The toy business is booming.

The toy business is booming. Recent data reveals that toy sales rose 6.7% in 2015—one of the largest increases in years, despite slow overall retail sales. Star Wars themed toys alone grossed $700 million, but the best selling toy of the year was Shopkins 12 Pack—a pack of grocery-themed characters from the extremely popular miniature line—followed by Paw Patrol’s basic vehicle and Hot Wheels cars. Toys like games, vehicles, and building sets gained between 9% and 10%. However, two surprising categories of toys saw sales dip: arts and crafts decreased by 4.3% and youth electronics went down 4.9%. (MediaPost)