2020 was a crazy year for the toy industry, too Step2 The biggest increase in sales came for toys that could eat up large amounts of time, such as construction toys and playscapes. COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the best-laid plans of everyone this year — and that includes the toy industry. "It's been a challenging nine months," said Aaron Muderick, founder of Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty in Norristown, Pa. On a positive note, harried parents coping with quarantined kids fueled strong growth in puzzles, games, and arts and crafts. "No one expected that sales were going to skyrocket," said James ...