Working towards an ‘imaginary future’

Ultimately, a toy’s “it” factor is a combination of marketing, consumer psychology, timely production and a bit of soothsaying. Among design, manufacturing, sampling and storage, most toys are years in the making. That means toy designers are working in what Feeley calls an “imaginary future”, calculating everything from environmental factors to educational trends.

She adds: “They’re having to imagine what life might be like in two years’ time, not just for the recipient of this toy, but also for the person that’s buying the gift.”

Although those predictions aren’t perfect, there’s a clear trajectory for the “it” toys of tomorrow – and millennials may find them eerily familiar.

Take Canadian toy brand Spin Master, whose new Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet now tops 2023 toy roundups from American retailer Target, UK retailer Argos and industry publication Toy Insider. The toy is about the size of a ring box; crack it open, and you’ll find a digital display showing a friendly pet.

“With your love and care, help your pets grow from baby, to adult, to Super Bitzee,” advertises the Spin Master website. Millennials – some of whom are parents now, buying children’s toys – may be compelled by nostalgia: it’s similar to Tamagotchi, the popular digital-pet toy released by Japanese toy brand Bandai in 1996.

The reasons certain toys get anointed each year may change – due to social moods, social media or a jolt of nostalgia – but one thing is certain: many kids across the world will be hoping for the gift of the moment.