West End toy retailers have reported a surge in popularity for retro toys as the busiest toy shopping day of the year approaches.
The New West End Company has predicted that around 300,000 people will visit the shops tomorrow, and that many of them will be looking for toys popular in the 80s and early 90s such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Cabbage Patch Kids.
Jace Tyrell, Director of the New West End Company, commented: “The West End has such a huge variety of toys available for its shoppers – from old school to the most high tech gadgets around.
“Despite this, all of our retailers are reporting the same thing – that young families are really embracing toys from years ago this Christmas.”
Lego is among the toys benefiting from the increased demand for retro toys, as John Lewis Oxford Street reported that the new female-targeted line Lego Friends was doing exceptionally well.
Furbies have also proved popular this festive season according to the retailer, to the point where suppliers have struggled to keep up with demand.
Specialists have suggested that the economic uncertainty of the recession and the pressure of Christmas have made parents nostalgic for their own childhood, leading to the increasing popularity of retro toys.
Commenting on the trend, Jeremy Baker, a consumer trend specialist at the ESCP Europe Business School, said: “This is a difficult time for UK families.
“High street retailers are creating a magical world for their customers, to encourage them to forget about their troubles and take comfort in the joy that Christmas and the accompanying nostalgia can bring.
“Judging by these toy shopping trends, this is exactly what families are doing – taking a trip down memory lane and forgetting about all their worries, if only for a few days.”
