Driven by robust cultural and tourism consumption since the beginning of this year, a surge in emerging cultural industries has unlocked vast job opportunities, with the "trendy toy designer" gaining immense popularity among young people, propelling the trendy toy industry toward a 100-billion-yuan market.
Several interns from China's Central Academy of Fine Arts work at a trendy toy company in Beijing to assist designers with planning.
"My major focuses on traditional plastic arts, primarily easel painting and handcrafts, whereas working at a design company is more digital-oriented, requiring me to master a lot of digital software," said Chen Yilin, a mural painting major.
According to Chen, the trendy toy industry now demands designers have new skills in material control and AI software, and internships can help students stay updated on the industry's latest needs. In addition, many students from non-art majors have also shown strong interest in the sector.
"I find the trendy toy field very interesting and fashionable, so I wanted to give it a try. Designers come to give us commercial design thinking training and help us revise elements that are too academic and impractical," said Nie Yuxuan, an architecture student.
According to Ma Xiaoxiao, a trendy toy designer, as the industry becomes more mature and competitive, designers now need not only solid artistic skills but also full-chain capabilities from IP incubation to production. To cultivate talent for the industry, the company where Ma works has launched "university-enterprise collaboration open courses" with multiple art schools.
"We provide them with some products and our original early sketches, without restrictions on materials or themes, giving them free rein. Our designers also go to the scene to communicate with them, and the students also provide us with inspiration," said Ma.
According to the data from Chinese consulting firm iResearch, China's IP trendy toy market is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan (about 14.8 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027 and reach nearly 130 billion yuan by 2029.
Data from the business information platform Tianyancha shows that more than 36,000 trendy toy-related enterprises are now registered in China.
In response to the drivers of new consumption patterns and emerging technologies, talent cultivation programs are also adapting swiftly.
"Emerging industries like gaming, trendy toys and cultural products all share a common requirement. Beyond students' professional technical backgrounds and capabilities, they now demand additional technological application skills such as AI. We are also providing more opportunities on campus for students to integrate technology with their own majors," said Li Zhenhan, deputy director of the student affairs department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
China's cultural industry surpassed the 20-trillion-yuan mark to achieve a total operating revenue of 20.8254 trillion yuan in 2025, setting a new record, up 8.8 percent year on year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The deep integration of culture and technology becomes a key engine driving innovation in the cultural industry, the bureau said.
Trendy toy designers gain popularity among Chinese youth
