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Booming Toy Market Will Surpass $5B Mark

  • Brandweek, Thursday, February 16, 2006 11:32 AM
There's big money in little toys. A new study says the infant toy market is on the verge of explosive growth and that by 2010 toy sales will surpass the $5.1 billion mark. The report, from market research publisher Packaged Facts, says that toy sales in the infant, toddler, and preschool category jumped by 7.7 percent in 2004 to reach $4.4 billion, followed by further growth in 2005 when sales surpassed the $4.5 billion mark. Those results followed a sluggish 2003 when sales dropped 4 percent. The study comes at a time when licensed products like "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Blue's Clues" are popular and the successful return to market of classics such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Strawberry Shortcake." "With the evolution of the 'Yoga Mommy'--trendy, affluent urbanites and suburbanites--we've seen a concurrent evolution of 'Hipster Babies' and 'Elegant Babies' whose styles of clothes, toys, etc., reflect the upscale attitudes of their moms ... and dads," said Don Montuori, publisher of Packaged Facts. "Their demand for ultra-expensive status toys is definitely a money-making niche that marketers will want to continue to focus on."

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