Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Trade war boogeyman hangs over US toy show

1137076
1137076
minus
plus

John BIERS -


The US-China trade war has dealt a glancing blow to American toys, hitting putty and arts and crafts items, while sparing superhero action figures, toy cars and most best-selling offerings.


Yet uncertainty about the trading relationship between Beijing and Washington hangs over this weekend’s Toy Fair, dampening the festive mood amidst giant balloon cartoon figures and karaoke cars as some 30,000 industry representatives survey the latest and greatest in play.


China manufactures around 85 per cent of the toys and games sold in the United States and is also home to a growing consumer market estimated to overtake the US play market in 2022.


Aaron Muderick, founder of “Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld,” a Pennsylvania company, has seen profits hit by US tariffs on raw materials to make his colourful putty and on steel cans, which bear the made in the USA mark.


But Muderick is most worried about losing momentum in the booming Chinese market where he has worked to establish distribution channels and build brand identity.


“We’ve invested a lot of time and dollars,” he said. “If it creates a market where the product is not welcome, where there are retaliatory tariffs that make it impossible for me to reach that consumer, then I lose.” About 40 Chinese booths are displaying with China Toy & Juvenile Products Association, including companies selling stuffed bears, trampolines, magnetic building blocks and flashing beads.


“Some members feel uncertain, but the business is so far going okay,” said the group’s president, May Liang in an interview.


Company representatives have reported no drop in interest among their US buyers, said May, who expressed scepticism that the US would impose broad tariffs on toys.


“We believe toys are really consumer-focused especially at holiday season, so we think toys should not be on the tariff list because it will harm consumers.


“But we feel we should closely watch it,” she added.


A trip to a US toy store shows the near-ubiquity of “Made in China” on any number of gadgets, games and super hero dolls, but the country’s playworld dominance sometimes surfaces in unexpected ways.


For example, youth-oriented books on display by the Quarto Group at Toy Fair about black role models like Nelson Mandela and icons such as Freddie Mercury were printed in China — another testament to the country’s competitiveness.


The toy industry dodged a bullet last September, when finished toys were left off the list of expanded US tariffs. — AFP


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon