A Christmas Toy Story infographic gives us a history lesson on the popular toys of the last few decades starting with the Rubix Cube.
By 1982, the Rubix Cube had over 100 million in sales and that number climbed to 350 million by 2009. The puzzle cub remains popular today, although countless YouTube tutorials detailing the puzzle-solving techniques have somewhat dampened the mystery of it.
Star Wars toys blew up in 1982 as the sci-fi franchise began its historic run. Figures like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker were big hits and remain valuable to this day. In 1984, the popular toys were Care Bears and He-Man. The next two years were dominated by the Transformers toys. The Transformers cartoon was actually created due to the toys’ success.
Fast forward to 1990 and according to the Christmas Toy Story infographic, the combat toys continued to reign supreme with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Rise of Nostalgic Toys
- Opportunity for creating and marketing nostalgic toys that tap into the childhood memories of adults.
- Interactive Toy Experiences
- Chance to develop toys that provide interactive and engaging experiences through the use of technology.
- Influence of Pop Culture
- Potential for creating toys that are based on popular movies, TV shows, and franchises to tap into the influence of pop culture.
Where This Applies
- Toy Manufacturing
- Innovate the production process by incorporating advanced manufacturing technologies like 3D printing to create innovative toy designs.
- Digital Entertainment
- Opportunity to develop interactive digital platforms and apps that enhance the play experience and complement physical toys.
- Collectibles Market
- Exploit the demand for nostalgic toys by offering limited edition collectibles with unique designs and packaging.
