If you ever wanted to know if Star Wars merchandise was in a decline, then here is your answer – it is not. Thanks to a new report from from Fortune, we know that not only did Star Wars as a franchise top the toy sales charts for 2016, it rose $60 million from the year before!
Research firm NPD Group said Star Wars sales totaled nearly $760 million in the U.S. alone last year, beating 2015 by $60 million. That made Star Wars the top property in the toy world, based on dollar sales. The perennially popular property has seen resurgent interest thanks to two recent films, 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and last year’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Both were released late in the year, during the toy industry’s peak holiday shopping season. And with more films to be released in subsequent years, Star Wars is poised to remain a hot toy property for many years to come.
According to the article, the only downfall was that action figures and accessories fell 1% compared to last year and building sets fell 3%. I don’t know what to make of that, because that number is for toys overall and not just Star Wars toys. Overall the toy industry grew by 5% in 2016, with the help of the Star Wars brand.
It doesn’t hurt that more expensive toys like Sphero’s BB-8 or the electronic R2-D2 have that higher price point, and kids just have to have it. It seems that the Force is still strong with the franchise after 40 years!
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