TOP 12 TOYS THIS CHRISTMAS ANNOUNCED: SHOPPERS ADVISED TO BUY EARLY OR RISK MISSING OUT

London - 28 October 2020: The Top 12 Toys for Christmas were revealed today, an announcement that has been brought forward due to the rising concerns many retailers have about meeting demand in the lead up to Christmas owing to supply and retail issues around the pandemic.

“We implore consumers not to leave their Christmas shopping to the final few weeks of the year,” explained Gary Grant, chair of the DreamToys selection committee. “Due to COVID-19 restrictions across the country, retailers will simply not be able to service as many people in store due to social distancing. In addition, couriers are already overloaded and will struggle to meet the demand to get presents to people before Christmas. Added to this is the limited availability of stock compared to previous years; our advice is to shop early to avoid missing out.”

The DreamToys list is the UK’s most authoritative predictive list of what will be hot this Christmas. Selected by a panel of retailers and industry experts, the list is independent of toy manufacturers and makers.

This year’s Top 12 list is dominated by the big classic toy brands and licenses that have entertained children for generations such as Barbie, Monopoly, Harry Potter, Lego and Star Wars as well as the massively popular Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Pokémon and L.O.L Surprise.

The complete Top 12 list is (in alphabetical order – please note the Top 12 is not selected in any particular order):

All prices quoted as RRPs, market price may vary from retailer to retailer.

Throughout lockdown, toys have been a constant source of joy for children during this difficult time and have brought families closer together. Statistics from NPD show toy sales have increased by 6% on the first nine months of 2020, while Games and Puzzles have seen an increase of 32%. Furthermore, a survey conducted by the Toy Retailers Association of 2,000 parents showed 56% of parents have spent more time playing with their children since lockdown and 88% felt toys had helped them bond more closely with their children.

Frederique Tutt, vice president – global industry expert, toys, The NPD Group commented, “Toys and games have proved their value in 2020. As in other markets, Britons turned to toys and games to help fill the long weeks of lockdown. For the period of lockdown alone, sales rose by 15%. However, unit sales are down 9% for the first nine months of the year. As consumers have not been able to visit stores, sales of lower price point collectables have decreased in favour of ‘slow’ play toys such as those in this year’s DreamToys list.”

Grant added, “This year’s DreamToys Top 12 includes a range of products from classic brands such as Monopoly and Barbie, to popular licenses and innovative new toys to suit all price points. Toys have been an important part of families’ lives during lockdown and we believe many on this list will put a well-deserved smile on faces this Christmas.”

To see the Top 12 in more detail, and the full longlist of DreamToys, consumers can head to the DreamToys Facebook page (www.facebook.com/dreamtoysUK).

Full details of the list can be found at:
https://www.toyretailersassociation.co.uk/dreamtoys-2020

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For more information, please contact:

Media Enquires – Will Lawes
Broadcast Enquires – Jordan Tunnicliff
Bastion
Tel 020 3927 6430
dreamtoys@bastion.co.uk

Notes to Editors
Spokespeople from the Toy Retailers Association, the British Toy and Hobby Association, all the participating companies and the research company, NPD, are available for interview.

Survey information
Date carried out: 07.10.2020 – 14.10.2020
Number of respondents: 2000
Demographic: UK Parents of Children Aged 0-10
Survey was conducted by OnePoll
For more information and full results please contact dreamtoys@bastion.co.uk

The Toy Retailers Association

The Association’s role is to inform and advise members on current and future legislation, as well as ethical practices in respect of toy safety, requirements under the Health and Safety Executive, consumer and employer rights.It acts as both a watchdog and persuader to ensure fair play for toy retailers and represents the toy retail sector on government panels and safety organisations in the UK & Europe.

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information visit www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup.

The following retail companies and collectives fed into the DreamToys selection process:

AIS (buying group), Argos, The Entertainer, Selfridges, Smyths Toys, Toymaster (buying group), Toy Town. The buying groups provide representation across the specialist, local, independent and department store toy departments. The group was supported by market analysts from the NPD Group.