December Saw Strong Toy Sales

Consumers may have been late to the game when it came to holiday toy shopping in 2012. But once they hit the stores, they helped retailers see their strongest December in three years, with dollar sales exceeding $5 billion.

That’s according to The NPD Group, the global information group headquartered in Port Washington.

Consumers put toy shopping on hold thanks to the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, decreased consumer confidence and concerns about the fiscal cliff, said Russ Crupnick, a senior vice president of industry analysis at NPD, in a statement.

However, toy sales were up 1.3 percent from 2012. Still,  toy sails dipped slightly for the overall year, with sales hitting $16.5 billion, down from $16.6 billion in 2011, according to NPD.

“The good news is when consumers did break out of their cocoon in late December they flocked to the toys section at their favorite retailers,” Crupnick noted.

The biggest gains were seen in building sets, arts & crafts, dolls and infant/preschool categories. Conversely, the biggest declines were in plush toys, outdoor and sports toys, vehicles and games/puzzles

Top sellers included Barbie, Disney Princess, Hot Wheels, Monster High and Star Wars.

The top ten toys in 2012, ranked in dollar order, were

1. Leapster Explorer Licensed Software Asst – LeapFrog
2. Beyblade Metal Fusion – Hasbro
3. LeapPad Explorer System Green – LeapFrog
4. LeapPad 2 Tablet System Green – LeapFrog
5. Hot Wheels Express Lane Asst – Mattel
6. Monster High Doll Asst – Mattel
7. Easy Bake Ultimate Oven – Hasbro
8. Razor Scooter Asst – Razor USA
9. Leappad 2 Tablet Special Hardware Plus Bundle Asst – LeapFrog
10. Barbie 3-Story Dream Townhouse - Mattel