Indian toy industry worth Rs 1700 cr is here to stay as toys inspired by flicks create ripples among kids

“Consumption is not just a requirement but has become a language to express oneself,” Future Brands, CEO and social commentator Santosh Desai said. Attention deficit of working parents towards their children is surely one of the reasons for booming toy market, but keeping kids engaged is in itself a very huge task. So, here toys and gadgets come into play, Desai said.

So, kids are running the show, as working parents – richer and much busier than the former generation – undertake to make up for their lack of time to spend with kids by pampering them and conceding to most their demands.

Funskool, a joint crusade amongst tyre maker MRF and US toy maker Hasbro Inc, not long back introduced two high-end block games – Mindstorm and Taj Mahal- carrying price tags of Rs 22,000 and Rs 27,000, respectively.

It clocked revenues of Rs 80 crore in the year ended March 2011, while Mattel, which sells toys under Fisher-Price, Barbie and Hotwheels brands, has an India turnover of approximately 300 crore.

Toys inspired by flicks such as Transformers, Batman, Spider Man, Madagascar and Lord of the Rings too have developed ripples amidst kids and young adults. Television characters and cartoons-inspired shelf-scorchers include BeyBlades, Ben 10 and Blazing YoYos.

There are much more to come. Toy maker Mattel’s miniature replicas and Simba Toys’ remote-controlled cars inspired by the Disney Pixar production were instant sellouts. The Walt Disney Company VP, buyer products, publishing and retail, Roshni Bakshi says the toys helped it is licensee collaborators double their sales volume.

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