Diverse Insights: Careers That Can Sprout from Arts & Crafts Toys, and Why We As An Industry Should Give it a Boost
I asked a professional artist friend in the CPG industry what his favorite arts & crafts toy on the shelf was and he struggled to find an answer. Instead he shared a personal story of an item, Mattel's Picture Maker, that helped reinforce his creativity as a child and ultimately led him down to his current career. This product was basically a draw by stencil item, but to my friend it meant so more.
"I loved it because it let me "draw" the Peanuts characters or at least allowed me to think I did. The sense of accomplishment that it gave me helped to encourage me to keep drawing beyond the use of the toy". - Lord Mesa is a successful pop culture artist. Check out his work on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/lord_mesa
I found his statement to be particularly meaningful. Lately, the art & crafts supercategory is in decline and I believe its because retailers see art toys as just "time occupiers". However, I believe the truly exceptional items can substantially influence a child’s trajectory towards a professional passion and it's something that should encouraged and nurtutred. Think of it this way, instead of just a coloring book on a road trip, its actually your child's first graphic novel.
While the toy industry is seeing consistent growth of over 7% year over year (THANKS FIDGETS!), the arts and craft category is seeing a top line decline of -5%. What's more surprising is that creativity and content creation are in major demand in our society. How do we leverage the toy industry to make the next Netflix star? Why shouldn't this category groom the next creative director for Marvel? If LEGO is associated with future engineers - why shouldn't Crayola be a portal to Chanel, Gucci, and the fashion world. Here are the products that I believe will bring excitement and profits to your creative sections for this fall and the career that they could lead to for children
Etch a Sketch Free Style by Spin Master - When Spin Master acquired this brand in 2015, I knew it was only a matter of time until a new twist on one of the most iconic items in our industry would make it to retail. This lo-fi personal tablet has the old charm of the classic but lets kids draw with a stylus and in color. It's a wonderful homage to the past while still giving kids something more familiar to draw and design.
Future Profession: Graphic designer
Average annual salary (2015): $51,640
Projected growth through 2024: 1%
Incredibuilds by Insight Editions - The hobby and model categories need a shot of innovation and pop culture and you get that with this brand. This publisher turned toy maker has created a range of licensed wooden flat models that become your favorite pop culture figures and vehicles with no glue or tools. Then what really makes it magical is that you can color and paint the models with acrylic, markers, glitter, or anything else you can think of - it allows you to make a true replica or a fantastic interpretation of a popular character.
Future Profession: Set and exhibit designer
Average annual salary (2015): $54,920
Projected growth through 2024: 7%
Morph by Orb Factory - Compounds are a stable in this super category and this new dough is a must. Teaming up with Swedish toy scientist, Delta, Orb Factory has produced an addictive compound that bounces, floats, molds, and NEVER dries out! It's super soothing to fidget with and early retailer reads are truly impressive. This brand will be nationally televised this fall to ensure it's success and build demand.
Future Profession: Fine artist (painter, sculptor, or illustrator)
Average annual salary (2015): $54,170
Projected growth through 2024: 2%
The Original Blendy Pens by Chameleon - 2000's nostalgia is one of the biggest trends in fashion right now and it's permeating the toy space with retro brands and licenses coming back. This brand did over $20m at retail the last time around and the play patterns still hold very true today - just check out those sweet blends, man!
Future Profession: Fashion designer
Average annual salary (2015): $73,180
Projected growth through 2024: 3%
Mini Coloring Pencils by Various Vendors - I believe in order to make art more top of mind we need to give consumers an option that is small enough (yet functional enough) to carry with them in their pockets and purses. These mini art sets are more common in Japan but are finding their way to US boutiques - what a cool way to sell creativity at an impulse price point - so KAWAII!
Future Career: Art director
Average annual salary (2015): $101,990
Projected growth through 2024: 2%
BONUS: Various Dress Up Sets from Great Pretenders
The highest growth projected creative thinker position is Actor. Are you surprised? With Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, and more, starving for content and investing millions of dollars into original programing this is the field to encourage kids into through play. What's needed for a great movie or play? Costumes of course! I find that Great Pretenders has the best mix of quality, styles, and price.
Future Career: Actor
Average annual salary (2015): $77,938
Projected growth through 2024: 10%
Thank you for taking the time and interest, if you would like to discuss anything in this trend report in more detail please don't hesitate to contact me [email protected] or follow my adventures visually on Instagram at @RedStarArmy1.
Thank you,
Steve Starobinsky
Chief Discovery Officer
Diverse Insights
Creative Engagement Facilitator/ FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot /Community builder/ Artist & Maker
7 年It is sad to hear that the arts and crafts industry is in decline, people can be so short sighted. Many typically 'decide' whether they are creative or not during childhood. If they are not encouraged or enticed to develop that part of themselves early on, they will likely 'believe' they are not creative into their adult life. This will leave a great demand for creatives moving into the future. As someone interested to make a career move into a more creative role, I find it discouraging that the raw talent of being able to come up with a new thought, idea or different way of viewing something isn't valued by the business community unless it is attached to a technology degree of some sort. I would think a happy place would be to grab on to those free thinkers that may not hold a graphic arts degree and reverse engineer their thinking to find out how they maintain a creative flow. As more schools are cutting arts from their budgets, it sends the message that the arts are not important or not worth the funds. Maybe you could create a forum like the robotics leagues have done to promote interest in kids to go into engineering. They could get sponsors that could ultimately hire them if they were encouraged to pursue a creative education. Wow, guess I shared more that two cents. No extra charge :) btw, love your job title
Entrepreneurial Product Manager - launched multiple products (B2B + B2C)
7 年Great article Steve. We at Get Qurious also believe in the importance of Arts & Reading to help with Child development.
TikTok Shop Commerce Partnerships | Global Ecommerce
7 年Nice write-up. Surprised to see the average Actor salary that high!
Steve - Thanks for sharing, this was great.