Virus could weigh on toy shopping starting this summer

(AP) Toymakers hope products from Baby Yoda to eco-friendly stacking rings will be on kids' wish lists for the holiday 2020 season. But the liquidation of Toys R Us in 2018 has hurt impulse buying of toys. Then the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China has added costs to manufacturers' supply network. And now, a spreading new virus is threatening to delay product launches and may result in some shortages of seasonal toys starting in May. Such challenges are on top of the pressures that toymakers face to create playthings that will excite kids who increasingly favor smartphones and other electronics. "This is the crisis of the day for toymakers,'' said Marc Rosenberg, an independent toy consultant.