News Navigation
News Navigation
News Navigation
The US market remains a strategically important environment for Schleich. It is here that decisions are made about which product lines are internationally scalable and which adjustments to the range are necessary.
With new Christmas ornaments and an expanded dinosaur line, Schleich is responding to specific demand, market data and feedback from retailers. This is not a short-term impulse, but a structural expansion of the portfolio.
Schleich is launching Christmas ornaments for the US market for the first time. For a long time, the company had been asked why it did not offer such products. Internally, decorated Christmas trees with corresponding figures were already on display in Schwäbisch Gmünd and at the US headquarters in Charlotte. Now the official launch is following. Three sets will be introduced at the start: a reindeer, a Farm World set and a Wildlife set. The sales launch is scheduled for September. Unlike classic toys, these products are designed as decorative additions. They fill a gap in the range and expand the brand into seasonal gift items. The sets are priced at £24.99 and individual figures at £16.99. The target group is not so much children themselves as so-called gift givers – adults who specifically purchase gifts. The design remains detailed and childlike, but corresponds to the typical figure aesthetic for which Schleich is known.
The decision to launch Christmas Ornaments was based on a targeted market analysis. Growing categories, unoccupied segments and additional demand in the existing range were taken into account. The starting point was the company's own strength: detailed figures with high recognition value. Schleich spoke to retail partners and customers in advance and systematically evaluated their feedback. The launch will initially take place in the USA. The plan is to make the products available in European shops the following year. The company is deliberately positioning itself between classic toys and collector's items. There are many adults who buy animals such as lions or elephants and place them decoratively on their shelves. The Christmas ornaments are also positioned in this area of tension – as an extension of an established world of figures.
Parallel to the introduction of the ornaments, the Dino line is being expanded. After a long break, prehistoric animals are returning to the range. A mammoth and a sabre-toothed tiger are being released for the first time. The mammoth was last available around 20 years ago. The focus here is clearly on children between the ages of three and eight. The trend is slightly towards boys, but girls also play with the figures. The standard products are priced at around £19, while the mammoth in the premium segment is priced at around £30. The expansion is a direct response to repeated demand. Customers had explicitly asked for a mammoth. With the return of prehistoric animals, Schleich is expanding its existing range and strengthening its position in the classic figure segment.
Packaged products are continuing to gain importance in the American market. In addition to individual figures, playsets are increasingly coming to the fore. Product groups such as Horse Club, which are already successful in Germany, are also growing dynamically in the USA. The range has been significantly expanded here over the past two years. This development reflects a trend that is visible at trade fairs in both Nuremberg and the United States: traditional toys are coming back into focus. Mechanical, haptic toys without electronics are gaining relevance. The strategic orientation includes, among other things:
The clear decision against electronic functions is striking. The products remain deliberately analogue. This stance is part of an overarching strategy. In a market environment strongly influenced by digital play concepts, Schleich focuses on attention to detail, materiality and physical presence. This clear differentiation can be decisive, especially in the US market, where large retail chains generate high visibility. Christmas ornaments without electronics, prehistoric figures without sound or light effects – this appears minimalistic, but consistent. With Christmas Ornaments and the expanded Dino line for the US market, Schleich demonstrates that growth does not necessarily result from technical upgrades. The decisive factors are product range logic, customer feedback and the consistent further development of existing strengths.
Trade fair reporting Germany - Trade fair knowledge, dates & events
