With Licensing Expo underway in Las Vegas, here’s a look at the licensed toy landscape in the U.S. from Kidscreen‘s Q2 2026 magazine issue. To read the full issue, click here.
Licensed toys, collectibles and adult engagement continued to dominate the US toy market in 2025, according to Kristen McLean, VP of client insights for Circana’s Entertainment Knowledge Group.
“While toys for children under 18 years old still account for 80% of sales in the U.S. market, sales for recipients 18+, and the categories they love—including sports licensing, strategic trading cards, collectibles and building sets—continue to drive market growth,” she says. “Looking ahead, keystone events like the FIFA World Cup, the 30th anniversary of Pokémon and a strong roster of upcoming movies will keep this trend going in 2026, but nimble companies will also find opportunities to innovate as platforms like TikTok Shop highlight the latest in consumer trends.”
Here were the top 10 toy brands in the US last year:
- Pokémon
- Marvel Universe
- National Football League (NFL)
- Barbie
- Hot Wheels
- Star Wars
- LEGO Botanicals
- Fisher-Price
- Squishmallows
- Bluey
And drilling down, here were the top licensed toys in the US in 2025:
Did you know…
- Licensed toys represented 39% of total US toy sales in 2025—up 14% while the rest of the market increased by just 2%.
- Collectibles continued to boom, growing 32% in 2025, making up 22% of all toy sales. Trading cards were the standout, now accounting for 61% of the collectibles category—up sharply from last year. Pokémon and sports cards were the top sellers, while Magic: The Gathering also benefited from pop-culture crossovers like Final Fantasy and Avatar the Last Airbender.
- Adult consumers (age 18+) are now the single largest toy recipient group, accounting for US$9 billion in annual sales. Adults outspent the key preschool cohort (ages three to five) and drove nearly two-thirds of the industry’s total growth. In many ways, they formed the backbone of nearly every major growth trend.
Source: Circana, Retail Tracking Service, US Toys, based on dollar sales in 2025
Image courtesy of Michael Marais via Unsplash.
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