Toy Industry: Empowered by IP and Driven by Technology, the Market Advances Towards a New Hundred-Billion-Yuan Track

In 2025, propelled by the dual forces of the IP economy and technological innovation, the toy industry is accelerating towards a market scale of hundreds of billions. With the diversification of consumer demands and the rapid iteration of industry technologies, emerging sectors such as IP derivatives, AI toys, and emotional consumption have become the core drivers of industry growth.

IP Economy Continues to Explode, Derivatives Market Surpasses 10 Billion Yuan
IP licensing and physical productization have emerged as the core growth points in the toy industry. Data from the Taobao and Tmall platforms shows that they host over 13,000 IPs, with over 1 million authentic products available. Ninety percent of mainstream IPs have established a presence on Tmall. During the 2024 Double 11 shopping festival, over 1,000 IPs released 100,000 peripheral products, nearly 50% of which were exclusive launches. Within a month of the release of the hit film "Ne Zha 2," related trendy toy merchandise generated over 300 million yuan in sales on Taobao, breaking the record set by "The Wandering Earth 2" and becoming the most lucrative domestic film IP in Taobao's history. Brands like Blokee have further solidified their market positions by collaborating with global IPs such as Transformers and Ultraman to launch over 600 SKUs of building block figures.

AI Toys Rise, Reshaping Industry Ecosystem
AI technology is profoundly transforming the interaction logic within the toy industry. Companies like Alpha Group and Shifeng Culture are accelerating their布局 (strategic deployment) in the AI toy sector, introducing intelligent products with features such as voice interaction and emotional recognition. For instance, Shifeng Culture's AI Magic Star integrates Bluetooth and WiFi modules, offering personalized companionship through multimodal interaction technologies. Industry forecasts suggest that the global AI toy market size is expected to reach 60 billion USD by 2033, with the Asian market dominating. At the Shenzhen Toy Fair, multiple companies showcased new products such as AI programming robots and intelligent dialogue dolls, marking the toy industry's transition from "entertainment tools" to "educational companions."

Emotional Consumption Surges, Plush Toys Become New Hotspot
Plush toys have emerged as a dark horse in the industry, riding on emotional value. In 2024, online sales of plush toys reached 3.96 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.9%. The plush toys co-branded by MINISO and "Black Myth: Wukong" triggered a consumption frenzy despite their unit prices being under 100 yuan, highlighting the emotional consumption needs of adults. British brand Jellycat has transformed plush toys into emotional anchors through "pretend play" marketing, while domestic enterprises have introduced intelligent plush toys like "Ai Ankang," equipped with large language models for long-term memory and emotional recognition, driving the industry's intelligent upgrade.

Globalization and Market Segmentation Coexist, Industry Landscape Reconstructed
Chinese toy enterprises are accelerating their overseas expansion, with brands like Blokee and 52TOYS entering Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets through cross-border e-commerce. Meanwhile, niche market segments within the industry continue to emerge, with search volumes for EDC toys (male collectibles) increasing by 532% and search volumes for elderly-friendly toys growing by 121%, reflecting diversified consumption trends.