Research on the Construction and Application of China’s Fashion Toy Standard System ()
1. Introduction
Fashion toys are products designed for appreciation and collection by teenagers and adults aged 14 and above [1] [2]. Based on the images of anime, film and television characters, or customized designs of humans, animals, plants and objects, such products feature high simulation in appearance or function and exquisite craftsmanship.
To clarify the operational boundary between fashion toys, traditional toys and models for manufacturers and inspectors, this study establishes a three-level decision-making rule for product classification:
1) Products clearly marked with an applicable age of 14+ and designed for appreciation/collection rather than play are preliminarily classified as fashion toys, and are not applicable to the GB 6675 series national standards for traditional toys;
2) Products with play functions (including interactive, detachable, and mouthable structures designed for play behavior) are classified as traditional toys regardless of age labeling, and must comply with mandatory national toy safety standards;
3) For products labeled 14+ but with child-attractive features (such as cartoon shapes, bright colors, and plush structures that are easily accessible and misused by children under 14), supplementary safety risk assessment must be carried out in accordance with T/CPQS C010-2024, and physical and chemical safety indicators that are compatible with children’s safety protection requirements must be added to avoid potential safety hazards caused by misuse.
With the deep integration of consumption upgrading and “GUOCHAO” culture, fashion toys have emerged as a core growth driver of emerging consumption in China. Industry data reveals that the core market scale of China’s fashion toy industry reached 72.7 billion yuan in 2024, with a year-on-year growth rate of approximately 26%—a figure far outpacing the 4.6% growth of traditional toys. Derivatives account for over 40% of the market share, becoming the key impetus for industrial growth, and the industry is projected to enter the 100-billion-yuan market threshold in 2025 [3].
While the product boundaries of fashion toys continue to expand and consumer groups extend to all age groups, the drawbacks of a lagging and incomplete standard system have become increasingly acute: ambiguous product demarcation, inadequate quality, safety and green indicators, and the lack of market norms, which have restricted the high-quality development of the industry. To fill the standard gap, the China Association for Consumer Products Quality and Safety Promotion (hereinafter referred to as the Association), as the leading issuing body, has jointly released the first national fashion toy standard T/CPQS C010-2022 with leading enterprises and technical institutions since 2022. Up to now, a total of 21 association standards for fashion toys and their derivatives have been developed, laying a crucial foundation for the standardized development of the fashion toy industry [4]-[22].
Focusing on China’s association standards for fashion toys, this paper first sorts out 21 existing association standards in the industry, and adopts a full-chain coverage principle, non-overlapping classification logic and gap-filling priority rule to construct, constructs a four-dimensional standard system covering basic and general standards, derivative products, quality and safety, and green low-carbon development. In the system construction process, the classification of standards is based on the core link of the industrial chain: basic and general standards solve the problem of industry cognitive unification, derivative product standards achieve full coverage of product categories, quality and safety standards focus on core risk control, and green low-carbon standards adapt to national strategic requirements; for the overlap of technical requirements between different standards, the principle of “strict priority” is adopted, and the higher and more targeted technical indicators are used as the implementation benchmark; for the gaps in the standard system, the classification framework is supplemented by formulating special standards for subdivided categories. It verifies the practicality of the system through an in-depth analysis of enterprise production applications, government supervision practices, and standard publicity and promotion. This research is intended to provide theoretical and technical support for the standardized development of the fashion toy industry and the upgrading of “GUOCHAO” consumption in China.
2. Current Status of the Global and Chinese Fashion Toy
Industry
China’s fashion toy industry is in a stage of rapid development, demonstrating robust growth momentum and enormous market potential. According to industry statistics, the core market scale of China’s fashion toy industry hit 72.7 billion yuan in 2024, with a year-on-year growth rate of about 26%, significantly higher than the 4.6% growth rate of traditional toys, and the industry is expected to officially enter the 100-billion-yuan market in 2025. When covering all categories of derivatives including textile, electrical, light daily-use and food contact products, the overall market scale has exceeded 120 billion yuan in 2024, with the derivative market accounting for more than 40% and emerging as the key driving force for industrial growth [3].
