Financial Reporting, Tariffs

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Trump says American kids will be fine with fewer dolls, but the toy industry is bracing for a 'nuclear bomb'. China is the world's toymaking powerhouse, making its relationship with the US all the more crucial. Several experts told BI that the tariffs could have dire consequences for the US economy.

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Girls Need to Be Told Having Fewer Dolls a Good Thing: White House. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has defended President Donald Trump's comments that children may have fewer toys this Christmas, arguing that they should take solace in the administration's efforts to create a stronger economy in the long term.

 

The first boats carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in LA. Shipments are cut in half. Expect shortages soon. Ships now pulling into US harbors from China are the first to be subject to the massive tariffs that America is imposing on most Chinese imports. That means, in a matter of weeks, consumers will face higher prices and shortages of certain items.

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Disney posts 7% revenue growth in a strong Q2. Strength in streaming and domestic parks helped drive US$23.62 billion in earnings for the media giant this quarter.

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Mattel kicked off 2025 with solid momentum, reporting Q1 net sales of $827 million — a 2% uptick as reported, and 4% in constant currency. 

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Roblox revenue increased by 29% to exceed US$1 billion this quarter, while its daily active user count climbed to 97.8 million.

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Mattel and Hasbro Want Tariff-Free Toys—But They Could Benefit From Tariffs, Too. The toy giants do less of their manufacturing in China than the broader industry, J.P. Morgan said. If the import taxes strain competitors, Mattel and Hasbro may stand to gain display space in stores and market share, the analysts wrote in a research note Tuesday.

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Donald Trump Versus Barbie. Can the Administration retain public support for a trade policy that could force Americans to buy less stuff? Trump was trying to make the argument that the trade war would be less damaging to the U.S. than to China, which is facing a slump in factory orders. But his statement, which seemed to suggest that forcing Americans to consume less stuff for a while wouldn’t necessarily be a tragedy...

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The Bubble Blasters and Other Chinese Goods That Are Paralyzed by Trade Chaos. American importers cancel orders and scramble for alternatives, while Chinese factories cut staff and offload goods

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Cold play: Toy industry faces ‘devastating’ impact from tariffs. Around 96% of American toy companies are small- and medium-sized businesses. Nearly half of them could shutter due to U.S. tariff policies.

 

*** The above posted after tBR circulated May 2nd ***

 

Spin Master Scores Big on Toy Sales in Q1, Withdraws 2025 Guidance. The Toronto-based company reported Q1 revenue of $359.3 million, marking a 13.6% year-over-year increase fueled by big gains.

 

JAKKS Pacific Powers Through Q1; Seeks Opportunities Amid Tariff Turbulence. JAKKS Pacific started the year strong in 2025, posting a 26% year-over-year jump in first-quarter net sales to $113.3 million.

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Funskool India Limited, the country’s leading toy manufacturer, has recorded over 20% year- on-year growth for the FY 2024-25.

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CMON’s 2024 losses even worse than it predicted at over $3m – almost double its profits from the last three years combined. CMON blamed rising living costs affecting its customers ability to buy games.

 

Intel issues weak guidance, says it will slash expenses this year. Intel reported first-quarter results Thursday that beat analysts’ estimates, while issuing disappointing guidance and announcing plans to slash expenses in the coming year, the first under CEO Lip-Bu Tan. 

 

In a interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks explained how the toy maker is trying to diversify its supply chain and adapt to President Donald Trump’s steep tariff hikes on China, one of its top suppliers. “I think we’re making rapid changes,” he said. “You know, our goal was to get to about 40% of global sourcing out of China by the end of 2026. I think we’ll hit that much earlier.”

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China-U.S. Container Volume Drops 45% Amid Tariff Tensions. The U.S.-China trade war is inflicting severe damage on the real economy.

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Canadian toy manufacturer Spin Master to reduce China production due to tariffs. The company announced Wednesday it was withdrawing its guidance for the remainder of the year due to “meaningful uncertainty” caused by Trump’s global trade war.

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THE OP MAY SEND 15 CONTAINERS OF GAMES BACK TO CHINA. And Has Halted China-Based Production

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It’s no fun when it comes to Canada’s leading board gamers fighting U.S.-imposed tariffs. Distributors of games from the U.S. are particularly vulnerable to Canadian retaliatory tariffs.

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Toymakers Around the World Are Reeling From Trump’s China Tariffs. Toymakers large and small are reliant on Chinese manufacturing, making the 145% tariff a huge burden to companies that sell their products in the US.

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President Trump: ‘Maybe the Children will Have 2 Dolls Instead of 30’. As the fight to keep toys tariff-free continues, players within the toy industry have been waiting for President Donald J. Trump to reverse or reduce the 145% tariff on China, which is currently devastating small- to mid-size businesses.

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Shein, Temu to raise prices due to tariff impact. The fast-fashion companies didn’t specify the extent of the cost increases, but posted identical notices on their websites.

 

Tabletop game companies sue Trump to stop tariffs. The lawsuit alleges the tariffs are “unlawful and unconstitutional” and details how they are creating challenges for the plaintiffs’ businesses.

 

America is living in tariff limbo. Trump's tariffs are not trade policy as much as they are a fishing expedition: What can he extract from trade partners and US companies that can be spun as a win for him?

 

Will Trump’s Tariffs Spur Recession? Four Chief Economists Weigh In. President Trump’s tariff policies have rattled financial markets and sparked high levels of uncertainty over the future of the U.S. economy.

 

Trump tariffs will hurt lower income Americans more than the rich, study says. Tariffs are expected to have more of a financial impact on poor households relative to consumers in the top 1%.

 

China said to waive retaliatory tariffs on some US chip imports in sign of trade war thaw. China has waived its retaliatory 125 per cent tariffs on certain semiconductor imports from the US.

