Families ‘Play on’ at Home Through New Resources, Print-and-Play Products

April 24, 2020 | With stay-at-home orders still in place throughout much of the U.S., more consumers are turning to toys to help keep busy, active, and sane – and puzzles and games are continuing to trend.

“As demand for these toys increases, it’s presenting Toy Association members with new opportunities to tap into the market in multiple ways,” said Toy Association trend specialist Adrienne Appell. “Not only do games and puzzles offer families a welcome distraction while social distancing, but when play is infused into family life, everyone has more fun.”

Puzzle makers are reporting sales increases that rival their Q4 results. Last month, Ravensburger reported 370-percent growth in year-over-year sales of its puzzles, while Ceaco president Carol Glazer told NPR the company sold more puzzles in a single day in March on ceaco.com than it did on the site for the entire month of December.

Glazer added, “I’ve been in this business for over 40 years and have never seen anything like this; the demand has been overwhelming.”

But with nonessential business restrictions now limiting supplies and shipping for toymakers, many are offering alternative solutions to support play and keep their products top of mind. While companies like Hasbro, PlayMonster, Mattel and others are suggesting new ways to play with their existing products, some game makers like Asmodee, Bananagrams, Gamewright, ThinkFun, and the United States Playing Card Company are beginning to offer free print-and-play versions of their games with much success.

Asmodee USA reported its new print-and-play website, which is being updated regularly with new games and activities, has had more than 1.7 million downloads worldwide as of this week.

“Many local toy and game stores are discovering new ways to safely interact with their customers, while others are finding products at mass market stores still open for essential business,” said Andre Kieren, Asmodee USA’s head of U.S distribution. “Asmodee recognized a large number of people throughout the world that want to have these amazing experiences with games, but they are unable to get them easily. With that in mind, we launched a free Print & Play website featuring some of our most popular family titles that anyone can enjoy for free, without leaving their home.”   

The United States Playing Card Company also launched its new print-and-play products last week, which includes a cribbage board, Pokeno, score sheets, and samples of its Games by Bicycle party games. Its director of brand development Carol Rouillard said she isn’t surprised to see more Americans turning to its card games as fun and familiar ways to facilitate conversation among families.

“We have seen a dramatic increase in traffic to our website and downloads and use of our free Bicycle How to Play app, which signals that people are playing much more and looking to learn new games,” she said. “It has been very rewarding to engage with and help people of all ages have fun and really reconnect during this time of uncertainty.”

To learn more about how toymakers are empowering families to play together during the pandemic, check out The Genius of Play’s social-distancing resources.