eBay Releases Top Retro and Right Now Toys Trends for the Holidays; Will Unveil Digital Toy Book

From L.O.L Surprise Dolls to LEGO Star Wars and nostalgic Pokémon cards, eBay’s Toytopia offers a unique selection for kids of all ages

Make your lists and check them twice!, eBay, the world’s most dynamic marketplace, reveals their second annual definitive list of the top toys and trends for the 2019 holiday season. New to this year’s lineup are the most in-demand nostalgic and retro toys in addition to the season’s hottest new picks, all based on the marketplace’s team of experts and global and US toy data.

To help shoppers with a little inspiration timed to the peak cyber shopping period, eBay will also release a digital toy book next week bursting with a broad selection of rare, retro and right now toys for kids of all ages, from collectible Star Wars action figures to new Kindi Kids dolls, and the My Size Barbie of yesterday to the Astronaut Barbie of today. Shoppers everywhere will be able to explore the toy book online, and can discover more coveted holiday toys and gifts at eBay’s ultimate Toytopia destination (eBay.com/toytopia) all season long.

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“There’s a revival of all things retro right now and we’re seeing classic toys gaining popularity alongside the most coveted new offerings; the thing is, it isn’t always easy for shoppers to cross the vintage and hard-to-find gifts off their lists,” said Sam Bright, VP and GM of Merchandising, eBay. “On eBay, we have a selection of hundreds of thousands of toys spanning the decades, so whether it’s the latest toys or childhood gadgets that are steeped in nostalgia, shoppers can find the very thing on our marketplace.”

eBay’s Top ‘Retro & Right Now’ Holiday Toy Insights:

1. ’90s gamers delight: Millennials are eager to get their hands on remakes of the games they loved as kids. In fact, searches for the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite spiked 425% in the past 6 months. And, kids of all ages continue to hunt for the latest and greatest Magic: The Gathering cards as sales over the past 5 years have steadily climbed 127%.
   
   Toytopia Picks: For the throwback gamer, you can’t go wrong with My Arcade Micro Players featuring classics like Pac-Man, Super Mario 64, the O.G. Gameboy, Sega Genesis Mini, the Nintendo Switch and Resident Evil 2.
   
   
2. The Furby of today: Hatchimals first sparked a frenzy in 2016 when they sold out. Three years later and they’re still a major favorite among kids with an average of 4 Hatchimals purchased on eBay per hour over the past 6 months.
   
   Toytopia Picks: Hatchimal favorites include Hatchimal Colleggtibles, Mermal Magic 4 Pack, Hatchibabies and this season’s toy to watch – Hatchimals Wow, Llalacorn – a robotic stuffed unicorn-llama hybrid that grows to 32 inches tall.
   
   
3. Central Perk popularity: Legendary sitcom Friends celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and fans are turning to eBay to buy commemorative merch, from the ‘Joey Doesn’t Share Food’ coffee mug to rare mini replicas of the beloved Central Perk couch created only in limited quantities for cast and crew. 
   
   Toytopia Picks: Shoppers can’t get enough of the new ‘Central Perk’ LEGO set, which was created by a fan in honor of the milestone; the set broke eBay’s 2019 top 20 most popular toys.
   
   
4. The newest Teddy Ruxpin: The popular storytelling bear from the 1980s made a major comeback in 2017 with high-tech new tricks and LED eyeballs, and has inspired even more animated and interactive plush toys.
   
   Toytopia Picks: On this year’s list is furReal Cubby – the curious bear that talks, dances and even give hugs.
   
   
5. Get the retro look: The anticipation is real among kids young and old for this season’s ultimate throwback toy releases. My Little Pony’s Rainbow Retro Mane collectible figures set is inspired by the original pony figures introduced in the 1980s. A Star Wars Retro collection of action figures inspired by the original Kenner series of the late 1970s and an Escape from the Death Star board game that includes an exclusive Gran Moff Tarkin figure were recently released as well.
   
   Toytopia Picks:  For the action lover, gift a set of X-Men 6-inch action figures – all featuring retro designs and packaging – which were released to celebrate Marvel’s 80^th anniversary.
   
   
6. Surprise toys continue to delight: L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls, a line of collectible dolls and accessories that start the fun at the unboxing process, are still one of the most popular toys sold on eBay. In fact, more than 148k L.O.L. Surprise! toys were sold on eBay in the past six months. Other hot surprise toys of the season include the new Hairdorables Series 3 Surprise Dolls and Skyrocket Blume Dolls. Kids of the 90s will also revel in the release of the 30th Anniversary Polly Pocket Partytime Surprise Keepsake Compact.
   
   Toytopia Picks: Surprise toys topping this year’s list include the L.O.L Surprise! O.M.G. Doll and L.O.L. Surprise! Ooh La La Baby Surprise.
   
