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  • Toy Talk | US Toy Sales Climb Even As Price Hikes Loom

Toy Talk | US Toy Sales Climb Even As Price Hikes Loom

Plus: Disney’s $62B licensing lead signals a new IP arms race

Author

Zihan Lyu
August 06, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Toy Talk

This week, here’s what’s happening in the world of toy marketing:
- US toy sales rebound ahead of expected price hikes
- Disney tops $62B in licensed product revenue
- Kidult nostalgia keeps margins fat for legacy brands

🌟 Editor’s Pick - Incrementality Over Instincts

Stop Chasing Conversions - Start Measuring Real Growth
The path to measurement maturity isn’t about tracking every conversion - it’s about understanding what’s truly incremental.

That’s the focus of Fospha’s new Meta whitepaper, created in partnership with six leading eCommerce brands. The findings reveal what happens when marketers move beyond Last Click - and start building systems that reflect how growth actually happens.

Highlights include:

  • Why Last Click dramatically undervalues upper-funnel marketing

  • Predictive modeling uncovering up to 80% more revenue potential in Meta

  • How brands found the confidence to reallocate budget and scale new channels

  • How combining incrementality testing with always-on measurement completes the measurement puzzle - delivering a holistic, reliable view of marketing impact

As Andy King, Head of Performance Marketing at NBrown, put it:

“It was really insightful to see how much Meta’s impact was being underestimated by Last Click. Fospha’s data gave us a clearer picture of its true value, in the context of our other channels, highlighting opportunities we hadn’t fully recognized before.”

👉 Download Fospha’s Meta Whitepaper to see how leading brands are redefining measurement for 2025.

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

Circana reports H1 2025 U.S. toy dollar sales up 6% with average selling prices finally inching higher after three flat years. Kidults and licensed titles drove outsized gains—games & puzzles +39%—signaling resilient demand even as shoppers brace for inflation. Marketers should realign holiday pricing and stock plans to capture momentum without overextending ASP tolerance.

LEGAL & IP
Labubu to Lafufu: ‘See You In Court’
Pop Mart has filed suit in California accusing 7-Eleven of selling counterfeit Labubu blind boxes, claiming $418 million brand at risk from low-grade look-alikes. The case spotlights rising counterfeit pressure in collectibles and exposes retailers to liability for third-party sourcing—expect tighter authentication requirements and higher compliance costs across convenience and mass channels.

LICENSING LEADERBOARD
License Global Releases 2025 Top Global Licensors Whitepaper
Disney retained the No. 1 spot with $62 billion in licensed sales, helping push global licensed retail above $307 billion in 2024. The report flags Gen Z overtaking millennials by 2026 and a pivot toward experience-driven ecosystems, underscoring why toy brands that fuse physical products with digital fandoms will own the next growth curve.

ClickZ is hosting an exclusive drinks gathering on Day 3 of eTail Boston—and you’re on the list.

We’re bringing together some of the sharpest minds in retail and marketing for an evening of cocktails and insider conversations, all just steps away from the event venue.

Wednesday, 13 August | 4:30 PM (Day 3)

📍 5 minutes from the venue (details shared upon RSVP confirmation)

If you’re serious about the next wave in commerce, this is the spot to be.

Spots are limited—grab yours now.

⚡QUICK READS

Nostalgia Collabs Stretch Margins: LEGO, Mattel and Hasbro see 30-50% margin bumps from limited-edition retro IP drops that tap kidult culture and scarcity economics. (More)

Global Toy Market To Hit $506B: SkyQuest forecasts 5.2% CAGR through 2032, driven by eCommerce expansion and the comeback of classic play formats—logistics and DTC readiness become non-negotiable. (More)

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