State of Play: Toy Trends from Spielwarenmesse 2025State of Play: Toy Trends from Spielwarenmesse 2025
“Kidults make up nearly 30% of the European toy market," according to Circana. License Global is in Germany, to delve into kids’ play and toy trends on display in Nuremberg.

This week, License Global joined over 2,000 exhibitors from 71 countries in Nuremberg, Germany, for the 74th edition of Spielwarenmesse, the international trade fair for toys, hobbies and leisure.
The event showcased 13 product groups across 18 halls with kidult cutting through numerous categories and once again standing out across the show floor. The License Global Toy Forecast 2025 highlighted how kidults continue to hold the toy market, and the talk of the show floor this week is how much of a strong purchasing power kidults possess. According to Circana’s latest State of the Toys Consumer survey, it is the youth and adult group, ages 12 and up, that is responsible for the growth of the European toy market. With a value of €4.5 billion in 2023, the market has grown by 2.5 % since 2022 and kidult now represents 28.5 % of total toy sales across Europe. Unsurprisingly, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. remain the largest markets for this demographic in Europe.
Of course, in a show of this scale, it’s hard to pick out just a few key IP, but the likes of “Lilo & Stitch,” LEGO, Hot Wheels, Formula One, Harry Potter, Marvel, “Star Wars,” Sonic the Hedgehog, Minecraft, “Naruto” and “One Piece,” were particularly evident across multiple categories and halls throughout the event.

Hobby & Gaming activation at Spielwarenmesse 2025.
Toys for Kidults
Toys for kidults, with its fields of ‘Collectibles’, ‘Creative Fantasy’ and ‘Tabletop Games’, were highly visible throughout the show, including a specially dedicated feature, which displayed product examples and retail-specific ideas. The growing importance of kidult is underlined in an international study by the BrandTrends Group, which shows that 67% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 65 indicated an interest in buying two or more toys a year for themselves.
The Growth of Sports Licensing
Sports was another area of interest this year at the show, with a notable shift in the way in which organizations are using sports licensing as a way to reach a vast and broader demographic of consumers.
According to Grand View Research, the European licensed sports merchandise market size was estimated at USD 6.47 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% by 2030.
In Germany this week, it was Formula 1 that stood out. In the last couple of months alone, Formula 1 has announced new collaborations with the likes of LEGO , Pacsun and Mattel’s Hot Wheels, while the Formula 1 exhibition continues to grow, heading to South America for the first time next month.
Formula 1 teams, including Oracle Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS and McLaren Formula 1, and racing teams in general were also highly visible throughout the show, as well as football clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Spielwarenmesse introduced a new activity area at the show, dedicated to sports, leisure and outdoors, where visitors are encouraged to try products out. The area also features a test track and a stunt show, which is running twice daily.
Last year, License Global spoke with licensees, licensors and athletes to discover how licensing can propel women’s sports higher. In December, License Global also highlighted some of the sports licensing deals which scored big 2024.
Plush
License Global’s 2025 Toy Forecast reported how Circana is forecasting further excitement around toys leading into the holiday season globally, especially across building sets, collectibles and plush. Like London Toy Fair last week, the aisles at Spielwarenmesse were flush with plush, with “Lilo & Stitch,” Marvel and Hello Kitty properties standing out.

Disney 'Stitch' plush on the Ty stand at Spielwarenmesse 2025
Anime and Manga
The world of Anime and Manga characters continue to resonate not only with children but with all other age groups too, again playing into the kidult theme. The figures have status with fans and thus have an influence on pop culture and on a vast range of media including TV, video games, merchandise and, of course, toys.
The ToyTrend Anime & Friends at Spielwarenmesse displayed products and licensing themes for children and teenagers from the field of Anime and Manga. Toys designed in the Japanese kawaii (Japanese for sweet or cute) style were also covered, particularly across plush and collectibles, from IP such as “Naruto,” “One Piece” and Hello Kitty.

