Circana - Insight

Toy sales full of character

As the Licensed category continues to perform strongly in the UK Toy market, Emilie looks at which properties are driving this growth, and which are expected to be sought after in the months ahead.

The Licensed Toy category continues to outperform and drive the UK Toy market: for YTD August 25, Licensed Toy sales were up +14%, twice as much as Total Toy, which grew +7% while non-licensed toys were up +4%. Licences generated 35.6% of Total Toy value sales, up +3.2pt vs. 2 years ago and was worth over £550M between January and August this year. The UK over-indexes on licensed toys versus Europe, where licensed toys accounted for 31% of the toy sales.

Historically, the toy market is strongly influenced by the movie industry and the TV/streaming/digital world. Toy sales related to those two sources accounted for more than a quarter of total toys sales and generated 37% of the market uplift versus last year. But this year, Video Games and Racing/Formula 1 were the main drivers, creating 39% and 20% of the toy market gain respectively, adding £30m together. In comparison, movies added £8m, but the lines are blurring, as Minecraft and F1, which were the top two gaining licences this year, have both also been boosted by a movie release this year and new toy launches, which help attract more consumers.

The top 3 bestselling licences in Toy this year so far are Star Wars, Minecraft and Harry Potter. Building Sets is the largest supercategory for all three of them, but Minecraft and Harry Potter also gain from expanding across other categories: Minecraft has over-performed in Action Figures & Accessories and tripled its sales in Plush & Explorative & Other toys. Minecraft’s bestselling item is Minecraft Plush 8" Asst by Mattel, which became the No. 2 bestselling item in Traditional Plush this year; whilst Simba Nano MetalFigs Minecraft 24 Figures Display 1.65" is the No. 1 bestselling item in the Action Figures Collectibles subclass. Harry Potter Miniverse items have been incremental for the licence, and Miniverse Harry Potter Make It Mini Potions Asst is the No. 3 bestselling item in Miscellaneous Toys this year.

The top 3 gaining licences in YTD August were Formula 1, Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch which all reached the top 5 bestselling licences. This is a rapidly changing category, and it can be hard to predict which licences will be the top 10 gaining at the end of the year, with several strong toyetic movie releases and highly anticipated streaming series coming up in the last few months of the year, promising a boost to the toy market. Last year, Wicked was the top new licence for the full year of 2024, with the movie and related toys only released in the last few months of the year. Wicked reached the top 10 gaining toy licences in 2024 (at No. 2 in Q4). This summer, in July & August 2025, Jurassic World jumped to the No. 5 bestselling licence and No. 2 gaining. K-Pop Demon Hunters became such a phenomenon this summer that related merchandise would be likely to reach a high volume of sales if there is any stock in the market. It was already possible to pre-order figurine items in September on some UK retailers’ websites; it’s not surprising to see this property appearing first with Action Figures & Accessories (the category the most reliant on licences, which make up 85% of its sales). Manufacturers can react more quickly to new trends than in many other categories where development time are longer.

Licensed toys are not only for adults or older kids. Pre-school Toys is the fourth largest segment, worth more than £38m YTD August. Bluey is in the top 10 bestselling licences in total toys and No. 11 in gaining, with double-digit growth and a new Building Set range this year. Gabby’s Dollhouse sales are up +15% in Pre-school Toys, and the movie in Q4 should accelerate its performance. Paw Patrol is growing in Pre-school Toys too, and its growth has increased in the last three months to August, whilst Peppa Pig’s performance improved significantly with the release of new toys linked to the arrival of Baby Evie to the family.

Can Licensed Toys continue to grow next year after such a strong performance? We are expecting to continue to see positive performance from licensed toys in 2026, supported by strong toyetic movies such as Super Mario World, Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5, Spider-Man Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday and Shrek, to name but a few.

Property Progression:

World Soccer benefited from the launch of Non-Strategic Trading Cards/Collectibles stickers for the new Premier League season, with the Topps Premier League 2026 Debut Mega Tin Asst and Premier League 2026 Debut Cards Starter Pack jumping straight into

Top-gaining licences

The top-gaining licence so far this year is Formula 1, adding £20m of sales compared to last year, with the launch of Building Sets earlier this year being a key driver. The bestselling items were Lego Speed Champions Formula 1 Ferrari Sf24 Racing Car, sold for just above £20, and the Lego Minifigures Formula 1 Collectible Race Cars at an average selling price of £3.49. Fortnite also benefited from new launches in Building Sets this year.

Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch were the No. 2 and 3 gaining licences respectively, supported by movie releases in Spring. Minecraft reached No. 2 in total toys in YTD, with sales up +86%, mainly driven by Building Sets, Action Figures and Plush. Lilo & Stitch reached the top 5 licences, with sales more than doubling YoY at +130%, expanding across segments. Plush and Building Sets accounted for half of Lilo & Stitch sales, and Wow Stuff Real FX Lilo & Stitch Plush 18" was the bestselling item in the Special Feature/Interactive Plush subclass.

Harry Potter has grown +26% versus last year, thanks to new Building Sets but also via the addition of MGA’s Miniverse, as well as gaining in Plush and Games. Harry Potter is the No. 3 bestselling licence in Total Toys and is gaining momentum ahead of the new TV series.

Hello Kitty and Friends, combining the kidult, Asian and kawai trends, entered the top 20 bestselling licences YTD in August 25, supported by new launches and focusing on collectability. Traditional Plush, Playsets Dolls & Collectibles and Miscellaneous toys generated 80% of its sales, reflected in the top-selling items: ToyTopic Hello Kitty And Friends Soft Plush 28cm Asst, MGA’s Miniverse Hello Kitty And Friends Make It Mini Food Asst (reaching the No. 2 bestselling item in Miscellaneous Toys) and L.O.L. Surprise! Hello Kitty And Friends With 7 Surprises Asst, all priced between £8-11.

Disney Princess Moana, Wicked Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog benefited from new launches and movie releases in November and December last year, contributing to sales increases YTD 2025. Indeed, it helped Sonic to jump to the top 5 licences in the Action Figures & Accessories supercategory this year, whilst Wicked and Moana entered the top 8 properties in the Fashion Dolls subclasses.