The price of a child’s smile

The global toys market is projected to reach revenues of more than $100 billion in 2019, according to analysts. In other words, its scale will be comparable to the size of economies of countries such as Luxembourg, the Dominican Republic or Slovakia. Although there is a wide range of toys available, Barbie and Lego seem to be the most desired ones.

Barbie first appeared 60 years ago and throughout the decades, she has changed her appearance, profession and ethnicity a number of times. The world both loves her and hates her. She entertains and educates, but is also a subject of fierce criticism. Then, there are Legos which revolutionised the toy sector with their construction playsets. Suddenly, everyone could build and renovate, regardless of age, gender or skills.

Picodi.com Analysis Team decided to check the average prices of the popular Barbie Mermaid Doll and the Lego Medium Classic Brick Box in hundreds of shops in 50 countries. The prices vary from country to country and sometimes they can increase up to three times. From the infographic below, you’ll learn in which countries giving such gifts to a child is considered a minor expense and in which it could really affect the family budget.

In Hong Kong, you would have to pay HK$227 on average for the Barbie Mermaid doll. The best price is offered in Mexico — only HK$142 converted from the local currency. The dolls are not as affordable in Singapore and in the UAE where they cost HK$443 and HK$419 respectively.

The average price of the Lego Classic Brick Box (484 pieces) is about HK$359 in Hong Kong stores and the price is similar in mainland China or Indonesia. However, the lowest prices of the brick box can be noted in France and the US — HK$210 and HK$216. The same Lego box is three times more expensive in such Latin American countries like Peru or Colombia (HK$647 and HK$635 respectively).

In a ranking compiled basing on the prices of these two products, Hong Kong places in quite a favourable position — you would pay HK$586 for both products so the prices are rather average compared to other countries. Nevertheless, the prices of the toys in Hong Kong are higher than in countries like the US, Australia or Japan. Still, the highest prices are noted in less prosperous countries like Colombia, Peru or the Philippines and in Gulf countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Both the Barbie doll and the LEGO set can be bought in multiple stores, including Ebay, Aliexpress and Banggood. With Picodi you can save money on your purchase through cashback.

Methodology

This report is based on the average retail prices in local online stores in 50 countries without including temporary discounts. For currency conversion, the average exchange for May 2019 was used.

About Picodi

Picodi.com is an international e-commerce platform providing discount coupons for online stores. Founded in 2010 in Kraków, Poland, it currently operates in 41 countries.

Public use

Are you willing to share the information about toy prices in Hong Kong and other countries with your readers? Feel free to use all the data and infographics presented in this report for both commercial and non-commercial purposes as long as you indicate the author of the research (Picodi.com) with a link to this subpage.