Nov. 20—Even as inflation continues to grip the nation, Jennifer Lynch, a toy trends specialist for The Toy Association, believes Christmas sales will remain strong.

"The toy industry has historically proven to be a recession-resistant industry because families always want to make that magic happen for their kids," she said. "There are a lot of hot items on the market and ones of varying price points to fit every budget."

Locally, John Zigga, store manager of Go! Calendars, Toys and Games at the Viewmont Mall in Dickson City, sees customers looking for older games.

"A lot of the classic things are back this year as far as Legos and family games like Monopoly and Operation," he said. "Board games are a big thing and Barbies are coming back big time."

Play-Doh sets are popular again, too.

"It's a mixture of everything," Zigga said. "I think it's because last year, and especially during the year of the pandemic, we couldn't get things in because so many things were on back order."

The construction, dolls and board games categories all experienced significant revenue increases due to the pandemic in the last couple of years, said Richard Gottlieb, founder and CEO of Global Toy Experts.

"Families stuck at home with children who couldn't play with friends looked for toys that would entertain," Gottlieb said.

Zigga said toy costs have increased a bit, but he recognizes the importance of keeping prices competitive with larger retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.

He began to see shoppers looking to buy toys during Halloween weekend and anticipates a big rush leading up to Christmas.

"We expect it to increase more and more, especially after the last day of shipping with Amazon, when the crunch is really on," Zigga said.

Zigga feels consumers are looking to break away from screens and spend more quality time with loved ones.

"I think a lot of families are doing game nights and kids want more of the throwbacks," he said.

Lynch highlighted a few toys that remain in demand as Christmas approaches.

"Lego is a company that continues to have a lot of different types of picks for every age range," she said. "We started a grown-up toy of the year category last year and this year the winner was Lego Ideas The Office."

Lynch added Squishmallows — plush toys made by Jazwares — are also a hot item due to the variety of options for consumers.

"They're super soft and cuddly and appeal to so many age groups from toddlers to teens," she said.

Gottlieb developed a Top 8 Toy List based on a meta analysis of the hot toy lists from Amazon, Walmart, Target and Toys "R" Us along with the best toy lists from Good Housekeeping and the Toy of the Year Awards committee.

The toys Gottlieb expects to be big sellers include Pop It! Pro, CoComelon Boo Boo JJ, Cry Babies First Emotions dreamy interactive doll, Magic Mixies magical misting crystal ball, Monster Jam garage playset, Play-Doh Kitchen Creations ultimate ice cream toy truck, Marvel Black Panther Forever and Snap Circuits Junior.

While Gottlieb said there have been some price increases this year, the average cost of toys has declined nearly 2% every year since 1977, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Gottlieb cited several factors for the declining prices including lower labor costs in China, the demise of wholesaling and Walmart's role in tampering down inflation.

Contact the writer: rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.