By 2030, and that estimate is at the conservative end of the scale. But falling birth rates and some of the highest inflation rates we ve seen in decades have created challenging conditions for manufacturers and retailers, and signal more tough times to come. While the covid pandemic boosted sales of toys and games temporarily, big name companies report that sales have started to slip back once again. Let s have a look at some of those numbers. Global toy sales reached $108] billion in 2023, a 2% drop compared to 2022, with toy companies calling it a normalisation process after that exceptional growth linked to the pandemic. But across the 612 countries, including the uk, france, germany, and spain, sales declined by 7% in 2023 compared with the previous year, but they were still 17% higher when compared to 2019, before the pandemic. I caught up with the boss of build a bear, a much loved company which allows shoppers to customise their own teddies. She s also the head of the global or
Brands barbie, fisher price and moi, that is mattel to find out how his company s fortunes are being revived. Wherever you are joining around the world, once again hello and welcome to the programme. It is a billion dollar industry driven by creativity and innovation with a global reach and a diverse market. The toy industry is forecast to reach $302 billion in sales by 2030 and that estimate is at the conservative end of the scale. But falling birth rates and some of the highest inflation rates we have seen in decades have created challenging conditions for manufacturers and retailers and signal more tough times to come. While the covid pandemic boosted sales of toys and games temporarily, big name companies reported sales have started to slip back once again. Let s look at some of those numbers. Local toy sales reached $108. 7 billion in 2023, a 2% drop compared to 2022 with toy companies calling it a normalisation process after that exceptional growth linked to the pandemic. But acr
Give the toy industry a much needed boost? this time, it s not about spending on toys for children, but adults so called kidults. An emerging generation of over 18s is snapping up collectables and nostalgia brands, and they say it s good for their mental health. I m going to be discussing that and more with my guests the boss of build a bear, the stores where you can create a bespoke teddy bear, and the chief executive of the world s biggest toy company and arguably one of its most iconic brands, lego. I ll also be catching up with the president of the company behind leading toy brands barbie, hot wheels, fisher price and more that s mattel to find out how tv and movie tie ups are reviving his compa ny s fortunes. Wherever you rejoining me from around the world, once again, a big hello and a warm welcome to the programme. It s a billion dollar industry driven by creativity and innovation, with a global reach and a diverse market. The toy industry is forecast to reach $302 billi
Baby abdulrahman was crawling early, but now his mum worries he ll never be able to walk. He was the first child found to have polio in gaza in 25 years, and it paralysed his leg because of the war he wasn t vaccinated and now medical care is limited. He want to live and be treated. He wants to live and walk like other children. I feel a lot of guilt that he didn t get the vaccination, but i couldn t give it to him because of our circumstances. Displaced five times, the baby s family now lives in a crowded tent camp in deir al balah in central gaza. Raw sewage flows through streets nearby. Conditions are ideal for diseases to spread, especially polio, which is highly infectious. Since discovering the virus, un agencies have been racing to set up an emergency mass vaccination programme and with war raging, they ve negotiated three localised three day pauses in fighting with israel and hamas. Un officials say the plan is not ideal, but it s workable. What we re aiming at is to have 640,0
pushing the grow america act. the $302 billion investment, and that s what it is, would provide four years of transportation funding to fix roads and bridges in the country. the white house estimates it will create a million jobs but i m sure the righties would say the numbers are phony. the republicans are always pressing the president about job creation but at a time when we should be verdict investing in our infrastructure, the republicans are interested in more sorties over ukraine. they have money for all the wrong stuff, don t they? joining me is scott paul president for the alliance of american manufacturing and job the professor of politics at usc and democratic strategist. great to have you with us. bob, you first, how heavy of a lift is this to build bridges that will not fall down and kill americans? why are we are where we are on