Star Wars, Marvel superhero toys are super-hot this holiday season
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Action heroes are ruling the universe this year going into the holiday season. As you might suspect, Star Wars is king. But don't sell Marvel's cast of superheroes short.
From Marvel action packs to the BB-8 Star Wars droids, action figures are dominating not only toy aisles but also shelves at electronic stores, too.
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"This is the return of the action figure, it's actually just play with video games now," said Alex Roth with gaming and entertainment site IGN.
Gesturing to two packs of action figures, Antony Varghese with Best Buy said, "These are the hottest games that we have currently. Especially in Star Wars, anything Star Wars is going great for us."
Games based on Hollywood blockbuster films, better technology that interact with players, and the increasing popularity of collectibles are fueling sales expected to reach $20 billion this year.
The Disney Infinity games are full video games. They blend in Star Wars characters using interactive platforms and adventures from the various movies. Infinity games range from $40 to $115.
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Similar games are available from Disney and Hasbro Playmation with other superheroes such as Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America and Hulkbuster.
"This is part of a larger trend like toys of like, toys to life," said Roth. "You know, toys that interact with a screen, with your video game system, or with an iPad," said Roth.
It comes with a laser gun trigger, missiles and a palm blast.
Starter packs of Playmation retail for $120.
The big seller that had people lining up at midnight to get is the BB-8.
"It's a remote control car, you know," said Alex Roth with IGN. "It's a little robot that you can drive around with your phone."
The BB-8 retails for $150.
Star Wars and Marvel characters are licensed by Disney, the parent company of ABC7.
