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Faire says toys and squishies were its fastest-growing Advent calendar category in 2026, with wholesale spending up 9,876% against the prior-year comparison. Across the platform, Advent calendar orders rose 63%, while spending on chocolate and candy calendars fell 23%. The figures cover activity from June 1 to Sept. 30, 2026, compared with June through December 2025.
Toys and squishies have become the fastest-growing Advent calendar category tracked by wholesale marketplace Faire, with retailer spending on the products up 9,876% year over year in the platform’s reported comparison. The figures point to retailers expanding holiday calendars beyond traditional candy, though they reflect Faire marketplace activity rather than the full retail market.
Faire said wholesale orders for Advent calendars overall rose 63% year over year. Retailers were also spending nearly four times as much to stock calendars for online and physical stores, according to the company’s data. The report does not provide a dollar total for that spending or a separate breakdown of online and in-store orders.
The strongest growth was in the toys and squishies segment, which Faire said barely registered in 2025 before becoming the leading category it tracked. The large percentage increase is measured against that prior-year period; the source does not give the category’s starting spend, so the figure does not show its absolute market size.
Other categories showing fast growth included Halloween products, tea and coffee, snacks, and beauty. Chocolate and candy Advent calendars moved in the opposite direction: Faire reported a 23% decline in that category. The data covers activity on its platform from June 1 through Sept. 30, 2026, compared with June through December 2025.
Retailers Expand Calendar Assortments
The figures suggest a change in what some independent retailers are ordering for the holiday countdown season. If calendars featuring small toys, squishies, snacks, or beauty products gain shelf space, shoppers may see more choices beyond the familiar chocolate-a-day format. For retailers, the reported increase in orders and spending points to a wider assortment being stocked ahead of the holidays.
However, Faire’s numbers do not establish that toy calendars are outselling candy calendars across the wider market. The 9,876% increase compares platform spending with a period when the category barely registered, and the report gives no baseline dollar figure. The reported 23% candy decline also applies to Faire activity, not necessarily national sales. Those limits matter when interpreting a striking growth rate.
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A Platform-Based Holiday Comparison
The report comes from Faire, a wholesale marketplace used by retailers to source products. Its figures track orders and spending made through that platform, rather than a census of all shops, suppliers, or consumer purchases. The Toy Book, which published the report, described toys and squishies as the breakout Advent calendar category for 2026.
The comparison periods are not the same length: Faire’s current data runs from June 1 to Sept. 30, 2026, while the prior-year comparison spans June through December 2025. The source identifies the comparison as year over year but does not explain how it adjusted for the difference in time covered. That makes the figures useful as a platform trend, but not a like-for-like measure of full-season sales.
“Wholesale spend on toys and squishies for Advent calendars was up 9,876% compared with last year.”
— Faire, as reported by The Toy Book
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What the Faire Figures Exclude
The report does not state the starting dollar value for toy and squishy calendar spending, the number of retailers placing orders, or how many products were included. Without that baseline, the growth rate cannot establish the category’s overall size. It is also unclear whether the increase reflects broader retailer demand, a small starting base, changes in product listings, or some combination.
Faire’s figures are limited to its own marketplace, and the report does not offer independent sales data or consumer purchase figures. It also does not explain whether the unequal comparison periods were adjusted for the number of months covered. The reported trend therefore cannot by itself confirm how Advent calendar sales across the wider retail sector will perform over the full 2026 holiday season.
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Full-Season Sales Will Add Context
The figures cover only through Sept. 30, 2026, leaving the busiest holiday shopping period outside the current reporting window. A later full-season update could show whether early wholesale orders translated into sustained stocking and consumer purchases, or whether demand shifted as the holidays approached.
For a clearer market-wide picture, readers would need comparable full-season data, category spending totals, and figures from retailers or sales trackers beyond Faire. Until then, the report is best read as an early indicator of what retailers on the platform were ordering—not as a final account of 2026 Advent calendar sales.
children's advent calendar with toys
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Key Questions
What is the main finding in Faire’s report?
Faire said wholesale spending on toy and squishy Advent calendars rose 9,876% in its year-over-year comparison and became the leading Advent calendar category tracked on the platform.
Did Advent calendar orders rise overall?
Yes. Faire reported that orders across all Advent calendar categories increased 63% year over year on its marketplace.
Did candy Advent calendars decline?
Faire reported a 23% decrease in chocolate and candy in the platform data. That figure does not establish a decline across the entire retail market.
What periods does the comparison cover?
The current figures cover June 1-Sept. 30, 2026, compared with June through December 2025. The report does not explain how it accounts for the different lengths of those periods.
Does the 9,876% figure show how large the toy calendar market is?
No. The source says the category barely registered in 2025 but provides no starting or current dollar total. The percentage shows growth in Faire’s comparison, not the category’s absolute size or market-wide sales.
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