 

Trump hardens China tariffs stance, says US must get ‘something substantial’ for rollback. Trump hardened his tariffs stance, saying he would not roll them back unless Beijing offered “something substantial” in return.

 

Chinese factories are stopping production and looking for new markets as U.S. tariffs bite. Chinese manufacturers are pausing production and turning to new markets as the impact of U.S. tariffs sets in.

 

Amazon Sellers Reportedly Skipping Prime Day Due to Tariffs. For years, Amazon’s Prime Day has been a prime opportunity for the company’s third-party merchants.

 

Port of Los Angeles says shipping volume will plummet 35% next week as China tariffs start to bite. Shipments from China to the U.S. west coast appear poised to drop sharply in May.

 

Walmart has told some Chinese suppliers to resume shipments: sources. A major exporter in the eastern city of Ningbo received a notification from Walmart to resume normal deliveries to the United States.

 

Tariff Strategy Letter. Currently, the tariff rate on China-produced products stands at 145%, with additional percentages for products or materials that fall into certain categories.

 

Amazon Reportedly Pushing Suppliers for Discounts to Combat Tariffs. The tech giant has asked for low double-digit price decreases from merchants in a range of categories, from homeware to consumer electronics.

 

Retail CEOs: Low Prices Can’t Last in Face of Tariffs. While retailers in the United States have kept prices low despite tariffs, they say the situation can’t last.

 

Concerns About Tariffs Drive Widespread Decline in Consumer Confidence. Confidence declined across all age groups, most income groups and all political affiliations.

 

Amazon: No Plans to List Trade War-Related Surcharges. Amazon says it has no plans to display import-related charges on its website following White House protests.

 

Retail’s latest tariff challenge? Setting prices. New levies are shaping up to be a holiday tax on consumers already touchy about spending. Careful analysis and clear communication are key.

 

Consumer expectations plunge at fastest pace since 1990 recession. The outlook among businesses and consumers have plunged since President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on U.S. trade partners.

 

Carter’s pulls guidance as profits plummet, tariffs loom. The children’s clothing company's new CEO is navigating a turnaround amid falling sales and rising uncertainty.

 

Faced with Tariffs, Hasbro Raises Guidance for WotC. Despite tariffs at the highest level since the Great Depression, Hasbro raised guidance for the year for its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment.

 

More on the Stonemaier Tariffs Lawsuit. The Pacific Legal Foundation has shared information on the grounds for the suit.

 

GDP Q1 2025: Consumer Spending’s Not Enough to Help Avoid Economy’s Contraction. Consumer spending was not enough to stop an overall pullback in U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).

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Retailers Fear Toy Shortages at Christmas as Tariffs Freeze Supply Chain. Toy makers and stores are freezing holiday orders, predicting shortages and higher prices. Some are consulting bankruptcy lawyers, fearing their firms won’t survive. “We have a frozen supply chain that is putting Christmas at risk,” said Greg Ahearn, chief executive of the Toy Association, a U.S. industry group representing 850 toy manufacturers. 

 

Trump Is About to Steal My Friend’s Christmas — and Yours. I first met Dane Chapin, a San Diego-area entrepreneur, in 2012, when he gave me a ride in his Prius and told me I was dead wrong about climate change. 100 days into this administration, Dane isn’t happy. “With Trump I thought, maybe, there might be a method to the madness,” he told me on Saturday. “I’m concerned now that there is madness to his method.”

 

Last week we had to implement the first wave of price increases across a broad swath of our product catalog to cover tariff costs already incurred. We don't feel good about playing the middleman in what is nothing more than a TAX on U.S. businesses and consumers. Rather than sit in quiet paralysis, Fat Brain Toys has begun displaying the specific tariff impact to every shopper on our website.

 

White House launches attack on 'hostile' Amazon over tariffs while marking Trump’s 100 days. It follows reports suggesting the online retailer will soon show consumers how much the president's tariffs are adding to the cost of its products

 

Donald Trump Is Already Ruining Christmas. Santa’s helpers are freaking out that steep tariffs on Chinese imports will prevent toys, trees, and decorations from arriving in the US on time for the December holiday. While children are told stories about elves and reindeer, the truth is that hundreds of thousands of people work year-round to make sure Christmas feels magical.​

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Trump’s Tariffs Prompt Wave of Lawsuits as States and Businesses Fight Back. Somewhere along a roughly 7,500-mile journey that begins in Shenzhen, China, there are 19 shipments bound for Rick Woldenberg, the chief executive of Learning Resources, an educational toy company in Vernon Hills, Ill. Eventually, the containers of puzzle cards, child binoculars and other products will reach a port in the U.S., and Mr. Woldenber...​

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Trends, Lists, Market Research, and State of the Industry

 

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List of Toys Facing Price Increases Due to Tariffs.

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TOP 50 COMICS - APRIL 2025

 

*** The above posted after tBR crculated May 2nd ***

 

MESH Toys Took Over NY Toy Fair—These Are the 10 Best I Saw (& Played With!). MESH toys teach emotional intelligence and give kids a healthy way to express their feelings.

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Expanded Netflix Kids Content Report tracks movie engagement and series lifecycles.

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Latest Trend Hunter Report Highlights What’s New in Kids & Play. Toy Association members can now access a complimentary new Trend Hunter report that explores the latest trends shaping children’s play.

 

'Unsustainable' trade war with China and the truth about coming wave of retail shortages. Major retailers are warning about empty shelves as a result of President Trump's tariffs on China and wider trade war.

 

Generation Media and Circana unveil new European Media Lift study. The launch of this new Media Lift study will help toy brands maximise marketing ROI ahead of the Q4 period.

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