According to the latest results from The NPD Group's Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS) report, the categories that captured the most dollar share for kids over December 2010-February 2011 time period were apparel/accessories with 17 percent, toys/board games with 14 percent and video games/PC game software and video game system hardware, which both captured 10 percent respectively. Footwear rounded out the top five with 10 percent.

When looking at distribution of total licensed dollar share by category in the December 2010-February 2011 time period, toys/board games, DVD/Blu-ray discs, video downloads and video game/PC game software captured double-digit shares each month (all three categories secured shares within the range of 14 percent to 27 percent). Besides apparel/accessories and footwear, which captured a share in the 10-12 percent range in January 2011 and February 2011, all other categories captured single digit shares through the end of February 2011.

"Some categories, like toys and video games, realize nearly half their annual industry revenues during the fourth quarter of the year, with noticeable increases seen in December," says Anita Frazier, industry analyst for The NPD Group. "Understanding how various product categories and licenses compete for share of wallet during this important retail time-frame, as well as the months following, is essential for any company interested in fine-tuning its sales and marketing strategies."

The top five brands capturing the most dollar share across categories during the December 2010–February 2011 time period were Disney, Microsoft, Nike, Nintendo and Sony (in alphabetical order), with Barbie, Disney Princess, Dora The Explorer, Star Wars and Toy Story (in alphabetical order) representing the top five licenses.

Looking at category dollar share by age group, apparel or accessories captured the highest share among the birth-age 2 group, while toys/board games ranked highest among 3-8-year-olds and video games/PC game software grabbing the highest dollar share in the 9-14-year-old segment.