Toy Industry Weekly News (December 23-29, 2023)

Key Highlights: Let’s take a look at the latest news in the domestic and international toy industry from the past week (December 23-29, 2023):

Toy Industry Weekly News

1. National Bureau of Statistics Announcement: In November, the total retail sales of consumer goods nationwide reached 42.505 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.1%, with a month-on-month decrease of 0.06%.
2. January to November: The total profits of industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide amounted to 69,822.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 4.4%, narrowing down by 3.4 percentage points compared to January to October.
3. In the first 11 months, the China-Europe Railway Express operated a total of 16,145 trains, transporting 1.749 million standard containers, with year-on-year growth of 7% and 19%, respectively. The overall utilization rate was 100%, and the freight volume has exceeded the total for the year 2022.
4. On the 28th, the RMB to USD exchange rate showed a strong trend, breaking the 7.10 yuan barrier in the onshore RMB market.
5. On the 24th, global shipping giant Maersk of Denmark announced its preparation to resume shipping operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
6. On the 26th, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office announced the further extension of the tariff exemption period for 352 Chinese imported goods that had previously resumed exemption, under Section 301.
7. Starlight Interactive Entertainment plans to use its own funds to repurchase some of the company’s stocks.
8. Mickey Mouse’s copyright will expire on January 1, 2024, no longer under copyright protection, but this only applies to the original version of the Mickey Mouse character.
9. Legislation in California, USA, requires toy stores to establish a “gender-neutral” toy section, effective January 1, 2024. The maximum fine for the first offense is $250, and for subsequent offenses, the maximum fine is $500.
10. Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa collaborates with Readyland to launch an AI interactive children’s book series. The classic mobile game “Talking Tom Cat” integrates with Google AI chat features overseas, upgraded to “Chatting Tom Cat.”
11. Mattel officially announces the production of the first theatrical film for the “American Girl” dolls. Hasbro will release the classic movie “Ghostbusters” dolls in January 2024.
12. The parent company of the internet-famous plush toy Squishmallows, Jazwares, lists Alibaba as a defendant in a counterfeiting case. Alibaba’s request for dismissal is denied, and the judge rules that it must respond to the lawsuit.
13. A toy factory in Chenghai, Shantou, is fined 75,000 yuan by the municipal regulatory authority for allegedly producing counterfeit products imitating Mickey Mouse from the Walt Disney Company and products from MGA.

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(Compiled by the Guangdong Toy Association)