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
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
I am katie feng and for alex. The 2020 presidential election was one of the closest races we ve ever experienced in this country although george w. Bush won the election, it was al gore who won the popular vote that your. When you start to slice and dice the electorate into different voting groups, that race starts to look weightless tight. Check this out. In 2000, george w bush dramatically outperformed his opponent among white evangelical voters, winning 68% among that group. In 2024 he increased that support by 10 points. Evangelical support for the republican presidential candidate remained relatively steady for the next two elections and then look what happened in 2016. Donald trump won the support of 81% of white evangelical voters. Trumps ability to supercharge the evangelical vote has largely been attributed to the reason he was able to win the presidency the first time he ran. Without a strong evangelical turnout, it becomes much more difficult for donald trump to chart a repe
Week when i had a little bit of a bug. I really appreciate it. You are welcome and the best news, you ve gotten better, so you have a great labor day weekend. Thanks, chris. You know, labor day weekend, it s finally here. The next three days are the time when americans everywhere try to get the most out of their summer. Maybe squeeze in one last cookout for beach trip before the weather gets colder and everything starts to taste like pumpkin spice. But in an election year like this one, labor day weekend also marks the moment when most americans really start to pay attention to the presidential race and for the campaigns this is a moment when every detail starts to matter. Vice president kamala harris and her running mate tim walz are coming off a two day bus tour through southern georgia. The first democratic campaign in that part of the state since 1992. Last night the vice president sat down for her first major interview since becoming her party s nominee. She defended the record of
Cheers, michael. Welcome back to the weekend, everyone. Election day is 66 weeks i gave early voting kicks off in pennsylvania in just 16 days. To win, vice president kamala harris knows democrats need to grow their coalition and part of that means reaching out to conservative leaning voters. In her first major interview as a democratic nominee, she promised to welcome republican voices to her administration if she wins in november. I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it is important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences. I think it would be to the benefit of the american public to have a member of my cabinet who was a republican. Joining us now is olivia troye, former homeland security and terrorism adviser to mike pence. When i heard that i was like, that michael steele for commerce secretary. I could put on a tie. I would be happy to do that. It would be an honor