Feature - Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles

Affordable finds and tiny treasures

After an extremely successful 2024, the Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles category is poised to have an even stronger 2025, fuelled by new ideas, market-leading trends and the current value-driven retail climate. To find out more, Toy World’s Caroline Tonks spoke with a range of leading suppliers to discover what’s new and how they are using this success to their advantage.

Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles is a cornerstone category for the toy industry. Year after year, it provides families of all demographics and backgrounds with the opportunity to buy engaging and innovative toys for less than £10, and children the chance to treat themselves with their own funds. With many influential trends and an ever-rising popularity across social media, Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles continues to move from strength to strength. Recent studies by Circana have revealed that Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles was a top performing category in 2024 and carried this success over into the start of this year. “Collectibles had a high share in 2024; the growth we are seeing in this area shows that consumers are keen to purchase items which are on trend and also at the value price point they are looking for,” explains Rory Partis, director UK Toys, EuroToys Circana.

In our March issue, Rory explored the strong start to the 2025 market, which had +7% growth versus last year. “Collectibles has made up a large share of this promising start with a +30% trend,” he says. “The trend of 2024 seems to be continuing, with £0-15 being one of the top performers, adding around £4m in the first month of the year alone. In the Top 10 items for value, there are five items with an average price of less than £10, and three of those have an average price of less than £5.”

Numerous suppliers have witnessed this impressive start to the year. Pamela Justice, head of Marketing, MGA Entertainment UK, tells us that the start of 2025 has been full of momentum for the company, fuelled by new launches across L.O.L Surprise!, MGA’s Miniverse, Yummiland and brand-new addition, Moj Moj. “These ranges have struck a chord with our audience, thanks to fresh themes and collectibles that are driving strong demand.”

This continued newness encourages fans to keep adding to their collections, and it helps when the price is right. “February half-term was a standout moment, with a sharp sales spike—a clear sign that consumers were holding out for the right promotions before purchasing,” Pamela adds. “This trend highlights just how powerful timing, innovation and audience connection are in keeping the Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles category thriving.”

Heathside has also seen strong momentum, with its focus on pocket money collectibles contributing to the company’s impressive start to the year. “While we’ve noticed good results across all price points, products under £10 are performing particularly well,” says Max Nelson, Sales director, Heathside. “Consumers are still mindful of their spending, and affordable, high-quality collectibles continue to resonate strongly.”

The company has recently been named the master toy licensee for Millimages’ flagship property, Molang, across EMEA, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, expanding the existing deal signed in February 2024 for Toys, Gifts and Health & Beauty in EMEA and North America. Heathside’s Khadou brand is celebrating Molang’s 10th anniversary with a collection of Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles. Its plush range includes blind box plush, plush backpack hangers and mini plush bundle bags, all complementing the full-size plush.

Innov8 Creative Academy also saw a dynamic start to the year, with the team celebrating a Toy of the Year (TOTY) award for Collectible of The Year at the New York Toy Fair, due to the continued success of Deddy Bears and the six new collectibles recently launched.

“As we predicted, there has been a seismic shift in momentum from traditional toys to collectibles,” states Gavin Lawler, CEO, Innov8 Creative Academy. “I recognised this trend shift at an early stage and positioned Innov8 Creative Academy as a market leader within this category. I believe it could be a supercategory within three years.”

Funko has also enjoyed a strong start to 2025 and, echoing the Circana data which shows demand for collectibles continues to grow across all age ranges, especially in the kidult market. “As the leading pop culture company, Funko has been able to remain at the forefront of this trend by launching unique and innovative products with exciting licensor partnerships that engage with a wide range of collectors,” explains Leanne Marlow, UK Sales manager, Funko.

Funko’s fan-favourite Bitty Pop! series saw a welcome extension in 2024 with the introduction of Bittyverse. “The expansion of Bittyverse unveiled IP-driven Rides, Towns and Displays added to Bitty Pop!, increasing the collectability of the miniature series,” adds Leanne. “It is this variety of newness, mixed with the ever-expanding licensed lines, especially across Mystery Minis, which gave Bitty Pop! significant momentum in the Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles space for 2025.”

In Toy Barnhaus’ monthly Toy World column, Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes regularly commend the Pocket Money category, citing its continued healthy growth and steady sales. “Pocket money lines are always popular, especially anything tactile, squishy or fidgety,” they stated in the March issue of Toy World. “We have also seen fantastic sales of Transformers Blokees from Leftfield, which is a great collectible.”

Mark Ashurst, Blokees’ Sales manager, agrees that the brand has had a great start to the year. “Pretty much from the first day back this year, we’ve received orders daily. Initially we thought this would be top up orders following the Christmas period, but we have been receiving regular repeat orders ever since. Customers are telling us that stock is flying out.

“We draw on three key strengths – licensed, action figures that are construction led. But our real power comes from our high quality at very affordable retail prices, providing great sales aligned with strong retail margins.”

Blokees will continue to support the category with the continued development of its Transformers line, with range extensions and new segments. New for 2025 is Blokees’ smallest ever Transformers figures standing at just 5.5cm. These pocket money Defender Versions retain the same attention to detail and have exclusive weapons and 14 moveable joints for action poses.

Licensed Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles is a dominating force within the market, fuelled by major franchises and movie releases. Blokees’ new Defender Versions are poised to have significant interest due to the new Transformers movie, Transformers 8: Rise of Unicron, which is scheduled for release in 2025. A Minecraft Movie is hitting theatres at the beginning of this month, with a stacked cast and an expansive licensing and marketing campaign. Simba Smoby UK will be adding new Minecraft Movie Figures to its Jada brand’s signature 2.5-inch Metal Figs range. Affordable and highly collectible, these figures offer great playability and displayability.

