disney frozen toy fair
Disney's Frozen became the best-selling toy merchandise for a movie 2014, beating Toy Story's record SeeVaneeaCraft

The UK toy market has experienced its best year since 2010 with growth of 4.4% in 2014, largely helped by the success of toy sales related to Disney's Frozen.

The latest figures, announced by the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) at the opening of the Toy Fair in London, have seen the UK toy industry reach £3bn.

"This is a tremendous result for the British toy industry during a year of challenging trading conditions," said Roland Earl, director general of the BTHA.

"The industry continually evolves to remain relevant to the demands from children and their families and this innovation combined with many consumers' desire to prioritise their children's playtime has undoubtedly had a positive effect on the year."

The biggest trends of 2014 included the mini-elastic band craze looms, merchandising for the 2014 Fifa World Cup and toys linked to movies or cartoons.

Top 10 best-selling new toys in 2014

ItemManufacturer
2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil Official Album StickersPanini
STAR WARS Great Vehicles 2014LEGO Group
Frozen Snow Glow Elsa JAKKS Pacific (Corp)
Mini Figures The Simpsons SeriesLEGO Group
STAR WARS MF set 2014LEGO Group
Disney Frozen Ice Skating AssortmentMattel (Corp)
Transformers Age Of Extinction Flip N Change AsstHasbro (Corp)
Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet MakerCharacter Options
Kidizoom Smart WatchVtech (Corp)
STAR WARS Great Vehicles 2014 PP1LEGO Group

Frozen out

Strong sales across a range of products and merchandise saw Disney's Frozen become the biggest ever toy-selling movie in the UK, beating the previous record held by Toy Story 3 (2010).

With over 300 days left until Christmas, the battle is already on to be the next must-have toys sitting atop every child's wishlist come December.

"Each year, tens of thousands of new toys are launched at Toy Fair, and those are usually in high demand in the UK for consumers who want to make sure they get the best new toys under the Christmas tree and for occasion throughout the year for their little ones," said Frédérique Tutt, toys global industry analyst for the NPD Group.

At the opening of the 62nd annual Toy Fair, taking place at Olympia in west London until Thursday 22 January, Tutt also predicted 2015 would be another strong year for the toy industry.

"In 2015, we won't be able to rely on looms nor the World Cup," Tutt concluded. "But thanks to product innovation and a strong line-up of movies including the next installment of Jurassic World and the latest Star Wars there will be plenty of excitement for kids big and small throughout the year and we expect the market to increase by 3%."

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