According to The NPD Group, sales for the British toy market increased by 4 percent in revenue during the first three months of the year, primarily fueled by the  popularity of collectible toys. The trend saw a 9 percent increase in revenue growth. The building sets and plush categories also fared well. Toy sales up to the first three weeks of March grew 7 percent in value. NPD estimates that the first quarter of 2011 represents approximately 16 percent of annual sales.

Leaders from around the toy, video game, and technology industries will converge in Santa Clara, Calif., this fall to generate cross-platform relations. From September 22 – 23, the Toy, Game, & Technology Summit will allow executives to learn from each other as each develops new products for young people.

The summit will focus on pressing toy companies to adopt digital assets, as well as helping video game and technology companies learn how to better establish partnerships with traditional toy manufacturers. The event, sponsored by the Toy Industry Association, Inc. (TIA), features industry leaders such as Joseph Olin, president Academy of Interactive Arts and Science; TIA President Carter Keithley (pictured above); Reyne Rice, trend specialist at TIA; and Anita Frazier, toys and video games industry analyst at The NPD Group.

The event will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center. TIA members will receive 15 percent off admission, and more information can be found by clicking here.

The NPD Group has released its list of Top-Selling Family Entertainment Titles for May 2010, with games for Nintendo consoles filling 18 of the 20 spots. Maintaining its standing from April, Ubisoft‘s Just Dance for the Nintendo Wii came in at No. 1, while Picross 3D and Zhu Zhu Pets, both for the Nintendo DS, came in second and third, respectively.

The two non-Nintendo DS or Wii games on the list were Guitar Hero 5 and Rock Band 2, coming in at No. 11 and No. 16, respectively, both for the Xbox 360.

The full list is as follows:

1. Just Dance (Wii. Ubisoft)

2. Picross 3D (NDS, Nintendo)

3. Zhu Zhu Pets* (NDS, Activision)

4. Scribblenauts (NDS, Warner Bros. Interactive)

5. Mario Party (NDS, Nintendo)

6. Bejeweled Twist (NDS, Popcap Games)

7. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 3 (Wii, Konami)

8. Mario Party 8 (Wii, Nintendo)

9. Wii Play w/Remote (Wii, Nintendo)

10. Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (NDS, THQ)

11. Guitar Hero 5* (360, Activision Blizzard)

12. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia (NDS, Konami)

13. SpongeBob’s Boating Bash (NDS, THQ)

14. Band Hero* (Wii, Activision Blizzard)

15. Guitar Hero 5* (Wii, Activision Blizzard)

16. Rock Band 2* (360, MTV Games/EA)

17. Deal or No Deal (Wii, Zoo Digital Publishing)

18. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (NDS, Nintendo)

19. Rock Band 2* (Wii, MTV Games/EA)

20. Karaoke Revolution (Wii, Konami)

*Includes Collector’s, Limited, Legendary, Bundles (Guitars) Editions

According to The NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of toys generated $21.47 billion in 2009 compared to $21.65 billion in 2008, a decline of less than 1 percent. In the fourth quarter of 2009 (October through December), although revenues were flat, unit sales were up 4 percent compared to the same period in 2008.

Building Sets and Arts & Crafts experienced the most sales increases, up 23 percent and 7 percent respectively. Action Figures and Games/Puzzles also saw revenue gain of 4 percent and 1 percent respectively. Compared to 2008, Youth Electronics and Plush experienced the largest declines at 17 percent and 13 percent respectively.

Despite the economy, unit share for toys priced under $5 decreased in 2009. More consumers bought toys priced between $5-$10 than under $5. The NPD Group’s report also states that toys for children ages 8 and under brought in the most sales with 69 percent of total toy sales, and the only age group to gain in share and absolute dollar sales was kids ages 9 to 12.

Licensed toys represented 25 percent of total industry sales in 2009, compared to 27 percent in 2008. Top licenses for the year based on total dollar sales included (in alphabetical order) Cars: The Movie, Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer, Star Wars, and Thomas and Friends. Top properties for the year based on total dollar sales included (in alphabetical order) Bakugan, Barbie, Crayola, Star Wars, and Transformers.

Action figures, accessories & role play, arts & crafts, and building sets were the supercategories that showed growth in almost every country measured. Youth electronics and plush had the highest declines. Recently, The NPD Group reported that U.S. toy industry sales fell 3 percent during the 12 months ending August 2009 compared to last year. Despite the drop, said the group, the toy industry’s gain for the 12-month period outperformed consumer product categories including apparel, consumer technology, and video games.

The Toy Industry Association (TIA) has released a 25-minute webinar highlighting trends from the TIA-commissioned Kids Leisure Time III study, which explains how American kids ages 2-12 spend their leisure time. The NPD Group’s Anita Frazier, an industry analyst for toys and video games, leads the pre-recorded webinar, explaining the construct of the study and identifying activities that keep kids engaged and for how long. The webinar also highlights the top properties, movie, and albums for four groups of kids segmented by age and gender.

To access the webinar, click here. To view the latest Kids Leisure Time study, click here.