Toy trends identified at the Tokyo Toy Show 2016

Steve Starobinsky of Diverse Marketing attended the recently concluded international fair and shares the top toy clusters most popular with the consumers.

The International Tokyo Toy Show 2016 welcomed more than 150,000 consumers and wholesalers in its four-day run, housing 160 exhibitors and 35,000 toys, at Tokyo Big Sight, Koto.

On the floor was Steve Starobinsky, Vice President of Marketing and Product Discovery of Diverse Marketing. In his report, he identified the top five toy cluster trends prevalent at the show, adding that products that were hot in Japan would usually become popular in the US.

First, Starobinsky observed that novelty cat items were predominant, most likely due to the ubiquity of maneki-neko figurines in Japan. Takara Tomy's Do Re Mi Fa Cat, for instance, was awarded the top toy for children with special needs by the Japanese Toy Association. Epoch's Cat Couch Stacking game and Re-Ment's Sumo Cats Bling Box are favorites as well.

There is also an affinity for blind box programs or vending machines, wherein the users are unaware of the prize they will get. Some models are straightforward, dropping any object at the push of a button or a spin of a wheel. Others are more complex, incorporating video game-esque types that churn out collectibles based on player performance. These machines are present in video game emporiums and even sushi restaurants.

For a dash of nostalgia, retro games like Gameboy Color are making a comeback, with some stores allotting sections for 90s video games, and even arcades.

Adult hobbyists are also into intricate craft projects, such as seed bead crafting activities, which are compact and inexpensive, suitable for small apartments and a quick fix for stress.

Finally, any toy related to the popular Japan series Anpanman is a hit among children 0 to 4 years old.