From a global perspective, the international fashion toy market is also experiencing a period of rapid expansion, with its market scale surging from 8.7 billion US dollars in 2015 to 34 billion US dollars in 2022. As a major country in the production and export of fashion toys, China’s fashion toy market scale reached approximately 57 billion yuan in 2023, and is projected to expand to 110.1 billion yuan in 2026, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24% from 2022 to 2026. China has built the world’s most complete toy industrial chain: the export volume of toy products reached 39.87 billion US dollars in 2024, more than 40% of which were sold to the US and EU markets. As a core growth point, fashion toys have maintained a sound export momentum and are increasingly gaining traction in the international market [3].
Nevertheless, the rapid industrial development has exposed a host of prominent problems. fashion toys are products for appreciation and collection by teenagers and adults over the age of 14, and thus are not applicable to the national standard GB 6675 series for traditional toys. Due to the lack of clear classification decision rules for product boundaries and standardized control and constraints, various issues in the industry have gradually come to the fore. First, the infringement of consumer rights and interests. At present, “Blind Boxes” have gradually become the mainstream marketing model for fashion toys, but some merchants exploit the random nature of blind boxes to clear inventory and defective products. In addition, the winning probability of certain products is not clearly disclosed in some blind boxes, which induces excessive consumption and infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Second, potential safety risks. Fashion toys feature vivid appearances, making them prone to misuse or play by young children. Owing to the lack of applicable standards, most fashion toy products comply with the General technical requirements for model products (GB/T 26701), which lacks targeted safety clauses. Fashion toys produced in accordance with this standard may pose certain safety risks to children’s health. Third, the absence of a legal basis for supervision and law enforcement. There is no clear standard demarcation between fashion toys and general traditional toys or models, resulting in a “gray area” that has created dilemmas for law enforcement and supervision work.
The root cause of these problems lies in the absence and imperfection of the standard system. It is therefore imperative to establish a scientific and comprehensive standard system to regulate the high-quality development of the fashion toy industry.
3. Analysis of International and Chinese Standards and
Regulations
3.1. International Standards and Regulatory Frameworks
At present, there is no clear concept of “fashion toys” for people over the age of 14 in foreign countries, so most regions and countries worldwide can only regulate such products by referring to traditional toy standards. For instance, the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) clearly stipulates the limit values of harmful substances such as lead and phthalates, and ASTM F963 specifies stringent requirements for mechanical and physical safety as well as combustion performance; all children’s products must obtain CPC certification before being put on the market. In the European Union, the Toy Safety Regulation (TSR) implements comprehensive control over toy products, the REACH Regulation restricts the use of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs), and the RoHS Directive standardizes the chemical safety of electronic toys, thus forming a full-chain safety control system for the toy industry.
3.2. Chinese Standards and Regulatory Practices
In the early stage of development, China’s fashion toy industry mainly referred to the national standard GB/T 21027, which does not stipulate the chemical safety requirements for products. Harmful chemical substances in fashion toy products can enter the human body through skin contact or inhalation, and long-term exposure may cause potential harm to human health. In addition, fashion toy products marked for people over the age of 14 may be played with by young children, yet there is no corresponding quality control and supervision based on children’s safety standards.
In recent years, with the rapid development of the fashion toy industry, the construction of specialized standards has accelerated significantly. From 2022 to 2023, as the leading issuing body, the Association successively released China’s first fashion toy standard (T/CPQS C010-2022) and the special standard for VOC limits (T/CPQS C011-2023), which have effectively promoted the self-regulatory development of the industry. From 2024 to 2025, the Association developed a series of standards for fashion toy derivatives, which fully consider the mandatory national standard requirements for subdivided fields such as electrical, textile and food contact products, and form a complementary and enhanced standard system on the basis of mandatory national standards. Up to now, a total of 21 association standards have been developed, marking the in-depth progress of China’s fashion toy industry towards a standard-led development model.
