British Toy & Hobby Association announce winners of this year’s 25 Hero Toys at London’s Toy Fair 2023

The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) are delighted to announce their 25 Hero Toys for 2023, which have all been selected by a panel of industry experts and are based on informed predictions for this year’s trends. The winners were unveiled at 9.50am on 24th January at this year’s Toy Fair with broadcaster and presenter Anna Williamson on hand to congratulate the winners.

Plush toys, arts & crafts, action figures and preschool toys

The selected toys are aimed at a range of ages, are suitable for a variety of interests and cover a large range of toy categories including plush toys, arts & crafts, action figures and preschool toys. Just some of the wonderful toys include a Paddington Bear Tea Set, an RC Transforming Optimus Prime and a Pigs On Trampolines Game. Building sets showed a strong 4% growth in 2022 and are likely to remain popular in 2023.

250+ product entries

Rebecca Deeming, Communications & Events Manager at the BTHA, commented: “This year’s Toy Fair’s Hero Toys are bigger and better than ever! We received over 250 product entries – the greatest number of entries we have ever had – and the competition was very strong. We are confident that our winners perfectly encompass the wide-ranging categories of toys on display at Toy Fair and they represent everything our industry is about: ensuring every childhood is filled with play.”

Nostalgia is set to dominate the market

Several of the winning toys are based on characters who reigned during the 80’s like Elmo, Barbie, Sylvanian Families, and Wallace and Gromit, as nostalgia looks set to be a strong theme this year.

Rebecca adds: “We know that parents, grandparents and carers love passing on traditions to their children and purchasing toys that remind them of their childhood, such as the Care Bears Dare to Care and the Build Your Own Wallace & Gromit Rocket, both Hero Toys. We expect to see this trend continue in the next year, with the nostalgic trend clearly popular with consumers.”

Affordable toys

10 of the 25 winners are available to buy now with prices starting at £12.99. The other winners will be released into retail later this year in the lead up to peak season. The complete list of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys 2023 can be found in the product guide attached and will be on display outside of the Press Office for the duration of Toy Fair.