Purpose: This study examines the intellectual evolution of the toy industry through a domain-based

Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The review is guided by four research questions: (RQ1) What are the

publication trends in toy-related research? (RQ2) What thematic clusters define the intellectual structure of

the toy domain? (RQ3) How do policy and economic developments influence the evolution of the toy industry?

Key Findings: The findings reveal a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.65% in toy-related

research. The literature is organized into ten thematic clusters, which merged together as three core areas such

as; core toys, smart and digital toys and toy production & design, . Keywords related to data-driven

technologies, such as deep learning, machine learning, and IoT, appear prominently, reflecting the growing

integration of digital and analytical tools within toy research. Recent studies increasingly focus on wooden

toys, smart toys, and technology-enabled play products.

Originality and Implications: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first domain-wide

bibliometric review of the toy industry. The study offers a structured understanding of research trends and

thematic evolution, providing useful insights for scholars, industry practitioners, and policymakers. The

findings support evidence-based decision-making for innovation, policy formulation, and future academic

The toy industry represents a distinctive intersection of culture, manufacturing, innovation, and childhood

development. Historically, toys have not only served as objects of play but have also reflected the cultural

values, craftsmanship, and social contexts of their regions. In the Indian context, archaeological and historical

accounts trace the presence of toys back to the Indus Valley civilization, highlighting a long-standing tradition

of indigenous toy-making (About Indian Toys). Toys enable play and imagination in children. Gurudev

Rabindranath Tagore noted that incomplete toys encourage creativity, but he also observed how attractive

foreign-made toys can shift attention from imaginative play to the object itself (Modi, 2020). Despite this rich

heritage, the contemporary Indian toy industry remains economically underrepresented, with Indian firms

accounting for a marginal share of the global toy market and domestic manufacturers meeting only a limited

proportion of internal demand (ASSOCHAM, 2021; The Indian Toy Industry Fighting for Its Survival, 2021).

interaction, and consumption behavior.

Further streams of literature investigated social and contextual dimensions of toy use. Studies focusing on

gender-based toy preferences (Luisi, 2019; Davis & Hines, 2020) and family interactions with toys (Wood,

2002; Dawson, 2008; Goldbart et al., 2010) highlighted the role of toys in shaping socialization and relational

dynamics. Parallel research addressed entrepreneurship and production aspects, including women-led soft toy

enterprises (Kumar, 2009), design innovation, creativity, and sustainability in toy manufacturing (Pereira,

2017). Health-related studies examined the impact of games and toys on children’s physical and psychological

well-being (Johnson, 2011; Maureira, 2019; Yadav, 2020; Sajjadi, 2022), further broadening the scope of toy-

related scholarship.

In recent years, the toy industry has also attracted attention from a policy and economic perspective. Toy

production and reduce import dependency (National Action Plan, 2021; Modi, 2020). Institutional efforts,

including the organization of the National Toy Fair by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal

Trade (DPIIT), further signal growing policy emphasis on revitalizing the sector.

Alongside these developments, recent academic publications increasingly reference data-driven and

technology-oriented concepts within toy-related research. Keywords such as artificial intelligence, machine

learning, and IoT appear with greater frequency, reflecting broader trends in smart manufacturing, product

innovation, and digital play experiences. However, these technological themes have largely emerged in a

fragmented manner and have not been systematically mapped within the broader toy industry literature.

Despite the richness and diversity of existing studies, the literature on the toy industry remains dispersed across

disciplines, methodologies, and thematic areas. Prior reviews have typically focused on specific aspects, such

(ii) identify and interpret major thematic clusters shaping the literature;

(iii) examine the influence of policy and economic developments on the evolution of toy-related research; and

(iv) propose future research directions based on identified gaps. To address these objectives, the study is guided

by the following research questions:

RQ1: What are the prevailing publication trends in toy-industry research?

RQ2: What thematic clusters define the intellectual structure of the toy domain?

RQ3: How do policy and economic developments influence the evolution of the toy industry literature?

RQ4: What future research opportunities emerge from existing studies?

Against this backdrop, a domain-based Systematic Literature Review is both timely and necessary.

Bibliometric analysis provides a robust methodological approach to synthesizing large volumes of literature,

enabling the identification of publication patterns, thematic clusters, and conceptual relationships (Paul, 2020;

Rana, 2016). Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic and bibliometric review of the

The present study conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the Toy Industry of India, drawing

insights from global perspectives. In alignment with the research methodology, the literature review aims to

"contribute significantly to the conceptual, methodological, and thematic development of different domains"

(Palmateir, 2018).