4. Construction of the Standard System for Fashion Toys and
Their Derivatives
This standard system is formulated on the basis of 21 existing domestic association standards for fashion toys and their derivatives in China, and its core construction methods and principles focus on four major dimensions defined by four core requirements: industry universality that covers the unified basic cognition, comprehensive product categories, key risk points and development trends of the entire industry, regulatory operability that provides clear implementation basis for market supervision and law enforcement, technical traceability that ensures all technical indicators are equipped with standardized testing methods and reliable verification foundations, as well as policy compliance that conforms to national development strategies such as product quality safety and green low-carbon development.
Based on the current 21 association standards for fashion toys and their derivatives in China, this paper constructs a comprehensive quality evaluation system covering material safety, quality improvement, green environmental protection and other core dimensions. The framework of the standard system for fashion toys and their derivatives is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Framework of the standard system for fashion toys and their derivatives.
4.1. Basic and General
The basic and general subsystem serves as the foundational framework of the entire standard system, aiming to unify industry cognition and standardize the basic production and management norms of the fashion toy industry. It includes three core modules:
1) Term and definitions: Core terms related to fashion toys are clearly defined to eliminate conceptual ambiguity in industry communication and standard implementation, laying a linguistic and cognitive foundation for the effective implementation of the standard system.
2) General technology: The general technical requirements for the design, production, inspection and acceptance of fashion toy products are standardized, so as to improve the basic quality level of fashion toy products and ensure the consistency of product production standards in the industry.
3) Guidelines for distinction from traditional toys: The standards for distinguishing fashion toys from traditional toys are refined from the dimensions of functional attributes, quality and safety requirements, and applicable age groups.
The specific operational decision-making rules for manufacturers and inspectors are as follows:
Step 1: Verify the applicable age label and design intention. Products with a clear applicable age of 14 years and above, and the design intention is for appreciation, collection and display rather than children’s play, are included in the management scope of fashion toy standards;
Step 2: Judge the functional attributes. Products with functional designs for play behavior (including but not limited to mouthable parts, detachable small parts for play, interactive play structures, and simulation play functions) are classified as traditional toys, regardless of the age label, and must fully comply with the mandatory national standard GB 6675 series;
Step 3: Edge case risk control. For products labeled 14+ but with child-attractive features (including cartoon IP images highly recognized by children, bright high-saturation colors, plush soft structures, and small parts that are easy to be touched and swallowed by children), it is necessary to carry out supplementary safety risk assessment in accordance with T/CPQS C010-2024, and add anti-swallowing, anti-choking and harmful substance limit requirements compatible with children’s safety, so as to avoid safety hazards caused by misuse by children under 14 years old. A clear demarcation of the boundary between the two is conducive to scientific market supervision and standardized production of enterprises.
The developed association standards for this subsystem are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Association standards for the basic and general subsystem.
Serial Number |
Standard Name |
Standard Number |
1 |
fashion toys and similar products for appreciation and collection |
T/CPQS C010-2022 |
2 |
fashion toys and similar products for appreciation and collection |
T/CPQS C010-2024 |
4.2. Derivative Products
Against the backdrop of the continuous expansion of the fashion toy industry, derivative products have become an important growth pole of the market. The derivative product subsystem classifies and formulates specialized standards for fashion toy derivatives according to their product attributes, covering four major categories and realizing full coverage of the main derivative product types in the industry.
For all derivative categories involved in other regulated fields, the unified compliance pathway is formulated as follows: mandatory national standards (GB series) are the bottom-line compliance requirements that must be met, and the association standards for fashion toy derivatives are enhanced and supplementary requirements on the basis of mandatory national standards, which put forward more targeted technical indicators for the characteristics of fashion toy IP derivatives, and the implementation principle is “not lower than the mandatory national standard requirements, and the enhanced indicators of association standards are preferred for fashion toy derivatives”.
1) Electrical derivatives: Specialized standards are developed for electrical derivatives developed based on fashion toy IPs. In terms of safety performance, the standards stipulate strict requirements for electrical insulation and anti-electric shock protection, and limit the electromagnetic radiation intensity of electrical appliances during operation to prevent interference with teenagers’ electronic devices and ensure product safety and user experience.