   
7. LEGO Star Wars Anniversary: From the new Disney+ series The Mandalorian, to the final saga, Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars mania is at an all-time high. In fact, sales for The Mandalorian related purchases jumped 97% from July to September. This holiday, LEGO Star Wars, in particular, are hugely popular as the duo celebrates their 20^th anniversary; tens of thousands of retro and new sets have sold on eBay within the past year alone.  
      
   Toytopia Picks: Fan favorite this season include the LEGO Star Wars Snowspeeder and LEGO Star Wars Imperial Dropship sets. 
   
   
8. Gotta catch ’em all: With the release of Detective Pikachu and two new Nintendo Switch games in 2019, it’s already been a huge year for Pokémon. While long-time fans are still collecting new and old cards and playing competitively, Pokémon is adapting to reach new and eager audiences. In fact, sales for Pokémon have grown nearly 50% over the past 5 years.
   
   
   Toytopia Picks: Fledgling Pokémon trainers will love the Detective Pikachu Feature Plush, which is currently the second most popular toy on eBay’s list, and the new Pokémon Sun & Moon Cosmic Eclipse Booster Boxes.
   
   
9. Family fun games then and now: Games make great holiday gifts, and classics like Operation, Battleship, Candyland and Jenga continue to be popular favorites among eBay shoppers. New this year, shoppers are adding Hasbro’s Plumber Pants and Uno Flip, Monopoly The Lion King Edition and L.O.L. SURPRISE! Edition to their shopping carts. Frozen 2 Monopoly is anticipated to be one of the season’s favorite gifts.
   
   Toytopia Picks: For the ultimate thrill millennials can’t resist, add the Bop It to your lists. Younger generations are sure to get hooked on the frenzy in no time.
   
   
10. The magic of Harry Potter. With 50k+ listings for Harry Potter collectibles currently on eBay, there’s never been a better time to explore the wizarding world.
    
    Toytopia Picks:  The LEGO Minifigures Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and the Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak will captivate magical adventurers of any age.

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The Top 30 New Toys of the Season¹

1. Hatchimals Wow, Llalacorn
2. Detective Pikachu Feature Plush
3. L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G Doll
4. LEGO Star Wars Snowspeeder 20^th Anniversary Set
5. Wowwee Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppet
6. Unstable Unicorns Base Game
7. Nerf Fortnite AR-L Elite Dart Blaster
8. Hot Wheels id
9. Masters of the Universe Castle Grayskull
10. LEGO Friends Central Perk  l
11. LEGO Hidden Side
12. furReal Cubby, the Curious Bear
13. Pomsies Lumies
14. Skyrocket Blume Doll
15. Mr. Potato Head Toy Story 4 Classic Figure
16. LEGO Minifigures Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts
17. LEGO Star Wars Imperial Dropship 20^th Anniversary Set
18. L.O.L. Surprise! Ooh La La Baby Surprise
19. Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak
20. Hairdorables Series 3 Surprise Doll
21. Monopoly Game: Disney Frozen 2 Edition
22. Barbie Astronaut Doll, Anniversary Edition
23. Frozen 2 Ultimate Arendelle Castle Play Set
24. Hasbro Plumber Pants
25. Kindi Kids Snack Time Friends Jessicake Doll
26. 2019 Tamagotchi On Virtual Reality Pet
27. Marvel X-Men Retro 6 Inch Action Figures
28. Polly Pocket Partytime Surprise Keepsake 30th Anniversary Compact
29. My Little Pony Retro Rainbow Mane 6 Set
30. Star Wars 2019 Retro Collection Action Figures

The Top 30 Retro Toys of the Season²

1. Pokemon
2. Hot Wheels
3. Barbie
4. GI Joe
5. Gameboy
6. Nintendo 64
7. Uno
8. American Girl Doll
9. My Little Pony
10. Magic: The Gathering
11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
12. Polly Pocket
13. Beanie Babies
14. Resident Evil 2
15. Tamagotchi
16. Battleship
17. Jenga
18. Operation
19. Slinkys
20. Care Bear
21. Cabbage Patch Kids
22. Furby
23. Yo Yo
24. Super Soaker
25. Super Mario 64
26. Rubik’s Cube
27. Bop It
28. Mr. Potato Head
29. Rainbow Brite
30. Teddy Ruxpin

¹Based on US toy sales on eBay from March through September, 2019
²Based on global toy sales on eBay from January through October 20, 2019

eBay By the Numbers

• eBay has 1.4 billion plus listings
• eBay has 183 million active buyers worldwide
• 72% of items ship for free in U.S., UK and DE
• 80% of all merchandise sold on eBay is new, and our wide selection keeps growing
• 63% of transactions on the eBay platform involve a mobile touchpoint
• 490 million downloads of eBay Inc. apps across the globe

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