& Hobby China, Baby & Stroller China, and Licensing China 2025
Shenzhen, 22 April 2025. The fair of ‘play’ recently received a major upgrade, rebranding to Toy & Hobby China with an increased product scope, and earning glowing feedback alongside concurrent fairs Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China. From 7 to 9 April 2025, 1,453 exhibitors at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center spotlighted numerous toys, including the newly launched Trendy Toys & Collectibles zone; innovative baby products; and collaborative licensing IPs. The 130,000 sqm fairground attracted 72,330 buyers from 79 countries and regions, marking a 47% international visitor increase. Enhanced by expert-led fringe events, the fairs provided a dynamic platform for global industry players to connect, collaborate and trade.
Global industry players gathered at the newly launched Trendy Toys & Collectibles zone in Hall 14. (Photo: Messe Frankfurt)
On the final day of the fairs, Ms Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, commented on the platform’s evolution: “This year, we have made a bold step by rebranding the toy fair to align with the emerging market trends, with its new trendy toys and collectibles features setting the stage for a fresh and engaging trading experience for international and domestic buyers. As the three sectors are closely related, this change will also bring new opportunities to the baby and maternity products and licensing sectors. We have been delighted to see many buyers actively exploring every corner of the three vibrant fairs, and based on the encouraging feedback we have received so far, I am confident that we have made the right branding decision.”
Toy & Hobby China: new features, expanded possibilities
As part of the rebranded edition, the fair unveiled new elements this year, including the debut of the new Trendy Toys & Collectibles zone in Hall 14, covering a wide range of indemand designer toys, blind boxes, garage kit figures, ball-jointed dolls, cotton dolls, and much more. The fair also introduced Hobby Awards 2025, highlighting cutting-edge trendy toy innovations with winning designs displayed at the new zone. Additionally, the fair featured insightful discussions related to the trendy toy market and new trends at the
‘World of Play’ Summit and the China Hobby Trends & Brand Globalization Summit 2025.
With almost 1,000 different licenses in its portfolio, American brand Funko aimed to strengthen its brand visibility at the show. Mr Andy Clempson, Vice President, Sales – Asia Pacific of Funko Far East Limited, exhibiting within the new zone, commented: “I think the rebranded fair is absolutely perfect for us, which was another great reason for us to launch here for the first time this year. Promoting our Funko and Loungefly accessory brands, we are attracting buyers. In terms of trendy toys and pop culture, this fair is a great avenue for future development.”
Licensing China: powering cross-industry IP collaborations
Located in Hall 16, the 6th edition of the fair enriched its offerings by broadening the exhibiting IP categories to include animation & character licensing, brand licensing, celebrity licensing, culture & art licensing, sports licensing and licensed products. Three pavilions, organised by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), New Taipei City Computer Association (NTCA) and Taiwan Character Brand Licensing Association (TCBLA), returned this year with new inspirations for buyers. Meanwhile, AirAsia, Inter Milan, the Monkey King and other renowned IPs made their debuts as exhibiting brands.
With more trendy toys and collectibles at Toy & Hobby China this year, exhibitors at Licensing China were able to profit from new opportunities for cross-industry IP collaborations and partnerships.
Exhibiting at the Malaysian company’s first-ever licensing fair, AirAsia Brand Co’s CEO, Mr Rudy Khaw, highlighted the valuable opportunities gained through the cross-sector platform: “We received around 100 leads on the first day alone. Many of the buyers interested in our AirAsia Buds IP recreation and merchandise are mostly from China, but also from India, Canada, Europe and more. Seeing toys, hobby collections, baby strollers and so on all within the same space, I can see where there is relevance, and contacts and connections for potential licensors like ourselves. We get to connect with people across different industries, different sectors, and across age groups, and it can help expose us to more opportunities.”
Baby & Stroller China: showcasing solutions for evolving parenting demand Spanning Hall 17, the fair once again presented a full range of baby and maternity products, from baby and children’s fashion, to mother & baby care products, baby furniture, feeding products, indoor play, and one of the fair’s most sought-after product categories, strollers and ride-ons. With innovation centred around key trends such as multifunctionality, sustainability, safety, comfort and smartness, the fair served as an effective platform for buyers to discover the latest products on the market.
Showcasing these trends, Mr Xianfan Li, Sales Manager of Zhejiang Tongniantongqu Entertainment Equipment Co Ltd, said: “The strong participation of cross-border ecommerce buyers – boosted by the Greater Bay Area’s advantages – made the show ideal for our global expansion. Our new blow-molded children’s furniture line addresses market gaps with cost-efficient solutions, while our multifunctional dining chairs feature safe and eco-friendly designs plus adjustable functions, catering to various age groups. International buyers have increased significantly. We have already connected with brands from Japan, Korea and more, while our livestreaming helped drive domestic sales, delivering strong dual-channel growth.”
Buyers: visa-free policies attract global visitors and delegations
Boosted by the expansion of China’s visa-free policies for international travellers, and the fairs’ new features, the 2025 editions attracted visitors from Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, UAE, the UK, Ukraine, the US and many other regions. Meanwhile, buyer delegations from Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam brought fresh impetus to the show floor.
Leading delegations included KOCCA, Korea Culture Contents Licensing Association
(KOCLA), Korea Toy Industry Cooperative (KTIC), Taiwan Toy & Children’s Article Manufacturers Association (TCMA) and Thai Toy and Children Product Trade Association (TTCPA).
Mr Richard Santana, CEO of Indgo Labs Inc, shared his first-time experience: “I found many factories to collaborate with for my IP brand, as well as various opportunities and fresh ideas. My focus is on trendy toys and collectibles, and I am impressed to see a lot of collectible factories exhibiting onsite. There are high-quality products and innovations I haven’t seen before. This platform also helps me understand what the new trends are or what other big IP brands are doing, and I would love to participate again next time.”
Fringe programme: knowledge, networking and expanded business opportunities The concurrent fairs’ comprehensive fringe events delivered exceptional value to fairgoers through expert-led summits, forums, presentations, and strategic discussions. Industry leaders converged at flagship events delivering cutting-edge analysis on global trends and regional market strategies. These included the ‘World of Play’ Summit 2025 and the Greater Bay Area Brand Licensing Industry Development Forum 2025, with the latter event co-organised by Licensing International. Meanwhile, curated networking sessions facilitated high-value business connections among attendees.
Host of ‘World of Play’ Summit, Mr Christopher Byrne, President of Byrne
Communications, also known as The Toy Guy® , said: “Trends are changing all the time, and it is really important to try and capitalise on them to deliver great products for kids or kidults. I think the conference was really helpful for the audience today, we had a lot of diverse ideas. We had everything from marketing to regulations, to trends, to different ways of doing business. And I think that taken altogether, it was a really valuable overview of what’s important in the toy industry right now.”
Click here to access more feedback from the show’s participants.
Toy & Hobby China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China will return to the same venue from 7 – 9 April 2026. The fairs are organised by the Guangdong Toys Association, Guangzhou Li Tong Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. For more information, please visit:
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,500* people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2024 were around € 780* million. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of Messe Frankfurt’s key strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.
Sustainability is a central pillar of our corporate strategy. Here, we strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com/sustainability With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com *Preliminary figures 2024