2) Textile derivatives: This category covers textile products with fashion toy themes such as plush toys, throw pillows and clothing. In terms of material safety, the standards control the content of harmful substances in textile fabrics, including formaldehyde, pH value and decomposable carcinogenic aromatic amine dyes. In terms of product quality, key indicators such as pile density and tensile strength of plush toys, dimensional deviation and seam strength of throw pillows, and color fastness (washing and rubbing fastness) of clothing are clearly stipulated to ensure the durability and comfort of textile derivatives.
3) Light daily-use derivatives: For daily light industrial products empowered by fashion toy IPs (e.g., storage containers, badges, sachets), the standards formulate the whole-process quality specifications from raw material selection to finished product inspection, so as to ensure the safety of teenagers in daily use.
4) Food contact derivatives: For food contact products authorized by fashion toy IPs (e.g., drinking utensils), the standards emphatically strengthen the safety requirements for food contact. Raw materials must comply with the national safety standards for food contact materials (e.g., GB 4806 series), and the production environment must meet the hygienic specifications for food production, so as to ensure the safety of food in contact with fashion toy derivatives.
The association standards for this subsystem are shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Association standards for the derivative product subsystem.
Serial Number |
Product Category |
Standard Name |
Standard Number |
1 |
Electrical derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—portable fans |
T/CPQS C012-2024 |
2 |
Electrical derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—USB cables |
T/CPQS C013-2024 |
3 |
Electrical derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—portable mobile power source with plush kit |
T/CPQS C018-2024 |
4 |
Electrical derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Humidifiers |
T/CPQS C026-2025 |
5 |
Textile derivatives |
Trendy Fashion Apparel Textile Products |
T/CPQS C023-2025 |
6 |
Textile derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Canvas bags |
T/CPQS C024-2025 |
7 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—badge |
T/CPQS C014-2024 |
8 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—art cards |
T/CPQS C015-2024 |
9 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—resin-based artworks |
T/CPQS C017-2024 |
10 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Portable paper bags |
T/CPQS C025-2025 |
11 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—multiple shape bottles |
T/CPQS C019-2024 |
12 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures products for appreciation and collection—aromatherapy candles |
T/CPQS C020-2024 |
13 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Two-dimensional cultural products |
T/CPQS C021-2025 |
14 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Electronic decorative accessories |
T/CPQS C022-2025 |
15 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Portable camping wagons and equipment |
T/CPQS C027-2025 |
16 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Crystal balls |
T/CPQS C028-2025 |
17 |
Light daily-use derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures and similar products for appreciation and collection—Liquid aromatherapy |
T/CPQS C029-2025 |
18 |
Food contact derivatives |
Derivative of fashion figures products for appreciation and collection—drinking equipment |
T/CPQS C016-2024 |
4.3. Quality and Safety
Quality and safety are the core of the fashion toy standard system, and the quality and safety subsystem is constructed to address the prominent safety risks in the industry, focusing on establishing a scientific and comprehensive safety evaluation and testing system. It includes two core modules:
1) Safety and Performance Testing Method: A multi-dimensional test method system for the safety and performance of fashion toy products is established. Aiming at the technical difficulties of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) detection in fashion toy products, the system constructs a VOCs risk assessment model for fashion toys by using the exposure assessment method, and sets scientific safety limit values by comprehensively considering complex factors such as product use scenarios, contact time and volatilization rate.
2) Quality and safety risk assessment: A multi-factor comprehensive risk assessment model is adopted to quantitatively evaluate the quality and safety risks of fashion toy products. First, the potential risk sources in the production and use process of fashion toys are identified, including the release of harmful substances from raw materials, potential safety hazards of physical structures, and risks in actual use scenarios. Then, a comprehensive evaluation index system is constructed, with different weights assigned to material safety, physical safety, use environment and other factors. Combined with the exposure assessment method, the risk level of products is judged by considering the time, frequency and mode of teenagers’ contact with fashion toys, so as to provide a scientific basis for risk early warning and supervision.
