Circana - Insight

Behind the headlines

The toy market is showing growth, and Rory discovers that this growth is coming from a wide range of categories, manufacturers and properties – and not always the ones we might expect.

A strong April, with value growth of +13%, has helped the UK toy market to a YTD growth figure of +7%. This is an excellent start to the year and a very welcome boost, with over £30m more being spent on toys vs. the first four months of 2024. The headlines are being taken up by the top performers, and rightly so: there have been some very impressive sales trends so far, with Pokémon showing huge growth and The Lego Group continuing to grow after a strong 2024. If we look at where the overall market growth is coming from, the top 10 manufacturers are growing by +9%, with Asmodee, The Lego Group, Zuru and Spin Master leading the way. The top 10 manufacturers account for around half of all toys spend, so, collectively, they represent an incredibly important part of the market and its success this year. However, there has been some strong growth from other areas of the market too; it might surprise you to learn that, even removing Pokémon from Games & Puzzles, the category is still growing by +13%. Similarly, in Building Sets, removing Lego shows the category still growing by +18%. So, there’s clearly a lot happening in the UK toy market outside of the main headlines.

After Games & Puzzles and Building Sets, the next best performing category in 2025 is Action Figures. With +12% value growth this year, the category has added £3m in value so far. This has been helped by strong performances from several manufacturers, rather than from one company doing particularly well. The growth properties are diverse, with Minecraft and Sonic from the video games world, Marvel and Transformers from movies and new value from Mr Beast. Licensing is also growing this year in Action Figures, making up 83% of overall value in the category, way ahead of the 35% of total toys. Looking at the type of licences driving growth is interesting: the top growth theme in Action Figures this year is Manga/Anime, which is growing by +27% and has added over £1m. The licences that are showing growth within this theme are a varied bunch, with the top performers being Demon Slayer, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.

Plush toys is up +1%, according to the latest data, behind the market trend of +7%. But this isn’t the full story; if we exclude Squishmallows from the overall trend, the category is growing by +11%. There are some impressive trends from Ty, as well as Zuru’s Snackles and Pets Alive ranges, amongst others. Licensing is strong here too, with growth of +15% driven by Minecraft, Paddington, Lilo & Stitch and Hello Kitty & Friends. Plush is also where we can find the top performing manufacturer in 2025 outside the top 10: Keel Toys has added over £3m in value this year and is growing by an outstanding +303%. With a range that is exclusively Plush and almost no licensed sales, this manufacturer possibly doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The range includes a wide selection of animals, the appeal of which certainly isn’t waning with consumers.

While Keel Toys is the best performing manufacturer outside the top 10, there are a host of others with strong growth trends too. Several Outdoor companies are performing well, with the good weather in April helping here; Geemac, Wilton Bradley and Plum Products are amongst the top performers in the category so far this year. Outdoor & Sports Toys grew by +13% in the month of April, as the Easter holidays saw plenty of sunshine, which Outdoor companies will be hoping to continue for the next few months. Bandai is another top performer this year, helped by the strong Manga/Anime trend we have seen in Action Figures.

We like to publish positive results for the toy market at Circana, so it’s great to have a headline trend of +7% - and to have growth coming from a range of categories, manufacturers and properties is a truly encouraging sign in the current climate. Let’s hope the toy market can continue to perform at that level for the rest of 2025.

Property Progression:

The Minecraft Movie was released in UK cinemas on April 4th and the film has enjoyed great success at the box office. This has helped boost the Minecraft property from a No. 17 ranking in March to the No. 2 ranking in May, with over £3m in sales for the month of April. The Building Sets range from The Lego Group has the largest share of the property, making up around 37% of all value, with approximately 20% coming from Action Figures Collectibles and 16% from Plush. Within Action Figure Collectibles, Mattel and Simba Dickie are the key manufacturers, while in Plush, the manufacturer with the highest share of sales is Mattel. The Minecraft Plush 8" Assortment from Mattel was the top selling Minecraft product for the month of April, with the Minecraft The Baby Pig House from Lego at No. 2. With the movie continuing to be shown in cinemas and still receiving a very positive reaction, the property should continue to perform well for the next few months.

Fastest Growing Subclass

Licences have grown by +10% so far in 2025 and account for 35% of all toy spend in the first four months of the year. Formula 1 is the top growth licence this year and has added nearly £4m vs. the same period in 2024. Almost all this growth has come from Lego with the new range having a great start to the year. The Speed Champions Formula 1 Ferrari Sf24 Racing Car is the top Formula 1 item, followed by the Speed Champions Formula 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Race Car.

In the top 10 growth licences, three come from video games, with Minecraft, Fortnite and Sonic the Hedgehog all featuring in the top 10. Two of these licences are helped by having movie releases that have boosted toy sales: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released in December 2024, boosting sales in the first four months of 2025. Action Figure Collectibles is the key growth category for Sonic, but Plush, Collectible Stickers and Blasters/Shooters are all growing too. The Minecraft Movie was released in early April and led to Minecraft being the second-best performing licence for YTD April 2025, with The Lego Group and Mattel the two main manufacturers adding to sales. The Lego Fortnite range launched in 2025 and has helped the Fortnite licence become the fifth best performer this year. The Fortnite Battle Bus from Lego is the top item and accounts for around a third of all Fortnite spend.

Hello Kitty and Friends is the sixth best performing licence in 2025. It was the property’s 50th anniversary in 2024, and this has led to strong sales continuing into this year. Traditional Plush makes up around a third of all value and was also the top growth category, although other subclasses - Miscellaneous Toys, Playset Dolls and Special Feature Plush – are all growing strongly. The Miniverse Hello Kitty & Friends Make It Mini Food Asst from MGA Entertainment is the top Hello Kitty item, with the L.O.L. Surprise! Hello Kitty And Friends Tots Asst also from MGA Entertainment at No. 2.