No.2619
Toy Market in Japan: Key Research Findings 2020
After a Decline in FY2019 without Any Smash Hits, Toy Market Showed Stable Growth in FY2020 in COVID-19 Calamity
Yano Research Institute (the President, Takashi Mizukoshi) carried out a survey on the domestic toy market and found out the trends by category, the trends of market players, and the future outlook.
Market Overview
The domestic market size of total major 9 categories of toys for FY2019, based on the shipment value at manufacturers, was estimated as 640,200 million yen, a decline by 4.0% from the previous fiscal year. The market size of total major 8 categories (excluding TV games) was estimated as 335,200 million yen, also a decline by 4.7% from the preceding fiscal year.
The market of boys’ characters & toys that occupy about 30% of the total major 8 categories of toys declined without hot sellers, although some staple products showed stable growth such as favorable sale of trading card games. The market of girls’ characters & toys also went below the previous-year results, because the staple products that had led the market became sluggish, though surprise toys drew attention in the previous fiscal year and some popular character toys showed favorable sales.
* Surprise toys are the toys with the contents made to secret, making it enjoyable even when opening the package of the toy.
Noteworthy Topics
Stay-Home Demands in COVID-19 Calamity Boosting Jigsaw-Puzzle and Analog-Game Markets
Spread of COVID-19 infections in 2020 caused a declaration of state of emergency, and people were asked to refrain from going outside. This generated the demands and consumption from staying at home, boosting the markets of jigsaw puzzles and analog games mainly during the Golden Week and summer holidays.
Future Outlook
The domestic market size of total major 9 categories of toys for FY2020, based on the shipment values at manufacturers, is projected to rise by 4.7% from the previous fiscal year to attain 670,500 million yen. The market size of total major 8 categories (excluding TV games) is expected to rise by 0.1% to reach 335,500 million yen.
As for the major 8 categories of toys, while jigsaw puzzles and analog games are likely to enjoy double-digit growth stemming from the “stay-home demand,” boys’ toys & characters and girls’ toys & characters, total of which occupying 30% of the market, are facing sluggish sales, flattening the entire market size from the previous fiscal year.
On the other hand, the market of major 9 categories including TV games is likely to expand, because of release of new TV game hardware in addition to the favorable “at-home” demand.
Research Outline
2.Research Object： Manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of toys, toys for building scale models/toys for hobbies, TV gaming contents manufacturers, etc.
3.Research Methogology： Face-to-face interviews by the specialized researchers, surveys via telephone/email, and literature research
What is the Toy Market?
The toy market in this research refers to a market of the following major nine categories:
1) Electronic toys, 2) toys for building scale models/toys for hobbies, 3) boys’ characters & toys, 4) girls’ characters & toys, 5) analog games, 6) seasonal & miscellaneous toys, 7) basic toys (intellectual training toys, blocks, jigsaw puzzles, etc.,) 8) soft or stuffed toys, and 9) TV games. The market size is based on the domestic shipment values at manufacturers, without that for exports.
The details of nine categories are as follows:
1) Electronic toys: Electronic games, electronic soft toys, PC for kids, smartphone-imitated toys, kinesthetic games (high targeted toys included)
2) Toys for building scale models and toys for hobbies: Plastic models, radio control models, model guns, and other toys for hobbies (high targeted toys included)
3) Boys’ characters & toys: Toy radio controls, other toys for boys; most of trading card games and high-targeted toys are included, among all the smartphone-imitated toys those featuring some characters are included
4) Girls’ characters & toys: Girl-character toys, dress-up dolls, other toys for girls (including high targeted toys,) among all the smartphone-imitated toys those featuring some characters are included
5) Analog games: Board games, analog games, general games (high targeted toys included)
6) Seasonal toys: Traditional dolls and toys for seasonal event and festivals; fireworks, etc.
7) Basic toys: Intellectual training toys, toys for babies and infants, blocks, jigsaw puzzles, etc. (high targeted toys included)
8) Stuffed toys and dolls: Soft toys or stuffed toys, dolls and others (high-targeted toys included)
9) TV games: TV game hardware, mobile game devices, TV game software (some online games included)
* High targeted toys are overall toys targeting adults, generally those toys that drive nostalgia for adults or remind them of younger days. Some use the characters popular in the past (which can be popular even now).
＜Products and Services in the Market＞
Electronic toys, toys for building scale models/toys for hobbies, boys’ characters & toys, girls’ characters & toys, analog games, seasonal & miscellaneous toys, basic toys (intellectual training toys, blocks, jigsaw puzzles, etc.,) soft or stuffed toys, TV games, toys packaged with confectionery, toys within capsules, figure toys, railway models, trading card games
Published Report
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