Indian Toys:

The smaller this word is the more power it upholds. Toys are more than just a plaything for kids and young children. They are so much more than inert objects. Toys serve as a mirror that reflects the changes that culture goes through. Toys serve as time capsules that reveal what was accessible in society at a given point in history. Toys have a purpose not just for people but also for animals. The influence of toys on children’s childhood development is significant. They are also in charge of the coordinated growth and the capacity for decision-making in kids. In addition to being a simple kind of amusement, they help kids improve their physical and intellectual abilities, which is a valuable asset. Not only they are a mere source of entertainment but also they develop physical and mental skills in kids which are a very necessary part of their later human life.

Children’s inventiveness is enhanced by toys, and they also gain a fresh and unique perspective on the world. There are many different types of toys, including educational ones that help kids learn about their senses of touch, sight, and hearing as well as others that can create sounds and are brightly colored and textured to help kids understand and develop their social and emotional abilities. There are many different toys accessible these days in the markets. Despite the boom of electronic devices like phones, tablets, and computers, there is still a very significant market for toys, and toys are still quite popular among kids. 

India has been a very ancient country known for its craft and heritage but do you India was once very famous for toys and games too? If your answer is a no, keep seated and do read the article til the end. We will tell you all about the ancient to present Industry of toys in India.

History of the Indian Toy Industry 

The emergence of toys can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization around 8000 years ago. Back then the toys were made of terracotta and clay, figurines of monkeys, parrots, miniature farm carts, etc. Reuse and recycling were major factors that comprised Indian toys from the very start. There are proofs that these toys were expired in countries like Mesopotamia, Iran, and Afghanistan in those days.

Its have been seen in history most Indian toys were made up of clay mud and eco-friendly materials. These toys not just portray the normal life of people but also depicted people from various walks of life and their standard of living, traditions, and types of society as well. Some of the most famous toys in India are Kondapalli toys that are delicately and carefully carved from wood and hand-painted. Then comes the wooden toys from the most ancient city in the world Banaras. Many other parts of India are famous for the different kinds of toys being produced there.

Indian Toy Market: An Overview

The Indian toy industry has shown tremendous growth as well as expansion in recent years thanks to the initiative by the government and the Young entrepreneurs in the field. It has been estimated within the domestic market the evaluation of toy Industries is 5750 crores approximately 78.5 million dollars per annum they include both factory products that are provided by MSME and large units plus imports. These statistics are rising at the rate of 10 to 15% every single year. The new style of parenting also plays a very significant role in the growth of this sector. In the era of new-age parenting, different types of educational toys and board games are introduced to children from a young age. Companies strive to make more new and innovative products while keeping the needs of kids in mind.

According to the report – India Toy Market Overview 2027, the Indian toy market has started to grow at a very significant trade in the past several years. This growth in the Indian market could be seen as an increase in the number of women in the sector apart from this the increasing awareness about the advantages of toys and their impact on the child has made millions of parents projected toward the toy market in the years. Companies these days at focusing to provide different types of gaming items comma board games and puzzles and quizzes etc for the overall development of the kids. All these factors have uplifted the growth in the toy market. Apart from this initiatives such as vocal for local, make in India are other responsible factors for the growth of this industry

The Indian toy industry is estimated to be around 400 million US dollars in total.  At present India has around 800 Indian toy and game manufacturers, exporters, and suppliers. Toy Association of India has around 600 registered members from all over India out of which approximately 275 are toy manufacturers. 

The Indian toy industry is known for manufacturing toys like electronic toys, puzzles, construction, and building toys, doll rides, sports, and outdoor play toys, infant and preschool toys, activities, plushie and soft toys, explorative toys, etc. Among all these, more than 30% of the market is acquired by pre-school doll segments Infant and toddler toys the Indian market is usually categorized into 3 age groups- 0-8 years/ 9 to 15 years/ and  15 years and above. The first category of toys is the leading section of the market and it is also estimated that it will be ruling the market in the upcoming years.

India’s Competition in the Market

Respective of being the home of a variety of traditional high-tech and modern toys India accounts only for 0.5% of the Global share of toy Exports. Facing very tough competition from countries like us China and Japan India still lacks the presence it was it was bound to have in the market. Some other reasons like- most of the Indian toys actor that is 60% of Indian manufacturer is unorganized consisting up of small units with very few employees the required capital and innovative technology is absent which is one of the main reason for India’s toy industry to be lacking behind from the world but irrespective of all this, the recent retail revolution and emergence of online sellers like Amazon Flipkart Snapdeal and many other eCommerce websites have revolutionized the purchase of Indian toys everywhere.

These have not just helped this industry to grow at a very rapid rate but it has also improved the economy of cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Meerut, and Punjab. They are some of the biggest toy manufacturing places in the country.

But inspite of all this, India faces the world’s biggest competition from China. A very well-known fact is that China is the largest exporter of toys in the world. The impact of covid-19 call tho created a downfall in the growth of the Chinese toy industry but the huge tap potential that it has is easily seen in our domestic toy market itself. Our presence in the global market at present comprises less than 0.08% which is estimated to be 4.8 lakh crore rupees. India imported toys for $1.4 billion around Rs 10000 crores in the financial year 2018 to 2019. We imported toys not just from China but we have imported them from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Germany, and Hong Kong as well. The export value that we share in the global market is $260 hundred thousand dollars.

Future of the Indian Toy Industry

To reassure the growth of the Indian Toy Industry and to improve the exports of Indian Toys, there are various solutions implemented by the government. The Indian government has introduced various schemes for the development of the toy industry in India which are as follows-

  • The ministry of small-scale industries has brought up a scheme for the technology upgradation of such industries through credit-linked capital subsidiary schemes.
  • Campaigns like Vocal for Local and Make In India are supporting this industry to a vast scale.
  • To improve the situation of the industry central government has also issued a Quality Control Order that instructions for cluster development of different types of toys on various days and also provides them the necessary environment, resources, and workforce to upskill the industry.
  • Better machines and pieces of equipment are planned to be imported from countries like South Korea and Japan to make innovative and better electric toys within the country.

Toys can serve as one of the game changers in the Export Sector of India. Countries in Europe and North America have very high demands for toys to fulfill it all, India can emerge as one of the biggest toy exporters. All that is needed is innovation, technologically advanced methods, targeted advanced investments, brainstorming, and lots of research to ace this industry. And soon in no time, we will see Indian toys dominating the world market just as China’s toys are doing in present.