The association standard for this sub-system is shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Association standard for the quality and safety subsystem.
Serial Number |
Standard Name |
Standard Number |
1 |
fashion toys and similar products for appreciation and collection—Limitation and test methods of volatile organic compounds |
T/CPQS C011-2023 |
4.4. Green and Low-Carbon Development
In response to the national development strategy of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the green low-carbon development subsystem is constructed to promote the green and sustainable development of the fashion toy industry, covering the whole life cycle of product production, packaging and use. It includes three core modules:
1) Green packaging design: The standard for green packaging design of fashion toy products is implemented, with the whole-process optimization from packaging material selection to structural design. Degradable plastics are prioritized as packaging materials to reduce the use of non-degradable materials (e.g., ordinary plastic foam). In terms of structural design, a simplified and modular design is adopted—for example, the “one material for multiple uses” of blind box packaging is realized to reduce the number of packaging layers and volume, thus lowering the environmental impact of packaging waste in the fashion toy industry.
2) Application of recycled materials: The rational application of recycled materials in the production of fashion toys is encouraged, including recycled plastics and recycled fibers. The standards clearly define the application proportion and quality requirements of recycled materials, and stipulate that recycled plastics must comply with the relevant national safety standards for recycled materials, so as to promote the development of a circular economy in the fashion toy industry.
3) Life cycle environmental protection: A standard for the whole life cycle environmental protection of fashion toy products is constructed, covering the design, production, use and disposal stages of products. The standards focus on improving the durability of fashion toy products to extend their service life, so as to reduce repeated production and resource waste caused by premature product damage. Through the whole life cycle control of products, the environmental impact of the fashion toy industry is minimized, and the green and sustainable development of the industry is promoted.
The association standard for this sub-system is shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Association standard for the green low-carbon development subsystem.
Serial Number |
Standard Name |
Standard Number |
1 |
Determination grading and test methods for the fiber nonshedding properties of plush products |
T/CPQS C030-2025 |
5. Application and Practical Effects of the Standard System
5.1. Research Methods for Practical Effect Analysis
This study adopts a multi-source evidence triangulation method to analyze the practical effects of the standard system, and the specific research design is as follows:
1) Evidence collection types. Including a) Enterprise-level evidence: quality management system documents, product inspection reports, financial performance data, supplier management rules, and in-depth interview records of enterprise management and technical personnel; b) Government supervision-level evidence: official supervision and inspection reports, risk monitoring data, law enforcement records, and national standard project approval documents; c) Industry promotion-level evidence: standard release conference records, media publicity reports, industry questionnaire survey data, and field visit records of industrial clusters.
2) Covered entities. A total of 12 industry entities were covered, including 10 fashion toy production and sales enterprises of different scales (leading enterprises, medium-sized export-oriented enterprises, small and micro creative enterprises); the questionnaire survey covered 20 fashion toy enterprises in major industrial clusters such as Dongguan and Shenzhen.
3) Effectiveness judgment indicators. The core indicators for judging the practical effect of the standard system are divided into three dimensions: a) Enterprise application effect: product compliance rate, quality defect rate, operating revenue growth rate, overseas market expansion scale; b) Supervision implementation effect: the clarity of law enforcement basis, the accuracy of risk monitoring, the coverage of precision supervision; c) Industry promotion effect: enterprise awareness rate of standards, standard market application rate, industry standardization atmosphere.
5.2. Application Effects in Enterprise Production
Enterprises are the main body of standard implementation, and their application effects are directly related to the vitality and value realization of the standard system. Enterprises of different scales and types in the fashion toy industry have formed differentiated practice models in the process of standard application, and have achieved remarkable economic and social benefits, which fully verifies the practical value of the standard system.