The first 13 episodes of Magicbox’s Superthings Kazoom Power are now live on ITVX, with more to follow this summer. To support the new show, the Superthings Kazoom Power toy range is set to launch late July, comprising of Superthings figures, vehicles and toys. This range will bring the on-screen action to life, whilst encouraging children to create imaginative play scenarios of their own.

Sylvanian Families The Movie: A Gift from Freya is also due to be released later this year to celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary. Epoch will be rolling out a full marketing campaign across 2025 to support the milestone occasion and will be adding three new families to its Sylvanian collection – the Deer Family, Sea Otter Family and Snow Leopard Family.

Animal figures and plush remain a popular trend within this category, but 2025 is seeing the rise of duck collectibles.

AB Gee’s cosplaying collectibles, Tubbz, take pop culture characters and give them a rubber duck twist. Fans can collect ducks from their favourite films, video games, comic books, TV shows and music, bringing global entertainment brands like Universal, Warner Bros. and Paramount to life. Brand-new from Character Options is Teeny Weeny Duckeez, where fizzies are dropped into a bathtub and the water bubbles to reveal a mini collectible duck. With more than 100 duck accessories to discover, each comes with a coloured bathtub, two fizzies, a surprise duck and a surprise accessory.

Hunter Price’s Toy Mania pocket money brand is bringing a host of products to children and kidults alike. A new launch for Q2 2025 is Toy Mania’s Sensory ToyboxTeeny Tiniez. This sub-brand is built around collectability, trading and creative play, with the debut collection featuring tiny resin creatures, including little ducks. Just Play also has the all-new Warner Brothers DC Duckalooz, which are stylised ducks inspired by favourite DC Superheroes stories. These ducks pay tribute to characters like Wonder Woman and Batman, with Disney Duckalooz further extending the line with Disney and Pixar toy ducks.

Elsewhere in the realm of licensing, Sports is a major growth category this year, and PMI Kids’ World is leveraging this by introducing high-quality collectible figures based on UFC and Bundesliga. “We’re doubling down on our bestselling toy lines while launching new ones, expanding our footprint into the sports, kidult, and pre-school markets,” says Omer Dekel, CEO of PMI Kids’ World. “We want to deliver high-quality collectible figures at a good price point, tapping into the global passion for sports.”

Suppliers are naturally striving to keep the momentum of this year’s strong start going, while remaining aware of the current economic struggles that many families face. Leanne tells us that 2025 will see further expansions across Bitty Pop! with strong licensor partners including DC Comics, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Disney and many more. “With such a diverse pipeline of product being constantly released, Funko will be able to target fan bases that range from youngsters all the way to seasoned collectors.”

“Spending data has shown a move to more valueconscious shopping, with consumers tightening their belts and looking for more affordable toy options,” she adds. Bitty Pop! Single packs are priced at £3, with wider Bitty Pop! products below £10. This attractive price point is anticipated to continue to drive Bitty Pop! popularity this year.

Innovation is also at the heart of Heathside’s releases. “With collectibles, keeping things fresh is crucial,” states Max. “We continuously evolve our existing ranges while bringing in hot, trending new licences. We are very agile as a business, which allows us to make quick decisions and get products to market fast. Interestingly, we’re seeing retailers adopt a similar approach, which means more freshness in stores and a better ability to meet consumer demand in real time.”MGA is committed to driving momentum through the year with impactful media, dynamic social strategies and high-visibility PR activations that keep its brands front and centre. Pamela explains: “As the season unfolds, we’ll continue to fuel demand with engaging content, creative storytelling and strategic promotions—ensuring that the energy and excitement around our collectibles stays strong all year long.

“At MGA, we know that affordable fun is more important than ever, which is why we’re committed to offering great price points with even greater value. As a pioneer of the blind unboxing experience, we continue to lead the way in this area, ensuring that every purchase delivers excitement and surprise.” By balancing affordability with innovation, Pamela and the team are making sure MGA’s brands remain desirable.

A strong social media presence across multiple platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, helps keep new and upcoming ranges at the forefront of customers’ minds. Blokees is just one example of a company which is very active in this area. “We have a Blokees account across all of the major platforms, and our own website,” says Mark. “Fan engagement is at the core of what we are about, and we actively encourage it.” In addition to its global social media, Blokees works locally with a group of key influencers that have embraced the brand.

“Social media is one of the most powerful tools we have to drive excitement and sales,” comments Omer. “TikTok has been a game-changer, especially for brands like Fuggler, which exploded in popularity thanks to viral videos. We’ve seen firsthand how the right content can turn a brand into a must-have collectible overnight.” PMI works closely with influencers and content creators to create engaging videos that showcase its toys, drive traffic to its retail partners and make content that will go viral. “While TikTok is huge for reaching older kids and teens, Instagram remains a major platform for collectors and parents. For younger audiences, YouTube Kids is a key part of our strategy.”

To leave a lasting impression with consumers, Innov8 Creative Academy is very careful in identifying whether the trends that rise across social media will have the potential to last till shelf life. “We rely on product building and brand instinct to create and innovate something that has enough substance to break through and grab the consumers attention,” explains Gavin. “What we do best is to commercialise niche concepts and give them a mass appeal, leading to more sales from multiple age ranges, including kids, adults and collectors alike.”

Readers can continue through the following pages to discover the very latest products and ranges that the Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles category has to offer in 2025.