Ryan's World
Some of the hottest toys this Christmas are popular because of YouTube, but classic toys remain top sellers as well.
Ryan's World toys such as treasure chests, eggs and piñatas with surprises inside are popular sellers at Target, said Amber Fiallos, team leader in the toy department at Target in Wilkes-Barre Twp.
Ryan's World is a YouTube channel featuring 8-year-old Ryan Kaji and his family members. One of the channel's videos, called "Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge," has more than 1.9 billion views. The channel has more than 22.8 million subscribers and made about $22 million last year, Forbes magazine estimated.
"Ryan's World is really big and it literally started with a kid who would just open up toys on YouTube. Now, he has his own line of toys," Fiallos said. "He has his own mystery blind packs and piñatas."
Ryan's World and L.O.L. Surprise toys, as well as classic toys like Barbie dolls, Lego sets and Nerf guns, top many kids' Christmas lists this year and are flying off the shelves at Target stores.
L.O.L. Surprise was one of the most sought-after toys last year and it continues to be a popular seller this holiday season.
"Barbies are still big and I don't think L.O.L. Surprise is ever going to go out of style," Fiallos said.
L.O.L. Surprise toys come in small capsules that kids like to unwrap and discover what's inside, such as small dolls with clothing and accessories.
"It's like a blind pack so you don't know which doll you're going to get," Fiallos said. "You see a lot of YouTube channels of kids opening them. It's a big thing."
Target also sells big items such as the L.O.L. Surprise "2-in-1 glamper," a fashion camper which comes with more than 55 surprises and was on sale for $89.99.
Fiallos said the glamper has been very popular and Target has received a number of orders for it.
"It's kind of like an accessory to the blind packs," she said. "You get the dolls and stuff, but then you could drive this around almost like a Barbie car."
In addition to Barbie dolls being popular sellers for girls, Fiallos said many shoppers want to buy the Barbie Dreamhouse and Barbie Malibu House.
"Some things are sold out all the time because they are so popular like the Barbie Dream Plane," Fiallos said.
Every year, she said Target gets a hot toy that almost always sells out. This year, it was a surprise ball called "Mini Brands," she said.
While American Girl dolls remain popular sellers for girls nationwide, Target sells its own popular brand of dolls called "Our Generation" dolls.
Most American Girl dolls sell for $98 each with a book while Our Generation dolls sell for about $25. Target also sells Our Generation doll outfits, which are less expensive than American Girl outfits but can fit both dolls, as well as doll accessories.
While Barbie is a classic seller for girls, Lego sets are classic sellers for boys, Fiallos said. Minecraft Lego sets are especially popular, she said.
Nerf guns probably remain the No. 1 seller for boys and Nerf blasters inspired by the video game Fortnite are especially popular, she said.
"A lot of kids love Fortnite," she said. "It seems like every boy loves Nerf. It's not even just little boys. I see teenagers in here looking at them."
Target announced earlier this year it would offer an expanded assortment of more than 10,000 toys in its stores and online, including new and exclusive items for the holidays.
According to market research group the NPD Group, the toy industry throughout the U.S. saw dollar sales increase by $99 million to $3.69 billion in the from July to September this year, a 3 percent increase over the same time period last year.
Toys seeing growth in sales included L.O.L. Surprise, Barbie and Nerf, as well as Marvel Universe and Pokemon.
Looking ahead, the NPD Group anticipates growth in the fourth quarter compared to last year, which was hampered by the closing of Toys R Us.
There are six fewer days from Thanksgiving to Christmas this year and the last time this happened in 2013, sales surged during the final week of the holiday season for the toy industry.
That year, Christmas was on Wednesday, one day later than the prior year, and that week posted growth of nearly $280 million. For the last two years, the additional day before Christmas has added $200 million in sales to the week, according to The NPD Group. This year, Christmas falls on a Wednesday again.
"We should expect the same levels of growth this year during the week of Christmas and with the online channel becoming less of an option as we get closer to Christmas day, it's a great opportunity for brick and mortar stores to gain share," Juli Lennett, vice president and industry advisor of toys for The NPD Group, said in a statement. "Retailers need to have the inventory on shelves through Christmas Eve or risk losing out on this last minute rush."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115, @CVAllabaugh on Twitter
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