The Fad Index leaderboard: what rose and fell in the last 90 days
Ten subjects gaining interest, ten losing it, measured from public pageviews through 2026-09. No opinions, no sponsorships.
Published 2026-10-30
Every month we rank the 39 subjects in the index by their 90-day change in public interest. The point is not to declare a winner. It is to see which categories are moving before the retail shelves and the press cycle catch up.
Rising
| Subject | Category | Stage | 90-day change | Latest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiikawa | Plush | At high | +126% | 68,178 |
| Transformers | Action figures | At high | +35% | 44,765 |
| Bakugan | Battle toys | Rising | +21% | 646 |
| Action figure | Action figures | Rising | +18% | 4,746 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game | Trading cards | At high | +12% | 11,843 |
| My Little Pony | Dolls | Holding | +10% | 29,134 |
| Disney Lorcana | Trading cards | Holding | +9% | 6,839 |
| Nerf | Outdoor | At high | +9% | 7,346 |
| Play-Doh | Creative | Holding | +9% | 11,343 |
| Care Bears | Plush | Holding | +9% | 17,988 |
The risers are a mix of new properties and seasonal revivals. A subject can post a large percentage gain from a small base — that is why the table shows the latest absolute number next to the percentage. A 126% gain on 68,000 monthly reads is a different event from a 126% gain on 600.
Falling
| Subject | Category | Stage | 90-day change | Latest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labubu | Designer toys | Faded | -41% | 37,477 |
| Squishmallow | Plush | Cooling | -25% | 36 |
| Pop Mart | Designer toys | Faded | -24% | 8,004 |
| One Piece Card Game | Trading cards | Cooling | -18% | 2,784 |
| L.O.L. Surprise! | Dolls | Cooling | -17% | 95 |
| Beyblade | Battle toys | Cooling | -17% | 18,197 |
| Tamagotchi | Electronic toys | Cooling | -16% | 30,921 |
| Amiibo | Collectibles | Holding | -14% | 5,446 |
| Mini Brands | Collectibles | Holding | -14% | 581 |
| Fidget spinner | Fidgets | Holding | -14% | 9,771 |
Falling interest is not the same as a failing product. Licensed properties and long-running hobbies have seasonal curves, and a September-to-October drop can be as simple as the end of a summer release cycle.
How to use it
- For a shop: the 90-day slope is a better ordering signal than a listicle, but it is not a demand forecast. Combine it with what your distributors can actually ship.
- For a collector: a rising subject is where the resale premium and the counterfeit risk both live.
- For a reader: if a subject you like is in the falling column, that is usually good news for price and availability.
We publish the full series as CSV at /data/. The method and its limits are on the methodology page.