It’s that time of year when parents start to worry whether they’ll be able to find everything on their children’s Christmas lists.
But panicked mums and dads should at least have heard of the most in-demand festive gifts this year – with retro toys set to make a comeback.
Hot Wheels, Barbie, Lego and Lego are just a few of the old-school favorites in the top 12 predicted best sellers as announced by The Toy Retailers Association.
Experts stated that the uncertainty caused by the pandemic encouraged consumers to return to trusted brands and more popular brands.
DreamToys predicts which toys will be most popular this Christmas by children and displays toys to staff members.
Despite the rise of smartphones and gaming consoles in recent years, the top products will still be traditional.
A colour-changing mermaid Barbie doll, at £24.99, is expected to be one of the biggest sellers.
The list also includes the Massive Loop Mayhem car track by Hot Wheels, which comes in at £54, as well as products based around popular TV shows and films such as Star Wars, Paw Patrol and Jurassic World.
The most expensive toy on the list at £69.99 is the Magic Mixies Cauldron, which allows children to conjure up a cuddly toy from a cauldron full of swirling mist.
A ‘Little Live pets’, my piggly’ pet (left) is displayed alongside a cuddly Pokemon’s Pikachu toy as part of this year’s “top 12” Christmas toys
But the average price of the gifts on the list is £36 – down about £10 on previous years.
Experts stated that the uncertainty caused by the pandemic encouraged consumers to return to trusted brands and more popular brands.
But industry leaders warned that families may face disappointment this Christmas due to the ongoing lorry driver shortage – meaning gifts are likely to arrive late if not ordered soon.
The list was compiled by the association’s DreamToys selection committee.
It is a predictive list of what will be popular at Christmas selected by a panel of retailers and industry experts, independent of toy manufacturers and makers.
Gary Grant, chairman of the selection committee, said: ‘There are enough toys – it’s whether we can move them around quickly enough.
‘The backlog in shipping has cleared up. The problem is not ensuring stock flows are correct. If people wait and order late or when they normally do, that’s going to be the problem.’
A child poses with a boardgame called ‘Gassy Gus,’ another one of this year’s ‘top 12″ predicted Christmas toys
Mr Grant added: ‘The top toys this Christmas reflect a lot more of our traditional toys and well-known brands.
‘People are buying brands they have confidence in after Christmas was disrupted – families will try and make up for last year.’
According to the latest market research, toy sales rose 9 percent in the nine months from September to 2019, compared with 2019.
An estimated £81 is expected to be spent on seven gifts for each child this Christmas.