Children’s toys are among the most common products that are produced overseas. As a result, they could be severely impacted by the looming tariffs announced by President Donald Trump. Roughly 85% of everyday toys sold in America are made in China.
Trump was recently asked about how his plan could affect kids in the country. The President advised that some kids might have to make do with having two dolls instead of 30. The larger toy manufacturers have also discussed potential rising prices and the prospect of some items not being available during the holiday season. Here are 9 popular toys that could be facing a price impact.
1. Barbie Dolls
Among the most popular toys of all time, Barbie dolls were first released in 1959 and have been cherished toys for decades. The toy also experienced a new surge in popularity after the hit film, Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, was released in 2023.
Mattel, the Los Angeles, California-based company that produces the dolls has already announced that they expect a price increase. The company has also discussed the possibility of moving some of their factories out of China, where many of the dolls are made.
2. Nerf Toys
Nerf Toys, owned by Hasbro, first hit the market in 1969 and solved several problems. The first was that the soft balls would not take down breakable items when kids played inside. They also made it fun for kids to have gun and sword fights, using foam weapons.
Shortly after Donald Trump won the election in November, Hasbro said that they were considering multiple options to keep their toys affordable. These measures included everything from changing the design of certain items to moving factories to other countries.
3. Care Bears
Care Bears first came into the public consciousness during the early 1980s when they appeared in American Greetings brand cards. They quickly became a hit, had a Saturday morning cartoon released, and the plush toy line became one of the most prominent of the 1980s.
Care Bears toys are currently manufactured by a company called Basic Fun, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. Basic Fun reintroduced the Care Bears IP in 2020 and it has been a tremendous success. But the toys are currently manufactured overseas and the company says that they have already cancelled some shipments due to the looming rising costs.
4. Hot Wheels
Kids are fascinated by cars, and no toy line has captured their fascination better than Hot Wheels. The line makes miniature copies of nearly every vehicle on the road, though particular attention is paid to larger vehicles like trucks or super-fast sports cars. And kids enjoy using several different playsets to have fun with their cars.
But like their real-life counterparts, Hot Wheels will be hit hard by any tariffs that could potentially go through. President Donald Trump even threatened Mattel, the maker of Hot Wheels, directly, saying that he’ll put a tariff on the company’s goods if they don’t relocate their manufacturing from China to the US.
5. Monopoly
Monopoly is one of the most popular board games in the world. It is particularly American, as the properties are named after streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Charles Darrow created the game, inspired by the Landlord’s Game, an anti-Monopoly game created by Elizabeth Magie.
Hasbro makes classic Monopoly and many game versions with various themes. Monopoly, manufactured by Hasbro in China, is one of many games that would be affected, and it has been said that a lengthy tariff war could threaten the entire board game industry.
6. Tonka Trucks
If kids love toy cars, they love toy trucks. Tonka has been scratching this itch since 1946. The original Tonka brand was sold to Hasbro in 1991. After changing hands several times, the brand is now under the control of a Florida company, Basic Fun.
Basic Fun CEO Jay Foreman has discussed the difficulty that the company foresees regarding Trump’s tariff push. He explained that while prices will go up, parents will still do everything they can to provide children with the toys they want, and those people will be the hardest hit.
7. Lincoln Logs
Lincoln Logs are another popular global game that seems particularly American. The building set was first created by John Lloyd Wright, the son of iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1916. The set was named in honor of former President Abraham Lincoln, who had grown up in a log cabin.
In the mid-2010s, Lincoln Logs, which had been made in China, moved all production to the United States. After Basic Fun acquired the rights to Lincoln Logs in 2021, the production was again moved overseas. The building sets could also be hurt by the costs associated with the raw materials required.
8. Transformers
Transformers, an idea based on alien vehicles that can also turn into robots, started as a toy line from Hasbro and the Japanese company Takara Tomy. A cartoon created based on the toy line became a hit, and the intellectual property exploded.
While the popularity of Transformers shows and movies has ebbed and flowed over the last 40 years, the toy line has always been very popular.
The new charges on Transformers toys are likely to significantly affect sales. The majority of the line, which includes everything from easy-to-make figures for children to expensive robotic transforming robots, is made in China and will be subject to potential tariffs.
9. Uno
The potential tariffs could harm not only board games and toys but also card games. Uno is one of the most popular games in the country. Originally created by an Ohio barber named Merle Robbins, it has been a massive hit since the early 1970s.
Not only is Uno easy to play and relatively inexpensive, but it is also a great way to teach children about anger from an early age! Mattel is reportedly moving production of the game from China to India to avoid significant tariff increases.
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