25 January 2022:
Popular licenses, STEM toys and family play are the key trends making up the 23 must-have toys in 2022 selected by industry experts
Organisers of the Toy Fair, the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) today announced the winners of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys 2022, with Bandai, Character Options, and VTech amongst the winners at the first Toy Fair since the start of the pandemic.
Used as a barometer for what themes will be fashionable in the year ahead, this year’s Toy Fair’s Hero Toys include a selection of popular licenses such as Spider-man, CocoMelon and Hey Duggee, a range of products that represent family play, and STEM toys including a medical science kit.
The latest data from The Insights Family shows that the popularity of STEM toys has increased by 122% year-on-year (November 2020 – November 2021), with the majority of this growth driven by girls, where the category has more than doubled in popularity amongst them.*
“Despite challenges in 2021, this year’s list of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys represents the creativity and continued commitment to innovation by the toy industry to enhance children’s play experiences,” commented Rebecca Deeming, Public Relations & Events Manager for the BTHA. “The competition for selection has been strong, and the list is filled with the potential biggest sellers for 2022. While many themes are represented across the 23, educational toys are clearly becoming more popular with consumers, reflected in the higher demand for STEM toys. I’d expect more toy companies to respond to this demand in 2022.”
The Toy Fair’s Hero Toys list consists of 23 products launched at Olympia London on the first day of Toy Fair 2022. The Hero Toy finalists are judged by an independent panel of retailers, and industry experts, to be the most exciting and creative toys unveiled at the event.
All Hero Toys will be released over the next 12 months and cover a wide variety of price points, age ranges and play patterns.
Toy Fair visitors can see the winning 23 Hero Toys on display outside the Press Office (stand Upper Level 160). The complete Toy Fair Hero List can be found overleaf.
*To download the latest free trend reports from The Insights Family, please visit https://get.theinsightsfamily.com/londontoyfair/
The full Toy Fair’s Hero Toys list is:
Exhibitor Name |
Toy Name |
Stand Number |
RRP |
| Bladez Toyz Ltd | 1:10 R/C Gotham CityTM Racer | F18 | £49.99 |
| Bandai UK Ltd | Tamagotchi 25th Anniversary Edition | N17 | £24.99 |
| Character Options | SpyBots T.R.I.P | N16 | £22.99 |
| Epoch Making Toys Ltd | Pony’s Stylish Hair salon | N7 | £69.99 |
| Flair GP | Unique Eyes | E39 | £24.99 |
| Gibsons | Troopers on Tour | E15 | £16.00 |
| Golden Bear | Hey Duggee Transforming Space Rocket | E69 | £44.99 |
| John Adams Leisure Limited | Monster Mash | N6 | £19.99 |
| Just Play | CocoMelon Learning Adventure Bus | B60 | £69.99 |
| MV Sports & Leisure Ltd | Spider-man 6v Web Slinger Lights and Sounds Mini Quad | E75 | £134.99 |
| Paper Engine Ltd | Build Your Own Pinball Machine | UPPER LEVEL 191 | £19.99 |
| Posh Paws International | SESAME STREET TALKING COOKIE MONSTER FEATURE PLUSH | D90 | £22.99 |
| Skyrocket Toys UK | Mega Chomp | UPPER LEVEL 140 | £44.99 |
| Smart Toys & Games | SmartMax Roboflex | F42 | £24.99 |
| Simba Smoby Toys UK | B-Kind Eco Dolls | B50 | £29.99 |
| Tactic Games UK | ESCAPERUN ALCATRAZ 2034 | F25 | £37.99 |
| Tree Toys UK Ltd | Medical Science | UN1 | £29.99 |
| University Games Ltd | Tom Gates Monster Games Compendium | E50 | £14.99 |
| Vivid Goliath Group | Recyclings Collector Cap Pack (CDU) | B70 | £3.99 |
| VTech Electronics | Busy Musical Bee | N19 | £18.99 |
| Winning Moves | Peaky Blinders Risk Board Game | F40 | £39.99 |
| TKC Sales Ltd | Stomp Racer™ | E90 | £19.99 |
| Wow! Stuff | Peppa Pig Clever Plane | B25 | £34.99 |
-END-
Note to editors
Follow the latest Toy Fair news on Twitter at @toyfairuk. Toy Fair is the UK’s largest trade exhibition dedicated to the toy, game and hobby market. The event opened at the Olympia in London on 25 January and remains open until Thursday 27. PLEASE NOTE: TOY FAIR IS A TRADE ONLY EXHIBITION AND IS NOT OPEN TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
Notes to editors:
For more information please contact:
Jordan Tunnicliff
[email protected]
Bastion, 35-41 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6BX
T: +44 (0)20 3927 6430
E: [email protected]
About Toy Fair
Toy Fair is the UK’s largest dedicated toy, game and hobby trade exhibition taking place at Olympia London. The event takes place over three days at the end of January each year and plays host to hundreds of exhibitors, from start-ups to some of the biggest toy companies, launching thousands of new toy lines.
Toy Fair 2022 takes place from Tuesday 25th – Thursday 27th January. Press day is 25th January. To register for a press pass, visit www.toyfair.co.uk.
Please note the opening times are 09:00-18:00 Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th, and 09:00-17:30 Thursday 27th January.
About the BTHA
The British Toy & Hobby Association was established in 1944 to represent the interests of British toy manufacturers and to raise standards of practice in the industry. Today it has around 150 members ranging from international toy giants to small family-run businesses that together account for more than 80% of the UK’s legal branded toy market. Membership of the British Toy & Hobby Association shows the member’s commitment to adhere to the BTHA Code of Practice under the umbrella of the Lion Mark which includes assurances covering ethical and safe manufacture of toys, toy safety, a ban on counterfeit goods, an assurance to market responsibly, a commitment to improving sustainability and a desire to promote the value of all play through support of the Make Time 2 Play campaign and the design of fun toys. Our members are manufacturers committed to making good quality toys in a responsible way. The BTHA also administers the Toy Trust – the industry’s charity.
The Insights Family
The Insights Family is the global leader in kids, parents, and family market intelligence, providing real-time data on their attitudes, behaviour, and consumption patterns. Kids Insights surveys 7,780 children every week aged 3-18. Parents Insights surveys more than 3,800 parents of children between the ages of 1 and 16 every week. Both services operate in 22 countries across six continents and in total survey more than 469,040 kids and 228,800 parents a year. This means that the company interviews a new family member somewhere in the world every 55 seconds. Kids Insights and Parents Insights operates in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, UK, and the US. Clients include Amazon, BBC, Danone, Disney, F1, Havas, Initiative, Kraft, LEGO, Mattel, McDonald’s, MediaCom, Nintendo, OMD, PBS, PepsiCo, Pokémon, Starcom, Viacom, Warner Bros and Wavemaker.
