By 2030, and that estimate is at the conservative end of the scale. But falling birth rates and some of the highest inflation rates we ve seen in decades have created challenging conditions for manufacturers and retailers, and signal more tough times to come. While the covid pandemic boosted sales of toys and games temporarily, big name companies report that sales have started to slip back once again. Let s have a look at some of those numbers. Global toy sales reached $108] billion in 2023, a 2% drop compared to 2022, with toy companies calling it a normalisation process after that exceptional growth linked to the pandemic. But across the 612 countries, including the uk, france, germany, and spain, sales declined by 7% in 2023 compared with the previous year, but they were still 17% higher when compared to 2019, before the pandemic. I caught up with the boss of build a bear, a much loved company which allows shoppers to customise their own teddies. She s also the head of the global or
Give the toy industry a much needed boost? this time, it s not about spending on toys for children, but adults so called kidults. An emerging generation of over 18s is snapping up collectables and nostalgia brands, and they say it s good for their mental health. I m going to be discussing that and more with my guests the boss of build a bear, the stores where you can create a bespoke teddy bear, and the chief executive of the world s biggest toy company and arguably one of its most iconic brands, lego. I ll also be catching up with the president of the company behind leading toy brands barbie, hot wheels, fisher price and more that s mattel to find out how tv and movie tie ups are reviving his compa ny s fortunes. Wherever you rejoining me from around the world, once again, a big hello and a warm welcome to the programme. It s a billion dollar industry driven by creativity and innovation, with a global reach and a diverse market. The toy industry is forecast to reach $302 billi
Baby abdulrahman was crawling early, but now his mum worries he ll never be able to walk. He was the first child found to have polio in gaza in 25 years, and it paralysed his leg because of the war he wasn t vaccinated and now medical care is limited. He want to live and be treated. He wants to live and walk like other children. I feel a lot of guilt that he didn t get the vaccination, but i couldn t give it to him because of our circumstances. Displaced five times, the baby s family now lives in a crowded tent camp in deir al balah in central gaza. Raw sewage flows through streets nearby. Conditions are ideal for diseases to spread, especially polio, which is highly infectious. Since discovering the virus, un agencies have been racing to set up an emergency mass vaccination programme and with war raging, they ve negotiated three localised three day pauses in fighting with israel and hamas. Un officials say the plan is not ideal, but it s workable. What we re aiming at is to have 640,0
earlier as the house ways and means committee releases stunning testimony from two agents. they say the lead prosecutor overseeing hunter biden s investigation was not actually in charge of the outcome, thanks to meddling from the justice department, despite attorney general merrick garland insisting it s not true. mr. weiss had more authority than a special counsel would have had, as complete he had and has complete authority to bring a case anywhere he wants in his discretion. we will get reaction from republican 2024 presidential candidate will hurd, he s joining us in just a moment. david spunt, you got to ask a.g. garland about all of this today. what did he say to you? aishah, about 90 minutes ago and the attorney general has remained consistent over the past two years saying that david weiss has fully been in control of the hunter biden investigation. now, there s a notion out there that david weiss was told not to bring charges against hunter biden last year, ac
they re serving up a huge dose of nostalgia. many photo opportunities like this. real size barbie box that i m standing in. that s because it is the summer of nostalgia brands. they re looking to the past to get forward when it comes to finances. millennials, families, they re all about the old brands. i want to bring in ilene. she s been serving me all day. she s going to make me a cocktail. the movie cost about $100 million to make and expecting 55 million in opening box sales. thanks so much, eileen. it s the other things like the drinks, like the cafe, which could $40 to just get in. that doesn t include the drink or the food. people pay big bucks. barbie i m clearly ready for it. but it s not just barbie. indiana jones also going to be in the movies this summer. mission impossible as well in july. the movies are tapping back in to the past to make future