the so-called kidult market, meaning toys and games for people over 12, often bought by adults for themselves. The value of kidult sales rose 22% in the first half of the year. But Symonds stressed that toys for children, which still make up the majority of sales, have also had a good year so far.
What children are being bought is telling. Symonds linked the popularity of squishy toys, stickers and building sets such as Lego to a growing public debate about children's screen time and the role of technology. Connected toys, she said, account for less than 1% of the market, which shows that traditional, hands-on play remains overwhelmingly popular.
Concerns about connected devices have been in the news. A BBC investigation found that an AI teddy marketed as "perfect" for children as young as three said "I can't help with killing you" after seemingly mishearing a question. Separately, debate has intensified about keeping young people free from smartphones during the school day.
Parents also say they want to be involved. According to the market intelligence company The Insights Family, one in five parents of children aged three to nine say the chance to play together as a family influences what they buy. Paul Reader, who chairs the Dream Toys selection panel of retailers and experts from across the sector, said parents want to engage with their children's play. "Nothing beats a board game with that," he said. "Nothing beats a bit of interaction."
The Dream Toys panel has drawn up a list of toys that retailers believe will be among the most popular this year. It includes new versions of recent favourites, among them slime, a soft tiger that roars and grows, and a shark that breaks out of an egg.
Reader also had advice for bargain hunters: shop around, but buy from reputable traders so that toys are genuine and safe. With nearly half of the year's sales still to come in the weeks before Christmas, retailers and families alike will be watching how that final stretch plays out.
Citazioni salienti
Connected toys account for less than 1% of market sales, showing that traditional, hands-on play remains overwhelmingly popular.— Melissa Symonds, UK toys director at Circana
Nothing beats a board game with that. Nothing beats a bit of interaction.— Paul Reader, chair of the Dream Toys selection panel
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Economy & Finance