The researcher adopts the scientific steps of SLR, involving organization and purification of dataset and,

finally, analysis and future roadmap development, departing from the traditional form of literature review

described as the "process of assembling, arranging, and assessing existing literature in the research domain"

(Justin Paul, 2021). Purification refers to removing the irrelevant data from the study through coding, inclusion

and exclusion criteria. The main aim of SLR to provide deep insights from the domain and to provide value

from the current literature of the toy domain by providing future research aspects. (Khanra Sayantan A. D.,

either the abstract or the full-text manuscript. Subsequent steps involve searching for papers across various

databases, reading abstracts, and selecting titles, followed by the selection of full papers. The final step

involves the analysis of extracted papers from the

Researchers have adapted SPAR-4-SLR & PRISMA (Matthew, 2021); sequential phases of Khanra et.al.

(2021). These all protocols stand for systematic literature review (Paul et.al 2021; Khanra et.al, 2021).

SPAR-4-SLR protocols describe the entire procedure of systematic literature review, which includes the 3

stages of SLR and 6 subtopics.

On the basis of protocols, researchers have conducted the review. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for the

research is one of the important parts of the review study, which help in deselecting the irrelevant research

articles (Plessen, 2020). The authors have followed the mixed-methodology approach outlined by Khanra

(2021) and Justine Paul (2021) (Khanra et al., 2021; Paul et al. 2021). The sequential phases of SLR has

adopted from Khanra et.al 2021. The process of Systematic Literature Review is mentioned in table 1.

Source: Three decades of export competitiveness literature: systematic review, synthesis and future research

agenda (Justin paul R. D., 2021); Servitization research: A review and bibliometric analysis of past

taken from two sources, first, the SCOPUS database as the primary data source, and second, government

reports on toys. The reason behind selecting government reports was to study the developments in the toy

domain concerning quality, infrastructure development, and educational uses. To identify relevant literature

for this study, a comprehensive search was conducted using the Scopus database. The search string included

the keywords TITLE-ABS-KEY ( "Toys" OR "Toy Startups" OR "Toy

Ecosystem" OR "Khilone” ) AND ( LIMIT-O ( AFFILCOUNTRY, "India" ) ) AND (LIMIT TO

"Toy", "Toys", OR "Khilone" to capture both English and vernacular references to toys. The search was

restricted to publications from 1993 to 2026 (i.e., PUBYEAR > 1993 AND PUBYEAR < 2026). Additionally,

only English-language publications with at least one author affiliated with an institution in India were included

Source: Author’s Own Compilation

Authors from the top-most institute of the country have contributed in toy research domain, notably 50% of

the authors belong to the design department, which indicates the product design part and material importance

in the toy domain. Material refers to raw material and components used in the toy design and production.

colors indicate different clusters of related topics. Additionally, the color gradient (2019-2022) helps track the

evolution of research focus.

At the heart of the visualization lies the keyword “toys,” which acts as the central anchor for the entire research

landscape. Its strong connections with terms such as toy manufacture, toy design, design, and sustainable

development (Smith et al., 2020) suggest that earlier studies largely concentrated on production methods,

material choices, and design considerations. These themes represent the foundational phase of toy research,

where attention was primarily directed toward improving manufacturing processes and aligning product design

with sustainability concerns.

A noticeable cluster on the left side of the network highlights design-oriented research, including keywords

like product design, design and development, wooden toys, and toy manufacture. This grouping reflects

shift in research priorities toward understanding children’s needs, play behavior, and socio-cultural contexts.

The inclusion of India points to growing scholarly attention in developing economies, where policy support,

demographic trends, and domestic manufacturing initiatives are reshaping the toy sector.

The lower portion of the network reveals emerging themes linked to technological advancement, including

Overall, the overlay visualization captures a clear progression in toy-related research. The field has moved

from a strong emphasis on manufacturing and design toward a more interdisciplinary approach that

incorporates child development, technology, and innovation. This shift reflects broader changes in consumer

expectations and technological capabilities, suggesting that future research in the toy domain is likely to

continue blending design, sustainability, and intelligent systems with a strong focus on child-centric value

creation.

Diagram 1: Overlay Visualisation

Source: VoS Viewer, overlay visualization

Diagram 2: Coword Network Analysis

Image 1: Thematic Analysis

Source: Thematic Analysis, Biblioshiny

In this section, researchers attempt to list the various factors that have been frequently studied in various toy

research. It can be seen that the majority of practitioners have studied factors such as safety regulations,

government policies for the development of the toy industry in India, Chinese imports and the threat to the

Indian toy industry, indigenous toys and heritage, Indian domestic market opportunities, and technology

advancement. Recent policy initiatives have positioned the Indian toy sector as a strategic industry within the

country’s broader agenda of self-reliant and innovation-driven growth. Programmes such as, Toycathon, the

National Action Plan for Toys, and targeted measures under the self-reliance framework have been designed

factors studied by previous researchers.