'One Peice' Monopoly on display at Spielwarenmesse 2025.
Spielwarenmesse 2025 Licensed Product Launches
Mattel used the show to unveil its Hot Wheels Formula 1 product line, which brings to life eight Formula 1 teams across different product lines. The company also announced a new line of building sets, a revived partnership with Hot Wheels and Ferrari, its 80th anniversary Ruby Collection and a new Fisher-Price toy line for Barney, inspired by the animated TV series, “Barney's World.”
On the theme of building, Jazwares used the show to continue to showcase its construction toy brand, BLDR, a construction toy line which features Squishmallows, Hello Kitty and Friends, Adopt Me! and Crunchyroll.
Playmobil launched its new brand positioning, a reorientation of the brand which includes a new innovative play concept, “The future is now.” On the opening day of the event, The LEGO Group unveiled the LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh “Sunflowers” set, a brick-built painting which captures the brushstrokes of Van Gogh’s masterpiece.

Transformers Figure at Spielwarenmesse 2025.
Licensing Content
License Global’s Ben Roberts and Licensing International’s Steve Manners led the day two ‘LicenseTalks’ content program, which took place in the dedicated ‘LicenseLounge,’ a destination for licensors, licensees and retailers to discuss the business of licensing.
Roberts, content director, License Global, presented “The Value of Play, Family Time and the Impact of Licensing.” During this presentation, Roberts touched on the importance of play for kids and adults alike and how both markets have merged to create trends such as multigenerational play and nostalgia sharing, the power of gaming and the potential for brand licensing as well as the key categories for 2025 for brand owners and representatives thanks to forecast data from License Global’s Top Global Licensors and Top Brand Licensing Agents Reports.
The day’s content was opened by Manners, head of global marketing and U.K. managing director, Licensing International and Ute Stauss, managing director Germany, Licensing International, who provided an overview of the trends from Licensing International’s Global Licensing Industry Study, which highlighted the huge potential that licensing can offer, citing a worldwide turnover in licensed goods and services amounting to US$357 bn.
Manners and Roberts were then joined by Maura Regan, president, Licensing International and Rob Spindley, licensing director, international, Crayola, to celebrate brand anniversaries and highlight their importance and how to effectively plan for them, from a licensing perspective.

License Global's Ben Roberts presenting in the LicenseLounge at Spielwarenmesse 2025
The Spielwarenmesse ToyAwards 2024
On Day two of the Fair, six exhibitors were awarded a coveted ToyAward, with a 14-member international jury of experts selecting the winners from the 629 submissions.
The Spielwarenmesse 2025 ToyAward winners were:
Baby and Infant (0-3 years): Geomag Magicube Blocks Stacking Safari, Geomagworld
Preschool (3-6 years): 3 Shape Memo, Buitenspeel/BS Toys
School Kids (6-10 years): RC Football Set – Bundesliga, Carrera Toys
Teenager and Adults (10+ years): Moon Acrylic Jigsaw Puzzle, Abfun
Startup: Qubitunes, Qubs
Sustainability: Wave Stacker, Plan Creations/PlanToys

New Product Area at Spielwarenmesse 2025.
“With pioneering trends and fresh potential, the Spielwarenmesse provides an important stimulus for the coming year to all participants,” says Christian Ulrich, board spokesperson, Spielwarenmesse. “The human aspect is further emphasized with the various different events, creating those unforgettable experiences that reinforce cohesion in the international toy community.”
Watch: License Global at Spielwarenmesse 2025
Spielwarenmesse is running at Messe Nuremberg, from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1.
View: Image Highlights from Spielwarenmesse 2025
Read: The 2025 License Global Toy Forecast.
Read: State of Play: Toy Trends on Display at London Toy Fair 2025.
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EuropeLicense Global OriginalSpielwarenmesseNuremberg Toy FairLEGOFormula 1Harry PotterMarvelStar WarsSonic the HedgehogMinecraftNarutoOne PieceMattelHot WheelsJazwaresAbout the Author
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