Concentration increased in the competitive landscape in traditional toys and games in South Africa between 2019 and 2024, with the top five companies accounting for 47% of value sales in 2019, rising to 51% in 2024, although this remained below the Middle East and Africa average. Mattel Inc retained its leading position in the year, boosted by new product releases, entertainment offerings, and strategic partnerships.
Licensing agreements remained a significant strategy for both the leading player Mattel, and second-placed Hasbro in 2024, allowing both companies to create co-branded toys and games. Hasbro benefits from its relationship with Lucasfilm through Star Wars and Indiana Jones traditional toys and games, and also from its Marvel franchise licence agreements.
Although well-known brands remain most popular in South Africa, with a challenging economic environment private label traditional toys and games have gained traction, with both dedicated toy retailers like Toys”R”Us (one of the biggest toy retailers in South Africa) and general merchandise retailers like Shoprite Holdings investing in their own branded toy lines. These products, which are priced significantly lower than branded toys, are especially appealing to consumers in lower LSM (Living Standards Measure) segments.
In late 2024, Formula 1 and Mattel announced a global licensing partnership, which saw the launch of an exclusive F1 car under the Hot Wheels brand in 2024, with a full range of team vehicles set to follow in 2025. Formula 1 also announced a partnership with LEGO Group to launch F1-inspired Lego products in 2025, including Lego Duplo sets for pre-schoolers, and smaller brick sets for both older children and adults.
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Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Traditional Toys and Games industry in South Africa with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
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Traditional Toys and Games
This is the aggregation of baby (0-18 months), infant (19-36 months), pre-school (3-4 years), construction, arts & crafts, scientific/educational, dress up & role play, dolls & accessories, action figures & accessories, plush, model vehicles, remote control toys, games & puzzles, outdoor & sports, ride-on vehicles and other traditional toys and games. Traditional toys and games are objects of play which do not involve a video game component.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Traditional Toys and Games research and analysis database.
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