“In toy industry, big things come from small packagers”

This 1994 article from the Eugene Register-Guard newspaper was clearly published because of New York Toy Fair, and in the article — written by Joyce Rosenberg of the Associated Press — we get a fantastic look at just how long licensing has been influencing the toy industry. I talked licensing in Action Figures Not Included*, but reading this old article makes me wish I had time to dig deeper still into the history of toys and licensing.

In the article, Rosenberg writes:

“The entire toy industry has become extremely dependent on licenses, which account for 45 percent of the business, said The Licensing Letter, a trade publication.”

Does anyone have links to current data on the toy industry and licensing? I wouldn’t be surprised if the number was more like 75% or 80% these days.

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