Table 10: Factors studied in Indian Toy Industry

Source: Author’s own Compilation

Safety Regulations- The safety of toys is a critical public health and consumer protection concern, particularly

in a country like India, where toys are used by children across diverse age groups and socio-economic settings.

In this context, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has established key regulatory benchmarks—most

notably IS 9873 and IS 15644—to ensure that toys available in the market meet essential safety requirements.

IS 9873, which is aligned with international toy safety frameworks, focuses on mechanical, physical, and

chemical safety aspects such as choking hazards, sharp edges, small detachable components, flammability,

and the presence of harmful substances (BIS, 2020). These provisions are especially important for protecting

younger children, who are more vulnerable to injuries arising from unsafe toy design or poor material quality.

transparency. Their enforcement has broader implications, including strengthening parental trust, enhancing

consumer confidence, and improving the credibility of Indian toy manufacturers in domestic and export

markets. Moreover, in the context of sustainable and eco-friendly toys, BIS standards provide a foundational

safety baseline against which alternative materials and green design innovations can be evaluated. Thus, these

standards play a pivotal role not only in ensuring toy safety but also in supporting the long-term development

of a safe, competitive, and responsible toy ecosystem in India. Safety regulations and quality control in Indian

research reports and by practitioners. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), an Indian regulatory agency, has

specified toy safety regulations in IS 9873 (Part 1 to Part 4, 7, and 9) and IS 15644:2006 (Nanda, 2020). The

Indian safety standard is detailed in Table 11

Source: Adopted from The Gazette of India, G-DL-E 26022020-216415, Ministry of Commerce and Industry

DPIIT, 25-02-2020

Previous researchers have examined the levels of metal content in toys and their effects on children's health.

regarding their health (Sapana Johnson, 2011). The impact of toys in packaged foods on obesity was discussed

by Dario et al. in 2014; the study found no clear link between toys and food consumption (Dario Gregori,

2014).

Government Policies for the Development of the Indian Toy Industry - Over the past few years, the Indian

toy sector has emerged as a priority area within the government’s broader vision of innovation-led and self-

reliant industrial growth. Initiatives such as Toycathon and the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat programme reflect a

deliberate effort to reposition toy manufacturing from an import-dependent activity to a domestically driven

and innovation-oriented sector.

Toycathon, in particular, has played a catalytic role by encouraging students, designers, and young

entrepreneurs to engage in theme-based toy development, thereby strengthening design capabilities and

structured direction through targeted objectives aimed at strengthening manufacturing capacity, skill

development, and market access.

These policies should be interpreted not merely as promotional initiatives but as institutional mechanisms

shaping industrial restructuring, innovation diffusion, and entrepreneurial capacity within the evolving toy

ecosystem. Table 12 presents an overview of these key initiatives and policy measures that collectively shape

the evolving toy ecosystem in India (Yadav et al., 2022; Day & Gupta, 2021).”

resilient and sustainable toy industry. Policies promoting eco-friendly toys and the strategic increase in import

duties have encouraged manufacturers to explore locally sourced materials, traditional craftsmanship, and

environmentally responsible production methods.

At the same time, platforms such as India’s Toy Fair have facilitated collaboration among manufacturers,

suppliers, MSMEs, and startups, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and market expansion. These

interventions go beyond short-term protectionist measures and instead support long-term innovation,

sustainability, and localization.

By aligning creativity, policy support, and indigenous manufacturing, the government’s initiatives are

gradually transforming the toy sector into a competitive, socially responsible, and globally relevant industry

rooted in local innovation.

competitive industrial dynamics. Researchers focused on manufacturing techniques, mechanical toy design,

and the transformation of traditional handcrafted toys into standardized commercial products. This period

largely treated toys as physical commodities, emphasizing functionality, durability, and cost efficiency rather

than their developmental or social significance.

Growing global awareness of ecological risks and regulatory requirements encouraged studies on eco-friendly

materials, non-toxic components, and sustainable manufacturing processes. Scholars increasingly examined

biodegradable plastics, composite materials, and life-cycle assessment of toy production, reflecting broader

concerns about environmental responsibility and consumer safety (Browne et al., 2011; Steenis et al., 2017).

Around 2021, the research landscape expanded further to incorporate market-oriented and human-centered

perspectives. Studies began to explore consumer preferences, educational value, and the developmental

implications of play.

More recently, technological integration has emerged as a defining research frontier. Contemporary studies

examine artificial intelligence, smart toys, robotics, and digitally mediated play environments. These

developments signal a conceptual shift toward interactive and adaptive play systems that merge entertainment,