Toy industry gears up for 2004
February 9, 2004 at 5:29 PM ET
Cheeser
HPANA (via Reuters UK)
Manufacturers of children's toys come together
for an annual convention next week at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Harry Potter licensees Mattel, Hasbro and Lego will be present, all hoping for a better year after disappointing industry sales in 2002 and 2003.
A handful of movies coming out in the spring, including sequels to Spider-Man, Shrek and the Harry Potter series, are expected to spawn popular licensed toy lines.
Lego's product line for the Prisoner of Azkaban movie appeared for pre-ordering on ToyWiz in January, but later mysteriously vanished. Thanks to reader Sirius Black (we assume the name is coincidental) and French site La Gazette du Sorcier, we have some images available once again:
- Draco's encounter with Buckbeak
- Hogwarts Express
- Knight Bus
- Hagrid's Hut
- The Shrieking Shack
- Sirius escapes
USA Today says licensed merchandise, such as those based on popular movies, television shows and characters, comprise 25% to 30% of total toy sales in a year. Spider-Man generated $1 billion in merchandise sales alone.