The summer is still here but thoughts of many families will be turning to the return to school and then the run up to Christmas. And if you are starting to think about what your little boys and girls will want from Santa, the top five toys set to be the most popular for Christmas 2022 have been revealed.
Some classic names make the lit with Barbie set to be the number one toy for this festival season, retail experts have said. The fashion doll tops the list of sought after gifts, while LEGO and Nintendo Switch are also expected to be popular, LiverpoolEcho reports.
Barbie was launched in 1959 and has experienced a resurgence of popularity amongst children in recent years. With hype building around the upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, online marketplace OnBuy predict Barbie will be extremely popular for Christmas 2022.
Between 2011 and 2015, the Barbie brand was losing popularity, with the toy's image being viewed as outdated. When the Barbie Fashionista line was updated with dolls of different shapes, sizes, body types, skin colour, and hair colour, Mattel, the company behind Barbie, began seeing an increase in sales.
In 2020, sales of the toy hit $1.35bn (£940m), the highest since 2014, while in 2021, Barbie experienced its biggest sales growth ever, and the brand further foresees growth of 8% to 10% in 2022.
Predicted top five Christmas toys for 2022:
- Barbie doll and accessories - £34.99
- Barbie Princess Adventures, Prince Ken - £13.99
- Colgate Barbie Kids Battery Toothbrush - £5.45
- Nintendo Switch - £248.98
- LEGO® Star Wars Imperial Shuttle - £62.99
Liam Tickner, Category Manager at OnBuy said: “Barbie is an iconic toy, which has kept multiple generations entertained. Although the doll fell out of favour with children in the 2010s, recently Barbie has seen a surge in popularity, and our trends insight points towards her topping the 2022 Christmas toy charts.”
Alongside Barbie, OnBuy has also predicted that Lego products and the Nintendo switch will also be extremely popular Christmas 2022 gifts. Liam continued: "Lego toys have remained consistently popular with children and adults alike. We fully expect it to be included on many Christmas lists.
“The Nintendo Switch will also be in demand this winter. It’s a versatile console, which can be played at home or on the go, and there are a slew of upcoming games set to be released, including Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, which kids will be desperate to get their hands on!”"
