News

In the retail trade, toy trends play an important part in shaping the product range and can affect the success of the business. In such matters, the Spielwarenmesse relies on the expertise of its Trend Committee to identify relevant developments at an early stage. The team is pulling together its findings and meeting to identify the Spielwarenmesse trends that will be announced around mid-October 2022.

After a two-year break due to the pandemic, visitors will be able to explore the trends once again with relevant products at the redesigned ToyTrends special area in Hall 3A.

Toy Experts

The international Trend Committee is made up of market researchers, trend scouts and journalists. For the Spielwarenmesse, its 13 members have devoted themselves again to the search for future-orientated trends in their own countries. And the team has a new member: Jackie Breyer is succeeded by Maddie Michalik of the USA. As a journalist for The Toy Insider and The Toy Book, she keeps the industry up to date, reporting on innovations, trends and new product launches. In addition, she often appears as a guest in various TV shows to discuss such matters.

Year-round Trends

In specifying the trends, there are key criteria that the Spielwarenmesse experts take into account. Prime focus is on medium-term industry trends that will exert an influence on the world of toys in the future.

This gives the toy sector an overview and a means of orientation as to the trends that are already playing a part in the relevant media and social networks but that are not yet affecting the market to a significant extent.

“Other important factors for the Spielwarenmesse trends are the international dimension and mass-market suitability,” explained Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the executive board of Spielwarenmesse eG. “With its ability to look beyond the usual horizons and given the different personal backgrounds of its members, the TrendCommittee has a real feel for newly emerging trends.”

At the forthcoming Spielwarenmesse, the trends will be vividly presented through products in the redesigned ToyTrends special area in Hall 3A. Presentations in the neighboring Toy Business Forum will provide more detailed information.

The Spielwarenmesse Trend Committee 2023

• John Baulch | Publisher, Toy World Magazine, UK
• Clara Blasco | Market researcher, AIJU Toy Research Institute, Spain
• Daniele Caroli | Journalist, Italy
• Axel Dammler | Market researcher, iconkids & youth international research GmbH, Germany
• Steven Ekstract | Journalist, License! Global, USA
• Philippe Guinaudeau | Market researcher, Kidz Global, France
• Lena Hedö | Journalist, Lek & Babyrevyn, Sweden
• Gabriela Kaiser | Trend consultant, TRENDagentur, Germany
• Urszula Kaszubowska | Journalist, Branza Dziecieca, Poland
• Sujin Lee | CEO, Ggem Factory, South Korea
• Maddie Michalik | Journalist, The Toy Book and The Toy Insider, USA
• Reyne Rice | Journalist and trend expert, USA
• Jane Wong | Journalist, TOY INDUSTRY, China