Pop Mart International Group: As a leading enterprise in the global fashion toy industry, Pop Mart has deeply integrated the series of association standards for fashion toys and their derivatives with the ISO 9001 quality management system, and the standardized requirements have been implemented throughout the whole process of product design and R&D, raw material procurement and production manufacturing. The enterprise also requires all suppliers to conduct product verification in accordance with the series of association standards for fashion toys, forming a closed-loop quality control system covering the entire industrial chain. Through standardized production, the overall product quality of Pop Mart has been significantly improved, and its market recognition in both domestic and overseas markets has been further enhanced. According to Pop Mart’s financial report, its operating revenue reached 13.88 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 204.4%, and its adjusted net profit reached 4.71 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 362.8%, demonstrating the significant driving effect of standardization on enterprise development.
Hangzhou Babycare Industrial Co., Ltd.: Plush products are currently the largest category of fashion toy products in the market. However, due to frequent friction during use, some surface fibers are prone to falling off due to slippage or breakage, and these falling fine villi may be inhaled into the respiratory tract, leading to potential dangers such as choking and suffocation. To regulate the high-quality development of the plush fashion toy industry, Babycare has deeply participated in the formulation of the national association standard T/CPQS C030—2025, and took the lead in applying this standard to the whole process of product quality control. The enterprise has realized the scientific quality grading of plush products based on the standard, which has effectively improved the product quality and market competitiveness. Its electric plush toy “West Highland Terrier” has become a hit product with sales volume exceeding 100 million yuan, which is a typical practice of the standard system boosting product innovation and market expansion.
Fujian 1983 Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd.: The enterprise has fully embedded the series of association standards for fashion toys into its product quality control system, and constructed a full-process standardized quality control chain covering IP derivative design verification, raw material screening, production process control and finished product ex-factory inspection. The implementation of the standardized quality control system has significantly improved the compliance rate of the enterprise’s fashion toy products, effectively avoiding market supervision risks and quality disputes. On this basis, the enterprise has successfully opened up the international market: its products are sold to Europe and America through online cross-border e-commerce platforms and offline exhibition channels, covering more than one million overseas fashion toy fans. Standardization application has become one of the core competitiveness of the enterprise in expanding the international market, which verifies the important role of the standard system in promoting the internationalization of China’s fashion toy industry.
5.3. Implementation in Government Supervision
Market regulatory authorities at all levels in China have taken the fashion toy standard system as an important basis for supervision and law enforcement, which has effectively improved the efficiency of market supervision and standardized the market order of the fashion toy industry, realizing the transformation from “extensive supervision” to “precision supervision”.
In 2025, the market regulatory department of Guangzhou carried out the Quality and Safety Risk Monitoring of Blind Box fashion toy Products, taking the updated fashion toy association standard T/CPQS C010-2024 as the main monitoring basis. The department adopted the exposure assessment method to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment on the potential chemical hazards of blind box fashion toy products in the market. The monitoring results showed that among 30 batches of fashion toy samples randomly selected from the market, 7 batches failed to meet the reference monitoring standards for VOC items, with a non-compliance rate of 23.3%. The above monitoring data has provided scientific reference and guidance for market regulatory authorities at all levels to carry out targeted random inspection and law enforcement of fashion toy products, and laid a data foundation for the precision supervision of the industry.
Meanwhile, the State Administration for Market Regulation (Standardization Administration of China) issued the national standard plan General Technical Requirements for fashion toys and Similar Products (Plan No.: 20255048-T-607) in October 2025, which is transformed and upgraded from the fashion toy association standard T/CPQS C010-2024. The launch of this national standard plan has filled the previous gap of the lack of a unified national standard in the fashion toy field in China, providing clear and scientific production technical guidance for “GUOCHAO” fashion toy enterprises. It has effectively guaranteed the use safety of consumers, and laid a solid foundation for Chinese fashion toy brands to enhance their market competitiveness and enter the broader international market.
5.4. Publicity and Promotion of the Standard System
The vitality of standards lies in implementation, and the premise of effective implementation is extensive publicity and promotion. In recent years, with the joint promotion of government departments, technical institutions, industry associations and media, the social awareness and market application coverage of China’s fashion toy standard system have been significantly improved, forming a good industry atmosphere of “abiding by standards and pursuing quality”.
