China's AI Toy Market 2025: The Rise of Emotional Companions
By Jotham Lim
4 min read
The Growth Inflection of March 2025#
The AI toy market in China grew from a niche segment into a mainstream consumer electronics category within twelve months. Online sales reached CN¥ 740 million in 2025 (+427.4% YoY), volume reached 1.604 million units (+864.2% YoY), and the category's penetration rose from 0.2% to 4.3%.
Throughout 2024, monthly AI toy sales moved between CN¥ 7.3 million and CN¥ 21.4 million. The breakout began in March 2025, when sales tripled to CN¥ 46.2 million, and by May monthly revenue had reached CN¥ 99.2 million on 202,137 units. Sales in both November and December 2025 came close to CN¥ 99 million, which we believe shows a sustained level of demand that did not unwind after the promotional season.
We believe several developments came together to drive the acceleration. AI models reached a quality good enough for consumer products, so toys could hold a natural dialogue and recognise emotions, while lower manufacturing costs brought AI hardware within reach at mid-range prices. At the same time, consumers found real uses for AI companions in education, in emotional healing and in family interaction.
For the broader 3C electronics market context, see our market overview.
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Sub-Categories: Educational and Trendy Toys Take the Growth#
AI robots' share of category sales roughly halved, from 61.3% in 2024 to 32.5% in 2025, as the category moved away from its origins in premium robotics. Robot sales still grew 181.5%, so the change in share came from two other sub-categories growing much faster.
AI Educational Toys became the largest sub-category at CN¥ 290 million (+639.8% YoY) on 619,000 units. Parents control the purchase of children's products and put learning outcomes first, and AI-enhanced learning tools give them a clear reason to buy.
AI Trendy Toys changed the most, as their share of category sales rose from 8.8% to 25.8%. Sales of these plush AI companions, designed for emotional healing and companionship, reached CN¥ 180 million (+1,465.9% YoY) on 435,000 units (+5,466.9% YoY).
AI Robots reached sales of CN¥ 220 million, although average selling prices above CN¥ 3,700 limit how far they can reach the mass market.
Pricing: From Premium Products to the Mass Market#
Prices moved down market quickly: in 2024 the CN¥ 3,000+ segment accounted for 49-68% of monthly sales, and by the second half of 2025 the under-CN¥ 500 segment frequently accounted for more than 50%.
Average selling prices fell from over CN¥ 1,000 in early 2025 to CN¥ 372 by September, a fall of 63.6% in six months. By November the average selling price had settled at CN¥ 340, which suggests a new price floor for mass-market AI toys. At that price, we believe an AI toy has become something consumers can buy on impulse.
The market did not become uniformly cheap, however, because the CN¥ 3,000+ segment settled at 15-24% of monthly sales in the second half of 2025. Premium robots and accessible companions sat side by side in two distinct parts of the market.
Brand Strategies: Haivivi and Luka Doctor#
Haivivi has built its business on pairing AI with characters and emotional companionship. Its BubblePal device is multilingual, builds stories together with the child and lets children talk to characters with their own voices and personalities, according to Interesting Engineering.
Luka Doctor takes a technology-first approach with a photo-learning device for children. Its "shoot-recognise-explain" workflow makes AI easy for children to understand and use.
What the two brands have in common matches what consumers say they care about most, which is feature richness (20.6%), AI capability (19.5%) and performance (14.5%). Brand recognition comes last at 0.9%, which suggests an early-stage market where what a product does matters more than who made it.
Consumer Demographics: The Expanding Audience#
Social media data shows that the AI toy market is quickly broadening its consumer base. The share of female users rose from 28% to 39% in 2025, which reflects the appeal of emotional companionship products, and the 26-35 age group is the core engagement group at 44.7%. Demand is also moving from awareness driven by influencers to organic interest, as engagement from ordinary users rose from below 200 per month in 2024 to consistently above 1,000 in the second half of 2025.
Strategic Outlook#
We expect the "hardware + subscription content" revenue model to become the main route to sustainable margins in 2026 as hardware prices come down, and we expect IP collaborations to increase as brands look for ways to stand out.
For the complete analysis, download the full report.
About the Data#
This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence (魔镜洞察) proprietary e-commerce data and on public social media data from major Chinese social platforms, covering January 2024 through December 2025.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
Frequently Asked Questions
Online sales reached CN¥ 740 million in 2025, up 427.4% year on year, with volume at 1.604 million units (+864.2%) and category penetration moving from 0.2% to 4.3%. Growth took off in March 2025: through 2024 monthly sales sat between CN¥ 7.3 million and CN¥ 21.4 million, then March 2025 tripled to CN¥ 46.2 million and May reached CN¥ 99.2 million on 202,137 units. November and December both came in near CN¥ 99 million, which we believe points to a sustained level of demand that did not unwind after the promotional season.
Educational and trendy toys took most of the growth. AI educational toys became the largest sub-category at CN¥ 290 million (+639.8%) on 619,000 units, because parents control the purchase and learning outcomes justify it. AI trendy toys moved from 8.8% to 25.8% of category sales, reaching CN¥ 180 million (+1,465.9%) on 435,000 units (+5,466.9%); these are plush AI companions aimed at emotional healing and companionship. Robots went from 61.3% of category sales to 32.5%, but their own sales still grew 181.5% to CN¥ 220 million, so the fall in share came from faster growth elsewhere. Average selling prices above CN¥ 3,700 limit their reach.
It reset downward and then found a floor. In 2024 the CN¥ 3,000+ segment took 49-68% of monthly sales; by the second half of 2025 the under-CN¥ 500 segment frequently exceeded 50%. Average selling prices fell from over CN¥ 1,000 in early 2025 to CN¥ 372 by September, a fall of 63.6% in six months, and stabilised near CN¥ 340 in November. At that price, we believe an AI toy has become something consumers can buy on impulse. The market did not become uniformly cheap, though: the CN¥ 3,000+ segment held 15-24% of monthly sales through the second half of 2025, so premium robots and accessible companions sat side by side in two distinct parts of the market.
Function, overwhelmingly. Feature richness leads at 20.6%, AI capability at 19.5% and performance at 14.5%, while brand recognition comes last at 0.9%, which suggests an early-stage market where what a product does matters more than who made it. The audience is broadening at the same time: female users rose from 28% to 39% during 2025, the 26-35 age group is the core engagement cohort at 44.7%, and engagement from ordinary users rose from below 200 per month in 2024 to consistently above 1,000 in the second half of 2025, which suggests demand moving from influencer-led awareness to organic interest. For a brand entering the category, that argues for spending on capability and content ahead of name recognition.
