Art toys, also known as designer toys, are not mass-produced but are typically released in limited editions, making their prices significantly higher than traditional toys, model toys, or cartoon toys. They can be considered the luxury goods of the toy world.
Unlike traditional cartoon figure toys and plush toys, art toys incorporate more elements of artistic creation. Artists can recreate images from their works into three-dimensional toys. Additionally, artists and designers are free to create on a fixed toy model, imbuing toys that originally lacked stories, expressions, or themes with new concepts, reflecting their distinct styles and thoughts.
The trend of art toys is still not very "hot" in China. Over the past two years, in cities like Shanghai and Beijing, there has been a quiet rise in the popularity of art toys, but compared to the global market, this is still just the beginning. Although art toy brands have entered China, the bulk of art toy releases are still not in China, making them difficult to purchase domestically. Many collectors resort to buying from abroad via online platforms or through friends, and with international shipping and handling fees included, prices can double or even triple.
Demengtoy believes that the survival chain of trendy toys in China still has many flaws. One reason is the market; most people in China do not yet have the purchasing power for such items, and the white-collar and high-end demographic lacks sufficient awareness of art toys. Another reason is the low level of participation by local artists. In America, the unprecedented popularity of art toys is largely due to street graffiti artists turning to the trendy toy market, and the enthusiastic involvement of iconic artists has pushed the art toy movement to its peak.
