A Profile of the United States Toy Industry, Second Edition

Introduction

That the toy industry is in a constant state of flux is evidenced by the changes that have occurred within the four short years since the first edition of this book. These changes reflect the culture-changing developments in technology and entertainment. They also have been especially impacted by changes in retailing and marketing, which impact all aspects of the market. Four years may not seem like a long time, but it’s approximately half a “toy generation,” meaning that the toy industry has a completely new crop of consumers every eight years. While there are some consistencies in terms of play patterns, there is almost a complete turnover in the products during that time, making the toy industry unique and hard to “pin down.” ...