24 January 2023:

British Toy & Hobby Association announce winners of this year’s 25 Hero Toys at London’s Toy Fair 2023

 

● 10 of the 25 toys are available to buy now with prices starting from £12.99.
● Nostalgia is set to dominate the market this year with Playmobil UK Ltd, The LEGO Group, Care Bears, Sesame Street and Sylvanian Families amongst the winners
● Toy categories featured in the list include Plush Toys, Arts & Crafts, Action Figures, Preschool Toys and more!
● Toy Fair 2023 opens its doors for its 69th year at Olympia London from the 24th to 26th January

The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) are delighted to announce their 25 Hero Toys for 2023, which have all been selected by a panel of industry experts and are based on informed predictions for this year’s trends. The winners were unveiled at 9.50am on 24th January at this year’s Toy Fair with broadcaster and presenter Anna Williamson on hand to congratulate the winners.

The selected toys are aimed at a range of ages, are suitable for a variety of interests and cover a large range of toy categories including plush toys, arts & crafts, action figures and preschool toys. Just some of the wonderful toys include a Paddington Bear Tea Set, an RC Transforming Optimus Prime and a Pigs On Trampolines Game. Building sets showed a strong 4% growth in 2022 and are likely to remain popular in 2023.

Rebecca Deeming, Communications & Events Manager at the BTHA, commented: “This year’s Toy Fair’s Hero Toys are bigger and better than ever! We received over 250 product entries – the greatest number of entries we have ever had – and the competition was very strong. We are confident that our winners perfectly encompass the wide-ranging categories of toys on display at Toy Fair and they represent everything our industry is about: ensuring every childhood is filled with play.”

Several of the winning toys are based on characters who reigned during the 80’s like Elmo, Barbie, Sylvanian Families, and Wallace and Gromit, as nostalgia looks set to be a strong theme this year.

Rebecca adds: “We know that parents, grandparents and carers love passing on traditions to their children and purchasing toys that remind them of their childhood, such as the Care Bears Dare to Care and the Build Your Own Wallace & Gromit Rocket, both Hero Toys. We expect to see this trend continue in the next year, with the nostalgic trend clearly popular with consumers.”

10 of the 25 winners are available to buy now with prices starting at £12.99. The other winners will be released into retail later this year in the lead up to peak season. The complete list of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys 2023 can be found in the product guide attached and will be on display outside of the Press Office for the duration of Toy Fair.

– END –

For PR enquiries or for more information please contact [email protected]
Visit the website: https://staging.toyfair.co.uk/
Follow Toy Fair on Instagram & Twitter at: @toyfairuk

Notes to Editors

Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service / YTD Nov 2022 vs 21

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 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 rules 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. 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.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
NPD offers data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help our clients grow their businesses in a changing world. Over 2,000 companies worldwide rely on us to help them measure, predict, and improve performance across all channels, including brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, and B2B. We have services in 19 countries worldwide, with operations spanning the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, books, B2B technology, consumer technology, e-commerce, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, home improvement, juvenile products, media entertainment, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, toys, and video games. For more information, visit npd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup

 

The full Toy Fair’s Hero Toys list is:

Company Name

Product Name

Category

RRP

Stand Number

8th Wonder Ltd Bluey Wooden BBQ and Salad Set Preschool Wooden Toys £29.99

 

N11
Bandai UK Ltd Miraculous Magic Heroez Dolls Fashion Dolls £22.99 N17
Great Gizmos Limited GREEN SCIENCE MAGIC WATER TAP

 

STEM Education Toys £22.99 G20
Just Play Sesame Street Potty Time Elmo Preschool Character £34.99 B90
Moose Toys Magic Mixies Colour Surprise Magic Cauldron Plush Toys £24.99 N15
ORANGE TREE TOYS LIMITED Woodland Animal Balancing Game Preschool Wooden Toys £15.99 F65
Playmobil UK Ltd PLAYMOBIL 71202 City Life Ambulance with Lights and Sound

 

Preschool Toys £49.99

 

 

UL206
Plus-Plus Plus-Plus Learn to Build People of the World Puzzles £15.99

 

 

N12
Posh Paws International Eco Earth Cute Baby Animals Plush Toys Plush Toys £12.99

 

 

B60
The LEGO Group LEGO® Friends Heartlake Downtown Diner

 

LEGO £24.99

 

 

E2/Olympia Room

 

Hero Toys Available To Buy Later This Year

 

Company Name

Product Name

Category

RRP

Stand Number

Basic Fun! Care Bears Dare To Care Bear Plush Toys £19.99  

D11 and D12

 

Big Potato Games Obey The Clay Games (Party) £24.99 D21
Bladez Toyz Ltd Barbie™ EXTRA Make Your Own Night & Day Pop-Up Party House

 

Arts & Crafts £24.99 F18
Character Options HEROES OF GOO JIT ZU DEEP GOO SEA KING HYDRA

 

Action Figures £39.99 N16
Epoch Making Toys Ltd Sylvanian Families – Baby Mermaid Castle Collectible Mini Doll £64.99 N7
Golden Bear Toys Curlimals Flutter Wonders Deer Plush Toys £29.99 E69
LeapFrog Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer™ Preschool Toys £39.99 N19
Learning Resources Design & Drill® Rivet Pop Workshop Preschool Toys £25.00 D36
Melissa & Doug Melissa & Doug Barber Shop Play Set

 

Role play £34.99 E21
Paper Engine Ltd Build Your Own – Wallace & Gromit Rocket

 

STEM Education Toys £29.99 UL191
Playmonster Pigs on Trampolines Games (Kids Action) £19.99 G10
Halilit Taf Toys Urban Garden In Car Activity Centre Preschool Infant Toys £42.99

 

E16
Rainbow Designs Ltd Paddington’s Tea Set Preschool Character £34.99 B25/B21
Redlands Distribution Limited

 

Toy RC Hydro Park Racer with Pool

 

Vehicles £69.99 F72
Simba Smoby Toys UK RC Transforming Optimus Prime Vehicles

 

£79.99 B50