From 2024 to 2025, as the leading issuing body of the standards, the Association has held two consecutive release conferences for the series of association standards for fashion toys, with a total of more than 500 participants including representatives from the government of various towns in Dongguan City (a major production base of fashion toys in China) and leading production enterprises in the industry. The relevant standards have also been widely publicized by official and central media, greatly enhancing the social influence of the fashion toy standard system. Mainstream media such as China Consumer News, People’s Daily Online, Guangming Online and The Economic Daily have conducted in-depth reports on the formulation and implementation of the fashion toy standards, forming a good public opinion atmosphere for the standardized development of the industry. In particular, the release of China’s first fashion toy standard on the 3·15 International Consumer Rights Day has expanded the social attention of the standard system by virtue of the festival effect, and enhanced the awareness of consumers and enterprises on the quality and safety of fashion toy products.
Through systematic and multi-channel publicity and promotion, the popularization of the fashion toy standard system in the industry has been significantly improved. According to the results of enterprise surveys and field visits, the awareness rate of fashion toy enterprises to the national association standards has increased from less than 30% to more than 85%, and the market application rate of the standards has reached more than 50%. Especially in the major industrial clusters of fashion toys such as Dongguan and Shenzhen, the application rate of the standard system has exceeded 70%, forming a good demonstration effect and driving the standardized development of the entire industry.
6. Conclusions and Future Prospects
As an important carrier of “GUOCHAO” consumption and a new growth engine of China’s emerging manufacturing industry, the high-quality development of the fashion toy industry is inseparable from the solid support of a scientific and comprehensive standardized system. Aiming at the prominent pain points in the development of the fashion toy industry such as ambiguous product boundaries and inadequate safety standards, this paper constructs a four-dimensional fashion toy standard system covering “basic and general standards-derivative products-quality and safety-green low-carbon development”. This system not only fills the gap of insufficient coverage of fashion toy categories by traditional toy standards, but also realizes the full-chain standardization and regulation of core fashion toy products and all categories of derivatives, providing a systematic and scientific framework for the standardized development of the fashion toy industry in China.
From the perspective of practical application effects, the fashion toy standard system has played a core enabling role in the high-quality development of the industry. At the enterprise level, the quality upgrading and benefit growth of leading enterprises such as Pop Mart, the creation of hit products by Babycare in the plush fashion toy field, and the compliance breakthrough and overseas market expansion of export-oriented enterprises such as Fujian 1983 Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd., all fully verify the key value of the standard system in improving product quality, enhancing enterprise market competitiveness and promoting industrial upgrading. At the government supervision level, the implementation of the standard system has provided a clear scientific basis for market supervision and law enforcement, effectively curbing the circulation of inferior products in the market, standardizing the market order of the fashion toy industry and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. At the industry promotion level, the multi-subject joint promotion model has greatly improved the social awareness and market application rate of the standard system, laying a solid foundation for the full and in-depth implementation of the standards in the entire industry.
With the continuous development of China’s fashion toy industry towards intelligence, internationalization and greenization, the existing standard system still needs to be continuously improved and upgraded to adapt to the new development characteristics and trends of the industry. In the future, the construction of the fashion toy standard system can be further improved from the following aspects: first, promoting the upgrading of standard levels, accelerate the transformation of high-quality association standards into national and industrial standards, and improving the authority and universality of the standards; Second, establishing a dynamic update mechanism of the standard system, timely incorporating new product types, new production technologies and new safety requirements into the standard system, and enhancing the scientificity, foresight and applicability of the standards; Third, strengthening international cooperation and docking, learning from the advanced experience of international toy product safety standards, and aligning the Chinese fashion toy standard system with international advanced compliance requirements, so as to provide a standard basis for Chinese fashion toy brands to enter the international market.
Taking standardization as the core leading force, China’s fashion toy industry will realize a qualitative change from scale expansion to quality improvement, continuously safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, boost the continuous upgrading of “GUOCHAO” consumption, and inject stronger impetus into the high-quality development of China’s cultural and creative industry.
NOTES
*Co-first authors.
#Corresponding author.