Springville High School | Successful Learners are ...



Name________________________________________________________ Date_______________________________Classic toys are making a comeback during the pandemicBy Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staffPublished: 11/11/2020What's old is hot again in 2020 toys.Take the Tonka Mighty Dump Truck: Sales of the bright yellow classic are up more than 250 percent from a year ago. Barbies, Hot Wheels and Legos are big sellers, as are puzzles and board games.Whether it's a yearning for the past or simply a desire for kids to put down their tablets and smartphones, consumers are reaching for old-school favorites. The toy industry is positioned for its best holiday season in years.The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a fundamental shift in toy-buying habits; instead of perusing the toy aisle or trading notes during playdates, parents are drawing on their own childhoods for inspiration. Classic toys also have strong appeal for adults who want their children engaged in open-ended play for long periods of time."It's all about the tried-and-true, the toys that are already familiar," said Jay Foreman, chief executive of Basic Fun, the Florida company behind such classics as Tonka, Lincoln Logs, Lite-Brite and Care Bears. "Parents and grandparents are not watching Nickelodeon or YouTube to see what's new. They're buying toys they know: Barbie DreamHouse, Tonka Mighty Dump Trucks."Experts expect toy sales to be a bright spot in a holiday season of high unemployment and slow sales in other areas. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $650 on gifts this holiday season, down slightly from $659 a year ago, the National Retail Federation says. Although nearly 2 in 5 adults say they will buy less in 2020, experts say, parents tend to put children at the top of their gift lists. Plus, they note, families with higher incomes are spending less on movies, ball games, travel and other entertainment during the pandemic, freeing up more money for the holidays.Toy Sales Have Climbed This YearToy sales have climbed 18 percent so far in 2020, said?NPD Group, a?market research company. That contrasts with the double-digit declines reported by department stores and other retailers that sell furniture and electronics. Much of the toy industry's growth was fueled by board games, puzzles and outdoor toys like bicycles, scooters and inflatable pools, as families looked for ways to unplug after days filled with online work and school.?Among the season's most popular toys, NPD reports, are Barbies, Hot Wheels and?Little Tikes items for babies and young kids. Lego, the world's largest and most profitable toymaker, also has carved out a space in the adult market."It's really hard to find a hot product this year, and one of the reasons is that kids aren't being social with each other," said Chris Byrne, a toy industry consultant. "You can publish all the hot-toy lists you want to, but it's the kid-to-kid interaction that tends to drive whether a toy is cool."Novelties abound — such as Present Pets, an interactive puppy that unboxes itself, and Vango goggles that make the world look upside-down. However, industry experts say retailers and manufacturers have stocked up on classic toys. In September, both Mattel and Hasbro said strong sales of longtime brands boosted recent results: Barbie sales grew 30 percent, Hot Wheels jumped 9 percent and family games such as Monopoly and Jenga surged 21 percent."It is all about classic play this year," Byrne said. "People are anxiety-ridden," or full of worry, and the games people remember from childhood "are like comfort food."Supply Chain Has Been DisruptedThe pandemic has created its share of challenges, including unpredictable demand as sellers don't know which items people will want. As the coronavirus has spread around the world, the supply chain that brings goods to buyers has been disrupted. The?trucking industry does not have enough drivers, keeping some toys from making it to stores.?The uncertainty has left companies of all sizes to rethink every part of their approach."I don't think any of us expected to see this type of demand this year," Foreman said. "It has been a tale of two anxieties: The pandemic hit and we panicked that people would stop buying toys. But then we realized, wait a minute, sales are through the roof. Now we're struggling to get the last bits of demand out the door from our warehouses and factories."Exploding Kittens, a family-friendly card game that came out five years ago, includes goat wizards, taco cats and magical enchiladas. This year, it's seeing booming sales.Demand for the game has been climbing steadily since stay-at-home orders began in March, said Carly McGinnis, the company's chief operating officer. The company is printing close to 5 million games this year, roughly triple what it did in 2019.Board Games Will Be Popular During The Holidays"This year there's been a shift to family games — stuff that moms and dads can buy to keep their kids entertained at home," McGinnis said, adding that sales of the adults-only version of the game have declined slightly. "Honestly, it's been really challenging because we just weren't expecting this."A 94 percent spike in game and puzzle sales between March and May led much of the toy industry's growth during the pandemic, the NPD Group said. Growth leveled off during the summer, when families spent more time outdoors. However, experts expect board games and other indoor activities to pick back up again during the holidays.Lindsay Maines has spent quarantine stocking up on Matchbox cars, 200-piece puzzles and Play-Doh for her children. Her 5-year-old spends hours playing with Lego and Lincoln Logs, she said, while her teenagers are going on more bike rides and doing crafts when they're not taking virtual classes or scrolling online.The family is reaching for board games more than they used to. Her son and husband, she said, recently spent five days playing a single game of Monopoly.This holiday season, she said instead of buying gifts, she will focus on family traditions like baking cookies and cutting down a Christmas tree together. However, she does have a couple of items on her shopping list: a new Etch A Sketch and more Play-Doh.Questions:What is the main idea of this article?Using evidence from the text, explain who the author’s audience is.Using evidence from the text, explain how the author develops the idea that classic toys are growing in popularity.Using evidence from the text, explain why the author wrote this article?Using evidence from the text, explain what this article has to do with COVID-19. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download