BY JUSTIN DISCOE
Each year, Fall Toy Preview sets the course for the future of play — not for this holiday season, but the next one. That’s why 2025’s Preview is a long-lead show: buyers are scouting products now that will shape their Fall 2026 planograms and store sets. What sells today gives us clues, but what matters more is spotting the design trends that will still matter when shelves reset a year from now.
Here’s a forward look at what retail buyers can expect — the trends already making noise in 2025, and where they’re headed in 2026.
Nostalgia & “Newstalgia”
If your toy shelf looks suspiciously like your childhood bedroom, you’re in good company. Nostalgia drove big wins in 2025: Pokémon cards, LEGO sets, and retro action figures all had adults buying as much (sometimes more) than kids. For 2026, expect “Newstalgia”—a mash-up of old and new, where vintage favorites are reimagined with contemporary twists. Think fresh packaging, sleeker sculpts, or even tech layered onto fan-favorite brands.
Designers’ shelves serve as their own archives of “what’s cool.” Mine’s a mashup of Simpsons figures, Eddy Goldfarb’s chattering teeth, 4×4 Stompers, and a few hundred Hot Wheels, maybe a crystal TOTY. (Product designers aren’t hoarders, we’re curators. Significant others might disagree.) But “cool” is subjective. The question is: will viral darlings like Pop Mart’s Labubu earn a permanent spot on those shelves?
Think about Rainbow Loom—it wasn’t just a craze, it was a phenomenon built around creativity, self-expression, and even gifting. What followed in its wake? Lot’s of me-too products, knock-offs and competitors scrambling. Sound familiar?
Collectibles Go Viral
Collectibles went from steady category to cultural movement in 2025, fueled by TikTok, blind-box buzz, and K-pop collabs. Labubu, created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and scaled by Pop Mart, became the headline example: global demand, viral unboxings, lines around the block.
For 2026, the opportunity—and risk—is clear. Collectibles must evolve beyond novelty to sustain momentum. Designers, marketers, and buyers should be asking: are these products fueling long-term self-expression, or are they quick-turn widgets riding the hype cycle? Sometimes it feels a bit like buying cocoa futures.
Premium Kidult Products
2025 continued to cement the “kidult” segment as the fastest-growing in toys, with licensed-driven products spanning anime to the NBA, building sets that include flora to architecture, and limited editions commanding serious shelf space. For 2026, expect even more crossover into lifestyle and specialty retail — blurring the line between toys, art, and pop culture merch.
For buyers, this is both challenge and opportunity: higher ceilings on price points, but also higher expectations on quality and cultural relevance. The toy aisle may be the entry point, but the marketplace is now global and multi-channel — and margins are tighter than ever.
Sustainable & Mindful Play
Sustainability shifted from “bonus” to “baseline” in 2025. By 2026, the conversation goes deeper: it’s not just what it’s made from, but how long it lasts. Durability becomes part of sustainability—a toy that can be handed down reduces waste as much as eco-materials do. Just ask anyone who’s stepped on a LEGO brick from 1984.
At Sprig Toys, we pushed early into biocomposite plastics and battery-free play back in 2009. The lesson? The world wasn’t fully ready for deeper eco-friendly initiatives—and they weren’t willing to pay more for them. Unless a key licensor takes the lead, parents will keep balancing eco-consciousness with trust, durability, and value. Kids, meanwhile, want a license they connect with.
- Eco-materials: Recycled plastics, plant-based resins, FSC wood.
- Packaging: Minimalist, soy-based inks, recyclable, plastic-free.
- MESH play: Multi-dimensional toys & games fostering social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and screen-free fun.
Technology Enhances, Not Replaces, Play
In 2025, tech toys showed they could finally enhance physical play rather than just add screen time. For 2026, buyers should expect this to become the norm.
- AI & interactive features: Robots that recognize emotions, toys that adapt to play styles, and robust safeguards to protect kids. From plush companions like Curio to high-tech vibes like Miko, smart interactive toys are only getting started.
- Screen-free audio tech: Products like tonies™ bring classic storytelling to life through proprietary and licensed content, fueling imagination without a screen.
- AR & storytelling: Companion items like books now blend classic storytime with augmented reality that literally makes the story pop.
The futurist in me can imagine the next leap: a device that spins stories from a child’s prompts—the way I once wove bedtime tales from three random words my kids gave me. Lights off, staring at the ceiling, suspense and laughter unfolding in real time. No screen needed, just a child’s mind’s eye.
Expression & the Back-to-School Factor
One of the clearest lessons of 2025: kids crave self-expression, and it shows up across categories. Back-to-school aisles were filled with Crocs turned into pencil cases, plush clipped to backpacks, charms migrating everywhere, and sensory textures on everything from pencil cases to lunch bags. Products that calm a stressful day—or just look plain cool—are here to stay.
Heading into 2026, expect this identity-driven play to grow stronger. Collectibles, accessories, and crossover products aren’t just toys — they’re personal branding. Even the “invisible kids” are finding ways to be seen through what they clip on, wear, or carry to class.
Conclusion: Playing the Long Game
The real winners from Fall Toy Preview 2025 won’t appear on shelves until Fall 2026. That means buyers aren’t just trend-spotting this September; they’re future-proofing.
Nostalgia, collectibles, premium kidult products, sustainability, and tech will all drive sales. But the standouts will be those that balance:
- Play value (fun, discovery, connection)
- Durability & sustainability (the long game)
- Expression & identity (how kids and adults want to be seen)
At the end of the day, the best trends don’t just drive short-term sales—they remind us why toys and games matter in the first place.
Justin Discoe has spent more than 25 years bringing toys and consumer products from sketchpad to store shelf, blending creativity, purpose, and practical design know-how. With over 20 patents and hundreds of products in the market, his career has taken him from designing at Mattel to co-founding the award-winning Sprig Toys and consulting for Hasbro, Spin Master, Jakks Pacific, and other leading brands. Today, he heads up Innovation and Design for Montreal-based ERA Group, creating preschool, educational, and mass-market products for retailers in markets around the world. Justin holds a BFA in Industrial Design and an M.Ed. in Leadership.
